As soon as I feel myself slip into sleep, a knock at my door drags me back. Groggy, I roll over and look at the enchanted ceiling. The night sky is still prominent, but the light of the sun is slowly taking over. Reluctantly, I sit up and then stare at the door. Who could it be? Maybe it’s Valene. “Come in.” The door opens, and Valene’s mother walks in. “Good morning, Selene.”
“Bonjour, Kyle, comment avez-vous dormi?”
Good morning, Kyle, how did you sleep?
Sliding to the edge of the bed, I crack my neck. “I feel like I just got to sleep, but it was nice.”
I pause, amused and baffled. “Hey, I understood you…but that was French.”
She stops at the foot of my bed, smiling. “It is not unheard of that demons innately pick up human languages after only hearing a few words. They are all the children of the ancient language of creation, Durabi Duprima, which all demons and most of the light speak. You’ll be learning it. Now, I’ve come to get you for a small breakfast and then your first day of training.”
I jump up to run to the bathroom. In there on a stand next to the sink, are a pair of black sweats, a muscle shirt, ankle socks and a pair of shoes–– my size no doubt–– have already been laid out. I get dressed and walk back out into my room. “What kind of training?” I ask.
“Come, chéri, and you shall see.” We leave my room and make our way through this castle of a house to the kitchen. Valene and Jason are already there eating. “Grab something light. Valene and Jason will fill you in on the details while I go prepare.” She leaves. I sit at the high wooden table with the others.
“Good morning, Hero. Did you sleep well?” Valene asks.
“I feel like I was only asleep for a few minutes,” I answer through a yawn.
“That might be due to your body trying to attune to the demon clock. Nine hours to a human is a little more than ten minutes to a demon,” she explains.
Zel places a small bowl of oatmeal and fruit in front of me with a pleasant smile.
“That’s mind blowing. So, what’s the conversion?”
“Eighty to one. Every eighty human years is one dytic to us.”
“Wow, so that’s why Serena is over a thousand human years old. That means he’s older than me,” I say, pointing at Jason.
“By years, yes, but not mentally.”
“Hey!” Jason says, his mouth full of food.
“So, what kind of training am I in for today with you guys?”
“Military training,” Jason says, standing in his chair.
I choke on my oatmeal. Zel drops a glass of orange juice in front of me like he was waiting for me to choke. I gulp it down. “What?”
He sits back down. “Yeah, Mom and Dad are both from military families. They were trained from birth and so were we. Every morning like clockwork, two to three hours of PT and combative arts, but lately, Mom has been working us longer and harder. I don’t know why.”
I look at Valene. She looks up at me, her brow raised, giving the impression that she knows why. “Speaking of which, we should get going before we’re late,” she says, sliding out of her chair.
“To training!” Jason screams. Chugging down the rest of his milk, he flips off the chair and out the door.
I finish my own glass and follow. As we make our way through the halls, Valene explains the protocols when it comes to her mother’s training: always ‘yes or no ma’am,’ no talking out of turn, and never question an order.
“Your mom seems really intense.”
“You don’t know the half of it. She lives by the teaching: If you can’t stand on your own, just lay there and die.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah.” We come to a black door marked “Training Room.” “Okay, Hero, there’s one more thing I want you to do for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t die.” Valene opens the door. We walk into a large circular room with hardwood floors and mats in the middle. Mirrors line the wall closest to the door. The rest of the wall is made up of windows that look out onto the amazing estate—the buildings, trees, and a lake far in the distance.
With every step, the air grows thick, like walking into a sauna. I have to fight to take a decent breath. My head starts to spin. I teeter to one side, unable to regain my bearings. Valene catches me by the arm as I start to fall. “Be strong, Hero.”
“What is this?” I ask, struggling to compose myself.
“Remember what I did to you yesterday?” I nod. “Mother is doing the same thing—putting out a field of overwhelming energy. It’s a form of training, getting your body and mind used to such pressures. If you had been at the Messenger’s rally in the physical plane, you would have felt the same thing. Now steel yourself, here she comes.”
She stands me up tall, then scoots away. Selene walks over to us and looks us over. She has a totally different air about her than earlier. She’s more rigid now. “Attention!” she demands. A wave of energy hits me, and I fall to my hands and knees under the weight of it.
