Crimson

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I couldn't sleep. The image of that bimbo on Lamech's lap, the same way I had been before the dinner, wouldn't leave me.

I felt stupid for having deluded myself into thinking that I was special to him. That I had let myself believe that he cared and treated me differently than anyone else. It had been so dumb.

Aideen had told me that he was a good person that had been kind and patient with her. It was obvious from the way that Kyle acted around him that Kyle held him in high regard but also saw a friend in him. I had seen for myself how he had been good-natured with the wolves and laughed at jokes he likely didn't find amusing at all.

He was kind. That was all. And that I had thought that his kindness towards me was somehow special was laughable.

But what made me feel absolutely the most stupid was that I had felt relieved when he had stopped me from rejecting him. If he hadn't talked, if he hadn't left, I would have. But I felt happy I hadn't gotten the chance and that made me feel like crap.

I couldn't stay in the bedroom any longer. Couldn't be alone with only my thoughts. I threw off the skirt-part of my clothes before leaving the bedroom. 

I hurried down the stairs and to the basement. I opened the door to the room Aideen had taken me to previously and froze.

I had been in the house for quite some time now, but I had barely seen any vampires. But there I was, faced with a room full of them. Some spared against each other, others hit boxing bags or trained fighting against one of the different machines.

No one noticed at first as I entered, but after a second or two of being frozen in place, heads started to turn. All of the vampires ceased doing what they were up to, to stare at me. From one corner I could hear a whisper so quiet that normal hearing wouldn't have picked it up: "She's the witch, right?"

I was slightly nervous as I walked in, but I held my head high. I first went to the side, where several unused boxing bags stood. Picked one of them up and walked over to a free spot to hang it. Once I had it in place, I started to hit it.

The vampires around me went back to doing what they had done before I entered, but I could feel their glances at me. And their silent mind-links to one another practically screamed at me.

You wanted to be distracted, now you properly are, I thought sarcastically to myself as I hit the bag and tried to ignore the vampires around me.

"You should know better than to lean forward like that," a familiar voice said to my right. "Even if you're just here to get rid of frustration, hit correctly. Don't be an eyesore."

I turned to see Everett looking at me with pursed lips and his arms in a cross. For a moment I wondered if he would turn hostile, but all I could read from him was attitude and nothing else.

"What does it matter to you if I hit it correctly or not?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"As I said, it's an eyesore. Makes it hard for us that are here to actually train to concentrate," he snorted.

I nodded and arranged my face to look understanding. "I see. I apologize and will make sure to do better. I can't get in the way of your training. You definitely need it."

"What did you say?" Everett snarled and took a step forward. There was a flash of anger in his eyes, but from around us I could hear muffled sniggers.

"I didn't mean for you to take offense. But based on last time, you seem like you could do with some training."

His lips turned upwards and once again I wondered if I would be met with hostility. But instead his smile had the mischievousness that I had hoped for.

"I would have won," he stated plainly, but with the edge of a challenge.

"As if," was all I replied with a smile to match his.

"There's an easy way to settle it."

"There sure is."

We both moved at the same time. Everett forward to attack, me backwards to defend.

Quickly, all other vampires had stopped what they were doing and stood to the side. They yelled and cheered and made bets. Me and Everett were still locked into our fight and it was similarly to the one we had before. We both fought as well as we could. But there was clearly a different atmosphere between us.

For though we both hit hard and did our best, neither of us had as a goal to harm the other, but instead the goal was to win.

It all went on for a long time though. I knew that if I had any weapons, I would have won with ease. But I wasn't that used to fighting without knifes and it was clear that he was. It almost got to the point of getting boring and if I hadn't been stubborn about wanting to win, I would have called it quits.

It did help me take my mind off everything else though and it was nice. Both the exercise and that I knew I was gaining respect and approval from the vampires around. I could hear it from the snippets of conversation that I picked up. They went from being mocking over that I had challenged a vampire to impressed. They stopped calling with the witch with contempt and instead it was with admiration, until someone that knew my name had spread it around so that I wasn't the witch anymore at all, but Crimson.

After forever, I finally saw an opening in Everett's stance. Likely he had also started to get bored and as a result slopy. I moved forward, kicked his hip so he lost balance. Got around him and kicked in the hollow of his knees so he fell forward. Took a hold of his right arm behind his back to restrain him and held my free arm around his neck.

"I think I win," I smirked.

There was dead silence for a moment before all of the vampires around us burst into chatter.

"Fuck! She must have cheated!"

"Where's my grand! Give me my money!"

"Everett must have let her win!"

"Hey, cough up the money!"

"She must have used magic!"

"I also bet on her!"

I let go of Everett and looked around as money changed hands all around me.

"Did you all place bets on who would win?" I said as the realization dawned on me.

"Aye!" one answered, smiling and waving a bundle of cash. "You just made me able to buy the watch of my dreams."

"So you made money on me? Where's my share then?" My question had them all go silent again and look from one another.

"She's right," one said. "Ten precent as usual."

Some of them grumbled, but everyone that had won money went up to me and gave ten percent of their earnings.

"Hey, Vincent! You too!" someone called and a lanky vampire was pushed forward.

"But it's just enough for me to get the comic! The seller is refusing anything under one and a half thousand."

"Don't be such a git and give the lady her money!"

He kept mumbling things as he walked over and handed me my share. I was honestly completely baffled at the cash in my hands. I had joked when I had asked for my share, but apparently there was lots of easy ways to earn money here. I did a quick count before handing the money to Everett, forced him to hold it for me as I could hear whispers of others that wanted to challenge me.

"I still don't believe you won fairly!" a bulky man said with his arms crossed over his chest. It was a man I recognized. It was the same one that I had tried to antagonize into a fight when I had been in the gym with Aideen.

"Do you really think I would let her humiliated me willingly?" Everett snapped. He had walked off to the side and looked rather grumpy.

"How would I know what goes through your thick skull?"

"I already suggested a fight earlier," I pointed out to him. "Ready to take up the challenge? Or are you still going to run away scared?"

His eyes narrowed, and he had leaned against the wall, but without any hesitation he walked up to the middle, to me.

"You will regret this," he told me. "You really shouldn't have provoked me like that."

"What are you going to do? Run off and tell on me after I've beaten your ass?"

The conversation ended there and he went to attack.

He did look strong, but I had felt fairly certain already the first time I had seen him that I could beat him. Partly because strength seemed to be the only thing going for him. From his movements he didn't seem like he would be particularly fast nor agile in a fight. But mainly because his ego would likely be in the way. He underestimated me and that would make the fight easy.

Just like expected, he fell without much difficulty. He continued grumbling about magic, but most vampires around seemed to just roll their eyes at him. As he walked off a man that seemed equally arrogant walked forward.