Finding it

Edited: KATIE 7

Battle cries are called out from all around me as my team sprints toward the opposing team. But as I see everyone running past me I do not run to join the fight. Neither does Miranda. Nor Alex, the son of Apollo, or his friend Angelo, the son of Ceres.

Miranda and I face each other with arms out to out sides, palms open, eyes closed. Not in fear or frozen in anxiety. Instead, concentration. All kinds of plants from flowers to vines, ivy to oak, trees to shrubs—and in between—burst out from everywhere. They create a maze of green twisting and weaving with their fellow photosynthesis buddies around the blue team. That is my job. Trapping them. Confusing them. Distracting them from my sister's purpose.

Miranda's job is to rise great strong vines with enormous leaves that will transport a small number of our red team's soldiers to a high Eagles' Eye View of the field.  They will be scouts looking for the blue flag, standing on the strong leaf and directing part of our team towards it, while the others scout around on the ground. The plants obey my orders and will of controlling them and they do as I please.

"Katie! I need some help over here," Miranda shouts over the battle cries. I turn and look her own greenery and see that reckless teammates have trampled over her sprouts. 

"On it!" I confirm and will for more to grow in the damaged one's places. 

Soldiers in the blue team are surrounded by my greenery and I open my eyes to watch them try to fight and cut it up with their weapons but no. It wont work. I smile. They might cut it, but the stems and roots have grown too thick and big for them to successfully cut all the way through. And plus, even if they do manage to, there are more plants just as strong and difficult as the next. They'd just be wasting energy. 

"I got it now! Thanks!" She takes over the new verdure and I go back to focusing on my own.

"Of course."

I find myself smiling. I almost laugh. Earlier I had been so nervous about my role in this game, I honestly didn't know how well I would do. But I almost let out an excited shout, I'm doing so well.

The sound of something splitting the air catches my attention and I turn my head to see an arrow flying towards me. I freeze and my growing plants do too. My concentration distracted. 

Suddenly a body is in front of me and reflects the arrow into another direction with his sword. Alex. His and Angelo's job is to protect us. While Miranda and I are concentrating on aiding our team to the flag while also keeping the blue team trapped in a wild greenhouse, the boys of Ceres are to protect us at all costs. 

 "Gardner," Alex says to be over his shoulder, still focusing on the battle, "Say so if I'm wrong, but is that a smile on your face? Someone's enjoying themselves a bit too much?"

"You're smiling?!" Miranda shouts over the sounds of battle. "How can you be smiling?"

"Oh hush, Sorin," I refer to him by his last name. "I've just never seen a game of Capture the Flag become so seriously competitive before."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of something like, Roman's being too serious before. . ." Angelo admits with sarcasm in his tone. He stands behind Miranda, guarding her back.

"Maybe it's not that Romans are serious. Maybe you Greeks are just childish." Alex says.

I shoot him a playful look look before conjuring a new vine.

"I mean battle is serious, but like I said, was that a smile on your face, Katie?"

"Jeez, my bad, Alex." I say almost rolling my eyes "Is it wrong for me to smile as I see that our team is wining?"