Later that day, in the gym, the kids are in the middle of training. They're practicing their special skills, either alone or sparring with peers from their own race. Master Achebe walks around assessing their technique. Suddenly, he stops. "Cameron," he says, letting out a woeful sigh, "if you encounter a demon in the woods, is that really the best you can do?"
Cameron stands thirty feet away from a straw dummy, situated against the wall on the opposite side of the gym.
The straw dummy, a brand new one Master Achebe set up especially for this training, is perfectly intact except for a small, cigar-sized hole burning in its chest.
Disappointed, Cameron looks down at his hands, flipping them over, front and back, as he scowls. "Well, to be honest, I've never really gotten the hang of these things."
"What? Your hands?" Patrick snickers as he holds the punching bag still for Ava while she kicks it and Jake watches.
Farid and Fiona, in the midst of wrestling with daggers, both manage to refrain from laughing out loud. But the sound of a hearty chuckle escapes Sebastian before he can stop himself.
Cameron shoots Sebastian a nasty look, then turns back to Patrick and grumbles, "No, dumbass, my magic--shooting fire and ice from my hands."
Shoving the punching bag aside, Patrick growls as he stalks towards Cameron.
Master Achebe quickly steps in to intervene.
"Okay, that's it!" he says, gently pushing Patrick back to his corner of the gym.
Then, he turns to Cameron, concerned. Propping his fists low on his hips, Master Achebe asks, "So, you've never been able to master your powers?" He tilts his head in disbelief. "What on earth have you been doing with them all this time?"
"I don't know," Cameron shrugs. "Blowing up beer cans and lighting people's cigarettes at parties."
"Oh, good gods!" Master Achebe slowly drags his hands down the side of his face.
And he was feeling so optimistic during their exhibition yesterday. But now he's beginning to see the gaps in the kids' training. And as he gauges just how much more work the Masters will have to do to get these kids ready, his optimism wanes.
Master Achebe lets out a slow, beleaguered sigh. "Cameron, Cameron..." he says, pinching his nose in a sad sort of agony, the kind of agony that only an adult dealing with teenagers knows. "You're a Mage," he says. "And an Elemental Mage at that. As I understand it, this makes you a very powerful being in the Enchanted world. Is that not true?"
"I suppose so," Cameron mutters, sweeping his bangs aside. Then, keenly aware that all eyes in the room are now on him, he shoves his hands deep into his pockets and avoids Master Achebe's gaze.
Mortified, he doesn't even want to think about what the Shifter and Vampyr kids think of him now. He'd sensed their hostility--to all the Enchanted kids really--right from the get-go. But there were a couple of them, Patrick and Farid in particular, who seemed especially hostile to him.
They must all think he's a fraud, that he somehow got into the Academy either by accident or through family connections.
Hell, given that--back at their Enchanted high school--he'd spent far more time hanging out with girls and leading his soccer team to another district championship than he'd ever spent developing his magic, even Aidan and Inez must think his getting into the Academy was a huge mistake.
Crap! Inez...
Cameron groans inwardly. Well, he's definitely blown it with her by this point, for sure.
"Cameron!" Master Achebe barks, snapping him out of his reverie. "Staring at your hands is not going to make your magic any more powerful."
"I realize that," he mutters solemnly.
"Well, you seem to be far more interested in your hands than in developing your skills," Master Achebe remarks.
"I said, I get it, okay!" Cameron snaps, looking up and meeting Master Achebe's gaze.
And when he sees Master Achebe's back straighten, his shoulders slump and he bows his head as he realizes just how spoiled and petulant he sounds. After a beat, he says softly, "I'm sorry, Master Achebe. That was uncalled for."
"It certainly was!" Master Achebe counters, his irritation palpable. Then, his iron-tight jaw eases. "You have a gift, Cameron," he says calmly. "You must learn to master it, not fear it. Do you understand what I'm saying, son?"
"Yes, sir, I do." Cameron humbly replies.
"Good." Master Achebe claps--his way of changing the tone of any difficult conversation. "Then let's try it again."
Cameron nods. He sucks in a long, slow breath, then steels himself for another attempt. Holding his hands up before him, he closes his eyes and with an unusually intense look on his face, he begins to murmur an incantation.
Suddenly, a small ball of energy blossoms between his palms. And as his voice grows louder, the glowing orange energy ball grows bigger. When it reaches the size of a softball, Cameron cups it in his right hand, pulls his arm back, and then hurls the fire ball at the dummy.
