The Reincarnated

Chapter 21: Nasty Lessons

For the next seven days, I have grown used to the mansion's routine. I wake up early and train with Gale. The longer I've stayed in the mansion, the more relaxed and comfortable I felt with him amidst his mysterious identity. I know that if I was just honest with myself, he wasn't really so bad. He's composed and always in control of himself which I found admiring, but sometimes his capacity to be unemotional seems too exceptional to me. He was definitely inventive and at times cunning. I was grateful he didn't mention my outburst to him on the day we first had our training. It would have been too difficult on my part.

Kyle was his usual reserved self. I realized he was always separate from the others during training and practice. He didn't talk much either. We pass by each other and said no more than a few polite greetings and gestures.

Drum, I comprehended, was a womanizer. I've seen him with random women and anyone could have seen him flirting with any of them. It was a woman's instinct to know such things but sometimes, I wondered, why he'd avoid this manner when he's talking to me. Whatever the reason was, I hoped it would last for my whole stay in this mansion. However, I have tried to keep a secure distance - at least not completely alone - from him, never at all interested to be his next target.

Code was silent to me at first, but there was one time when we were able to make a good conversation. I asked him about how he was able to create a software that can trace any kind of device in the country and for the first time since I met him, he was doing all the talking. He wasn't such the typical often-silent-know-it-all-nerd which was my first impression on him. Drum told he was just shy to people he wasn't familiar with but once he got used to my presence, we started talking normally. True, he was a geek, but he sometimes showed an amusing sense of humor. It was sad to say, that his bashfulness on strangers didn't apply on her older sister's genes.

Lydia was the least closest to me. Not even in the simplest greetings did she spare when she's around me, that it didn't take long for me to end my conversation attempts. I've seen her train, and she was definitely skilled. It annoys me sometimes how I can be fascinated by such person who wanted nothing to do with me.

Leopold once told me that they were working on a lead on Lancelot's possible hideouts, but it was a slow progress. Nevertheless, it was still ongoing.

I have spent more time outside than in my room unlike before, to avoid thinking about things that might lead me to an unbearable sleepless night. Gale taught me how to defend myself. It was exhausting, and yet, I was grateful for it. The more exhausted I was, the easier it was for me to sleep in bed.

My mind keeps telling me to move on and leave the past behind, but I couldn't take myself out of my misery without feeling an ounce of guilt and an overwhelming wave of grief.

Today, following my usual schedule, I am training with Gale about how to get away from being trapped with someone's hands around your neck. I asked him to teach me how to do it. At first he refused; he mentioned that it was too complex, but when I explained to him why I wanted to do it, he reluctantly agreed.

"Usually, an attacker would use his left hand on impulse when he takes you captive while either securing your hands behind your back or holding a weapon like a knife or a gun on his right hand. That depends on the situation you are in," he lectured while I listened. I recalled Lancelot and one of his men do the same to me when they tried to take me.

"It's best not to panic and stay still. Check if both your hands are unbound and make sure he is off guard when you take your chance to get free."

"And how would I do that?"

"You surprise him," he stated matter-of-factly. "You twist his arm that holds the weapon and the other hand on his arm that's keeping you restrained. After you take both hold of his arms, you knock him out with a strong blow on the head or on his groin with your leg."