Aeress

     Aeress assessed the man. He couldn't be any older than she in appearance, yet she had a feeling he surpassed her age by decades. There was just something in the way he stood. The way he held himself said more than his words. 

     "Let me get this straight," Aeress absent-mindedly said as she regarded the blonde. "You're going to train me?" 

     He was a couple feet away from her, putting an unusual amount of space between them as they stood in the enormous room with high ceilings. So enormous that there was a full track, which they were standing at the center of. "Yes." 

     Aeress noticed another thing. He looked her straight in the eyes, revealing his light blue eyes. He didn't cast his eyes down as most did around her. Now he had her curiosity. 

     Aeress took a step closer and he didn't flinch. "You aren't afraid?" 

     His chin lifted slightly. "What do I have to fear?" 

     Aeress looked around quickly, glad to find that no one else was around. This made his eyes squint. "You're a skeptic?" 

     "It doesn't matter what I think," he responded as one would about the weather, "only that I train you." 

     Now she started to walk a circle around him. "Right, for the trials... Which I will fail, right?" 

      "Not if you are truly Godhead." 

     "Well I hope the trials aren't on manners, because I won't be learning shit from you," she scoffed, still encircling him. 

     His eyes cut to her, and she was satisfied by the small amount of astonishment he revealed. "I have manners. This is just honesty, if you want anything less, I will do as you wish. I have not forgotten that you are Premier's mate."

      She didn't know whether to be amused or annoyed that he judged her so quickly without a second thought. She recalled how much respect he had in the face of Warrick, yet regarded her as some jerk off the street, an imposter. 

     She laughed as a quick way to delay her temper. "You're going to listen to what I say, and remember that I will only say it once, bucko." 

     He crossed his arms, waiting.

     She counted off her fingers like she was making a numbered list, but it was really just her trying to make use of her hands. "If you are going to train me, it isn't out of respect for Premier or the fact that I may or may not be Godhead... It's out of respect for me, Aeress. And by the way, I have been dealing with the biggest asshole on this plant for the last however long it's been, and I am not looking for another one, so check those rude ass manners!" 

     He smirked. "Earn it."

     Aeress blinked. "Earn it?" 

     "Earn my respect." 

     Aeress felt her spine straighten. "How?" 

     He seemed to be measuring up every inch of her, calculating her abilities in one sweep of his eyes. "If you can touch right here," he tapped his left shoulder with his right hand, "you'll have my respect." 

      Aeress looked him up and down in the same analyzing manner. She wasn't stupid and knew he was her trainer for a reason. But that same instinct within urged her to accept the challenge. While she knew damn well where that instinct came from, it didn't stop her this time from listening willingly.  "Once only?" She grinned at him, still circling very, very slowly. 

     "Just once."

     "And then you'll stop with the bullshit?"

     He scoffed at her, like she had said something humorous. "Sure." 

     She stopped right in front of him. While she wouldn't consider herself a short girl, he did have a couple inches on her. "I think it's time to teach you some manners." 

     She swiped at him, a move which he evaded in a swift enough pace that her eyes couldn't catch up. "Or maybe not," his voice mocked her. 

     Aeress felt her temper finally spike. "Did I mention I am not very athletic?" Again, she pushed herself into him while never looking behind. She landed flat on her butt. 

     He hovered above her laying form with a smug smile. "I knew the moment I met you." He thinks he's won!

      Her heart pounded with excitement. She remembered how her body may have appeared no different than before, but no one who watched her with clarity could dismiss the fact that-while she had no idea how to harness it-she did possess superior agility and strength. She pushed herself onto her belly, facing his feet. 

     "You done?" he mused. 

     She groaned, nodding her head. 

      "That what I-" She grabbed a hold of his ankle, pulling with all the strength she could muster against his heavy body. 

     He got up quicker than she expected. Not knowing what else to do, she charged him, grabbing a hold of his shirt when he was attempting to dodge her. Her movements were sloppy and uncoordinated. 

     His back slammed into the ground, echoing into the room. He rolled away swiftly as she again tried to pull at him. 

     Her feet were unsteady as she jumped onto them just as he did. Her hair was loose from the tie, getting in the way of her vision and mouth. Not knowing what else to do, she kicked out her foot, aiming for his stomach. He caught it, and twisted it in a way that immediately forced her to the ground. 

     Her cheek stung at the impact. She growled as he pinned her to the floor, just barely as she bucked underneath him. Finally she settled after she realized her efforts were fruitless. 

     His breathing was quick and just a little labored, quiet when compared to her wheezing. She must have been sweating up a storm. "You're not athletic, huh?" 

      Aeress swallowed. "I'm not, and plus, I don't look like it anyway, do I?" 

      He laughed. This confused her. "Alright, I'm sorry." 

