A New Light

Chapter 19

Gripping my head and covering my eyes I sink towards the ground. Images flashed, one by one showing the disappointments of my past life.

A younger sister who underhandedly made me replace her when she was drawn to join the secret service training.

A mother and father who sold their 4 year old daughter to the association for a measly 30 coppers.

Instructors who would beat me to the door of death.

Then the final will to keep try to live was crushed by the one who I thought was a close friend. When people doesn't want to be placed in danger, what do they do? They send the other person closest to them towards that danger. With trickery behind it all of course, because the human heart is a greedy thing, full of lies and the true face behind the kind smiles.

Clutching my head I harshly pull on my hair, but there was no pain to react to. A mocking voice rung through my head. My own voice, Wouldn't our grave be so amusing, that is if we even got one. Evangeline Mari, death by being ripped apart by a mutant beast. Lived to be 17... but no one cares, do they?

That voice was harsh. All the things that I tried to forget in my new life, it brought up as if it was nothing.

It doesn't matter. I'm not in that world anymore. I'm not there anymore...

As if it could save my life, I kept repeating those few words, blocking out what the other voice was saying. When the words I was repeating finally sunk into my brain, I snapped out of my trance. The past has no relation to me anymore. It doesn't matter. Clenching my fist, I blink my eyes open and stand back up. Around every inch of me was a red film like substance. Engraved in the red were black characters. Hundreds and hundreds of unfamiliar characters seemed to be locking me in place, cursing me to be unable to move.

Honestly at a lost of what to do, I wait for the red film to do something. My patience was not wasted. The longer I waited the tighter the film got, and the more of it would disappear into my body. What should have been slowly crushing my mind and internal organs was able to be purified by my mental strength. What purifying did, I don't know, but what rendered me unable to move was gradually dispersing.

Bending back down I cautiously reach for the manual that was left on the ground. All the words were smeared and crossed out. Completely unable to be read. Heaving a sigh I sneakily place the ruined manual back in the area where I grabbed it and quickly left the room.

Was the manual ruined? Wait... did I even get anything from that manual? I genuinely hoped that I got something from that experience. If not that was an utter waste of an hour. Immersed in my thoughts, I only realize after I entered my room that I didn't know what day it was. Grimacing a little, I briskly walk back out and knock on the first door I see.

A boy one head taller than me opened the door. He glared at me for a while before snappily asking, "What do you want?"

Seeing his weak glare I purse my lips a bit to stop my smile, then I sweetly ask, "Do you know how much more time there is until the tournament?"

He raised an eyebrow as if saying Are you participating?, but he didn't actually say anything. The boy spoke in blunt sentences, " 13 hours and 27 minutes."

Satisfied I nod along with his voice. After a momentary pause between the two of us I speak up again, "Aren't you really young to be at a training camp for professionals?"

He didn't say anything, but stared at me with a look saying, Are you stupid?, or something along the lines of that. Pouting for a brief moment I wait for him to respond with verbally. The boy sighed, looked up at the ceiling and then back down at me, "The academy I attend has a special program consisting of 8 students. These students are the top students of the school that are under the age of 15. They are smarter and stronger than the average student, so they are allowed to have more difficult education and have more experiences. This program allowed my class to enter this training program. Do you understand?"

Giving him a sharp nod, I ask a slightly important question, " Which academy to you go to?"

The boy showed a minuscule smile and said, "Silver Leaf Academy."

I blanked out for a second. I go to that school. But I was never invited. I've never even heard about that. No fair... With a blank expression I look up at him and say, " I also go to that school." We stared at each other in what seemed like a contest, but I knew it wasn't. The eye contact finally broke when blonde boy who seemed the same age as this boy walked out of the room door with a towel around his neck and and comfortable looking pants showed up. He grabbed the boy's shoulder and started to say something, but stopped when he saw me. 

A serious look filled his face, " Hey, Zander, why is there a girl in front of our door." Letting out an over exaggerated gasp he started, "You didn't try to-"

He was cut of by the jet black haired boy in front of me, "Ash. She showed up in front of the door to ask a question, okay?" 

I just silently watched the entire exchange waiting for the next thing to happen.  It took a while, but eventually I was remembered and the boy named "Ash" introduced the both of them. "Yeah, so that guys name is Zander and mine is Ashton. I really don't have a problem with you, but can I ask why your here?"

I reply very straight forwardly, "I was here to ask a question," and after thinking about it I realize I was being rude not to introduce myself, " and my name is Aliria." ... They only said their first name, so do I only say my first name?

Ashton continued the conversation, "Yes, but what was the question about."

Before I could get to answering him Zander cut in and explained everything that went down in the past few minutes. Having everything explained took a very short amount of time, and I was invited into the room to chat not long after.

"So, how old are you?"

Is that the first thing you ask someone...