The Daughter of the Woods

Chapter 9

The six of us make our way to the hallway, and step into the park one by one. Delia and Sydney are talking faster than light, Khalil is occasionally laughing at one of their stories, but mostly talking to Rider. Archie is walking a few feet behind the group. I'm mostly just listening to the different conversations taking place around me, acutely aware of Archie's glare burrowing into the back of my head. It feels like he's trying to see through my skull.

Khalil asks for the third time, "Sydney, can you please tell us where we're going?"

She laughs a bit. "I don't actually know. I was just going to walk around until I saw something I was in the mood for. What do you guys want?"

Rider speaks up. "I was kind of in the mood for like a sandwich or something. There's a really good deli two blocks away."

Everyone looks to each other for confirmation, and a come to a collective agreement to follow Rider. I feel in my pocket to make sure I have enough money. I don't, but I'm not hungry anyway.

We turn a corner, and cross the street. He pushes open the deli door and holds it for us. Archie "accidentally" steps on the back of my shoe, and I stumble into the building, trying not to fall flat on my face. I turn around and glare at him, but he looks away, pretending not to notice. I roll my eyes and scoot into the booth next to Khalil.

Sydney turns to me. "So, how are you liking the city so far?" she asks as she fishes through her bag for money.

"It's okay, I guess. You guys are the only friends I've met so far, though. I kind of need to get out more," I chuckle awkwardly.

I hear Archie mutter something under his breath.

Fed up, I snap: "What was that, Archie?"

"I said we're not your friends!" He slams his hands on the table and stands up abruptly, making his chair fall over, smacking the ground loudly behind him. Everyone in the room looks at us.

Suddenly embarrassed, he bends down and picks up the chair. His face is beet red.

"What did I do to you? We literally just met, what have I done to make you hate me?"

"Just get your sandwich and stop forcing yourself into every group and conversation around you." He turns around and makes his way to the line.

Sydney looks to Khalil and Rider questioningly. They both shrug. It feels like my heart is pounding out of my chest and I can't swallow away the lump in my throat. A tear falls from my face, but I wipe it away before anyone sees.

Khalil puts his arm around me. "I don't know what his problem is, but you haven't done anything wrong. And you are our friends." I smile up at him. He doesn't move his arm from my shoulder, but I don't mind. "Are you going to get something?" he asks.

I shake my head. "I don't have enough money on me."

"I'll pay for it. You should eat something," he takes his arm off of me, and starts pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

"No, I ate earlier. I'm fine." I hold out my hand, signaling for him to stop. Instead, he places $5 in my hand.

I try to push it away, but he takes my hand in his, and makes me grip it. "I insist." He pushes me a bit to stand up.

Sighing, I oblige and get on the line, a few people behind Archie.

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As we enter Magwood, Alex greets us, as he always seems to do.

"Training doesn't start again for another fifteen minutes," he tells us, so we make our way to the bedroom.

Like last time, we all push out beds together. Rider pulls out a piece of paper and pencil.

"How do you spell your name?" he asks, not looking up from his paper.

I look around to figure out whom he's talking to, but everyone is staring at me.

"Oh, my name?" I ask awkwardly. "A-b-b-y. No one calls me Abigail."

He starts sketching without saying anything else.

"Why are you making her one?" Archie pushes his shoulder, making him draw a dark black line through the paper.

Rider doesn't answer.

"Oh, not talking, huh?" Archie's eyes glint ominously. Rider's shoulder is shoved again.

"Just back off," Rider speaks up. No one else speaks.

"I don't need you to draw my name, Rider. It's not a problem."

He goes silent again, and crumples it into a ball. Archie grabs it and lights it on fire with his palm. We all watch silently as it burns.

Once it's a small pile of ash in his hands, he brushes it off on the floor and stands up. "Training will start soon."

Right on queue, Alex pushes open the door.

"Training!" he calls. Everyone in the room stands and files out of the room.

I follow Sydney to the nature room and stand next to her at one of the plants. An older but still young man walks in between the rows, speaking loudly to everyone, explaining what they're supposed to be doing. Another instructor, a woman, is practicing fighting with people older than the ones at the plants. The loud voices project through the whole room, but I understand none of what either is saying. The man notices my confusion. He makes his way over to me.

"You must be Abby!" he exclaims, quieter than before, but still loud.

I nod.

"I was hoping I could meet you! I love getting to know the fresh meat," he winks.

Sydney rolls her eyes at him. "Christopher, she hasn't had the best initiation, don't scare her more than Archie already has."

He doesn't question further, either due to lack of ability to deal with trainee's personal business, or lack of interest.

He begins questioning me of my abilities, what I know, and how fast or strong I can do things. Only this questioning makes me realize how little power I actually know of.

lmaooo this chapter was shit