Deep Roots

Chapter Fifteen

Phoenix

I bunch my muscles, adrenaline bubbling through my veins like lemonade. I leap forward, propelled by the momentum from my run up, and I lash out my leg to strike my enemy in the chest. I successfully hit my target before... crumbling to the ground? In an instant, I am pinned down and defeat washes over me as I give up and go limp.

Titan stands up and dusts his trousers off with his hands. A look of disappointment shows clear on his face. "You're not going to win a fight by giving up as soon as the enemy has the upper hand."

"Sorry I let you down, I'll try better next time. Promise." Training practices had become a regular occurrence, just like me apologising for my mistakes had. But instead of just Slate teaching me and Lynn, Titan has pitched in to help. We have almost formed a sort of group and it has been good to wake up early and do some long-awaited exercise.

Titan stretches out his hand to help me up, but I am already getting to my feet, leaving his hand hang there awkwardly. I have finally learnt that Titan's personality simply doesn't compare to Willow's. But something keeps holding me back; the fact I don't belong with someone like him. I let out a small smile to cover up the uncoordinated act of kindness Titan gave me and glance at Lynn and Slate training, feeling my heart sink when I see how well Lynn is doing.

"Don't give up," Titan says as he follows my gaze over to where the couple were fighting. They were moving onto elemental battling, where your powers get involved and the combat becomes a lot more complicated. Me? I was still stuck with the basics.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what everyone tells me," I say, feeling hope deflating inside me like an old and tired balloon. I brush a few blades of grass off my jeans and plaster a false smile on my face. Soon enough the other two finish their training and both flop on the ground with exhaustion, both smiling genuinely. Despite not being as worn out as they are, I join them, enjoying the prickly grass brush my skin in a pleasantly annoying way.

"Titan, can you pass the bag," Slate says lazily, reaching out with his hand as if to try and grab the bag from so far away.

Titan rolls his eyes and smiles as hey grabs the bag from the patch of daisies it was previously nestled in and drops it before the golden-haired man. He scrabbles over to reach it and rummages in it, pulling out a blue container. Popping the lid open, Slate peers inside and smiles then placing the container in the middle of our semi-circle so everyone could see.

Mouth-watering cookies lay before us. Crisp and baked to a golden colour, chocolate chips sprinkled throughout them. Spotted, like the pattern of leopard's fur. Titan's eyes widen at the delicious treats placed before us and soon joins our semi-circle, creating a complete huddle around the container filled with the perfectly baked cookies. Lynn snatches one of the sugary snacks and takes a greedy bite.

"Mm... these are great." she says, closing her eyes as she absorbs the flavours.

Slate casually takes one, as his mouth parts in a wide smile from the praise he received from Lynn. He nibbles on the biscuit and tries to catch the crumbs that trickle down his shirt. Titan takes one and bites into it, chewing slowly and thoughtfully. I stare at the container for a bit before cautiously grabbing one and start gnawing on the end, looking around at the others.

"Do any of you have parents?" Lynn asks casually as if having a person to raise you and guide you is not necessary, like asking if you have a pet. I knew why this is such an odd question; having parents is quite rare now after the war, many have no relatives left or only grandparents.

"My grandma is still alive..." Slate begins but his face falls as he adds the last part, "she has a memory problem though... I used her recipe for the cookies."