A/N- dear readers, I'm sorry this took me so long! Midterms were so hectic and then I had to take the SAT. My life is a little less complicated now so expect more chapters. I am trying to develop the characters a little more as people so if this comes off weird, let me now. I also have a ton of action in this chapter and I hope you like it. On with the cirque!

Chapter 3- March to the Beat of my Own Drum.

After stretching out a bit I looked out the window. From the position of the sun, it was probably around four in the afternoon. I was becoming quite nocturnal, but I was not complaining. I wouldn't get into trouble that way. I broke someone's leg in two. Would he ever be able to walk again? I might have crippled a boy for the rest of my life. I needed to know more about my body and my strength. I made a mental note to explore exactly what I could do.

We left all of our food at the church so I went out to buy some more food supplies. I caught a glance of myself and I was astounded at what I saw. My eyes looked both sparkly and dead inside. The vampire blood made them glimmer but my emotions jaded what they could be. My hair lay limp around my face in bronze tangles. My skin was the biggest change. I no longer had acne but now my face was deathly pale and ghostly. . My lips were bright red in contrast. All rosiness and any hint of a tan I had, which was very little, was gone. I was almost transparent. Mr. Crepsley said that this was because I was not drinking. After all, he didn't look like a cadaver.

I walked back slowly, enjoying the wind on my face. I loved being outdoors in any weather. I truly felt alive in the elements, so much so that I decided to go to the park for a run after I dropped off the packages.

My run was extravagant. With my vampire strength it took no time to limber up and get loose. I ran as fast as I could and I was moving faster than ever. I pushed myself to the maximum and I ran until it hurt. I think it really did me some good. It felt like I was running away from all of my troubles, leaving them behind in my wake.

It was almost dark by the time I got back and I had to rush to get all the cooking done. I was surprised how well the food came out because I'm no chef by any means. Mr. Crepsley woke up a little bit after that. He cracked his neck back and forth and then walked over.

"This looks good."

"Thanks." I mumbled. I didn't like praise because it made me feel cheap for some reason.

"You are welcome. Considering what happened, I have decided that tonight we will work on some more physical aspects of being a vampire, instead of just the mechanics. I will run you through some drills and we will try some sparring and combat. If you have a creative outlet, I believe you will be much happier."

"That sounds awesome Mr. C!" I was genuinely excited for this.

We ate quickly and then he took me outside into the forest.

"Take off your shoes and socks." He instructed.

"Why?"

"Vampires have incredible tactile sensing. You have to experience this in order to move forward. I want for you to describe exactly what you feel to me."

I took my feet off and it felt like I was standing on an ecosystem, which I was.

"I can feel the earth, each specific type too. I can feel the moisture of the different types. I can feel a few ants crawl over my toes."

"Very good, what else can you sense?"

I thought about this for a few minutes. He didn't say feel, instead he said sense. Sense, sense, sense.

"I can sense that you're shifting your weight a little to the left. I can sense the heard of deer running about, umm, 400 yards away. I can even sense that the tree roots are swaying slightly in the wind."

"Excellent, that is much more than I expected you to be able to do. Now I want for you to watch me closely. Observe how I move my muscles in order to move. Each effort you make should be both calculated and efficient. Movement for the sake of movement is not effective."

He walked forward in a straight line nonchalantly and then it happened. He took his right hand and used his nails like a knife. He slashed at a tree and left a deep gouge mark. He then crouched down and took off in the opposite direction at top speed and ran up a tree in order to flip over backwards. After, he walked back to me calmly.

"Your turn." He looked at me seriously and I balked. He couldn't possibly imagine that I could do that.

"There's no way in hell I'll be able to do that."

"If you were watching closely it would be no trouble."

"Well I didn't catch it all."

"That is no excuse. I told you to observe every move I made. I was implicitly clear."

"Sorry." I growled. I decided I would show him! There is no way he could do this to me.

I jumped up and ran at an oak. I took my hand and slashed at it with all my might. I heard a huge crack and for a moment I was afraid I broke my hand. But it was not the tree that broke my hand, it was my hand that broke the tree. It fell with a rumble but I paid it no head. I ran full pelt at the pine and flew backwards in the air. It was an incredible feeling to be soaring through the air at dizzying momentum. It took every ounce of my concentration to land on my feet but to my surprise I landed like a jungle cat, entirely graceful. I walked back at him with a smirk.

"What do you think?"

"I think you need to be put in your place. You are horribly insolent but also a natural fighter. I would like to try and fight you hand to hand before I decide on a training regimen and an ultimate goal. Do not worry about hurting me or getting yourself injured I am much stronger than you but I also much more control."

"Bring it on, old man."

"Now you are asking for it."

"No, now I'm demanding it." I smirked and he gave me a bright smile.

"I am so grateful that I got such a polite, young assistant."

"Now you're asking for it Crepsley."

We circled each other slowly and he mirrored my every move with a predatory gleam in his smolderingly green eyes. I was so in for it. He refused to make the first move so it seemed like we were in this really bizarre dance. I moved left and he moved right in a wide circle. Every movement he made was fluid and lithe like a wolf.

