Chapter 10

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The next morning found Rachel staring at her reflection in the mirror, going over every detail of her outfit to make sure it was perfect. Her hair hung pin straight and Rachel made sure that her bangs had a little flip at the end, just for a little extra Hummel-flare. The thoroughly abused Vogue magazines still remained on floor where they were thrown after Rachel finished piecing together the perfect outfit for her rebellion against her teammates. She hoped the outfit was good enough; she had to dig through her own wardrobe to find everything. And apparently her wardrobe wasn't very Vogue-chic.

Rachel fixed her lipstick one more time before flipping off the lights and skipping downstairs.

Her Pop whistled as she entered the kitchen, "What's got you all dolled up?"

"My teammates seem to think that I'm happy Kurt Hummel is missing." She stated, "So I'm staging a rebellion; starting with a wardrobe he would approve of."

Pop's smile faltered a bit, but he stood up and kissed her forehead, "Whatever works, Sweetheart." He said as he flattened down a piece of her hair and grabbed his keys off the table. "Ready to go?"

Rachel squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "Yes, let's go."

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Kurt landed on the forest floor with a groan. He rolled onto his back and winced as he felt his cracked ribs heal.

"You're too nice, Kurt." Lyssa's voice sounded from somewhere above him. "You need to get mean."

"You need to get mean."Kurt growled under his breath as he sat up- only to be knocked down again by Lyssa. She stood and planted a foot on his chest.

"I'm plenty mean. Now get up."

Kurt struggled to do as he was told, but Lyssa's foot stayed firmly on his chest. He stopped moving and fell back, staring at her. She quirked an eyebrow at him- challenging him to get to his feet.

Kurt's hand flew up and wrapped itself around Lyssa's ankle. He twisted and rolled out from underneath her. Then he stood in one fluid motion and pushed Lyssa up against the tree beside him, her leg bent at an awkward angle between them.

"Nice," she commented. "But watch out."

"What?"

Before Kurt could move, Lyssa grabbed a tree branch and lifted herself off the ground, using her free leg to kick Kurt in the gut, sending him stumbling backwards.

"Always be on your guard," Lyssa instructed as she sauntered over to him, "It's not over till the heart stops."

She offered him a hand, but he refused it, standing up on his own. Lyssa nodded in approval. "You can be taught after all." She laughed a little before she took a fighting stance. "Attack me again." She commanded.

Kurt bent his knees and lunged, but his hand only caught air before Lyssa's wrapped around his wrist and spun him around, her free hand immediately going to his throat. His arm was pinned uncomfortably behind his back, pressed between their bodies.

"You're not listening to me, Kurt." She growled in his ear, "Keep low, and always protect your throat." She punctuated her statement by gripping his tighter, cutting off his air supply for two seconds before she released him.

Kurt stood there catching his breath, his back still to Lyssa. The fighting was difficult, though Kurt began to notice quite a bit of it was instinctual. However there was also a lot of technique involved as well.

"You need to learn to fight. Otherwise you'll just be killed and I'll have wasted all this time on you for nothing."

Kurt snarled under his breath.

"You can growl all you want," Lyssa spat as she grabbed his arm and spun him around, "but unless you learn you'll be useless."

Kurt ducked as Lyssa clawed at him, narrowly missing his face. He would lunge, she would sidestep; he would kick, she would dodge; he would do everything he could to attack, but she was always a step ahead. After a few minutes of this, Kurt stopped. He was exhausted, sore, and out of breath; they'd been at this for hours. Behind him, Lyssa straightened, hardly a change in her breathing. Kurt doubted she'd even broken a sweat whereas he was absolutely disgusting. He desperately needed a shower, along with his bed, and his dad, and his home, and his friends…

"You're weak."

Kurt opened his eyes as Lyssa's harsh voice broke him out of his thoughts. "You want to know how your mother died?" She asked; Kurt could hear leaves crackling under her feet as she shifted her weight. "She lied down and let herself be killed. I got there too late; by the time I arrived the wolf was tearing her throat out. She just let it happen."

Kurt's arms began to shake as Lyssa continued on. He could hear her coming closer, and soon he could feel warm breath on the back of neck. "God, you're just like her," Lyssa snarled in his ear, "you look like her, you act like her, you even sound like her. And just like her, you're going to get yourself-"

Kurt snapped.

He snarled wildly and spun around, grabbing Lyssa by the throat. Then Kurt's temper took control of the situation and he didn't even know what happened next. There was a blur of movement, and then Lyssa was on her back with Kurt pinning her to the forest floor, his hands positioned perfectly to break her neck.

As his head cleared Kurt sat up, removing his hands from Lyssa's throat. He scampered off of her, kneeling to the side and trying to calm his manic breathing. Lyssa sat up on her elbows and stared at him with an unidentifiable glint in her eyes. A sick smile spread across her face like a stain.

"Good boy."

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Rachel savoured all the looks as she walked down the hallway. Boys were openly gaping at her and she'd even received thumbs up from Brittany while Santana just kind of glared. She gently pushed her bangs off her face - the same way she's seen Kurt do so many times – and kept walking, ignoring the uncomfortable tightness of the jeans she'd found in the back of her closet.

"Rachel! Rachel!"

She stopped and smiled as she heard Jacob Israel running to catch up with her. Turning, Rachel flashed him and his chubby camera man a smile as they ran to catch up with her. "Rachel!" Jacob panted when he caught up. He collected himself and shoved a microphone under her nose. "You're dressing rather differently! Any comment?"

"No." Rachel said using her camera voice. It's always best to keep the paparazzi in suspense. "I have no comment." She turned to leave, but Jacob's nasally voice stopped her.

"Then perhaps a comment on why you're suddenly supporting Kurt Hummel in his mysterious absence when you two aren't even friends? McKinley viewers want to know: genuine concern? Or is this just a publicity stunt? Your response?"

Rachel stopped. She was suddenly resisting the urge to cry; without turning around, she muttered a single "No comment," and left, ignoring Jacob's yells.

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Uhm… Happy Halloween?