Taking back Aleria

Chapter two- Training part one

A/N- Sorry! I had loads of writer's block.

Rayne's POV

The water ripples as I nudge it with my finger for the hundredth time. It isn't blue, or grey, like normal water. Instead, it is a deep purple, so dark the bottom of the fountain seems non-existent. The fountain itself is a dirty yellow, like it used to be brighter but has now darkened with age.

The sun is beginning to shine through a square window to my right; a sharp contrast to the darkness I have been sitting in for the last couple of hours. I found this hidden room after waking up early this morning and becoming restless. Ever since I got the invitation to come to this place, I've been wondering more and more about my past. Two years ago, I woke up in a hospital room with no memories of my past life. There were no records of me anywhere, no matter how hard I searched. In the end I gave up, chose the name Rayne and decided that I was around sixteen. After the slideshow yesterday, all I can think of is the girl in the corner of the picture. For some reason, I feel like I know her.

A bell rings from down the corridor, and with a regretful sigh, I leave the room, closing the door behind me.

In the dormitory, Kallie is rubbing her eyes and yawning, her hair in a tangled mess. On the other side of the room, Luca is sitting on the windowsill, fully dressed, a book in his hands. Obviously, he was trained to get up early in the army. Gradually, Kallie drags herself out of bed and stumbles into the bathroom. I hear the shower running a few minutes later.

Luca detaches himself from the windowsill, marking his place with a ripped sheet of paper before closing the book. He places it sideways on the cabinet next to his bed, meaning I have to tilt my head slightly to read the title. Luca follows my gaze.

"Kokoro," He says. "It's Japanese."

"You can read Japanese?" I ask, impressed. I know French, Spanish, German and a few words of Latin, but I could never get Japanese. He nods.

"I learnt it from my best friend; he was half Japanese." I frown.

"Was?" A shadow passes over his face.

"We joined the army together, but he was sent to war a month before me. I haven't heard from him for two months, but one of the other soldiers got a letter saying his brother was missing in action. His brother was in the same squad as Kairo." His voice has lowered to a whisper. " I was supposed to leave tomorrow. I was going to find him. Now, I'll never know if he is alive."

A heavy silence falls on the room as I try to work out how to comfort him. A shriek from the bathroom evaporates my line of thought. The water is swiftly cut off, and the door slams back on its hinges, narrowly missing Luca's back.

"Who used all the hot water?" Kallie demands, a towel wrapped tight around her middle. Water drips repeatedly faround her feet, escaping from her hair that hangs limp over her shoulder. Luca rearranges his face into a smirk before he turns to answer.

"If you actually got up in the morning instead of the afternoon, there might have been some left." He turns back to me, warning me with his eyes not to mention our earlier conversation. Kallie glares at his back before grabbing some clothes and disappearing into the bathroom again.

"When did you join?" I ask, an idea forming in my mind.

"Four months ago." He answers. i nod silently, commiting the information to memory. Luca stares at me, but before he can start interrogating, there is a knock at the door. It is pushed open, and a young woman steps in, her eyes flickering around the room before settling on us.

"I've been sent to take you to the first training session." The woman tells us. "Where's Kallie?" The bathroom door opens for the second time, this time with Kallie dressed. She freezes for a second when she sees the woman, but carries on quickly.