The Dreamcatchers (New & Improved)

The Soldier and the Orphan

"Welcome to the force, Soldier Elstare," Said the lady at the desk as she handed me a bundle that was my new uniform. "You're on bunk eight in cabin thirteen"

"Eight, thirteen," I repeated.

Rainer pointed to the restroom behind me, "You can change there, then we'll head back to your place to tell your mom."

I rushed over to the restroom and quickly changed from my normal clothes. I beamed at my reflection in the small mirror that was provided. The white pants and indigo tunic fit perfectly, but the black leather jacket was slightly baggy. I liked it though; it felt safe. The boots were drastically different from my own. Instead of the soft sole I was used to, they had stiff treads that would prevent slipping and added at least an inch to my height.

"Suits you," Said Rainer, giving me a thumbs-up when I emerged. "But you're a little short for it," He added with a smirk.

"Thanks, and you're a little tall for yours," I replied cooly. When I was younger, Rainer would succeed in upsetting me with his brother-like teasing. Now, I was able to counter it easily and it made me laugh.

Rainer rolled his eyes, "Alright then, smarty pants, let's go."

We went outside, and I immediately started for a ladder, but Rainer grabbed the hood of my jacket, pulling me to a stop.

"Er, let's not use the roofs," He said, "Please?"

"Oh yeah," I said, remembering Rainer's vertigo problem. For one reason or another, he couldn't stand being up high. It wasn't exactly a fear, it was more physical. He literally felt like he was falling if he went up too high.

So we started off for my house on the ground. Even though I preferred the roofs, walking the streets of Lumvigel was an experience. The power lines hung overhead, little blue arcs of electricity constantly ran along them. As you walked, you hoped that none of them would overload and cause an outage, but if they did, you were careful to avoid the electricity poles or else you'd get an uncomfortable though harmless shock.

Then there were vagabonds to deal with. Most of them were ex-Magic Scholars who got kicked out for improper use of magic. Sometimes they only tried to sell fake magic charms, which was only annoying, but like as not they would join Street-Magic Gangs. Those people were dangerous.

You might also get a face full of steam from a vent either in the ground or the wall of some building. Most factories and public places used steam power. Although it was more expensive to use, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as electricity, or as prone to blackouts.

We reached my apartment after climbing three flights of stairs, which Rainer didn't seem happy about. I let us inside with my key, and almost ran smack into mom, who was leaving for work, dressed in her ceremonial gold-trimmed indigo robes. She stopped short, however, when she saw Rainer and I in our uniforms.

"Oh, Juniper!" she cried, throwing her arms around me, "You made it! My baby's a Hunter!" She pulled away, "I'm so proud of you! This is what you've always wanted, isn't it?"

"Yeah Mom," I said, "I nearly didn't make it, though. Professor Nitewell didn't approve it."

Rainer rolled his eyes, "Pfft, that old crow doesn't know what he's talking about. He was never a Hunter himself, so he's not a very good judge, is he?"

"I'm sure he had his own reasons," Said Mom, "But you'll just have to prove him wrong."

"I will," I said confidently.

Mom beamed at me, "So, I guess you have to go to basic training now."

"Yeah, it lasts three months."