His smile grew hearing that, " You don't know how much I missed you. Some people in here are just rediculous, some dumbasses, more pricks and... those marked ones." He grabs my wrist, "You trust that one, that girl?"
" Hetta?"
" What's her last name?"
I try and think, " Um.. Cano...can-"
" Canavero?" Dain asks.
" That sounds right."
" Damn it Freya... Her father was right hand to Fen Riorson."
" How was I supposed to know that?"
Dain shakes his head ever so slightly, " You didn't see that eye sore of a rebellion relic running on her chest and neck?"
I sigh, " She talked to me first Dain, I think it's better if I'm friendly then...me."
He knows I have a point, I don't need any more enemies made of the first day. " Well, anyways... how many daggers are on you right now? I missed seeing my little knife thrower kick ass."
This is what he normally does when he has more to say but doesn't want to upset me, I need allies, but I need my friend back... I missed him like hell. I think, " 4 at my ribs, one in my boot and one at me side so..6. Oh... and the sleeve one.. so 7."
He chuckles, " You'll be earning more in no time. You'll have so many you won't know what to do with them."
My hand ran over one as I spoke, " I hope."
" You will."
I look back up at him, ofcourse he was already staring his features softening even more as he stares, it takes all my power not to sigh like a lovestruck girl right then and there. I look away once more looking at the crowd of first years, " So.. what has Dain Aetos achieved since he left me last year?"
" Your looking at the Squad leader of Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing." He says proudly.
As a second year thats as good as you can get, until your a third year then you can rise even more to Wing and Section leader. " Dain that's... great! I didn't know you were that good." I smile ecstatically.
" Best in my year." He brags. " And you'll be replacing me next year, You'll be a Squad leader and I'll be a Wing. I just need to make sure you don't do anything else stupid so you can live that long... Lucky for you I have some connections, I'll make sure your in my squad, that way I can keep a better eye on you and make sure that Barlowe kid or Riorson doesn't try anything."
I could reject saying I don't need the protection, because I know I can handle myself but.. that means I'll be by Dain more. So I simply nod, " Ok."
" Ok." He repeats then looking at all the cadets now talking to one another, forming alliances, enemies, maybe friendships? " I'll let you blend, you already will get noticed by your appearence, even more so when more cadets find out who you are, if more find out we know eachother and you'll soon be in my squad.."
" My target is massive, yes I'm well aware." I sigh. " They can't blame me for my last name or my kickass looks and body." I grin, Dain lets out a scoff. " They'll see you as a threat for sure, your built like a damn warrior goddess."
" You think I look like a goddess?" I smirk.
" Go blend in Freya." He says looking me over, " I'll see you soon."
I do as he says, taking quite a bit of time to try to Hetta, I was now unsure if I should even trust her or even talk to her but seeing Dylan is now out of the picture and she tried defending me from Jack, I'll give her a shot.
I found her eventually by herself looking around, " Hey." I smile. Her eys were quick to look at me " Hi." She smiles, " How was your conversation with that Squad leader?"
" You knew he was a squad leader?"
She nods " He had the patch on his jacket..."
Did he, I laugh " I guess I'm blind."
She laughs, " Sometimes it's hard to focus with so much going on, trying to watch your back and make yourself look hard to pick off, with all of that your sure to miss some things."
I manage another smile, " Right."
Another bell sounds, signalling the last cadet has crossed the parapet, now it's time for the...gathering? Meeting? Whatever this is called.
I see a group of 4 join the mass with the 3 leaders that were on the other side, the girl, stockier man and Xaden Riorson. The urge I had to go and slap him was immaculate but it's maybe better to keep myself blended in so he doesn't throw me off to get my gloves or something like that.
I keep my eyes on him as he almost stalks to the front where the other leads were, one being Dain, who I see glancing at me before he focuss on Xaden. Where Riorson walked it seemed like the people parted, I see where he gets some of that ego he so shamefully shows comes from as he walks.
" 301 of you lived, 70 did not." One of the Commands says, " Great job to you Cadets. Now you begin the true tests, you will be tested, challenged and killed by peers and other Cadets, if you make it to Threshing, some of you will die in the Dragon's hands, if you survive even then... your life is not set in stone.."
Thanks for that Captain Obvious...
" Your instructors will teach you but it's up to you how well you listen.. I'll leave you with the Wingleaders."
A bulkier lady steps foot, " I want Section and Squad leaders up here."
Some push past us, I see Dain come closer up our eyes meeting once again for the breif moment, I felt a light flutter in my chest as I silently admire him.
