What's in a Name? Ch. 05

Ravenna frowned at the game. She'd seen the move coming but hadn't been able to do anything about it. Annoyed, she tried to retrace her steps, see where she'd gone wrong; she rarely lost a match. She knocked over her King in defeat, shaking Alexander's hand. Next time she'd beat him, she'd make sure of that.

Alexander took in her annoyance, amused. He was not going to tell her she'd almost defeated him. That she had surprised him with her skill. She'd realize that soon enough, he thought smiling.

***

The next two weeks flew past. Ravenna's condition improved steadily with a daily schedule of working out in the gym, running out doors in the sun with her vampire friends, and lots of Disney and chess. Unfortunately, Dominic would not play with her anymore because she continuously beat him.

Her physical wounds were only visible as thin scars, becoming more faint every day; the same could not be said of her mental wounds. Although she felt comfortable around the house, going outside was still a challenge every time. They'd tried to coax her from the estate and take her shopping, but she'd flatly refused, not even willing to listen to their reasoning and avoiding the garage for some days after their proposal.

Alexander worried about that. She'd have to get herself something of a life again sometime. Not to mention that, while he didn't mind having her in his house, he did hope he'd have it for himself again sometime in the future. He did have to admit that the trail of books, hairpins, shoes, and empty cups she left behind was endearing, he thought smiling.

He talked to Dominic about it. "Do you have any idea how we can get Rav out in the city?"

Dominic hesitated. He had been thinking about that for some time and had thought of a solution he wasn't entirely comfortable with yet. He wondered how his friend would react. "Well," Dominic started, "I've been thinking about her computer abilities."

"What about them?"

"The last two weeks a digital revolution has taken place here. She really can do amazing things with anything that has a wire." He looked around him thinking back awed at the things she'd done in the house. Amongst other things, she somehow had managed to turn the lighting in the mansion into beamers, projecting films in every room if desired. She really was amazing.

"I was thinking that we've been looking for a third executive officer for the company for some time now, and that we also always have a problem with getting good computer analysts." He let the words hover in the air between them, waiting for his friend's reaction.

Alexander nodded. It was a brilliant idea. One plus one made two, and in this case three. They'd gain a smart colleague, a good manager of digital systems, and they'd get Ravenna out of the house.

He smiled at Dominic mischievously, "You can go convince her."

***