Chapter 5: The Cabin
Andorra woke up later that evening in a strange room, on a strange bed.
With a gasp she jumped up and immediately tripped and fell because the sheets and covers had gotten wrapped around her legs.
She must have made quite the racket because the door to the room opened and in Vergil strode, seeming worried about her.
"Andorra? What happened?"
"That what I want to know!" She demanded, fighting to try and unwrap herself from the sheets.
"Hold on, stop moving and let me help." He told her, starting to slowly unswaddled her.
When she was free she stood up quickly, too quickly, as a wave of dizziness suddenly struck her and she stumbled. If not for Vergil reaching out, she would have fallen to the floor.
"You need to rest more, it seems." He told her, leadi g her back over toward the bed.
"What happened?" She asked as she was gently sat down. "I remember being at home, then that, that... Fucking video came out and now I'm here... Why am I so dizzy and sore as fuck all over the place? Where even am I?! Whats going on?!"
"Just... Breathe, take a few deep breaths and calm down." He told her, awkwardly rubbing her back a little bit. Mother had done that for him after his first transformation, to help calm his breathing, perhaps it would help Andorra too?
They were quiet for a bit before Andorra shrugged away from him.
"Stop, that's a little weird." She said with a chuckle. "You're not a great back rubber, sorry."
"I'm aware." He stated with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm... I don't know. I hurt, everywhere. My eyes are burning a bit and my ears, ugh I have the worst headache..."
"It seems you awakened early." He explained. "Father thinks it was the stress that caused it."
"Awakened? Wha- oh... My uh, other side?"
He nodded.
"So what does that mean? And where are we?"
"It means our synchronisation training begins immediately." Vergil replied. "And as for where we are, this is our training grounds for the foreseeable future."
"How are we going to do this training and school too?" She asked. "Ugh... School's going to suck so much ass from now on..." she groaned, covering her face with her hands.
"Good news." He said, tone indicating he did have good news to say but wanted to let her figure it out.
"I don't have to go back?" She seemed perhaps a tad too excited about that. Or maybe it was relief disguised as excitement.
"Neither one of us." He replied.
"Why you too?"
"Because of our training." He stated. "No time for school."
"Won't we fail?" She asked.
"It won't matter if we don't stop this looming threat."
Andorra sighed and hung her head. "Why is it always teenagers that have to save the world? We're not mentally stable enough with all of our raging hormones and mental issues for that kind of heroism..."
"Add in our fledgling Cambion states and its a recipe for disaster." He agreed.
"Why can't our parents fight? I mean, your father is the great Dark Knight, isn't he?
"He sealed away his powers in the Demon world eons ago." Vergil responded.
"And mother had most of hers stripped away..." Andorra said with a sigh. "We're fucked. I can't fight. I mean... Not well, anyways."
"You'll learn." He assured her. "Think you can walk downstairs? They should all be back shortly."
"Back?"
"They left to stock us up on groceries and supplies. They've been gone almost two hours, that reminds me, I have to call your mother."
",I can do that, if you want." She offered.
"No, let's get you downstairs and I can make you some tea. It'll help with your nerves."
"We don't have groceries but we have tea?" She questioned as she slowly stood up, making sure she was steady before attempting to walk, Vergil not far behind her.
"It's mine, I packed it with my belongings." He replied.
"Oh shit, did they pack my stuff?" She asked.
"Yes, pretty much everything that belongs to you had been brought here. Including all of your, eh, feminine items as well." He explained, face flushing slightly when he mentioned her things.
"Oh God, you didn't happen to have to pack those, did you?" She asked.
"I was tasked with getting all of your toiletries..." He replied as they walked down the stairs. "I was not aware females owned so much stuff."
"We gots ta look pretty to attract the mates." Andorra said in a cartoonist, babified voice before bursting out in a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry! That was so stupid!"
It may have been stupid, but it did earn her a light chuckle from Vergil. "You said that fairly swiftly, have you had it prepared beforehand?"
"No, I remember it from somewhere but can't recall at the moment. At any rate, I'm sorry you had to be traumatized by my restroom."
"I am more concerned than anything." He stated. "You have prescription pain medication that is dosed fairly high..."
"Oh...that's for my endometriosis." She stated. "Ever notice how I miss school every now and then? That's why."
He had heard that word before... In... their Sex Ed and Health classes. Apparently it was bad for those that suffered from it.
"You will have to teach me how to deal with it when it gets bad for you." He said. "Although... I wonder... Now that you've awakened, if it will be a bother any longer?"
"Probably so. Mom mentioned that since they couldn't curse her since she was pregnant with me at the time, I was the one cursed to never be able to reproduce."
