“Have you guys spoken to your father yet?”

“No”

“Nope”

I sighed. It had been almost a week since the incident with Jimhaya. Today was Saturday and the triplets had a sleep over in my room because we had the tryouts for the Capture the Flag early this morning. Jimmy was reading on the sofa, curled beside Red who was looking through a magazine. Jess and I sat at the table eating breakfast.

“Have you even seen him?” I asked

“Not since I’m living with Ren” Jess answered.

“And Jamie and I rented an apartment. So no, not at all” Red finished. “And we have not gone home since”

“That really sucks” I told them.

“If dad wants to lose his family by being a prejudice asshole then let him” Jess sneered. “Where are you going?” she asked Jimhaya who had gotten up from her spot. We were still keeping an eye on her every move.

“To the bathroom. I can leave the door open if you want”

“And see you shit in the toilet? No thanks” Jess made a face. “You better be quick”

“Yes your highness”

I stared at her and waited that she closed the door before I turned my attention the girls.

“Quick change of subject: I want to take Jimmy out on Monday after the tryouts, but I have no idea what to do. What does she like?” They both stared at me.

“Uhhhh….” Jess mumbled.

“Come on, I know she’s not the talking type but you are her sisters. You should know something that she likes” I pressed.

“Count me out” Jess raised her hands “I haven’t had a decent conversation with her in six years.”

“I spent more time getting her back on her feet and out of trouble. It always depended on her mood swing whether she liked to do one thing or another. Plus, what she used to like was either dangerous or illegal.”

“Great. I have no idea what to do but we are certainly not going to do something illegal”

“Hey, I know” Red exclaimed. “Do something active. And don’t go to the cinema because she will have time to sulk in her misery”

“Thanks” I said as Jimhaya made her way back to us. I looked at the clock and got up. “We have to go if we want to make it in time for the tryouts.” The sisters followed my movements and we set out towards the arena.

-

We arrived at the arena and were immediately swarmed my noises from the other students who showed up for the tryouts. There were about fifty people hanging and talking excitedly around the bleachers. We saw Ren in the crowd with his friends and made our way towards him to drop our gym bags. Everyone, including us was dressed in t-shirts and shorts for the upcoming event. Except for Jimhaya who, of course, kept her black hoodie and sweat pants.

“You nervous baby?” Ren asked his mate. Jess shook her head

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait for it to start”

“I’m nervous” Red said. I hugged her with one arm and grinned.

“You’re going to be fine” I encouraged her.

“I’m scared for Jamie” she whispered low enough that only I could here. We both looked at her sister who had lost any interest to her environment and played on her phone.

“We’ll keep an eye on her” I said. From the corner of my eye I saw Kasumi and Boris making their way towards us. Kasumi smiled while Boris frowned at Jimhaya.

“Hello Siana, Ren. It’s good to have you back this year.” The Japanese woman said. “And hello Jessica, Jasmine and Jimhaya. We are glad you made it here, Boris and I are very interested in what you can provide today.”

“Thank you” Red replied. “We are very eager to be here.”

“It doesn’t look like it” Boris grumbled staring at Jimhaya. “What’s with the sweater kid? Is this not good enough for you to put a shirt on?”

“There was no dress code in the regulations. I fail to see your point” Jimhaya said when she raised her head to meet Boris’s gaze.

“Coach Boris, please. Jimhaya likes to dress that way but do not judge her for it. You would be very surprised in what she can do during the tryouts.” Red said. To my left, I heard Ren snort his disagreement. Of course he didn’t see her dismember a guy with her magic or saw her drive her hand in someone’s chest and rip his heart out but I was not going to say anything. Although, it was a great strategy Jimhaya was using. Showing nothing to the opponent so they believe she is weak and vulnerable and become overconfident with themselves. She would use that confidence to create a surprise attack and hit them when they least expect.

There was a bong sound that echoed through the arena. All the students bundled up together while Boris, Kasumi and Zoe made their way to the front.

“Welcome students to the first day of tryout for our Capture the Flag team.” Boris voice beamed through the arena. “This is how it’s going to work: Kasumi and I will be evaluating you during the day. We only take fifteen students to join the team plus three rookies who will not be playing but will be training with the team while the rest of you will watch from the side lines. We will cut some of you on this first day and that means you can’t come back. Every year there are some who try and fit in after we kicked them out of the arena and every year is the same results. We will not have poor sportsmanship either.

