The Dance of the Keepers

Chapter 9 The Question of Purpose

The other three provinces weren't exactly a joy to behold either, and reviewing the footage with the accompanying files took up the better part of the day. By the end of it, I knew each of the competitors' names by heart and was fully aware of how deadly they all were. There was a wide variety of wielding abilities which weren't all that abnormal but was certainly a cause for concern. The real tricky bit was we had next to nothing for information on Los Eres's chosen three, they were the wildcards in the game.

"I wish we had more to go on for these three, they could make or break us in the arena."
I mused, reading over their files for at least the eighth time.

Glass was an Ice Wielder, something that reminded me uncomfortably of one Winter Klipel. Isla Bollano was an Animal Wielder, which meant she was even more unpredictable than a Stone Wielder like Randon. Hawk Torres, the scary looking boy (or one of them at least), was an Iron Wielder. At least he was likely to be straightforward.

"I may be able to find us more information on them."
Jasper told me.

"Really? How?"

He gave me a sheepish look.

"Not entirely by legal methods."

My eyebrows raised as I tried to figure out what the brainiac was going to do. My eyes fell on the laptop.

"You're going to hack into something?"
I squeaked.

He nodded.

"I can look through their records, any information the government has on them we can see. It's not as good as what we have on the others, but it's an edge the rest won't have."

"But what if someone finds out?"
I protested, not liking the idea very much.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"I'm far too good for that. I've hacked into the government's servers many times to find out various scientific information I needed that they had listed as classified. I know how to cover my tracks."

"Jasper that's a federal offense! Like, lose your head type offense!"

He shrugged.

"Only if I get caught."

I shook my head in disbelief. I'd never really taken him for a rule breaker, I thought I was the bad influence in that department.

"I think I need to clear my head, I'll be back in a bit."

"You're not going to stay?"
He asked in confusion.

"I'm rather useless when it comes to hacking, and I'm not really keen on being an accomplice in a federal crime anyways."

He shrugged.

"Have it your way. I'll let you know what I find."

I gave him a thumbs up and walked to the door, pausing when I realized I was still in my pajamas. I spun back around and ran upstairs to see what sorts of clothes were in my closet. Nina had promised to fully stock it with everything except my ball gowns, which would be personally tailored to fit me, and she had kept her word. I could have kissed her for the selection, not a single dress or skirt was in sight, but a whole lot of jeans, t-shirts, and tank tops were.

I pulled out a green long sleeve shirt since it was now evening and the temperature was sure to be dropping and a pair of jeans to go with it. I quickly changed, ran a brush through my hair, and a toothbrush over my teeth, pulled on a pair of brown leather boots and headed out the door.

I wandered aimlessly down the hallway, wondering where exactly I wanted to go. It was a strange feeling of freedom, despite the fact that I knew they would be watching my every move. I took the elevator down to the ground level and meandered outside, following a stone path that wound it's way around the back of the building and towards the garden area. It was a comfortable temperature, not too warm or too brisk, and a light breeze was rustling the leaves on the trees.