I told you the angels were heartless to their own... the demon stirred to life.
"That is horrible." Vergil stated.
"Eh, it's okay. We probably won't live long enough to think about that kind of thing anyways. Besides, I don't think I would ever want kids. I've babysat for families before and it drive me nuts. So I don't think I could handle one of my own that's around me twenty-four seven..." She said quietly.
Even though she said that...it would would have been nice to have an actual choice in the matter and not have it taken away from the very beginning.
"If it does bother you though, while we're here, I do not know how to help you." He stated again, offering to help.
"You won't need to, Mom and Dad will be here, right? They know what to do but if you want to help I'm sure they wouldn't mind the assistance." She explained as they reached the bottom floor.
Vergil paused in his walk, frowning slightly.
"Did they not tell you?" He asked her. "They won't be here during our training. They'll be monitoring, yes, but it's apparently safer for them to be a safe distance away whilst we train."
Andorra stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him.
"Whoa, hold up." She said, blinking rapidly as she tried to process everything. "You mean to tell me, that it's just just gonna be you and me, living here, together, ALONE?!"
"For the most part, yes." He answered with a slight nod.
"Uh... No offense, but how is that going to work?" She asked. "I don't know shit about my other side, how am I supposed to learn to channel and control it without mom here to teach me?"
"That is my job. It's much the same for us, as far as focusing and channeling them. I have practice with mine, to an extent, so I can help you. It is beneficial for the both of us." He explained.
"...okay... But are you gonna teach me to fight too?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Cuz aside from the self defense lessons you and Dante taught me, I'm no good in a fight."
"Yes. That is why it is just the two of us. The more we work and train together-"
"The more in sync we'll be?" She finished for him. "This all sounds a bit crazy and stupid. I don't understand it. Why do we have to be perfectly synchronized anyways?"
"Something about an angel and demon being able to work together makes them stronger together than either one would be alone. We can train on our own and get to the very best that we can be, separate, and still lose. But if we train together it brings out the others strengths? I believe is how it was explained to me." Vergil recalled what he had been told.
"I still don't understand..."
"Neither do I, yet. But I'm sure we will come to, given time."
Andorra simply sighed and rubbed at her eyes.
"None of this is helping my headache..." She murmured.
"Come sit." He said, motioning her towards the rather small main room of the cabin.
Despite having two stories, the place was fairly quaint. The main room consisted of a single couch, coffee table, small entertainment center and tv set. Connected to it was the kitchen, complete with a stove, sink and microwave. No dishwasher, unfortunately, which meant they'd have to hand wash any dishes they used.
Everything was wood. The floors, the walls, the cabinets and counters. But a very pretty and brightly shining color, giving the place a comforting and homey type of vibe.
"I've always heard about your family's cabin, but I've never been here." Andorra stated as she made her way over to the darkly colored couch and sat down on it.
Oh! It was so soft! And comfortable!
"It's fairly new, to be honest. Built only a couple years ago. It's not made for an entire family, just one or two people. Father made it when Dante and I began to show signs of awakening. And he offered it to your parents to use when it was your time." Vergil explained as he moved towards the kitchen and began preparing to make the tea.
"I see. Question, how are we not going to destroy this place? Wood is very breakable."
"The training area is the basement, and it is heavily reinforced." He replied. "Now, I will say this, it is much larger than the cabin itself, perhaps three times the size, if not more."
"Jesus...oh wait, can I say that anymore? Or does it even matter since my mother's fallen and I'm cursed? Eh, fuck it I don't care."
He snorted, amused at her rambling.
"I do not think it will matter." He stated, grabbing a teapot and rinsing it out before filling it and putting it on the stove.
As he waited, he pulled out his phone and hit a few buttons before coming closer to Andorra.
When her mother picked up, he put it on speakerphone.
"Vergil?" Elizabeth's voice come through, sounding urgent and worried. "Is everything all right? Is she awake yet?"
"I'm here mama." Andorra replied, scootching over to the edge of the couch, folding her legs underneath her as she reached for the phone. "I'm fine. Just sore and have a headache."
"Oh thank Heaven...Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yes mama, I'm fine." Andorra replied with a slight roll of her eyes, though she was smiling slightly. "Vergils making some tea that should help me feel better. Where are you?"
"We're on our way, give us about an hour, okay?"
"An hour?!" Andorra echoed, looking up at Vergil with a confused look. "Where the hell is this cabin located?"
"The woods outside of town." Elizabeth replied. "Sequestered a safe distance from other people and locations."
"I would say so if it's an hour away..." Andorra said. "wait so you guys are just gonna leave us in the middle of nowhere?!"
Elizabeth could be heard sighing over the phone before speaking again, probably to one of the other adults.
