Ender Girl

Chapter One - Téa

Chapter One - Téa

The sun shines in through my window, waking me up from my slumber. It's a beautiful day today. I sit up in bed and pull the sheets down so that I can slip out into my room. The first thing I do is almost step on my dog, Ash, and trip over an apple. Why is there an apple on my floor? I pick it up and balance it on the chest that sits below the 2-paned window. The chest contains extra arrows and some armor that I don't use much. Let me refrain that. I've never used it. Ever. It was something I'd decided to craft when I had some extra iron from my unadventurous mining trip of the day.

I open the door of my cabin and walk outside, Ash following me excitedly. He sniffs a little, and then has a quick pee before running after me.

"Good boy, Ash! Who's a good boy? Ashy is!"

This is the voice I reserve especially for Ash. He's a gray, medium-sized dog who is often mistaken for a small wolf. He is a dog, not a wolf. I got him from the dog shelter when I was ten, I think, and I'm thirteen now. He was a couple months old when I got him. Now he's three years old.

You might be wondering about me now. Well, my name is Téa (pronounced "TAY-a"), and I have long, layered blonde hair and blue eyes. My skin is just slightly tanned. The small number of villager children always tell me I'm pretty, but you know what it's like with girls, we never believe anything nice anyone says. I appreciate it all the same, though.

I am very athletic, agile and flexible. Ever since I was little I wanted to be flexible and able to flip around like a gymnast. I followed my dream and now I can do it. It paid off, and I'm an amazing acrobat.

They tell me I'm the best shot with a bow for the next five thousand miles. Eh...no. They exaggerated a little bit there. Okay, I'm decent, but there's someone out there better than me. Of course there is. There's always someone better, someone prettier, someone with nicer hair than me. Than anyone, for that matter.

I race down the cobblestone path, dodging James's apple-shooting dispenser (I think I know where my apple this morning came from now) and Toby's tripwire, Ash at my heels. I yell "SUCKERS!" over my shoulder as I run, and James and Toby give me "The Look" that our entire family has perfected. Even Ash. And he's a dog!

I yank open my parents's cabin's door and let myself inside, breathing heavily. My mom is sitting at the table reading a book and, from the look of it, my dad is still asleep. She gives me a quick "good morning" without looking up. I raise my eyebrows and grab two pieces of melon from the chest and then run out the door.

"Téa!" yells my mom after me.

"Sorry!" I cry back. "Got some stuff to do Mom!"

She's probably mumbling about me, but I don't hang around to find out. Ash at my heels, I round the cobblestone bend and grab the nearest house so that I don't go skidding down the grass. When I regain my balance, I'm off again, before I get any of the usual "Téa Fallon!"s that I get every time I round this bend. The iron golem is standing right smack in the middle of my path, and I mutter a single word ("crap") and leap up, push off his head with my hands, and land cleanly on my feet on the other side. I give a small stumble, but regain my flow immediately to keep running. The farm isn't that far now. I shove the other melon slice in my mouth, start chewing feverishly and leap onto the rope swing that I put up in this tree a long time ago due to the fact I always travel this path to reach the farm. It swings dangerously, but I don't get worried. I swing it harder, back and forth, until I can touch the tree with my feet. I swing my knees onto my favorite sturdy branch and then heave myself up. Ash waits patiently at the bottom, waiting for me to come back down. I stand up on the branch and tiptoe carefully into my treehouse. It's a nice wooden treehouse with a bed, window, crafting table, furnace, chest and even a little secret passageway I save for emergencies. I pull open the chest and grab all the stuff I need for work. Then I jump down beside Ash and we're off again.

You could say what I do is impossible. No. I trained for years and years and years, since I was two, I believe. That's eleven years! So don't be saying it's impossible or I'm a freak. It's not, and I'm not. Thanks. Glad you agree.

When I arrive at the farm, I'm barely out of breath. Time for one of the things I love most in this world. Animals.