The Shatters: The Silence Chronicles

Chapter Seventeen: Explosive: Part One

The weeks start to fly by after that. I go to school during the day, sometimes hang out with Jayden, Bri, Xavier, Tyler, and/or my siblings after school, have a family dinner every Friday evening, and spend four hours every day training with the team. Six and a half hours if it's the weekend. It's hard, but becoming less difficult as I improve.

I've noticed that Finn and I haven't talked much, but we don't have many classes together and he's busy with a new program he's joining for a new team he's transferring to. It's too bad, but we'll sometimes talk to each other at lunch if we can find time, or he'll text if he has questions about English (the only course we have together apart from PE).

I've realized that Oreo doesn't really like me—I think he hasn't yet adjusted to another new member of the team. Unfortunately. I love cats.

The twins' birthdays are coming up, November on November thirtieth and December on December first. My sixteenth birthday is on December fifteenth. I don't have any plans, but maybe I'll do some extra practice with the team and go out for celebratory pizza?

Anyway, right now I'm currently kicking Chuck in the face. Don't worry, we're practicing in a lesson. He dodges it and moves his boomerang shield in front of his face to protect himself, and I slide underneath his shield as he throws it at me, and it comes twirling back into his hand.

I forgot to mention, each team member has their own personal weapon they use during combat. I have my Cursed Dagger, Chuck has his boomerang shield, the twins have twin nunchucks (obviously), Matéo has a sword, Seamus kind of just grabs whatever he can find in his kitchenette (knife, frying pan, potato peeler, etc.), Ronnie uses a crossbow, and Hunter has a bow and arrow.

Chuck slides his foot underneath me and I land on my back on the mats underneath, and he pins me to the ground with his shield, grinning.

"Not fair!" I exclaim breathlessly.

"Nothing's fair, is it?" He responds blandly, and lifts off the heavy shield. I get to my feet and wipe my forehead from sweat, feeling the sticky liquid coating my skin uncomfortably.

"Which two people are next?" Chuck asks boldly. "Everyone here has battled each other, I think. Well, not everyone's gone against Arianna, but she's new, so she doesn't count."

"Excuse me?" I fight back fiercely. "Just because I'm new it doesn't mean I'm weak. So I was caught off guard when you slid your foot underneath me. Come on, I want to battle someone again."

Matéo laughs. "Damn, Newbie, not even gonna take a water break? Not very strategic."

"Good thing I'm not focusing on being strategic. I'm focusing on being treated as an equal," I fire. Matéo shrugs and agrees that that's fair.

"I'll go," Hunter says from the back of the room. The whole time, he'd been examining his nails and not really been paying attention to the lesson or battle, but now he seemed somewhat interested. "She wants someone to kick her ass, let her be taken down."

"I'm the one who's 'good' at kicking, remember?" I reply confidently, crossing my arms.

"That's not smart, Hunter," Chuck answers for us, settling the situation, and was soon over it. "You're our best fighter, and she's our newest. You could hurt her if you're not careful. You can take a break, Arianna. Anyone else want to go?"

"I'll be careful," Hunter shoots with raised eyebrows. "And someone can step in if I beat her that bad."

"You're not going to beat me," I say. "I know it."

Chuck pauses for a long time, thinking about it, and finally declares: "Whatever. Hunter, because you're going to be the one challenging her, you're on duty for mopping up the blood if it gets too violent."