Dragon Scars

Chapter 4

        The floor of the Dragon Scars headquarters was white tiled, and the walls were a type of black brick that made the room feel dark, even with all the lights on.

        The hallways were narrow, so that only two people side by side would be able to walk next to each other in the it. That is exactly what Jen and Riley did.

        Riley tried to stay quiet, so that she would not annoy Jen with all of her questions. To Riley's surprise, Jen was the first to speak again.

        "We are almost there."

        Suddenly, out of nowhere, three men in black with white masks jumped out to attack.

        Jen swiftly moved out of the way and ran toward the large double doors.

        Riley tried to follow her, but the men held her back.

        Then, a memory sparked in Riley's mind. When she was younger, about nine years old, her parents had her take a self-defense class. Her parents were paranoid, and thought that Riley would someday be attacked by a robber or something. Riley remembered a few of the moves she had been taught, and acted quickly. Riley jabbed her elbow into the stomach of the person behind her, then ducked down as the man to her right swung his fist towards Riley's head.

        As she ducked down, Riley slid her foot behind the feet of the man to her left. When she pulled her foot back toward her, the man tripped and fell backwards.

        While the men were distracted, Riley ran to the doors Jen had run through, and opened the doors.

        Inside, there stood dozens of people dressed exactly like the men who had attacked her. Jen wasn't in sight.

        Riley turned, and was about to run back through the door, when the doors burst open. The men rushed inside.

        Riley thought she wouldn't make it out alive, when a few people from behind her, grabbed her arms. Riley started to kick, and scream at them to let go.

        Just then, Jen appeared out of the crowd, and started to try to calm down Riley.

        "Riley, relax! You Passed!" Jen said.

        "What?!" Riley asked, just starting to calm down.

        "What do you mean by 'passed'?" Riley asked sobbing.

        "This was all a test to see if you were good enough to be a part of Dragon Scars," Jen said calm as ever, "and to see what level of training you would be in."

        "What level am I in?" Riley asked between deep breaths as the people behind her released her from their grip.

        "Eleven," Jen said.

        At this, Riley was speechless.

        "Your level was determined by how fast you completed the test. Most initiates have never fought before, and start on levels one through eight. Only the best make it to eight, and you made it to eleven," Jen explained.

        Riley tried to speak, but her mouth was dry and she couldn't make a sound.

        "Follow me, and I will show you to your room. You can stay there until you recover," one girl in the crowd said, as she removed her mask.

        Riley followed the girl out of the room without a word. As soon as the doors behind them closed, the girl spoke.

        "I'm Ariana!" she said in the cheeriest voice Riley had ever heard.

        The cheer in Ariana's voice woke Riley from her shock, and her mouth moistened enough for her to speak.

        "Riley," she said to Ariana.

        "Well, I'm super excited! I'm in level eleven, and that means we're in the same level!" Ariana squealed, "and I'm sixteen, which is about two years older than you, right?"

        "Yeah, I'm fourteen!" Riley replied excitedly, for Ariana's excitement was rubbing off on her.

        "Eeek! I can't wait!" Ariana said jumping for joy as they walked.

        Ariana and Riley walked and talked the whole way to Riley's room.

        "We're here!" Ariana squealed again, "See you tomorrow!" Ariana skipped away happily. Riley watched her blond ponytail bounce, until she skipped around the corner, and was out of sight.

        Riley slowly placed her hand on the door handle. It was cold, as though nobody had used it for years.

        Riley opened the door, and it didn't creak once.

        Inside the room was clean with a full sized bed in one corner and a vanity on the other side of the room. Riley smiled when she noticed the the deep purple sheets and quilt on the bed. Purple was her favorite color.

        Riley walked over to the vanity after closing the door behind her.

        While looking at herself in the mirror, Riley noticed a closet near the end of the bed. Riley turned, and walked toward the closet, opening it when she was only a foot away. The closet was stocked full of clothes, and when Riley checked the size, she noticed they were all her size.

        Riley smiled as she picked the most comfortable looking outfit out of the closet, and set it on her bed. Riley changed into the clothes and crawled right into bed. Riley fell asleep to thoughts of her family, and wondered if they were worried.

        Right before she fell asleep, Riley decided she needed to ask Jen if she could ever see her family again. If Jen wouldn't let her, she would find a way to see them on her own. No matter what the cost.