We had arrived at the mall in record time. I'm almost positive that Astrid had been speeding. Let me rephrase that, I know Astrid was speeding. It was pure luck that we were not caught. I was nervous and I kept fidgeting in my seat. The mall was a new experience for me. I hadn't really been given any freedom when I was with my adopted parents. I had to wear hand-me-downs from my "sisters".
I wish I could say I enjoyed it, but I was exhausted after an hour. My head was spinning by the time we were done. They said that this was a normal shopping experience. I thought otherwise. They took "shop until you drop" to another level. So, I was relieved when we finally sat down for a break.
I learned a couple things from shopping with the girls. One, the girls felt no shame at spending loads of money. I'm pretty sure they maxed out a credit card or two. Two, Wren and Kalina were awesome. They were easy to hang around and by the end of our shopping spree, it seemed like we had known each other for years. I was also surprised to find out that this was a mall made for the supernatural. Wren had told me this at the very beginning to prevent me from freaking out. And finally, always expect the unexpected. This should explain itself. I was constantly shocked by the mall and what I'm going to call my new normal.
We had left the house at 11:30 and came back around 4:30. I spent the rest of the day putting my things away. I had bought myself a new wardrobe with the help of the girls along with some jewelry and other knick-knacks. My favorite was a moonstone bracelet that reminded me of my necklace.
By the time I was done, it was 7:05. I had eaten a late lunch so I wasn't starving, but I decided a snack was needed. Before thinking twice, I plunged into the many hallways of the mansion. After 5 minutes, I was hopelessly lost. I mentally face-palmed myself. How could I be so stupid? That's when I remembered I was starting training tomorrow. I groaned. Great, this just keeps getting better. I decided to keep going. Surely there was another someone else in the mansion?
Well, I was wrong. Very wrong. I had been wandering the halls for quite some time and I was about to give up. I should just sleep on the floor until someone finds me tomorrow. Right as I was about to accept my fate, I saw a door that had light coming from under it. Again without thinking, I opened the door.
The room I had walked into was a gaming room. A pool table sat in one corner and a TV surrounded with beans bags in another. The room had a rustic feel with warm color with a fireplace to tie it all together. I noticed the TV was on and it looked like someone had recently been playing on it.
"Well, look who we have here."
I whirled. Standing in the doorway was none other than Luka. I internally groaned. Of course, the person I had to run into was Luka. He had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.
"How did you end up here?" He said with narrowed eyes.
"I was lost," I said weakly. It was clear Luka was not going to believe me that easily. "I was trying to find the kitchen."
"You sure about that?" He snarled. "Or, are you looking for someone else?"
I paused, realizing what he said. "No, I was and still am lost."
"Well then, leave so you aren't lost anymore. You are interrupting my peace and quiet with your presence," he said. I glared at him. He could at least try to help me. I pushed past him in anger and walked out of the room. I closed the door behind me, sealing me back into the labyrinth of hallways. I grumbled to myself and started my search again.
Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news, I found my room. The bad news, it was 1:30 in the morning by the time I crawled into bed. And of course, training had to start as early as possible, meaning I had to get up at 5:00 to make the 6:00 deadline. I was going to die tomorrow.
BEEP, BEEP.
My alarm blared it's horrible song into my ears. 'Ugh, what time is it.' I glanced at the clock. It read 5:30. Surprised, I instantly woke up and tried to detangle myself from the sheets. I ended up on the wooden floor with an oomph. Panicking, I ran to my bathroom and showered. I got out, dried myself off, and ran to my closet.
I dug out an outfit I had bought yesterday. I grabbed underwear and a black sports bra. Next, I yanked on black leggings and a mesh crop top. I tied my unruly brown hair into a high ponytail and dashed out of the room. I don't know how I found the kitchen, but it must have been pure luck. As I rushed in, I nearly collided with Gram. When I regained balance, I saw the whole team watching me. Some with amusement and some with annoyance. Cough, Luka, cough.
"Amara, you were supposed to be here at 6:00, not 6:15. Some people are very strict on timing," Astrid said, shooting Gram a glare.
"It's not my fault you stay up late," Gram said casually. Astrid crossed her arms and turned back to me. "I'm going to be your partner today. We switch partners weekly."
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. I followed the rest of the group out into a meadow, far away from the house and front lawn. The meadow did have a small building with bathrooms and outdoor seating. "We eat here for lunch," Astrid whispered in my ear. Next to the small building was a shed. Astrid made a beeline for the shed. I followed her inside the shed and almost turned back around to leave. Inside was an array of knives, guns, and other weapons. Name any weapon, I bet you ten dollars it's in there.
Astrid just strolled in and grabbed twin blades. The blades were curved wickedly and steel caught the light streaming in from the open doors. An intricate pattern was etched into the side of both blades. Astrid picked up the sheath for them and strapped it to her back. After she put them away, she looked up and grinned.
"Pick a weapon," she said. I blinked. "What?"
Her smile widened. "Pick a weapon that you feel drawn to. Everyone has one. I just left mine here last practice."
I gulped. I certainly did not want a weapon. Having ice powers was scary enough, but a weapon? Nope, not happening. I shook my head. "I don't want one." Astrid smiled with sympathy. "I said the same thing when I first started. Just pick one, you don't have to use it."
I sighed. I nodded still uncertain. Now, I looked around at the weapons. I stared in awe. Each of them were unique, like your fingerprint.
"So, I can just pick one?"
