Valeria Torres and the Blade of Life

Chapter 3: Camouflage

Valeria tried to concentrate during her afternoon classes – but couldn't. Her cheeks were still hot, flushed, and beads of sweat were pouring out across her body. It felt like she had run a marathon, and in some ways, she had. Her lunchtime confession was completely exhausting – but in a good way. It felt good to pull back the curtain for once. Cathartic. Rejuvenating. All she had to do was say the appropriate number of Hail Mary Prayers and all would be forgiven. Amen.

Bullshit.

Valeria had more baggage than most realized. More than she realized. And while she still had a long way to go, it felt good, having a personal victory for once. She had friends who supported her and didn't have ulterior motives for their friendship. She had a good guy who still liked her – and as far as she knew – still wanted to get in her pants. Things seemed to be clicking into place, with the exception of one thing.

Her gaze settled over Erin's vacant seat and the uneasiness returned. Luckily, she was distracted by a text from Frank on her brand spanking new – and well deserved – iPhone.

Ninja training today after school. Xun says don't be late – or else.

Valeria's lips pulled back into a smile. She knew Xun Guan – the leader of the Ninja guild here in the US – had another exhausting training session planned today. The young ninja was almost as tough as Jada, but they got along well. Maybe too well, because Xun kept pressuring her to join their Blitzflag team. She had resisted at first, stating she had a lot on her plate. But Xun's persistence paid off. Valeria acquiesced six weeks ago, and Blitzflag had consumed her life since. Weekends were spent at the Coterel Training Hall running endurance drills, practicing creeping techniques to avoid detection, and wall climbing – skills crucial to play the capture-the-flag-like game.

Blitzflag provided a crucial distraction. She was riddled with anxiety after the Midas Vault incident, worrying about Erin and the Shadow Knight. It also provided the perfect excuse to avoid Sai, back when she thought their factions were on the brink of war. Blitzflag training cleared her mind and gave her something else to focus on. It was also fun as hell – but more importantly – Jada considered it a reasonable excuse to rescind the order to join the cheerleading team.

Thank God, Valeria thought to herself. She didn't want to be around those annoying jocks and cheerleaders any longer than she had to. Who did Jada want her to be? Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Distracted by the afternoon bell, she exhaled with relief and gathered her things. Exiting the school, she met up with Sai and his friends at the school bicycle rack.

"Want to go to the video arcade?" James asked.

Valeria shook her head. "Can't. I have Ninja training with Xun today."

"Xun," James said awkwardly, testing the word out in his mouth. "I remember her from your headquarters." His lips pursed as he tapped a finger against his chin. "How old is she by the way? She wouldn't happen to be –"

"Oh please, James," Roberta cut in with a laugh. "You'd have better chances with Sheri."

"Sorry," Valeria said, checking her phone. "Now you know why I'm busy all the time. Maybe we can hang another time?"

"Sure," Sai said with a grin. "It'd be nice to hang out and play games again –"

"And maybe finally finish our campaign," James added. "Once we finish the Princess Arelina campaign, we have a lot of good options for the next –"

"Are you serious?" Jon asked. "Valeria probably has better things to do –"

James pointed a finger at him as he interrupted. "It might be good to learn as much as possible about D&D, with some of it turning out to be real and all."