Daughter of the Earth- Stary Writing Academy III

Serafina "I just don't see why we have to do it this way." Serafina huffed and rolled her eyes. "You do know why. You're still not old enough for a solo mission yet Serafina." "I am 18 Klarich. I am old enough for a solo mission. There are plenty of hunters that have been completing solo missions since they were like 15!" "You are 17 Serafina. Stop wishing your life away. And yes, some hunters started that early. Please tell me how many of them are still alive again?" Serafina turned away, sighing in exasperation and crossing her arms over her chest. Klarich did have a point. Survival rates among younger vampire hunters were abysmally low. But it would be different for Serafina. She knew what she was doing. Unfortunately for her, Klarich did not agree. Klarich stepped in front of her and began to mock her. "But it will be different for me! I'm Serafina Silverstone, and just because I can't beat my human trainer doesn't mean I won't be able to beat a supernatural creature whose very existence serves to end my life and any other human's life that gets in their way." Serafina growled and kicked out her foot, aiming for his shin. He sidestepped effortlessly and gestured at her foot as if to prove his point. She changed the trajectory of her kick and aimed at his waist, but again he blocked, grabbing her leg and holding it. "So you big mad huh? Wanna do something about it? Meet me in the gym in five then." He flung her leg aside and stomped towards the garage they had turned into a makeshift gym. Serafina groaned in frustration and ran up the stairs to her room. Her bedroom was bare, with no pictures or knick-knacks that could identify it as hers. Vamp hunters didn't get the luxury of settling down and making a home out of their house. They had to be ready to move at a moment's notice, just in case their cover was blown. Many a hunter had been killed because they had too much to move or take with them. Attachments led to death. Every time. After changing into combat clothes from her jeans and tank top, Serafina went to the bathroom to do something about her hair. Looking in the mirror, she saw a young girl with golden-brown skin and dark-brown eyes. They were almost black. Looking at her hair and the defined twist-out she had done to it, she groaned internally. She knew she was going to sweat and that this beautiful twist-out was going to waste. At the very least, she had to beat Klarich today, or she would have sacrificed her hair in vain. Twisting her shoulder-length hair into seven thick twists, she pulled them into a high bun. After lightly smacking her face a few times, she was ready. From the bottom of the stairs, she could hear Klarich teasing. "Listen, if you want to back out, I won't judge. We could just agree to the current two-man job arrangement, and you can keep your pretty hairstyle intact." Serafina's eyes flashed as she bitterly stared at the bun at the top of her head. "Oh hell no old man. I just put my hair in a bun, you gon' get this ass whooping today." Serafina could almost see Klarich shrug his shoulders as he called out, "your loss then." *** In the gym, Klarich and Serafina stood on a mat in the center of the room. They were both stretching while sizing each other up, planning their attacks. Serafina knew Klarich was stronger than her. Her only hope was to be quicker than him. This wasn't new for her because against vamps? All humans are weak. On the other side of the mat, Klarich was coolly assessing Serafina. The girl was like an open book to him, considering he had helped write her story. He knew she was going to try and outpace him since he was a lot stronger than her. Well, for now at least. Shaking his head, he put on a smile and stretched his arms out wide. "Serafina you can still turn back. We don't have to do this." Serafina chuckled as she cracked her knuckles. "Too late pops. I'm ready to go." He shrugged, then they both put their guards up and began circling each other. Periodically they would feint in, testing the other's defenses. Serafina's strategy had improved, but she was still very impatient. She would most likely test one more time before committing to an attack. Serafina feinted with a right jab and followed up with a left sidekick. Klarich tried to move behind her, but her foot was too fast. It caught him right in the stomach and had him gasping for air. 