Blood Land, J.R. Lawson [electric book reader .txt] 📗

him a smile back. CHAPTER 40

 IT WAS LATER in that week that Nora and Kale began training.  Kale had said he would teach Nora how to use her new vampire powers and let her get stronger, at least, up until it was close to her getting her ability.  Then she had agreed they would stop the progression.  Even though this wasn’t what she wanted; she wanted to be just as strong as he and Caroline was, she agreed because it was better than nothing.  A little training was better than her continuing to be, what she considered, a weak human that couldn’t contribute.

It was late in the afternoon on this particularly cold day and Nora and Kale were outside, dressed in their winter clothes, among the woods near Caroline’s safe house.  Kale was starting her training by helping Nora with her traveling skills.  She had been a bit clumsy when she was trying to run from Jay and Aaron before and she wanted it to be much smoother.  After a few exercises in jumping just to show how high she could go, the two of them found themselves in one of the high trees standing on the same branch.

“O.k.,” Kale began to instruct, “I’m going to jump to that tree over there.” He pointed as he spoke. “Watch me and follow.”

Nora nodded. “O.k.” She then watched Kale as he jumped and, almost gliding through the air, eventually landed gracefully onto the branch of another tree far off.

“The key is to pretend that you’re landing on a large surface!” Kale then shouted at her from where he was, “Don’t think about it being a small branch.  Just land on it like you would the ground!”

Nora nodded again. “O.k.!” she shouted back as she then bent her knees and braced herself for her attempt at leaping.  Finally she jumped, and soaring along, she saw Kale’s image coming closer into view.  She also saw the branch. “Don’t think about the branch, don’t think about the branch…” she thought over and over to herself as she began her descent.  She shut her eyes for a split second as she felt her feet touch the tree branch.  It gave way a bit, which she didn’t expect and when she herself wobbled, Kale was right there to grab her shoulders and steady her.

“Damn,” Nora cursed at herself for her landing not being smoother.

“No, no, you did good!” Kale praised.  Nora looked over at him.  He was still holding onto her shoulders and he gave her a soft smile.  Nora gave him one back.

“Really?  I thought I sucked.”

“No, that was good.  A little wobbly, but I could tell you did what I said.  It was otherwise very smooth.”  He then let go of her shoulders and faced forward, so Nora did the same. “Now let’s try it again,” Kale instructed as he then took off for another branch a little further away than before.  Nora took a deep breath and let it out, seeing it in the cold air in front of her as she exhaled.  She then took off as well and landed once more, this time much less clumsily.

“That was much better!” Kale acclaimed again. Nora smiled to herself in self-triumph.

“O.k. now something a little harder,” Kale started, “We’re going to jump from tree to tree consecutively, without stopping at each one.”

“O-o.k….” Nora apprehensively responded.

Kale looked over at her nervous face and chuckled. “You’ll be fine, just remember what I said.  Don’t think of it as being a small tree limb.  Pretend you’re jumping onto a large platform.  If you do it right, you’ll be moving fast enough for the limbs to not even resist.  The real trick is acting quickly and making the decision of which limb to jump to almost instantly.  Try not to think too much.  Just act instinctively.”

“Alright,” Nora responded in a much focused tone.

“I’ll go first.  Once I get to the next tree just follow me.” Kale directed.

Nora just nodded as Kale then took off.  Nora watched him for a few seconds as he went from tree to tree.  She then took a deep breath and leapt from the branch as well, attempting to keep up.  She hit the next tree, only touching it with her right foot as she then used it to basically take off to the next one.  She kept going like that, alternating feet to kick off from branch to branch.  She felt amazing as she went, watching Kale up ahead of her.  She just couldn’t hold it in; she began to smile and even laugh as she went.  The cold wind almost felt like it was burning her face as it hit her but she didn’t care.  She felt so amazing dashing through the trees with Kale.  With a vampire!  Something she never thought she’d be doing in her lifetime.  It felt so freeing.  She felt more alive and stronger than she had ever felt.

Finally she saw Kale up ahead of her stop at a tree, one at the edge of a small clearing in the woods.  Nora braced herself as she went to land next to him.  However, she had seemed to have built up so much momentum that she teetered forward and almost fell.  Luckily, Kale grabbed her arm and pulled her back up, then grabbing her in a sort of hug as he held her next to him.

“You o.k?” he then chuckled a bit.

Nora looked up as he held her.  Their faces were very close and she noticed how rosy his cheeks were against his extremely pale skin.  His red eyes even shown brighter against the navy blue of the knit ski cap he was wearing.  She swallowed a bit nervously as she stared up at him. “Y-yeah…I’m fine…” she tensely answered.

