The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 5

Are you excited for Alaric to arrive tomorrow? compressed asked. Hes delivery his researcher friend Celia, function?Meredith kicked him in the chest.Oof matting staggered backward, knocked breathless despite the protective vest he had on. Meredith fol owed up with a roundhouse kick to sluggishnesss side, and he fel to his knees, barely managing to raise his hands and block a straight punch to his face.Ow he say. Meredith, term- bug out, okay?Meredith dropped into a graceful tiger stance, her back leg supporting her weight while her front alkali rested lightly on her toes. Her face was calm, her eye cool and watchful. She looked desex to pounce if Matt showed any sign of sudden movement.When hed arrived to spar with Meredith to succor her keep her hunter-slayer skil s in top-notch shape Matt had wondered why she had pass him a helmet, mouth guard, gloves, shin guards, and vest, while she wore only sleek minacious workout clothes.Now he knew. He hadnt take down come cont iguous to hitting her, while shed pummeled him mercilessly. Matt eased a hand up under the vest and rubbed rueful y at his side. He hoped he hadnt cracked a rib.Ready to go again? Meredith said, her eyebrows raised in chal enge.Please, no, Meredith, Matt said, raising his hands in surrender. Lets take a break. It feels corresponding youve been pun bring upg me for hours.Meredith walked over to the smal fridge in the corner of her familys rec room and tossed Matt a bottle of water, then sank down next to him on the mat. Sorry. I profess I got carried away. Ive never sparred with a friend before.Looking around as he took a long, cool drink, Matt shook his head. I dont crawl in how you managed to keep this place secret for so long. The basement room had been reborn into a perfect place to train throwing stars, knives, swords, and staves of unhomogeneous kinds were mounted on the wal s a punching bag hung in wiz corner, while a padded dummy leaned in another. The floor was lined w ith mats, and one wal was wholly mirrored. In the middle of the opposite wal hung the fighting stave a extra weapon for battling the supernatural that had been handed down through generations of Merediths family. It was deadly simply elegant-looking, the hilt covered with jewels, the ends spiked with silver, wood, and white ash, and the needles steeped in poison. Matt eyed it warily.Wel , said Meredith, looking away, the Suarez family has always been good at keeping secrets. She began to move through a tae kwon do form back stance, double fist block, odd over(p) front stance, reverse middle punch. She was graceful as a bring down black cat in her workout gear. After a moment, Matt capped his water bottle, climbed to his feet, and began to mirror her movements. Left double front kick, left inside block, double-handed punch. He knew he was half a beat bum and felt shambling and awkward next to her, besides frowned and concentrated. Hed always been a good athlete. He could do this, too.Besides, its not like I was bringing my prom dates down here, Meredith offered after a cycle, half smiling. It wasnt that hard to hide. She watched Matt in the mirror. No, block low with your left hand and high with your right hand, like this. She showed him again, and he shadowed her movements.Okay, yeah, he said, only half concentrating on his words now, focuse on the positions. But you could have told us. Were your best friends. He moved his left foot forward and mimicked Merediths backward elbow blow.At least, you could have told us after the whole thing with Klaus and Katherine, he amended. beforehand that, we would have design you were crazy.Meredith shrugged and dropped her hands, and Matt fol owed before he realized that the gestures werent intermit of the tae kwon do form.Now they stood side by side, staring at distributively other in the mirror. Merediths cool and elegant face looked pale and pinched. I was brought up to keep my heritage as a hunterslayer a deep, iniquity secret, she said. Tel ing anybody wasnt roughlything I could consider. Even Alaric doesnt dwell.Matt turned away from Merediths mirror mental image to gape at the real girl. Alaric and Meredith were practical y engaged. Matt had never been that serious with anyone the girl hed come closest to loving was Elena, and obviously that hadnt worked out but hed sort of figured that, if you committed your heart to some(prenominal)body, you told them everything.Isnt Alaric a telepathic researcher? Dont you gestate he would understand?Frowning, Meredith shrugged again. Probably, she said, sounding irritated and dismissive, but I dont want to be something for him to study or research, any more than than I want him to freak out. But since you and the others know, Il have to tel him.Hmm. Matt rubbed his perceive side again. Is that why youre pounding on me so aggressively? Because youre mad about tel ing him?Meredith met his eyeball. The lines of her face were stil tens e, but a mischievous glimmer shone in her eyes.Aggressive? she asked sweetly, fal ing back into the tiger stance. Matt felt an answering pull a face tug at the corners of his mouth. You havent seen anything yet.Elena surveyed the restaurant Judith had picked with a kind of bemused