Chapter 10

"What!?" How could Eric know that we weren't human?

"I don't know, Sav. But I can tell he knows."

Okay, the same way she can tell he knows, the same way I can tell  that the people in Emerald know something about this. "Maybe we should talk to Ethan or Old Lady."

"You think they'll know what's going on?" She raises her eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure." Sabrina stares at me a few seconds longer and then leaves for class.

I can't forget that look she was giving me. As if she knew something that I don't. As if I'm some bad person. I'm not, Eric is. She sees something in me, I just know that she does. And I'm not very happy about it. I look at her one more time before I head to class.

"See you, Van, Nat!" I call over my shoulder. I'm just leaving Nat's house and walking over to the spot where the driver picks us up. I don't feel like waiting for Sabrina today.

The car is already there waiting for us. "I'm guessing Sabrina wants to walk today, like she usually does." I say to the driver.

"Yeah, she called me up and told me not to wait for her." Does she know I left her? Whatever.

"Let's go quick. It's cold out." I hurry inside and the driver starts the car right away.

Once we reach home, I hurry in quickly, excited. Today is going to be our first training session. I suddenly realize that I'm going to have to do it with Sabrina. I mean Aqua. I guess I don't have a problem with Aqua, it's with Sabrina. Maybe it will be different.

I guess I have to wait for Sabrina to come home now before I can go. Sigh. I go and sit down on the small couch and wait.

Soon after, Sabrina walks in. "Hey, why didn't you wait for me at the shop?"

I turn away. "I forgot. Let's go to Emerald now."

"They have to call us, remember? How about we start our homework until then?"

"How is she going to call us? Did she say? No. Fine, you can stay. But I'm going now." I walk a few steps away. "Elevatistransportatisanywheris-" I think again. Maybe I should just say training center instead of Emerald. "trainingcenter."

As I predicted, I'm in the big white room with two TV screen types of things. And, now that I look around more, there is a white sofa at one corner. I go there and wait.

I get kind of bored so in the end I fall asleep. I dream of a girl with sparkling emerald eyes, red hair, an icy face, and absolutely no color in her skin. She speaks to me powerfully but softly. "Something will happen, something you won't like. Remember: Water can quench fire."

I suddenly wake up. Water can quench fire. What does that mean? And who was that?

Before I can think more about the weird dream, I hear footsteps just outside the training center. For a second I just think it's Old Lady, but then I realize it probably isn't time yet, and that it would make more sense for her to just teleport in.

I immediately get up, all tense. Who could it be? I hold my hands out, though I don't know why. Then suddenly someone I've never seen before walks into the room. I don't know why, but I put all my energy into my hands before me. And suddenly fire shoots out of my hands. I concentrate harder and it turns into lava.

I stop for a second and see Ethan standing there instead of the person who walked in. He doesn't seem hurt by the fire.

He must have seen my confused expression because he laughs and says, “I'm earth, remember? This is my power too.”

“Right,” I say. “And what's going on this time?” I put my hands on my hips.

“Another test. This was to see how difficult it will be when we start training you.”

“We?”

“We. Trainer will teach you new things. I'll be making sure you're doing them right at home and answering any questions you have if you can't come here.” He looks around, indicating the trainingcenter.

“Has Aqua had her test yet?”

“You know about the test?” I look over my shoulder. Aqua's here. Trainer must have called her.

“I had mine before you,” I explain.

“Oh.” She just nods. I can tell she's thinking of something. Possibly whatever she was thinking of earlier? About me? She looks down. Although she's clearly trying to hide it, I can see the mistrust in her eyes.

Just then, Old Lady walks in. “Let's start. Do you have your spell books?” I'm about to say no, but then Aqua reaches into a bag and pulls it out.

“Here.”

“Good. Did you both study it?” Aqua nods her head vigorously. I didn't, but maybe she won't find out. So I nod my head as well. “Fira, what is the first spell?”

I shrug. “I don't memorize things, I just look at them.” Old Lady almost looks satisfied with my explanation.

Before I can think more on that, she goes on. “I like Fira's response. If anytime, in enemy's hands, you must not reveal anything, no matter what.”

“BTW, I was wondering, who are these enemies? You keep talking of being at the risk of our enemies, meanwhile we don't know anything about them, even who they are.” I really do wonder. I mean we are training for something we don't know about.

“Good question. If you can master the first lesson quick enough, then we'll have time to explain to you.” Wait, Ethan is going to be here?

“We?” I ask once again.

“Yes, we. Ethan will be here for your first training session. You should be glad to have his support. His time wasn't so easy.” I glance over at Ethan whose face is almost lost in pain and is shifting his weight uncomfortably.

“What happened with his?” I ask, completely curious.

