Mind Games

Chapter 2 - Mae

"Dori, I'm headed out!" Mae called to her brother as she opened up the front door.
"Okay! See you later!"
Mae stepped out of the house, gently shutting the door behind her. She slung her bag over her shoulder and set off down the dirt path, her cane in hand. The sun had just risen, brightening up the dense forest surrounding the path, but the air still held the briskness of the early morning.
She turned off the path and joined onto the main road, terracotta and stone buildings on either side. She passed few people, acknowledging them with a formal nod. She wasn't much for enthusiastic greetings.
After a few more turns on the road, she veered off onto another dirt path, this one larger and more well-kept than the one leading away from her house. By this point, a few other people had woken up and begun the morning trek. Mae didn't stop to chat, though. She never did.
Finally, the dense forest opened up into a large clearing, containing large, ivy-colored buildings and open fields.
Mae stopped, leaning on her cane, and took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling the cool wind play with her hair. She regripped her cane and continued walking towards a field on the far side of the clearing. It was marked with a small circle, patterned with a two-tone leaf colored dark brown and forest green.
She walked into the clearing with a small smile on her face. She tossed her bag to the side and approached the others.
"Well well well, if it isn't manoa Mae," a tall, golden-skinned elf said with a smirk. "Come back for another round?"
"Well, Naio, I am enrolled here," Mae said with a small smirk, resting her hands on her cane.
"I don't see why they even let a manoa enroll," said Naio.
"Why, scared that I'll beat you again?"
Naio glared at her, the tips of their pointed ears turning bright red as the others laughed.
"Students, get over here! I'm not paid to watch you stand around and do nothing!" a voice called from across the field.
As the group began to walk towards their instructor, Mae lightly rapped her cane on Naio's heel, getting them to turn around.
"By the way," she said, "don't call someone a manoa. It's offensive." She walked away from them, joining the rest of the group. The theatrics really weren't necessary, but she had to make sure people didn't mess with her. If she didn't, their words would quickly turn into actions.
"Well, I'm seeing that you all decided to take your time this morning," said Amrose, their instructor. "I'm expecting that all of you will be early for our next session. Are we clear?"
The students nodded.
"Excellent," Amrose said, clapping her hands together. "Now, I want to start the day off with some sparring. Feel free to choose your own partner. And just as a bit of motivation, the winner of each match will not have to do their homework for this class," they added with a smirk. "Once you've picked someone, go find a spot and get started. Remember, you have five minutes per match. Break!"
Mae stood in place, leaning on her cane. She never had to seek out a partner. If someone actually wanted to spar with her, they would come to her.
"Oh, Mae, can I be your partner?"
She sighed. Of course it would be him.
"Alright Kinyu," she said with a smirk. "You're on."
He blushed, grinning like an idiot. "O-okay!"
Kinyu followed after Mae, nearly bumping into her when she stopped.
She turned, adjusting her grip on her cane.
"Well? Are you ready?" she asked.
"Y-yes!" Kinyu exclaimed, raising his hands.
"Excellent."
Their instructor's whistle blew, telling them that it was time to begin.
They circled each other for a moment, Mae watching her opponent, waiting for the moment to strike.
The moment Kinyu raised his left hand, Mae whipped around, throwing a seed from her pouch onto the ground, seconds later, a mess of brambles surrounded her opponent.
As he was busy coaxing them out of his way, Mae clenched her fist and swiped it through the air. The grass around Kinyu's feet doubled in size and wrapped around him, halting his progress on the bramble. It didn't take long for him to break out of the grass and send the brambles towards Mae.
She smiled, raising her hand and slashing it through the air, diverting the brambles around her like water around a rock. Kinyu's triumphant smile dropped as he realized his mistake; challenging the most skilled Life mage in the academy.
Mae threw another seed to the ground, driving a thick vine towards her opponent and knocking him to the ground the moment Amrose blew the whistle, signaling the end of the match.
She waved her hand, pushing the vine to the side. She extended a hand to her embarrassed opponent, resting her other hand on her cane.
Kinyu took her hand, blushing. Mae pulled him to his feet and shook his hand.
"You're getting better," she said to him as she took a step back.
"Y-you really think so?" said Kinyu as his face turned a vibrant shade of red.
"Yeah," Mae said. "I think with a bit more practice you could be pretty good."
They started walking back towards the rest of their classmates.
Kinyu glanced at Mae's cane. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know, how do you fight so well with... that?" he sheepishly asked.
"Work." She stopped walking when they reached the group. "Lots of it."
They spent the rest of the morning drilling new exercises and learning new seeds. Mae had already taught it all to herself, so she spent the time finishing assignments for her afternoon classes. Most of them were not difficult, but she still had to do the work to pass.
She walked home to eat lunch with her brother before returning and finishing up the day. School was more of a formality for her at this point; but if she wanted to be selected for the Elites she would need to prove that she can follow through on a commitment.
In the late afternoon, she sat at her desk, bouncing her good leg while watching the sun through the window. Come on, how is class not over yet?
As the instructor droned on about how magic types complement each other, she could only think about checking the mailbox back home. Maybe the Council had made their decision early. They had never been much for good timing.
After what felt like an eternity, the class was dismissed. Mae picked up her bag and went straight for the door, weaving in-between her classmates who were all busy chatting about their classes and their plans for first-day when it came around.
