Chapter 2 Congratulations
Aelin.
I heard Betis strike the bell and I pushed out of the drum of ice cold water. Clutching to its edges and gasping for air.
Goose pimples rose on my skin when it came into direct contact with the slightly chilled atmosphere.
“Ten minutes and seventeen seconds. A good record but certainly could be better.” he said as he walked towards the table with the clipboard where he documented my progress.
“The oxygen can is small. I might last longer if I had more to sustain me or if the water was warmer.” we’ve been working out double sensory trainings for the past nine months and if I was being honest, there’s a great improvement from my initial one minute nine seconds.
The use of an oxygen can was to help me last longer under water. I inhale pure oxygen to saturate my blood and then I hold my breath.
“If that is your excuse, then we best postpone your going to SSA for the next.”
I sighed and hopped out of the drum which stood at five feet in height but had a diameter of over ten feet. Why Betis had such a contraption was obscure to me.
“You’re working yourself up over nothing.” my statement was with pure intent to rile him up and I was successful.
He appeared like I had just slapped him in the face “Don’t you say that again young lady. An untrained werewolf has the capacity to hold their breaths under water for as long as five minutes and the trained counterparts could go for fifteen. Guess who you are going to meet at the academy?”
“The trained?”
“Good to know you’re back to your senses. We would go again in ten minutes. Try to last twelve minutes this time. You may not be up to a werewolf but you can definitely be close.”
I groaned at his instruction but would obey it nonetheless. I was the one who wanted to go to Silver Steel Academy and he has been doing me the honors of training me for the last ten years.
That was one fact. The other was, if I did perform as well as I had hoped during the exams last year, my invitation should be coming in soon.
Just like Betis had said, there would be the option of intelligence to get you into the academy and very few people would opt for it because it required a severely extensive method of reading.
That was my safest option because it was either that or I fulfilled a list of stunts necessary to prove my survival.
I don’t think any stunt I had up my sleeve was fascinating enough.
When the list came out for the trials and examinations, I was up against just eleven people. On the day of the exam, two people stepped down.
One decided to try again next time and the other decided to go for the trials instead. The trials had a total of two hundred and ten contenders.
Eventually, fifty people would be chosen for the academy and only three people would survive the games.
“Can I at least drink water before I proceed?”
“I have had nothing against your short lived thirst tolerance.”
That statement was enough to know he definitely had something against my short lived thirst tolerance but willingly decided to say nothing about it.
Snatching the bottle that was near my feet and gulping down its final contents, I needed to move forward. “What next?” I asked.
“The next double sensory training would be sight and hearing.” reading it off the paper on the clipboard.
I nodded and walked back to the drum. Some ice blocks were still floating around in the liquid, meaning the temperature had definitely not risen.
But it was now or never.
“Are you going into that tank or do I have to push you?” Betis called out and he dared to sound annoyed at me.
“I’m going in. You don’t need to stress yourself.” it’s not like any amount of mental preparation would help dilute its effect.
“Good. Cause all I’ve had for breakfast is a cup of coffee and it does not guarantee me enough energy to lift you.”
Thirty minutes later
I ducked away from the stick that made an extremely loud whooshing sound as it passed over my head.
“Whoa! Are you trying to behead me?”
“Move a little slower and I wouldn’t be trying to. I will succeed.”
The stick moved towards my side but I heard it before it could collide with my ribs and jumped away.
Betis was my father but during trainings, he acted like he was my sworn enemy in disguise.
“Can we take a break? I’m exhausted.” it was getting more difficult to hear the attack and my reflexes were getting slower.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you could just tell your opponent that you two could suspend for a tea break and return to fighting when energized.”
“Betis, when I die from stress, there would be no opponent to go on a tea break with.”
“Back to form and fix your stance. Always remember that when exhausted, you have used up only forty percent of your capacity and you can definitely go further.”
I was yet to coordinate myself when he brought the stick downwards and it collided with the back of my knees. Almost causing me to tumble over.
“Again.” he ordered
This time, I was ready and jumped just in time for it to pass by.
The next strike came closer to my face and I pushed backwards. Then to my back and I fell to the floor and rolled away because Betis always said ‘when your opponent has you on the ground, their next move is to strike you on the ground to keep you there. Do not give them that chance’.
“Perfect. You may remove your blindfold and rest for an hour. We would train hand to hand combat next.”
I remained on the ground, trying to catch my breath and some rest when a female voice joined us in the backyard.
“I knew you two would be out here. No one is monitoring the staff at the cafe?” She said.
It was Chelsea, the lady that Betis was currently courting to be his second mate but she didn’t know that yet.
I had a feeling she liked him too though.
They had only known each other for approximately a year when my father took a liking to her. A woman in her mid thirties who had a passion for reading and baking and never found her mate.
And my father was a fifty one year old man with pretty good genetics. Over the years, he had worked on his physique and quit alcohol consumption.
Now he could pass for a man in his early forties which I am sure Chelsea took him for.
“If they decide to steal from me at this time and age then the shame is on them. What brings you here today?” Betis asked, his voice starting to sound distant. So he had definitely gone closer to her.
“I brought some muffins I baked that I would love you two to try and Aelin, why are you sprawled out like a starfish on the floor?” Her concern was merged with confusion.
“Laziness.” I heard Betis say.
“Hi Chelsea.” raising just my hand to wave at her.
“There was a mail in the mailbox when I was coming in, so I brought it for you.” she added.
There was a moment when I didn’t hear a sound from them, until my father called out to me “Aelin, this mail is for you.”
“Read it!” I yelled out, I was still too tired to stand.
“You’re not a bread dough. Get up!” He screamed back and I knew he was not going to give in to my request.
Reluctantly, I got up and walked to the both of them. Chelsea held a box that probably contained the muffins she spoke of. Then Betis hands me a dark blue colored envelope.
Across it was imprinted ‘Silver Steel Academy’.
Suddenly, my hands began trembling as I now understood why he wanted me to read it myself.
I broke the wax seal and pulled out the letter within.
“To: Aelin Moonveil
From: The Silver Steel Academy.
Dear Aelin,
We hope this message finds you well. Following your application for admission into our esteemed institution, and interest in The 20th Games of Zyraeth, you participated in our entry examination six months ago alongside eight others.
Your results are as follows:
a. Strategy and planning: 92%
b. History and culture: 98%
c. Health and safety: 89%
d. Skills and tactics: 98%
Average: 94.25%
Your outstanding performance has placed you ahead of your counterparts who had also participated in this exercise and to that cause, we would like to say congratulations on being accepted into the Silver Steel Academy.
Should you no longer be interested in joining us, kindly send us your rejection letter to the address at the bottom right corner of this letter.
If you do accept, we anticipate to see you on the day of arrivals, four weeks from today.
Once again, congratulations.
Signed
Major Tenes Storm
Senior Recruitment Officer
For
The Silver Steel Academy
No. 366, Halden street, Ravenfell Alley, Frostville.
Contact us at
thessa@academies.gb”
