Chapter Three-Training
"Up against the wall," Joaquin barked, shutting the door behind him.
Clyde, Julissa, and Sammi instantly straightened and moved to stand by the dusty boards. There was no hesitation from them in their movement. I, on the other hand, did not react quite so quickly, and rushed to join them. Joaquin strode confidently into the middle of the room, straw crunching under his black boots. He raked his eyes over us, focusing on me for several extra milliseconds. The edges of his lips curled into a devilish smile.
"We have so much to teach our new recruit. Clyde, Julissa, to the center, ven al centro."
They marched forward and took their place in front of Joaquin.
"Attack stance, postura de ataque."
The two of them shifted into crouches, one foot slightly ahead of the other. Their knees were bent, heads inclined towards each other. Julissa's hands were splayed, sunlight glinting off her sharp fingernails. There were several feet between the two, but it seemed to me that they were only inches away from charging the other. Joaquin walked around the two in a circle, pointing out details for me to observe.
"Notice the positioning of the feet. Keep your balance, your weight evenly displaced. Always ready to shift."
Joaquin repeated his phrases in Spanish, and I noticed my mind start to connect the two languages. Joaquin stopped by Clyde, and placed his hand on Clyde's shoulder.
"When I give the command, you will show Bella how to hold your opponent." Joaquin turned his head to address me. "You have great strength being so young, surpassed by few. But you must learn to use it to your advantage. Always encircle your opponent fully. You mustn't allow escape. Clyde, go."
Clyde sprinted forward, and wrapped his arms around Julissa's middle. She snarled and beat at his back with her fists, but he held fast, the muscles in his arms bulging as he attempted to keep Julissa constrained.
"To the ground," Joaquin directed.
Clyde spun Julissa around in his arms, and then, before she could recover, wrestled her to the dirt floor. The ground shook with the force of their impact, and dust billowed up around them. Clyde covered Julissa's lithe body with his own, and grasped her wrists, his hands like manacles, to keep her pinned. Julissa wriggled beneath him, her legs kicking wildly. Her feet connected, and Julissa managed to momentarily throw Clyde off. His arms were back around her in a second, pressing her to the floor once more.
"I submit," Julissa choked out. Clyde released her immediately, and held out his hand to help her up. I took note of the phrase.
Joaquin ambled over to the pair, his eyes narrowed. Clyde ducked his head as Joaquin glowered at him.
"Next time, you keep her down. More force. Julissa, your turn."
I chewed on my lip. I knew Julissa was strong-we all were-but she was smaller than Clyde and some part of me wondered if she could in fact take him down.
I shouldn't have doubted. Julissa lunged, throwing herself at Clyde, her arms encircling him and forcing his body down into the ground in one graceful movement. I watched, eyes wide, as she pressed her knee into his lower back and dug her nails into his shoulders. Julissa hissed, baring her teeth as she angled her head towards Clyde's neck.
"I submit!" Clyde cried out.
"Right," said Joaquin, turning to face Sammi and I as Julissa released her hold on Clyde. "Pair off and hold your opponent. Clyde, continue with Julissa. Sammi with Bella."
His burgundy eyes wandered over to me and he heaved a sigh. "It's so sad that our numbers are even now." He took a slight step toward me, grinning with all of his teeth. "I won't get to partner up with you as much anymore."
My skin crawled with the attention.
Joaquin wandered around the stable as we faced off, occasionally calling out commands or observations. I expected some of my human clumsiness to have remained but, true to Sammi's word, all my movements were sharp and sinuous. When I held Sammi down to the ground, energy thrummed inside of me. I never felt so powerful.
It was awe-inspiring. It was frightening. I felt out of place in my body, unaccustomed to the way it moved before I thought, and dodged Sammi's attacks with uncanny swiftness.
The demonstrations continued for hours, Joaquin using the trio to illustrate some move and then having us practice it with each other. It wasn't physically exhausting, but draining somehow. It was hard to keep my mind entirely focused on the instructed exercises, especially when deeper instincts compelled me to do otherwise. At one point, Sammi held me down flat on the ground, her knees on either side of me and her body weight crushing. She leaned down to press my hair into the dirt, and I whipped my head to snap at her hand. She yelped as my teeth made contact, and tore at my cheek with her nails. Joaquin darted over, and harshly commanded for Sammi to stop. Her attacks ceased, but she continued to straddle me, her weight holding me down. Joaquin crouched next to me, grabbing my chin with his long fingers.
