The second day at the Abarice training grounds began with tension thick in the air. The usual calm was broken by hushed whispers and nervous glances exchanged among the trainees. Word had spread quickly of an encounter had taken place the night before. Some claimed a scout spotted something moving just beyond the trees. Others insisted a creature one twisted by magic and hunger was seen lurking near the eastern forest border. No one could confirm the story, but the sense of unease had burrowed deep into everyone's minds.
Instructor Renya, sharp as ever, stood before the gathered students with her arms crossed and a smirk playing on her lips. "Today's lesson will take place in the perimeter forest," she said, her voice loud enough to cut through the chatter. "But stay alert beasts have been reported since the Collision. Now, we're going to play a game. Of captured the flag."
Aqua's eyes lit up, and she shot to her feet. "No way!!! We haven't played that since last year!" Her voice beamed with excitement, echoing across the field like a bell.
Flora groaned, already sensing where this was going. Olsen chuckled under his breath.
"Break into eight groups of five," Renya continued. "Once the teams are set, I'll determine the matchups."
I didn't even have to speak. "Of course, Eli, you're with us," Aqua said, already grabbing my arm.
"Mm," I nodded with a small smile.
Flora crossed her arms. "Let me guess… I'm guard again?"
"That's because you're good at it!" Aqua teased.
Flora rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, that's what you always say."
Aqua turned to Olsen, but he was distracted his eyes fixed on someone in the distance. "Olsen? Earth to Olsen!" she snapped her fingers in front of his face. He blinked and tore his gaze away.
Following his line of sight, we spotted a beautiful girl with warm honey-brown hair and a glowing smile, laughing with two other students. She looked a bit like Flora but older, more composed.
"There's no way," Aqua said flatly. "She's six years older than you."
"You never know," Olsen mumbled, clearly smitten. "Maybe when I'm older she'll..."
"She's already taken," Flora interrupted, her tone firm. "My sister has a boyfriend."
Olsen's world cracked a little. "Since when?"
"Since she got back from that trip overseas," Flora said with a shrug.
Apparently heartbroken, Olsen mumbled something about switching teams and wandered off to join Faye's group.
"Great. Now we're missing two members," Aqua groaned. "At this point, I'd accept a damp dumpster if it wanted to be part of our team."
"Can I join?" a voice piped up. Aqua whipped around so fast I thought she got whiplash. Standing there was Vayne, his expression cool.
"Way better than a dumpster!" she laughed. "With you, there's no way we're gonna lose!"
Flora leaned toward me and whispered, "Capture the Flag been Aqua's favorite since we were little. Especially because of the prize you get at the end. Don't let her hear I told you."
"I'm right here, you know," Aqua muttered.
"There's one more," Vayne added. "Porter wants to join too."
"Porter? He trips over his own shadow!" Aqua hissed under her breath. "We're so screwed."
Still, we were out of options. Porter appeared a few seconds later a short, scrawny kid with nervous eyes and messy dark hair. "T-thank you," he said timidly, clutching his practice bag like a shield.
Instructor Renya clapped her hands. "Alright, it's been a while, so let me explain the rules. Each of you gets three pearls tiny balls that act as your lives. Lose one, and you're sent to the opposing team's jail for five minutes, Lose them all your out the game permanently. The goal: capture the enemy's flag and return it to your base. You're encouraged to fight strategically, of course. And the first team to get the flag wins."
She began calling out the first teams, while the rest of us waited on the forest's edge. I decided to take a stroll and ended up bumping into Olsen, who was now standing with his new team.
Before I could even speak, a huge guy brushed past me, intentionally slamming his shoulder into mine. He looked like someone who bench-pressed boulders for fun.
"Excuse me?" I said, annoyed.
He turned and met my eyes with a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "I don't like new people," he growled. "Don't know why they let you in."
He walked off before I could respond.
Olsen noticed. "Oh, that's just Coral. Don't take it personal. He's… intense."
He gestured toward the rest of the team. "Meet Hali, Lan… And this," he said, eyes lighting up, "is Faye."
Faye wasn't average far from it. She was tall, with calm, piercing eyes and a presence that demanded attention. She moved with grace, some kind of strength to her.
She walked up to me and offered a smile. "Hey, I'm Faye. I've heard a lot about you."
"Oh, uh… I'm Eli," I stammered. She smelled like something warm and citrusy sunshine and orange blossoms.
"It takes guts to train with Abarice these days. I respect that. You'll be strong in no time," she said with a quiet confidence.
But before I could reply, Coral stormed back over.
"Back off," he snapped, glaring at me like I was prey.
"Coral!" Faye said, stepping between us. "He's sixteen! Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm not letting just anyone near you..."
"I am not your property!" she fired back. The two launched into a heated argument, and I took that as my cue to leave.
Back at our team's side, Aqua just smirked. "That was hilarious. Don't take Coral too seriously. He acts like that with anyone who gets too close to Faye. She's kind of… our jewel. Best of the best."
Whatever that meant, I decided not to ask.
Renya's voice came over the loudspeakers. "Alright, Team Aqua and Team Faye, your turn. Enter the forest and follow the rules. And don't die."
Our team blue was given five minutes to hide our flag somewhere in the dense forest. Faye's red team did the same on the opposite side. Each of us had a GPS tracker and mic for safety.
"Me, Vayne, and Eli will search for their flag," Aqua announced. "Flora, you're guarding ours. Porter, be lookout. Don't fight, just report anything suspicious."
Once inside the forest, the sounds changed. Leaves rustled louder, shadows seemed longer, and something about the air felt charged.
When the five minutes ended, Renya's voice came through our mics. "Begin."
Aqua darted left, disappearing almost instantly. Vayne took the right. I was left alone, just like we planned.
Before we entered, Aqua had pulled me aside. "You're not very skilled yet," she said bluntly. "But that makes you the perfect distraction. If they see you, they'll chase. When I give the signal, lead them away."
I'd nodded, not entirely sure how I felt about being bait.
Now, with nothing but trees around me and silence pressing in, I moved carefully. I didn't want to screw this up. Every step crunched leaves, every breath felt too loud. I kept walking, deeper into the woods, letting the forest swallow me.
Eventually, I stopped and sat by a tree, nervous but trying to play my role. The comm crackled no signal yet.
Then...
"Hi!"
I looked up, startled. A girl stood across from me with a playful smile. One of my pearls dangled from her hand like a trophy.
I hadn't even noticed her approach.
"Better hold onto these tighter," she said.
My heart raced.
Game on.