How the hell could he take this so lightly?
It didn’t make sense, he showed no sign of being worn out. It was pissing her off more with each round. She wanted to slap that look off his face. Each time she missed, she would have sworn he stuck his tongue out.
“Get up,” he said. “There’s no time for you to be lying about.”
“I’m not lying about!” Kandice yelled. “I’m catching my breath!”
She popped up to her feet and got into her Taekwondo fighting stance. Before he reacted, Kandice pinned Lance to the ground. His head hit the mat so hard that his eyes stayed shut for several seconds. She looked down and tapped his cheek.
Lance opened his eyes and smiled. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about!”
As she unsaddled him, Lance flipped her over and pinned her to the ground. The veins were pumping in the side of his neck. His eyes had turned a darker shade of blue and had black rims. His sweat dripped onto her face. She tried to slip out from under him, but he held her firm.
“Never drop your guard,” he said. “Fighting is not what you’ve been taught. Throwing fancy kicks will not save you. You have to become an animal. Only when you can turn your mind off and release the beast inside, will you be able to change without dying.”
“What?” she asked. “You never said it could kill me.”
“It’s unlikely, but it has been known to happen. We’ve told you how dangerous changing is. You’re so focused on your desire to change that you’re not taking this serious. Now, try again.”
They both stood up, and Lance slid back each time Kandice reached to grab him. Her fingers would graze his shirt, but she couldn’t get a hold on him. After another fifteen minutes, Kandice couldn’t move, and was slower than when they had started.
“Enough.” Lance dodged her last grab, one that even a ten-year-old would have been able to avoid.
Kandice rolled onto her back and stretched.
“Are you hungry?” Lance asked. “I could really go for a steak.”
“That sounds so good,” Kandice said.
“Want to run to the store with me?”
“Sure.”
Kandice ran upstairs and rinsed off in the shower. Lance smiled as she came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel around her. Her cheeks went warm with color; that grin of his would never get old. She walked into her room and shut the door without looking back behind her.
After she had dried off and dressed, she found Lance sitting on the sectional with a small glass of vodka, talking to Slava.
“She did great,” he said. “I think she’ll be ready-” He stopped when he saw her enter the room. “Are you ready to go?” he asked Kandice.
“Yeah,” she said.
She followed him into his SUV. “Were you talking about me with Slava?”
“Yes,” he said. “But it was all good. We’ll talk more about it later.”
♦ ♦ ♦
When they got back from the grocery store, Lance put the steaks in a bowl with some seasonings to marinate. He said it would take at least thirty minutes before they would be ready.
Kandice went back to her room, it was just after 11:30 AM; It would be good to catch up on some much needed online research. Slava and Lance had been a great help, but there were more questions about the Aether Walkers than they were willing or able to answer. She found the forum she had read before and reread the thread. She searched through several pages of the threads, but couldn’t find any more posts that mentioned what would most likely represent an Aether Walker, unless they had adapted to look more like aliens.
“Kandice, steaks are done!” Lance yelled.
She hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs. The meat filled the air.
“I hope you like medium-rare,” Lance said. “It’s the only way Slava and I eat our steaks.”
“That sounds great to me,” Kandice said.
Lance handed her a plate with a medium size steak on it, with a pile of veggies beside it that almost overflowed off the plate.
She cut into her steak, and it burst with blood. The taste was superb. She savored that bite as the juice worked its way around her mouth. The sautéed veggies were almost as good as the steak.
“Thank you,” she said. “This tastes so good.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Lance said.
“Lance has always been the better chef,” Slava admitted.
They all sat around the coffee table enjoying their food as Slava handed out glasses of vodka. Kandice was growing accustomed to drinking while eating. She was not able to drink enough to keep up with them, but she saw why they liked it. The burn of the vodka helped clear her palate for the next bite. The pepper filled her nose and made her mouth water with anticipation.
When they emptied their plates, they each took another shot together, and ate a piece of dark bread to finish the meal.
Chapter Eleven
Tuesday, September 13th
Tuesday Morning, Kandice went downstairs to see how Slava's stake out went the previous night. He spent the night out watching the mayor's house, and was already asleep, to her surprise.
“I guess Slava already filled you in on his late-night adventures?” She asked Lance while joining him on the couch.
“Yes, it seems the best place to take him out is in his own home,” Lance said. “The problem is getting inside without setting off the security system. Slava is wanting to call in backup.”
“Who is backup?” Kandice asked.
“Other families that are here, stateside.”
“Are they good?”
“Very. Some have taken out targets this large before. The Morton’s have a daughter who’s great with technology. When they took out a high-level target last year, she was the one who disabled the security system. Her brother and father are better fighters than me too.”
“Damn. I wouldn’t ever want to face them.”
“No, and neither would any Aether Walker. The problem is, they move around and only accept messages through the mail at their estate in Scotland.”
“You’ve been to Scotland?”
Lance shifted in his spot. “Yes. A few times. We used to travel around Europe when I was young.”
