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Chapter 10 - Feral Instinct

I wish I could've frozen the moment I was on my way to becoming a great assassin in time. If you're wondering how on earth six year old me had broken a three inch thick wooden board, I'll tell you. I stood idly by while everyone else attempted and failed repeatedly. I waited until Vox's eyes burned a hole in my soul. Then I told myself I could break the board, envisioned me doing it and then it just...happened. Truth is, I'm not entirely sure how I did it but that was more or less my thought process during the day. 

What happened next is actually...a bit hazy in my mind. I'm sure I was high off my egotism. The druids called off class or excused me early from class for my exemplary skills. Now that I recall, I was wandering through Ettrail by my lonesome. If Vox, Dorian and Ehlarke had let the entire class out, I'm sure I'd have been with my friends.

I went to go find my parents to tell them the good news but upon entering the fields, they were preoccupied with shucking corn.

Zahra approached me and scared the living daylights out of me as she crept up behind me, who was still sort of hiding in the bushes. "Hey, Em."

I swear to Averis and Azriel, I screamed so loud that I startled crows and they flew away from the crops at light speed. I saw some of the heads of the farmers pop out of the plants like daisies from soil, their dumbfounded stares congregating in my direction. I stepped exactly two paces backwards, into Zahra and screamed again, thinking she was some sort of monster from stories the druids had told us. I glanced at Zahra and took off running towards the fields, finding my parents by pure luck.

Mum turned to me, holding her arms out. I ran and jumped into my mother's arms as if I were a track and field long jump competitor, shaking violently. I needed a hug. Why I had been scared shitless by Zahra, I didn't know.

"Are you okay, Em?" Mum clearly had heard me scream.

Everything felt unreal. Vox smiled at me—actually smiled—something I didn't think he was capable of.

I nodded slowly then said, "Zahra scared me is all." My mum and dad exchanged a glance as some of the other farmers gathered nearby in confusion, speaking of their bewilderment. Whispers about what all the fuss had been about were carried by the wind as easily as the wind carries a bird in flight.

"What's going on? Why are you out of class?" a woman approaching mother from behind broke the awkward silence.

I shrugged and started making circles in the dirt with my foot.

"I'm not sure, Suhzo," Dad replied.

Suhzo and Zahra were a pair of sisters twenty-four years apart in age, Zahra being the oldest. I want to say they appeared to be strikingly similar but I do not know if that would be entirely correct so I will let you decide. They both had dark brown hair. Suhzo's was closer to black while Zahra's was more on the brown side. They both had round faces and fair features, including hazel eyes. They were close in height, too, Suhzo barely being taller. I actually liked the both of them as they were both quite nice. My parents had friendly conversations with them more often than not.

Zahra regrouped with us, finding a place next to her sister. "Sorry I scared you, Em."

"It's fine," I said, barely looking up to meet her eyes. I kept circling my foot in the sand, keeping my arms linked behind my back. I was still quite a bit high on my inflated ego. Zahra had only ripped me out of my trance temporarily.

My father touched my head, stroking his sausage-like fingers through my hair. "Why are you out of class, Elb?"

"Well," I let my voice fill with excitement to prepare everybody for the good news, "do you remember the first exercise you were taught once in training?"