The Time of the Hidden

Training

I woke early in the dream like world. There was a faded crimson outline on the top of the mountain outside my east window. I sat up, and played with the end of my new tail to give myself time to fully wake up. I watched as the crimson line grew, and slowly transformed into gold. I slid my bare feet out of the warm covers to the cool wood. Getting up for the morning, I ran my fingers through my smooth thick hair, out on my freshly tailored dress, and slipped on my boots.

"Good morning, Mary." I said walking in through the kitchen door.

"Morning." She replied in a cheery mood. "Hope you like eggs." She slid me a plate, with two eggs in it, to the place I was now seated.

"Thank you." I cut my fork into one.

"You enjoying yourself here in Almera?"

"Uh-huh. The scenery is gorgeous."

"Yes, it is quite a beautiful place. What scenery are you use to?"

"Red mountains mainly. It's pretty, but nothing like this."

"Hmm, where you from?"

"Utah." I replied without thinking. How was I to expect her to know where that was? It's not even on the same world!

"Utah? Never heard of it, and know quite a bit of places with I how many different people run in and out of here."

"It's not very well known. Very small place." I said, not sure if I should tell her of the fact that I was from a different planet.

I finished my food after a little more small talk, and remembered Theo wanted me to meet him this morning. "Well, thank you for breakfast." I said at the door of the kitchen.

"You're welcome!" She called back to me.

I walked into the hall, traveling back into my memory to remember the way to the training room I was in the previous day.

I opened the large door to the training room revealing Theo. He held two knives in his left hand, and one in the right. He stood in the center of the room, and had his concentrate face fixed on a large bullseye dangling on the wall at the far end of the room. Carefully clutching the knives blade, he chucked it at the wall. The blade pierced the center with a smack.

"Morning." He said not taking his eyes off the bullseye, and raising the next knife, ready to throw.

"Morning." I replied walking into the room. Another swift bang sounded off. "What's the plan for today?"

"Combat." His eyes still never glancing away. The third bang echoed in the room. His eyes finally broke, and ment mine.

"What kind of combat?"

"We'll start with hand to hand, and once you've mastered that, move to weapons."

"Wait, so you're going to teach me how to use those?" I pointed towards the wall dressed in menacing looking weapons.

"Yes..." He replied, failing to see what my problem was.

"And you're sure it's safe." I said, eyeing a particularly sharp axe.

"Safe?" He scoffed. "I don't expect anything we're going to be doing to be safe." I felt a sudden churning in my stomach, and I wore a slightly horrified expression while looking into the path I chose for my future.

Theo saw my uneasiness, and looked a little regretful for what he had said.

"Let's get to work." He said, trying to move me out of the state I was in.

I walked face to face with him, focusing my mind. "Do you have any experience fighting?"

"Nope."