"Any later and I would have thought that you died in your sleep. It's already past ten, and Andrew has already left." Drissel said, her hands toying with thin strings, her own blood woven to be what she wanted. "I take it you have already absorbed all of Charles's blood by now." Brittany's question answered only for more to bloom in her mind.
"I don't have the time to answer every question that buzzes in your mind; just eat breakfast and meet me outside." Drissel's tone, now sharper than before, annoyed Brittany's tardiness. Brittany didn't get a word in as Drissel left. 'I guess if you're going to be a prick, then have your fun, I guess.' She sighed as she dug into her meal, starting the day.
. . .
The two, Brittany and Drissel, were now on the beach that seemed to stretch on forever. "For today, we're going to look at your endurance. You've been drinking Andrew's blood before the Loom emerged, so it shouldn't be ordinary. Make your way to that rock and back here in five minutes." Drissel's finger pointed at a rock that jutted out of the side of the cliff, its distance no shorter than two hundred meters.
"There's no way that I can make that. It's way too far." Drissel let out a groan, her index finger now pointing at Brittany.
*Whoosh*
A thin, silk-like thread shot towards Brittany, cutting her cheek and letting a trail of blood trickle down it. "Argh!" Brittany clutched her cheek, staggered at Drissel's brash nature. "Are you trying to kill me?!" On Brittany's face, a look of rage and shock melded with one another. "You know what? I've had it with this prissy attitude that you have, Brittany." Drissel closed the distance between the two.
"When I say you run, ask me how far, not to complain!"
*Bam*
Drissel threw a punch at Brittany's gut; the latter, out of breath, collapsed to the sandy earth with pain etched on her face.
*Bam*
Before she could look up, Drissel threw a kick at Brittany's chin, sending her flying across the sand before crashing hard, sending particles all over and staining her figure. "So, are you going to run, or are you going to keep on bitching and moaning at every order I give you?!" A look of discontent flashed on Drissel's face, her hands now pocketed.
*Bam*
In an instant, Drissel covered the distance between her and Brittany before landing her leg on Brittany's head, the latter now scorned by the hot sand and the pain of Drissel's heel pressing on her scalp. "I'm expecting an answer. Your dear, precious Andrew's not here to save you, and don't expect him to every time you get into a sticky situation."
"Blech! I... understand!" Brittany voiced, spitting a mouthful of sand. Drissel wore an ear to ear smile, her leg stepping off Brittany's head. "Great, now get to running, Britt!" Collecting herself, Brittany hastily brushed off the sand before she started running. Her vanishing figure eliciting a frown on Drissel's face before she came back to Drissel. "Hah! There!" Brittany panted, using her knees for support before another kick was delivered to her chest.
*Bam*
Brittany's eyes opened wide, the air in her chest leaving before the hard ground welcomed her descent. "You can't tell me that what you just showed me was your top speed. I'm not playing with you, Brittany! If you want to get stronger, then you have to embrace pain! The days of you lounging around and sucking Andrew's blood till you were content are long gone!"
Brittany was still on the sandy ground, her figure rolling before she picked herself up. "This time half your time, if not, then we're going to be here for a while." Drissel groaned as she watched Brittany do her run, this time slower than before. 'First ten minutes and now twenty? Does she take me for an idiot?' Brittany, making her way back, could see a frown on Drissel's face. "Let me guess, you're not satisfied!" Brittany urged, now further away from Drissel.
"Eck!" Brittany, in an instant, was held above the ground by her throat, Drissel's cold eyes boring into her crimson beads. "I'm not fucking around here Brittany, if you can't do this then I might as well kill you right now but I'll give you one more chance. I'll run with you to see what you're doing wrong."
*Thud*
Drissel clicked her tongue as she let Brittany fall unceremoniously to the ground. "Pick yourself up, you bitch! Stop moaning and get on your feet already!" Brittany's image of Drissel as a playful lady was now replaced with this version of her. Brittany, after catching her breath, posed next to Drissel in a running posture.
*Boom*
The two shot off, at first at equal speed before Brittany quickly started falling behind, forcing Drissel to stop. "No wonder you can't do this! You seriously call that running?!" She turned to face Brittany, who had forced herself to keep up with Drissel only to fall behind. "Your posture is all wrong, not to mention your breathing is all over the place." Drissel made her way to Brittany.
"You lean too far forward, try to regulate your breathing despite your state, and for crying out loud, keep your mouth shut. I already can't stand your heaving," Drissel's hands forcefully adjusted Brittany's figure to her recommendations. "Now do it. We're closer, so you shouldn't give me an excuse why you can't do this," Brittany, in her tracksuit, ran to the rock before coming back. "Not bad, but do it faster. Seven minutes is better than ten, but still lower than five."
Brittany shot a deathly glare at Drissel, who had her irritated face painted on. "Despite how you look at me, that won't help your form, so start running, dear." Drissel helplessly threw her arms in the air, slowly inching further away from the rock. Brittany gave a heavy sigh as she darted back and forth, this time her time though improving not enough to move Drissel.
