Star Dust

Chapter 11 ~ Mystery

 I smile through the pain, or at least I try to. It gets worse and worse every day and they notice it. I know they know, it's in the way they look at me, eyes full of sympathy trailing me as I walk past their eyes following my back. The only relief I get is in the training room when we're all learning something new or fighting. Two days have passed since we recruited Matthew, and Gryphon seems to have grown very fond of torturing him, especially during training when they're allowed to beat each other into the ground. 

 Dylan constantly has me in the medic bay as we call it now, trying different combinations of colourful medications that I fake taking or down right refuse. Today is the third day of travelling from Mathews planet to the fourth elemental awaiting us another day's worth of travel away. 

Walking into the cockpit I find Dylan "training starts in two hours" then I walk out before he pesters me to take more medication and painkillers. Walking down the hall towards the training room I stop abruptly at the end and slip into the room on the right. 

Disappearing in the thick shadows that hid me and everything else in this room from the people who live and train on this ship. Releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding I sit in the closest chair bathed in darkness, the wonderful feeling of that cold caressing my cheek, inviting me further. The moment didn't last long though, I grew restless and turned on the light, right after checking that the light had no way of escaping this room.

 The room was plain, a large table sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by six chairs that we picked up from second earth of Matthew's planet as we say, all of it was covered in plastic so I wouldn't get paint on them. In the far corner stacked on top of each other are cans of paint and some brushes that were hidden in shadow until I brought them into the light of the room. 

Selecting a boring eggshell white out of the colourful array before me I begin to paint the dull room, this takes about a half an hour because it doesn't have to be the prettiest. Each stroke, one breath, another bit of peace for my soul. Walking over to the other colours I find a couple browns and the right green out of around ten different cans and start to paint yet again. Wiping my brow I pack up the paint stuff and hide it in the corner again standing back to admire my work, a forested scene stretches before me tall trees reaching their trunks past my view above the ceiling where there is only space. Well that's what it's going to look like when it's done.

 The trunks will be covered soon in colour but for now the shapes of leaves take up most of the scene but there is still lots of work to do. I had just gotten the time to sneak away into the room and I enjoyed every peaceful minute alone to feel as if I am strong. Turning off the light, my painted scene on the rounded room turns to night and I walk out to the training room and as soon as the door shuts I hear grunts and bumps. 

 They need to stop challenging each other and find new technique to defeating all kinds of attackers a frown is etched into my features when I walk into the room and every one halts what their doing to stand still and watch me enter. Matthew takes this opportunity to punch Gryphon hard in the arm and they start fighting once again, so I jump into the array of strong limbs and force them apart. Both of them ended up on their butts.

 Hissing at the two on either side of me "break it up, today we do elemental training" Dylan's head sinks to look at his shoes and I feel sorry for having to do this to him but we all need the practice. "Get up" I snarl at them and they do just that without hesitation "to the back wall!" I bark pointing to the back wall, Dylan goes a little too slowly than the enthusiastic pair bounding to get a good space on the wall.

 "Lets begin with simple exercise of breathing in and out"

 "can't we skip a step or two" Gryphon calls to me.