"I told you she wouldn't be thrilled."
"Liz, she'll be fine." James was overheard consoling her. "It's not like we're just going drop all this stuff off then jet. We'll be there a few days to get them settled in."
Andorra let out a silent breath of relief.
"You heard that?" Elizabeth then asked her daughter, wanting to make sure she wasn't in too much distress.
"Yeah, I heard." Andorra replied, though she still didn't sound happy. She sounded anxious and nervous. She'd never gone anywhere without her parents or Vergils nearby for more than a few hours at a time, save for school.
"It'll be fine, baby. Okay? I'll be there in a little while, you just rest, okay?"
"Okay." Andorra responded. "I love you..."
Silence for a few seconds. Andorra wasn't usually the one to tell her parents that first, she usually just returned it when it was said.
"I love you too."
"Don't forget about me!" James cut in, sounding comically put out.
Andorra laughed a bit. "I love you too, Daddy."
"I thought you were too old for that anymore." The man teased her. "Love you too sweetheart, now do what your mother says and rest up, okay?"
"Okay." She said before the line was disconnected.
She handed the phone back to Vergil, who was looking at her with a curious expression.
"What?" She asked.
"You must really be in distress emotionally." Was all he said with a slight smirk as he took his phone back.
"You want to go there?" She asked, returning that smirk. "We haven't had a good little back and forth in a while."
"Perhaps later." He agreed just as the tea kettle began to whistle,. causing him to move to tend to it.
Andorra chuckled and made herself comfortable on the couch, looking around for a small blanket and pillow. She didn't want to sleep but she liked being covered and cuddling a pillow while she relaxed.
Oh well...
While she waited, she began to think about all kinds of things.
So much had happened in just one day... How was she supposed to deal with it all at once? How was she supposed to face everyone at school if she saw them again? why would they come after her in the first place? She'd never done anything to them?
How was she supposed to be trained into this awesome fighter when she was as soft as a marshmallow? Fuck she had more tits and ass than muscle, even her mid section was a bit doughy... But that was because she liked food.
How was she supposed to take care of herself, by herself?
Sure she did chores around the house but she didn't think she knew enough to be completely self sufficient for any length of time by herself. She didn't know how to make a grocery list, she didn't know how to shop like her mother did, saving every little penny despite not needing to. She didn't know how to cook! Oh God how were they going to survive?!
Vergil had come to stand in front of her with her tea, noticing how she seemed to be focusing on something else. He could tell she was concentrating, by the way she had began to lightly chew at the fingernail on her thumb.
"Hey..." He said, gently tapping her knee with his free hand.
She blinked rapidly and seemed startled, if her slight jump was any indication. "Huh?"
"You zoned out." He told her, holding out the small tea mug for her to take.
"Sorry..." She mumbled, reaching for the cup. "I was thinking about, well everything."
"Care to talk about it?" He asked.
"Ah... Not really. Most of it I'm sure mom and dad can fill me in on. Like how to cook and make a shopping list and basically live on my own."
"And the rest?" He prompted.
"...the school. I don't know why they chose me to pick on."
Vergil frowned a bit. He knew, he knew exactly why. Should he tell her? No... It would just be more pressure on her with everything else going on. And it wasn't how he wanted to do it anyways...
"It's highschool, they don't need a reason." He said instead. "They're stupid kids who think that this is the peak of their lives. Don't worry about them, we both know different, don't we?"
"Yeah... I guess so..." Andorra replied, still not quite convinced. Had she upset someone? She didn't spend any time with the upperclassmen. And she usually kept to herself and didn't trash talk anybody...not out loud anyways...
He's hiding something...
At hearing a voice in her head, Andorra looked around, confused.
"Something wrong?"
"I...I thought I heard something." She said, waiting to see if she would hear it again. "It nothing, I guess."
"A voice in your head you've never heard before?" He asked.
"Y-yeah... how'd you know?"
"My demon does the same thing from time to time. Eventually it will not bother you."
"Oh...okay, good." Andorra said with a sigh of relief.
"Drink, it'll help." He urged her, moving away from the couch to get his own tea.
Andorra nodded and sipped st the warm leaf water that was on her cup.
Ugh, blech! She was glad his back was turned. This stuff was nasty!
"What is this?" She asked, feigning delight. "It's delicious."
"Do not lie to me." He stated with a chuckle. "I can tell you don't like it."
"What, whatever do you mean?" She asked, acting offended. "How dare you assume I don't like this hot leaf water?"
"I suppose there's no use in hiding it any longer." He stated. "I can tell when someone is lying, their heart rate increases and their voice patterns change, no matter how good they are at hiding it."