Valene doesn’t move this time to help me. Holy crap. This is nothing like Valene’s energy. Hers was just sharp; Selene’s is blunt and heavy. Like Shadow’s energy. I take a deep breath and force myself to my feet, sweat pouring down my face.
Selene’s green eyes light up a little as a small smirk touches her lips. “Magnifique, Kyle. You have made me so proud. Okay everyone, today we will be training in hand-to-hand combat. I know this is Kyle’s first training session, but after seeing the way he handled himself against both Michael and Jason yesterday, I feel that he may be able to keep up. Now, to start off, we are going to drill the katas. Kyle, follow our lead.”
She turns around, facing the wall of mirrors. She spreads her legs until her feet are shoulder-width apart. She balls her fists, then brings them in tight to her sides, her elbows pointed back. Jason and Valene follow.
I know this stance. This is Toralu.
I get into the stance. “Lift your arm a little, and spread your legs more,” Valene advises, looking at me in the mirror. I do so. “Perfect.”
They move through the first four movements slow enough for me to keep up. I close my eyes and remember standing in the wasteland of my inner world with Shadow, watching him go through the motions. I open my eyes, out of breath and standing in Toralu. Selene, Valene, and Jason all stare at me in utter shock.
“That was amazing,” Jason yells, breaking the silence. “I’ve seen Mom go through all of those, but she’s studied the form for forever. How do you know all of that?”
Selene walks up to me and places her hands on my shoulders. “Kyle, tell me the truth. Have you ever been trained in the demon art of Nigi, by your sisters, your parents, anybody?”
What should I tell her? I mean, she asked for the truth, and somehow, I feel like she could tell if I were lying. Maybe I should tell her some but not all. “Well, when I was down for all those days, I had a dream that I learned it. Now, seeing it and doing it seems natural.”
Selene looks at me with a mixture of concern and confusion. “Do you know the two basic stances?”
“Yeah Toralu, which we just did, and Lokar. I’m pretty sure there’s a third one though.”
She and Valene look at me, astonished, as though what I just said is a dark secret. “There’s a third stance?” Jason asks.
“Mother, what are we going to do?” Valene asks.
“We’re going to proceed with a few…changes. Fall in!” she demands, still with so much power, but it’s bearable this time. Valene and Jason fall in next to me and stand at attention.
“Jason, you’re with me. Valene, you and Kyle will be sparring.”
“Yes, Mother,” they both say with a bow.
Selene turns, heading toward the windows, and Jason follows her.
“Why do we have to fight?” I ask Valene.
Selene stops. “Kyle, you have just demonstrated skills of an advanced-level fighter. Your form was perfect, and I’m not being nice when I say that. Valene is of the master level, and one of the only ways to train someone with your potential ability is through combat with someone of a higher prestige. Valene, level ten.” Selene and Jason leave the room and head into the garden outside the windows, leaving the two of us the entire room.
“So, what’s the meaning of level ten?”
“In this house, sparring is the same thing as fighting for your life, unless told otherwise,” she explains, stretching.
“I’m guessing that’s what the levels are for.”
“Ten being the deadliest. It’s no holds barred; you run the risk of dying, Kyle. Do you wish to proceed?” She stares me in the eyes. I get a chill runs up my spine as her demeanor becomes just as rigid and serious as her mother’s.
Dying isn’t on my list of things to do today, but the way she’s eyeing me, I doubt she’d take “no” as an answer. “Sure. Plus, I already told you that I won’t.”
She gives me a slight smile, then takes a few steps backward. “When I start, I won’t stop.” I nod my head. The air grows thick, heavy from her power now. When it hits me, I almost topple over. Every fiber of my being tenses, keeping me on my feet. “Here I come.”
Valene vanishes from sight, and I get into a stance that feels comfortable. She appears in front of me, her right fist cocked back. Before I can think of doing anything, she drives her fist into my face. It knocks me back and off my feet. I bounce off the floor, in a daze.
“Sweet Jesus, that hurt,” I say, rolling over while holding my face. Something hits me hard on my side. I roll across the floor like a ragdoll, stopping when I slam the mirrored wall.
Everything is spinning now, and my body is shaking. I finally manage to suck in some air when she appears in front of me, wrapping her fingers around my neck. “Get up.” She lifts me off the ground with ease, pinning me against the wall. She punches me in the stomach, taking my breath away once again. Her fist flies into my face. The force causes me to hit my head on the wall behind me, and I hear the mirror crack. “Are you going to fight or be my punching bag?” I swing my right leg around to kick her in the ribs. Valene just takes it. She drives her fist back into my stomach. “Try again, Hero.” I swing my legs over her neck and body, getting her into an armbar submission hold.
