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"Don't waste my time and join the others."

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I SLIPPED INTO bed like I was merely a ghost, snuggling into the sheets.

Turning over to face the wall I tried to ease my beating heart. My body was shaking again, but I didn't want to pay too much attention to that.

What did he mean by that?

I most certainly don't remember belonging to anyone but it sounded a little bit more of a threat for me to question it.

He seemed to have been deadly serious and not at all amused by the fact that I had spent the evening with Lucas Bowne.

But who was he to judge or control me?

Alright, he may be my so-called Alpha, but that was just because he had bullied me to be on his team.

I should have been chilling with the twins but instead, I was dreading tomorrow, a whole afternoon I would be spending near him.

But that thought could wait-

He did save my life on more than one occasion although that didn't justify the right to suddenly claim me.

I inwardly scoffed at this, rolling my eyes, my lips pursed into a thin line, despite the shiver that raced up my spine when I remembered all that he had said to me.

I shook my head, curling further into the bed

No, I would not be scared into staying away from Lucas Bowne.

Yes, he was the last person I should be around if I still wanted to keep that low profile of mine I had been chasing since I got here, but let's face it, none of my plans had worked well for me at all.

Besides, my mind trailed off past the occurrences of what happened in the maze, to what happened underneath the branches of the wilting tree.

I smiled to myself unable to keep the fuzzy feeling tucked inside me from spreading further.

My fingers graze my cheek when I remember the kiss, my cheeks growing warmer.

I couldn't deny that I liked being around Lucas, he was different.

The exact opposite of Harvest.

Kind, open, and thoughtful.

I slightly turned glancing over at the sleeping shadow across from my bed in disappointment. It was a shame she couldn't see what she had when it was standing 6ft 7  in front of her.

Sighing, I closed my eyes, succumbing to the spells of the night.

-----------------------

The day passed by at an alarming rate from ordinary morning classes to lunch, and then of course the classes after, good old Combat Classes.

I straightened out the folded sleeves of my combat attire, feeling the stretch in them as I bent down to do my shoes. I would take them off during training but to get to the cube I had to wear something.

"Hurry up reddy, don't want to keep Harvest waiting," Lira grunted, tying her hair up into a ponytail and then swirling it up into a bun.

Claire stretched out her suit with a few arm exercises sighing.

"I hate combat classes," she groaned, taking her bag off her bed as I did, Lira walked toward the door.

"Yeah well, without them you would be stuck in a classroom all week," she huffed.

"For a blue, you say that like it's a bad thing," Claire replied which caused Lira to turn to raise an eyebrow.

"And your point is?"

Claire huffed, tugging at her backstrap as Lira chuckled,

"There are many more places to learn than in a classroom, Reddy," she grunted, opening the door.

I picked up my notebook with a sigh walking out, Lira locking the door behind us.

I jotted down a line in my book, giving it off to Lira who read through my complaint about how training with the Alpha watching was so hard to do.

She chuckled lowly at this handing my book over to Claire who glanced through.

"Yeah, Harvest has this way of staring into your soul," she grinned, "but not to worry reddy, as your mentors, we will be the ones training you today. Harvest won't show. He barely cares until of course it's a mash-up practice before the Inter Color Games, and then the Feild practice too," she explained.

I didn't get much of that but only one thing, taking my book back and asking the one relevant question in all that.

'So Harvest won't be there?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"He usually works with the advanced classes. The Elite. Maybe might come by to pick out a few attackers and defenders for the Elite training, but that's about it. Talon will take the lead on your cycle, and of course, as your mentors, Micheal and I will help," she explained as David joined us with a low greeting, signing a hello to me, with a steady smile, also dressed in his combat clothing.

"But heads up, It's going to be one-on-one combat training, today as the schedule shows," she continued, her eyes trailing down to the board that was in her hand, the same one I realized we had all written our names and colors in, last Combat classes.

My heart fell at this. One-on-one combat training?

How was I not going to wind up seriously hurt after that with my mortal self?

I could barely fight against a human let alone a convert.