      "I'll forgive you when you remove your two-ton body off of me!" She was one to talk! 

     His weight immediately disappeared. She swivelled onto her back to look up at him. There was a friendlier light in his eyes this time as he regarded her. Aeress looked down at his offered hand and immediately took it. "I'm Klein." 

     "Like Calvin Klein?" 

     He pulled her up with enough ease to make her begin to understand just how strong he was. Without much thought put into it, she attempted to touch his shoulder. Again, a fruitless attempt. 

     "How about we put a pause on this game? At least for today?" He asked, a couple feet away from her. 

     "Fine, Calvin Klein." 

     "Alright, let's get out of here." He walked off, turning his back to her. 

     "What are we doing?" 

     "Just going on a little jog." 

     Oh great, this couldn't be any good. 

______________________________________

     She was gasping for air, watching his back as he ran ahead. 

      This island was beautiful. The greenery was unlike anything she'd seen in a movie or tv show. She's appreciate it more, but her burning lungs were occupying much of her thoughts.     

      "How much further?" she demanded, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, groaning as she felt the layer of sweat. 

     "Don't worry about it, focus on following me." 

     "The last time someone said that to me," she said past her enflamed lungs, "I woke up up in Texas with a tattoo in a place that'd get me convicted." 

     "Still have it?" 

      "Nah, a chunk out of my check later and I had it removed." Her calves were tense, bunching up like a sponge being squeezed. Everything ached. This took her back to the terrible PE classes of her high school career. What a horrible, horrible time! 

      Aeress was really beginning to understand the changes in her body. Months ago, she would have passed out after just a few minutes of jogging. While this in itself was not a walk in the park, it did not cease to amaze her that she was still not only jogging like he promised, but running. 

     "No water break?" she called out after a little while passed. Aeress was losing the ability to have any control over her panting. 

     "Just a little longer, Aeress." 

     She knew her hair was damp with sweat, curling with what she was certain an ungodly amount of frizz. She must've been a sight alright. 

       Finally her limbs began to lock up, twisting tighter and tighter underneath her flesh, curling into tight balls. This was a more familiar sensation of this strange kind of numb pain, and a dizzying spell hit her head. 

     "I can't anymore," she announced before dropping like a sack of potatoes. The dirt rubbed up against her body, scraping her exposed skin. She couldn't register further pain as she was already suffering. 

     She breathed in and out, trying her best to regain control over her body. Aeress closed her eyes, panting so aggressively that it felt like she was inhaling acid instead of oxygen. 

     His voice came from above, causing her to squint up at him. There was a little dirt, sticking to her sweaty skin. "We're here. Come, there's something a little more comfortable than the dirt." He retreated again. 

     She whined at the thought of ever moving again. "Give me bacon. And donuts. How about bacon on donuts?" 

      She nearly fell asleep had he not called out to her. "I have bacon donuts!" 

      She crawled in the direction of his voice. Underneath lay a fresh ground of rich soil and lively greenery. She was a city girl, yet to be in a natural environment gave her a different kind of comfort. It was nice, especially after enduring such torture called cardio. 

     Going past a curtain of trees, her body tumbled downward, attacked by a bright blue sky and the sound of crashing waves. The trees had been so tall and obscuring, that to go from a jungle-like scenery to the beach was more than confusing. 

     Her eyes narrowed at the sudden barrage of light. At least the sand cushioned her body. There was a breeze by the coast not quite captured within the trees. It worked to dry out her skin. 

     Aeress sat up to look around. It was a similar setting to where Warrick and she had been taken to right before being escorted to Temple of Godhead. 
      
     "We ran all the way to the beach?" she demanded, wondering if the impossible was possible. She knew it was not humanly possible. 

     "It's a nice view, isn't it?" he responded, walking back up to her. He took a seat a couple feet away from her. 

     She looked back to the body of water as the tide pushed toward the land only to creep backward, leaving behind a smooth and sleek surface of the soaked sand. "Yeah," she agreed as a couple birds came into view in the sky, "definitely up there in my favorites." 

     They sat their in silence for a couple, long, meditative minutes. She closed her eyes, taking the time to finally relax her crying limbs. 

     "You did well today," he finally admitted, "more so than I expected." 

     "A lot of people expect a lot of things out of me." She sighed and leaned her head back so she could just let the light soak in. "Ever since that night at the club, it's been the same damn expectations being shoved down my throat. I mean take a woman to dinner first... I mean shit." 

     "I forget you were human before this," he responded. "They say you saved Premier."

     Aeress laughed. "I saved no one. That's what they don't understand! I bumped into the guy, and I swear it was like falling dominos. But-no offense-werewolves have very selective hearing." 

     He shrugged. "We do."

     Aeress shook her head. "I never would have thought in a million years that I'd end up here." 

     "Maybe not, but we're always waiting for something more, aren't we?"