'This shouldn't have hurt that bad...unless'. Klarich looked over at Serafina and saw that she was sneering. "Had enough old man?" Klarich straightened himself and resumed his stance. "After this, we're going to talk, you and I" Serafina pressed her lips in a thin line and shrugged off his words. "Yeah, about you apologizing for saying I'm not ready." Klarich merely glared back. Serafina rushed him, throwing punch after punch. They seamlessly moved through different martial arts, going faster with every passing second. Serafina was faster than Klarich sure, but she wasn't as strong, and as time dragged on, she was becoming less accurate too. Klarich had gotten in two body shots that made Serafina wince as she moved. It was hard to breathe but she was too proud to back down. She could still win, she just needed to outsmart the old bastard. Go low. Serafina jumped at the voice and glared at Klarich. "What did you just say, old man?!" Klarich looked at her, confusion clear on his face. "I haven't said a word Sera." Serafina looked around, muttering to herself. "I could have sworn I heard something." Klarich narrowed his eyes before stepping off the mat. "That's enough for today. We need to talk." "Heck no man. You're just scared Imma beat yo ass." Klarich stalked over to her until he was mere inches from her face. Serafina wasn't exactly short at 5'7" but she still had to strain her neck upwards to glare back at him. "You don't think you've had enough Sera?" Before she could retort Klarich had throat chopped her. Not hard enough to cause damage, but still hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Before she could react he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her back onto the mat. "You're nowhere near ready Serafina." She tapped on the mat until Klarich released her. She scrambled to her feet, massaging her throat and shooting daggers at him. Klarich raised his hands and looked at her helplessly. "Sera, you know why I am so hard on you. Your mother and father were my best friends. You are all I have left of them. I wouldn't be able to look them in the eye when I go if I let you go out half-c****d on a solo mission." Serafina looked down, tears forming in her eyes. "I know Klarich. I am just...so angry. They murdered my parents. They took my only chance at a normal life and it feels like I am no closer to avenging their deaths than when I started." Klarich got up and crossed the room to her, enveloping her in a hug, as she finally broke down and sobbed into his shirt. When her cries had finally subsided, Klarich continued gently. "I know how much your life changed that night sweetie. It left you with damage, both mental and physical. But we will get through this together okay?" She nodded into his shirt, not trusting herself to speak. He sighed and stroked her head gently. "Speaking of that, Sera, can you tell me how long you've been off your medication?" Sera visibly stiffened at his mention of her meds. Clearing her throat she pulled back from him, avoiding his gaze. "Not that long Klarich." Klarich pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best not to fly off the handle. "It's been a lot longer than 'not long' Sera. I can tell." She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes, sullenly gazing at him. "I hate the way the meds make me feel Klarich. I feel so sluggish. It's like I am in a foggy cloud, and the world is moving at half-speed." Klarich grabbed her arms and forced her to look into his eyes. "Sera, you know you have to take the meds because you were poisoned in the attack. You've seen how it can affect you. Voices, Sera? Do you think that's normal?" She bit her lip, knowing that what Klarich said made sense. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but some part of her felt the drugs were hurting her more than helping her. But she couldn't very well tell Klarich that. He would put off any missions having to do with her family until he could ensure she was completely under control. To appease him, she nodded silently and looked back at him. "I understand. I will get back on my meds. I promise." He rubbed her head gently as he murmured. "Atta girl." *** After her shower, Serafina lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. She looked over to her nightstand and saw the pillbox lying next to a glass of water. You know we don't need that, right? Serafina jumped up from her bed, looking around her bedroom anxiously. 'I probably need these meds more than I anticipated,' she thought to herself. Before she could talk herself out of it, she rushed to her nightstand and took the pill, and gulped down the water. The pill tasted bitter to her tongue, almost like some type of metal. Gagging a bit, she used the remaining water to swish around in her mouth to get rid of the taste. Not long after, she felt a bit lethargic. She had lost her appetite, and could only roll onto her side before drifting off to sleep. Unbeknownst to her, Klarich stepped out of the shadows and looked in on her. He took note of the open pillbox and empty water glass. Just to make sure she had taken it, he crept into the room and counted the remaining pills. Nodding silently to himself, he left, closing the door behind him. *** As Serafina and Klarich prepared for their next mission, Serafina couldn't stop thinking about that