The Seeker

Chapter 8- Seeker Camp

     Liana's body and mind and everything else blurred out, and she didn't even remember standing up. She had wrapped her arms around her sister and her sister did the same.
     "Liana, oh my god, it's been forever, I missed you more than anything! What happened, you look dirty. Were you in the woods? Firenze took me through the woods to get here-" Lilly didn't breathe in between her sentences.
     "Lilly! How are you here? How long have you been here? Are you okay?" Liana words came out before she knew what she was going to say.
     "I'm fine, this place is awesome! The trainings and stuff they have here, oh my GOD! You wouldn't believe! I know how to fight with a real sword!" Lilly sounded excited and so, so relieved.
     "How do you know how to use a sword?"
     "They taught me!"
     "Wow. Lilly, you're really here. Your my sister, and you're really here. I love you so much, Lilly." She hugged her sister again.
     "I love you too, Liana."
     "Girls, I really hate to ruin this moment, but you need to cross our bother line real quick, the harpies are gathering." Firenze gestured to a bunch of creepy-looking monsters emerging out from behind trees.
     "Oh! The harpies. I hate those things. Come one, Liana! You're going to be a part of Seeker Camp!" Lilly went to pull her sister into the magic border that keeps monsters out and gives Liana a mark on her neck (SC).
     "Wait, so once I cross. I will officially be a Seeker. I will bear the mark of Seeker Camp. What about school? All my friends, everyone?" Liana had so many questions right now. But more than anything, she just wanted to talk to Lilly. She wanted to catch up with her, become best friends with her again. It's been three years since Lilly died (well, you know what I mean). Liana didn't how much she changed, or if she did.
     "They'll all be fine. You'll see them again. I promise." Firenze commented. Then he added, "girls, the harpies!"
     "Okay." Liana took a deep breath, took her sisters hand, and they stepped through. It felt like she walked through a warm, misty rush of air. And she had. But it's invisible.
     "Well, do you feel different?" Lilly asked with excitement and wonder. That same old voice. It was talking to Liana again.
     "I-" Liana didn't really know what to say. Then felt something on her neck. She looked at it, and saw black lettering materializing there. Lilly and Firenze watched it complete itself, then looked at Liana. "Woah. How does it do that?" Liana was amazed.
     "Magic." Firenze smiled and winked at Liana.
     "Come on, Liana! I'll show you around! Firenze, can I?" Lilly asked, she was already starting to jog away.
     "Of course. But can you bring her to the campfire later tonight? I will announce her presence." Firenze talked to Lilly so easily, and Liana smiled at that. She didn't know why, but she just did.
     "Yeah! Thanks!" And she took Liana's hand and galloped away. "So this is the arena. That's where you mostly learn how to fight and how to use an sword and stuff like that. It's pretty cool. I've made friends with some other campers so far. They're really nice. Except for a few, who are pretty grouchy, so I'll tell you about them later. Oh, hey Blaze! (She said that to a camper in the arena). That's Blaze, she's like my best friend. We got here on the same day." Lilly had so much energy, she was amusing to Liana, and Liana couldn't stop smiling.
     "Wow, so you learned how to use a sword?" Liana thought that was pretty cool. In her History classes at school, she read all about the ancient wars, and how they fought with swords and scythes and daggers, and shields. She wondered if they had shields, too.
     "Yeah! And I'm pretty good. Our teacher is awesome! Do you want to meet him?" Lilly was practically jumping up and down. Liana could tell that Lilly had been dying to talk to Liana. Liana wondered if Lilly could breathe, because Liana hadn't heard her take a space in anything she said yet. She smiled.
     "Sure!" Liana followed Lilly (wether she wanted to or not, Lilly was bolting everywhere, and not giving Liana anytime to turn a corner). But this made Liana think about all the stuff she used to do with Lilly, and hers eyes were tearing up with joy to consider the fact that she was with her sister again. Lilly heard her, and turned around, and they hugged for what seemed like over a year.
"I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
Liana and Lilly looked at each other and smiled.
"When Firenze told me about you, I couldn't even believe what I was hearing! Then I saw you and I just didn't know what to think." Liana was still in shock about her sister being alive all this time.
"I know. I honestly could believe I was alive. Then he told me I was a Seeker, and all these memories ran through my head, and thought about the time when I 'died', and I thought, and realized, I never even died. So if we're Seekers, do we live forever? I mean obviously we can age, so it's not like we're going to be 400 and still alive, why didn't I die from the bull?" Lilly seemed like she had a hard time saying 'bull'.
"I've honestly been wondering about that, too. You could ask Firenze." Liana wondered if Firenze actually knew the answer.