I try pulling her arm back at the joint like they do in the ring, but it won’t budge. She takes me off the wall, holding me in midair, steadily tightening her grip around my throat.
I can feel myself getting light-headed, and my vision blurs. Crap. I think I’m blacking out. I have to do something. Cocking my leg back, I kick her across the face with all my might. Her head jerks, and she lets go of me. I hit the ground, barely breathing. I can’t believe that worked. I look up just in time to see her come at me with another kick aimed at my head. I roll to the side, evading it, and hurry to my feet. I get into a defensive stance facing Valene’s general direction.
My face is swelling fast. I can barely see out of my right eye. She vanishes again. I stand there for a minute, looking around for her. From my blind side, something hits me hard across the bridge of my nose.
I slam back into the wall, cracking another mirror. Terror washes over me as both my eyes swell shut, and I can’t breathe out of my nose. It’s broken; I’m sure it’s broken. There’s no way it’s not. Using the wall, I pull myself up. My ears are ringing; all of my senses are impaired. I have no idea where she is, or what she’s about to do to me. Something with the force of a sledgehammer comes down hard on my left shoulder, and there’s a loud pop. A switch flips in the back of my mind before the new wave of pain washes over me, and everything goes numb.
I wake up gasping. The ground beneath me is soft, but not like the gym mats—more like soft, fine dirt. I force my eyes open and find tall, green grass and mushrooms all around me. I look up to the sky. Above me are vibrant green plumes of leaves with colorful fruits hanging throughout them.
“The tree? I’m in my inner world again. I must be unconscious.” I sit up and lean against the tree’s trunk. The pain is still there, but it’s dull. My eyes and nose are pretty messed up, but my arm is completely wrecked. “Jeez, this girl is really trying to kill me. What am I going to do?”
The air grows humid, and a mist forms just above the grass. Right in front of me, the mist turns gold, and the golden silhouette of a woman appears. My heart races as I realize it’s Valene. “What are you about to do, Hero? Are you going to get up and fight, or are you going to just lie there and die?”
My pain cranks up at the sound of her voice. She begins to fade back out of existence as I start to pass out again. “No,” I say through gritted teeth. A flare of frustration revives me. My inner world fades away to a black, white, and gray version of the training room. I’m going to get up, and I’m going to fight. Sure, she’s scary and out to kill me, but so was Shadow. Using the wall, I push through the pain and get to my feet, my left arm dangling at my side.
“Still have some fight in you, I see. Don’t worry, I’ll fix that,” Valene says, her form vanishing into mist.
Her silhouette reappears. Her right fist, glowing brighter than any other part of her body, comes straight at my face. I duck under it and move to the right to get out from in front of her. I turn around, and she’s already gone. Man, it’s like looking for Shadow all over again. I’m amazed I can see with the dark sight while my eyes are swollen closed. If I couldn’t, I’d be a lost cause.
She appears only inches from me, her right leg shining brightly. It comes around fast, aimed for my head. I can’t dodge this, but maybe I can use it. With a little jump, I put my dislocated shoulder in the path of her kick. The force of the kick not only knocks me back, but it also relocates my shoulder with a loud, agonizing pop. I roll back to my feet. “Thanks,” I say, getting up. I roll my shoulder, and it pops a few more times.
Valene comes at me, her golden form flickering. I dodge a few of her attacks and cushion the blow of others. I get out of her attack range, and she stops her pursuit, chuckling, “I see. You’re using the dark sight to see where I’m placing my energy and attempting to avoid the blows.” How did she know? “Don’t look so surprised. Your eyes are swollen shut, yet you’re moving around like you can see. I put two and two together.” Her golden silhouette dulls, fading into mist. “Now let’s see what you do when you can’t see anything.”
On high alert, I stand my ground, watching the mist flow, looking for disturbances. Maybe it’ll tell me where she’s going to come from. Something slams into my stomach, winding me. Yeah, that didn’t work. While I’m hunched over, something slams into my already broken and bloody nose. I’m hit from the left, then the right. I swing blindly, hitting nothing, just disturbing the mist. If I keep this up, she’s going to beat me to a pulp.
