Witches in Training (#2 in the Witches Trilogy) [rewrites ongoing]

Chapter Eleven: Lightning Warning

VINNI

It was approximately three in the morning when two bodyguards built like the Hulk (in double) and a lady in a black catsuit punched my lights out.

Okay. Let me rephrase that. It was about three in the freaking morning when a lady in black used some fancy Chinese-y chi blocking techniques that made me go limp, then two huge guys built like Hulks punched my lights out.

Needless to say, when I woke up, I wasn't very happy. And when I realised where I was, I was even less happy.

"Morning, McAvoy." I muttered.

"Not very friendly today, are you?"

That was a bit of a stretch, seeing I'd never been 'friendly' with him in my whole life, but I attributed it to the god-forsaken early hour. "It's four thirty in the morning."

"Yes, I know."

"You know, if you're going to interrogate me, could we reschedule? I don't do cooperative before nine, and with people I hate, never." I eye him as best as I can while keeping from dropping asleep in my chair-which would probably have been extremely embarrassing. "And with you, well, I can't even stand to be in the same room as you, so..."

"Enough." Parker snaps. I always wonder how far I'd tested his patience over the years. At this point, I also wonder how on earth he looked one hundred per cent alert at this time of the day. Then again he was a vampire, so maybe he was nocturnal. Then again, I'd seen him more times than I'd like during the day. Then again... "Vinni!" I look up. I've missed his entire villain monologue. Oh well.

For the first time, I scan the room and notice that his two Frankensteins are back, accompanied by none other than the lady in black. In the light, I can finally see her face-skinny, almost anorexic, but with supple limbs. Long dark hair, Chinese features. Mid-twenties. Narrow eyes that are almost slits, with poisonous green pupils. She's tall, maybe almost six feet. On the back of her hands, she displays strange tattoos- something resembling an X with a hole in the centre of it-like a bullet hole.

"Um... is that your girlfriend?" No one answers me, so I go back to my rescheduling tack. "So... can we do this in, say five hours? At like nine or something? Really. I have more important things to do than be here at this hour... like sleep." I'm looking at the Chinese lady as I speak, so like an idiot I don't realise Parker has left until a couple minutes later.

Once the Frankensteins vacate the room, the Chinese lady speaks. "Good morning." She said. Her voice is clipped.

"Bad morning." I correct.

"My name is Lynette."

"My name is Vinni." I say, matching her tone and voice. She chooses to ignore me, but I can see her annoyance in her eyes. "So, do you work for Parker?"

Her lip finally curls. "I work for no one. At best, we have an alliance."

"So, at worse, that's war?"

Again with the ignoring. "My team and I have an alliance with someone of much higher order than the vampire."

"Jeez, and here you had me having a heart attack because I thought you were serving that sleazeball. Okay. So, who's this ally of yours?"

"Enough!" She snaps. She's got a forked tongue, but all I can think is: huh. Twice in ten minutes. I'm getting good at this.

"So, are you, like anorexic?"

"I'm half serpentine." She says shortly. It makes sense-the flexible limbs, the eyes, the height, the tongue, and I'm pretty sure if you dissect her she'd have a lot of muscle there.