"No teeth. Not unless I say you can." His grip on my face tightened. "Understand, querida?"
I tried to nod, but his hand held me firm.
"Say it to me."
I gritted my teeth. "I understand."
He ordered Sammi off of me then, and I jumped up, brushing the dirt and straw off my body. Sammi sucked on her hand, glaring at me.
"Switch," Joaquin shouted. "Bella with Clyde. Julissa with Sammi."
And so it continued, Attack, defend, hold, submit, switch. Repeat. I kept expecting to feel some sort of ache or soreness, but all I felt was the ever-growing heat and scratchiness in my throat. It distracted me, and many times Clyde was able to pin me with very little effort. After a while, I could tell his mind was starting to wander as well. His lunges were half-hearted, his holds on me less secure. On the other side of the barn, Julissa and Sammi's growls and snarls grew louder by the minute. Joaquin seemed to perceive the change in us as well, for he snapped his fingers and brought us to order.
"Enough. Back against the wall."
Once we had returned to our earlier spots, Joaquin spoke again.
"It is nearly dark. I suppose you have done well enough to earn a meal."
Hisses of excitement broke out among the trio. I tried to hold back my desire, but the idea of getting something to calm the fire in my throat was so appealing...
"But first," Joaquin said, holding up a hand to quiet us, "there's one more lesson I have to teach our new recruit. Come forward, Bella," Joaquin commanded, a devious twinkle in his eye.
I took a step towards Joaquin, as the trio shrunk against the wall.
"You have to be prepared for battle. You can not lose focus because of a silly thing like pain. You must acclimate yourself to the sensation." Joaquin grabbed my forearm, and I spotted the trio wince in response. Clyde looked away.
Joaquin dug his nails into my arm, and then with lightning-fast speed, lunged forward and sunk his teeth into my arm, tearing it off just below my shoulder with a metallic screech. I howled in pain, my skin stinging. Joaquin tossed my arm behind him. I felt it land, and my mind was split between the smarting wound and my dismembered limb, which I could still feel, crawling in the dirt. I watched in horror as my arm began to move, angling itself to return to me.
"Fix her up," Joaquin barked at the trio.
The three of them ran forward. Clyde picked up my sentient arm and brought it to me. He spat on the end of it, then lifted it to reconnect it with my shoulder. His eyes were apologetic.
"This is gonna hurt, I'm sorry."
Clyde pressed my arm back into place, and I hissed as it reconnected. It was an uncomfortable sensation, like thousands of minuscule, burning needles pricking my skin. Clyde spit on my arm again, and rubbed it in to the spot Joaquin had bitten. For a moment, the stinging pain was worse, but then it ebbed into numbness. A second later, that had faded away as well and my arm felt normal again. I flexed my fingers and rolled my shoulders back, testing out my reattached limb.
"Better?" Clyde asked.
"Yeah." I trailed my fingers over the skin, noticing a raised crescent scar, like all the rest had.
"What did you do?"
"Sorry, that was probably gross, but our venom helps us heal. Leaves a scar, though, only thing that can."
"Hope you didn't have dreams of swimsuit modeling..." Sammi muttered.
"It stung."
"It will always sting, querida," Joaquin said with a grin. "You must embrace the pain. Push through it. You can fight without an arm, but never without your head."
Joaquin crossed over to the stable door and opened it, beckoning us with his hand. "Follow me."
Like before, there was no hesitation among the trio, and I scrambled to catch up to them as they raced out of the stable. Joaquin led us along a trail heavily laden with scents of him and the trio. The sun had just set, and we ran under a lavender sky towards the shed Maria had brought me to before. I steeled myself for what was about to happen, as fire blazed in my throat and predatory instincts began to rise.
Joaquin threw open the door to the shed, and revealed four humans, one for each of us. A growl rumbled in my chest as my eyes swept over the group. I zeroed in on a woman curled up in a multicolored shawl. Her heart was beating erratically, and the sound was enticing. Her fear permeated the air, and made her smell all the more delectable. I leapt at her, but was knocked aside with a thunderous crash. Sammi had collided with me, pushing me out of the way so she could feast on the woman in the shawl. Fury rose in me. That was my prey.