“Ask him some other time. If he feels like saying what happened. Now we should get on with our session.” Old lady leads us to the screens. “Today I will be teaching you how to use the forcefield. You swing your arm over your head like this.” She shows us. “You try now.

We do the arm movement a few times until she tells us to stop. “Now you will do it with the screens. It will shoot stuff at you, and it will actually hurt you unless you use your forcefield. It is good practice for battles and many lessons to learn. You may start now.” She turns the screens on.

After a few seconds of waiting, a water ball hurtles at me. I easily create the forcefield and let it go loose. After a few more of those it rapidly speeds up. One after the other, the water keeps coming. I'm easily avoiding them. Beside me, I can see Aqua struggling to keep up. Not struggling much, but a little. I focus more. I keep staying away from them when one hits me on the arm. It stings so bad, I feel like I'm about to just collapse. A few more hit me in different parts. Luckily the pain isn't increasing too much.

Hm, I'm getting really tired from moving my arms. Maybe I can just hold the position. I keep my arms a there a while, then that gets tiring and I straighten up. Before I can do anything else, a huge ball of water hits me, forcing me to the ground.

I get up immediately after, my whole body aching. But once Old Lady turns the screens off, the pain is gone. “There isn't enough time to explain this class. I'll tell you another time.” Old Lady and Ethan teleport away. Then I do too, without a glance at Aqua.

Once home, I wonder what else I can do to get away from her. There isn't much, considering that we always do everything together. I guess I can say I'm going to Nat's house. Then I can go somewhere else, somewhere no one can see me and know who I am and what I'm doing. Where no one can know who I am. Well, that reminds me of today's happenings. About Eric. I'll go search for him and find out who he is. “Hey, uh, Sabrina, I, uh, need to do something.” I don't meet her eyes, but I can feel her cool gaze burning into me.

Maybe it's possible to go somewhere without saying the words, maybe if you concentrate and think them in your mind.

“Elevatistransportatisanywherissomewhereneareric,” I think and really try hard. It doesn't work. Well Ethan somehow does it! It must work. I try again.

Suddenly I feel myself being lifted and I land in a weird place, in a corner. I peek around, and draw back immediately. I see Eric there, talking with some other guy. Then he walks off. God, I wish we had learned some invisibility spell. Maybe I can go back and see if there's one in the books.

I say the spell again, though this time I teleport into a different room and wonder how to get to the book, since Sabrina has it with her. I think some more, and then walk out to the living room, where Sabrina is. I plop down on the sofa next to her, pretending to be very tired. Then I pretend like I just remembered something.

“Sabrina?” I ask. “Can you get my book from my room?”

She stares at my face, confused. Finally she just asks, “Why?”

“'Cuz I just went for a walk and I'm tired.”

She sighs. “Fine,” she says and gets up. OMG, she walks so slowly! Once she's out of sight I look in the bag she had taken to training. Sure enough, the books are there. I take off the top and scan the Table of Contents. Good they put it there. This is so much easier now!

It isn't in the beginning or the intermediate. Instead, it's in the upper level. I hope I'll be able to do this.

I quickly memorize it. “Never mind!” I yell to Sabrina. “I'm going to go now. Bye!”

Now I got to go quickly. I quickly say the spell to get to Eric and then look around the same corner. He's there. Then I whisper the invisibility spell. “Invisibilitatemorphate.” I look down at myself. I can't see me.

Then I tiptoe out. “Where is he?” I hear Eric say.

“He's in that room. He's been a little hurt, as was necessary when he started struggling to get out.”

“Thank you, Eirde. I will see to him now. That filthy Emerald person think he can sneak around in Safari?” Eric sets a brisk walk to the huge double doors across the hall. He opens it and I rush in before the door closes.

What I see, I can't believe. Surrounded by many guards, is Ethan. Part of his arm looks black and all his weight is shifted to one leg. He looks at Eric for a few seconds, then turns his head to me. Can he see me? Is my spell not working? Then he turns away quickly, before anyone can see.

“Eric, I was not here to spy, as I already told everyone else. I was here because my Trainer sent me to find out how long until the war.” Ethan says.

Obviously, Eric doesn't believe him. “Yeah, sure. Anyway, I would like to know some information about your sisters and your brother.” I stiffen.

'I already know. You talked to them today at school did you not?” Ethan says with a snarl.

“I don't think that's your business. Anyway, you just gave me the confirmation on who they are.”

Ethan looks shocked, then realizes what just happened. “Well, you won't be learning anymore.”

“Fine, then. Guards, do whatever you want with him. I have no need for him anymore.” Eric walks out of the room. What happens next is kind of a blur. I can see Ethan fighting with them, I can see his power flying from his body to hit people. It's clearly hurting them. But also, he is getting hit by many pink streaks of some power.

He fights off a little longer, then collapses to the ground, unconscious.