AMBER'S POINT OF VIEW

Their wooden swords clanked together having no effect on the swords, but all the effect on her. There's a new fire within her, she didn't know where it came from, but she's grateful for it. After four long weeks of healing and lying down on the now uncomfortable, stiff couch, she needed this. She needed to fight.

Even if it was just for practice.

"You're getting stronger, I guess stabbing yourself all those weeks ago gave you the push you needed." He smirked, blocking her move with one of his own. She just rolled her eyes in response.

I can't believe he believes that I would stab myself, that was the most ridiculous story I've told or even heard in my entire life!

Uh, do you forget where you stand? We need him to think that...

I know, but I personally find it rather insulting he believes that. I'm not that hopeless.

He grazed her hand and she quickly threw her wooden sword up, kicked him away from her, then caught the sword with her "noninjured" hand.

"Wow, I'm impressed. That's the first time you actually followed one of my rules, though you didn't have to throw it up in the air. Show off." He acknowledged amused, but she could tell he's secretly pleased now that she's finally listening to him.

And it bothers her more than him annoying her.

"Don't go getting a big head over it. I just figured if this was a real sword and that was a real injury then I would like to be comfortable using both hands just in case." She answered logically, though she hated the satisfaction it gave him. Almost made her want to take those words back.

Almost.

"Aww, she does care about my judgement. She listens to me, she actually listens!" He shouts as if he's surrounded by hundreds of people, making sure they could all hear him. She would have covered her ears if she wasn't too annoyed to do anything but glare at him. "And all this time I thought you had selective hearing." He said amused. She froze, her face burning crimson.

I take my words back!!!

Ugh, he's the biggest idiots I know! He's has such a big head! Big ego!

Just use it to fuel you're movements...beat him!

Oh, I will.

She snapped out of it and became more focused determined to win. She watched his moves more closely, but the more she watched, the more she noticed a pattern between them. He would strike two times then block for one. Then repeat over and over, that second strike giving him the upper hand as she defends for two moves and strikes for one. Sometimes she would even defend for three.

She decided it's about time to change that. Once it was her turn to strike she tried her hardest to consistently keep it, having him have to block all of them. What made this worst was that it didn't infuriate him at all, it only amused him. "Ooh, someone's angry."

She kicked his hand holding the sword. It flew out of his grasp and before he could reach over to grab it, she fiercely advanced on him, her sword hovering over his heart.

She takes in deep breaths, amazed at how exhausted she was in just a manner of seconds. "Now, before you say you're stupid catch phrase 'it's not over til it's over' blah blah blah, I'm gonna end..." she stopped midsentence as she felt his sword pierce her heart instead of the other way around.

"Have you ever heard of the expression 'you talk too much'? Yeah, it appears you're one of them." He laughed, obviously amused.

"But...how? I was staring at you the whole entire time! Its...that should be impossible!" She accused jabbing her finger into his chest, his chest vibrating with laughter.

"It turns out you weren't looking at me the whole time." He answered in between laughs. "You tend to look elsewhere when you're... how did you say it? 'Blah blah blah'-ing. Friendly advice, never take your eyes off your opponent." He winked.

She glared at him, walking backwards to her side of the room, her eyes never leaving his bright gold ones with dark specks in the center.

Ugh, why does he get to be happy, while I'm furious!?

That's the whole point. He's happy and amused because of you.

Ugh, I loathe those eyes, I prefer his intense, dark, pale gold eyes over those any day.

You prefer him to be angry over happy?

If he's happy about how I'm acting like a fool around him then yes, any day I would prefer him to be angry, at least then I could be the amused one.

"Man, that's some deep thinking you got there." He mused, his eyes sparkling. "Thinking about me?"

Her cheeks burned red, her fury surfacing. "Is it all just jokes and games with you?!" She accused, positioning her sword to better block his moves.

"Don't need to be a buzz kill, oh that's right, you don't know how to stop being that...it's just all personality." He rolled his eyes at her, swiftly blocking her move.