I shot towards Sammi, intent on wrestling the woman away from her, but she shoved me and I fell, rolling in the dirt. I bumped into Julissa, who was in the midst of feeding on a teenage boy with curly black hair. She hissed at me, and cast me aside with a resounding slap. I scurried away, defeated and thirsty, and spotted the final human, a man with salt and pepper hair cowering in the corner. I pounced on him, crushing his body to mine possessively as I sunk my teeth into his neck with relish. Finally. Heat and joy and satisfaction rushed through me as I drowned in the luscious flavor.
I finished before the others, and I shuddered as the feeding frenzy dissipated and I could take in the carnage before me.
Sammi had broken the woman's arm. It was bent at an odd angle. Her intricate shawl was torn and covered in blood. Julissa had near ripped the boy's head off with the force of her bite. Muscle and tendons and even bits of bone spilled out of the ragged gash. Even Clyde, who had treated me with such kindness since my arrival, had shown no mercy to his victim, a pretty young woman with chestnut hair. Her throat was nothing more than ribbons, and clumps of her hair were strewn around her body. Some strands were still grasped in Clyde's fists.
They were all so severe. I turned my attention to the dead man in my arms. His ribs had cracked from the pressure of my embrace and I hadn't even noticed. It terrified me to recognize I was just as severe as them. I laid the man on the ground, closing his eyelids. The least I could do was show remorse, which was more than I saw the rest of my cohort doing. I knew I was savage, but I at least could try to atone for my behavior afterwards.
Sammi removed the shawl from the woman and began to undo the buttons of her blouse.
"What are you doing?" I asked in horror.
"What?" Sammi shrugged. "Green's my favorite color."
She discarded her shirt, and slid the green blouse over her body. The fabric shimmered in emerald waves as it settled on Sammi's frame. Sammi eyed my tattered blue tank with derision.
"Maybe you should change, too."
I folded my arms in front of me protectively. The thought of stealing a dead person's clothes, especially a person we had just murdered, was sickening.
"Finish up," Joaquin commanded. "It's time to return."
Julissa removed the teenage boy's denim jeans and held them up to her waist. She walked over to the body in front of me and unfastened the man's belt, sliding the leather out of the pant loops. Julissa shot me a bemused look as she noted the man's closed eyes.
We followed Joaquin back to the stable. The stars had started to come out while we were in the shed, sprinkling the night sky with flickering light.
"You are to remain here," Joaquin said as we filed into the stable. "I will return later for training."
Joaquin looked me over with cautious eyes. "I can not make you stay in here, like the others." He glanced at the trio pointedly. "Do not let her leave."
I huffed under my breath as questions swirled in my mind. If I was ever to leave this place, I'd have to escape Joaquin and his binding words. They didn't seem to affect me, but I saw how powerful his sway was over the others. If he told them to prevent me from leaving, they would. I chewed on my lip, pondering the problem. I couldn't fight all three of them, not when I was still learning to fight myself. I had managed to pin Sammi now and then during training, but she bested me more often than not. If I couldn't subdue one vampire, how would I ever manage three?
"Bella? We're gonna play Concentration. You wanna join?" Clyde asked, jostling me from my thoughts.
"No, I'm okay for now." I scanned the desolate stable. "There aren't any...books or anything here, are there?"
Sammi snorted. "Fresh out."
I returned to my musing as the trio started their game, calling out different types of animals amidst the hand clapping rhythm. How was I going to manage fleeing the trio if Joaquin's words made them dedicated captors? I'd have to become a better fighter if I wanted to desert this place, I concluded. A perfect little soldier, just like Maria wanted. The idea disgusted me, but it was the only way to escape and find my way home.
My thoughts wandered to Renée and Charlie. I wondered what they were up to, whether they were searching for me or simply waiting by the phone for updates that would never come. I wondered if Charlie was with Renée, or if he was sitting at the kitchen table in Forks, alone, surrounded by sunshine cabinets at odds with his mood. Who would be there to take care of him? I knew Renée had Phil and her colleagues at the school. I couldn't remember any of Charlie's friends. My forehead scrunched as I parsed through muddy memories of the town I'd been born in, searching for someone I knew cared for my dad.