“Good…” Kale timidly responded back.  There was a few seconds of awkward silence as the two of them just looked at one another.  Suddenly, Kale cleared his throat, let go of Nora and slightly stepped away from her.  Nora rubbed her arm nervously and brought her shoulders up as she shivered.

“Well…uh…” Kale then said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them, “Let’s try landing now.  Just…try your best at jumping down there to the ground.” He then nodded with his head toward the clearing of snow ahead of them.

“O.k.” Nora responded as she then wasted no time in leaping downward. However, unbeknownst to her, a slippery patch of ice covering a frozen puddle of mud lay hidden under the snow and when she touched it with her foot she slipped, and fell right on her back, getting immediately consumed by the snow on the ground around her.

“Nora!” Kale frightfully shouted as he instantly leapt and landed, kneeling right where she had fallen. “Nora, are you o.k.?” He frantically asked as he then began brushing away snow to find her.  Nora, however, eventually sat up and shook her head.

“God, Nora!” Kale sighed with a bit of relief.  “Are you alright?”

Nora nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.  Kinda hurt though.” She then looked up at Kale’s panicked face.  It was then that she began to laugh.

“What is it?” Kale confusedly asked.

“You!” Nora answered, still laughing, “You’re covered in snow!”

Kale hadn’t realized, but it all his frantic digging he must have kicked up a fair bit of snow all over himself.  He reached up and dusted it off of his head and shoulders.  He then looked back at Nora and laughed as well. “Me?” he then said between laughs, “You’re covered more than I am!”

Nora felt her face as well as the two of them continued laughing at one another. After a bit, the laughter began to trail off and Kale then said, “Here, let me help you up.” He put out his hand which Nora took as he then proceeded to help her to her feet. “Maybe we should call it for today.  We can work on some more tomorrow.”

Nora nodded as she continued smiling. “Yeah, o.k.”  It was then that she looked up at Kale for the umpteenth time today and noticed something she hadn’t really realized before.  Kale seemed to sense it through her curious expression and asked, “What is it?”

“Oh, nothing just…” Nora began to say, “I just realized this is the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh.  I mean…really laugh.”

“Oh…well…” Kale started to say as he now tried to hide his smile.

“I liked it,” Nora then finished, smiling up at him.

Kale then met eyes with her and smiled back. “Well…I guess I haven’t had much to laugh about until now.”

It was quiet for a few beats as the two of them silently decided to begin walking, heading back to the house. It didn’t take but a few seconds for Nora to speak up again though. “I’m sorry…” she softly uttered.

Kale turned his head curiously to her direction as they walked. “For what?”

“I’m sorry that you’ve had such a hard life….so hard that you haven’t been able to laugh…”

Kale chuckled as he observed Nora’s sympathetic face. “Nah, it hasn’t been that bad.” Nora gave him a look of disbelief and he then continued, “Well, o.k. it has been hard…but there have been some good moments sprinkled in there.”

“Like what?” Nora asked.

“Like…meeting you.”

Nora turned to him with a sarcastic look. “You hated me when you met me.”

Kale then chuckled and nodded, “O.k. true…but it turned out to be a good moment.  Even though I didn’t know it then.”

Nora chuckled too. “O.k.” she sarcastically responded as she turned to look ahead of her again as they walked.

“Also I recall a great night when me and…oh…someone else rode a Ferris Wheel.  That was kinda fun…” Kale smirked at Nora as she glanced back over at him. “And when we got kicked out of that antique store,” he continued with a smile, “And I gotta say…today is climbing the charts too.”

Nora laughed a little and blushed even though she tried to look away to hide it. “O.k. I get it…”

Kale then chuckled at her blushing face which he tried to, in turn, pretend he didn’t notice as they continued they’re walk through the trees and back to the house.

Once they got back Nora quickly ran back up to her room.  She wanted to change out of her wet snow drenched clothes and maybe take a hot shower.  Caroline had greeted them when they had come back and Nora thought to herself about how she was really starting to warm up to Caroline.  She wasn’t quite to a full level of trust yet, but she was getting there.  Caroline had even offered yesterday to help with her training, since she herself is a hybrid.  Nora said she had to think about it but perhaps it would be a good experience for her to get to know Caroline a little more; even try to let her in.

Once Nora had ascended the stairs and retreated to her room Kale turned to Caroline who was in the kitchen, looking through the fridge for an attempt at dinner.

“So, how’s Nora doing?” she asked as she kept her eyes on the contents of the fridge.

“Good.  Real good.” Kale answered, “She’s picking up on things real fast.”

“Good, good,” Caroline replied.

There was a pause of silence as Kale leaned against one of the counters. “Actually I was thinking