“I’ve always wanted to see Scotland and Ireland,” Kandice said. “Maybe one day.”
Kandice’s phone rang, her butt felt awkward as it vibrated underneath her. She stepped into the kitchen to answer it and hung up after a short conversation to sit back down on the sectional.
“Was that Blake?” Lance asked.
“It was my apartment hunter, David. The apartment I wanted had a unit open. I need to call to set up a time.”
“Oh, okay.” His mouth had a slight frown as he formed the words.
She left the living room and went to her bedroom to pull up the email David sent on her phone. It had the contact information for the complex and someone answered within the first ring. She spoke with a receptionist and set up a time to meet and look at the property in the afternoon.
Kandice hung up and jumped with her hands in the air. She hadn’t expected to move in until the end of the month and being able to move in earlier would be great. Living in proximity to Lance and Slava for the constant updates had shown its perks, but being alone with Lance was still awkward. She couldn't deny a desire for him within her but it was uncharted territory. They needed space before something happened they’d both regret. Besides, long term, having an apartment for Blake to move into would be best.
She picked out clothes and took them with her into the bathroom to get ready.
♦ ♦ ♦
The apartment complex was only a mile away, taking the back roads through her old neighborhood. Location had become the least of her worries. Everything was out of her budget in the North Austin area, so her search bubble expanded to the whole city. It was a lucky break to have gotten into this place. It was close to Lance, and less than ten minutes from Blake.
The leasing office was tiny compared t
o the rest of the complex, when she pulled in, she paused a moment to take in the area. It was an inviting complex, built out of white stone, and looked like it would last for years.
Susan was waiting for her when she walked in through the front door. “I’m guessing you’re Kandice.”
“Yes.” Kandice smiled.
“Great to meet you,” Susan extended her hand, which Kandice shook. “Please, come into my office and we’ll get you all set up.”
They spoke for about twenty minutes, going over all the rules of the complex, and decided Kandice needed a covered parking spot. With the parking, her one-bedroom apartment came to $785 per month. More than her original budget, but by far one of the cheaper options in Austin. There had been a few within her desired price range, but they were way south, and a quick crime report search convinced Kandice it wasn’t worth the affordable rent.
Once they agreed to everything, Susan gave Kandice a copy of the contract. “You can look over that tonight and bring it back. Now why don’t you come with me, and I’ll show you the complex, along with your apartment.”
Kandice followed Susan out of the office, and onto a golf cart. As they drove, Susan pointed out the swimming pool, which was a decent size, and right behind the leasing office. After two apartment buildings, there was a tennis court, with a basketball court behind it. Kandice didn’t enjoy sports that much, but any place that had tennis would have to be clean and safe.
Her building was the last one in the back of the complex. It seemed like the reduced drive through traffic would mean less noise.
“Your unit is on the bottom and your parking spot is over there.” She pointed to the covered parking in the middle of the parking lot, but not too far from Kandice’s building.
“Now, please excuse the mess. We’re having a full cleaning crew come in tomorrow, and then painters the day after.”
When she unlocked the door, and they walked in, Kandice’s mouth almost fell open. The apartment was more than she could ever hope for. The kitchen, dining, and living room all flowed together, the only thing dividing the three spaces was a floating island that had the kitchen sink and cutting area. There was even a sliding glass door with a small porch.
In the far back was another sink, with two doors on either side. One led into a small bathroom, but it had a full shower, bathtub combination. The other door led into her bedroom. It wasn’t large for a master bedroom, but it was much larger than the room she was in, or had been in at her aunt’s. Kandice was in love with her new apartment.
“It’s amazing,” Kandice said. “When can I move in?”
“Provided everything goes well, you’ll be able to move Friday, if that works for you.”
“Yes! I can’t wait.”
Susan drove Kandice back to the front office, and talked the whole way there, but Kandice didn’t hear a word. Her mind was racing with ideas for her new place. From how to decorate the apartment, to having her brother over for dinner, and even Lance and Slava. In her mind it was the moment she became an adult. Getting her own place was always the plan, but with Blake getting out of the hospital, it was easier to stay with her aunt.
Blake might be ready to move out of their aunt’s house now with all the new developments. He could stay on the couch for a while until he got his own place, or they could get an apartment together after a year. They would both need jobs to move up to a two bedroom. Kandice could only afford the apartment by herself for two years with the trust and her savings. After that she would have to get a job, or get one now and have longer before needing a full-time career.
On her drive back to Lance’s, her mind was racing with all the future could hold. There had to be a job out there that would give her the free time needed to continue to fight Aether Walkers. That was her end goal, no matter what happen, fighting them was all that matter. If Lance kept training her and taught her to change, she’d be ok once they defeated the mayor and moved away. There was so much to work through, and many plans to make but it would work itself out with time.
