The Next Morning

With the weekend over it was back to school. Well University actually, I'd done my GCSEs and my A-levels in England and was about to start a degree when I was forced to leave – was 14 at the time. My reasons were two-fold, one I was about to be arrested for dealing drugs – something I was completely innocent of but the police couldn't think of any other way I could have such an influx of cash, two the Night World in Britain was on the verge of starting a full blown manhunt with the sole purpose of catching me. As much as I took this as a compliment it still meant I had to go as far as to move continent to escape capture.

I was just glad that so far there wasn't such a thing as a vampire computer geek as my departure had left a cyber trail larger than the Great Wall of China.

It had been difficult. Four yours into my career I had built up a large amount of equipment. Then there was the faked passport, also due to customs I had to hire a ship rather than take a plane. It nearly drained my funds getting across to the US.

But here I was. I moved my mind off reminiscing and back into the present, I'd been thinking about the past a lot lately. I didn't know why, possibly I was looking for the point where I had cast aside my ingrained dislike of the Night World, or perhaps it was something else, remorse perhaps? Was my mind scrolling through the faces of those I'd killed, looking and judging my actions, was some long forgotten part of my conscience trying to find a way to stay my hand? I doubted it. Then perhaps I was scrolling through the ranks of former coworkers, dead, alive or part of the other side whether willingly or not. Another quick mental punch reset my mind to the current state of affairs.

Within a half hour I was ready to face the day. Unarmed. Ever since the school had installed metal detectors I'd had to go unarmed. I felt even more nude without a blade than if I really were nude.

Yesterdays job had been a daylight assault so I was more energized than usual.

I was due to sit in for a lecture on quantum physics, then lunch with a few friends then catch up on coursework – officially that is. In honesty I was way ahead on my coursework as was at least one of my few friends.

The lecture was typically boring, around halfway through I exchanged a nod with Holly – one of before said friends, the reason for this nod was a mistake in the professor's lecture, it was a way to check if we'd both caught it, if not we'd tell the other one later in the day. Todays mistake consisted of a lapse while listing the 6 types of quark. Instead of the actual list of 'top, bottom, up, down, heavy and charmed' the professor had actually listed them as 'top, bottom, up, down, heavy and light' a simple and understandable mistake but Holly and I both put a high value on accuracy.

The rest of the lecture passed without incident.

Next stop lunch. If the expression that the body is a temple has any basis then my daily meals were sacrilege that would have me burnt at the stake twice.

A 2 KFCs and a bottle of lucozade.

"How can you eat that junk?"

"Quiet easily actually."

"You do know that stuff will kill you eventually?"

"Considering this has been my midday meal for the two years you've known me Holly, and also considering I am not fat enough to be counted as spherical I would have thought you would have realised that I actually need this amount of fat to avoid dying of malnourishment."

"Your right I guess."

"Anyway what about you? Every lunch your mouth is stained red, bit early for wine isn't it?"

"Oh, excuse me." She began rubbing at her mouth with a tissue. "Gone?"

"Yes, and as I was saying you should eat more, someone with your intelligence should know all this starvation diet stuff is rubbish."

"Considering you've known me for two years and this has been my habit every day for those two years and I'm not borderline skeletal you should have figured out that I do get my daily intake of nutrition."

I laughed. "Hung with my own petard."

Another amusing part of my weekday schedule was about to follow.

"Ok, finished." I pushed my now empty tray away from me. "You ready?"

"Of course."

We both put our left elbow on the table – fortunately we were both left handed.

"3"

"2"

We both starting pushing at once in attempt to jump the gun. Against most other kids in the school I would already have won but I found arm wrestling with Holly quite fun, over time it had become more of a test of strategy than strength as we were pretty evenly matched. Holly was a lot stronger than she looked and also a very capable martial artist, I particularly remember one time when one of the football team – American football that is, I still occasionally get confused on that one – had tried feeling her up. The poor guy never stood a chance, she'd grabbed his arm dropped to her knees and pulled him over the top of her before standing up and leaving the poor guy sprawled over the concrete.

Anyway back to the match, at the moment we were both going all out trying to overpower the other. In all honesty the game was more psychological than muscle power, after around fifteen seconds I gave ground, about a centimetre. Holly redoubled her efforts hoping that she could quickly overpower me, I managed to avoid a further slip, I had given ground deliberately in an attempt to get her to tire herself out. Sometimes these contest lasted minutes. I once more reapplied my full force and thereby getting back to our starting position. Of course I was not going to fight fair.

I leaned forwards slightly and readjusted my grip. Ten seconds later and sweating slightly from exertion I did the same again.

Holly did the same, whilst glaring at my hand. I squeezed her hand as hard as I could, there was the chance I could break a bone or two but Holly had resorted to far more dirty tactics before. Holly began squeezing back. This continued for about a minute before my arm was practically dead from anaerobic respiration. Finally I gave in, my arm hurt too much to continue.

"Nice match, if I remember correctly this makes me ten in front?"

"Yes" I admitted grudgingly.

It's strange how something as simple as an arm wrestle can become so important. I know it sounds stupid even to myself.

Author's Note: Hopefully your all pretty quick on the uptake.