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Venice executed a blindingly-fast overhead strike towards Geoffry's head, but he caught her practice weapon on his own, and turned the blow slightly so that it slide past his shoulder.
“You're getting better, love. I'm still faster, but you're gaining ground on me.”
Geoffry launched an attack of his own, moving with speed he almost couldn't believe as he slicined his weapon towards Venice's stomach. She effortlessly parried the blow and riposted with an attack that hit his arm with bone-bruising force.
That'll hurt for days. Then again, my body seems to heal much faster than normal peoples'. All of the wounds I took at the church were gone in a day or so.
The thought of what he had done at the church brought a wave of sadness that must have somehow made it to Geoffry's face. Rather than telling him to defend himself again, Venice lowered her weapon and stepped back.
“There, there love, don't fret. You're making real progress, especially considering how recently we started all of this.”
If only he'd survived. I don't suppose it really would have made a difference. Even if the EMT's had been able to save him it wouldn't have changed the fact I'd tried to kill him, but somehow it would have made things less serious.
Realizing that Venice was waiting for a response, Geoffry faked a smile. “Oh, I'm fine.”
Venice smiled back, and then pulled her tank top over her head leaving her dressed in just light cotton pants and a sports bra. “Well, I think we're pretty much done here, so it is time for a shower. I suppose that you're going to remain a prude and refuse to join me?”
Geoffry had long since learned that the best course of action was to just ignore Venice when she started to flirt. “I'm going to go for a run while you're doing that. Lock up when you leave.”
Venice's eyes tightened slightly, but then she shrugged in indifference. “I don't understand this sudden love of running, especially considering that you don't take any kind of weapon with you when you do it.”
Geoffry shrugged. “You told me yourself that you run to maintain your conditioning. If what you tell me is true, no normal human could keep up with me, so it isn't like I have anything to worry about there.”
“Yes, I do run, but I do so inside on a treadmill in the controlled environment of a very exclusive gym. That way suitably overawed and appreciative males can watch me out of the corner of their eyes and wish for the kinds of offers from me you so casually dismiss.”
Despite his foul mood, a smile nearly made it to Geoffry's lips. She does have a way of growing you. I don't really trust her by any means, but she is kind of nice to have around.
“Fine, continue with your uncivilized ways. I'll lock everything up when I leave, but in all seriousness, you need to stop thinking of humans as your only threat-there are other vampires out there that will kill you in a heartbeat if they realize who and what you are.”
Geoffry's mood further soured at the thought of someone like Imastious actively trying to kill him, but he shrugged as unconcernedly as he was able and grabbed his keys as he headed out the door.
Geoffry had little if any real hope that running would help him sort anything out, but possibly it would at least serve as a distraction for a short time. The vampire settled into a natural pace that his body seemed willing to sustain, and absently wished that it was still light out so that he could see the vibrant green of the foliage as it slid past him.
No amount of exertion seemed about to tear Geoffry's mind away from his problems, but he increased his speed with each mile in a vain attempt to force his thoughts into some semblance of order.
The last mile flew by in a near sprint, leaving Geoffry feeling as crushed physically as he was emotionally, but it still didn't accomplish what he'd hoped. His mind still troubled, the vampire started walking in a random direction to allow his body to begin to cool down.
Venice had come over early enough that even after running for longer than normal, the night wasn't late enough for most of the city to have gone to bed. The first couple of panhandlers Geoffry passed tried to accost the vampire, but halfway through their pitch, something in his eyes caused them to begin stammering and back away.
That's right, your business is one of making people feel guilt and loss, but when faced with real evil, actual suffering, you turn and run lest it somehow prove contagious.
None of you really know what it means to suffer. Geoffry's feelings seemed to boil inside of him, seeking the catharsis that had been denied him during his run, and for a split second the vampire wanted to cry. For all that it seemed as though tears might be the only way to purge himself of everything he was feeling, something refused to let Geoffry break down. Instead the sorrow turned to anger, an anger that made him spiteful, and he found himself reaching out with his thoughts to somehow punish them, when he thought of the girl he'd saved.
That isn't true. She knows what it means to suffer. What it's like to watch your only remaining family member slowly slip further away from you, what it is to wish there was something you could do to halt her decline. She knows what it means to slip out into the night fearing for your life, but risking who knows what to try and bring relief to someone you love.
Geoffry had avoided thinking about the girl for quite some time, almost as if doing so might somehow prevent Imastious from learning about her, but his worries for her now pushed their way to the forefront of his mind.
Is she ok? How has the memory of what happened affected her?
The vampire knew it was foolish to meddle any further than he had, but he nonetheless found his feet turning, so he was walking towards the projects where everything had happened.
It doesn't really matter-I'll get there, the door will be locked, and that will be that. It's already too late for her to be out and about, so waiting to see whether or not she looks ok will be a pointless exercise. I'll mope about, and then having safely gotten her out of my system, I'll go home and forget about her.
Geoffry arrived at his destination to find his desire to see the girl had grown rather than fading as he'd expected. Is that her window that has a light on still, or was it the darkened one just to the west? A memory bubbled to the surface of Geoffry's mind, and he found himself picturing the way she'd looked as she was lying peacefully in her bed, seemingly unspotted by all the violence she had just seen, unmarred by all the suffering she'd experienced.
Hesitantly trying the outside door, the vampire found that someone had destroyed the lock since his first visit.
I'll just look in from the fire escape for a few minutes and leave.
A few minutes later Geoffry found himself carefully creeping down the corroded metal until he finally reached her window. The lack of lights initially made it impossible to verify that he had the right apartment until the vampire suddenly recognized the barely visible curtains resting against the window frame.
Trembling slightly from emotions he couldn't identify, Geoffry curled up in a shadow and closed his eyes. It was coming easier now, after so many hours of practice. Geoffry filtered through the chaos of his thoughts and found the slightly alien part of his mind that allowed him to reach out with his thoughts.
Carefully now, just the thinnest of tendrils. When Geoffry finally brushed up against the girl's thoughts the contact was so light as to be almost imperceptible.
She's asleep, but not peacefully so. Geoffry strengthened the connection between them until he was able to pick off more surface thoughts. As images started flowing through the link, Geoffry found himself looking out of the girl's eyes as she stood in front of a mirror. He had just enough time to register he was in a public bathroom of some kind before his attention was captured by the figure staring back at him.
Why does she look so different? It is as if even the slightest imperfection has been magnified, become more obvious. The lithe, almost perfect figure that Geoffry remembered from the last time he'd seen the girl was replaced with a heavier, average build that if anything was disproportionately small chested and large through the hips. The shiny dark hair that had reminded Geoffry so much of the girl from his dream was now dull, somehow changed to a decidedly less appealing shade of brown.
This must be how she sees herself. Before Geoffry could reflect on what would cause such disconnect from reality, the bathroom doors swung open and a trio of emaciated teenage girls walked in and surrounded the sink where Geoffry and his host were standing.
“What are you doing in here loser?”
Geoffry felt a wave of anger rise inside him at the hurt flowing through the link.
“Nice outfit, Melody, I think my grandma wore something like that back when dinosaurs roamed the earth.”
The hurt increased, joined by spikes of inferiority and shame.
Once she stopped laughing, the blond girl standing in the middle of the trio looked Geoffry/Melody over and shook her head. “You so don't make the cut to be here, go use the bathroom down by the sophomore lockers.”
As the scene dissolved into something else with the usual abruptness of a dream, Geoffry withdrew his mental probe from the girl's thoughts.
Melody, her name is Melody-at least I have that much.