Arcadia : The Hidden Child

Chapter 6

"Rise and shine!" A voice said, exuberantly.
I rolled over and found Franz standing in the doorway of my room and I immediately smiled.
A few days had passed and I could feel myself getting stronger.  Franz and I had grown pretty close over the last couple of days, he was just so easy to be around and talk to.  I had used him as a sounding board for my frustrations over what Cash had done and he was able to provide some perspective in favor of Cash, which gave me a lot to think about. 
"Come, come.  It's time to get up, you have a lot of work to do today." He said making his way into my room.  He got a change of clothes out of my drawer and lightly threw them on the end of my bed.
"Work?"
"Yes.  You start your physical therapy and training today.  We need to get you back in shape."
"I don't really think that's necessary."
"Your legs are weak, you can barely stand."
"Well, that's not true."  I said sheepishly.  "I have been practicing a little at night when you bring me back to my room."
Franz hit his hand to his head.  "Figures you would risk injury to..." he stopped, exasperated.  "Did you fall?"
"No."
"No?"
"Well I stumbled one time, but technically I didn't fall."
"Technically she didn't fall," he imitated.  "Well thank the heavens for that!"
"Can you walk to the workout room, or do you still need your chair?"
"I will use my chair."  I didn't really feel it was a question and I didn't want to argue with him.  I didn't need it, but I also didn't want him giving me a hard time.
"Oh my.  Conceding a bit, are you?"
"No," I smiled.  "I can see that I've upset you somehow." I knew what I'd said, but I found it rather enjoyable to push Franz's buttons.  His expressions and take on the English language amused me.
A few minutes later we made our way to the dining hall where I had a few bites to eat before we went to the workout room.  I wheeled over to the stairs on the left side of the dining hall and the seat gravitated to the first stair on its own. 
"Just lean to your right and you will go up the stairs, lean to the left and you will go down."
I leaned and the chair began to move up the stairs, hovering like electromagnetic suspension.  We made our way to the second floor where the rooms were in a row made out of all glass.  Franz explained they were for different things like training, recovery, working out, meditation, reading, and studying."So this is like a school or something?"
"Or something." Franz said, not saying anymore.  "Here is your room."  He pushed open the door and there was a man standing in the middle of the room with gray pants and a tight white shirt on.  His back was to me, but he looked rather large and muscular. I quickly glanced around the room and noticed that it was a large two story room made out of all glass and realized that I could see part of the third floor above us on the far side of the room.
"Mars, I introduce to you, Araleigh.  The One." He made a slight bow.
"Mars? Like the planet?" I clarified.
"Yes like the planet." He said turning around, he was watching a group of people in the room on the floor above us doing some sort of combat training.  He had very short hair and a square jaw.  "My mother was having a moment when she named me and my siblings.  She is obsessed with your galaxy.  There is me, Mars, and my two sisters, Venus and Jupiter.  Anyways.  She is the One?" He said smiling moving closer to me.
"Yes the one." Franz said excitedly, repeating 'the one'.
"The One?" I asked, my eyes were drawn up to the other classroom again and that is when I saw him. 
Tristan. 
I could see his piercing blue eyes on me, boring holes in me with his hands clasped behind his back.  When he saw me, he continued walking back and forth yelling out commands, pointing from one side of the room to the other.
"The one that was able to take on Tristan.  No one has ever been able to do that before."
Tristan stopped and looked at me again.  Could he hear us talking about him?  I looked back down, feeling guilty for being caught looking at him a second time.  I couldn't help it, I was curious.  It was clear he was not curious, just angry with me, although I don't know why.  I looked back at Mars.  "I guess I was just lucky and caught him off guard or something."
"Or something.  He is never caught off guard."  Mars said.  "I had tried for years and he always manages to take me down."  Mars looked up to the glass.  He made eye contact with Tristian and waved.  Tristan just nodded his head, keeping his hands clasped behind his back.
"Is he always that friendly?" I mocked.
Mars laughed.  "Yes.  He is very closed off, doesn't really let anyone in."