horror. Beeping painting game machines vied for attention with old-fashioned arcade games like Whac-AMole and Skee-Bal . Bouquets of brightly swarthy bal oons bobbed over every table, and a cacophony of song rose from various corners as singing waiters delivered pizza after pizza. What seemed like hundreds of children ran loose crosswise the floor, shrieking and laughing. Stefan had walked her to the restaurant, but, eyeing the neon paint job with alarm, hed declined to come in.Oh, I shouldnt stab on girls night, hed said vaguely, and then disappeared so quickly Elena suspected hed used vampiric speed.Traitor, shed muttered, before warily opening the bright pink door. After their time together in the g raveyard, she felt stronger and happier, but she would have liked some support here, too.Welcome to Happytown, chirped an unnatural y cheery hostess. Table for one, or are you meeting a party?Elena repressed a shudder. She couldnt speculate anyone choosing to come to a place like this by themselves. I think I see my group now, she said politely, catching sight of auntie Judith waving to her from a corner.This is your idea of a fun girls night out, auntie Judith?she asked when she r to each oneed the table. I was picturing something more like a cozy bistro. auntie Judith nodded toward the other side of the room. Peering over, Elena spotted Margaret, happily whacking away at toy moles with a mal et.Were always dragging Margaret to grown-up places and expecting her to behave, aunt Judith explained. I thought it was time she got a turn to do something she enjoyed. I hope bonnie and Meredith wont mind.She certainly looks like shes enjoying herself, Elena said, studying her teeny sis ter. Her memories of Margaret from the last year were of continue and anxiety During the fal Margaret had been upset by Elenas fighting with Judith and Robert and by the mysterious happenings in Fel s Church, and then, of course, devastated by Elenas death. Elena had watched her through the windows afterward and seen her sobbing. Shed suffered more than any five-yearold should, even if she didnt remember any of it now. Ill take care of you, Margaret, she promised fiercely and silently, watching the careful concentration on her sisters face as Margaret practiced a little old-fashioned carnival violence. You wont have to feel like that again in this mankind.Are we waiting for Bonnie and Meredith? auntie Judith prompted gently. Did you end up inviting them to get hitched with us?Oh, said Elena, jarred out of her reverie. She reached for a handful of popcorn from the hoop in the middle of the table. I couldnt get ahold of Meredith, but Bonnies coming. Shel love this.I absolutely, total y do love this, a voice concur from behind her. Elena turned to see Bonnies silky red curls.Especial y the expression on your face, Elena. Bonnies wide brown eyes were dancing with amusement. She and Elena overlap a look that was ful of al the were back, were back, they did what they said and Fells Church is the way it should be again that they couldnt say in front of auntie Judith, then fel into each others arms.Elena squeezed Bonnie tightly, and Bonnie buried her face in Elenas shoulder for a moment. Her petite body quivered slightly in Elenas arms, and Elena realized that she wasnt the only one walking a fine line between delight and devastation. Theyd gained so much(prenominal) but it had come at a very high price.Actual y, said Bonnie with careful cheer as she released Elena, I had my ninth birthday at a place very much like this. Remember the Hokey-Pokey Gril ? That was the place to be when we were in elementary school. Her eyes held a bright sheen that might be tea rs, but her chin stuck out determinedly. Bonnie, Elena thought with admiration, was going to have fun if it kil ed her.I remember that party, Elena said, matching Bonnies lightness. Your cake had a big picture of some boy band on it.I was mature for my age, Bonnie told aunt Judith merrily. I was boy crazy way before any of my friends were.Aunt Judith laughed and waved Margaret over toward their table. Wed better order before the stage show starts, she said.Elena, eyes wide, mouthed, Stage show? at Bonnie, who smirked and shrugged.Do you girls know what you want? Aunt Judith asked.Do they have anything besides pizza? Elena asked.Chicken fingers, answered Margaret, climbing into her chair. And vitriolic dogs.Elena grinned at her sisters tousled hair and expression of delight. What are you going to have, bunny rabbit? she asked.Pizza Margaret answered. Pizza, pizza, pizza.Il have pizza, too, then, Elena decided.Its the best thing here, Margaret confided. The hot dogs are weird-tastin g. She squirmed in her chair. Elena, are you coming to my dance recital? she asked.When is it? Elena asked.Margaret frowned. The day after tomorrow, she said.You know that.Elena glanced quickly at Bonnie, whose eyes were wide.I wouldnt miss it for the world, she told Margaret affectionately, and her sister nodded unwaveringly and stood up on her chair to reach the popcorn.Under cover of Aunt Judiths scolding and the semimelodious sound of their singing waiter approaching, Bonnie and Elena exchanged a smile.Dance recitals. Singing waiters. Pizza.It was good to live in this kind of world for a change.