❝ where do we go from here? ❞
A stubborn Gwendolyn Farris absolutely refused to buy into the story-based choice games her friends were oh so obsessed with. She found them to be pointless and it seemed as though her best friends were choosing them ov...
eight of swords even if you feel powerless, ask yourself if you're simply imprisoned by your own thoughts
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~.~
Gwen frowned. Dean Whitmore, looking frazzled, took another headcount of the students before her. Gwen wrapped her arms around herself, Theo's cloak as her only real source of warmth.
After the explosion, the locals were kind enough to offer students something to change into if their rooms exploded. Most of the dorms were fine, but they were forbidden from entering due to the instability of the castle. Gwen took it upon herself to go get the cloak from her room anyways.
"We're traveling to a safe place for now. I wanted to have you all stay in Nice, but the nobles decided it was best if you were kept in a magical realm. When you go through this portal, just think of the word rebel to go there," Dean Whitmore explained, sighing tiredly.
Esme, Gwen, and Harrison stood toward the end of the line. "What are we going to do?"
Gwen looked to the boy. "What do you mean?"
"Well obviously something bad is about to happen, which is why they're shipping us to some hideout," Harrison said. "How are we supposed to learn how to use our powers when we won't be at the castle?"
Esme rolled her eyes. "What makes you think that our mentors won't be there? The castle isn't the end all be all of the magical powers."
"Not to mention, your mentor is comfortable and safe," Gwen pipped, making the two look at her with pity. "She'll turn up, Gwen."
"You can't say that she will, Esme. For now, I need to learn from someone else. Either way, we need to learn fast," Gwen said, shaking her head.
Harrison sent a look to Esme, before walking through the white lighted portal. Esme sent Gwen a sad smile, squeezing her hand. "We can do this, Gwennie."
Gwen winced at the nickname, watching as her two friends fully disappeared. Last in line, she took a deep breath before looking back at the half-destroyed castle. Finally, she stepped into the portal.
The hideout wasn' exactly what Gwen was expecting. While in her head she thought of a dank, empty basement, she was instead met with deep forest. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, watching the fog that floated into the air.
Dean Whitmore ushered them to follow her, and the students began to walk a dirt trail through the woods. Eventually, they came upon a large fence. The dean placed her hand on the wood, in turn making it creak open. Everyone stepped in, and let out a gasp.
I was beautiful; the earthy greens, browns, and yellows seemed more lively once in the hideout. People were walking around, managing the place. There was a farm, small huts, and even a ginormous section of the land dedicated purely to training.
"Alright, everyone. Head to the main building and change. Your stuff will be dropped at your assigned rooms while we're here. Head to the training area."
~.~
"Again!"
Gwen gasped for breath before again lunging at her instructor. Aiming for the legs this time, Gwen used her right leg to try and kick his knee. Quickly, the instructor hooked his leg on hers, sending her crumbling to the ground in an instant.
"You're getting better, but still need to train more. Your form is okay, to begin with, but as soon as you begin hand-to-hand, you falter. Why?" He asked as Gwen groaned on the ground. After not receiving an answer, he left the girl on the ground, leaving her to her own devices.
Gwen had been at the compound for three days, and almost every minute was spent training. It was a grueling task; she was consistently pushing her body to the limit, and Gwen had no idea how her muscles were surviving at this point.
She hated that her mentor wasn't here. After training with Cordelia and getting accustomed to her regimes, it was almost like her powers had completely stopped. They weren't even spouting like a leaky faucet; they were completely nonexistent.
Esme and Harrison often attempted to cheer her up, but their attempts were futile. They had the advantage of their mentors being there to coach them. Gwen didn't have the ability to use her powers, forcing her to continuously practice hand-to-hand combat.
Gwen wasn't that bad when it came to daggers or knives; they seemed to be her niche. The actual task of fighting without a weapon of some kind was most definitely not her strong suit.
Slowly, she stood up, wincing at the strain of her muscles. Gwen nor Esme had seen Them since just before the attack. The stress flared between them, bringing the only power she had felt since Cordelia's disappearance to the surface. It was frustratingly useless, the energy not having any form of release.
The royal family was here during the day for the most part, but they went to a different safe house by night. After it was revealed to them that there might be a traitor among the students, they were uneasy about staying there for too long. Theo had told Gwen that they were staying in some far off villages, but didn't mention a name for obvious reasons. Gwen didn't hold it against him.
As she walked into the main building, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Whipping her head around, Gwen searched for the source of her intuition's fear. She could have sworn she saw Cordelia.
Gwen sprinted to the mountains. Where had she been this whole time? Why is she just now coming back? These questions only made her push herself even harder.
Panting, she stopped where she once saw the princess. Gwen fell to her knees, the aggravation growing to a point where she couldn't help but sob. Bringing her knees back to her chest, she cried. She cried for her family, for her friends, for her magical friends, for Cordelia.
Feeling drained, Gwen wiped her eyes, allowing herself to suck in fresh oxygen. She carefully stood up, looking at the coming sunset. Gwen glanced to the ground, hoping to find anything that could give her a clue as to where her mentor could be.
Sighing, she let the area be, heading back to the compound for food. Gwen knew she wasn't crazy. There was no way she had died.
She barely ate her dinner. The chicken and rice lay practically untouched in front of her. Harrison and Esme shared a glance.
"When are we going back to the castle?" Gwen asked quietly, pushing a grain of rice around her plate.
"They don't know yet. I heard that they're planning to send a few students to investigate though," Harrison said carefully. Gwen finally made eye contact with her friends.
"Then I guess we'll be the few students."
~.~ this one was harder to write, but that's partly because I've made myself write three chapters today question of the chapter do you think Cordelia is alive? ava
