The Five Manors

Chapter 8 Water... And Flame?

I burst awake to the sound of ringing beside my ears. It was a deafening noise that made them want to turn inside out.

I guess that's the alarm clock.

I turn over on my side and see that the light had switched back on. Then, I groggily push myself up and fumble my hand over the alarm clock until I find the off switch.

The obnoxious noise stops and the silence almost feels uncomfortable to my ears. It was certainly one way to get someone out of bed.

So, I stand up and take a quick shower. When I opened the other drawers to the dresser, I note that there were about three other pairs of the same uniform I had been wearing last night.

After towel drying my long blond hair I brush it out with my fingers and hastily put it in a ponytail with some hair ties I had found in the bathroom cabinet.

Once I'm up in the greenhouse I close the door and place the watering can back on the latch. I figured they would still want me to be hiding my room.

Sure enough, as soon as I step outside the greenhouse I see Varez standing no more than five feet away. This morning he was wearing jeans, a white shirt, and seemed to be wearing the same brown leather jacket he had been wearing last night.

"You're late," he says gruffly.

Good morning to you too.

"What are you talking about? It was six twenty when I jogged up the steps."

He double checks the watch on his wrist. "It's forty nine seconds past six twenty. You're either early or on time. But never late from now on. Are we clear?"

I was about to open my big mouth again to argue but judging by the foul look he was giving me, he wasn't in the mood.

"Yes," I say simply while biting my tongue.

"Good." He nods and gestures for me to follow him. "Listen very carefully because I'm only going to tell you your schedule once. Monday through Friday you will get up at the same time you did today and will get back to you sleeping quarters at five in the afternoon. You have thirty minutes for a rest and lunch in the middle of the day. On Saturday your alarm clock is set for seven in the morning. Same time for lunch but training is over at three. Sunday there is no training.
"The mess hall is where the meals are prepared and is where we are headed now. You are welcome to come in and out of the building as you please during your free time. If you are lucky your friends might be eating there at the same time your are. Any other time during the week, besides those two days, you are not aloud to see them. Nor are you aloud to share any information on your training with them. Understood?" Varez finally stops talking. I think that's the most I had ever heard him speak all at once.

I was still trying to wrap my head around the sudden load of information but I think I got everything. I was upset I wouldn't get to see Zarina as often as I would like though.

"What are my boundaries?" I asked.

"Don't go past the gates," Varez says without looking back at me.

I look towards the wooden fence that borders the whole area. From this view, it seemed to go on for miles. Beyond the fence, I noticed mountains in the distance. The mountains instantly took my breath away with their sparkling snow topped peaks. It wasn't even winter and yet the snow seemed to have stayed throughout the year. "Are those . . ." I pause, trying to recall the name. "Oh! The Rocky Mountains?" I ask. I think we were obviously past the point where Varez didn't care if I spoke to him without being spoken to first.

"That's what they were called back before the war, yes. They have no specific name now. And as for the land we are standing on now, this used to be the territory of Colorado," Varez put in.