Mae pushed through the last mob of students, reaching the exit. She walked through the giant double doors, squinting as the bright afternoon sun hit her eyes. She grinned, ready to get home. However, before she even set foot on the pathway, someone stepped out in front of her.
"Excuse me, you really need to watch where you're walking," Mae said, keeping a neutral smile on her face.
"What makes you think that was an accident?"
Mae looked up and met the eyes of none other than Naio, who, to her annoyance, was several inches taller than her.
"Oh, I never said that it was an accident, I was merely stating that you should not deliberately cut me off. It won't end well for you," she said, smiling a dangerous smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."
"Going somewhere?" they said, sidestepping to cut her off again. "What's wrong?" they asked mockingly, seeing the flicker of anger in Mae's eyes. "Does your leg hurt? Need a rest?"
"I don't have time for this," Mae said, doing her best to control her anger.
"Why in such a rush?" Naio asked, smirking. They made an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Oh, you couldn't be looking for a letter from the Council, could you?" They laughed. A cold, cruel laugh. "You really think that they'd want a manoa like you? Please, be serious!" They laughed again. "They'll never pick you."
Mae lashed out, striking Naio's shin with her cane, causing them to cry out in pain.
"Choose your battles wisely," she said, walking around them. "This is not one that you'll win."
She left them on the ground, cursing her over their bruised leg. She didn't strike hard enough to break the bone; just enough to hurt. They'll be fine. Besides, sometimes you need to teach someone a lesson. You would've thought that they'd have learned not to mess with her at this point.
Mae breathed deeply, calming her heart beat. Remember, Maenora, anger is a weapon. Use it to your advantage. Don't let it use you. She shook her head. Don't let it use you.
It took her longer than usual to get home; her leg was stiffer than usual. That was the problem with Naio's jabs; they all had a hint of truth to them. That's what made them so effective in provoking her.
She sighed with relief once she finally turned onto the path leading straight to her front door. She stood outside for a moment, taking it in. Her house was small; nothing fancy. She didn't have the funds for a big one, so this was her only option. She couldn't live at the academy dormitories because of her brother, so this was the next best thing.
Out of the corner of her eye, the mailbox stood, almost taunting her. She took a deep breath before approaching it. Inside, a letter sat, encased in a thick envelope. She picked it up, hurrying towards the house with it grasped firmly in her hand.
"Dorian, I'm home!" she called, opening up the door and walking into the house.
"Mae!" her little brother sprinted out from his room, tackling her in a hug.
"Good to see you, kiddo," she said, hugging him back.
He gasped. "Is that a Council letter?" he asked, his excitement palpable.
"We'll see," Mae said, barely containing her own excitement.
They sat down at the small kitchen table, Mae opening up the envelope with shaking hands.
She pulled the letter out and unfolded the paper, clearing her throat and reading it out loud.
"Dear Maenora Li, your presence is requested at the Council Hall," she started, her heart racing. "We require your assistance with a disturbance along the northern border," she finished, heart sinking. She threw the letter onto the table with a sigh.
"Sorry," Dorian said, laying a hand on his sister's arm. "Next time will be it!"
Mae gave him a smile. "Yeah. Next time."
She stood, massaging her leg for a moment before retrieving her cane.
"Well, I'd best be off, kiddo," she said, ruffling her brother's hair. "I should be back before dinner, but if I'm not, there are some leftovers in the cooler. Okay?"
"Okay! See you later!"
Mae went back outside, shutting the door with a bit more force than necessary. She made her way back down the path and through the town as quickly as she could, soon arriving in front of the Council Hall.
She entered the building, immediately met by one of the esteemed Council members. "Ah, Ms. Li! Thank you so much for joining us," they said, leading her down the hall towards the primary Council chamber.
"Of course," she said, her leg twinging. "Anything to help out."
She was admitted into the chamber where she saw three of the other members waiting, as well as one of her classmates from the academy.
"Excellent, you're both here," Councilan Ori said with a smile. "There's been a small disturbance close to our northern border," he said, pointing to a spot on a map. "We figured that this would be an excellent time to test both of you in a real situation."
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but aren't we a bit late to help with any disturbance?" the other student pointed out.
"Not necessarily," Ori said, shaking his head. Those letters were sent with portals as soon as we heard of it. Of course, it could have escalated or deescalated in the time it took for you two to get here, but there's just one way to find out."
Councilan Noliru, the elf who brought Mae to the meeting room, started to speak. "We'll have Kina Ro here transport the two of you," they said, gesturing to the other student. "Then we'll have you deal with the disturbance and make sure that all is well. If there is a fight, break it up and deal with the parties involved. Can you do that?"
"Of course, Councilan Noliru," Mae said with a nod. "Right away?"
Noliru nodded. "Mr. Ro? Are you ready?"
Kina took a deep breath and nodded.
"Well, then you'd better be off. Best of luck!" they said with a smile.
Kina raised his hand and drew a circle through the air, a portal appearing once he finished. "Let's go," he said, hopping through. Mae quickly followed after him, the portal closing behind her.
On the other side, she saw a group of three boys. One of them was holding a young kid by the front of his shirt and the others were standing by, waiting for something to happen.
Mae cleared her throat. The boys turned around. "Hey," she said, rolling a seed between her fingers. "We don't tolerate bullies in Léona."