There’s no movement, no sound for a moment. My entire body screams at me to duck. I drop, and there’s a loud swish above me. Again, my body tells me to move. I jump to the side, and I hear something slam on the ground where I just was. Without thinking, I throw a left jab as hard as I possibly can. It connects with her face, I think. Pain shoots up my arm into my shoulder, like I just punched a wall. Hitting Valene is like punching steel.
I move away from her fast. This is the second time that I’ve hit her in the face. I’m sure she’s going to come after me hard now. She chuckles. My whole body goes haywire with fear, telling me to run.
Before I can take a step in the opposite direction, my legs are swept out from under me. While I’m airborne, she slams down hard on my stomach, driving me to the floor. I hit the ground so hard that the dark sight deactivates. I force my left eye open to see Valene standing over me. The side of her face is bruised; her lip is bloody, and her eyes are emotionless. “Well done sensing my presence and defending yourself. You have decent instincts, but I’m going to end this.” Black energy gathers in her right hand. Balling her hand into a fist, the energy conforms to her grip and elongates. It solidifies into a short sword, its tip just short of my face. I try to move away, but she stomps on my ribs. “Take your death like a warrior,” she says, raising her blade.
I shut my eye and raise my hands to shield my face as she thrusts her blade. In desperation, I grip the blade and am surprised when my hands turn to ice. I open my eyes to see my hands and arms covered in the shifting darkness that is my armor. Pushing the blade to the left knocks her off-balance. Bringing my legs up, I place my feet in her stomach, sending her flying over me.
I roll forward to my feet, turn toward her, and get into the Lokar stance. She lands lightly and spins toward me, sword in hand. “Pretty good, Kyle. That armor is well maintained. I can see how it withstood Michael’s.” She holds out her left hand and forms another short sword. “Now, let’s see if it can pass my test,” she says, getting into a stance I’ve never seen.
With every breath, my ribs, my face, every part of me hurts, but with my energy burning throughout my body, it’s bearable. With a deep breath, I relax into the Toralu stance. Valene dashes toward me, her blades ready to strike. Just as she lashes out at me, her movements slow, giving me time to think. I move out of her way as her movements return to a normal speed. She stops and spins, bringing the right blade at me. Again, her movements slow. I place my hand on her arm, stopping her strike mid-swing, but as everything speeds up, her feet continue moving. She goes to sweep my legs. Pain shoots up my leg and rattles me, but I don’t budge. She brings the other blade up so fast I don’t see it coming—until slow-motion kicks in. I dodge right and push-kick her away from me.
Valene gets back into her stance with a pleased smile. “That was fast, but with all that energy flowing through you and that armor, I’m not surprised.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your mind has started to keep up with the flow of battle, so now, at the peak of awareness, my movements will appear in slow-motion for a short second. It can save you in a tough spot, but it won’t protect you forever.” The blades in her hands dissipate, and her eyes turn black. The air grows more dense and heavy than it already was. In the blink of an eye, she’s in midair in front of me. She kicks me three times in the chest, pushing me back. She jumps at me for another kick. Her movements don’t slow this time; in fact, they are even faster than before. The kick connects with my face, spinning me, and she follows up with a back-roundhouse kick. I hit the wall, and Valene slams her knee into my stomach. As I lean over, she sends an uppercut underneath my chin, then starts to pound away.
The frustrating thing is that I can see and sense every strike that she’s throwing, but my body and armor are just too heavy to move. This is due to her energy, no doubt.
I was just doing well. Why did it all go south so fast? She hits me two more times. My frustration quickly turns to anger, and the energy surging through my body feels like it’s boiling now. Valene punches me in the face.
“Enough!” I scream. The boiling energy lights up my armor just before it explodes off my skin, knocking Valene back.
Black smoke now floats above the floor, encircling me. My armor? Valene takes a step toward me, summoning her blades to her hands.
She dashes at me. The smoke instantly reacts, rushing toward me, swirling around my arms and legs. I grab her blades as the smoke re-solidifies into huge, black bone-claw gauntlets around my hands arms and black, bone-like greaves around my legs. She kicks me in the stomach, pushing me back. Once I plant my feet, I jump at her and swipe with my right claw. She dodges it, jumping back out of my range, and readies her blades.