voice she heard last night. It sounded like her voice, but a bit deeper and more gravelly. For some reason deep down in her heart, she felt like she could trust the voice. She was so conflicted. She knew Klarich just wanted the best for her. But what if...her meds weren't what was best for her? Shoving the thought into the far back of her mind, she turned her attention back into what Klarich was telling her. "Remember Sera, Asmodeus is the Vampire General in charge of the western region. Even though the target we are hitting today is not frequented too much by her, the place is still on her territory, which means she might be there tonight. We have to be careful with how we handle this. We can't draw too much attention to ourselves, or we're dead meat. What that means, to be blunt, is that if we see her? We get the hell out of there. Quickly, quietly, and without drawing any attention. We cannot fight her at this point. She would have way too many allies with her." Serafina nodded along, looking at the map Klarich had laid out on the table. "So you're telling me they operate a dive bar in the Hollywood area? Wouldn't that draw too much attention to themselves?" Klarich let out a hollow laugh, a sad sound that seemed to die on his lips. "You gotta hand it to these bloodsuckers. They know how to use their surroundings to their advantage. 'Red Room' is the hottest dive bar in town, frequented by a few well-known celebrities. They are known for running their own Uber service for drunk patrons that can't drive home. Some of the customers never make it to their destination, though. It doesn't necessarily happen every night, but it does happen enough that there are rumors about it. One main pattern is, it's always the out-of-towners that go missing. They are careful not to do too much to the locals." Serafina crinkled her nose. "What do you mean, 'too much'?" Klarich glanced at her before he returned to packing stakes into his duffel bag. "They drain a fair amount of the local's blood, but they leave enough to make it seem like an intense hangover. They slowly, gradually turn these locals into their familiars, creating an impenetrable wall of alibis for all the vamps running the joint." Serafina bit her lip. "Despicable. Smart, but despicable." Klarich nodded. "Which is why we have to be smart about this. I've got communication pieces for us to use, but they only have about a 30 feet range. That means don't get drawn too far away from me and don't go recklessly running after anybody. Our first mission is to get information. If we can catch one of the vamps alone that will be our best course of action. If we can't, we plan another visit. Understood?" Serafina nodded and rolled her eyes to herself. Klarich was so strict when it came to joint missions. Which was one of the main reasons she had wanted to handle missions by herself, with Klarich as the transportation. "Alright, let's go Sera." Sera put her hands up to stop him before he left the room. "I don't think we're ready." Klarich sighed and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "What are we missing now Ms. Silverstone?" Serafina gestured to both her and Klarich's clothes. "We won't exactly blend in like this old man." Klarich looked at his clothes and then covered his face with his hand. "Well s**t, Sera. I didn't even think about that. I'm sorry. I'm off my game, and we can't have that. Let's go change. Make sure you've got pants with a hidden utility belt so you can hide some weapons." She nodded and they both rushed off to their rooms. 'Oh, the irony of him telling me I'm not ready, as he almost gets us killed due to dress code.' Serafina sighed and rifled through her clothes bin. She pulled up some fitted stretchy pants that had a utility belt on the inside panel just above her butt. She hurriedly changed into them and put some stakes into the loops. As for the top, she found a burgundy one that showed a decent amount of cleavage, but not enough for Klarich to cuss her out. She shoved some blades dipped in holy water into the holsters of the chest area of the shirt. She rushed to the bathroom and pulled her twists out of their bun. Using a pick she fluffed her roots and then grabbed a toothbrush to lay her edges. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she slipped downstairs to wait for Klarich. She didn't have to wait long. Klarich stepped out of his room and adjusted his shirt again. He was wearing a black button-up shirt opened to show a bit of his chest, and some straight-leg black jeans that fit him like a second skin. Looking at Klarich's blue eyes and blonde hair, it was hard to imagine him as a 48-year-old vampire hunter. He looked more like a seasoned GQ model. Tugging on his collar, Klarich nodded towards the door. "Ready?" Serafina headed to the entrance, slinging her duffel bag over her shoulder. "Let's go pops."