Where the Roots Begin

Chapter V

Now that she was looking around, she noticed everyone. They probably had been training. Asides from the girl who had talked at first and the two boys, there was another boy and one other girl. With Alessandra included, three and three, she realized. She still didn't move. The girl sighted.

"All right. Come on, everybody". She seemed to be the oldest. Everyone sat on a circle, except from a gap, clearly meant for Alessandra. They waited for her. So she went closer, and sat down as well.

"My name is Tamara," the girl started. "But please do call me Mara. I've been here for five years, and trained through all of them. I'm the oldest, so that makes me the leader". She smiled, and laughed a little. "Seriously though, I'm eighteen, and I come from Chalzedonyia".

"The Art City?" Alessandra asked, curious. Tamara smiled.

Alessandra had heard stories about Chalzedonyia. The people there painted their city, Alessandra had heard. Every wall, every house, even the streets and stairs were colorful, cheerful. Beautiful.

"I'm Zachary. Zach", the young boy said. "I'm thirteen. I used to live in Chalzedonyia too. I've been here for about a year but just started physical training a few months after that and met everyone here three months ago".

"Physical training?" Alessandra asked. "What had you been doing before?"

"Kid's a genius, but has the reflexes of a sloth", the boy with white hair said. Alessandra had to admit, Zachary didn't look as fit as the others, but he was thirteen. It would be a little strange if he were muscular. "I'm Sewell, by the way", the boy said and he held one hand in her direction, clearly expecting her to do something. Alessandra had no idea what.

She noticed the muscles in his forearms and his hands. His hands. They were full of these weird scars, but not simple scars, they were designs. They were lines curling and swirling around his fingers, palm and wrist, and up his forearms. They looked like snakes. They seemed old, and Alessandra was sure getting those must've hurt. A lot. After a few seconds he took his hand back.

"I take it you're not from the tribes. I'm an Akraqsew, and if you'd gotten here a few weeks ago you would've met the other" he said. "Anyway, Zach here spent three months proving his IQ was off the charts, a month solving puzzles, riddles and games, and five months training, to get to the level of teamwork".

"Oh, shut up", Zachary protested.

"Sewell", Tamara said disapprovingly.

Was that what she had been doing? Training to get to the level of teamwork?

"Fine. So summing up the autobiography, my name's Sewell, I'm sixteen, I got here three years ago, and I'm an Akraqsew. Who's next?" He asked, bored.

After a pause, the other girl spoke. She had black, short, straight hair, with one or two golden streaks and her eyes were a little pulled back.

So she must come from far away, Alessandra thought.

"I'm Kaiya. I got here a year after Mara, from Endeguskia. I'm fourteen today. Huge celebration this is, uh?" She motioned around as she spoke, sarcastically.

"Happy birthday", Alessandra muttered.

"Thanks. Anyways, I didn't start physical training as soon as I got here either. They did these tests about how I handle pain. So basically, I was tortured my first months. Very fun".

Alessandra didn't say anything. The thought of being tortured just to see how much you could take was too unsettling.

"And this here", Kaiya poked the only boy who hadn't spoken yet "Is Ravy. He doesn't talk much, in case you haven't noticed".