Warriors of Dismay and Tears-Book 1

Chapter 6

"Hey there," a voice called to me from somewhere further down the table. I turned to see who was talking and to whom they were talking to.

"You!" A tall girl covered in freckles over her golden brown skin.

Once I realized she was talking to me, I froze.

"Y-yes?" I asked her nervously.

She was rather intimidating with the way her strong features were set and

her fierce eyes stared directly into me.

"You all right? You hit your head pretty hard."

"Oh." I replied with a relieved, embarrassed sigh. "I am fine. Thank you."

I smiled gently and then went back to eating. The girl stood from her seat and told everyone to scoot down. She plopped down in the open space next to me.

I almost fell off of the edge of the bench when a booming voice shouted above the crowd. "THAT'S IT. IF YOU MISSED LUNCH YOU ARE WAITING UNTIL DINNER."

"Calm down, will you? You're extremely jumpy, it is bothersome."

I realized this was the girl who had climbed the wall incredibly fast. She was absolutely beautiful. Her hair was the color of hay but if it were shining with sunshine, curled in tight ringlets that fell all the way down to the small of her back. Her nose was covered in freckles and her skin was this milk chocolate caramel color that gave her the appearance of glowing. Her accent sounded French to me, but she spoke clearly in English and her accent was only undertones so I wondered how much time she had truly spent in France and if she was from there or if I was mistaken. Despite her beauty, her eyes were cold.

"I am sorry." I apologized sincerely.

I had to admit it was embarrassing to be so jumpy amongst all these young women and girls being raised up to be warriors but I was unsure if that was something I could help.

"Don't apologize. Stop jumping." She turned to face forward and continued with her meal as if my existence was of no concern to her. I was startled by her reaction and only shared a glance with Jennie who shrugged her shoulders.

Walking down a long quiet hallway was one of the most useful times for thinking and to my misfortune, the rise of panic. I was prone to panic, especially in small spaces but it seemed that everything was worse here. I came to the conclusion that was understandable seeing circumstances be as they were, otherwise I like to think myself brave when I needed to be. My mother had always said I was a stubborn little girl, and had always said what I thought. What happened to her here and now?

"Wandering the halls will not do you any good, unless you fancy getting in trouble."

I shook myself from my thoughts and gazed around the hall. The same short, freckled girl came walking up to me. She was much shorter than I had expected coming up to me now, but her demeanor made her seem taller.

"Yes?" I asked, pulling on a friendly smile to hide my distress.

"Come with me."

"Where?"

"No questions. Just follow." She smiled kindly which seemed unnatural for what I had been introduced to her so far. "Some girls are gathered in my room. A little rebellion."

"No," I said quickly. "My sister said we could get beaten for going against the rules."

She waved the concern away and scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What have they done to us that could be worse than stealing us from our homes? Besides, who cares. They want us to fight an important cause we will do as they ask in retrospect but I won't stand living a mundane schedule."