Valentina startled as she heard a crash, followed by swearing. Assuming that it was either Dixen or Tyler, she tried to close her eyes but they shot open when she heard the crash yet again.

Deciding to investigate, she climbed out of bed and crossed the room. Val hesitated at the door before rolling her eyes at herself and turning the knob.

Walking down the hallway Val paused when she heard more noise, this time a voice was distinctly heard. A voice that was neither Tyler nor Dixen.

Something creaked behind her and Val turned, ready to hit whatever was behind her. A figure was standing in front of her. In a split second Val struck out and felt her fist make contact with something, or someone.

Val immediately regretted hitting whoever that was because now her hand was throbbing which was probably because she doesn't know how to punch properly, or at all.

She took a step back when she heard a grunt followed by a 'what the hell?'
That sounded a lot like Tyler. Val thought as she felt around for said Tyler. Her fingers found the fabric of a T-shirt and she hoped that it was him.

At the same time she grabbed the t-shirt, the person attached to the shirt pushed her up against the wall.

Being this close to the person helped Val's sight as she realized now that it was Tyler that she had punched, not an intruder. "Oh my Gosh! I am so sorry. I-"  Val started before Tyler put his hand over her mouth.

"Shut it will ya? We need to be quiet although I have a feeling I know who's here." Tyler said taking his hand off my mouth and backing away.

"Where's Dixen?" She whispered, careful not to be loud.

"Still asleep." Was faintly heard in the darkness and Val resisted the urge to snort.

"Are you coming?" Tyler bit out sarcastically. Val couldn't see him but she reckons that he was going in the direction of the kitchen. Slowly, she followed behind until they reached the kitchen, there was a light flickering under the door that made Val eager to leave the stale darkness behind.

She could now see Tyler more clearly in the faint light from under the door. Tyler turned toward her gave a thumbs up before turning the knob and throwing open the door.

Closely behind Tyler, Valentina stood. Nervous, but excited nonetheless. Tyler looked around the candlelit room and immediately stiffened. "You," he growled out.

Val looked and stiffened too. There was a man eating something whilst sitting on the counter. "Uh Tyler who is-"

The dude cut her off with a belch. "Tyler! It's been too long! How's Dix and what's her face?"

Tyler gritted his teeth and took a step forward, "Dixen is fine."

The guy nodded his head lazily before continuing, "and what's her face?"

Tyler was practically shaking with rage that made Val extremely uncomfortable considering she was near him. She cast another glance at Ty and realized his nose was bleeding, which was probably her fault.

Tyler had taken a deep breath but didn't appear any calmer. "She's still dead." His emotionless voice cut the air.
"Pity... what happened to her?" The guy asked the same time I saw Dixen sleepily wonder into the kitchen.

Tyler's voice halted any other event currently going on, "YOU FUCKIN KILLED HER!"

Val had expected a major reaction, but this actually made her step away from Tyler close to Dixen who was looking far more awake now.

Dixen walked over to Tyler and slapped his shoulder. "Tyler! What have I told you?! He didn't do anything! You just want somebody to pin her death on!"

"You know that's not fucking true. He's just your spineless friend." Tyler spoke, his voice not loud, but equally scary.

The guy cleared his throat and hopped off the counter, "not to intrude on this argument or anything, but who is this?" He asked pointing at Val and winking.

She had already decided that she hated this guy's guts and therefore decided to not be nice. "That's not any of your business," she said, her voice sounding cold.

She could feel Tyler's eyes on her but ignored it. Dixen sighed and Val could tell he was annoyed. He shook his head before speaking. "That's Valentina."

Val didn't want this guy to know her name but that plan was out the window. She was gazing at the door, wondering if she could sneak out when the new guy cleared his throat.

She turned to look at him but drifted her gaze elsewhere. Tyler and Dixen were having a hushed conversation and Valentina wished that they would include her, she could feel the blond guy's eyes on her.

