Regal Of All

Chapter VII

My throat is bleeding, I thought- or at least that's what it feels like. I spit to my left side.

From running of course, a lot- several hours straight- in other words, I went around the entire perimeter of the elaborate training grounds about 13 times. Running was always my physical weakness, besides my lack of height due to my small frame. And I will forever curse the day I met the personal trainer assigned to me, her name was Jacqueline Jess Helenak, everyone called her Ju-Ju. She was nowhere near as pretty as her name suggested, or even her personality. Not that there was a part of her that was human and I'm sure if I got to know her she'd be much softer and a smidge kinder. But I only know her as my excessively-fit, stone-cold, mean-to-the-core fitness trainer until the Games began in 5 days. Ju-Ju was awful and made sure that my whole body felt that awful too- and oh goodness did I hate her for it.

"GET UP! DO IT AGAIN! HOW DARE YOU STOP LIKE THAT! REGNUM'S SOLDIERS TRAIN SO MUCH HARDER THAN THIS! ARE YOU MOCKING THE MILITARY??! You lazy slug- KEEP MOVING! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? 'Cause I know that you're just a weak, pathetic little girl that wants to pet the pretty little dragons. You know what happens to little girls that like pretty, little dragons?" Now this is the part that set me off:

"THEY GET KILLED! IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE GUTS TO STAND UP TO THESE BEASTS THEM YOU'RE JUST A WASTE. A LITTLE GIRL THAT WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING besides taking other people's food and money, and wasting the time of much better people!!" I run harder. My legs burn, my muscles cry, my poor feet ache, I'm sweating like crazy. My footfalls are in sync with my pounding heart and my breath feels as hot as my racing blood.

When people "set me off" I mean that I start cussing and either imagine how much it would hurt if I either slapped (or punch, that'd be ok too). Or I become really enraged and just push myself harder at whatever they insulted me for. If I'm not doing as many push-ups as the one next to me, I'd do just as many and then one out of spite. Not running fast enough? Run the extra mile. Can't make my hair look as great in a braid as the girl over there? Then I'd make up a cool hairstyle that looks awesome, and then insult the person who insulted me. Maybe that's not the "right" way to go about life, but it's just what I do. I'm not changing my personality anytime soon, and it's not like I can, I've thought a few times before. So just stop criticizing me on what I have no control over!

The training grounds were incredible, absolutely fantastic. The track outlined the grounds, there was an indoor-training room, the rest was outdoors- there were certain areas sectioned off for yoga and things like that. There was a snack bar with punches and juices, it was pretty cool here and a great place to chill out on your breaks. The training grounds were 20 acres large, the largest part of it was the the woods, the Forestry. Here is where the mock battles took place, between a single warrior going against a mock dragon or wild creature or some sort. This was fun, for just about everybody to do. The not-so-fun part is when I have to work-out, this includes: stretching, swimming, running, every-muscle-building-exercise possible, practicing with basic weapons, then training with your own weapon. Next, trying to breathe. All that for a week until the real four-day Games begin. Somewhere in between all that I have to find time to eat, shower, drink the really cool-flavored punches I found, clean my room, clean my gear, talk with Lea and Acacia and play chess for "recreation".

"Chess" is a game that exercises your thinking skills and how far you can look ahead, then as the game changes continuously form a plan and go through with it. It's a board-game, of skill and strategy, a game of war. And I'm actually fairly good at it. Lea doesn't play, but Acacia sort of does, she's alright at it.

I finished my running (thank goodness!) and Ju-Ju strolled off to some other place. I was on break from the required training for the Games, the sweet sit-down time I had today was just 30 minutes; then I'd head off to practice my specialty weapon, the bow (and I'm really good at it, if I may add). I half-dragged myself, half-limped my way over to the drink-stand. i ordered the next punch on the list- "Pineapple, Pomegranate with Apple Juice" was the description; then sat on a stool in the shade of a magnolia tree. It was my goal that before I left for the Games that I'd try all the different flavors of these amazing punches. This one was good, I was not disappointed.

Acacia suddenly bounded up to me from the shooting area, flipping her hair as she reached me. "I am so happy."

I sipped my drink, looking at her funnily. "And what could have possibly made you this happy?"

She plopped down on the stool next to me, and grinned. "Well, I met this guy on the shooting-court," I looked strangely at her, "and not in the way that you're thinking. Yes, he was good-looking but my competitive edge smothered any emotion there at all very quickly. So, as you know, I'm can be really mean with my cross-bow if I want to and today I was. His special weapon was the spear, so naturally he wasn't the best with the cross-bow. But, his buddy, some guy named Tristian with dark hair was there and it seemed as though he wanted to be all macho and show off. So, since I'm a girl he chose to duel me, a very bad move on his part but excellent for me." She started wagging a finger at me to express her excitement. "I easily crushed him at- well, everything that was there basically. It was great fun. The guy that I dueled was named Alyn I believe."

I smiled and nodded, which then caused me to grimace 'cause I could feel my pulse faintly beating on my brain. "Choutte. Tres bien." I said, I was nearly done with my drink.

Acacia really looked at me, my condition more like it. "J'ai très faim." She ordered something to eat. ARE YOU KIDDING ME ACACIA?  "Well, you look pretty bad, what's happened to you?"

I finished the drink and shoved the empty blue cup off to the side. "Two words to describe Ju-Ju: hard-core, intense. And that's sugar-coating it. Needless to say, my whole body aches and I feel half-dead. No joke."

She chuckled. (I gave an eye-roll) "Unfortunately for you, I cannot help. I on the other hand have a tough yet oddly weird trainer. Her name's Locoita. For a good part of her life I'm sure was spent on the dark side of the moon."

"Why? Locoita a little way out there?"

"Waayyyy." With a quick hand gesture, "dyed green hair with freakish but cool outfits, and she owns a small creature, an animal that was once called a hedgehog. It's so cute! But very strange; she trained it to always stay within 30 feet of her, but brings it everywhere and let's it roam free. His name is..." she paused to think, "Oscar."

"Oh, that is a little strange, but I'm sure Oscar is very sweet." I smiled.

She smiled back, "he is," she assured me.

I heard Ju-Ju blow her Whistle of Torment. "The witch is calling, I'd better go." I told Acacia as I stood up and streched. ("Kayelana! Get over here NOW! The world will not stop and wait for you! And niether will the dragon! Hurry up! My mother could move faster- and she's 92!")

"Bonne chance." Acacia replied.

"Merci beaucoup." And I lumbered away to the weapons-area, I'd be dueling another opponent there, but there's always a catch of some sort.