Searching for the Key

Chapter 9

Katia and Nathan met the rest of their friends at their cabin. They talked about their lesson while eating bowls of ice cream in the living room. Since the weather was so nice they decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the park.

Aevria had a huge park with a vast area of grass, a lot of trees, a small lake, and many trails. It looked like it could match Central Park. They stopped on a small hill of grass and sat down.

Katia looked around and could see little kids playing tag, but they all had super speed so they just looked like colorful blurs. It was an effortless kind of day that just drifted by at a contented speed. For the first time Katia felt at ease with her life.

At six they went to dinner, and there was something Katia wasn't expecting. There was a circular stage in the middle of the dining area with Saladin standing in the center. As soon as Katia entered he called her on stage and everyone started clapping.

Katia approached it cautiously, not knowing what Saladin had planned. Once she was standing in the center with everyone looking at her, Saladin began to talk, "Tonight we officially welcome our newest family member, Katia!"

Everyone started to clap and cheer, and Katia blushed. Saladin touched the back of her left shoulder and she felt a tingling then burning sensation. Before any pain could register though, it turned cool. Katia looked over her shoulder and saw an intricate tattoo of the word Elicti written in their ancient language. Every Elicti received that tattoo to mark their identity. To any other person the tattoo will look like a pretty pattern of swirls. Katia turned back to the front and saw many people smiling at her.

She was excused from the stage and went back to join her friends. They talked, ate, and then hung out in their cabin until it was late, making sure to throw a little party to celebrate. Katia was really starting to like her new life. For once she felt special, and she was getting closer to her friends who were beginning to feel like family.

Katia easily settled into her new routine. She would train and go to classes all of Friday and during the weekend. Then during the week she would go back to her regular school. It always seemed even more boring but she liked being able to tell Julie about everything she was learning.

One day during combat training, the instructor decided to have everyone fight each other one on one using their powers. That way they could hone in their strengths and learn how to use them in the midst of a fight.

Katia watched in wonder as all of her friends fought. Mike with his telekinesis managed to beat David despite his ability to change his size by continuously tripping him up. Suki had it easy and merely went invisible while Laura teleported so quickly that even the person she was fighting with super speed had trouble keeping track of her.

Amanda was shocking to watch as she transformed herself into a lion and lunged at her opponent. But no one impressed Katia as much as Nathan. It was mesmerizing watching him fight with grace and confidence as he flew through the air and manipulated the winds around him. She believed entirely in him and wasn't surprised when he won.

"No wonder Hunters don't stand a chance with you," Katia said as he walked back over to them.

Nathan hardly even looked tired as he grinned. Finally Katia heard her name called followed by a girl named Celia. Nathan gave Katia a look she didn't like.

"What?" Katia asked.

"Nothing, Celia is just a challenge to fight. I'm sure you'll be fine though," Nathan assured her, but now Katia was feeling nervous.

She slowly made her way to the center of the field that was scuffed up from the previous fights. As she looked at Celia she remembered she was the girl who congratulated her after finishing the obstacle course for the first time. Katia didn't like the cold look in her eyes or the condescending smirk Celia was giving her.