He cleared his throat again, this time more dramatically than the last. Val snapped her gaze to him and he smiled, "don't you want to know what my name is Valentina?"

Val rolled her eyes and ignored him, but he made it apparent he would not be ignored. Blond guy hopped off the counter and made his way over to her.

Tyler and Dixen were watching now and Val felt herself grow nervous. She didn't like people getting this close to her.

He flashed her what she guessed was supposed to be a smile before continuing, "well? Don't you?"

Without hesitation Val spoke, "no." She then turned and left the kitchen before blindly finding her way back to her bedroom.

A few minutes later she heard Tyler and Dixen walk by the front of her door. She pressed her ear against the door to see if she could hear anything and Val wasn't disappointed.

"I don't understand why you hate him so much. When are you going to stop  blaming him for- well you know what."

That was definitely Dixen. Valentina could have guessed that something happened between all of them. Tyler thinks that the girl was murdered, but Dixen doesn't think so. Not to mention that the guy didn't even seem to remember what happened.

Val cut off her thoughts when Tyler spoke up, "when you get your head out of your ass. You were there when it happened, I don't understand how you didn't see what he did."

She heard a sigh before Dixen's voice rang out, "yeah yeah I know. He killed her, but how? It's almost impossible to kill someone here."

"Nothing, nevermind. I'll be in the training room if you need me." Valentina heard footsteps walk away from the door.

Val jumped back from the door when she heard knocking. Knowing that it was Dixy, she waited a few seconds before opening so maybe he wouldn't know she was listening in.

"Hey, what's up?" She chirped trying to not look suspicious, but in all honesty they did choose the hallway by her bedroom to have an argument so that's not her fault.

Dixen sighed before walking in, "cut the crap. I know you heard everything."

Sighing Val shut the door behind him and sat down on a chair, Dixy followed suite but almost slumped against the couch.

Dixen opened his mouth but Val started, "what's the deal with the blond guy? He just shows up and the two of you know him? I mean, like Tyler hates him I gathered but you seem to like him. Personally I think he's a tad full of himsel-"

"He's an old friend." Dixen cut off with a grimace, "and Tyler, I- I don't know what to do."

"What happened? You know, between all of you."

Dixen sighed and stood up, "that's not my story to tell. Ask Ty, you guys have more in common than you think."

He walked over to the door and opened it, he started out the door before hesitating, "the door to the gym is straight down the hall, in case you want to know."

Valentina waited for a few seconds before getting up and entering the hallway.

Valentina paced in front of the door to the training room for a few minutes, contemplating what she was going to say.

She reached for the door handle and nearly jumped out of her skin when it opened before her hand reached the handle. Tyler backed away from the door mumbling, "I heard you walking. You aren't exactly quiet."

Ignoring his comment, she followed him inside and shut the door behind them. Tyler turned to her before sneering, "what do you want?"

Valentina looked shocked momentarily before wiping it off. "There is no reason to have that tone with me. I haven't done crap to you."

"Yeah, whatever. Why are you here then?"

Val looked around the huge room for the first time. Up front a few rows of homemade punching bags were in rows.

To the left two sets of thick, long ropes were laid out on the ground. On the other side, a thick black mat took up most of that side, and in the back were what looked like dummies, knives, swords, and other trinkets.

"Did Dixy put you up to this?" Tyler snapped. Val jumped at his voice, she completely forgot that she hadn't responded.

She brought her attention back to Tyler when Val spoke. "No, he didn't. I'm here to train."

'What the hell did I just say' Val thought to herself, though if she hadn't lied it would look suspicious.

Tyler snorted before walking over to a punching bag, "yeah, I'm sure you are."

"Listen, I'm not Dixen's bitch and don't try to play me off as that. Did I not semi have your back against that blond guy?" Val snapped.

She did not want her entire afterlife to be people assuming that she couldn't do something for herself.

Tyler hesitated before walked over to a bench and rummaging through a bag. Valentina thought he was going to ignore her until he turned and threw something.

She caught it and looked questionably at him while he help up something similar.