My breathing became very apparent as we clocked into the fields of the King's Court on the crossing to The Cube, its transparent rectangular sides gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.

"God, that's bright," Lira huffed, one hand hovering over her face to shield her eyes.

I glanced at the sun, it was nothing compared to the African sun back home.

We trod down the long fields together, David checking his watch, beckoning us to walk faster as apparently if we didn't, we would be late by 5 minutes tops.

Finally making it to the Kings Cube, we parted ways, David and Claire heading to the Krakens Combat room whilst Lira and I curved the other way.

I hadn't mastered where to go the last time, so I was thankful I had Lira here as a guide although, with every step we took moving closer to the training room, I found my footsteps heavier as was my breathing.

I tried to figure out any excuse I could come up with that would grant me the relief of not participating in the one-on-one combat sessions.

"Oh for Pete's sake, don't look so worried reddy," Lira grumbled as we turned another random corner.

"You aren't even participating in it," she grunted.

My eyebrows scrunched at this and she rolled her eyes handing a grey slip from in between the pages of the book she had been holding.

"Mr. Herc made it clear you cannot participate in any activities involving your dilect," she sighed as my eyes trailed over the note that I realized was a sick bay note signed by both Miss Moonshine and Gravis.

"He said you had to heal from the traumatic experience you went through and to avoid altering your recovery process should be exempted from any activity that includes the use of a dilect, on or by you..." she trailed off for a moment as I reveled in the fact that Gravis had come through for me once again.

I had recalled him telling me this in the sickbay, but I had only just now remembered.

"If you ask me," Lira began, "it's a pretty drastic measure, almost like they don't want us knowing what you can do," she huffed.

I froze at this, looking back up at her, but she kept her eyes focused as if she hadn't just accused me of something.

I breathed out slowly, trying to ease myself, and not show any signs of panic. Biting my tongue, I checked down at my watch, widening when I noticed we were already three minutes late.

"Relax, you're with me," Lira grunted, side-glancing my way as we approached the familiar-looking door with the horn symbol pasted above and a number 8.

"It has its perks-" she began, opening the doors to the training room but stopped abruptly when everyone's eyes strayed to us, keeping us in place.

Harvest stood in the center of the place, very much present, the rest of my classmates seated in the bleachers, seemingly having been listening to him.

Talon and Micheal stood a little way to the side of him.

Lira kept still by the door seemingly surprised at the sight of him and so did I, noting she had said he wouldn't bother with us this time around and yet there he was, signature coat and all.

"I stand corrected," Lira breathed lowly, for only my ears to hear.

"So nice of you to join us, Lira," Harvest began, turning to us slowly, his tone low and deadly, eyes very far away from amused, folding his arms, ringed fingers tapping his arm as he spoke.

"Is this the time you show up when you believe I'm not around?"

She still seemed surprised he was here but shook her head,

"No, Alpha- I must have- miscalculated the time it took to get here," she huffed, staring straight ahead.

"When the very art of probability is your dilect, that is extremely unlikely," Harvest retorted, having seen right through her lie, "however, if you preach it to be. I find it foolish and disappointing," he growled back, and I flinched lowly.

"Don't waste my time and join the others," he spat, to which both Lira and I nodded profusely, parting ways as I made my way to the bleachers and her to the mentors, her face expressionless.

Harvest turned back to the people he had been addressing.

"As I was saying," he grunted, a slight tick in his jaw when I shuffled through the seats trying to get to the empty areas, "You will be having a one-on-one combat session. I would like to see your strengths," he began his eye trailing to me, "and your weaknesses," he continued and I frowned lowly.

"That will help me decide which one of you should be added to the Elite if at all any of you can," he grunted, "the most inner circle of converts that will guard the totem in the Inter Colors Game- and our last wall of defense-" he paused, his hand slipping into his coat, "This cycle has much to do. To begin, we will start with .." he paused as Lira moved to him with the book in her hand, but he ignored it, eyes trailing around us until it stopped on me with a hint of a smirk.

