Chapter 4- Preparation

Mr. Tiny had said the Games would begin in a week. Since we've lagged behind, we've only 6 days left to train. After eating breakfast, Mr. Crepsley told everyone else he wished to train me. The others nodded and we left them discussing the games.

Mr. Crepsley brought me to one of the sport Halls. There was a one-eyed vampire there, who came to greet us when we entered the room. "Larten! And this must be your partner, KayLi. Nice to meet you, my names Vanez Blane." He smiled at me. I smiled back, nodding at him. "Nice to meet you too, sir."

Mr. Crepsley coughed. "If I may, Vanez, I was wondering if I could use the hall to train KayLi. I'm sure Darius had taught her a thing or two over the years, but I prefer to see where she stands." With that, Mr. Crepsley tuned to me. "KayLi, first things first. How much do you know about fighting?" "Well," I replied " Darius taught me how to use a knife, but I'd much prefer a sword. Darius said we'd try me out with a sword when we reached Vampire Mountain, as swords were hard to come by in the city."

Mr. Crepsley led me to a wall, where loads of weapons were hanging from. Maces, swords, knives, spears and a variety of other weapons. There weren't any throwing weapons, as Darius had once told me vampires preferred hand-to-hand combat. "Pick out a couple of knives and a sword you like the feel of." I looked quickly around the pile, and grabbed two knives and a cutlass I liked the feel of. Then, I walked to the centre of the hall, where Mr. Crepsley and Vanez were waiting. "Now, go easy on her, Larten. You don't know where she stands yet. You might harm her." Vanez warned worriedly. "I will." Mr. Crepsley grunted.

I used the knives first. Cautiously, I faced him, eyes peeled for any sudden movement. Then, Mr. Crepsley aimed for my left arm. I blocked it. We moved faster after that. He nicked me a couple of times, but they weren't fatal, so I battled on. Mr. Crepsley was fast. I only managed to hit him a couple of times.

Finally, after some time, he stopped. He lowered his knives and led me to benches. I was panting heavily. "Well, you are nimble, anyway. You are a left hander, it seems, which is good as it is easier to use both hands if one were to be injured. You tend to forget about your waist-down, leaving it open to attacks, but overall, you will do." He grunted. "Now, if you are fully rested, we shall teach you how to use the sword. You might not have enough time to fully master it, but you should at least know the basics. Who knows what Mr. Tiny might pull. Heck, he might not even give us any weapons at all."

Mr. Crepsley taught me how to hold the sword, and swing it to parry the enemy. We practiced that for a while, then he let me rest. After the short break, Vanez taught me how to flip the sword out of the enemy's hands. He taught me to keep the sword to my chest whenever I was blocking myself, as it would be harder for the enemy to flip the sword out of my hands.

After grueling hours of training, I was so tired I fell on the floor. There I lay, staring at the ceiling, as I heard Mr. Crepsley and Vanez chuckle. "The young one is tired. She has worked hard today." I heard Vanez say. I then heard Mr. Crepsley reply in a soft tone, "I will carry her back to the room. I do not think she can walk all the way." I felt someone's hands slide under me and lift me up. The one carrying me-Mr. Crepsley- bid Vanez good night and I felt him carrying me to the room. When we got to the room, Mr. Crepsley quickly removed one hand to open the door, then steadied me with both hands again. I heard him kick open the lid of the coffin with a grunt, and gently place me inside. As he was putting the lid back on, I managed to mutter "Thank you…" to him. He heard me and chuckled softly, wishing me good night as well. Then, the coffin lid closed completely on me, and all was darkness.

So…it's still training I'm afraid. You might have to wait a while. I'm updating every day because I have loads of fresh ideas and I'm on holidays. Just wait till school starts again. ._.