"Begin!" Anna shouted.
She lunged forward just fast enough for Ethan to have a chance to react. Her palm flew toward his shoulder. Ethan jerked sharply to the side, but unfortunately not fast enough. Anna lightly touched his shoulder with her fingertips.
"Dead," she said calmly.
"Let's go again!"
They started over.
Anna moved around him like a graceful swan. Her strikes were precise and non-destructive, she was clearly holding back. Ethan tried to dodge, but each time he was a fraction of a second too late.
One strike landed on his chest, another on his side. Each time, Anna calmly announced:
"You're dead…"
"You're not going to make it…"
"Too slow."
Ethan breathed heavily and tried to catch her strikes. With his current body, it was almost impossible. He had no muscle definition, not skinny, just an average body without any real muscle tone.
Sweat was already streaming down his face. He could feel his body starting to tire, but he kept moving.
"Close your eyes," Anna said suddenly.
Ethan stopped, breathing hard.
"What?"
"Close your eyes," she repeated.
"And try to sense me without using sight or hearing. Vampires can always feel each other's presence."
"You can learn this too, especially with your supernatural abilities…"
Ethan hesitated for only a second, then closed his eyes.
"Fine, I'll try."
He could only hear his own breathing and the quiet hum of the lamp on the ceiling.
Anna began to move. Her footsteps were almost silent. Ethan felt a slight shift in the air.
"Left…" he whispered to himself and stepped right.
Anna struck. Her palm lightly touched his shoulder.
"Dead," she said.
"You guessed the direction, but you couldn't predict the strike with your body. Just because the movement came from the left doesn't mean there won't be an attack from the right."
Ethan opened his eyes. Disappointment was clear on his face.
"I… don't feel anything," he said with frustration.
"I told you I'd try, but you're asking me to do the impossible…"
Anna didn't scold him. She simply stopped in front of him and looked him in the eyes.
"You're not supposed to be like us. You carry a part of our power, and the curse has given you a temporary ability,use it."
"I'm teaching you a skill that very few in this world know. Not even all vampires possess it."
Ethan closed his eyes again.
Anna moved more slowly this time. She circled him, then stepped closer.
Ethan felt… something. A slight pressure in his chest, as if someone was standing very close and staring at the back of his head.
He spun sharply to the left and thrust out his hand.
Anna stopped just a few centimeters from his palm.
"Better," she said softly. "Now explain, how did you do it?"
"I don't know. It was like I felt your energy and instinctively trusted my intuition."
Ethan opened his eyes. His face showed both surprise and exhaustion.
"This… is weird," he said.
"It's like I know where you are, but I don't understand how I know it."
Anna nodded.
"Exactly. That's the sixth sense. Vampires don't have it and never will."
"Humans have it, but it's undeveloped, you don't use it. With your curse, however, it's working at about 5% capacity."
Anna continued moving around him. Ethan stood with his eyes closed, trying to catch her presence.
Sometimes he managed to react, stepping aside, throwing out a hand, but then he would miss, and Anna would lightly touch his shoulder or back.
"Dead."
"Dead, that was close."
"Better already! Again!"
Sweat poured down his temples. Every miss brought a flash of frustration and self-anger to his eyes.
"I'm… a hopeless student," he finally said, opening his eyes after another miss. His voice was full of tiredness and self-mockery.
"You're moving too fast and I can't keep up."
Anna stopped in front of him. She wasn't smiling. There was no judgment in her gaze, only calm confidence.
"You're not hopeless," she said.
"You're learning something that goes against your nature. That alone is an achievement."
"Let's continue," Ethan said. A wild spark of determination appeared in his eyes.
Anna gave him no time to rest.
"Close your eyes," she repeated for the fourth time.
"Don't think you have to guess. Just feel."
Ethan stood in the middle of the basement, feet slightly apart, knees softly bent.
The darkness behind his eyelids was thick and heavy. Blood pounded in his ears. His heart beat fast and uneven.
He tried to concentrate and catch that elusive "sixth sense" Anna had mentioned. Instead, only fragments of thoughts swirled in his head.
Anna began to move.
Her footsteps were almost silent, just a faint rustle of soles on the concrete floor. She moved slowly to give him a chance, but even that slowness felt almost unbearable to Ethan.
He felt a slight movement of air on the left. Instinctively, he stepped right and thrust out his hand.
Anna easily circled around to the other side and touched his back with her fingers.
"Dead," she said calmly.
"You guessed the direction again, but not the distance. You're reacting to the wind, not to me."
Ethan opened his eyes sharply. His chest heaved heavily. Sweat streamed down his temples and dripped from his chin.
"I… don't feel it," he exhaled in frustration.
"I'm trying… but all I sense is the air and my own breathing. It's like I'm blind in a room full of shadows."
Anna stopped in front of him. She didn't even try to scold him.
"You're human," she said quietly.