Strains

According to the map I found, there’s a library just off the path that leads to the athletic field. I take note of where the path diverges, right before the bridge over the creek, and put the map back into my backpack.

It’s quiet out, and there are few students milling about. Afternoon classes must be starting soon. I make the turn past the arts and letters building. The rest of the walk should be downhill from this point. From here, I can see the amphitheater and the outer edges of the athletic field. No signs of another building though.

I keep going, pass the amphitheater with its stone stairs and, finally, make it to the bridge over the stream. Great, now which way. I sling my backpack in front of me.

My bag is mostly empty except for a couple of blank notebooks, because taking notes during class has proven to be impossible, and loose pens. With so few supplies, you’d think it’d be easy to find a single page of paper.

Well you’d be wrong.

I’m crouched down in the middle of the bridge when I hear footsteps approaching me from behind.

Exactly what I was trying to avoid.

“Well look who it is!”

Thank the fates it’s him.

“Good afternoon, Hercules,” I say, shoving the contents of my bag back into confinement. I stand.

He’s in a tank top and too tight shorts that show off his tanned massiveness. He has a sleeve full of more than a dozen javelins strapped to his back and more in his arms. Looks like he’s off to teach the class I will be joining next week.

He places a hand on my shoulder.

“Trying to get ahead in class? Nice.”

How did he know that?

“Um, yeah.”

“Great, here take these,” he shoves a tube of javelins in my arms. “I’ll let your tardiness slide this time, since you don’t officially start until next week.”

Crap, talk about your misunderstandings. What do I do now? I bite my lip and by the time we get to the field, my lip is bleeding and it’s too late to get out of this.

The entire class is already sitting on the field. The field, unlike the faint vision of a football stadium that I imagined, was more set up for track games. It’s mostly dirt, with a small area of grass, and a random pool no bigger than a hot tub. It opens up into the forest on the north and west and spectator stands were set up on the south and east.

The houses have separated themselves like high school cliques, so naturally, there is nowhere for me to go. The students slowly take notice of Hercules and I approaching, and rush to line up on one of the field lines.

“Listen to me, Elizabeth,” Hercules says in a hushed voice. “Put everything you have into this and I might not kill you.”

Is he serious right now? I give him a sideways glance. Yeah, he’s serious.

“Line up.”

I nod, hand him his quiver of javelins, and rush to join the others. A group of five with red collars are at the opposite end. Three with yellow. Two with blue. Four in ivory. The two in blue were closest to me, a boy and girl.

They’re staring at me, I can feel it. Hercules is taking his time and all the while the twosome are burning holes in the side of my head. Nothing to be done about it now.

“My name is Elizabeth. It’s nice to meet you.” I extend my hand to the girl next to me. Her hand fidgets, and she quickly puts her red hair behind her ear.

The boy next to her rolls his eyes. “She isn’t going to talk to you,” the young blond says. “You’re Mr. Matthew’s student. And she has a massive crush on him.”

“Oh. Well, hi to you too.” I say. He waves dismissively.

“You can’t go around saying things like that just because you’re jealous.” The redhead yells back at him.

“So what if I am?” He grumbles and begins stretching.

Well that’s awkward. Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. That was my first almost positive interaction with another of my peers. Even though the redhead has questionable taste in men and the blond has an impressive lack of pride; it’s something.

“Elizabeth!” Roars Hercules. “Shut up and get ready to run!”

I wasn’t even. I look back and he winks at me. Damn him, messing with me in a class I wasn’t supposed to be in.

“Are you ready?” Hercules asks the class.

“Yes sir!” we all say in unison.

“Alright! Now everyone! It’s two miles to the lake, get there and class is over! I’ll be asking questions during the run, think of it as your one chance to save yourself. Now on my whistle!”

Everyone leans forward, readying themselves for the run. Two miles. That’s a lot. I don’t know if I can run two miles.

I was never one for fitness when I was alive. Once I got old enough and sprouted nature’s airbags, running was only done on an as needed basis. My legs are also short, so there are very few sports or athletic activities I’m decent at. All this to say, I was designed by nature to be a bookworm.

Do your best.

Right. All I can do.

Screech

That was it. I take off running alongside the other students until the trees force us to split in different directions. The ivory students disappear in a flash of white light, probably at the lake by now.

“Whoa.” Almost fell for a moment there. My legs were already burning, but it doesn’t feel bad. I’m not even that far behind. But I don’t know how much longer I have to go. I was never great at measuring distance.

“Peters! What is rule #33 in the academy handbook?”

“Uh,” the short kid right in front of me, I guess Peters, stammers to find an answer.

“Two seconds!”

“No students will receive leftovers!”

“That’s #234!”

