Diversions || on hold

chapter six

The flight from Minnesota to Arizona would normally take about 3 hours. However, in a private helicopter, it's more like 6 hours. By the time we finally arrive at the base, Hael is asleep and I'm in serious need of some rest.

Charlie exhales as the landing gear touches the ground and the spinning of the blades slows. "Here we are."

I crawl over Hael's snoring body and push open the door. Night has fallen and the moon is glowing much brighter than in Thief River Falls. I look around, taking in the scenery. There is sand everywhere, and not a single plant in sight.

"In case you were wondering, we are not in the middle of a desert," Charlie says from behind me. I turn to look at her. Standing next to her is Hael, who appears to be having trouble keeping his eyes open. "We're actually on the edge of one."

She then turns around, motioning for me to follow. After taking a few steps, I see a building looming up in the distance, confirming what she had just told me. It seems to be no more than two stories tall, and about 300 meters in width.

"Are we just leaving the helicopter there?" I ask, jogging to catch up with Charlie.

"Pretty much," Hael replies. He seems more awake now. "It's not like anyone's going to take it. There're only 2,000 people in this town, and none of them know how to drive a car, let alone fly a chopper."

I laugh. This place is even smaller than my hometown.

"This is our base," Charlie informs me, keeping her eyes ahead. "It was an old elementary school, but half of it burned down, and the government rebuilt it for us."

As we near the base, I study it's features. There are about 10 windows across the longer side of the building, and most are boarded up. I can tell which side burned, for the left half is made out of wood that looks significantly newer. The line separating the two sides makes it appear as if somebody had sewn it up.

Finally, my feet leave the sand, which isn't very hot since there's no sun out, and make contact with the solid concrete that surrounds the old school. Charlie leads me around the side of the building to where the main entrance is.

"Usually we use the side door," Hael tells me. "But Charlie probably thought this would impress you more."

Charlie glares at him, and he straightens up. However, when she turns her back, he looks to me and grins.

I can't help but smile back.

Suddenly, there is a loud bang, and I look over to see the Charlie has just kicked the door. It trembles, and I can tell that the sound has is echoing through the entire building.

"Why did you do that?" I ask. "You're going to break the door!"

Charlie shakes her head. "It's the only way to wake them up, since they all sleep in the basement. Plus, this door is metal. It's not breaking any time soon."

I grunt, and Hael laughs at my reaction.

Slowly, the door opens, and a small girl with tawny skin sticks her head out.

"Welcome, O Wise One," she says, looking at Charlie. "What brings thou to our humble abode?"

Charlie laughs, and I think it's the first time I've seen her laugh. "Come on, Essie, open the door."

Sighing, the girl opens the door wide, revealing the lilac-colored sundress she is wearing. The thin straps show off her smooth skin and wide shoulders. "Please, enter," she says, faking a bow. Then she sees me and does a double-take. "Who are you?"

"This is Cammile Frank," Charlie says formally. "She's our new-"

Suddenly, the girl screams and starts jumping up and down. "You're the new girl!" she shouts. 

I take a step back, and bump into Hael. "Don't worry," he tells me, laughing. "She's always like this."

"Shit," I say, before I can think.

He chuckles, then pats me on the back and walks forward. I watch him as he whispers something in Charlie's ear. I can't tell what he says, but she nods in response.

Turning to me, she says, "Tomorrow, you can meet everyone, but now you're going to sleep."

"And just where am I going to sleep, exactly?" I ask. I'm so used to my dorm at fighting school, I don't know how I'll be able to sleep in this old place.

"I'm sure it will meet Your Majesty's standards," Charlie replies, her voice laced with sarcasm.

She doesn't leave me time to answer, and instead turns around and leads me through the door which Essie, the way-too-excited girl, has opened. I hear Hael snicker, and I am tempted to slap him. For the first time, something holds me back.

The first room we enter is just a hallway, with a high ceiling and a gray-tiled floor. I was expecting something more grand, like many old schools, but this just looks like the entrance to any building.

I follow Charlie down the hallway to a staircase at the end. Silently, we walk up the wooden steps to another floor. I realize that this must be part of the old building, the half that didn't burn down, because the wood looks aged, as do the tiles.

"The buildings here in Bitter Springs are all unique," Charlie tells me, breaking the silence. "Since there are few natural recourses in deserts, almost everything is imported in small quantities. Because of this, most buildings are partly made of wood, including this one."

"I can see that," I remark, picking at a fresh sliver I just received from the railing.

After climbing the stairs, we arrive at the end of another hallway. One side is lined with doors while the other side has one wide doorway.

"These all used to be classrooms," Hael says from behind me. He must have followed us up, though I didn't hear anyone behind us. "Now they're all bedrooms."

"What's over there?" I ask, pointing to the open doorway on the right.

"That's one of the training rooms," he replies.

"Keep up, kids," Charlie barks, strutting down the hallway.

I don't exactly adore being labeled as a "kid", but I ignore the remark and follow her, Hael trailing behind us. Charlie leads us the end of the hallway and turns left, down another passageway, each side lined with doors.

"This one is yours," Charlie says, coming to a stop in front of a wooden door with the number 217.

I gulp, then walk forward.