Bite Club Page 0,19

no idea there was another part to it, behind a door near the restrooms. Behind it lay a couple of racquetball courts (safely caged up behind clear plastic), and even an indoor tennis court; maybe the vampires had been craving it and couldn't get out in the sun. But at the very back was a wood-floored room with racks on the walls that held swords, as well as neat stacks of white uniforms and those funky mesh helmets.

"Right. I wouldn't start you out with a saber," Eve said, moving Claire from contemplation of one particular row of choices. "Too whippy for a beginner. How about a plain old foil? You can only target from the neck to the waist; no double touches. Easy peasy."

She grabbed a couple of the long, slender weapons and tossed one to Claire, who caught it. It felt strange in her hand, but not at all heavy. The blade was kind of square, and there was a round tip on the end. She made a tentative slashing motion with it, and Eve laughed.

"It's a lunging weapon," she said. "Hang on, let's get you suited up before you start attacking anything."

Suiting upsounded much less complicated than it actually was; by the time Eve had finished dressing her like a sword-bearing doll, Claire felt clumsy, hot, and claustrophobic. Between the thick padding and the tight mesh helmet, she had no idea how she was supposed to move, much less fight.

Eve had her own fencing suit, which she took out of a cheerful, skull-featuring bag of her own. Her outfit was black, with a pirate skull and crossbones where the heart would be. She lookeddangerous. And a little bit crazy, even without the beekeeper helmet.

"Okay," she said. "First fighting lesson is, we don't fight, so stop pointing that foil at me. It's not going to go off."

Claire blushed and dropped the point down toward her toes. "Sorry."

"No worries. You couldn't hit me, anyway," Eve said, and smiled. "I'm going to line up next to you. Just do what I do, okay?"

The first thing, apparently, was how to grip the sword properly. That took a while. Then there was lunging, which involved stabbing the sword out in a smooth, straight line while stepping out on her right leg in a deep crouch.

It hurt. A lot. In fact, after about ten of those, Claire was gasping for breath and sweating; in about fifteen, she was ready to cry. Eve stopped after twenty, but it seemed like she could have gone all day.

"I had to put all this on forthat ?" Claire muttered, as she pulled off her helmet. Her hair was soaked with sweat and sticking to her face. "Seriously? Nobody even waved a sword at me!"

"You have to get used to the weight and moving in it," Eve said. "Suck it up, newbie."

"You're enjoying this."

"Yeah, well, a lot. I had to do it. You should, too." Eve winked. She moved off to a padded pole that had a red circle marked on it, and practiced some lunges on her own. Her sword point landed in the circle every time.

Claire spun around at the dry sound of hands clapping. She hadn't heard anybody come into the room, but there he was, dressed in white fencing gear, with a sword in one hand and his helmet tucked under his arm.Oliver. He looked leaner and harder in the uniform.

Next to him, also dressed in white, was another figure.Amelie. The Founder of Morganville had never seemed so small before; the clothes she wore tended to enhance her height, as did the high heels. But like this, Claire realized that Amelie wasn't much taller than she was, and was very slender. In the fencing clothes, she could have passed for a boy, except for the feminine curves of her face.

"You're coming along, Eve," Amelie said. Eve broke off her lunges and stood very straight, sword point down. "I remember when you first began your lessons. I had to give personal approval for anyone who practiced those types of martial arts."

"Yeah, well, it's been a while since I was competitive," Eve said. "Hey, Ollie."

"For that," Oliver said, "you may step onto the piste."

"I didn't come to fight."

"You're dressed for it. What is that--a foil? Nonsense. You're more suited to an epee." Oliver snorted and took another weapon from the wall, which he threw in Eve's direction. She grabbed it out of the air with her left hand. It had a deadlier look to it, Claire realized;