"Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them."
-Alice Sebold, "The Lovely Bones"
Ezra:
"Why do I need to learn how to fight?" Nicole asked, arms crossed over her chest and chin raised in defiance. "It's a Shadow!"
I stalk towards her in my gym, wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She wore better fitting clothes Misrey found for her which included buckskin shorts and t-shirt. Her hair was in a tail as her boots were like mine: made for kicking monsters where it hurts most. "You should know that being a Shadow doesn't matter. It can touch you, kill you."
She groaned and stepped away from me, then glanced over to Tracy, Misrey, and Xheee. Xheee was a master in patience and waiting for the right moment to strike an opponent. He was also a Faun, which meant he was half male, half horse. That also meant he had a fondness for humans that not many others did. "Why can't I fight one of you?" she asked. "Shouldn't I at least be familiar with fighting multiple creatures?"
I grinned maliciously. "Are you scared, Human?"
"No, I just don't want to fight you." She runs over to the group of spectators and hides behind the Ichchadhari Naagin. "Please, Ezra!"
Misrey giggled delightfully while the other two smirked at the human. I stood straight, hands on hips, watching her with a calculating gaze. I didn't understand why she was hiding from me. "How about you fight Ezra first, then when you gain the knowledge obtained from his session, you can fight one of us?" Xheee said in a steady voice, almost as if he were tired.
Nicole shook her head while Misrey floated over to me. "No. I won't fight him."
"Why not!" I demand.
She looked at me with wide eyes. It wasn't with fear, though. More like shock that I yelled at her. Misrey floated higher off the ground and whispered in my ear, "She thinks you're a distraction."
I blink.
Misrey giggled again as I stared at Nicole, whose face was a shade pinker than when we had come in here. Her breathing was heavier and I noticed her heartrate was a bit fast. To answer my question, she whispers, "If I fight you, how do I know you won't kill me?"
I chuckle and decided how I would get her to come to me. "How do you know the others won't? Tracy could strike with a blinding speed and you wouldn't know what happened until it was too late. Xheee may be humble now, but wait until he has a sword in his hand."
"What about Misrey?"
"If you can't handle me, you will never be able to handle Misrey," I say and see rage flare in those green eyes. "Misrey is worse than me, Human. Much worse."
"Stop calling me Human!" she hissed.
I stalked over as the others crept away. Nicole didn't even realize she was alone. "Why not? It's what you are! A weak, pathetic Human. You're stuck in a world with creatures much more powerful than you, alone and fragile." She began to tear up, but I kept going. "The moment you step out of my house without me, you would be killed. You can't see all your enemies here. I can. I am stronger than you."
She hugs herself. "I'm not weak!" she whimpers.
I'm now in front of her and my eyes flash from grey to red as I glare at her. "Weak. Pathetic. Human."
"That's enough, Ezra!" Xheee commanded. "Leave her alone."
"No," I hissed. "If she wants me to stop, she'll fight me!"
"Obayifo, you're going to-"
Before Xheee could finish his sentence, Nicole lunged for my eyes, fingers splayed into claws, eyes blazing, one tear on her cheek. I jump back, satisfied. "Come get me, Human!" I called as I laughed at her blinking in surprise.
She ran forward and threw a punch to my stomach, but I caught it and shoved her back. She gasped in shock, then got up and came for me again. This time, when I caught her delicate hands, I spun her around so her back was to my front and chuckled at her struggle. "Let me go!" she screamed.
I breathed into her ear, "Never let your emotions control you. Clear your head and think. Emotions will get you killed in this world."
"Don't lecture me!" she growled. "My emotions are not controlling me!"
"You're pissed off, Nicole."
"You were being cruel!" she cried, her struggles subsided as her strength weakened.
"It was to make you angry. I did it to make you fight me." I leaned closer to her, nuzzling her neck with my nose. "Calm your breathing and slow your heart."
Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath, taking a moment to do as I said.
"Good. Now, instead of coming at me with everything you've got. Think about what you know. I'm not human. I'm a monster who is faster and smarter than you. You need to outsmart me. You need to be able to outsmart the Shadow, to be able to not freeze before it."
"How?" she asks in a barely audible voice.
"First, with this training. Then, we'll try something to help your fear in a few days. All I want you to focus on is fighting with your instincts, controlling your emotions, and trusting yourself and me."
I slowly let her go and step back. Nicole stands there for a moment, gathering herself. I let her. When she turns around, I was satisfied to see her face blank and hear her breathing and heart calm. She stared at me for a long time, taking me in and likely thinking about her move. I waited, ready to see what she would do.
Nicole didn't disappoint.