"At least I have personality."

"Everyone has personalities, and if I were you, I would find better traits for yourself." He shrugged off her death glare, use to it by now.

"Such a gentleman."

"Why thank you." He smirked, standing up a bit taller. She couldn't have striked him hard enough even if he gave her the opportunity, which he didn't.

She let her anger be her guide in her movements. Within in seconds, he claimed his victory, stabbing her in the rib cage. He walks over to his side of the room, triumphant and satisfied.

"I was being sarcastic." She responded defensively after several moments passed.

"You don't think I recognize it when I hear it?" He asked as if she was the most oblivious person he's ever met. Her hands clenched into fists. "I just have the ability to ignore it. Call it a gift if you will."

That was the last straw. She kicked him. He stumbled back and before he could stand his ground again, before she could stop herself, she punched him in the gut, feel more satisfied than she ever felt in a long while.

He fell to the ground gripping his stomach, glaring down Amber. Now it was her turn to be the one amused as she stared at those gold pale eyes.

Then that feeling died down, and she felt slightly terrible about it. But no way was she going to show it, show weakness.

"And that's my gift to you." She sneered, dropping her wooden sword in front of him.

"We're not done yet!" He shouts from behind her, seeming already distant and far away.

Without looking back, she opened the latch, watching the stairs fall just a few inches away from her. "I'll be waiting." She replied defiant, descending down the steps.

She flops onto the couch, but the stiffness of the cushion made her jump back up. Staying on the couch for four weeks only moving to go to the bathroom, made her sick of the couch.

She opened the front door and walked out to the tree, her feet immediately knowing where to go. She sat on the tree, leaning forward to see the ground beneath her. She isn't far up, but it still gives her the chills looking down, so she looked up to the brown mountains. Just two months ago, they were vibrant and green, and now they're brown and dead.

Several hours past by as she looks out to the mountains, soon watching the sun fade behind them. She keeps looking trying to catch any glimpse of the blue sea, but she knows it's of no use.

She hasn't and will never see it, even from a distance.

Man, so much has happened within these last two months.

Try four weeks! I almost died!

Yeah, but you lived and still not happy.

How could I be dealing with you everyday?

Why...why do I let my anger get the better of me?

"Amber?" A voice asked, having her eyes dart to the ground. Though she still felt uneasy looking down, she didn't want to back down either.

"Yes?" She answered rather annoyed that he's there. Part of the problem was him. He always makes her frustrated, annoyed, and eventually furious.

He started climbing the tree, climbing til he was on the branch directly across from hers. He looked a bit out breath, but his eyes gave away the energy he had.

"I don't expect an apology from you..."

"Smart man." She interrupted, a small smile crept on his face, though his eyes were serious.

"But...I...We're still not becoming the partners we need to be. We need to work together in order to win." He acknowledged.

"What do you suggest we do?" She asked not really interested in his proposition. She's much better off alone then working with a partner.

But she also agreed to be his partner, so they'll have to figure something out before she murders him.

I wouldn't murder him...

I don't know, if I ever surface, I wouldn't mind doing it. He is quite annoying.

That's your excuse? You want to kill him because he's annoying!? I mean sure he's annoying, frustrating, definitely infuriating, but...I won't let you surface. I just need to keep my anger under control. If I master my anger, you lose your power.

Ugh, you're no fun. I'm going to surface, mind as well make it now...

Shut up.

"...I don't know, let's just tell each other something we don't know yet about each other." Knight replied, making Amber roll her eyes at him. She totally zoned out on what he said previous to his proposition, but she doesn't care. She only focused on what she heard him say.

"Fine, I'll go first." She acknowledged, catching Knight by surprise. "I get annoyed with you as easily as drinking water or even breathing."

"Tell me something I don't know." He rolled his eyes, but he didn't sound annoyed.

"Well, then I'm stumped." She responded sarcastically, not wanting to participate in the "exchange life stories" competition.

