Chapter 2: Squad - 2.1

Chapter 2: Squad

2.1

“Woah! You did it!”

A harsh ray of sunlight shined directly into my opening eyes. I blinked a few times, shaking off the sudden impact, before squinting cautiously at the silhouette of a young woman standing above me. I also noticed that something hard was stabbing me in the back. Although I was far too delirious to think of what it could be (a rock, perhaps), I was able to recognize that I was lying flat on the forest floor.

The woman stood over me with a wide grin and looked straight down into my eyes as she happily announced, “I’m Nikki! I’m so glad we have a new member! It was getting depressing hanging around these three.”

She looked over her shoulder and yelled, “Just kidding, guys!”

I rubbed my eyes as the dazzling world slowly came into focus. Is this what a newborn child feels like? I wondered.

Still unsure of whether or not I was really awake, I carefully sat up and unbuckled the chin strap of my helmet. It felt the same as always, and I pulled the helmet off over my head.

“Holy moly! How’d you fit that hair in the helmet?! I thought you’d be bald!!” Nikki certainly seemed energetic and not the least bit hostile.

First Blake and now Nikki… I thought. Who the hell are these people?

I set my helmet down and leaned back, putting my weight on my arms, as I adjusted to the sunlight.

“Nikki, he probably hates you already.”

I spotted the girl, Eve, from the previous night looming some distance behind Nikki. Unlike Nikki, there wasn’t a hint of happiness on her face, and I could at least imagine her robbing a jewelry store or something.

A bit more like what I thought rebels looked like, I thought, but she’s surprisingly well-kept.

Although Eve looked dangerous, she was still missing the knotted hair and torn clothes aspect.

“Ohh, don’t be such a grouch,” Nikki complained, rolling her eyes with a pouty look on her face. “Anyway, what’s your name?” she asked me.

It took me a second to realize that I actually had to say something (should I have been talking before?).

After just a slightly awkward pause, I looked up at her and said, “Oh. Jelani.”

My heart skipped a beat when I remembered the element.

I must have tolerated it, right?

Curbing my excitement for a moment, I examined the four members of the squad, all clearly visible under the bright morning sun.

First of all, there was the chill guy from the night before, Blake. I hadn’t noticed then, but I could now see that his eyes were green and he had dark, reddish-brown hair. It was sort of a deep maroon color.

I’d made a clear note of this the night before, but I confirmed that he was indeed under-dressed. He didn’t seem prepared for any kind of fight whatsoever. In fact, he would’ve fit right in with the typical civilians of Hoodsdale.

I raised my eyebrows, questioning who this guy thought he was.

They must be inexperienced, was my conclusion.

I couldn’t imagine him surviving in the wild for more than a couple days. A few intrusive images of him getting attacked by wolves as he sipped from a mug by the fireside began to slip into my mind. I hastily shook them off and regained focus.

Unlike Blake, Eve seemed to have done some research. As I’d observed the night before, she had sturdy boots, camo pants, and a thin black hoodie, whose sleeves only went down to her forearms. Her long, hay-colored hair paired nicely with her cold gray eyes. She was also pretty tall.

A bit more intimidating than Blake, I thought, but the fact that she looks like a high schooler in a cosplay outfit kinda ruins the vibe.

I turned my attention to the energetic Nikki, who was still going on about how glad she was to be welcoming me. She was probably in her mid-twenties and had relatively dark skin and some kind of short afro. Like Blake, she was dressed, well… unusually. I wouldn’t have been surprised if her outfit was custom-made.

She wore a cropped tank top that was held together down the middle with criss-crossing string. The fabric was made of a thick, deeply ribbed, khaki-colored material, almost like a thicker version of jeans. Her pants, which only went down to her shins, looked like they were made of the same stuff.

Combining this with her sparkling, gemstone earrings, I could easily picture her walking the red carpet at some sort of modeling event. However, I was able to keep the ravenous wolves out of the scene this time.

Finally, there was the fourth member. He was the one who’d snuck up behind me on the mountain the previous day, and it wasn’t hard to deduce that he was also the owner of the large hand that had thwarted my attempt at escape.

