Maven's Redemption [Red Queen]

Chapter 1

 Lightning struck the hill where I had been training for who knows how long, I had lost track a long time ago. The trainers all gave up on trying to control me. They learned their lesson when I accidentally electrocuted one of them out of rage. The once green grass was now charred to nothing with no hope of ever being the same again. This was the only way I could let out my anger. I still couldn't believe Cal had chosen a crown over the cause, and me. I should have known. He grew up, training and expecting the crown. It was foolish of me to think he wouldn't go back to that life if he was given the choice.

"Hey there Lightning Girl." Cameron's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Don't call me that." I shot back, feeling the lightning still pulsing in my veins. Another bolt touched down a few feet away from the Newblood.

"Okay okay. You don't have to kill me." Her hands flew up and I was briskly reminded of her ability.

"What do you want?" I asked, willing the thunderstorms that were brewing around to dissipate.

"Farley wants to send you back to Norta. She wants you to meet her in the nursery."

"What?" I asked more to myself than anything. What kind of mission was this going to be?

"That's all I know, I promise." Her hands flew back up.

"Alright. You should get back to training before your leader notices you're gone." I started down the slope, almost bumping shoulders with her as I passed.

"Training ended 2 hours ago." She followed me down. "Everyone is doing their own thing now. If you wouldn't have thrown your electric tantrum, you would have noticed." I looked around and found that she was right. All the training fields were empty. Everyone had gone inside to rest or were doing various things outside.

"I guess I lost track of time." I admitted with a shrug.

I found Farley in the makeshift nursery they threw together for her baby. I think it used to be a barracks or something because the walls remained as cold, gray concrete. The only sign it was a nursery were the pastel colored decorations and the furniture for the baby scattered around.

"So why am I going back to Norta?" I asked. Without flinching, Farley turned around and faced me. Somehow she retained intimidating despite the deep purple bags forming under her eyes.

"So you heard." She even sounded tired. "I am sending you and you only back to recruit more newbloods from the villages near the Great Lakes. They are small villages that no one really knows about so the people that live in them are not registered. I got word from one of the Guard's sources that powerful Newbloods have emerged from those villages." Farley pointed to an area on a small map that was hung up on one of the walls. The area was unmarked save for a little black dot drawn next to where she pointed. It also seemed to be outside any of the borders. This area was independent. "You will have to go there alone. Too many soldiers will cause a panic. The villagers there are simple people but will be leery of a someone like you. Though they do not know of the Lightning Girl." My stomach turned at the title. "They know what Nortans look like. They are not fond." Farley picked up a small stack of papers that were laying next to her baby's bottle.

"These are the people?" I asked as I flipped through the pictures. They were grainy and blurry, some even had little obstructions in the frame. These cameras were not meant to be seen.

"Before you even say it, I know it is going to be hard. But I am raising a baby without it's father. I know you can do this."