Joaquin returned around midday, when the sun was high above the stable and the four of us sat glittering like giant disco balls. He had us review the holds from yesterday for several hours, then called Sammi and Julissa to the center of the stable.
"Do not waste your time with unnecessary attacks," Joaquin began as he paced around the girls with measured steps.
"Subdue your opponent as quickly as possible. Tear a limb if you must, and always aim for the dominant hand if you do so, but focus your energy on the head. That is where victory lies."
He had Julissa and Sammi show a series of neck grabs and chokeholds on each other, before sending Sammi back to practice with me with a warning.
"Mind your strength, not too hard. Only grabs, no slices, no teeth. We don't want heads rolling today."
Joaquin chuckled as Sammi hoisted me into the air, her unyielding fingers secure around my throat. I couldn't breathe, but the lack of oxygen was of no concern to my new body. It was uncomfortable, and I felt instantly lost without my awareness of the scents in the stable. I clawed at Sammi's hand and kicked at her, but she held me a distance away from her body and my legs found nothing but air. I tapped out the rhythm Joaquin had instructed we use for capitulation, and Sammi dropped me onto the ground.
"Good," Joaquin snickered.
How I wanted to wrap my hands around his neck.
It went on for weeks. Train, fight, feed. There were days when Joaquin wasn't pleased with our progress, and withheld blood. Those were bad nights, filled with intolerable pain and pitiful howling. The thirst penetrated my whole body, and I clawed my skin for release. Even Clyde, the calmest of us, would grow agitated, snapping his teeth at anyone who came near him as he rocked back and forth. Joaquin couldn't keep me in the stable with his words like he could the others, but he kept guard. One of the early nights when we were denied a meal, I rammed the door in incessant need to get to the shed where I knew the humans were kept. Joaquin was there, prepared, and beat me into the ground. He tore my right arm off, and kept it with him for the rest of the night until he returned for training the next day.
But every day, no matter what had happened, now matter how overwhelming the thirst became, I thought about my parents. I lost myself in elaborate daydreams. Sometimes, I dreamed of what my life would've been if I hadn't gone to the Safeway that night. I imagined cooking with Renée, talking her out of her outlandish ideas. In my daydreams, I indulged every one of Renée's fancies, and imaginary me became an expert in knitting, calligraphy, and Irish dancing. Never anything violent. I saw myself doing the most mundane things; going to school, doing laundry, reading a book. Simple pleasures that were denied to me now. Though I remembered hating Forks, in my daydreams, no such animosity existed. Instead, I imagined the cool, briny air, the canopy of mature trees, an atmosphere so antithetical to my current life, and felt nothing but serenity. I envisioned myself and Charlie, sitting together in comfortable silence, just enjoying the other's presence. I even had daydreams of fishing.
Other times, I fantasized about my great escape. I didn't like to think about overpowering the trio, as they were the closest thing I had to friends, but I knew they were my biggest obstacle. I focused myself on scrutinizing them during training, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, analyzing their patterns and proclivities. Sammi favored attacks from her right. Julissa enjoyed using her fingernails, and her center of gravity was low. Clyde, I discovered, never seemed to use his full strength when sparring with us. He'd grow more forceful when Joaquin ordered him, but otherwise his first moves were always restrained. That was something I could exploit, I noted with chagrin.
I did indulge myself in envisioning the myriad of ways I would defeat Joaquin. Clyde always asked me what was so funny every time I snickered to myself, or a smug grin spread across my lips. I would merely shake my head and return my thoughts to ripping Joaquin limb from limb.
Barely three weeks after my change, I witnessed battle.
Maria had shown up, unannounced, one afternoon in the middle of training. I hadn't seen her since the first night when I woke up. Judging by the looks on the trio's faces, I gathered her appearance was not a common occurrence.
"There are trespassers on our territory," she spoke in an even tone. "I have witnessed them, feeding in the human neighborhood on our eastern border."
A chorus of angry hisses and disgruntled growls. Maria raised her voice as she cast piercing looks in our direction.
"Will we let these villains glut themselves on our hard-earned property? Will we allow them to continue stealing what is ours?"
"Never!" Sammi snarled. Julissa stood next to Sammi, shaking her head fiercely.
"Tonight," Maria exclaimed, "we will defend our bloodfields! We will decimate these invaders!"
