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Chapter 12

I stashed the stuff in my subspace pocket. Looking around the little patch of woods that I had claimed with the knowledge that even though it was really far in I would be able to run there easily.

A tree hosted my brand new punching bag. Leaves rustled and there wasn't water or a clearing near by, there was nothing to draw a person to come visit this particular spot. My transformation pen was held loosely in my hand and despite being completely alone I looked around nervously, checking for people.

"Venus Eternal Power," I whispered. Light flooded inside me, my outfit melting into my scout uniform. Gloved, with my power-heels and the cool metal on my tiara resting on my brow I felt at peace.

With a childish sense of delight, I snapped into position and a let off a crescent beam. It slammed into a tree and I sighed. I wasn't powerless. I could fight this.

Training took three hours and was excruciatingly agonising. I de-transformed and collapsed onto my back. The sun had long greeted the sky and my stomach gurgled in hunger. I slipped my punching bag into my subspace pocket and headed to the grill.

"Hello Mina," a voice said from right next to me. I forced myself not to jump.

"Hello Elijah," I replied in the same confident and coolly polite tone as the man next to me. His lips tilted upwards for an eighth of a second. "Would you like to join me for lunch?" I asked him in my normal bubbly tone.

"That would be nice," he said in a happier tone. We stopped in and got some sandwiches to go and sat on a bench on the park.

"So how have you been?" I asked him, and he shot me a mock scowl.

"Frustrated, you see there's this girl that doesn't make any sense," he said in a fake contemplating voice, "And I just can't seem to figure her out." I stifle my giggles with a bite of my sandwich.

"Oh that sounds simply unbearable," I said slipping into character with an easy grin, "You must tell me more. Perhaps I shall be able to enlighten you."

"Well, I don't think that she's afraid of anything at all, my lady," he replied, "She stays when she should run. Laughs when she should scream in fear and her concept of modesty is not befitting a lady, yet she still maintains a lady's grace."

"She sounds intriguing," I answered with a smile as I threw the word he used to describe me, "And what of her friends. One can tell a lot of a person by the people of which they associate with?"

"They, I'm afraid make as little sense as the lady herself, they should not be able to co-exist together as they do when there is almost nothing that they have in common. Artists, scientists, chefs, musicians and children?" he rattled off, "I confess that I do not understand."

"Serena," I replied, the game fading away, "She is our light. She is… the princess." I was slightly nervous, because I didn't know exactly how he would take that, but the truth was the only way I could think of to describe her.

"I see you tire of games," he commented lightly.

"A serious question deserves a serious answer," I told him, "And there are many things of which my friend's and I do share in common. It merely took us an age to find them. Until we did, we had Serena."

"You know, sometimes you speak as any young woman," he started with a light frown, "But then you will start to talk as if a Lady of old. I don't understand."

"I talk how I feel," I replied, "Does it matter? I know that I do not make any sense to you and you probably hate it, but is it really that important?" He turned and looked at me with an unreadable look on his face.

"No, I suppose it is not," Elijah admitted.

"And so we continue on," I said brightly. We stayed talking for far to long about the randomness things. Books, food, music, politics… I never had a conversation that grown up that didn't consist of saving the planet 101.

"I have somewhere to be," he sighed, as the sun crawled in a slow decent, "My brother and I have discussions to have with the Salvatore's over dinner."

"Good luck, because I certainly couldn't tolerate their presence for that amount of time," I answered. He looked slightly startled.

"But Niklaus is no problem?" he questioned in a surprised voice.

"No, they just… there's something about them that bothers me," I said in a cool voice, "I don't like the way they are around Elena." He nodded as if that made total sense, and moved to leave. My hand caught his sleeve.

"You do realise that there is this thing that friends do when they say goodbye to each other," I said with the air of explaining that one plus one equals two, "They hug." I held my arms open and he gave a happy chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I do believe I have forgotten that," he answered smoothly picking me up in a strong hug and me spinning me around, making happiness burst forth from my mouth. My arms wrapped tightly around his neck while I giggled. I kissed him on the cheek and dropped down to the ground.

"Goodnight Elijah," I called running back to Elena's, and waving. He stood there, raising a hand lightly to his cheek. I smiled widely; I loved keeping him on his toes. It was so much fun.

Elena had left a note, when I'd gotten back to the empty house. She was having a girl's night with Bonnie and Caroline. I wasn't home so she didn't invite me. That was fine, Elena just seemed to be grating on my nerves anyway.

The happiness from my day with Elijah burnt off at the sight of my perfectly made bed and they're in lied to question. Was I going to sleep tonight?


I actually have direction right now, I'm so proud of my self. What did you think? To dramatic, not funny enough, to repetitive? Review and let me know.