"Yep." I chewed on my lip. I decided to do the logical thing and close my eyes. I spun around a couple times for good measure and then stopped. I waited for a pull or something, but nothing happened. I frowned. I guess I really do just have to pick one. So, I stepped forward, almost tripping over something in the process. Surprised, I picked that "something" up and opened my eyes. In my hand was a small pocket knife. I almost tripped over a pocket knife, really? I was about to put it back, but Astrid stopped me.
"No! Amara, you can't just put it back. It picked you for a reason," Astrid said.
"That's the cheesiest thing I have ever heard. Astrid, it's an inanimate object. It doesn't have a brain," I said. Astrid crossed her arms. "Do you really believe that?"
I hesitated. This wouldn't be the weirdest thing I have learned so far. I mean, I am living proof. Okay, that sounds weird...and wrong. I sighed. I looked back down at my pocket knife. Seriously, out of all the things in this shed I had to pick a pocket knife. It was a typical pocket knife with multiple tools and a wooden shell encasing them. Carefully, I pulled out one of the tools hidden inside. Immediately, it lengthened into a dagger. I dropped it in surprise. Slowly, I picked it back up and examined the blade.
It had another pattern on the side just like Astrid's, except this time it was glowing a light blue. Intrigued, I folded it back and tried pulling another tool out. The pocket knife had five tools in total. The first was the dagger, then followed by a grappling hook, a detachable camera, and a ninja star. For some reason, neither I nor Astrid could get the fifth tool to come out. Both of us giving up, we walked back outside. Gram was talking to the rest of the group near the picnic tables. As we approached, Wren hopped off a table and ran up to me.
"What did you get?" She asked.
Now, everyone was looking at me. "Well..." I wasn't exactly sure what to tell them. Oh look, I got a pocket knife because it decided to trip me. Yeah, that did not sound good. Astrid nudged me, smiling. She gave me a look that said, "Show them what you got." I smiled back at her, grateful or her support. I reached in my pocket and held it out for everyone to see.
"I got this."
Everyone gave me a weird look, except for Gram. He just stood there with a blank face. Luka spoke up first.
"Stop joking around," he said. I opened my mouth to snap back at him, but I stopped. Gram was walking towards me. He gently took the pocket knife and pulled one of the tools out. It turned into the dagger. Now, everybody was shocked.
"Where did you get that?" Luka snarled. He seemed almost...horrified. His face was pale and his eyes darkened. I turned to Astrid for support. She smiled sadly and grabbed my hand. She squeezed it lightly. Now, I turned to Gram who was still playing with the thing. He stopped at the fifth tool because even he could not get it to come out. "Gram, it's stuck."
"I know," he said. His voice was hoarse. "It needs blood."
My eyes widened. "Blood?!" I sputtered. Gram looked at me. I met his gaze. His eyes had turned from their usual hazel into more of a dark chocolate color, almost black. "Just a drop," he said. He handed it back to me.
"Where?" He gave me the same sad smile Astrid had. "Prick your finger on the dagger, then smear it across the markings."
Wordlessly, I pulled out the dagger. The group was now crowded around me watching my actions. The dagger glinted in the early light of the day. My mouth went dry. I suddenly remembered my dream. How my blood was silver. With my heart pounding in my chest, I pricked my finger. Before anyone, and myself, could see, I swiped my finger across the markings. I winced at the friction. The marking started to glow brightly and we all heard an audible click. I shakily pulled at the fifth tool. It came out with a pop and everyone jumped back.
The fifth tool was a beautiful greatsword. Yet as I held the sword, it was as light as a feather. The blade started off wide, then it curved in and back out to a sharp point. Four turquoise jewels were embedded in the sword. One near the tip, one in the center, one at the hilt, and one in the pommel. The metal was a blue-grey color that glinted in the early light. On the handle, a cyan ribbon was tied tightly and danced on the slight breeze. I gazed in awe of the deadly weapon.
As much as I dreaded owning any kind of sharp or deadly object that I could injure someone with, it felt natural to hold the sword. Smiling to myself, I tucked the blade back into it's tiny sheathe. It immediately folded back into the simple pocket knife.
Again, I looked to Astrid, begging her to break the awkward silence. She finally noticed my pleading stare. "Gram, we need to start soon. We are losing valuable time."
Gram just nodded, turning away and walking back over to the picnic table. He grabbed a small stack of pieces of paper. He gave one to each pair, Wren and Kalina, Talia and Theo, and Luka and Caspian. For some reason, he didn't give one to Astrid and me. Instead, he walked over to Caspian and Luka. Hmm, they must be training in a trio. Astrid nudged me and gestured to an obstacle course some distance away.
"We'll start there."
We made our way over to the outdoor course. When we reached the start, I was stunned. The course had many obstacles that even the best of parkour masters would have a hard time completing. Astrid giggled at my expression and neared the first obstacle. She scaled a brick wall with the grace of a feline. I stared at her, dumbfounded. How was I, a simple girl who had barely experienced the world and had almost no freedom, supposed to do... whatever Astrid had just done?! Astrid laughed, snapping me from my trance.
"I-I can't do that!" I said pleading for her to have some sympathy. She shook her head. "Come on Amara, you can do anything you put your mind to!"
I tried my best not to laugh. Last time I had put my mind to something, I had failed. Completely and utterly failed. I had wanted to get at least a good grade on my math finals and studied two whole weeks before the test. Yes, I was very committed and, of course, I flunked it. I sighed. 'Here goes nothing.' I ran straight at the brick wall.