He was thin and incredibly tall, and his back slouched heavily, head hanging low as he sat a little apart from the rest of us. His hair was long and black, and he wore a dark, camo long-sleeve shirt and pants. Since his head was hanging like a heavy weight on the end of a fishing pole, long strands of hair hung over his face, shielding it from sight.

I got an odd sense that he was gazing at me from beneath the cover of his hair, so I quickly averted my eyes. I couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but something about his appearance was unsettling–his shadow was too long, or maybe his skin was too pale. Something just wasn’t… right.

“You seem to have tolerated it quite well,” a voice, which I immediately recognized as Blake’s, said. I flicked my eyes in his direction as he continued. “I’m glad. We weren’t going to take the risk of consuming that one.”

I couldn’t stop the grin that was forming on my lips.

Let’s go, I thought.

I’d been in a daze since opening my eyes, but the effects of my time spent unconscious were finally starting to wear off. The gears in my head were going haywire.

“What was it?” I asked Blake, being careful to hide my eagerness for his response.

He smiled and said, “That element’s authority was explosiveness. In theory, you’ll now be more athletic–your whole body will have a reserve of speed and power waiting to be accessed.”

My composure nearly cracked when I heard this, but I was just able to keep myself under control.

“Authority?” I asked, not wanting to misunderstand a single thing he’d said.

“When I lived in society, that’s the name we always used for elemental powers,” he explained. “You could call it a technical term, so I’m not surprised that you haven’t heard it.”

I still don’t know where this guy got his information, or if he’s even straight-up lying to me, I thought, but I should be able to test this out.

I got to my feet and brushed the dust off my uniform. My hands abandoned my control and shook with excitement as I dreamed about the possibilities. Might as well do something cool.

Having made up my mind, I started walking towards a nearby tree. It was relatively thick–about two feet in diameter–and it looked strong and healthy. I strode confidently, maintaining a strong posture, but doubts quickly crept into my mind.

I could really make a fool out of myself here… If I don’t actually have any extra power, I’m screwed.

My strut slowed significantly as I pondered this, but I wasn’t about to chicken out.

I don’t even know these losers. They can laugh at me all they want.

When I reached the tree, I stopped. The texture of the bark looked so still and ancient–the culmination of years of growth, lining the solid, immovable structure in front of me.

I took a deep breath. I need to make this happen. Just once, and I’ll make my dreams come true.

There was no room for fear or hesitation, so, as I wound up, I poured every ounce of power into my muscles. I imagined the glowing red light. I believed in it. I believed in its power.

CRACK

The sound was like a miniature explosion. My knuckles connected with the wood with such a jarring impact that my vision went black for a moment. The trunk detonated, spraying shards of wood like shrapnel as the top section of the tree teetered and collapsed towards me.

Yes, I thought as the grin returned to my face despite the white-hot pain blossoming from my wrist. Now I can really get excited.

After dodging the falling trunk, I wiped the blood and debris off of my burning hand. Yeah, I’d probably snapped a few bones, but it was well worth it. Thanks to the element of healing I’d consumed (as all soldiers did), simple injuries like this one would be healed in only a minute or two. The pain was just as severe, but that was something I could deal with.

I turned around to find myself face-to-face with Nikki, whose mouth was gaping open in an unbelievably large O shape.

In a low, dramatic whisper she uttered, “That… was godly.”

Now in a fantastic mood–perhaps the best I’d ever been in–I placed my hand on her shoulder and smiled.

“Thanks, Nikki,” I said, forgetting the fact that we were complete strangers. In fact, at that moment, I felt like I was talking to an older sister, or some kind of lifelong friend.

“Woaaahh, you’re soo cool!” she exclaimed, suddenly leaping forward and pulling me into a tight hug. Her slender fingers gripped my shirt, and I remembered that she was definitely not my sister.

As I stood awkwardly in Nikki’s embrace, Blake’s voice once again broke the silence.

“Welcome to the squad.” He spread his arms as if encouraging me to come hug him next.