Who would want to get close to him?  "What is he doing?" I modified my question, "What are they doing?"
"They are training for combat.   He is our defense coordinator, commander whatever you want to call it."
"I just saw a girl fly through the air."
"Briefly.  Yes, it was probably my sister Venus." Mars said like it was no big deal.  "Our gravity is a little different here than on Earth, so it allows us to jump a little higher or a little further."  Mars did a running jump and floated through the air briefly before landing again.
I had this sudden urge to jump, I wanted to experience that same momentary weightlessness.
"Don't."
"Don't what?"
"I see it in your eyes, you want to jump.  You are not ready yet and plus you have to be trained.  It's not like anyone can do it."
"You have to be trained how to jump?"  I chortled.
"It is more than just jumping." He said jumping up and down like you would expect anyone to do.
"Interesting."
"Well it looks like you two are set." Franz said slightly bowing while walking backwards towards the door.  "I am going to check on Mr. Grumpy and see what has him in such a foul mood."  Franz said turning around and leaving. 
I watched him walk up the stairs on the outside of the room.  "Mr. Grumpy?"
Mars nodded his head up towards Tristan.
"Oh." I watched as Franz had just walked into his classroom.
"Franz is one of the few people that Tristan trusts.  I don't know their back story, but they are very close."
"Interesting.  Seems like Franz gets along well with everyone.  I don't think I have met a person yet that doesn't like him."
"Yes, that seems to be the case doesn't it."  Mars said walking over to me.  "Ok let's get you out of this chair, I want you to hold on to my arms and we are going to walk to the bars over there."
"This really isn't necessary.  I told Franz I have been practicing the last couple of nights, give me a couple more and I will be good to go."
"We will see about that." Mars smiled and held out his arms. 
I grabbed them and pulled myself up, I could feel his muscles through his shirt and they felt as big as they looked, which caused me to blush a little which was unlike me.
"We are going to work you out today.  If you aren't sore when you leave then I haven't done my job."
"Sounds fun."
"For some of us." He smiled again. 
I glanced up and saw Franz patting Tristan on the back, which was thankfully towards me.  I don't know why but I didn't want Tristan to see me like this, especially if I was the only person who had managed to take him down.  How fast they fall, I thought to myself.
"Can you please make me a promise to not practice on your own.  I don't want you to hurt yourself and I have the feeling you are one who pushes things to the limit."
"Yes.  If you will teach me how to do that." I said pointing up to other room, as the girl was gliding through the air again.
"I don't know."
"Then I don't know."
He held up his hand. "Fine."
"Tell me," I said grabbing the bars.  "Why is everyone so concerned with me getting better so quickly and not hurting myself?"
He didn't answer question. "Put some weight on your legs and try to take a step."  
I took a step and it felt like I was stepping on pins and needles, although they weren't as prickly as they had been a couple of nights ago.
"Easy does it." He changed topics back to my question, "We are just doing what we are told.  Don't let you get hurt and get you ready."
"Ready for what?"
"I don't know.  I guess to go home."
"Home..."  It was strange to think I could or should go back, this felt like home to me, which seemed weird since it clearly wasn't.  Perhaps it was because I had such a fascination with this place for so many years, had my ideas of what it would be like... I don't know, something about this place just seemed right.
"You are doing good.  You may not need to come here all week after all."
I smiled. "You are just saying that."
"No.  You are doing far better than I expected.  Looks like your evening sessions are good for you."  He looked around.  "Don't tell Franz I said that." He smiled.
"I won't."
"Do you think you can walk without the bars?"
"Yes."
"Ok then.  Try walking this way to me then."
I said I could walk without the bars, but realized it was nice having them there.  The idea of walking a long distance in an open room made me nervous."
"Oh come on. You aren't nervous now are you?"
He was teasing me.  "No just wanted to be sure you are ready." I smiled.
He squatted down and clapped his hands.  "Let's go."
I took a step away from the bar and then another and then another and realized I was fine.  The tingling in my feet had gone away and I was walking on my own, still a little sore but I was doing it.