"...yet you called me a liar the other day when I was telling the truth." She stated, putting her cup on the coffee table. She was still a bit sore about that.
"I apologize for that... Being that everyone else thought what was being said was the truth, and I never heard the liar himself say anything their words seemed true. And it angered me, I was not thinking straight."
"See, here's what I don't get... Why were you so upset by it?" She asked. "I'm the one that the rumors were about."
"... You're my friend, I didn't want you to turn into what they were making you out to be." He came up with a convincing story on the spot.
"You're normally so level headed though, it was weird seeing you get so upset and angry." She added, seeming to accept his answer.
"That is the demons fault, and teenage hormones being as crazy as they are. Again, I apologize for how I treated you. As I stated earlier today, I was a fool."
"Damn straight you were." She agreed. "But we're good now, right? We're friends again?"
"We were never not friends." He answered.
"Eh, I'll take it." She said with a laugh before stretching, joints cracking and popping. "Ow...that's new."
"The soreness and your joints readjusting should be better by the morning." He said to her. "Also, you can go check the full length mirror in the restroom and see the other changes that have happened."
"Other changes?" She asked, now looking over her body, arms and legs. "What other changes? Did I sprout wings!?" That would be awesome! She thought as she turned her head, only to be disappointed there were no giant feathers behind her back.
"Go and see." He told her, pointing towards the downstairs restroom.
Andorra hurried off to the room, closing the door.
All was quiet for a few moments, just before...
"Holy fuck!" She screamed. "I'm fucking hot!"
Vergil didn't understand what she meant by that, but deduced that she was happy with her altered appearance.
His deduction was correct as she came out grinning from ear to ear.
"Bruh, all that extra fat I had, it's gone now!" She exclaimed, hands running over her midsection, then around her jawline and cheekbones. "Did my transformation really burn that much?!"
"Your metabolic rate has increased." He explained. "We'll need to spend-"
"Wait, wait wait wait...this is permanent! It's not just an instant one-off?!"
"Why are you yelling?" He asked. "And yes, but-"
"Holy shit... Well, I can kick that diet idea out of the window, it seems and throw away those Spanx."
"What on this green earth is Spanx?" He asked. "And why were you considering dieting?"
"Spanx is elastic pants that keeps all the extra doughiness from looking like a busted can of biscuits." Andorra explained, motioning to her midsection. "And that's why I wanted a diet, I didn't like how much extra I had."
He glanced at where she was motioning, a tad confused. She did not look like this naturally before? She had dislikes about her appearance? He did notice her face seemed thinner but that was about it "I had not noticed."
"Eh, doesn't matter now." She said with a shrug. "Is that what happened to you over break?" She then asked. "How you got so jacked?"
"...Perhaps?" He offered, not entirely certain. "I have not noticed a change in my musculature."
"Pfft, I did." Andorra said, still idly running a hand over her midsection. "Anyways... What were we talking about before?"
"I was explaining how you metabolism is through the roof now. Which will be helpful in the training, with the amount of energy we'll be needing. However, in order to keep up those energy levels, you will need to eat, mainly proteins to help with your muscles. And I mean alot. Otherwise, your body will start looking for other sources of protein, and it'll essentially eat you." He was trying to sound all important and giving her a stern warning about keeping her physical fitness levels.
"Bruh, say less!" Andorra responded. "So you're telling me I never have to worry about gaining fat weight again? It'll just be all muscle? And aside from protein I can basically eat how much I want or whatever I want?"
He simply blinked.
"Yes." He replied after a moment "For the most part, but I will have us on a certain food regimen. We can't just eat junk all the time."
"Fine by me, I'm more of a full four course person anyways-wait, what do you mean you'll have us on a certain regimen? You know how to cook?"
"Some. Mother's been teaching me. Have you not yet learned how?"
"I'm not exactly any good when it comes to cooking." Andorra admitted. "I don't have the patience for it. If it doesn't come straight out of a box with instructions printed on the back, it's a safe bet I can't make it. Except for spaghetti. I can make a semi decent spaghetti."
"Our stay together is going to be very interesting..." He commented. It was hard to tell if he was joking or not.
"Not my fault we're the 'chosen ones' buddy." Andorra replied sarcastically, using air quotes to emphasize her point. "I have clothes here, yeah?" She then asked. "I want to see what still fits and what doesn't."
Ah, there was the typical female behavior...
"Yes, upstairs in the room you were sleeping in."
"Cool deal, thanks!" She said before dashing away and up the stairs. "Holy shit, that was fast!" She exclaimed when she had reached her destination.
Vergil sighed and shook his head. As entertaining as her excitement was, their stay here would certainly be a trying one...