Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Matter Of Choice ❯ Reaching for a Chance ( Chapter 20 )

Reaching for a Chance

 

Stuart completely changed his routine in order to give her the best he could when training her. Unbeknownst to her he also changed his will. Over the years the family had built up considerable funds. Relocations as well as the children and women left behind had to be provided for. There should be enough to support her in the years ahead. He was worried about her though. She had become withdrawn, and he knew she cried herself to sleep at night. She suffered with nightmares and knew what must feature in them. What he didn't know was why they bothered her so, and that little detail was one she would keep to herself. The nightmares seemed to give her determination, each morning she appeared hard and cold, resolved to learn all she could.

 

Training was progressing well, she learned surprisingly fast. Every day they headed out to an abandoned quarry, as good a place as any, and gave them some privacy. He had even fought here a couple of times in the past. Today she was lost in thought and he found that he had to fight to keep her attention.

 

“Tegan!” He barked.

 

“What? Sorry.”

 

“You have to listen to me. What is the point of all this unless you listen and learn? I can only do so much.”

 

“I said I'm sorry okay.” She snapped.

 

She turned away from him, her eyes focused on nothing particular, wrapping her arms around her. He knew she was thinking about something.

 

“What is it?”

 

“I can't stop thinking about him.” She sighed, feeling ashamed to admit it.

 

“Demetriov?”

 

“I can't get him out of my head; get what has happened out of my head even.” She rushed to clarify. “He's in my dreams, my nightmares.”

 

“You have to concentrate, block him out.” He urged sincerely. “He is your most dangerous enemy.”

 

“Most?” She asked, more than a little concerned by his last statement.

 

He sighed, knowing he had better voice his thoughts. “I have no idea what is going to happen. Once he starts coming after you, the others might too; particularly Adam. He's a vicious bastard.” He growled, knowing from experience how mean he could be. His left hand still was not right one year on from that little incident.

 

“Oh great! How much more shit do I have to deal with?” She snapped, her anger flaring again, an all too common occurrence these days.

 

Stuart kept his tone calm. “I wish I knew. He's trying to seduce you and you know how strong he is. He is trying to get to you in any way possible. I don't know if I can make you ready but I am trying. You really must do all you can against him.”

 

She turned to him. There was something in his tone that she couldn't quite place. He was too insistent on the point. Was there something he wasn't telling her? She zoned out into her own thoughts again, Stuart had been like this more and more often recently.

 

Suddenly he came at her out of nowhere, yet somehow she saw it coming. Buried instincts came to the surface and she blocked his blow, grabbing hold of his wrist. She kicked out at his stomach but he grabbed her ankle twisting it round. Tegan started to fall, losing her balance, releasing her grip on him. She twisted as she fell, hooking her leg round his, pulling it from underneath him, and taking him down with her.

 

He fell hard, Tegan having softened her fall with her hands, the stones of the quarry floor digging into her skin, and then she rolled. She was on her feet in a single cat-like move and dived on Stuart, wrapping her arms around his head in a headlock, applying pressure. He gasped for air, flailing momentarily at the arms restraining him before forcing himself to think. He reached behind her, grabbing her belt and pulled her over his head with an almighty heave. She landed heavily in the dirt, but when he went in for an attack she was already out of reach. He cried out as her fist hammered into his stomach, followed by a brain jarring blow to his jaw. He exploded in pain as she kneed him in the crotch.

 

Totally running on instinct she hammered the heel of her hand into his sternum, shoving him into the dirt. She pounced on him, her knees on his arms pinning him down. She grabbed his throat roughly, raising her other hand to deliver a blow that would drive the bones of his face into his brain. Stuart felt a surge of panic, crying out in alarm and shocking her, suddenly seeing clearly for the first time she stopped. She leapt to her feet, gasping for breath, shocked by what she had almost done. The haze of the fight left her, the killing instinct buried by something much more human. She sank to her knees her head in her hands. Stuart lay panting for breath, she had nearly choked him. Catching his breath he sat up.

