Redamancy | Elena Gilbert

Chapter 23

She knew some part of Klaus had to enjoy beating into her, because she was succumbing to it willingly. But it pleased her to know he actually seemed proud when she got back up each time, when she started to improve in her attacks and was managing to bite him a lot more often.

As he put it, her only real advantage against a vampire of his age was that bite to weaken her opponents. Strength alone would never save her against an Original or someone even just three hundred years older. If she could learn to be efficient, to bite quickly into the fight and weaken her opponent from the start, it granted her a better chance of overpowering anyone she battled with. And, soon enough, he was going to start teaching her with weapons, not just her hands.

She kept a positive attitude as much as she could. Even if she didn't always feel like she was learning much or accomplishing anything, it was helping her get accustomed to pain. The punches didn't hurt as much as they had on the first day. The stinging seemed to subside faster. It was almost like she could shut off her pain receptors to focus on the fight if she thought about it hard enough. In some way, she was making a great deal of progress.

"Come back tomorrow," he said once she was heading out the door to get to the school for practice. "Perhaps I'll see if Rebekah is interested in sparring with you."

"Your sister hates me now," she noted. "She might kill me."

"She wouldn't dare to. Besides, I happen to know she hates your girlfriend more. After all, Elena was the one who stabbed her in the back with a dagger. She was going to do it regardless of the choice you gave her."

"Stop calling her my girlfriend! She isn't my girlfriend yet. One of these days the wrong person is going to hear you, and they'll tell her, and then the whole thing will be ruined."

"Trust me, love, I think she'd simply grow flustered. It wouldn't ruin anything."

"You don't know that. I don't want to lose this, Klaus."

"If you are afraid of taking a risk with this girl, then all your training is for nothing, little hybrid. You must be brave in every situation. I thought that was a given, but it seems you are growing cowardly in matters concerning Elena. It doesn't bode well for battle."

"This isn't a battle, it's me trying not to scare her away! She's never done this with anyone, Klaus, I can't be too push or too forward. Normally I'd be super flirty with someone I liked, but I don't want to overwhelm her. You said to give her time to figure things out, so I don't want that time to get messed up if someone overhears and tells her that I like her. I want her to hear it from me."

"You ought not wait too long," he counseled. "You forget the Salvatores still care for her, even if she does not love them in the same way anymore. The longer you wait, the more you risk one of them re-entering her life and sweeping her off her feet."

She opted not to respond. She waved half-heartedly before walking out to her car. Klaus watched her from the doorway, giving her a stern look as if to warn her not to give Elena too much space to figure things out.

Cross-country practice was dull. While her athletes were running out in the neighborhood, she did some stretches to improve her flexibility, thinking that maybe she'd be better with her kicks if she could do it higher, and nearer to someone's face. The season was already coming to an end, which meant she'd be switching jobs soon to be a lifeguard during swim meets that'd take place at Mystic Falls High. It would mean working less often, and would grant her more time for training with Klaus.

She was about to head home at the end of the day when Elena called her.

"Hey," said Rosalind, unable to keep from smiling at the prospect of getting to hear her voice. "What's up?"