The Academy: Ashland

My Teammates

            By the time Taven let me leave the training room to go change for dinner, I was exausted. Taven had me shoot four different guns and a crossbow before making me throw knives. He had me practice with a knife on some dummy, who moved and fought back, before making me fight him.

            I didn't want to go to dinner and I told Taven where he could shove that idea, but he chuckled and told me if I wasn't at dinner he would drag me down, by my ears (I’m pretty sure he would too, Taven seems like a tough love kind of guy).

            When I got back to the floor Taven told me my room was on (I'm pretty sure I went up to get to floor 8, not down), I saw three of the kids from the training area again. Taven told me they were my teammates and I'd get used to them eventually. The two guys were hanging out in the hallway, talking and making faces at each other as I got off the elevator. The girl that one of the boys had been wrestling with walked out into the hallway. One of the boys said something and they both laughed as the girl smacked them. When the elevator doors closed, they all looked up at me and glared before walking the opposite way down the hall.

            I walked into the room marked 6, collapsed on the bed and sighed. I stayed there for a few minutes before standing and walking over to the closet. I opened the closet doors and laughed at the contents.

            There were band shirts, jeans, boots, sneakers, hats, beanies, jackets and hoodies. I grinned and grabbed a pair of black jeans, a black and white Pierce the Veil shirt, black biker boots and a black leather jacket, before swapping my Batman beanie for a black and gray beanie. Then I took a deep breath and walked out the door.

* * *

            When I walked into the mess, all conversation stopped and everyone looked at me. Taven saw me after a moment and motioned to me to come over to sit.

            “Ashland,” Taven said, “Come here.”

            I bit my lip and thought for a moment before I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table. All eyes followed me as I walked over to the table and sat down.

            “Eat,” Taven said.

            I looked down at the plate of ribs and made a face, “No thanks,” I said.

            “Stop being difficult,” Justin said.

            I rolled my eyes, “You're an idiot,” I said.

            Taven sighed and adressed the table, “Everyone this is Ashland-”

            “Ash,” I corrected.

            “Introduce yourselves,” Taven finished.

            “She knows me,” Justin said.

            The girl I saw in the hall, and who was wrestling with the boy earlier, reached across the table and smacked Justin. “I'm Kelsey,” she said. Kelsey had black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a tan coat, black shirt and had shades balanced on the top of her head.

            “Amber,” the blond girl, next to Justin, said. Amber had blond hair, pulled into a high ponytail, and blue eyes. She was in a tight pink shirt and was leaning on Justin.

            “Travis,” the boy next to Kelsey said, grinning. “Call me Trip.” Trip had shaggy dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a black v-neck and a white beanie. He was the boy that was wrestling with Kelsey earlier.

            The last person who had to introduce himself didn't look up during the other introductions, looked up at me and mumbled, “Seth.” before turning back to the food on his plate. Seth had shaggy black hair that hung in his face and blue eyes. He had stereotypical “nerdy/hipster” glasses and a shirt with a Jack Daniels label.

            After we finished, I still felt everyone's eyes on me and I glared at Taven. “Are we done?” I asked him.

            Taven chuckled, “You have to eat,” he said.

            I stood and grabbed two bananas off the table, “Happy?” I asked as I walked out of the mess.

            “Not exactly,” Taven called as the door shut.