 

“I think we'll leave that there.”

 

“I could have killed you!” She said with horror.

 

“If you're not willing to hurt him then he will hurt you.” He soothed.

 

“That doesn't make me feel any better.”

 

“Come on.” He sighed, rubbing his neck. “Combat wise you are way ahead of me, and these lessons really are a moot point now. There are other things I can teach you though.”

 

She helped him to his feet, Stuart limping slightly.

 

“I'm getting too old for this.” He said smiling.

 

He led her home, slowly, Tegan lost in her own thoughts as they travelled. She was aware of a dull ache in her lower back. She smiled wryly; she had deserved it after all. They were both going to be bruised for a while. A distant sound floated to her on the breeze. She tried to identify it, but as suddenly as it had come it was gone again. It wasn't long before they reached home, the walk seeming to get shorter every time they took it. He took her inside the house, the two heading for the softer seating of the lounge. Stuart sat slowly, Tegan suddenly realising how much she had hurt him.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

She was genuinely concerned; she had never planned to hurt him. When he had struck out at her she had got lost in the fight, almost out of control. That fact scared her, and made her ashamed, it had all been too easy.

 

“No worse than I am used to.” He replied. “But a little unexpected.”

 

“I'm sorry.” She hung her head with shame.

 

“Don't be. Instincts like that could very well save your life. Besides, I will mend.”

 

Tegan sat her head down, closing her eyes. She opened them again quickly, all she could see when she closed them was Demetriov. She could see his face, his smile; feel his arms around her and his lips against her throat. Echoes of sensations she had felt had experienced that night ran through her and just for a moment she found herself longing for that experience again. No! She couldn't! She couldn't ever have it again it would mean her death. He was her enemy and she must never forget that. And yet her heart didn't believe her.

 

“I think it will be time to start making travel plans soon.” He mused.

 

“I can't believe I am going to do this.” She murmured.

 

He sighed. “I never wanted this for you. I would give anything to make you free; when you're gone I will do everything in my power to destroy him.”

 

“But you don't think you can.” She stated plainly, the hurt showing in her eyes.

 

“You saw how you beat me Tegan; it's not been long since we started this.” He turned his eyes away and sighed heavily. “I was too old when I took this on, but I will not abandon it. I have to go on for you.”

 

She smiled at him, but it was forced. This was going to be hard for both of them.

 

* * * * *

 

Over the next three months Tegan devoted herself to training herself physically. She took up self-defence classes, but they moved too slowly and she was deemed too aggressive for these sessions. She began arduous days at the gym, building up her endurance and strength with circuits and weights. She pushed herself to exhaustion every day but she needed to and if it would help her to survive then it was worth it. It was also only when she reached this level of tiredness that she slept dreamlessly, experiencing peace from her night terrors. Stuart on the other hand tried to teach her to have better control of her thoughts, try and be able to block an intrusion into her mind. They had no idea about how successful this was, as they had no way to test it.

 

Stuart started to take her out to watch the vampire group to learn what kind of haunts they preferred, how they chose their victims, so she could avoid being in that position. When she left she would be a woman alone and there were many vampires in the world. He was confident she would be safe against any human menace apart from a gun attack, but even then he suspected she would find a way. The thing was that if she managed to outrun Demetriov she would still need to be careful. And so it was that a little more than14 weeks after Demetriov's attack on her, they realised that it was time, the longer she waited the more danger she was in.

 

* * * * *

 

“I think we had better get you on a flight tomorrow.” Stuart stated bluntly as the two of them ate.

 

They both picked at their food having little appetite. They had know this conversation was coming for some time.

 

“Have you thought about where you will go?”

 

“Not yet.” She sighed, pushing her plate away. “I think it will be a case of finding a flight that leaves as soon as possible for as far away as possible.”

 

“You'll get to see the world with any luck.” He almost chuckled at that.

 

“It's just a shame that it has to be because of all this.”

