Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR
         "Owen...  Owen...  You need to wake up, or we'll be late."
         "What?" I asked half-consciously, one of my eyes opened to look at Rai, while the other eye was still squinted shut.
         "You want to eat, don't you?  Get up," Rai urged once more as he tossed a white t-shirt and camouflage pants onto the bed.
         Realizing that this was supposed to be the big day, I threw off the covers and immodestly changed my clothes on the spot.  I was not very eager to do Landon's bidding, but I also didn't want to die just yet.  Rai and I then went down the stairs, side by side.  After having followed him into the dining room we fought for space at the round table that was already crowded by ten other men.  In the middle was a large, nearly empty bowl of oatmeal, a plated with a depleted supply of toast, and a pitcher running low on milk.  Apparently we were a few minutes late.  Honestly, I didn't feel much like eating; I grabbed a single piece of toast and later washed it down with four gulps of milk.
         "We should get going if you're finished.  There's no sense in waiting around," Rai suggested.  "First we do our martial arts training."
         Rai got up from the table and made his way out of the dining room.  I glanced around me, noticing that many of the others were finishing up as well.  Despite my body's natural reaction to run and hide, I stood up and left the room to catch up with Rai.  I ran through the foyer to the opposite side of the villa, spying the back of Rai's head descending down a flight of dim stairs.  Naturally, I continued to follow him until we came out into what appeared to be a large gymnasium beneath the rest of the house.
         "What is this place?" I asked, in awe of the size.
         "The training and practice room.  Through those doors all the way on the opposite wall is a pool; that's nothing worth getting excited about though, you'll only be using it to swim laps later."
         My stomach began to toss and turn as my heart sank.  More men were filing into the room, bringing the moment of actual training closer and closer.  In a way I felt foolish for wanting to cower in the corner, but I didn't care.  How could anyone be expected to fit society's idea of masculine behavior under these circumstances?  I told myself that I needed to stay strong for Layna, and that perhaps this training would be useful to me when I would avenge the death of my mother and all the other innocents.
         "Good morning, good morning, good morning," Landon sarcastically greeted as he waltzed in.
         He looked very strange compared to the night before.  He was wearing a black vest with a bright red shirt beneath, a white tie, and a pair of black wide-legged pleated pants.  His hair was gelled back in a disturbing manner; there was too much, and it appeared greasy.  If I was not mistaken, he even had dark eye shadow on, making his eyes even more startling.  His eyes had an enlarged pupil surrounded by a tiger's eye yellow pupil.
         "Line formation, stand at attention, yadda-yadda," he ordered as he motioned with his hand.
         We all stood in a straight horizontal line, one beside the other.  There were a good many more people there than there were present at the breakfast table.  All in all, there appeared to be about twenty of us.  About half of us looked just as I must have, new and frightened.
         "As you can see, we've gained a few more pupils.  Those of you who have already been here these last six months, it will be your job to teach them what to do.  Partner up and pull out a mat," Landon instructed.
         Like a child, I clung behind Rai.
         "No," Landon bluntly spoke, cutting in front of me and halting me with his hand pressed against my chest.  "I want you to pair up with Bryce.  He's a beast, and he'll get that fear out of you soon enough," he quietly muttered, his bizarre eyes piercing through me.
         Landon walked away with his hand resting on Rai's back, an order for Rai to follow him.  I looked to my left at who must have been Bryce, and I was terrified.  He stood there, a good half foot taller than me.  Not only were his muscled intimidating, but so were his tattoos and gaze.  Landon was right; he was a beast.
         "Go grab a mat," Bryce ordered in a low rumbling voice, pointing to a pile of blue mats resting against a wall.
         Slowly, I made my way over to the pile, swearing loudly in my mind.  I told myself that it wouldn't have mattered if I had stayed in bed this morning, either way pain or death would have been inevitable.  I grabbed onto a corner of the top mat and pulled it across the floor to where Bryce was still standing.
         "Today I will be teaching you martial arts.  I'll try not to kill you, but I won't be gentle," I heard him say in what almost sounded to be a snarl, as I stared at the tiger tattoo that was to appear bursting out of his chest.