The air whizzes by my ear and Peters lets out a scream as a javelin implants into his back. I scrape my arm against a tree, avoiding his body and keep running.

We’re being tested on the handbook? You’ve got to be kidding me. Now, adrenaline was kicking in and I could ignore the burning in my legs. There was no way I was going to be able to answer any of Hercules’ questions. Then again, he said he’d cut me a break, right?

A javelin lands on my left. I swerve, stubbing my toe on a rock, and fall on my back. I could smell the lake and I could see Hercules running towards me. I need to get up. My head. Everything, please stop spinning already.

“You were so close. You dead?” He says.

I struggle to lift my head.

“Not dead. Well,” I hear him withdraw a javelin from his back. “This is going to hurt Elizabeth. No hard feelings. You’ll get up in time for dinner. Probably.”

I open my eyes to him holding the spear above my chest, throwing his arm back. I roll as he sticks it into the ground. I grasp a tree and pull myself up. I can’t outrun him. He’s right in front of my exit. At the water’s edge I can see Matthew and another man staring back at me. Matthew said it himself, he’d be pissed if I let someone else kill me. And honestly, I don’t want to die. Not more than I have to. So I can only see one way out of this.

“You said you’d give us a chance to save ourselves,” I say, trying to steady my breath.

He freezes. The world is starting to come back into focus and air has re-entered my lungs.

“Fair enough, what is rule number-“

I send all of my weight into Hercules’s chest. We fall backward and tumble, roughly, to the sandy shore of the lake. I jump off of him and rush to line up with the rest of the students.

Hercules is going to kill me and I can’t even look towards Matthew right now.

Hercules gets up and crosses his arms. Even outside, you could hear a pin drop. Like the entire world is shaming me for my dirty trick.

“Well. Good run everyone. Except for Elizabeth.”

Everyone turns towards me.

“You are terrible at running; however, I compliment your survival instinct. Good job out there. Next time, I’ll break your neck, count on that. Now,” he turns to everyone. “Class is over, if you want to pick up your housemates that failed, you can if you want. I don’t care. Dismissed.”

Everyone begins walking along the shore towards the paved path to the field. I look over sheepishly to my facilitator. He wants me to go over there, I can feel it, but his face is concerningly indifferent. The other man’s face, I just can’t get a read on. Wait a second. I know that face. I approach cautiously.

“Good afternoon Mr. Kane,” I say and reflexively extend my hand.

“Elizabeth, you’re filthy, have some respect,” Matthew scolds.

Well that was uncalled for.

“My apologies, sirs,” I say, bowing instead.

“I wager you still have yet to develop any abilities?” He brushes his blond hair back, displaying his cold blue eyes. He sighs, obviously annoyed. “No, I suppose not if you have to resort to such embarrassing tactics instead of taking your death with an ounce of dignity. Matthew, we have paperwork to finish, you can address your student’s shortcomings later.”

“Of course, sir.”

They both turn and begin walking towards the path to campus. I watch as they disappear from view.

That did not go well. I rub the sore spots on my elbows and try to catch my heart that’s stuck in my throat.

“That was rough. Are you alright?” Hercules asks.

I shake my head yes. Maybe he’ll let this go. I can cry when I get back to my room.

“Before you go, how about helping me get my javelins back.”

It isn’t like I can say no. I follow him with his cylinder in hand as he searches for his victims.

“I didn’t let you off easy. I hope you realize that.” He walks to a red girl and plucks the javelin from her neck. He throws it at me.

“You have good reflexes, and you aren’t as slow as I thought you’d be. Matthew already teaching you hand to hand?”

“Um no.” I place the javelin in its the holder. Is that the normal course of study at this place?

“Natural talent. Or maybe reflexes from when you were alive. Either way, it’ll help.”

If they’re reflexes from when I was alive, I don’t remember acquiring them. We went around grabbing his tools from the six students he had stricken down. When we find the sixth, the blue boy, the redhead is struggling to pick him up. Hercules takes his javelin and places it in my hands. I place it in the tube then set it on the ground.

“Here, let me help. Bend your legs a bit,” I say. I take his lower half and am able to get him up enough for her to get him situated on her shoulder.

“Thanks,” she mumbles and limps away.

I pick up the container of javelins and hand it to Hercules. That should have been the last one. I watch the redhead make slow progress back to the field. It probably would’ve been easier to kill him than drag him half dead back to campus. She could’ve saved herself the backache at least; that’s what all of the other students did.

“Aqua’s always come back for their own. Especially those two. Piper’s usually the one coming back though.”

So that’s her name. Hercules officially dismisses me and offers to escort me back to campus. I decline, my legs are jelly already and I do not need him calling me a weakling for twenty minutes when I am still scared by what Mr. Kane said to me earlier. I’d rather be alone with my thoughts.