Page 134 of Cursed Lifeline

Esme

song: game of survival |Ruelle

“Again! This time with heart!”

Sucking in a deep breath, I turn bitterly on my heels. My right leg rises quickly and violently hits the target Silas is holding. He stumbles back from the force, but rights himself and attempts to hold his ground before I deliver the next blow. Turning briskly, I punch at the target with my right, and then my left. The board falls from his hands. Swiftly, I give him a right kick that he instantly blocks with his forearm. Without pause, I swoop low and sweep his legs out from under him. He hits the mat and lets out a strangled grunt before trying to catch his breath.

“Were you this bad of a trainer with Celeste,” I ask, panting. He scowls up at me. “No wonder she met an unfortunate end.”

Sweeping his leg out, he lands me on the mat just the same and growls, “Check the attitude, Es. It’s not becoming on you in this life.”

Rolling my eyes, I rotate onto my side and start to rise when a pair of violet irises catch mine in the shadows on the gym’s second floor. Gaze locked above, I rise to kneeling as Caelum steps forth from the far side of the mat and Silas says, “Training is complete for the day.”

Getting to his feet, Caelum steps to his side and the duo look over their shoulders in the direction I was just staring off into. But the ghostly presence of my diligent stalker is gone. Vanished. Just as quickly as he came.

“A little early to call it quits,” Caelum suggests.

Silas gives him an irked look.

“He has a point,” I shrug.

“Training or no training, we’ll run out of time long before you’ll ever truly be ready,” Silas mumbles bitterly. Attempting to let his comment roll off my back, I fail when he opens his mouth next and says, “Do us all a favor this time, Es, and keep your head in the game.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snap.

He looks over his shoulder at the second floor of the gym, then utters a hurtful slew of words that amount to more than any of us have heard him say in two lifetimes.

“It means, in your past life, you chased dark, twisted fairy tales your naive heart dared to hope could one day come true. Your priorities lay in romantic fantasies that held you captive with violet eyes and promises they could never keep. Don’t fall for the same bullshit in this life, Esme, and maybe we’ll stand a chance at defeating the monotonous merry-go-round we all can’t wait to finally stop fucking spinning on.”

Shouldering past, he takes his leave with angry, bitter strides. When he reaches the door, and it violently slams shut, I jolt slightly and ask Caelum, “What the hell is his problem?”

Having to step in and take Alfred’s place while he’s been under the weather has obviously made him more crabby than usual.

“Hell if I know,” Caelum sighs, crossing his arms over his chest as he studies the direction Silas has just stalked off in.

Annoyed, I stride past him to the opposite side of the room to retrieve my gym bag. Grabbing my water bottle, I take a large drink before toweling off the sweat that’s pooled down the back of my neck. Bending, I stretch my calves, then my thighs.

“You did good today,” Caelum smiles reassuringly as I grab my things and start to walk towards the exit. “But if history could teach you anything, remember, don’t underestimate your opponent. Just when you think you can trust someone is usually the moment they deceive you. The worst part is, betrayal never comes from your enemy, but always the one you consider your friend.”

“Geez,” I sigh. “With Alfred gone, you two waste no time trying to put me in my place. Tell me, have you both been holding this in for two centuries, or have I done something lately to royally piss you both off?”

Caelum grins, “We all just want to help. That’s what we’ve been called to do. Just like your calling is to do like Silas says, and keep your head in the game.”

“I’ll be honest, I prefer Alfred’s guidance to Silas’s and your harsh assistance.” Caelum shrugs. “When is Alfred coming back?”

Caelum swallows hard and remains silent.

After a moment when he still has yet to answer, I say, “Failure, though it may prove fatal, is not the end. You’ve been around long enough to know that, Cal. Considering everything that has happened, I’d say it’s the courage to continue that counts. Trust me, in this life, I have more daring courage than I did in any of my last.”

“We’ll see about that,” he taunts, with a friendly wave goodbye.

As we part ways, and I exit the building, I’m immediately overcome by the sensation I’m being watched again. It settles around me like a bad omen before my skin breaks out in nauseating goosebumps. The telltale signs of a headache pinches between my eyes. I may like it when Felix is lurking in the shadows, but I get a sinking premonition that whoever has their eyes on me right now is not Felix. After the grueling hours I’ve put in training with the watchers today, I’m really not in the mood for another fight.

At least not one of this kind.

A flash of movement in the dark alley across the street catches my attention. Seeing as my apartment is three blocks north of here, the odds of making it there without conflict are slim, no matter how fast I run. So, I opt for a different tactic.

Pulling whoever it is from the shadows.

---