I decided I should probably do something so I stopped and moved forward a step and so did he. I was very disconcerted at this. He was mocking me! I got angry and threw all reservations to the wind. I leaped in the air and I saw him shifting to my right to meet the attack so decided to go left. I think I surprised him because he left his back wide open and I got a punch in to his shoulder blade but It didn't do much damage. He spun to block but I ducked and used a round house kick to try and get him off his feet but he easily jumped over it. I attempted to punch his jaw while he was off balance from landing but he grabbed my wrist and spun it, which hurt but I wasn't about to give up for a sprained wrist, if anything it spurred me to fight harder. I kicked his shin and shimmied out of his grip.

I backed up and took a few minutes to collect myself. I took off my shirt since I was getting very warm and my tank top beneath was more than enough to keep me comfortable. I was actually hoping he would take off his short so I could see his scars. What I remembered from what I saw on television is that where there is a scar there is an injury and where there is an injury there is a weakness to exploit. I thanked the vampire deities that he followed my lead and took off his shirt.

I noticed a deep scar across his side near his rib cage that looked fresh and I made my decision. I ducked to his right and he moved to block but when he fully transferred his weight to his right foot I jumped and kicked his side. He sucked in a shallow breath reached out and grabbed my sides and threw me on the ground. I was pinned and I had lost, not that I believed I would win. He looked into my eyes with such intensity that it took my breath away. My chest was rising and falling at a very fast pace. He rolled off me and stood up. He offered me a hand, which I took gratefully, and pulled me up.

"Your ideas were good and you have a natural talent that is truly astounding, but your technique was sloppy and your speed a little slow for my taste, but that is to be expected. Overall you are truly remarkable as a fighter and you have far exceeded my expectations in every way. I believe that I will be able to train you into a magnificent fighter. You will be a great asset to the vampires."

"Thank you. I look forward to it. I promise I will give you one hundred and ten percent. I swear I won't let you down."

"You have not failed me so far, so I do not expect you to let me down."

"I really appreciate that."

I decided that I wanted to find a lake and wash off. Both Mr. Crepsley and I looked pretty sweaty.

"Do you know if there's a lake around here somewhere?"

"Well, we shall go and take a look."

We walked in a comfortable silence for about five minutes until we found a burbling stream. I stripped quickly while he turned away and jumped in with a huge splash. The cool water felt so refreshing. I washed quickly and got dressed. Mr. Crepsley bathed while I spent some time just enjoying nature. He finished quickly and found me when I was done. He pointed out certain edible roots and berries, poisonous plants, and herbs with medicinal qualities. It was rather enjoyable. I love to learn and I felt like I was actually learning something important and helpful.

Mr. Crepsley asked me if I was thirsty and I said no. He gave me a strange look but I shrugged it off. By the time we got walking back to home base, I was feeling relatively ill. It felt like I had a fever and I was really shaky and woozy. It felt like a bad case of vertigo, really bad. I was having trouble even staying upright. By the time Mr. Crepsley realized I was on the ground. His worried face was the last thing I saw.

I woke up on my back with a violent headache, but that was negligible compared to the taste in my mouth. The most delicious, revolting flavor was in my mouth. It tasted like metallic heaven. Mr. Crepsley must have given me blood. I looked over my shoulder and I saw him sitting, just watching me. I jumped up and my head started to pound. He leaped up to steady me. I caught me balance and I looked into his eyes and said something I still regret.

"How could you do this to me? I didn't want to blood. I don't want to now and I don't think I ever will. If I die, then I die. I refuse to drink my fellows' blood. That is so wrong in my mind. I hate this!" I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

"Sublime, you absolutely must. This is a direct order. Do not disobey me or you will be punished." He said quietly but seriously. I knew he meant it but I foolishly decided to test my boundaries.

"I don't have to do everything you say, Crepsley! Trust is a two way road and you've erred seriously."

I stalked up to him. My blood was pounding in my ears. I heard an ominous, guttural growl escape my lips. I kicked out to hit his stomach but he caught my foot mid-strike. He spun me to the left and pinned me against the wall. He grabbed my hands and held them above my head. It was then that I heard exactly what I did and didn't want him to say.

"I do not want you to die, Lacy. You are my assistant, my responsibility. I do understand your reluctance but it has to stop."

"I know, I just… I feel like I'd be drinking away any last shreds of humanity I have."

"Do not think of it that way. You are just drinking for sustenance. You are not drinking someone's blood for fun. We as vampires must do this to survive. But that is the important part, we drink only to survive. Have you ever seen me take too much?"

"No…"

"Have you ever seen me take blood inhumanely?"

"No…" I was starting to see his point but I just couldn't get over it. Cannibalism! Yuck!

"Well then, what is the problem?"

"Just give me some more time, please. I won't die over night!"

"No, but you will die soon if you do not drink. I would say within six weeks. That is all the time you have left."

"I understand, just give me some mull time."

"Yes, Sublime. Get some sleep, you look exhausted. Because you are not drinking blood, you do not have the same amount of energy coming in. There is a reason why we drink. We do not do this for pleasure."

"I know, Mr. Crepsley. I'll have some before time runs out. I promise." I said this with my fingers crossed. I was not sure I was going to keep this assurance.

"Maybe we should go to the Cirque du Freak. It may help you with this. One of the performers may be able to talk some sense into you.

"Sure, I would like that." I didn't have to sleep in old barns and churches anymore and I would have a shower with soap. Wohoo!

"We will leave today at dusk. According to my calculations if we flit and take a train we will get there around eleven tonight."

I was a little nervous, although I shouldn't have been. After all, the Cirque provided me with some of the best memories of my life.