We stare each other down. Our energies collide and sparks flicker to life in the air between us. There’s a blinding flash, and we rush one another. We collide in a flurry of kicks and punches. Everything’s happening so fast that I can barely comprehend it. All I know is to strike here and defend there. With every passing moment, my gauntlets grow smaller; soon, they are the size of my own hands, and the claws become denser and sharper. With one good swing, one of her blades turns to pieces at my fingertips. She spins behind me and push-kicks me away before I can follow up.
I flip forward, landing to face her. In a flash, I’m upon her. My claws pulse with energy as I bring them down on her with all my might. She lifts one sword and blocks me. The shock of our energies colliding shatters the mirrors on the walls. We are at odds, holding each other at bay. There’s a snapping noise, and a crack appears in Valene’s sword.
Her energy shifts around her, gathering close to her. With a yell, her energy bursts outward, knocking me back and dispelling my armor. Her sword shortens into a dagger, and, in one movement, she flips the blade in her hand, turns her back to me, and thrusts it. My body freezes from the pain of her blade in my abdomen.
I slump forward over her back, gasping for air as the blade vanishes from within me. She grabs my arm, puts her hand around my back, and supports my weight. “Good work, Hero. Now, let’s get you fixed u—”
Everything goes dark.
I WAKE, franticly feeling for Valene’s blade. It’s not there. Thank God.
“Finally awake, I see.” Selene sits at my bedside. Valene is here too, but she’s asleep, facedown, on the bed.
“How long have I been out?”
“Hours.”
“Human hours, right?” She smiles and nods in response. “She stabbed me. I thought I was going to die,” I explain, holding the spot her blade pierced me.
“Had she stabbed a quarter of an inch higher, you would have, but Valene has perfect aim; she missed all of your vital organs. You did give us a scare though. Your body was pretty much mush. Your hands, arms, legs, ribs, and skull were either broken or fractured. You suffered punctured lungs and internal bleeding.” Jeez. “It’s a good thing you tapped into your power reserves; it helped Zel in the healing process.”
I clench the fist I hit Valene with, and it cracks. “Man, hitting her was like hitting steel.”
“Believe me, I know, chéri.”
I look to Valene. Her hands are wrapped in bandages. “What happened to her hands?”
“You happened. The energy from your claws became so dense, so harsh, so overwhelming, that it damaged her hands. Zel had problems healing them.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. In battle, worse things happen, and there is no need to apologize for protecting yourself. You truly surprised me with your masterful display of power and skill.”
“Masterful? I was her punching bag for three-quarters of the fight.”
She laughs. “This is true, but throughout the fight, you learned, became stronger, and did the best you could.” She sighs. “And the way you fight is so nostalgic.”
“How so?”
“You fight just like your parents and my master. He was a great demon, and I see a lot of him in you. You have so much potential. But that is to be expected. Like him, you’ve survived something extremely dangerous.”
“Fighting your daughter?”
She chuckles. “No. Mastering the third stance. Many have tried, very few have survived. Besides you, I know of one other person of your generation to survive it.” I look at Valene. Mrs. Kir places her hand on Valene. “No, not my daughter. Your sister, Mayra. And like her, you are meant for great things, but to be great, you’ll have to fight for it.” Chimes start going off, echoing throughout the house into my room. “It’s almost lunch time. I should go and give Zel a hand. We’ll talk later about these dreams of yours. Now, get some rest.” She gets up and leaves the room.
I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, watching the clouds float by. Valene sighs as she stirs. She sits up, drool on her chin and her hair kind of frizzy. “Oh, you’re awake. Are you okay?” she asks. I fight back a laugh. “What?”
“You have a little something on your chin, and your hair is kind of…” I gesture to the areas.
She quickly fixes herself. “So how do you feel? Not hurt or anything?”
“I’m fine. A little sore but fine. Are you okay?” I take her hands and examine them.
She smiles. “I’m fine. They’re just a little numb. Um, I’m sorry about the whole stabbing you thing.”
I rub the spot. “It hurt like nothing I’ve ever imagined, but there are no apologies in battle,” I say with a smile.
“You’ve been talking to mother.”
“Yeah. She says lunch will be ready soon, and I’m freakishly hungry.”
I start to sit up, but Valene puts her hand on my chest and pushes me back. “Hang on, Hero, your body was mush before Zel got to you. I’ll go get lunch. You rest.” I lay back as she leaves. Minutes later, she returns carrying a platter of soup and sandwiches. She helps me sit up, puts a bed table in front of me, and places my food on it. “Eat up.”