♦ ♦ ♦
After getting home, she realized Master Monroe had been expecting to hear from her yesterday. He was still wanting an explanation about her decision to quit school. He expected her to re-enroll, but that would never happen. She didn’t feel like getting back out, so she pulled out her phone and called.
“Thank you for calling Monroe’s Gym, this is Chris speaking, how may I help you?”
“Hey Chris,” she said. “It’s Kandice. Is Master Monroe around?”
“He’s in the back doing inventory,” Chris said. “Let me go get him.”
After about a minute, Monroe picked up the phone. “Kandice, where are you? I expected you here yesterday morning.”
“I’m sorry about that,” she said. “I had to sign for a new apartment this morning.”
“Oh. Well, congratulations I guess are in order. Are you back in school?”
“No. I’m not going to re-enroll this semester.”
“Why?”
“Because, I’m handling personal things, like I told you,” Kandice said, a little more pointed than intended.
“I see.”
There was a long moment of silence. He must have wanted her to explain, but there wasn’t a good excuse, and it wasn’t his business anyways.
“Well,” he said. “I need a good reason for why you dropped out of school if you’re going to continue here.”
“That’s the thing…” She hadn’t thought about dropping Taekwondo until that moment, but it became clear it was the next step. “I’m not going to continue training.”
“Now wait. I only want what’s best for you. You took fourth in nationals. There is no reason to quit. With focused training, I know you can take first this year.”
“You’re right. But I don’t care. I’m not interested in continuing. I’ll pay for this month, but I’m stopping the payments after that.”
“Kandice, think about this for a second.”
“I have. Goodbye, Master Monroe.”
With that, she hung up, even though he was still talking on the other end. A few seconds later, her phone rang; Master Monroe was calling her back. He didn’t want to lose her because of her talent, but regardless, there was no point to continue Taekwondo anymore. Training with Lance was going great even if he hadn’t shown her how to use the seals. The time would come when he would, provided she kept improving and pushing him.
Her phone dinged. Master Monroe left a voicemail. Kandice deleted it without listening to it. It was time to move on with her life. She needed to push her previous life behind her to make room for the new skills needed to fight Aether Walkers.
Despite feeling bad for cutting ties with Master Monroe, and her rude tone, her mind felt free. For the first time, her life made sense, and there was a plan, and she was moving in the right direction.
Chapter Twelve
Friday, September 16th
7AM was too early in the morning for Kandice to be out. Her feet were dragging as she loaded boxes in her old room at her aunt’s house. Jackie threw a fit when Kandice pulled a box truck in front of the house, but after she made it clear, she signed the lease already, and moving out was happening, Jackie stormed out of the house and drove away.
They had been at it for about an hour and Kandice sped through packing while wrapping anything fragile into clothes before loading the box and taping it shut. Blake was carrying the boxes down, and Lance was loading the truck. He said he had plenty of experience loading trucks, so he figured he’d be able to pack the truck in a way where nothing would move around.
Kandice owned zero furniture. Jackie bought the stuff in her and Blake’s room with their trust funds, but Kandice had no interest in keeping it. It would only give her aunt another reason to pick a fight. So she was determined to get her stuff out as fast as possible and only take what was hers. That morning, they took about 30 minutes to load her belongs at Lance’s house before heading to her aunts.
They u
sed the ramp to pull Kandice’s moped into the back of the truck. She insisted on renting the truck, and while she had a license to drive it, she hadn’t driven a full-size vehicle before. Blake grabbed onto the ‘oh-shit’ handle more than once as Kandice took turns too fast, heading to her aunt’s.
“How many more you think?” Blake asked Kandice.
“I’ve got three boxes left,” she said. “So, I hope no more than that. I think it’s maybe two more, and then the rest of my clothes I’ll throw into a trash bag. They’ll all need to be washed anyways.”
Blake acknowledged her and grunted as he carried the box down the stairs. It was full of books related to her Aether Walker information search. Before meeting Lance and starting college, she would keep herself occupied by combing through shelf after shelf at bookstores around the city. There hadn’t been a single book that described what an Aether Walker looked like to her. But a few mentioned what may have been an Aether Walker, it was always a second-hand account. Many late 19th century books on psychiatric patients often mentioned beings that could be Aether Walkers, but given the source, she hadn’t given it much credence. Now that she knew her brother was in a psych-ward due to what he saw; it was worth revisiting some of the books. With the last box packed, Kandice went into the kitchen to grab a trash bag.
Blake open the front door. “There’s only one more on the bed,” she said. “I’m getting trash-bags for the clothes.”
“Okay,” he yelled, as he climbed the stairs.
She met him in the middle of the stairs. Rather than walk back down, she hopped over the side rail, holding on, to let him pass with the large box. When he passed, she hopped back over. Her heart was racing. Moving into her own place was sinking in.
After gathering the final trash bag full of clothes the room looked sad and empty. It never felt like home, more like an extended stay hotel room.
She threw the bag into the back and closed up the box truck. Blake climbed into the passenger seat, and Lance was in his SUV.
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