The flaming ball moves quickly through the air, arching higher and higher until it hits its apex, and then...
Pffft...
It peters out, disintegrating in mid-air.
Master Achebe pinches his lips together before going over to Cameron and resting a hand on the boy's shoulder. He leans in, and in a very low voice so the others can't hear says, "Cameron, listen to me. It's not you or your magic that's weak, alright? It's your conviction, your belief in yourself. Your faith dies before the deed is done. But we'll work on that, okay?"
"Okay," Cameron replies softly, nodding to let Master Achebe know that he'll try harder next time.
"Good. Now, go join the others." Master Achebe pats Cameron on the back and sends him on his way.
Cameron steps off the mat, and as he heads back to his spot, both Inez and Aidan try to show him some support. But humiliated, he quietly rebuffs their attempts and goes to stand off by himself several feet away.
Master Achebe sees this and frowns. "Look..." he says, crossing his arms over his chest and addressing the entire class. "Tomorrow will be your first field exercise, which means there are two things you'll need in order to succeed--an unshakeable belief in your abilities and absolute trust in your team."
He begins to pace in front of them. "As Headmaster Pierce said during your orientation, each one of you was chosen for a very particular reason, so we're certain that, with further training, you and your abilities will get the job done." He holds up a finger. "But this field exercise will be the first time we test your capabilities to work together in mixed teams. So, since you won't be going out on real missions with your 'besties', or whatever term you kids use these days, trust and cooperation during this training mission will be vital."
Master Achebe rocks back on his heels.
"You must learn to work together like a well-oiled machine. You must become one brain in order to anticipate the dangers you'll be facing.
So, to that end, you have to be able to understand your teammates' strengths so that you can complement them and their weaknesses so you can compensate for them." He clears his throat. "To prepare you to better understand how each other thinks, and anticipate each other's moves, we'll actually begin combat cross-training today."
Mumbles and groans bubble up from the kids, but Master Achebe ignores their complaints. Instead he points to the blue mats. "Jake, Sebastian. You'll go first. Grab some sparring sticks and let's work on your weapon-fighting techniques."
Feeling self-assured and totally within his element, Sebastian smirks as he pulls a bamboo stick out from the weapons stand. He begins to circle it around him in a figure eight, warming up--ninja-style.
Jake gives Sebastian the side-eye as he passes by and cringes when he draws the stick out of the stand. He looks at the six-foot long practice weapon and frowns. What the hell is he supposed to do with this?
Having made their way over to the mats, both boys turn and face each other.
Sebastian bows gracefully, as is the Vampyric custom, and then raising his stick before him and holding it parallel to the ground with both hands, he leans back on his left foot in the classic fencing stance.
"En Garde," he says with supreme confidence.
Jake stares at Sebastian for a moment, then groans and rolls his eyes. "Whatever..." he mutters underneath his breath.
Master Achebe blows his whistle, indicating that they should begin.
Sebastian and Jake's sticks clash and the hollow clack of the bamboo echoes throughout the gym.
Sebastian immediately goes on the attack, swinging at Jake from every angle.
Jake stumbles backwards in a circle, but manages to match Sebastian blow for blow. As hard as he tries, though, he can't keep up. His perseverance is no match for Sebastian's skill.
Suddenly, Jake trips, landing flat on his back, and while he's on the ground, Sebastian traps his arm against the mat with his foot and aims his bamboo stick at Jake's neck.
Sneering down at him, Sebastian raises a brow, triumphant.
But Jake's not done yet.
His eyes narrow and a low growl emanates from the back of his throat. His eyes begin to glow, but he manages to control the urge to shift. Instead, he rolls onto his side and lifts up his leg, and then slices it down like a scissor, hooking Sebastian behind the knees and taking him down, face first, onto the mat.
"Oh, snap!" Patrick cries out, coughing out a laugh.
Sebastian groans. He rolls over onto his back, and holding his nose, slowly pulls himself upright.
"That's not fair!" he squeaks out in a nasally whine. "He cheated!"
Master Achebe arches a brow and looks down at Sebastian. "And demons play by the rules?"
As the class snickers, Master Achebe reaches out and offers Sebastian a hand up.
Once Sebastian's back on his feet, Master Achebe hooks his finger underneath Sebastian's chin and inspects it carefully, turning his head from side to side. When he confirms that it's neither broken nor bleeding, he pats Sebastian on the back and sends him to stand with the other students.