He chuckled at her incredulous glare. "Come on, I rarely know anything about you, except how much you hate me." He winked towards her, making her roll her eyes at him. Again. "Tell me a story about your past."

"I rather not have you know that much about me." She answered defiant, unsure about the challenge presented before her.

"Come on...here I'll go first then you go second. You could tell me anything. Deal?" He leaned over, his hand extend towards her. Some part felt like it was useless to participate with this, but she's can't quite shake the curiosity of what his experience would be.

"Fine, but don't expect it to be a grand story." She approves, adding her own conditions.

"I'll take anything at this point." He sighed in relief, pondering over what to say next.

Why does he want to get to know me?

"Hold it." She cut in just as he was about to speak. "I have a better idea. Let's challenge for it."

"You know this is an exercise to getting to know each other right?" He asked.

"Yes, and we have a long while to get to know each other." She rushed the words. "Look, I don't know what to say, let alone want to say something, but if you win a challenge then I'm obligated to tell you, and I'll tell you something about me...about my past."

A smile broke his face. "What did you have in mind?"

"A sword combat, with real swords." She challenged. He thought about it a moment before he shrugged, the smile still on his face.

"I don't know if you're ready for it." He smirked, knowing he hit a nerve.

"You said it yourself, you would do 'anything'..."

"Not exactly what I said..."

"Do we have a deal or not?" She cut him off, her eyes expectant on his.

"Well, I told you 'we're not done yet.'" He smiled, extending his hand once again to hers.

"Man, it's about time! I've been waiting forever." She answered slightly excited, though she's bouncing off the walls on the inside.

He laughed, a hearty laugh, one she hasn't heard much of, making her smile. Usually she would be irritated at him laughing at her, but this laugh seemed different. It was contagious.

Only Amber was able to control the laughter before it burst out of her.

She admits she likes this side of Knight. Light and easy.

You can learn a lesson or two from him.

Shut up...

You couldn't even say that without feeling...feeling happy yourself.

Its been a while hasn't it?

Stating the facts, don't get use to it.

Trust me, this is the one feeling I won't ever get use too.
....

"It feels a bit heavy at first, but you'll get use to it." Knight gave her the sword, her hand slightly dropping as she took the sword.

He wasn't kidding when he said 'heavy'! What were we doing with weightless wooden swords?!

The sword was pure gold, along with all the other weapons in this room, but the handle was wrapped in a light brown leather making it comfortable to hold. At the tip of the handle a small red ruby was embedded, making it look like an ancient artifact rather than a modern weapon towards vampires.

She practices swinging her sword in the air, Knight swiftly moving away from her. After she felt like she got the hang of it, after several long minutes, she addresses Knight. "I think I'm ready...ready as I'll ever be anyway."

"That's the spirit." He winked, holding his sword up in front of him. His sword was an exact replica except his handle was wrapped in black leather. "Okay three rounds...and this should go without saying, but, um, yeah, these are real swords, which means real injuries, so don't stab or strike or pierce or..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. So how do you win? By trapping the other person? Cornering them? 'Til the other person can't make their move?" She asked, her eyebrows raised expectantly.

"Exactly. All those things. See you got this." Knight acknowledged, slightly praising her. "Okay, before we start, please, please, don't kill me." He joked, but something dark crossed over his eyes, an expression that reminded her of fear.

But as quick as it came, it vanished, and she didn't think much of it.

"I'll try my best..."

"Amber..."

"I'm just messing with you. I promise not to kill you." She joked, her eyes serious. She wanted him to know she wouldn't ever do that. It reassured her when she received a smile from his end.

She slowly approached him, having a harder time striking than blocking, still trying to get use to the weight of the sword. She stumbled back a few times, but didn't get trapped though she hated that there were a lot of close calls.

Why am I back to being horrible all of a sudden?

