Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

12. Mara sends me a Dove

I continue to tell Cassie all about the Pentagon, about the people I met. We stay like that for another hour until her mom tells her they have to go shopping, and that my mom had phoned. It was time for me to get back home.

"Can't we just go another day," whines my friend, flopping back onto her bed.

"You were the one that was complaining about needing a new bra last week."

"Mom!" Cassie hisses, and I stifle a laugh to avoid embarrassing my friend further.

Eventually she groans but does as her mother says, pulling on her boots and following her to the door. I grab my bag and tag along, making sure I have my TekPad, not wanting to leave it behind like the past forty times I've forgotten it.

"Do you want us to drop you off at your place?" Asks my friend, waiting with me while her mom goes and gets her car from the underground parking lot.

"Nah," I wave my hand dismissively. "It's a beautiful day for a walk, and besides, it's not far from here. You know it only takes me like fifteen minutes tops."

Cassie lives just a few apartments down from me. It's only an eight minute drive to my house from her place, so it will only take me a little over fifteen minutes to get there by foot. Us living so close to each other is the main reason why we spend most of our days visiting one another. It's a half hour drive to the nearest shopping center, and the movie theatre is just a bit closer than that, but there is a pool we like to hang out at during the hot summer days that is shared by most of our neighbors. We usually take walks around the neighborhood or explore the little meadow that is just a few blocks away, picking flowers for my mom. Other than that, there just isn't much to do around here. When I'm not with Cassie, or at school, I usually spend the day on the porch with mom, reading a book or watching a movie on my TekPad.

Mom always laughs when she sees me with it. She'll tell me that when she was a child, technology like the one we use now didn't exist, and sometimes I wonder how she could have survived without it. It folds into a small rectangle that you can fit into the smallest of pockets , and expands to whichever size you need it to be when you adjust the little button on the front, the paper thin screen practically invisible before it turns on. We learned that in the past one of the biggest technological companies was named after a fruit. I can't remember which one, but they went bankrupt the year after TekPads came out. They were just so much more efficient than any other brand, and soon they were the leading technological enterprise. They never give any problems and they last the longest time; I haven't had to change mine for the four years that I've had it.

That being said, it's not like I use it all the time. I much prefer to sit around and read a book or take a nap, rather than spend my day looking at a screen.

Just as I promised Cass, I make it to my apartment complex in a little under fifteen minutes. As soon as I walk through the front door a ping from my TekPad alerts me to a new message, and I open the screen to find a text from Mara.

We exchanged numbers before I left, so we could keep in touch, and we've been chatting on Dove, a messaging app, ever since.

"Hi! Last day before the big decision, how are you feeling?"

It reads, and I write a quick reply before she decides to log off.

"Nervous, but also excited."

Her next message comes in almost immediately after I send mine.

"Does that mean you know what your answer will be?"

I can tell she doesn't want to pressure me, but I decide to tell her so that she doesn't have to keep wondering.

"I'm going to join."

"That's great Bri! I can't wait. I need another girl around to counter all the testosterone around here. We are going to have so much fun."

Another text comes in, this one taking a bit longer to arrive. She'd probably been hesitant about sending it.

"I could even be your tutor if you need extra help with your training. I bet Jay and Kalen would also be more than happy to help."

I smile down at the screen. I'm grateful for the offer, but there's someone I doubt will want to help me.

"I don't think Kalen likes me very much," I reply, and I immediately regret sending it. It isn't fair of me to judge her friend, what if she takes it the wrong way and thinks I just don't want to be around him?

"He does like you. Or well, he doesn't dislike you. "

I snort at the correction.

"He's usually just in a bad mood, you'll get used to it eventually."

I hope so, I'm not good at dealing with people that have a bad temper. Probably because it's so hard for me to control my own. I'm usually a very calm and level headed person, but if something ever riles me up, you will want to get as far away as possible.

"Why does he seem mad all the time?"

It takes so long for the next message to come in that I think she's ignored my text entirely, before her answer pops up a second later.

"It's his story to tell, I'm not in the position to do it for him. But let's just say that he hasn't always been that way, he used to be the prankster of the group."

Kalen? A prankster? Now that's an image I can't picture.

"I'm sorry, you just have to wait and see if he tells you eventually."

"That's fine."

We chat for a bit longer before I eventually call it a night and we say goodbye. Once I put my TekPad away I'm left to meditate over what Mara just told me. What happened to Kalen that made him be so sour all the time? In a way, I'm glad that there is more to it than him just being mad for no specific reason, I just wish I knew more so I could understand him better. He might not be my favorite person, but I know what it's like to be bitter, and it's hard to face your demons on your own. But Kalen has Jay and Mara, so I'm sure he'll be ok. I'll be sure to be more observant next time, just in case.

That night, when I head to bed, I'm too restless to sleep. I keep imagining what initiation will be like, what the people will think of me. Will they be allowed to know about my Gift, or will I have to keep it a secret from the people who will be training with me? Which reminds me, why did Mara, Kalen and Jayson know about my Gift, when it was supposedly such a well-kept secret? Not even my mother had known about my father's Gift, what made some teenagers any different? I'll have to remember to ask them tomorrow.

When I finally start to drift off, I hear a voice in my head, and I briefly wonder if it's a prediction or just my tired brain playing tricks on me.

"Welcome Elites," it says. "From this day forth I can assure you that your lives will change forever."

If this is a vision, then I like what I'm hearing.

Sure, I'm going to miss my mom, our little apartment, Mr.Roscoviks classes. I need to send him a message and explain why I won't be attending his classes anymore, to tell him that I'm alright and to thank him for everything he's done for me. I'm leaving some very good things behind, but that's only to make room for the better things that are yet to come.

As I snuggle deeper under my covers, tying my fiery red curls into a bun to avoid it getting too knotted in the morning, I let the questions that have plagued my mind all day float behind my closed eyelids.

Will I get to go on field missions too? Or learn how to fight? I don't have a physical Gift, but I'd be surprised if everyone didn't receive basic self-defense lessons. I let those thoughts roll around my head as I start to succumb to sleep, letting it wrap its thick tendrils around me like a blanket, as I sink deeper into the darkness.

Tomorrow is a very important day, and I can't wait to see what's in store for me.