He also gives Jake a discreet nod of approval as Jake leaves the floor.
Master Achebe turns around to face the class. "That, my dear students, is how you need to think, how you need to act, when you're in a fight with The Fury." He crosses his arms over his chest. "Demons will not give you a pass. They will not challenge you to a duel. They'll attack you, violently and fiercely, and they won't stop until either you, or they, are dead."
Sebastian, still nursing his wound--and his pride--sneers at Jake as he passes him by. Under his breath, he mutters, "If I'd had my sword with me, you'd be ash right now. It's 100 percent silver!"
"Silver doesn't kill a Shifter, you moron," Jake counters. "That's just a myth."
Master Achebe overhears the exchange and jumps in. "No," he interjects, "but it burns like hell."
He holds up his hands to get everyone's attention. "Look, all of this petty fighting will do nothing but get you killed, so it stops today. Do you understand me?"
His question is met with silence.
"I said, do you understand me!" Master Achebe barks.
"Yes, Master Achebe," the class answers in a collective grumble.
"Good!" He nods sharply. "Now, get your stuff together and meet me outside. You owe me ten laps around the courtyard, pronto."
***
Sitting, semi-hidden, on small wooden bleachers at the far end of the gym are Headmaster Pierce and Master Liu. They've been watching the training session the whole time.
"So?" Master Liu asks Headmaster Pierce. "What do you think?"
With his elbows resting on his knees, Headmaster Pierce steeples his fingers before him, but he doesn't look up.
"I think..." he begins, then hesitates a moment. "I think we've gotten ourselves in over our heads." He turns to face Master Liu.
She looks back at him and scowls. "Well, do you want to know what I think?"
"Does what I want even matter in this conversation, Ronnie?" Headmaster Pierce asks ruefully.
"Not in the least," she replies dismissively. "I think," she continues, "that as long as we have enough time to train them properly before things get truly hairy, the kids will be ready. Despite their performance today, during my scouting sessions, I saw their intelligence, their determination, and most of all, their heart."
"And today, I've seen their immaturity, their resentment, and a hell of a lot of attitude," Headmaster Pierce retorts.
"Well, true, there is that," Master Liu agrees with a thoughtful tilt of her head. "But the immaturity, they'll grow out of. The resentment, we can work on. The attitude?" She shrugs. "I honestly believe that could serve us well, if we can get them to hate the demons more than they hate each other."
"From what I've seen, Veronica," Headmaster Pierce says glumly. "That's a big 'if'."
"Look, Alistair," Master Liu replies, shoring up her confidence for the both of them. "It took a tremendous amount of courage and fortitude for you to get this school approved by the High Council, especially with the way the attempt that we were a part of in our twenties ended."
Headmaster Pierce slides Master Liu a knowing glance.
"Okay, perhaps that wasn't the best example to use as a reference," she admits. "And I realize that we've gotten off to a rather..." she glances down at the mats where the kids just spent far more time bickering than training, "...well, a rocky start. But Ibrahim and I are not the only ones who believe in you, Alistair. You've got a strong contingent behind you who recognize that this is our best option going forward. We have a chance to cement the peace between the races and protect the Otherworlder realm at the same time."
Headmaster Pierce grumbles, not yet convinced.
"Alistair, you've asked these kids to have faith, both in themselves and in the mission." Master Liu rests a comforting hand on Headmaster Pierce's shoulder. "So, now is not the time to lose yours. This will work, Alistair. It simply has to."
"You honestly believe that?" Headmaster Pierce asks her earnestly.
"I do," Master Liu affirms. "As long as we have time, I believe we'll be good." She steeples her fingers before her in a gesture matching Headmaster Pierce's posture. Staring out at the empty gym with a look of determination on her face, she says, more to herself than to Pierce, "We just need to give them time."
*************************
A/N - Okay, we're back on track! I hope you enjoyed this rather meaty chapter (character-wise), and I can't wait to see you next week! :-)
P.S. - I'll be renumbering all of the chapters this week as well. I figured out a way that I can internally keep track of these new, smaller chapters without using this crazy Ep. 2.3.4.5 numbering system. ð
Anyway, each episode will still be broken down into parts, but it will be more reasonable--like Ep. 2.5, or something like that--there'll just be more of them. I'm not sure it matters, but I just thought I'd mention it.
~ Paula ð