“No need to tell me twice.” I dig right in. I devour the club sandwich but take my time with the soup. It’s hot homemade chicken noodle. My aches and pains melt away as the warm broth makes its way down my throat. “This is delicious. Tastes just like Serena’s.”
“It’s my mother’s recipe. She’s the one who taught it to her.”
I take a few more sips. “Speaking of your mother, she gave me praise.”
“Not surprising. You were able to combat her top student. What did she say?”
“That I reminded her of her master.”
Valene’s eyes go wide with surprise. “That is strangely high praise for her.” She takes bite of her sandwich.
“Who was her master?”
“First, it was my grandfather, an ex-lieutenant of the demon militia. But the man she calls Master is the one she served under and taught her Nigi. Few know his real name; many call him the Betrayer, but everyone knows him as Shadow, fifth general of the demon army.” We sit in silence for a second, eating. “Hey, Hero, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. If you answer something first.”
“What?”
“Why do you keep calling me Hero?”
“Kyle, sweetie, I was going to kill Michael. No ifs, ands, or buts, yet you stopped me—and did it with no regard for your own life. That is something only a true hero would do, and believe me, I’ve seen a few. Hero.” She finishes with a smile.
“Wow, thanks.” I clear my throat. “So, what is it that you want to know?”
Her face turns bright pink. “I asked you this before, but do you have someone?”
Airca crosses my mind. “There was a girl that I was trying to talk to, but we decided—I decided—we should just remain friends. So, no I don’t.”
“Are you opposed to it?”
“No, not at all. Why do ask?” I ask looking to her.
She smiles, leaning over me. “Well, you do now. Do you oppose?” she asks so close to me.
“No, not at all.”
She puts her hand on my chest, moves it to my neck, pulls me in, and kisses me. Our lips meet, and this intense heat blankets me. My body goes numb, and all I feel is my energy colliding and melding with hers. Unlike during our battle, it’s not dense or harsh, but soft and inviting.
After a good, long second, we pull away from one another. The sensation trails off, but with her so close, I can still feel her energy and our connection lingering between us. Her eyes are black and filled with excitement. I’m sure mine are the same. “What was that?” I ask.
“Didn’t you see the sparks our energies caused when we were fighting? It means we’re meant for each other.”
“Really? Is that how that works?”
“Kind of. It’s not as cut and dry as it sounds.” She breathes deep, and her eyes return to gold. “It’s an energy connection. It’s a normal thing that happens between two things that are compatible. I’ve just never felt it so strongly before. It’s kind of intoxicating.” She bites her lip, looking at me like a snack. “They say that the connection is strongest between those of the same breed. You may be an energy demon like me.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Of course not. It’s just that energy demons are a rare breed, and quite dangerous. Including the two of us, there are only five that I know of in existence.”
“Who else?”
“My brother, Leo and Amber.” She goes on to explain that if two demons of different breeds were to have children, there is a chance that child would be a completely different breed of demon. But if they are of the same breed, the child will also be that breed.
We continue to eat, but now she won’t stop staring at me. “Can I help you?”
She tries to hide a smile. She puts her plate onto my tray, then takes the tray and puts it on my dresser. She disappears in a cloud of darkness, then appears next to me on my bed. “You sure can.” Slowly, she wraps her arms around my neck. “My hands are starting to ache, and I need an energy boost. Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
We start to make out. The energy connection begins to take hold of us when the door to my room bursts open and Jason runs in. “Hey Sis, Mom wants to see—ew, gross!”
She drops her head and sighs. “Gotta go, Hero.” She gives me one last peck on my lips.
Valene rolls off my bed. Walking toward the door, she grabs Jason by the collar of his shirt and drags him behind her.
“Wait, I wanted to hang out with Kyle a little.”
“You did enough to him while he was healthy. I’m not letting you get near him while he’s injured,” she says, closing the door behind them.
Man, what a day, what a day. A hot girl almost kills me, now she’s my girlfriend. I think this is how James Bond feels on the regular. You know what would make this moment even better?
“Hey, Zel.”
The door opens, and the butler stands in the doorway. “Yes, Master Kyle?”
“Can you bring me a fruit smoothie?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Oh, and Zel…shaken, not stirred.”
“How about blended, sir?”