As we were heading up the stairs, I looked at David and Nala and thought to myself, that you can never know how things will turn out. Then I spoke up and said, "So what do you guys think about what's going on?" Nala said "I'm indifferent. I can't really remember who my parents were and my family can't be that great since they didn't try to get me out." David shrugged and said "I'm not sure how I feel. I know I don't like the people in charge who locked us up so that's something. I just have to think about it a little more. I never really had to think about much before so this is a bunch of information to swallow." I nodded my head trying to understand both of their points of view. "I get it. I'm kind of confused as well but I don't like the idea that someone stole my family from me. Took away all of my possibilities. I'm angry! And I know that I can't expect the same from you but I'm going to put forth all my strength so that I can have revenge." Nala shrugged and replied "I hope you don't die an early death." And went into her room. I looked in her direction upset and confused. "Why is she acting like that?" David tried to be compassionate "She's just confused and scared about what happens next. I think we all are. We just handle things a little differently." I shook my head and sighed "I guess you're right. I'm excited about tomorrow though!" David smiled and said "I am too. And just so you know I'll always have your back no matter what. You're basically like a brother to me since I've known you for so long." I smiled and held out my fist for a fist bump. "I appreciate it. Let's do our best!" We both then went into our rooms to go to sleep.
"We will always be with you…" I suddenly jumped out of my bed and looked around afraid of whoever said that. It was like a whisper in my ear. I felt a shiver down my spine; once I realized that there was nothing in my room I laid back down and went to sleep again. When I woke up, I stretched my legs and rolled out of bed. I still kind of shaken up about what I had heard last night but, I wasn't too concerned about it. As I went to the door there were instructions put on it. It listed out a couple of steps we had to take before we started our day. 1. Wash up, brush your teeth. 2. There are training clothes in the box underneath your bed, please change into those. 3. Put your dirty clothes in the basket in the hallway so that they can be washed. 4. Be prepared to have a great day. This list also came with detailed instructions on where things were placed, where and how to "wash up", and everything else. I completed everything on the list except for getting dressed. I pulled out the box from under the bed opened it up and saw a black shirt, black shorts and training shoes. I put them on and walked downstairs to the room where we eat at. Jed and Lia were already there at the table with meat and yellow stuff, they called eggs, sitting on the table. When I entered the room Lia smiled and asked "How did you sleep?" "Good" I said. I wasn't willing to tell them about the voice I heard. I hadn't even told anybody about the vision I had when I passed out. It seemed a little weird. Nala came down after me and sat down without a word. She was wearing a gray shirt with grey and white shorts with grey and white shoes. Her hair was shoulder length and curly. It still looked wet with water. She immediately grabbed a plate and starting eating. When I saw her do that I copied her and made a plate for myself. Afterwards David came down wearing a blue and dark grey shirt with dark grey shorts and blue and grey shoes. He pulled up a seat next to me and said good morning to everyone before he started to eat. It was a very quiet meal. When we had finished eating Jed cleared his throat and said "Let's get started with your training! I see you all have the clothes we gave you so you should be good to go. Follow me so we can get measurements on your attributes." I looked at him inquisitively trying to figure out what he was saying. He looked at us and said "Just come on it'll be quick." We all got up and followed him into a very spacious room that was made out of rocks and metal. He said "First let's figure out your height. Just to let you know the average height for men is 5ft 10in and for women it's 5ft. 6in. I am 6ft 6in. Who wants to go first?" I looked at him confused as to what he was talking about. He just threw a bunch of numbers at us with no explanation! Jed realized his mistake and said " We are just trying to see how y'all you are and see if you have room for growth. People your age still can grow and with you receiving the proper nutrients now you should see results." David then raised his hand asked " Do you know how old we are?" Jed looked taken aback and said "Damn, you guys don't even know your birthdays. Well I can probably give you the years you were born if I line it up with the civil war. I think Nala and David would be around 16, and I think Zahir is 17. There are certain rituals for people when they reach 21 but you have some time before that happens. Now who wants to go first?" Nala moved first as she went over to the wall Jed was standing in front of. Jed said "You are 5 ft 3 in. Next!" David then went over and Jed said "You are 6ft 3in. Next!" I stepped up next not really sure if these numbers meant anything and if they were low, would that mean I won't be good enough to help? Jed rang out and said "Zahir, you are 6ft. Even. Not bad." Not knowing what this meant I walked back over to David and Nala to hear about what we had to do next. Jed said "these numbers really don't mean anything right now." I almost fell over from that sentence. I was stressed out for nothing! Jed continued "However, height and body frame hold advantages and disadvantages, so it's good to know accurate measurements so we know what we need to work on. Next we are going to measure how much Tribal Grace you currently have and what kind ofGrace you have. Don't worry about this rating too much as it can change depending on training. Graces are currently divided into 5 levels. Level 5 has the bare minimum amount of Grace. These level users typically can only do minor things with their powers like heat up a pot or make a gentle breeze. Level 4 is a step above. This level can do a little more like start small fires or move medium sized rocks. Level three is where most people are. This level allows you to use your powers more freely. You can control flames if your a fire user and can create sufficient flames from your body. The same goes for the other elements. The more creative you are the better with this level. Level 2 is an upper tier level that is rarely seen. In this level you are less likely to run out of stamina as using your powers than the other levels. You also naturally have greater control and flexibility using them. People are usually born into this level. People very rarely can reach it. Level 1 is the highest you can be. There have only been a few throughout history. These people are almost equivalent to Demigods. They can use the same amount of power as their representative god and have control over it all." I swallowed in anticipation, wondering what level I would be at. Jed continued and said " We are only measuring potential. Right now you all are too weak to handle anything above level 5 use of Graces. Nala come on up!" Nala walked up slowly. She looked almost as nervous as I felt. Jed pulled out a white crystal and placed it on a table. He told her "I want you to put your hand on the crystal and try to put your warmth into it." Nala swallowed and tried to keep her composure then she placed her hand on the crystal. It started to shine very brightly almost to the point where I had to cover my eyes. When the light dimmed I looked at the table. The crystal had turned completely clear! Jed said "Wow! You are a level 2 and you have wind attribute! You can do a lot with that!" Nala smiles and walked back obviously happy about her results. Next David went up to the table and Jed placed a new crystal on the table. He repeated the same steps as Nala did and a bright light filled the room again. Jed whistled and said "Damn! We have another level 2 here. Your attribute is fire but it's in a subsection of it. You can use lightning!" I looked in awe as David stared at his hand for a second and then I looked at the table and saw that the crystal was a light blue this time. Then David said "What's lightning?" Jed almost choked and said "It's a form of fire that comes from the sky. It moves very quickly and people can't usually see it or catch it. It usually comes when it rains. I'll show an example some other time. Moving on, Zahir your next" I started to walk over to the table nervous about what would happen to my crystal. I placed my hand on it and it felt cool to the touch. I started to do as Jed told us early and put my warmth into the crystal. As I did so I realized that there was no light coming from it. Instead it grew darker and darker until it turned pitch black. Then the crystal started to shake and it shattered in my hand. I picked up one of the pieces and looked it over. It was pitch black all the way through. I felt embarrassed and confused. There was no light and I even broke the crystal. I turned to Jed to start trying to apologize but I stopped when I looked at his face. His eyes were wide open and he had a blank look on his face. I called out to him and said "Jed are you okay?" All he did was point at where the crystal had been and said "Yyyour a level 1 with the strongest darkness attribute. You have control over everything in that realm." "Is that good?" I asked stilled lost. "It's better than good, it's GREAT!! We finally found our leader!"