Part 5

Cordelia punched the air then she kicked it, she was training. She had broken the rule and her kidnapper would certainly come to punish her. She didn't care, she wasn't afraid. If he got her the first time that was because he'd had caught her out off guard. Now she was ready. Or, well, she would be. She made a right hook and moved laterally.

"Don't stiffen up!" She panted. "You lose your balance, you lose the fight. Move the line of attack all the times, your opponent will be forced to adjust. Always make the other guy work!"

These were advices that Angel repeated when they were training. She turned abruptly, lifted her leg and kicked an invisible target. She then made an uppercut and a left hook. Her arm was hurting but she didn't care, she was just thinking about one thing. Training!

"C'mon, step closer... What are you afraid of?" She asked to no one. "I'm gonna kick your ass! I fight almost every day against vampires and demons. You don't frighten me!

She performed a nice sequence mixing jabs, uppercuts, right and left hooks, kicks here and there, dodging,... Then she paused to breathe. What time was it? She didn't have her watch. She was hungry and she remembered the lasagna she'd put in her oven. She laid in the bed and fell quickly asleep.

Casanova arrived at his place at 10.30 in the morning; he couldn't have come sooner because of his work. He really wanted to see his girls and "play" with them. Especially with his new one, Cordelia Chase. A true wonder. He'd saw her as she was shopping in the centre of L.A and had be under her spell. She was so beautiful. He'd followed her during almost a month, then when he couldn't wait any longer to know more about her, he'd set a date for the kidnapping. Okay, it wasn't in his habits to hurry up, particularly because the police had just found Megan Murphy's body, but well, Cordelia wasn't a student either so... He reflected a moment then resigned himself: better wait and visit his accomplice. He went along the corridors and arrived in front of a door, pushed it open and walked in the room. The demon was taking a bath.

"Sorry to disturb you!" Casanova said.

"It's okay. But what are you doing here? It is early and, if I do not mistake, you didn't saw your girls yet! " Lifercy replied.

"No, you're right but I wanted first to make sure that things went all right last night."

"Well, since you're talking about it, the new girl you brought, lead a little sequestered-conversation." Lifercy announced casually.

Casanova saw red. "WHAT? I advised her against it! "

Lifercy shrugged. "She obviously didn't listen to you! Well, you know what you have to do now. "

"But she just arrived!"

"These are your rules, don't forget it!"

Casanova sighed melancholically. " Yeah, you're right. It's her fault "

Lifercy licked his lips. "My mouth is already watering!"

Cordelia woke up sweating, she had a bad feeling. Her stomach gurgled, when was the last time she ate? She couldn't tell, she'd lost the notion of time.

She sat up. "If he doesn't respect the 'feed your sequestered girls' rule, what is he going to respect?" Cordy grumbled.

Her attention was drawn by a plate with some slices of bread. It rested on a new table that Casanova had probably brought while she was sleeping. That special thought caused her to shiver. The thought of his gaze sliding on her body! Ewwwww! She took the place on her legs and began to eat a slice, it tasted weird. Suddenly she spat everything as an atrocious pain twisted her stomach: poison! She fell on the ground spitting and hoping that her organism wouldn't keep anything. That bastard, he had poisoned her! The door opened and Casanova walked in, he had a rope in his hand.

"You could have been the best Cordy. I can call you Cordy, can't I?" Casanova declared.

Cordelia, between two spit, replied. "Only my friends can call me that."

"But I'm your friend!"

She coughed painfully. "I don't think we got the same definition of this word. You should buy another dictionary."

He shook his head. "Call me crazy but I told you to not break the rules!"

"I'm sorry." She murmured, her face slightly distort with pain.

"I know but it's too late."

She whispered reluctantly. "I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"What was that?" He asked with a smirk that she didn't see.

She raised her voice and looked at him in the eyes. "I said: I'll do whatever you want me to do."

"That's good. C'mon, give me your hands."

Cordelia moaned and turned her head against the wall, her stomach was hurting so much. What use would it do to fight? She'd lost before she even began. She raised her right hand and he took it delicately. The moment their skin touched, Cordy was hit by a vision, her head fell back and Casanova was thrown away from her, at the other end of the room.

The vision lasted a few seconds, showing Cordelia getting killed by the demon buddy of her kidnapper. She opened her eyes, everything was a blur and her head was horribly hurting, just like after every vision. But her survival instinct was stronger and she obliged herself to get up. The door was opened and Casanova seemed a bit groggy. Cordy didn't think twice, she rushed at the door, but something grabbed her ankle. He had her captive once again. Not for long, she kicked his jaw and Casanova's head hit the wall violently. She got out of the room. But there were corridors everywhere, which way was the good one? She turned to the left: the girls, she had to set free the other girls!

Casanova's voice shouted from Cordelia's room. "CORDY!"

She turned back and turned to the right. Hurry up. He was going to recapture her. She bumped against the walls, skinning her hands, she couldn't think quite well: her head and her stomach were hurting, and her legs weighed tons. Run, fast. She stumbled and fell.

"CORDY!"

She quickly got up and kept running. A door! She pushed it open and, oh miracle, found herself outside. The sun dazzled her, hurting her eyes, making her migraine more painful. But she kept running, stumbling two or three times but always getting up courageously. Branches were slowing her down, and whipping her face. Stones were going into her feet's soles, but she didn't care. Run, run, escape from him. If he recaptured her, she'd die. She was now certain of it. The girls! She'd left them there, she'd run like a coward leaving them there. A root, she didn't notice it and tripped. She rolled four or five feet further then stopped. Her breath was knocked out of her and her lungs were on fire, plus her head and her stomach that were hurting. She was worn out.

"CORDY!" Casanova roared.

The yell was close by, he was going to catch up with her. She pulled herself together, got up with difficulty and kept running. She forgot about everything, her head, her stomach, her lungs, the sun, the branches, the stones, everything! She only had a thing in mind: get the hell away from him. Suddenly she stopped short and nearly fell in a ravine.

"OH!" She cried out, panting.

There was a river at the bottom but the fall would probably kill her. Casanova arrived behind her, panting. She slowly turned around to face him, in no way was she going to turn her back on him!

He slowly stepped closer. "Calm down Cordelia, I'm not going to hurt you."

She just stared at him as he approached really slowly. Then, in a fraction of second she came to a decision. She'll rather die than let him get her again. She turned around, hesitated slightly, took a deep breath and jumped. The last thing she heard before she end up in the water and fell unconscious, was the frustrated yell of Casanova who was shouting her name.