"Little miss latecomer," he grunted and all eyes trailed up to me exposing me, a scoff coming from Nala as if she wasn't surprised I was picked yet again-

"Thank you for volunteering-" he began, with a grin that did not look at all humorous as it faded quietly immediately.

"Get up," he barked.

I frowned, panicked eyes trailing to Lira who fished open her book seemingly looking for the slip.

"Since you are the only one who didn't show us your dilect last training, it will be good to see it now."

I slowly got to my feet, my palms felt sweaty.

"Alfred Doren, you are her opponent," He added, eyes never leaving my figure.

My mouth fell open, spotting the mountain of a boy with fire and Lavapowers as he got up, behind me, also making his way to the court.

I felt boxed in and a panicking mess inside me.

I was going BACK to the sickbay after this if Lira didn't hurry up and find that dang slip ASAP.

I watched her eyebrows draw together as she flipped through the pages, and I made it to the floor.

Mr. Bulldozer made it not a second later.

I turned to face him, my breathing heavy, and he smirked as I looked right at him.

He cracked his neck and I couldn't stop my heart from racing, I turned to look at Harvest who looked unbothered for a moment, about to say something when Lira called.

"Alpha," she huffed making her way to Harvest, handing him the pink slip to my relief.

Harvest took it, his eyes trailing over the words. He paused glancing back at me with an unreadable expression seeming very displeased at this turn of events.

Before giving it back with a huff, folding his arms yet again, expression unturned, and for a moment I thought he didn't care until he said.

"Fine, no combat," he grunted, looking straight ahead, "Doren, take your seat."

Alfred looked confused for a second but turned to go and so did I before I was stopped.

"Not you, Talanda."

My name came out cold and I had a feeling he was not pleased with me for some reason other than usual and was purposefully making me suffer.

He turned to face me.

"If you can't fight, you can at least show us what your dilect is. It is mandatory for every new team member. There are no exceptions."

I froze at this. I had no frickin Dilect to show. I couldn't even raise a stone from a cushion with my mind.

I was quite mortal at this moment.

What could I possibly do?

My eyes trailed over my fellow students who were watching me eagerly and my gaze immediately fell to the floor, scratching my arm as I looked ahead both defeated and embarrassed.

"We do not have all day," Harvest barked, "do something for us, Talanda."

When all I did was stand idly for the next two minutes He was about to say, or rather bark something but Lira spoke up.

"She shouldn't-" she blurted out and I could feel the attention shift from me to her.

I slowly glanced up at her.

Harvest's gaze loomed from me to hers.

"Why?" came his sharp reply, his tone seemed to challenge her to try speaking in front of him again.

I could see she was trying to be brave as she spoke, swallowing deeply.

"Uh- Talanda can't speak, and she's never used her dilect before, not here on Kingsland at least."

"And?" Harvest grunted, eyes narrowing on her.

"I believe it's because she's like Raskei, unspoken," she stated going straight to the point.

I could see the room grow deadly silent at this. What the hell was she saying?

"And if, in the instant that she is," she began, licking her lips and glancing at me for a moment, " then uh-"  she let out a breath as if watching her words carefully, "I believe asking her to use her dilect as unstable as it is for a new recruit would be unwise. Unless of course, you don't mind another one of our teammates in the sickbay for nearly the same reason as the last time."

When Harvest spoke it was like he hadn't registered the obvious disrespect in her answer only focusing on one thing,

"You..." he trailed off for a moment, "believe that she is unspoken?" he asked, seemingly amused by this, raising an eyebrow.

"When the very art of probability is your dilect, IT is very unlikely that my calculations are wrong, so if YOU should decide or believe it to be so, it would be foolish and disappointing," she replied firmly, her stance a little rigid and I could tell she was sucking in a breath after this.

I blinked at her confidence. I could have never said that and I doubt anyone else in this room had the confidence to say that straight to Harvest's face.

I spotted Talon and Micheal and they both seemed impressed at her answer as well as scared at the consequence of it.

Harves's blue eyes held her at gunpoint for a moment and the world felt like it was holding a breath before he suddenly took those eyes off her with a low grunt-

"Take a seat, Talanda."

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Lira came through....🥳💪
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