"Amber, focus. Loosen up a bit. Think of this as your wooden sword. Light and easy to use." Knight acknowledged, his words reassuring her a bit. She slowly started getting her groove back, thinking of this pure gold sword to be her wooden one.

She smiled when she made Knight stumble, and not the other way around. He rolled his eyes at her, but he was smiling as well. "See, you're getting the hang of it." He said, his amused smile suddenly appearing on his face.

He advanced more on her 'til his sword was only mere inches from her neck. She breathed heavily, but didn't move any muscle. "I hope you're thinking about what you're going to tell me because I only need to win one more round." He smirked as he moved his sword away from her.

Other than Tyler's encounter four weeks ago, that was one of the times the weapon was that close to a vital body part. It's one thing when you're practicing with wooden swords, it's quite another to be practicing with real swords. It's intense, but thrilling the same time.

"The night is still young." She shrugged, deciding to advance on him first. She started attacking more, deciding she would rather be on the offense. Whether it was being this close to losing or feeling the need to win, she fought harder than she ever did before.

Soon enough, her sword hovers over his chest, his hands slowly going up in surrender. "Well, I'm scared for my life." He joked, smiling.

"Rightfully so." She smirked, pulling the sword away from him. He grabbed his sword that she didn't even realize he lost, and headed over to his side.

"I guess this is it. Whoever wins this round, wins the challenge." Knight acknowledged, expertly twirling his sword in one hand.

"Knight, no need to state the obvious." She replied, apparently being funny because he chuckled. Being funny was the last thing she was trying to be.

He has the weirdest sense of humor sometimes.

The next, and last battle was intense. It was the longest round with them going back and forth between strikes and blocks. Sometimes Amber would kick, but Knight stood his ground all those times, prepared for it when they came. Sometimes when their swords were together, she would lean forward adding more pressure. Knight was prepared for those moments as well.

It seemed that whatever Amber did, it wasn't good enough, and that became clear as Knight's sword was a few inches away from her chest.

"Good game. I have to say that was one heck of a fight you pulled off." Knight congratulated, lifting his hand up. She rolled her eyes, but nonetheless, shook it. It was one great battle, one she would learn from for future references.

"Okay, so what do you want to know about me?" She asked, walking over to the swords bin to put hers in.

"I stand by my previous statement, 'I'll take anything at this point.'" He shrugged, walking beside her to place his sword in the bin as well.

There were only three swords in total, all of them were exactly the same except for the leather handles. The third one was white, but it was her brown one that caught her eye. Whether it was the color of the light brown or the fact she just practiced with it, she was drawn to that one the most.

Then reality came back to her and she became pacing in front of the bin.

Great, what can I say that won't give away too much about my past? About my family? Is there a way to avoid talking about my family altogether?

Sure. Talk about The Headmaster.

What? Why him?

Because it doesn't give much away about your past, and it may benefit Knight to get a better feel of who this vampire really is.

Why would you want to help Knight? I thought you hated him?

Oh, I do. With every fiber in my body, but it's also the only thing I could think of besides talking about your family. And this way, hopefully he'll stop talking or mentioning The Headmaster, I'm done hearing you guys talk about him.

I only did a couple times, not even a lot.

Please, once is enough.

Are you a rogue vampire? Do you only care about yourself? You would think you would support The Headmaster...

Don't question my loyalty! I'm just tired of you guys talking about overthrowing him. Why would I want that to happen?

We're not overthrowing him, just plan on destroying him.

And that's suppose to be better? That's the vampires ruler, my leader. I'll fight you before you can get to him.

I wouldn't doubt that.

"Amber? You still with me?" He asked, snapping her attention back to him. She stopped her pacing, her eyes narrowing at the stain on the floor. "You zone out a lot, you know that?" He said his voice light and untroubled.

"Sorry, just thinking about what I'm gonna tell you."

"Have you figured it out?" He asked, curiously.

"Yes." She sighed, looking up at him. "I'm going to tell you how I became acquainted with The Headmaster."