Come In

Chapter Sixteen

Victor had trained with me through most of the day, and by the end of it, I was dripping in sweat, unable to catch my breath, and sore all over. But the most prominent feeling about it all- I felt strong. Capable. I had the feeling that I'd actually done something- made a difference to myself. I felt like I'd taken a huge step towards finding Cam.

I picked everything up very quickly- quicker than I thought I would. Fighting felt natural for me- like I was falling back into a routine. Victor told me that this was because the muscle memory of all past slayers lived inside me- it literally was routine. He wasn't giving me knowledge on fighting, he was unlocking the knowledge that I already had. I was right about it all being instinctual.

I felt like I could lift a truck above my head with little difficulty, and I loved it.

I was sitting in the living room, coming down from the high of the adrenaline, when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID. Libby.

Realising that I hadn't spoken to her in days, I answered the call.

"Oh my god, Libby. I'm so sorry I haven't called- I've been busy. How are you?"

"Oh, don't you worry about it, babe. I'm fine. Do you wanna know why I'm fine?" Libby replied, her usual, vivacious self. I noticed the double entendres to her voice when she said 'fine'.

"You've got a guy, haven't you?" I said, grinning. I knew I didn't really deserve her forgiveness- I should have called- but I was going with it.

"Well of course! He's brilliant. Super, super hot, smart, and he's sensitive. I'm thinking he's a college guy. He's called Martin." She said. It didn't take much to converse with her about boys- all you needed to do was throw in a couple of 'mhmm's and she'd carry it from there.

"Libby this is great! I wanna meet him- he needs the best friend inquisition."

"But of course my dear. I would never get serious with a guy without your approval. Besides, that's what I actually called you about. Tomorrow, I'm going to dinner with Martin, and he's bringing along a friend."

Uh-oh. I knew exactly where this was going.

"Libby, no. Please do not ask me to double with you" I said, giving my no-nonsense tone.

"Aw c'mon, please! You said you wanted to meet him. Besides, it's not like you're seeing anyone... are you?" Oh no... I wished that she hadn't asked that question. I didn't want to tell her about Cam- it was all too obvious, and painful. Maybe if I just agreed, she'd let it go.

"Fine. I'll double, but just this one time." I said, sighing. I heard Libby's squeal of delight on the other end of the phone. I rolled my eyes, but grinned at her enthusiasm.

When evening fell, I began to feel the weight of the world falling back onto my shoulders. I thought that Victor's appearance had given me hope, but I knew that in reality, all it did was distract me. Because no matter how much training I did, no matter how skilled I became, I could never save Cam. Pardo's or not, those vampires were so much stronger than me.

I was sitting on the sofa when Victor walked in, interrupting my eminent panic attack.

"Come with me. I need to show you something." He said, his voice almost robotic. He handed me my jacket, and gestured for me to follow him.

He took me to an old abandoned house. It was large, and all of the windows had been boarded up. The front door was hanging off of its hinges, and the bricks seemed to be greying, as if the life was sucked out of them. He held his arm out to stop me from going further, then pointed to an alley next to it. I frowned, but followed him into it.

It was dark- the glow of a lone streetlight giving off just enough light for me to see two men laughing, walking away from us.
They stopped at the end of the alley, and I realised that there was a girl on the floor, crying. She looked terrified. I realised what was going on.

These weren't men.

They were Pardos.