A roaring cheer went up among us. Even I joined in, well aware of the part I had to play. Maria smiled at us, satisfied with our exuberance. She assumed leadership of our training for the next several hours, focusing on dismemberment and strategy.
"I will light the first fire," Maria explained. "That will be the sign for you to finish our enemies."
Maria walked up to me, her gait so smooth she appeared to be gliding, and tossed a hair tie at me.
"Here," she sniffed. "Pull your hair back."
Clouds rolled in as the sun began to set. The sky became a dreary gray, painted with streaks of silver and ash. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and electricity crackled in the air. There was a storm somewhere in the vicinity. Maria raised her delicate nose to the air and smiled.
"The time is upon us. We fight, and then we feed!"
We followed Maria as she led us out of the stable. Light rain began to fall as we left the farm. I couldn't smell anything amiss, only our own scents, but the further Maria led us away from the farm, the more I began to perceive. There was a faint trail of several cloying scents, similar to our own. I was able to parse out three unique essences, and perhaps a fourth but I couldn't be sure. The scents were old and decayed, and the burgeoning rainfall was wiping away what little was left. Maria held up a hand to stop us as we approached a barren field. Lights from a row of houses glimmered in the distance.
"There," she whispered as she eyed the houses. "The enemy coven has attempted to lay claim to these mortals. They want to drain us of our supply, within our own boundaries! Joaquin, draw them out."
Joaquin gave a sharp nod, then darted towards the houses.
"You four, spread out. We want a strong display for our enemies," Maria ordered, before slinking off to the side of the field. She turned her attention back towards the houses.
We watched diligently, anticipation pulsing in our bodies. Sammi was a ball of energy, practically vibrating with excitement. I was not quite so exhilarated at the thought of battle. I was apprehensive about meeting others of our kind, let alone fighting them. What if I wasn't ready? What if I died here? Then all my plans for escape and hopes of seeing my parents again would be for naught. Clyde glanced over at me with a shaky smile.
"It's gonna be okay," he mouthed. I smiled weakly in response, but relaxed and refocused my attention towards the human neighborhood.
Blurry shapes by the houses became distinct figures. I could see three tall people, and a fourth smaller one running towards us. A fifth shape, which I assumed was Joaquin, lingered behind them. The closer they came, the more details I was able to see. The three tall people were two men and a woman, all with jet-black hair. The men's hair flowed down to their shoulders, while the woman's hair fell in buoyant curls to her waist. The fourth, tinier member of their coven was a boy, seemingly no older than myself. He alone shared the bright red eyes of myself and the trio. The adults all had the dark burgundy of Maria and Joaquin. Confusion colored their pale faces as they approached us. The woman in particular was nervous. She kept glancing to the boy and then to the man at her right. Something churned in my stomach as I took in their intertwined hands.
The four of them ground to an abrupt halt several yards away from us. They flinched as our scars shimmered in the moonlight. The boy began to growl, but the woman hushed him. The man who was not holding hands with the woman stepped forward.
"We mean no offense," he called in a booming voice.
"Lies," Maria hissed. "See! They have a newborn, to match our strength! They changed him to boost their numbers so they can face us! They mean to fight us for this blood!"
"That's not true!" the woman gasped. "He's a newborn, yes, but we're not here to challenge you! We weren't even aware of conflict in this area!"
"More lies!" Maria exclaimed. "War covers this world! You either fight, or you die!"
Maria reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a lighter. She lit it and tossed it several feet away with a snap of her wrist. A pile of logs burst into flames, wisps of fire spiraling high into the sky. I was surprised the wood lit in the drizzle, but then the wind shifted and I smelled the gasoline. Maria must've come here in advance, I ascertained.
Joaquin made the first strike as the fire blazed, dealing a deft blow to the boy's neck from behind. He fell to his knees with a cry, and the woman rushed to assist him. Sammi and Julissa had shot forward as soon as the flames ignited. They grabbed the woman, crushing her between them. The woman began to cry out, but her voice was cut short as Joaquin leaned in with his teeth. He tore at the woman's neck, and her head fell to the ground, mouth still open in a silent scream.
