Reflections

Chapter 3

"Go, go, go. Come on people." Anna called as she clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"This is torture." Someone murmured and a ripple of agreement flowed through the crowd of the kids who all stood in the blistering heat, caked in mud and furiously panting.

"I don't understand why an obstacle course was the best thing to do." A girl muttered as she cleaned the mud out from under her nails.

"I don't understand why we had to pick options out of a hat." Another retorted.

"Next up!!" Willem shouted as Callisto stepped up to the starting line with 4 others.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!" He yelled and the five took off sprinting.

Callisto's legs carried her faster than any of the other people in the group, approaching the first obstacle of sets of bars. She leapt over and slid under them with ease, her body never faltering as it gripped the boiling metal and threw her legs over.

"Wow. Since when did Calli have moves like that?" The quarterback and her old friend, Kaiden Mathews, remarked as everyone continued to watch.

The next obstacle, the balance beam over a pit of mud. Calli lifted her arms to balance herself out but still walked quickly across. Nearly tipping over before she bent her head in the opposite direction and regained her balance.

"GO CALLI!!" Xenia cheered on her friend who was devouring the competition.

~

Her heart beat against her chest as she ran, the blood pumped through her body, loud enough for them to clog her ears with the sound. Her soul felt like it was alive, like it had taken its first breath in a new body. Her sight was clearer than ever, her smell was allowing her to smell many unfavourable things and she felt the winds embrace as it caressed her overheating body.

'More.' Something called out to her. It craved and it demanded.

And before she could stop herself, that something had pushed her into the passenger seat of her own mind. She banged on the shield keeping her from reality and yelled her throat hoarse. She stood in a room of mirrors and yet she could barely recognise the person staring back at her. Whoever this was, whatever this was. It was not normal, the thing raced over the obstacles. Clearing them with ease and not even out of breath. Like this body could do this for hours, but she could not, and since this new soul was taking her body. It would soon need to realise that.

And as her body passed the finishing line, she dropped to the floor and suddenly she was back in control. Her lungs burned and her legs ached, her hands were numb and her head felt heavy. She dropped her head to the dirt, and swallowed mouthfuls of air to compensate for the exercise she had endured.

"Come on. Up you go." a voice said as someone grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet roughly.

"For someone who was running very fast. You look like you haven't run in a year." Anna joked as Xenia quickly slid into Callisto's side and held her body up.

"I haven't." Callisto's throat was raw but she spoke anyway.

"Sure kid. Sure." Anna patted her back and moved to congratulate the rest of the kids who jogged in covered in mud that was rapidly drying.

"What was that?" Xenia asked as she dropped her friend under the shade of a tree, behind everyone who still stood waiting for the last few people to finish.

"I don't know. I think i'm going crazy. I didn't have any control of my body. It was like it was moving on its own." Callisto gripped Xenia's arm, her eyes full of fear and the rest of her body shook.

"Calli... What are you talking about?"

"It was like I was a prisoner in my own mind. I couldn't do anything and now i feel like i'm wearing the wrong skin. Like this body isn't mine. Like my soul doesn't belong in it." Calli confided as she looked up at her friend.

And Xenia burst into laughter.

Callisto paused and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Oh, you're serious." Xenia stared at her friend, who looked more serious than ever before.

A nod of confirmation.

"Maybe you're just losing your mind. It wouldn't be the first time." Xenia joked with an awkward laugh.

And before Callisto could tell her friend anything, a hand was laid on her shoulder. Coldness rushed over her body as if the whole world had suddenly gone cold and the blood in her veins turned to ice.

"Are you feeling alright now Miss Fadley?" Ms Trolles's voice asked as the ice began to settle in her.

"Fine now." Xenia interrupted, noticing the tight grip the woman had on her friends shoulder.

"Just a bit tired, i'm sure you are too." Xenia smiled, with anything but kindness.

"Ah yes. Aren't we all." the woman mused, as she released her grip and walked forward.

"Do remember we are here if you need anything."

And with her final comment she walked into the crowd of teenagers and the sun suddenly shone on Callisto again. The ice and cold went from her body and she felt the sun's heat once more.

"She gives me the creeps." Xenia muttered as she hissed in the direction the woman left.

"Did you just hiss?"

"Ya. got an issue about it?"

"Nope."

"Good."

Xenia settled down next to her friend as they waited for the activity to be over.

"You should probably shower." Callisto said as the remnants of her super smell caught a whiff of the odor emitting from her friend's body.

"I should have left you on the floor in the sun." Xenia retorted.

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

~

"Sleepy." Callisto muttered as Xenia dragged her from the dining hall to the field where everyone would compete in a night game of cops and robbers.

Xenia was concerned for her friend who seemed way too tired for what she should be. And assumed the cold shower that she ended up taking would be enough to wake her up. Clearly her assumption was incorrect.

"Come on. Nearly sleepy time." The brunette coaxed her friend as they left the light of the small buildings and came to the field where the game would take place.

"Alright everyone. The aim of the game is to get through the forest into a clearing one mile south from here. We are not going towards the precipice so if you find yourself there, please turn around. And the aim is to not get caught by our cops." Anna explained as half of them stood alongside her while the others stood in front of them.

Callisto and Xenia stood next to each other in the group of robbers. The hum of chatter and heat emitting from everyones body kept out the nagging feeling tugging at Callisto enough.

They listened as Anna explained that every cop would be wearing a reflective band around one of their arms and on their heads as well as having glow sticks hanging from their wrists, a telling sign of who was who. And with the last of the rules repeated, the cops and half the councilors disappeared into the forest to the next clearing.

The sound of a horn blew and the game began.