Last of Daylight

1.5 Fate and Gifts-Chosen One? Try Chosen Five

While Andrew appreciated Rayne's trademark enthusiasm and reckless sense of adventure, there were still so many red flags about this night.

This Xelan guy clearly wasn't human, but what made his aliens any better than the ones who planned to invade? And what exactly would this training include?

They were high school students for fuck's sake.

Andrew tried to keep the skepticism out of his voice as he asked, "You're saying we're going to save the world?" He gestured at the five of them.

Xelan lowered his hands. "With the right training, yes, I think you can stop the invasion at the onset."

Kyle did not keep the skepticism out of his voice. "And we're just supposed to trust you?"

Andrew wanted to sigh at how Rayne's face fell. She was impulsive, so it was up to the rest of them to ask questions which would keep them all safe. Still, this had to dampen her whole 'world savior' mood.

When Xelan frowned at Kyle's terseness, Tameka took the lead. "If there's a way we can help, of course we will. But... You have to understand why we're hesitant to trust you."

Sagan said, "I'm not."

The friend group turned to face her with matching expressions of disbelief. Except Rayne. She was glowing at her best friend.

At the center of attention, Sagan explained, "The way I see it we come out on top either way. Say the invasion isn't real... At least this way, we get super fit and fast and capable of defending ourselves against weirdos like that one guy. And if the invasion actually happens, we could be heroes."

Rayne cried in delight and threw her arms around Sagan.

Andrew considered her argument.

Fit.

Awesome.

Heroes.

He turned back to Xelan and said with a shrug, "All right. Count me in."

Stronger than she looked, Rayne roped Andrew into the hug between the girls. When Tameka sighed, saying, "Same," Rayne latched onto her, too.

They all looked over at Kyle, sulking with his arms folded. But Andrew knew all about Kyle's home life. There was no way he would turn down the opportunity to learn how to kick ass.

"I'm in."

Five-way hug commenced.

Rayne beamed at them, and among the huddle, she promised, "We won't regret this."

Tameka glanced over at Xelan, who was waiting for them to finish. She sounded more than curious as she said, "I want to learn more about Xelan."

Andrew clocked the narrow-eyed glance Kyle shot his ex-girlfriend at the slight dreaminess in her voice. Yup. Teenage hormones were a go.

Sagan said, "No matter what happens, we'll be together. Everything will work out as it always does."

This was true. Things always worked out in the end. Even with the tiger.

Andrew smiled when they gave a final squeeze and broke apart. As he faced Xelan, he said, "All right. We still have some questions, but first, where are we meeting for this 'training?' Do we need a gym membership or something?"

Xelan grinned. "No. I have something else in mind."

The next night, Andrew stood blinking at the physical education abomination built near Rayne's backyard. In the woods bordering her neighborhood, obstacles ladened a cross-country race track, and rocks formed the circle of a sparring ring. Glow wands and lanterns provided some visibility. Under the dappled moonlight through the oak trees, it smelled of the oncoming autumn splendor and ice from the massive open cooler off to the side. Xelan had filled it to the brim with water and sports drinks.