 

“Yes.” He paused. “I have started setting things up for you.” He stated quickly, not wanting to dwell on things too much. “There is a substantial amount of money in an account that you should be able to access reasonably easily wherever you go. When my time comes the rest will come to you. It will allow you to go where you need and do what you need to.”

 

“I have no idea how to go about this.” Tegan answered softly, her voice threatening to shake. “Other than packing light where do I start? I will be on a plane tomorrow for god knows where. I have to admit I'm scared.” Her voice now barely above a whisper.

 

Stuart rose from his place to sit beside her, placing a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. “I know; I am too.” She looked up at him and it hurt him to see the fear in her eyes. “You should probably be able to settle down somewhere for a while.” He explained, trying to mask his own emotions now. “Lynn will let you know when I'm gone which should give you some warning. From there…”

 

“I start backpacking and get used to it.”

 

He nodded, swallowing hard. “He may not want to leave the group so you may be able to settle for a couple of months at a time. You will just have to watch your back and see what happens. Keep a bag packed so you can jump on the next flight when you need to. Carry a lighter and a bottle of petrol. Dangerous but if you are attacked you can set them alight which should give you time to get away.”

 

“Nice!” She said sarcastically.

 

He ignored her tone, knowing it was a defence mechanism for her. “And get some kind of weapon coated in silver.” He showed her the long knife he used. “You keep the edge razor sharp and the rest silver plated. You'll need a whetstone and oil. Both should be easy enough to carry in your backpack. Make sure you keep the knife where you can draw it. The silver cuts deeper and slows healing, not a lot but it will give you a chance to run, or set them alight and then run.”

 

“I can't believe we are talking like this.” She said disbelieving.

 

Sure they had discussed what would need to be done for weeks, she had trained, prepared, but now it all seemed too real, too soon. She wasn't sure she was ready, but she knew that time was against her.

 

“We have to, and I am trying to give you as many weapons to keep you as safe as I can.”

 

“I know.” She sighed.

 

“You should try and get these things in the next few days. I hope I can hold them here for that long for you. You are as ready as you are ever going to be. It's time to face reality, whether we like it or not.”

 

“I know; I've not wanted to admit it either.”

 

Her throat was tight and she swallowed hard. He brought her in for a hug.

 

“Your mother would be proud of you, I know I am. You've grown into a remarkable young woman. I have a feeling you'll be okay, no matter how much I worry.”

 

“Thanks, I wish I was a bit more confident.”

 

“You should be. You've trained hard, you are at your peak physically and I know you've been keeping your mind active. You have had the same thought as me.”

 

She flushed, knowing what he was going to say next.

 

“You might leave no trace when you hack into their systems but you've not been keeping our computer clear.” He chuckled at the rosy tint that had suffused her cheeks. “Don't be embarrassed. If it gives you the edge and allows you to know when he's coming, then all the better. You've surpassed my wildest dreams.”

 

“I'm going to miss you.” She breathed.

 

“I'll miss you too.” He replied, taking her hands in his, squeezing them gently. “So,” He began, getting to his feet. “If you are going to hack in you're going to need something to hack in with that can travel with you.” He brought out a box. Inside was a state of the art notebook laptop. “I've already set up the internet, plug it into any phone socket and you'll be able to connect. It has an internal broadband modem. Will it do?”

 

She grinned at him. This simple gift would give a tie to the world, to home, give her a way to look over her shoulder. It was precious and it gave her hope.

 

“I think it's perfect!”

 

She threw her arms around him, making him smile.

 

“We'll go out one last time tonight, so hurry up and pack. We'll get you on the first flight we can tomorrow. One last thing; here are the bank account details and cards.”

 

“I don't know how to thank you.”

 

“Stay safe, that's all I need from you.”

 

He brushed her hair behind her ear stroking her face with the back of his hand.

 

“Go on, get a move on, it's not long till sunset.”

 

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Author's notes:

Okay so that was a little dialogue heavy for me, but it had to be done. I hope I have conveyed her emotions in all this, as well as the slightly surreal nature of what is happening to her, but hell, I know you guys will keep me informed. Your comments help me get better guys so keep them coming!