By the time we have finished discussing the terms, my happy place is a little bit lowered. It took a long, long time to figure out. When we went out to take a break, people joined us after. Including Maya, Logan, Hunter, and Hazel. They made the whole plan with us, from which jets each of us will ride on, to how many people will come from where. We decided to attack the capital. Hopefully, while attacking there, browns will hear about it and come find us or join us. While we are attacking the capital and a little bit before, the Musktrait army, or at least part of it, will be in a few brown sectors spreading rumors about a revolution, a rebellion. That there are underground tunnels where they are hiding out somewhere. It is true that there are underground tunnels. I found them years ago while wandering around. They lead between brown sectors. Hopefully, the smart ones will be able to find us, and join our rebellion. I told everyone I am going to go to the tunnels after the battles to join others who will gather there, including Hazel.
Some are already on their way there to spread rumors about the rebellion, while others remain here to train. We are planning to attack in a week, giving the rumor time to spread. All I want to do is go now, get this started. Of course, I can't because I'm well known there, and will most likely be killed on the spot.
"Come on B, focus," Logan says. I am in the training courts with Logan and Maya this morning. I am working on developing more ice skills. I can't go there with mediocre powers, I'm known to be strong. I push harder this time, the icicles encircling part of Logan's feet, but not even making it to his ankles.
"Better Brooke, but you have to focus on raising it like you would with water," Maya says urging me on. I push hard with my mind this time and motioning with my hands. Focus Brooke, bring the ice crawling up. I let my body take over and the ice grows from the ground. This time it reaches his calves, stopping him from moving his legs.
"Ugh!" I scream letting the ice fall, while at the same time sending a flicker of ice to the side of me, before Maya makes it disappear. I've already hit 2 people causing a little bit of bleeding, "can we move onto you working on water?" I exclaim to Maya, pivoting.
"Fine, you have 30 minutes to teach and practice your water skills, then back to the ice. You have to master this in the next week!" Maya complains as we move over to the pool. Maya struggles with the water, but is a master at the ice. We are opposites.
"Okay, now watch what I do and try to copy it," I say making small waves to start her off. She tries her best to copy me, failing a bit.
"Go practice your own harder skills and show off, Logan can teach me," she says motioning to the deep pit I've been staring at.
I basically run over to the pit, eager, to make it a pool for them to play with. It doesn't take much effort to let it start filling with water as it rises up. When it reaches the top I let myself step into it, getting caught by holds. I grip them tight and make waves. I let the waves turn into a spiral of water around me. I lift myself up to the top of it. The ease of it all soothes me.
The 30 minutes go by too fast. Next thing I know my water is slowly starting to freeze, before I let all the water disappear.
"You're already good enough at water, now let's go!" Maya yells grabbing my hand. The ice got a little better. We work on forming walls, and shapes, then making ice appear in random places. Eventually, we got to the growth from the ground thing, which still proves difficult, but possible. I let it creep up Logan slowly, and as it gets higher Logan starts shooting water at me. I dodge it, and block it. After a little while, I get annoyed with him and surprised myself as I freeze his arms in the position they are in. He curses, and Maya claps as I let the ice disappear from Logan's body.
"I think that's good enough for today," Logan says shivering. Maya and I both laugh as we head to our rooms.
In my room, I then play games with the Penley's. By the time they leave, I am so exhausted, and don't feel like going to the group training after dinner. I know I have to as I quickly change back into my training suit, and rush off to dinner. Hazel, Logan, Hunter and I are happy to have some alone time. Though I am becoming friends with Maya, I still miss my little family.
"Haze," I start as I fill my mouth with the sweet potato soup, "You won't go to the actual battle, right?" she looks at me for a second studying my face.
"No, but I'll be right below you in the tunnels with any new recruits, and nurses if anyone gets hurt. After this, I'm going to a nurse training session so I can help heal," she says quickly as if ashamed. I see Logan's lips bubble with laughter, but he bites his lip staying quiet.
"You want to be a nurse?" I ask questionably. I've always known Hazel and she's never wanted to be a nurse. Not that it was an option for her in Rayfield. She shrugs,
"I don't know, but people will need help there, and I have nothing else to do, so..." I suddenly realize how useless Hazel must feel now, not a maid, or maid in training, not a girl in school. While we were off training and battling, she is sitting here with nothing to do. We stay quiet for a while after that, until Logan checks the clock and jumps.
"We have to go!" he exclaims as we break off for the training courts, leaving Hazel behind, alone, again.
When we get there so many soldiers are already gathered there. I would guess around 1000. When I asked for a few armies, I wasn't expecting this. Though it is good it's this big. Rayfield has a big army, though they never use it. There are no people to fight against. All they do is train. There was probably only a few thousand spread out around the country. Most would be near the borders looking for me, which is good for us. I see Maya up at the front waving us all forwards. As we push our way to the front, people stop to stare at me, the one who looks like Maya, the one who is just a small little girl.
At the front, Charlotte stares at me for a second before asking,
"Which would you like to go with, the blues, or the greens?" I honestly am not sure.
"I'll start with the blues, maybe move to the greens later," I say. I wanting to look strong, but most of the greens will be much stronger than I am. As Hunter, Logan and I make our way with the blues I wonder what this will be like. How hard could it be?
In a separate training court, one person stands up in front of all of us. He's tall and wears lots of badges. He could be the general, if he's what he looks like.
