Chapter 20

Rolling over, Charlie expected her face to hit her pillow.  When she touched nothing but the bed, she knew that she wasn’t alone.  Her eyes opened, she jerked up in bed, only to find Zeke’s mother standing at the foot of her bed, a gun aimed at Charlie’s heart.

“First lesson: be a light sleeper.”  Carrie jerked the gun to the side, letting off a round.  “Second lesson: if someone has a gun, don’t just sit there.”

She tossed it at Charlie, leaving her scrambling after the gun before it went off again.  It felt odd in her hands, almost tainted.  Was this what it felt like to hold a gun, to hold a weapon that could kill another being?

“Honey,” Zeke’s mom said as she let out a sigh and perched on the edge of the bed.  “You are a weapon.  Your claws, your teeth, your strength, even your mind is a weapon.  Do you understand that?  The gun in your hand isn’t what does the killing, you are.  The sooner you realize that, the sooner you will be able to move on from a kill.”

“I don’t like violence.”

Carrie nodded, before reaching down to her boot.  She pulled out a knife and twisted it in the light, making it shine.  “I know.  It’s part of your people, and I admire you for that.  There are times you have to use violence though.  I don’t condone it, but I understand it.  As I grew up, having Zeke was one of the best times of my life, but I had to fight to keep him, kill to keep him.  With powers like his, he was feared.  Even as a baby, he could throw images to other’s minds.  Do you think I let them touch my son?  No, I fought back.”

“I don’t have a son,” Charlie mumbled, while setting the gun on the bed.

Carrie reached over, pressing the gun back into her hand before leaning away.  “That wasn’t my point.  Find that one thing that makes you want to fight.  Mine was my children; find yours.”

Zeke’s mom rose to her feet, walking towards the door without a backwards glance.  Charlie watched the woman go.  She admired the woman for being able to be as strong as she was.  Charlie knew that if she was pushed to kill, she could.  She had done it before for Zeke, and could do it again.  Was that her thing that made her fight, Zeke?  Could she actually have something in common with the woman who had just left the room?

Gripping the gun in her hand, she rose from her bed with a new air about her.  She was going to try, try to be a fighter.  As she set the gun on her end table and began getting ready for the day, she thought back to the man she had shot.  The bullet hand went straight to his head, right between his eyes, killing him.  With silver, a head shot was a sure kill.  There were those who had survived one to the heart, but there were only few.  The best way to kill a shifter, she knew, was to behead them.  Charlie knew that many would do nothing other than that, while other’s used methods such as burning.  For now, she was sticking to the gun. 

The sight of the man she killed faded away as she picked the gun back up.  She left the room, wondering where Zeke’s mom had gone.  Her question was soon answered when she was slammed back into the wall.  Although Zeke’s mom was a little shorter than she was, Charlie felt intimidated.  Or, it could have been because of the knife pressing into her side. 

“Lesson three,” Carrie whispered.  “When in close proximity, your best bet is a knife.  It will only kill if you hit them right, but it will stun them.  If you have no other choice, use the gun, but when you are so close, it’s hard to get off a clean shot.”

Carrie pushed away from her, but kept the knife to Charlie’s side.  “I understand,” Charlie mumbled, wincing when the woman dug it further into her body.  “Where’s Zeke?”

The knife pulled away from her, but Carrie didn’t move.  “Outside teaching Peyton how to fight one on one.  The boy was taught how to fight two against one; he is used to having a partner to do his battles.”

Taking the woman’s distraction, Charlie slammed her heel down on Carrie’s foot.  When the woman didn’t move, Charlie knew she had done something wrong.  “Damn.”

“Ignoring the pain is one of the main lessons you’ll have to go through.  I won’t teach you the same was as I was taught, but you will learn.”

“How were you taught?”

Carrie took a step away from Charlie, completely freeing her.  As she slipped the gun in the back of her pants, she waited for the woman to begin talking.  “You come from a group of peacekeepers, I come from fighters.  We have different methods, some that are better left forgotten.”

“Like you forgot your daughter,” Charlie whispered.

As she watched, the knife in Carrie’s hand slipped a little.  “Did you know Kris?”

“No,” Charlie said, inching closer to the woman, “but I know you don’t talk about her.”

“There isn’t much to talk about,” Carrie mumbled, blinking away tears.  Charlie took her chance.  Lunging forward, she slammed into woman, only to have Carrie shove back.  “Lesson four,” the woman whispered in her ear.  “Never underestimate your opponent.”

“That was low,” Charlie admitted, smiling apologetically at the woman.

Zeke’s mother shook her head while walking down the hall.  “Nothing is too low when you’re in a fight,” she called out as she continued down the hall.  “Follow.”

Charlie ran after her, not knowing where they were going, but knowing that the woman was honestly just trying to help.  As she got closer, she noticed they were heading outside.  Just as they got to the door, Carrie paused. 

“I love my daughter, but she loved her father more than she loved me.  Keeping that fact in the dark was hard.  It’s why I don’t like to talk about it.  Zeke doesn’t know, and since he can’t read you, he shouldn’t find out.” 

Carrie pushed the back door open before motioning towards the yard.  “Have fun,” she whispered as Charlie took a step outside.  “It’s time to work with your senses.”

The door slammed shut behind her, making a click noise that let her know that it was locked.  Looking around, Charlie tried to understand what Carrie meant.  What was she supposed to do?  Taking a deep breath, she tried relaxing.  The only thing that did was let a scent fill her nose, one that she recognized. 

It looked like Zeke and her were going to play a game of hide-and-go-seek.  She just had to wonder where exactly Peyton was if Zeke was leaving her a trail.  Throwing the thought to the back of her mind, she took a step forward, ready for her next lessons.