     "I did already, but he said he can't tell me." Lilly said, she looked disappointed.
     "Really? That's weird." Liana responded. Why couldn't he tell her? It's not like it's a bad thing. Unless...
     "Yeah. I wouldn't worry too much about it yet. We're at Camp right now, there's not really anything you need to worry about while you're here." Lilly's energy came back.
     "Okay. So you were going to take me to your teacher?" Liana changed the subject.
     "Oh! Right, come on!" Lilly took Liana's hand again and pulled her toward the arena.
     "Lilly! Hi, I'm training, but Jayson here could use a sparring partner. Would you?" A fairly tall man with a long scar on his face said to Lilly.
Wait a minute, what? Jayson was here, at Camp? He's a Seeker, too? "Um, Jayson?" I said. That earned me the attention of the man, Lilly, and Jayson.
     "Liana? You're a Seeker? I would've never guessed." Jayson said. But the sarcasm in his voice made me realize...
     "You knew that I was a Seeker all this time. All those days that you left school early was so that you could get here to camp and train for this world. You knew my secret that I didn't even know. Why didn't you tell me? (I smiled. Then realized I was still really dirty so I quickly started to brush the dirt off my clothes. I will admit, I have a huge crush on Jayson.) Did you know that Firenze was trying to get me here?" I really couldn't help myself from smiling when I looked at Jayson. I really, really, really like him.
    "Of course I knew that. Me knowing that is practically the entire reason as to why you are here right now." Jayson smiled back.
     "So if you knew, then why di-" My voice trailed off as more realization came to me. "I had told you about my hike with my family. And then you texted me that night suggesting a 'certain place', that your 'parents' had been to before. Your 'parents' were actually Firenze and the centaurs, and the 'certain place' is where Firenze would set up the Stone to appear. You totally set me up." I smirked, and shook my head in amusement.
     "Yes, we did. Your welcome." Jayson winked at me, and oh my god, Jayson winked at me. I totally melted inside, I felt like a pool of nothing that just dissolved from lava. I was the pool of nothing, Jayson was the lava. He was definitely as hot as lava.
     "Wow, I'm impressed." This was my turn to wink at him, and he tried so hard to hide his smile but it showed, and I smiled to know that he was smiling.
     We looked at each other for a long moment with pure silence.
     "So, um, Lilly, will you help me out?" The sword dude (excuse my wording, but the guy I'm in love with just winked at me, so I don't really even know what my name is anymore) asked my little sister.
      "Yeah, totally!" Lilly jumped over to the arena, but then ran back. "Oh, Liana, this is Kraeajear. Our war teacher. But sometimes we call him Slash." Lilly indicated Kraeajear.
     "Slash, this is Fialiana, but everyone calls her Liana." Lilly introduced me. But I flinched hearing my giving name. I haven't been called that in years. There were only five people other than me in the whole world that knew my real name: Lilly, Gabe, Mom, Dad, and Jayson. Unless some centaurs or something from this world knew my real name (probably). Oh right, and now some guy people call Slash knows my real name.
     "Yeah, but please call me Liana, that's what I go by."
"Okay, nice to meet you Liana." Slash smiled at me.
     "Nice to meet you, too, Slash." I smiled at Slash. I slightly wondered why they called him Slash. But I saw the sword in his hands and the scars he had and that answered my question.
"So, Liana, how long will you be staying here?" Slash asked me.
I had never actually thought about that. I mean like I've thought about, but like I haven't thought about it. Well, you know what I mean. "Uh, I, uh, I don't-"
"It's okay. Not many Seekers know what's even going on when they get here. I get it." Slash gave me a half-hearted smile.
"What are you?" Liana knew that there wasn't anything normal on this side of the Stone, so that question wasn't considered rude.
"I am a Seeker, Liana. Like you are." He smiled looking slightly proud.
"You're a Seeker? How did you-"
"Survive this long?" He finished Lina's sentence and chuckled.
"Yeah."
"It seems unlikely, I know. But not all Seekers die before they live their whole life." Slash smirked.
"You're saying I can make it? Throughout my whole my life?" Liana asked.
"Of course." He was confident.
"Hm."
"Don't worry about the future, or you'll miss the present." Slash smiled.
So did Liana.
"So, um, you wanted my help with Jayson?" You could hear it in Lilly's voice, she was still so exited.
     "Oh! Right. Thank you for reminding me. So will you just practice the normal routine?" Slash asked her.
     "Yeah, totally! But I'll be right back, I think I left my sword at the shack." She started to gallop away. "Liana, come with me?" She asked Liana.
"I'm in!" And she followed.