"Watch me wrap my wrists then try and copy me." Val couldn't help the small smile form on her face, maybe they would be friends after all.

Tyler snapped his fingers to get her attention, "listen, I'm not going to show you twice so pay attention."

15 minutes later Tyler had led the two of them over to the mat and stopped. "Do you know how to throw a punch?" He questioned lazily.

Val shook her head and watched at he nodded, "okay, make a fist and when you make contact you're gonna make sure and follow through your hit. Try and make contact with your first two knuckles because your thumb will keep them from breaking."

"Like... this?" Tyler nodded his head before clearing his throat.

"Now, you'll want to hold both of your fists up like this to protect your face."

Val brought her hands up and tried to mirror Ty. He nodded his head before continuing, "when you hit you're gonna twist your wrist knuckles up. Make your hit fast and hard."

Val nodded, trying to memorize everything he was saying and more importantly trying to decide when the right time would be to ask him about his life.

Ty cleared his throat, "okay, now try to hit me." Val wasted no time in swinging out at his head which took him by surprise.

They sparred for a good hour with Val getting knocked on her butt every time, but they both could agree that she was improving.

"Just spit it out." Tyler sighed during a water break.

Scrunching up her nose she looked at him, "spit what out?" Though she knew what he was talking about.

"You have been wanting to ask me something since you walked in here. You didn't come to train and you didn't come on Dixy's orders. So spit it out."

Valentina sighed before standing up. She was a little nervous to ask. Sure they had been getting along, but this was a sensitive topic.

"Uh, um what happened between all of you guys? With the girl and that blond prick and stuff and are there more people that are gonna keep popping up in the night?"

Setting down his water Tyler nodded his head, "there were four of us. Dixen, Ajax, Skyler, and me. Skyler was my best friend down here. She was with us all the time, just like Ajax used to be. I never liked him much, but he was Dixy's friend so I put up with him."

Val just nodded her head along thankful he didn't yell at her or something. She also made a mental note to remember that the blond's name is Ajax. Which is a stupid name might she add.

Tyler took a deep breath and ran a hand down his face, " it happened the day we killed the bestia. It took all four of us to bring it down. We were walking back to the treehouse and didn't realize how late it was. It came out of nowhere and started attacking us. We had weapons, but we weren't prepared."

Val decided to sit back down on the floor and tried to look sympathetic.

"We were doing well against it, I mean, I thought we had a chance of killing it."

Valentina nodded her head along with the story. She decided not to mention that they did kill the bestia because she figured that would result in her elimination.

"That is until Ajax started trying to show off. I don't know who he was trying to impress but his own stupidity almost got him killed... it would have, it should have. But he drug Skyler in front of him.

Val couldn't hold in the question before it left her lips, "wait, he-"

Tyler cut her off before she could finish, "when the bestia came after him, he threw Sky in front of it. She was so surprised she didn't have time to fight before she was gone. Anyway after she d-died me and Dixy finished it off. Ajax swears it was an accident and Dixen didn't want to pick a side, and so he didn't."

Val was speechless. She knew she didn't like Ajax, but now she understood why Tyler hated him.

Valentina felt awkward. She knew better than to apologize, but she didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound insincere. "Wow. He's an ass." Was all she couldn't manage, then she cursed herself for sounding stupid, but that seemed to be the right thing to say because Tyler laughed.

It was a strangled laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. "Yeah, that's one way I would describe him. I just don't get why he would act like he didn't remember what happened to her? There's something off about that."

Standing up, Val unwrapped her wrists before speaking, "yeah, I guess we'll have to keep an eye on him because I have a feeling he's not going anywhere."

She began making her way to the door before stopping, " thank you, for telling me."

Val had made it to the door when she heard something being grumbled from Tyler, but she couldn't distinguish what. All Val knew was that she was tired and need to sleep.

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Sorry about the super late delay. I have either been busy or completely not able to write although some might argue that I can't write anyway (haha)