         Bryce would explain to me a certain move and what specific branch of martial arts it had originated from.  After performing the move against me several times, he told me to try it on him.  No matter who was performing what move, I always ended up thrown onto the mat.  I tried to pay attention to his defense strategies when I would make an attack; apparently this is what he had wanted me to do, although I was still not strong enough to make good use of them.  We persisted for about two hours, the end of which my body was widely bruised, pained, and exhausted.
         "Alright, everyone, take your break.  Since everyone's doing so well today, I'll let you have thirty minutes instead of your normal fifteen.  This should give our girls a chance to recover," he snidely remarked, glancing over at me.
         I dropped to the floor and stretched out on my back.  I could have fallen asleep right there, had it not been for Bryce sitting beside me and staring down into my face.
         "You learn quickly.  What's your name?"
         Surprised at his interest, I told him.
         "Learn as quickly as you can.  Landon's looking for someone to be in charge of his little retaliation squad, if you want to call it that.  He wanted me to be that someone, but I wont do it, and he knows that.  He just wants me to pass everything on to someone else who is just as capable, but more pliable.  He must see you as that person," he whispered, looking over at Landon to be sure he was out of earshot.
         "Retaliation squad?  What the hell is that?"  This had to  be one of the corniest things I had ever heard, next to finding out that the world was overrun with vampires.
         "They're all fighting for power.  Whose blood do you think will be shed in the war?  They don't want it to be theirs."
         I knew I could get away with asking him some more questions; he was much more obliging than he appeared, and quite human when not being pit against someone else.  However, I had little strength left, even to speak, and wanted to save it for the next tasks.  The rest of our "break" was spent in complete silence; not a single person in the gymnasium would speak to another.
         "Alright, sweethearts, back to business.  Hmm...  Should we run or swim?  Run or swim?  Run or swim?" Landon began to mutter under his breath.  "What do you think, Bryce?"
         "Run, sir," Bryce replied indifferently.
         "And run we shall!  Let's get to it, ladies!  One hundred laps!"
         I began to run at a decent pace, not wanting to lose all my energy in the first few laps.  There were only two people behind me, everyone else in front.  This was much more traumatizing than being the school nerd in gym class.  I wondered if this was similar to or worse than boot camp.  The gymnasium was so large, how could I possibly be expected to run one hundred laps?  I lost count after twenty.  During what I judged to be the final lap, since everyone in front had ceased jogging, I was barely walking.  I dragged my feet beneath me until I reached the finishing point, collapsing to the floor afterwards.  Was I going to have to endure this every day?
         As I lay there I found it somewhat comforting that there were others who were laying on the ground as fatigued and out of breath as myself.  I couldn't stand another minute of this training, this hell.  Just then I felt a cool splash of water thrown on my face.  I opened my eyes in shock and looked up at Landon, gripping an empty water bottle.
         "I hope you're not too tired to shoot off some guns, Owen, or I might have to have you terminated," he remarked, laughing at his own comment.
         With a sigh I forced myself back onto my feet and followed the procession out of the room.  Landon remained close behind me the entire way.  I did not need to be looking straight at him to know that those yellow eyes were burning through me.  We walked up the steps that we had previously descended and went through the front door, strolling around the outside of the villa until we came behind it.
         The cold outside air was only refreshing for a brief moment; after that, I began to shiver.  Hardly any light pierced through the dark grey clouds above, and I was ready for it to rain; fortunately, although it was cold out, it was not bitter enough for it to snow.  Hopefully target practice would distract my mind and body from the weather.
         A long row of tables stretched across the grass.  About every ten yards, for up to fifty yards, across from these tables were various targets:  scarecrows, sculptures, cardboard cut-outs, bull's-eyes.  The types of guns set out were all different, and I knew nothing of them.  My experience of guns was limited to getting shot in the left temple by my friend's BB gun at age ten.
         "Do you know anything about guns?" Landon asked as he picked one up and began loading it.
         "No, not at all," I replied.
         "Well then, allow me to show you a thing or two.  This table has four different weapons.  We have a squad automatic weapon, or light support weapon, a semi-automatic pistol, an assault rifle, and a combat shotgun."
         Landon went into great detail explaining the history and characteristics of each gun.  He then disassembled each one and demonstrated how to put them back together.  After making me practice this routine several times, he showed me how to aim with each gun.  He handed me a pair of ear plugs before instructing me as to what targets to shoot at.  I didn't think that using a gun would be very exciting, but it was quite a rush.  I had never felt so powerful.  In a way, this feeling frightened me.  I briefly remembered my mother's severe hatred of guns.