My feet carried me towards the action as all previous hesitation disappeared. Instinct took over and my training from the past few weeks kicked in. I leapt at the man racing forward to rescue the woman. He was sobbing her name-Katerina-and reaching out for her head with trembling fingers. I landed on the man's back, locking my legs around his waist. My hands went to the man's neck, twisting until it snapped. My ears rung with the grating sound. Clyde caught the head before it hit the ground, and ran towards the fire. The second man chased him, snarling madly, but Clyde was faster. Clyde threw the head into the fire, and the flames crackled and spurted. The smoke changed to an aberrant purple color, and the air became nauseatingly saccharine. I removed myself from the headless body as it sunk to the ground. Maria had instructed us to leave nothing of the bodies, no chance that our rivals would rise again. I began to wrench the arms away from the torso.
Pain flared above my ankle. The boy had slunk away from Joaquin, and his teeth were buried in my calf. He shook his head from side to side, tearing the skin roughly. He was going to rip my foot off! I shrieked and kicked at the boy, but his grip didn't falter. All I could focus on was the agony in my leg and getting it to stop. My mind flashed to Joaquim's bite several weeks earlier, and my anguish turned to rage. I bent over, and wrapped my fingers around the boy's neck in a vice-like grip-just as Sammi had done to me-and pulled him off of my leg with all my strength. Luckily, none of my leg came off in the boy's mouth. I held him high above me, clenching my teeth as my calf prickled. I reached out with my other hand, securing my chokehold. The boy struggled, but I bared my teeth, brought him back close to me, and ended his life in an instant.
Perhaps Joaquin had taught me something after all.
I tossed the boy's head and body into the purple flames, wrinkling my nose at the smell. Clyde and Julissa were dismembering the remaining bodies-they had defeated the other man while I was dealing with the boy-and Sammi chucked the pieces into the bonfire. Joaquin ran around the field, picking up discarded pieces of skin and hair. Maria gazed at us with a satisfied smile. She stood at the same spot where she had thrown the lighter. Her clothes were clean. I don't think she moved an inch throughout the skirmish.
We had the won the battle. I was relieved that we were all alive and-I grimaced at the stinging in my leg-relatively unscathed. No one else appeared to have gained new scars. I felt a strange sense of pride as I watched the purple flames twist and turn. I had fought other vampires and survived. Even another newborn! Escape was possible.
Maria sauntered over to us as Joaquin dumped the remains he had gathered into the fire.
"You have done well," she crooned. "You have shown that these lands are defended, and that we will not tolerate thievery. You shall be treated to a generous reward."
There was a rumbling of growls as Maria led us towards the human neighborhood. It was a small grouping of houses, only four sprawled out in a line across from piles of dirt and lumber. A new development.
"Whoever you find is yours," Maria purred. "Eat well, my little soldiers."
Lightning flashed and we charged the neighborhood. Sammi rushed into a yellow house with grand arches, as Julissa set her sights on the burnt orange home with maroon tiles next door. Joaquin ran into the brown house closest to the main road, which I had been focused on. I hesitated, dirt billowing up around me as I halted and changed direction. Thirsty as I was, I didn't relish the idea of feeding in the same house as him. Clyde ran past me, motioning me over with his hand.
"C'mon!" Clyde called with exhilaration.
I stuck with Clyde as we burst into the house on the end, a modern building with a crisp, white exterior. Understanding passed between us as we eyed the grand staircase. Clyde bounded the stairs as I rounded the corner, following my nose to the bleary-eyed couple in the main floor bedroom.
I relaxed into the plush bed, my head leaning back against the headboard as I released a contented sigh. I basked in the euphoria for a moment, taking pleasure in the coolness of my throat and the rare solitude. I hadn't had this much time and space to myself since I had woken up in the barn. There was a rustling upstairs, and then I heard Clyde's footsteps on the staircase. I drew back the sheets, covering the couple, as Clyde entered the room.
"Hey," he said, holding up a handful of clothes. "The daughter seemed about your size. Wanna try these on? They're from her closet," he added as I shrunk back.
I glanced down at my well-worn clothes. I had begrudgingly discarded my blue tank last week, after Sammi had raked her nails down the front of it in training, effectively rendering me half-naked in front of Joaquin's lecherous leer. I had quickly grabbed the first piece of clothing I could find; a baggy flannel shirt from the post-training feed. But my jeans now had a terrible gash from where the boy had snapped at me.
"Thanks," I said as I crawled off the bed.
