Heroine? Or Villain? That Is the Question.

When Carcer woke up the next morning, he remembered Barsad's words. "You begin your training in the morning. It is training or death."

"What the hell does that mean?" Carcer thought to himself.

Suddenly, the door to his cell opened. Carcer looked up and in walked Shadow, trailed by Barsad and another that Carcer had no idea who it was.

"Well good morning Carcer," Shadow said in a sickeningly sweet voice with a sly smirk. "Ready for your training?"

"Hell no bitch," Carcer responded.

Barsad shook his head at Carcer almost imperceptibly.

"The little prisoner has become rather brave overnight," Shadow replied still smirking. "You might want to feel your face before you insult me again and remember your place."

Carcer reached up to feel his cheek. As soon as his fingers touched it, the five scratches on his face felt like they were on fire. Now he remembered. Shadow had scratched him yesterday when he had insulted her. Somehow he had forgotten and the pain had gone away. But now, they ached like nothing he had ever felt before.

Carcer grimaced in pain.

"That's what I thought," Shadow said. "Now let's go train," she said as she swept out of the room.

Barsad came over to help Carcer up. "She glues razor blades under her nails," he told Carcer. "And they have some sort of poison on them that makes the cuts not hurt until they are touched by human hands. Then they are as if they are on fire. Avoid her claws as much as you can. Her name was not changed to Tora when she arrived for nothing."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Carcer asked.

"Tora means tiger," Barsad responded. "And Shadow is not afraid to scratch."

They walked to the training room in silence. When they arrived, they saw a man in a chokehold under Shadow's arm. She was speaking to him.

"Farid, I thought you were the fast one," she said disappointed. "Now not even you are a challenge." The man was starting to turn purple. Shadow released him. She looked at Barsad. "I would ask if you would like to take a turn, but your responsibility is to train him and I'm afraid we do not have time for that. Today he will be training with knives. Farid will instruct. As soon as he can breathe," Shadow said looking at the man she had had in a chokehold. He waved her off.

"I am fine now, Shadow," The man, Farid, croaked. "The affects do not last long on us."

"Good,"Shadow said, "Then I leave his training to the two of you. Barsad," she said "Your task is to make sure he does not accidentally kill someone with a knife." she said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Accidentally?" Carcer asked after she had left. "So if I meant to do it on purpose, you're supposed to allow me to kill the person?"

Farid chuckled. "You couldn't kill us if you tried to, not without the training that we have gone through for years. At this point, the only way you would kill someone would be by accident. Now let us begin."