         "You're a good shot, Owen, but you could still use more practice," Landon said after some time, unloading his gun.  "Alright everyone, pack it up!"
         Some of the men came around to each table and picked up the guns and ammunition.  After observing what the rest of the men were doing, I reached underneath the table and pulled out the tarp to lay over its surface.  I followed far behind the procession back into the house, hoping to spot Rai and catch up with him.  This I was not able to do, but after some time Bryce fell behind and began speaking to me.
         "Landon wants to speak with you after dinner," he nonchalantly informed me.
         "About what?"
         "He didn't say," he replied, continuing to look straight ahead rather than at me as he spoke.  "It probably relates to what I told you earlier, him wanting someone to act as a general.  You've made more progress in a day than some of the men did in their first week; you have a lot of endurance.  Think long and hard about what he says before you make a decision though.  That's the only advice I can give you."
         Bryce strode ahead.  Just as I entered the house, I spotted Rai standing off to the side.  Apparently he had been waiting for me.  We walked side by side into the dining room, taking seats next to each other.  The plethora of food on the table made up for the absence of lunch:  steak, corn, mashed potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls, pasta.  My mouth watered as I was filled with the sensational scents of the feast.
         "What did Bryce say to you?" Rai whispered as we shoveled food onto our plates.
         "Landon wants to speak with me after dinner," I replied, taking a pitcher of ice water and filling both of our glasses.
         After a long silence, with a lot of chewing in between, Rai suggested that I eat quickly, shower, and change beforehand.
         "His room is on the floor below ours.  You go down the stairs and turn right.  Keep going until you come to the really tall oak doors.  You can't miss them.  Be careful, though.  I wouldn't trust anything he says."
         Deciding to take his advice, I grabbed one more dinner roll rather than filling my stomach with a plate of seconds and quickly washed it down with the refreshing water.  I gave Rai a pat on the back before leaving the table, my little way of thanking him for his advice and camaraderie.  I rushed up the stairs, grabbed some clothes and headed to the bathroom for my shower.
         As I stood beneath the blasting showerhead, I looked down at my chest and behind at my back.  Sure enough, there were bruises beginning to form.  The steaming water relaxed my muscles and eased the pain.  The fragrant soap and shampoo helped to calm my nerves.  The only downside of being relieved from the stress of the day was that I was left alone with my thoughts:  images of Layna, the loss of my mother, questions about the future.  All of these renewed my hatred of Landon.  Why didn't I behave spitefully toward him today?  Any time I was alone, I despised him and wished him immediate death.  When I was around him I felt as if he were a teacher, someone to give me guidance.  How could he have such a manipulative effect on me?
         I turned off the water and stood in the shower a moment longer to collect my thoughts.  I decided then that I would not trust Landon and I would do him no favors.  Whatever he would offer, I would turn down.  All his hopes and faith in me would soon be in vain.
         After stepping out of the shower and drying off, I pulled on a pair of boxers, jeans, and a white t-shirt.  I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.  I had never seen myself like this before; puffy eyes, dark circles, a cut on my forehead, everything in my expression gloomy.  Hopefully I would be taken seriously despite my appearing so disheartened.
         Every step I took to his door brought on more nausea.  The relaxation that resulted from the shower had completely left my body.  My muscles were as stiff and fatigued as if I had endured my second day of training.  Hopefully, if this confrontation went as I wanted it to, there would be no second day.  I could feel every heartbeat and pulsing vein in my body as I opened the doors to his private abode and let myself in.
         It appeared that Landon spared no expenses when it came to furnishing his room.  Everything was either oak or gold, antique or brand new.  This definitely had to be the largest room in the house; he even had his own fireplace.  He sat at his oak desk in a tall, leather swivel chair.  Upon seeing me, he rolled the chair out from his desk and turned it to face me.  Rather than wearing a various colored ensemble consisting of a dress shirt, slacks, tie, and hat, he was wearing a long, red, silk bathrobe, tied shut around his waist.
         "I knew you were outside the door but please, still knock.  Letting yourself in unannounced is just rude," he remarked with a broad smile.  I could not tell whether or not he was genuinely offended.