"Theres 3 sections in a squad, 3 squads in a wing..." I hear Hetta whisper, not knowing if she was informing me as if I didn't know or reciting it to herself.
The bulky lady informs us once your name is called your assigned to that wing, first they did claw, then tail, then second wing. I was called to the second squad Flame section... with Dain...and Hetta.
That worked out a little to well. Hetta smiles as she was the last one to be called to our section. We stand I see many eyes look at me and my... exotic appearance of fair skin, silverish white hair and miscolored eyes, and seeign they said first and last names I see many trying to analyze if I was...that Sorrengail.
By their faces they thought right.
I didn't want to look anywhere for to long, but I also didn't want to make the impression I was nervous, so I slowly scan the crowd and other sections. My eyes go the the far right where a pair of cold eyes were glaring with intense hatred.
Xaden's eyes.
If looks could kill I'd be dead... a hundred times... minimum.
He thought Barlowe would've killed me just like he did to that other girl, I see him find Jack's slashed face then his eyes come back to me. In the moment I felt like I was on top of the world so I smirk giving a cocky wink. I see a muscle in his jaw tense as he quickly walks u- to that bulky lady saying something with urgency.
I see her crinkle her face, they whisper a couple times before their voices get louder, though I couldn't hear what was being spoken, a couple more Wingleaders took notice and joined, finally that women huffs. " Flame section, your squad will be getting switched into Fourth Wing Xaden Riorson's. Fourth will be getting switched with Second Lysys Torro's."
My eyes snap to Xaden who had a smirk on his face quickly winking at me like I just did to him. "Follow me." Dain says in a montoned voice giving me a quick look. We're in his wing.
I'm in his wing.
I'm at his mercy, he can punish me however and whenever he wants, he can do whatever he want to me without giving a reason. There's only so much Dain could do without getting killed himself.
Xaden comes closer to us, his voice loud and powerful. " Look around, this is your squad, the only ones that won't kill you. The others will try, I bet your all feeling pretty badass right now right? Feeling like your can do anything after crossing the Parapet? You think you have what it takes to get a Dragon?!" He says loudly.
As if in cue, dragons show up.
Beelining towards us, with such speed I've never seen before,it makes butterflies in my stomach as I think they'd come crash right into us seeing how low they're flying. At the last second they all fly skyward, perching on different ends of the boarder around the Quadrant.
They're terrifying..beautiful, beautifully terrifying. One lands directly across from me maybe...20 feet? A deep sapphire blue, she shimmers basically... no she'd make the riches sapphires look shameful. her horns look like the texture of silk as they so gracefully twist and turn upwards.
I've seen dragons all my life, but never this close, never in this much detail. I wish I had a pen and paper right now to draw her. I hear a scream, from a girl further back, apparently seeing the dragons scarwd her shitless because she was running...
I watch her with a cocked brow, why would she want to be in this quadrant if she was scared of a dragon? The Sapphire dragon snaps her gaze to her running, in a second she was in the air, swooping over all of us I had a urge to slightly duck, she grabs the cadet avoiding all the buildings and other blocks grabbing the cadet she throws her up in the air, burning her to ash.
I hear more and more screams, I feel the temperature rise quickly, I feel a hand latched to mine. I see Hetta's eyes wide as she watches. The blue dragon flaps her wings letting the ashes of the girl fall on all of us, I see the other piles of used to be cadets as well.
This should be a little bothersome, but I laugh lightly. Not because it was funny, in all honestly it was brutal as hell, just the..surprise of it. I see some dragons readjusting waiting to kill anyone else.
There were 2 more after that.
I see Xaden looking at me, his face looked almost disgusted..but amused at the same time. The blue dragon comes back on the perch I can see she was looking at Xaden then...at me?
My laughing stopped, but I still held my smirk, letting it fall into a emotionless expression as I stare back, my heart beating a little faster as I stare. The last thing you'd want to show a dragon is fear, I straighten glaring at it. I held it's eye contact for 15 seconds, I counted before it snorts, blowing my braid back, blinking then looking away.
" Does everyone still feel badass? Maybe still invincible? " Xaden asks with a small laugh. Our squad was dead silent, I still simply stare. He tilts his head, " Didn't think so.." He takes a step closer almost in our circle, " Dragons don't care who you are, or who your parents or siblings are, they see how strong you are, how bloodthirsty you are, how much of a fighter you are..that will keep you alive the longest here. But if your not more then the next... Your dead."
Our eyes lock, " So..Fourth Wing... How strong are you?"
Translation: How strong will I be?