"This will be our first ever battle against another country. This other country only has browns and blues. That is why the greens have an advantage, but all of you must be stronger and faster than all of them. We will start with target training. Line up and choose a target!" he orders. I line up in between Hunter and Logan. Each is in a ready position both hands in front of them. Everyone else in the room is too. I put my hands forward, though one is uselessly covered in the white cloth, which I am hoping to get off tomorrow. The doctor said maybe if I rest it, but there isn't any time to rest it.
"On my count of 3 you will shoot at the target, if you don't knock it down, then take a seat, you can try again next round. Whenever we do it as a competition you always seem to work harder, so this is how it'll be. Now, one, two, three, shoot," he starts. I let the water rip through the air easily. It comes from my uninjured hand, though I could easily make it come from the air. It knocks down the target right on a bullseye, as almost everyone else's does. I hear maybe one groan, but mainly everyone stays in, "one, two three, shoot," he shouts again and again as I keep effortlessly hitting a bullseye and knocking the target down. I think we are around 10 targets in when water starts spraying at us. I dodge it ducking and jumping, and flipping, while still knocking down the targets. I see many sitting on benches behind me, but Logan, Hunter and I stay in. He stops counting now, letting us do it on our own accordance. I watch as one by one everyone fades out. Hunter goes out before Logan and I do. After all, ability isn't as important to his family as it is to mine. By the time Logan and everyone else gets out. I still feel not that challenged. It is me and some other guy left. We both keep dodging, and shooting, and dodging, and shooting. Over and over again. Eventually, there are no more targets for me, so I just show off making myself a little water seat out of thin air and sit watching as the other guy keeps dodging. When he gets out at one of the last ones I smile in satisfaction letting the water seat fade into the air.
"And you must be Brooklynn Kindler," the general says, "pleased to meet you."
{~(<>)~}
I help lead from then on, and the general asks me to teach them some of the skills we learned in Rayfield. I showed them some I know, but most common blues don't.
Most soldiers are pretty powerful, but could use some help perfecting. As I come over to the guy I have just beat as he struggles making whirlpools, I watch him. He does it sometimes, but they aren't very strong or consistent.
"Try focusing on making one and leaving it there for a little while," I offer. He turns to me water flying from his fingers,
"Well Brooklynn," he says my name with disgust, "if you are so good with water show us something that is actually useful in a battle!" I purse my lips at him a smile creeping at my lips. Logan chuckles from behind me,
"Wouldn't ask that sir," he says winking at me. I smile back at Logan and then the guy,
"And what would your name be?" I question, letting the water bubble from my sprained wrist.
"Ethan Jones," he says proudly. My grin widens,
"Well, Ethan Jones, I can show you something," I say walking backwards to an open space. I motion for everyone to back up. They follow, and Hunter and Logan stand far off to the side smiling. They saw me in the tournament, and they know what I'm capable of.
"Now to clarify Ethan Jones, I'm considered the most powerful person in my old country," I say letting water spur up beneath my feet raising me high above everyone else. I grin as I let a whirlpool engulf me. I swirl myself around in it for a few seconds and think of a project I did in art class years ago. I made an outfit with water. All I have to do is... There we go. Within seconds I send whirlpools spiraling off of me in different directions at targets. They all immediately fall. As I appear from the water I am wearing over my training suit, I specially crafted the water forming a ball gown around me that changed from shades of blue with clear water droplets attached to it, but not falling into it. I take my dress and draw from my body heat. It doesn't take as much effort as it did when I originally did it in the tournament, because of the ice, I've learned how to regulate my body temperature on my own. I seek out a target far away and send the boiling hot water from my dress towards it. I don't even focus as it goes soaring through the air. I am restoring my body heat to normal. As I look up when I feel warm again, everyone stares in amazement at the blazing target now on fire. I then send a burst of water towards it putting it out, as I lower myself to the ground.
"Cool enough for you Ethan Jones," I say cockily. I walk over, head held high, to Logan and Hunter. They high five me as everyone goes back to their own training. Though that took some effort, and I am a little tired, it is worth it. I always have to be able to prove myself like I just did. Always, including with ice.
I told the general I am going to practice my ice and he happily obliged to point me in the right direction. As I walk by a few watch, and Ethan Jones growls,
"Careful, wouldn't want to set the target on fire," I say cockily knowing he couldn't set it on fire.
Once in the ice arena, I see some people doing target practice, and others letting their ice grow. Maya sits at the top leading a group. When she sees my blue eyes in the crowd of green she excuses herself and makes her way towards me. She pulls me over to the side,
"Done showing off to the blue soldiers?" she asks laughing.
"So you heard about my show," I say looking down. She nods and laughs more,
"Everyone knows your strong you don't have to prove it to a nothing soldier!" she couldn't stop laughing, so I let water fill her mouth for a second to shut her up. She coughs as the water disappears into thin air.
"Okay, okay, I'm done, go train with the other soldiers," she says motioning towards target practice, and ice growing. I sigh and go over to the targets to start. I stood between 2 boys both way older and taller than me. They look down on me as I let the icicles slip from my hand as they hit the target down. I do it a few times, and start dodging ice too. Some watch the little girl, but I try to stay hidden, since I'm not as good with ice.
When I finish the target practice I go over to ice growing. The part I hate. I work slowly, and slower than most soldiers as I build up ice around little stumps in the ground. It gets easier as I keep doing it, but still, I watch as people much stronger than me raise themselves up with ice, make a huge bubble with ice, and so much more I can't do. But I will soon. In the next week, I have to become strong in ice, no matter what.
After we finished the group practice, I go immediately back to my room exhausted from training all day. I lye down on my bed and think about how this would be my next week. Though it'll feel like months.