         "Sit here," he ordered, getting up from the chair and sitting on the corner of his desk.
         I plopped myself down in the leather chair and with my feet pushed myself farther away from him.  Before either of us spoke, we persistently stared at one another.  This was not the first time I had engaged in this activity, and it was not the first time that I was the first to avert my gaze.  There was something about looking in his tiger-like eyes that seemed dangerous.
         "Let's talk about why I brought you here," Landon began, walking over to an oak counter on the opposite side of the room.  He reached down behind the counter and pulled out a wine bottle and two crystal wine glasses.  Without asking me if I would care for a drink, he filled both glasses and brought them back to the desk with him.
         "You showed a lot of potential out there today.  Most of the men who are paired with Bryce for the first time cry out and scream, if they even try to fight," he explained, handing me one of the glasses.
         "What's your point?" I barked,  taking the glass in my without any intention of drinking from it.
         "Gees, you're welcome for the compliment!" he sarcastically exclaimed.  "My point is, you might have a future here.  I want to strike a bargain with you."
         "I'm not interested," I quickly shot back.
         At this, he simply looked at me and smiled.  I hated his smile.  His lips always looked so big and thick, disproportionate to the rest of his face.  It was crooked and stretched too wide.  Besides that, he was always smiling for the wrong reasons.  Although this time I was not staring back into them, I could feel his eyes boring through me to the very center of my self.
         "Just hear me out," he finally said.
         "No!" I shouted, cutting off his next words and possible temptation.  "All of this is because of you and your kind!  You killed my mother!  You took away Layna!  You've stolen my life from me!"
         The smile quickly left his face and was replaced by a scowl.  I was petrified after observing that his yellow eyes changed to an icy blue that would have almost seemed white, had they not been contrasted against the actual whites of his eyes.
         "Oh no, no, Owen," he spoke menacingly.  "This won't do at all.  I chose you because I thought you were strong, but right now you're showing me that you're weak.  You don't want all the rewards I have to offer; you don't want to see... Layna, again," he snarled, placing an emphasis on her name.
         "What?"  I wondered at this last part.
         "God, I bet you miss her," he continued, attempting to sound absent-minded.  "She's not the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, but she's cute enough.  She seems like she could be a real vixen.  I wonder if she's thinking about you?"
         Who did he think he was, to say anything about her?  He knew nothing of her, or us.
         "On the contrary," his voice broke through, "I know more than you think.  I've got people all over the place, keeping an eye on everything and everyone.  Even if I didn't, you're not that hard to read.  You've been wanting to get away from here to find her.  But it would be useless.  Where would you two go?  Well, if you do what I ask, you can have Layna.  You can have your own room together, right here; you can have anything you want.  The both of you could live happily here, or try to escape and be killed by others who aren't quite as generous and well-mannered as myself."
         I sat there in silence for a few moments as Landon quietly sipped at his wine, his eyes slowly returning to their usual hue.  I needed to weigh my options.  Much of what he said was true.  Even if Layna and I could run away together, we would have nowhere to go.  We would run the risk of getting caught by other vampires only to return to the same desperate situation.  If I worked for Landon, we would have food, shelter, and each other.  We would get special treatment, and possibly be able to do whatever we pleased.
         "Your room would be almost the size of mine.  The two of you would live as you would have if you were both wealthy.  I would even consider giving you your own car and servant.  Imagine how grand you two would look, you in a nice suit and her in a flowing evening gown," he droned as if hearing my thoughts and continuing them.
         After much consideration, I solemnly asked, "What is it you want me to do?"
         There was that unnerving smile again.
         "I'm glad you asked.  I want you to continue with your training for a few more weeks.  When I think you're ready, I'll start having you go on little missions.  We'll see how that goes and take it from there," Landon finalized, getting up from the desk with his now empty wine glass in hand.
         "Wait," I exclaimed, getting up from my seat.  "When can I see Layna?"
         Landon turned back toward me, looking up and tapping his foot in thought.
         "After you've been training for three weeks while showing improvement," he decided.  "You may go now."
         I bolted out of the room and up the stairs, eager to get to bed.  Once I reached my bedroom I tore off my jeans and slid into bed.  I wanted so badly to fall asleep to be better prepared for the next day, but I couldn't stop imagining what the future would be like.  If only I could tell Layna that I would see her in three weeks time!