I grabbed the clothing from Clyde. He'd found a pair of dark wash jeans and a casual brown t-shirt with lace detailing on the sleeves and collar. I smiled at him gratefully, and he sheepishly turned around, and began to head out of the room to give me privacy. I started to change, but then spotted the half-open door to the master bath. I peered inside, eying the glass shower with envy.
"Think I have time for a shower?" I asked.
"Uh," Clyde responded, "We should probably we get back before Maria comes looking for us."
"Oh." I shuddered to think of Maria barging into the house and dragging me out of the shower by my hair. "Good point."
I hurriedly dressed myself, taking care to moderate my strength so I wouldn't rip the fabric, and deposited my old clothes in a hamper. I exited the room and joined up with Clyde. His eyes scanned over my new outfit, and his lips curled up into an admiring smile.
"Looks good."
I ducked my head, still expecting the rush of warmth in my cheeks. "Thanks."
We made our way down the hallway and I averted my eyes from the wall, wary of any family photos. Something caught my eye as we passed the living room and I paused.
"Bella?"
"Just a second."
I walked into the living room, my fingers trailing across the mahogany bookcase. It was half filled with books, half filled with various knickknacks and collectibles. I quickly perused the bookcase, looking for a familiar title. Everything was in Spanish, but that wasn't such a problem nowadays. Every day I understood more of the language. Maybe Julissa would appreciate the reading material as well. I selected the first few novels that jumped out at me, tucked the books under my arm, and hurried to the front door where Clyde was waiting for me.
The others were already outside by the time we emerged. Julissa and Sammi had changed as well, and were fussing with their new outfits. Sammi had exchanged the green blouse for a gray tank made of shimmering fabric and a black leather jacket, while Julissa had on a vibrant floral top and new black jeans. Joaquin and Maria were conversing further down the street in front of the brown house. They looked up as we stepped out into the street.
"Take them back," Maria commanded. "I'll take care of this."
Joaquin nodded. "Right, back to base everyone. We've had a great victory tonight, but tomorrow we resume training. We mustn't let ourselves become complacent. That is the surest way to court defeat."
I glanced over my shoulder as we ran back to the farm. Maria was darting around the houses, though I couldn't quite make out what she was doing. I watched her scurry away, and then, a moment later, an explosion rocked the neighborhood. There was a thunderous roar as the houses burst into flames. Vivid orange illuminated the onyx sky as heat washed over us in an enveloping wave.
"Pay it no mind," Joaquin instructed. "It's just the clean up."
I clutched the books closer to myself the whole journey back.
Joaquin deposited us in the stable, with the usual directives towards the trio to keep me imprisoned. I found a corner of the stable that was relatively untouched, with a still partially standing stall, and carved out a small ditch. I lined the hole with straw, and placed two of the books inside. I grabbed a few more handfuls of straw and scattered them atop my books until they were completely covered.
I held onto one of the books, a Spanish translation of Little Women. I'd read the novel in English many times before, and hoped my fuzzy human memories would be enough to assist in translation. I looked over to where the trio was seated. Clyde and Sammi were deep in discussion about the battle, and Julissa was braiding strands of cloth. Ribbons she'd made from her old shirt, I recognized. I slid gracefully to the ground next to her.
"I brought this back," I said softly, holding out Little Women. "And others, too, if you want something else..."
Julissa glanced at the book in my hands, and then up at my face. She seemed slightly taken aback, but quickly composed herself.
"Thank you," she replied with a gentle smile. "Maybe later."
She returned to her braiding. I turned to my book and opened the cover. I was a little too eager and the cover split in half.
"Crap," I muttered. Books were so delicate. I reached out with a feather-light touch, handling the pages as if they would crumple to dust beneath my fingertips.
Out of the blue, a hellish scream filled the air. I jumped up in surprise, my book clattering to the ground. I was used to hearing screams now and then-the humans cried all the time-but this scream was different. It was harsher, more agonizing, and continued far longer than the humans usually wailed. I cocked my head and listened closely. The dreadful noise was coming from the barn where I had woken up.
"What is that?" I asked, my brow furrowing as I noticed that no one else seemed put on edge by the sound.
"New recruit," Sammi muttered absently, as she drew designs in the dirt with her fingernails. "Maria must've found someone we missed."
My silent heart lurched.
A new recruit.
I adjusted my escape plan. Four newborns to defeat.
