The news from the previous night had already hit the radio podcasts. A mud avalanche had wiped out thirteen houses, completely crushing the families inside as they slept. It happened within moments. The sturdy boulders somehow shifted from their beds before ploughing down shacks, trees, roots and bricks onto the houses huddled below. It happened after midnight, roughly the same time they had left the party. The slopes were far on the other side of the city, far enough that she couldn’t hear the devastation, aside from the ringing of sirens.
Elizabeth rolled over and touched her fingertips to her mouth. She was underestimating the power of Time Collectors. In a matter of seconds, he had killed over twenty people and made it look like an accident. A person capable of delivering such swift death to so many…was it brave or foolish to hunt them?
After her tutoring session, Elizabeth met up with Klaus within the hidden storage room at the back of the east library. Klaus appeared to be more relaxed since the previous night. His hair was swept back and his sleeves rolled to allow more movement. The curtains were pulled back, letting sunlight illuminate the whole room.
“First lesson in attacking is self-defence.” Klaus loosened his collar and pulled at his tie so it hung lower down his chest. He stepped up to Elizabeth. “If you are ever grabbed by the wrist, you can rip free by pulling at the weakest point in the grip. The weakest point is where the tip of the thumb and fingers meet.” He demonstrated by placing her hand to his wrist then pulling his hand out by forcing her thumb back. “Now you try.”
He grabbed her wrist and immediately Elizabeth felt just how weak she was in comparison. She followed his instructions closely, but even so, she struggled to pull her wrist free. If Klaus was really attacking her, she would’ve been killed by now. She repeated the manoeuvre until she was confident enough to pull her wrist out of his grip. Her skin had been rubbed raw. They continued practising different defence stances, practising long into the afternoon. It had just ticked over to the afternoon when Elizabeth found herself unable to stay focused.
Her mind buzzed with questions. “How did you and my father meet?”
The sudden question caught Klaus off guard. He growled, disgruntled. “Concentrate!” Promptly, he stepped forward to grab her, initiating an attackers approach. Elizabeth sidestepped around him.
“I’m curious. You’re not exactly an ordinary person and you don’t seem the type to be out at fancy socials.”
“Sir Wicker met me on one of his travels.” Klaus turned to grab her shoulder. Elizabeth slapped his hand away, pretending to deliver an elbow to Klaus’ nose. None of her hits made contact as she moved in slow, concentrated steps to ensure she got the technique correct.
“He had said he had gone looking for you specifically. Do a lot of people know you hunt Time Collectors?”
“Nein.”
“Then what about your family? They must be concerned considering you’re so far away from home?”
“Elizabeth, stop!”
“Have you actually met a nice Time Collector? How did you know they existed? Who taught you how to hunt? Is it a family tradition? Do you have siblings who also hunt?”
Klaus stepped quickly around her, capturing Elizabeth by the wrist and pinning her arm so fast behind her back she yelped. She stumbled off balance, only being held up by Klaus’ awkward hold.
“Concentrate. You are not concentrating!” he snarled as Elizabeth squirmed in his grip. He abruptly let her drop so she crashed onto her knees. He turned away, walking over to get his coat. “If you’re not serious, then I am leaving.”
Just as annoyed, Elizabeth rolled over and clambered to her feet. “Geez, Klaus, what’s your problem? A simple, I don’t want to talk about it, would suffice.”
“You’re obviously not ready for this. You’re wasting my time.”
“I am ready. I want to learn, Klaus. Just wait a moment, would you?” She reached out to grab him. Klaus knocked her hand away.
“Nein. No more. This was a bad idea.”
Elizabeth crossed her arms arrogantly. “Fine, then I won’t forgive you for my mother.”
He frowned at her. “I won’t allow you to manipulate me.”
“I am desperate. Please? Klaus, please?” When he didn’t respond, Elizabeth changed her tone back to yelling. “Regardless if you train me or not, I am going to take Arthur Beaumont down. I won’t let him hurt my friend anymore. I don’t care if it ends up killing me, I will do what is right.”
Klaus stopped, spun around, and flicked her forehead. Shocked, Elizabeth slapped her palm to her head. “What are you doing?”
“Even if it kills you? Do you have no love for those around you? Throwing away your life so easily? You do not respect anything. That is real selfishness.”
“Selfish? How is that selfish?”
“You only think about yourself. You are so willing to hurt those around you through your carelessness, I thought you were better than that. Do you really think your mother would want this from you?”
“My mother is dead, so it doesn’t matter now does it?” She snapped back.
Klaus twisted his lips to the side, disappointed. “Do not dismiss the dead so quickly. They still matter.”
Elizabeth paused. She was surprised at her cruel comment, and quickly lifted her fingers to her lips. “You…you are right. I am sorry, I don’t want to be selfish. But, I can’t let him continue hurting her. So will you please help me? Please?”
Klaus stepped closer. “Beating up a boy won’t get your friend back. I know what kind of man you are dealing with. Ego is his biggest downfall. If you challenge him in front of his friends, he won’t be able to back down. Make it a bet, winner gets the girl.”
“And that’ll work?”
“If you train well, ja. He will try to cheat, but we will ensure he loses. If he doesn’t keep his promise, you can always send me in to…negotiate.”
#
The strenuous exercise on Elizabeth slowly took its toll on her heart. She had to take regular breaks, electing not to share with Klaus the truth about why she had to stop. She feared he’d react much like her father. It was enough William looked at her at though she was one sneeze away from shattering, she didn’t need it from Klaus too. With his guidance, she trained harder than before, determined to never see that look of sympathy on Klaus’ face. As they spent their evenings together, weeks into their routine, she noticed him change. It was subtle at first. A joke here. A relaxed smile there. It wasn’t until she managed to trip him over, pinning him underneath his own weight that the change made sense. He was proud of her.
On their days off, they would play music together. She cherished these moments deeper than anything. Regardless if she had stumbled too many times and Klaus had lost his temper, they would always meet up to relax with music. Klaus found himself unable to step away from Elizabeth’s company. He hadn’t thought just how dangerous it was for him to get attached, for the both of them. On her time alone, Klaus would often find her in the music room, her stand propped up by the window and her silhouette bathed in gentle white light. He would stand by the doorframe and watch.
When she eventually spotted him, she would ease her violin down and wave him over to join her. Even at the piano, Klaus found his eyes turning away from the keys. When she played, it was as if she became a different person. Her elbows softened, her lips would gently part, and her nearly closed eyes fluttered in thought. There was something about the violin, when she played and turned her cheek against her shoulder, it was as though she was shielding away. It teased Klaus to look closer. Pay more attention to her than he already did. He had missed seeing this side of humanity. In moment like these, forever wasn’t long enough.