She walked over, hips swaying and eyes downcast. At first, I thought she was lost in her emotions again, but didn't see any tears or hear anything speeding. When she got up to me, I thought I had completely went beyond her limits, so it shocked me when her knee came up to hit me between my legs. Luckily, I caught it before it hit anything, but then her fists came flying at my face. I smiled, blocking her. "Good, now, spread your feet apart a little so you're steadier," I say as she continues to throw punches. She obeys.
"How am I supposed to hit you?" she hisses. "You're too fast!"
I block her blow to my groin again and grin. "Don't think the worst, Nicole. You're doing better than I could have hoped!"
She tries a round house kick, but falls to the floor, landing on her side. She gasps in pain and I kneel beside her. Some hair has come out of her tail as she sits there, panting. "I don't understand the point."
"The point to this is so that you can defend yourself long enough to stay alive until I get to you if we're separated. The point is to control your body." She shakes her head, and I reach a hand. "Come on. Stand up so I can show you something."
She takes my hand and stands. She looks around to see we're alone.
"You may be human, Nicole, but you're small. You're smart. Use what you have to your advantage. Put your whole body behind your punches. Use the balls of your feet to propel yourself forward. Keep both eyes on your opponent. Never let them out of your sight. If they're faster than you, corner them so they can't move. Have some confidence in your skills. You're not as weak as you may believe."
"You called me weak."
"To get a rise out of you," I said softly. I reach over and make her look at me. "Anyone who can look at Trumthor and not faint is strong. Anyone who can play with Daeva all day has a strength that outshines most."
She gave a small smile. "Can we take a break for a few minutes? I need to get a drink."
I nod and let her walk away, watching her with a mix of pride and longing.
"You give her too much credit!" Misrey said, appearing beside me.
"Actually, I don't give her enough," I said and went to grab a towel to wipe the sweat off my face.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later, we're back in the gym and Nicole looks better ready to fight than I would have expected. The others sit on the bleachers and watch, Misrey eating what looked like roasted Cyclops eyes like humans ate popcorn at a theater. This time, Daeva has joined up, looking a little worried for Nicole's sake.
Nicole rolls her shoulders and takes a step towards me, however, Tracy slithers forward as fast as lightning and stands in front of me. Nicole is a little shocked, but eyes Tracy up and down to determine her first move. Then, she circles Tracy, either to get to me or to get a feel of her opponent. I wasn't sure until she grabbed Tracy's tail and pulled. I grinned at the shocked expression on the snake woman's face. But it didn't last long. Tracy, being flexible, wound her way around Nicole and began to squeeze. Nicole didn't show much on her face to tell me of her fear but did slip something from inside her shirt and swipe upwards. Tracy hissed and uncoiled, slithering away. In Nicole's hand was a makeshift blade from a piece of glass.
I nodded my approval and step forward, reaching out and yanking her body back against me. She's still for a moment before elbowing me in the ribs, but I don't let go. She tries to kick me instead, but I don't let her get a chance to hit anything too vulnerable before leaning down and burying my nose in her neck. She stills.
Her heartbeat is going fast and her breathing is shallow. Her eyes are closed as if she's either thinking of a way out of her situation or savoring it, I can't tell. "Where did you get the glass?" I ask her, barely audible against her harsh breathing.
"I found it in my room," she answers.
"Mirror?" She shakes her head, then I'm in pain as she slams her foot down on mine. I release her and she spins away. I glare at her in a rage. "What the Abbagoochie brains was that for!"
She seems surprised and a little confused by what I just swore at her but seems otherwise pleased with herself. "Is this not a fight?"
My glare deepens. "I was asking a simple question, Human!"
Tracy and Misrey appear beside Nicole and each grabs one of her arms. She ignores them and spits, "It seems like you were trying to distract me! How was I supposed to know it was genuine!"
"Come on, Miracle!" Misrey hisses. "We need to go."
Nicole shrugs off the girl and stands her ground. "No! This creature can't get mad at me for doing what he wanted me to do! I will not move until he apologizes!"
"I'm not sure that's going to happen right now," Tracy says hesitantly. "We really should get you out of here!"
"Why?" Nicole demands as she spins towards them. "Because you think I'm weak and can't handle myself? Because I'm human?"
"No, because if you don't you'll regret it later!" Misrey growls and pushes Nicole into the Ichchadhari Naagin.
"Stop!" Nicole screams, using her makeshift blade to slash towards the two females. "Let me go!"
"Sorry little Jewel, but it's for your own good!"
"What do you mean?"
"That's what we mean!" Misrey screams as I begin to melt the form I've been using.
~~~
Faun (Xheee)
Definition: a man with goat legs in Roman mythology.