"You're rather consistent with seven minutes; let's see where exactly you're failing at this short exercise." She ran alongside Brittany, the two making their way to the rock maintaining identical speeds before they had to run back where a gap formed. Brittany fell behind, not massively like before, but the gap was still there. "When you reach the rock, you relax your muscles way too much, leaving you at a disadvantage. You don't stop moving until you reach me, Brittany. We'll be here all day until you get this right."
The stern look on Drissel's face promised Brittany that more was to come, and this was nothing but a sliver.
*Eight hours later*
The sun was setting, the two still on the beach as Brittany's figure began making her way back to Drissel. "Not bad, you could make it back in four minutes. Maybe tomorrow you'll be able to do it in two minutes." Her words appeared ridiculous to Brittany. "How the fuck am I supposed to cover this kind of distance in a matter of two minutes?!" Drissel flashed a confident smirk before her figure turned into a blur.
*Whoosh*
Brittany could barely track her as she made her way to the rock and back. "Two minutes will have to be your limit before we do something else. Don't think that you'll pick this up as quickly as today." Drissel's figure lacking an ounce of fatigue that claimed Brittany's body as the two made their way back to the house.
Already inside were Andrew and Charlotte, the two already lounging before Drissel let her figure crash into Andrew's hands. "Holy fuck, Andrew, this one's slow. I had to waste an entire day just to teach her how to run. It feels like I'm wasting my time." A look of exhaustion washing up on her face as Andrew sifted through her hair. "She's rather spoilt in luxury. All she needs is a bit more rough nudging, and she should be good."
Drissel turned, her back now facing Andrew. "Yeah, I know, but patience is something I doubt I have." Andrew's hands worked on her back, a look of satisfaction creeping up on Drissel's face. "Even though you learnt faster than her, the gap isn't that huge." Drissel moved her body once more, this time able to face Brittany and Charlotte.
"Well, I was faster than her; that's all that matters. What about Charlotte? I'm sure that she's faster than this bitch!" A look of disgust on Drissel's face as she looked at Brittany before replaced with a small smile looking at Charlotte. "She's a pretty quick learner; we had to spend half the day. The other half was spent on a stroll." Drissel rose to her feet, a groan leaving her lips. "Brittany, I don't care what you have to do, but get better at this! You're embarrassing me!"
Brittany could only clench her fists, her jaw tightening. "It's not my fault that I'm like this. After all, this isn't something I can pick up on a dime." Drissel's voice echoed as she made her way upstairs. "Excuses, excuses are all I'm hearing." Andrew adjusted himself upright. "I take it you need my blood; I've already prepared it for you in your room." His focus now on Charlotte. "Tomorrow it'll be harder, so try to rest early."
His words were still flat as ever before he took his leave. "Food's ready if any of you are hungry." Charlotte and Brittany looked at each other, the air turning heavy. "I have to ask, is Andrew mean to you, or is Drissel just picking on me? " I'm surprised that you lived this long with Drissel then." A look of surprise wound up on Charlotte's face.
"Mean? Drissel's pretty nice to me. Andrew as well. They're pretty patient and understanding with me." A pause landed. "That's why you're my favorite, Charlotte!" An echo from upstairs, Drissel, boomed downstairs. "Oh, so they just choose to play favorites like this?! It isn't fair!" Charlotte made her way to the dining table, a plethora of foods and delicacies were laid out for them.
"It's more your attitude with them. So far you've been rather bitchy with both of them. Drissel would go on ramblings, just saying how spoilt you were and how she planned on bringing you down to size." Brittany looked shocked; however, no words left her lips. 'Who do they think they are for them to judge me like that? Just because they're stronger than me means they can look down on me?'
Her mind recalling how silent Andrew was with Drissel. 'I can't believe that you would betray me like that, Andrew.' She mused in her mind, her fingers toying with her food before Charlotte leaving brought her back. She looked around, her mind recalling her old life. How she would be at the center of it all, adored and revered with Andrew at her beck and call, but now, that life was nothing more than a thing of the past.
'If I had known that I was crossing a state so that I could face training like this, then I wouldn't even have bothered leaving my room.' Her knuckles turned white before loosening on her cutlery. 'Well, I'm here and it's not like I can go back.' Forcing herself to eat, she made her way to the room where a pool of Andrew's blood was waiting for her.
. . .
"Wake up, sunshine, you're not sleeping in today!" Drissel shouted, a red silk shooting out of her index and cutting another light gash on Brittany's cheek. "So much for good morning!" Brittany groaned as she regained her senses. Forcing herself out of bed, she made her way downstairs where the rest seemed to wait for her. "What is going on? Don't tell me you were all waiting for me." A smile spread across her lips.
"Please, I want you to learn from Charlotte and how she works with Andrew. Maybe you could pick something up and reflect." Drissel's harsh words shattered her smile.