The Red Forest

Chapter 2

I sit in the room they assigned me. The bed is very comfortable. I love being alone with my thoughts, and now that's exactly what I get to do. It has been two days since I found my father, alive and well. In these two days I have learned a lot. This place is a school. The school is for people like me. They call my sunlight ability a gift. And they say all of us are called the " talented." Only if I learn how to use my ability will it actually be a gift or talent. In general everybody here has "powers." I discovered Helcia's power is to read people's thoughts, she has to have physical contact with the person first. And I discovered her father works with mine.
Helcia is very kind to me. I ask her everyday if I can see my father. And she says he is busy. I don't know what he does here but it must be very important.
A loud siren pounds the silence. What's that I wonder, a little angry something so loud had to sound right now. Helcia comes in and tells me to get out. "What's that noise." I ask aloud this time.
"It's time for school. You can stay with me for today and see some of the classes. And today there is battling class. In battling class we get to battle each other and actually use our powers against opponents. It gets extremely dangerous. That's why we take a training class before hand. When were little children that is." She says throwing me a grin.
"Sounds fun. When does the battle class start?" I ask. It sounds interesting, to be aloud to use my destructive power and get praised for doing it.
"It starts at three. It's what we do for an hour or two before the school day is over. But you're too feisty! You must train first. And you won't be praised if you hurt someone unfairly." She gives me a sly smile, like when a mother questions her lying child who ate the last cookie.
"Helcia, no offense but I'd rather not train with tiny kids. I mean with my power I'd most likely kill one of them!" We walk to the door of my quarters and Helcia stops.
"Today just stay with me, and you'll only be watching in battle class today. After that you can do what you want but meet me outside my room after an hour, I will train you. I will also get your father on the act of helping us. Deal?"
"Oh my gosh, of course it's a deal! Thanks Helcia."
"Now don't thank me yet hotshot, this training won't be easy and you'll probably want to give up within the first five minutes!"
Her words take me aback. I apologize and follow her out down the hall. We arrive at a door. Helcia opens it and reveals a type of inner circle. It has three hallways after you go through doors. There are a lot of lockers too. Helcia walks us over to number 126 and types in a code. The locker opens. In it there are plenty of books bags and it is decorated on the sides with pictures. One of them has Helcia and a younger looking girl sitting on a bench laughing. This is a pretty dated picture, Helcia looks about nine years old. Helcia has blonde hair though. I can only recognize her by her pricing golden eyes and large ears. It is very pretty. I never think Helcia would laugh like that unless someone smashed they're face. It is just who she is. But this picture looks like true laughter and actual fun. Also in that picture Helcia is wearing a bright blue dress and white sneakers. Right now she is wearing a black shirt that shows a small portion of her stomach  and black torn jeans. Her shoes have even changed into a darker color.
"Yeah, I know. I am super different now than when I was then. You see Sage, that's my sister, Melody. She was taken by an evil criminal organization called the pit. They tortured her until she had nothing left to remember. They made a new, alternate past for her. She now is one of them. We engaged them in a battle over hostages a few years back, when I was fourteen, and Melody was there. She was so skinny and pale. Her bones were showing on any part of her skin. We were forced to fight them and save the hostages, a typical but very difficult mission. It was over a waterfall and the pit wanted money for the hostages. We refused. All but two people died that day excluding the hostages. One from our side who we nicknamed icebox for his freezing ability and I lived. Everyone else died. Melody had the power to make any type of plant growth on the scene. When we were young she used it to grow pretty flowers for our mother. She obviously didn't do that now. We were fighting and she made it a dense forest. A very large one too. It was hard to find someone to engage.... Melody attacked me and I had to fight back. I...I tried to talk her out of it but she.....she attacked me!" Tears and sobs start to rack her body. She bends over and starts crying. I lay a hand on her back and gently speak encouraging words to her. When she finally recovered makeup was running down her face. She said she needed to go wash up in the bathroom. I wait for her but when I realize it is going to take a while for her to do her business so I decide to explore. This is really a big school.