Remember: this sport depends on teamwork. If you cannot function with other people then you do not belong here and you can leave right now” he looked at Jimhaya when he said that but she stared back at him without flinching. “Today, we are going to look at your basic skills. We look at your strengths and weaknesses, magic and combat. It will mostly be individual work and tomorrow will be teamwork and tactics. This year, our dear Zoe is going to be helping Kasumi and I coach this team. She is our apprentice so if she tells you to do something, you shut up and do it” he screamed at the top of his lungs “Now for the warmup, give me twenty laps around the arena.”

Everyone started running at once like a stampede. Most of the students ran hard and strong, trying to show how fast they were. They were all most likely going to be cut because they waist so much energy within the first five minutes, they will not last the day.

Red and I ran at a decent speed to unlock our muscles. We were in the middle of the group while Jessica and Ren were in front of us talking animatedly together. I looked behind me and saw Jimhaya at the back of the group. She didn’t seem enthusiastic to run.

“How did you make Jimmy come?” I asked my friend.

“I told her it was this or I banned coffee” we laughed. “There were a few more threats, but she caved in. I think this is a good rehab for her. She gets to fight, socialize (kind of) and I can watch her at all time”

Once we finished our run, the coaches made us do some push ups, sit ups, chin ups and squats. That was the end of our warm up.

“The first task you must do is an obstacle course. You have 2 hours to finish it or you are out” Kasumi told us “You are not allowed to slow down your opponents. That means no hitting or tripping and no magic against each other.” She came closer to me and whispered “You are not allowed to use your wings. Consider this early training” and to the crowd, she roared “Begin”

All fifty of us started to run. I ran through the field trying not to push people out of my way. It was not a sprint, but a fast run because I didn’t want to waste my energy at the beginning. Without slowing down I sped into the forest. All we knew before the run was that the finishing line was at the top of a mountain. It doesn’t matter how we get there as long as we do.

I dodged the blurry trees and tried not to trip on their roots. Before me, in between trees, were ropes tied up together creating a web barrier. Some students were climbing the ropes but I knew they weren’t stable enough. I would spend too much time trying to keep my balance than actually passing through. Instead, I climbed one of the trees that were holding the ropes. There were many branches where I could grab on and I jumped down once I was at the top of it. Then I started running again. I couldn’t see the mountain from inside the forest but I knew in which direction it was.

I skidded to a stop when I saw what I had to go through next. The river was not wide, but it was active. The runners tried to jump from rock to rock but it was either too slippery or too small. I felt a presence beside me and turned my head. Jessica was standing beside me.

“You’re not with Ren?” I asked her.

“We’re competing against each other. The loser has to do everything the other says for a whole day” she grinned. “Imagine him at my mercy for one entire day?” I laughed because I couldn’t see Ren doing that.

“Come on” she said and ran alongside the river and I followed closely. We arrived at a wider part of the river but it was no longer in the rapids. We glanced at each other before we jumped into the water. Did I mention it was freezing cold? Jess and I swam our way across at a good pace and soon enough we were on the other side. We dashed around the trees again following each other. There were a lot less students around us by that time.

We made it to the bottom of the mountain. Now, for the hard part, we had to climb a rocky wall without any security. There was an easier trail but it would take too long. Jess and I found a good climbing spot and made our way there. I took the first good grip and pulled myself so I could put my feet somewhere stable. Jessica was a very good climber; she was already ahead of me.

It was very hard, the higher we went, the windier it got and the less the good grips were available. We had to pass a moment where the part of the mountain was split in half. I saw Ren running in wolf form down on the hiking trail between the two stoned walls. When I pointed him out, Jess took a look but missed her footing at the same time and started free falling. With a jump, I opened my wings and caught her in between me and the mountain. Using earth magic I secured my hands and feet to the wall so we couldn’t fall.

“You ok?” I asked her. It was more like a yell because the wind was very noisy. I could feel the tempo of her heart beat increasing and mine was going just as fast. She laid her head on my shoulder for half a second as a sign of gratitude before taking a deep breath and continued climbing again and me in toe. I kept my wings locked close to my body but I didn’t withdraw them yet. My back was hurting a little because I was not used to opening my wings so fast in one movement and I was pretty sure the hem of my wings were bleeding a little. We hadn’t fallen very far but it was still loss time. We finally made it to the top but there was a problem: We weren’t on the right side of the split wall. Jess and I looked at each other and made a unanimous decision to jump. Jess went first and managed to cross with a bit of a struggle. I took a step back and used all my power and some magic to throw myself off the cliff to the other side. I barely got to the other side and hit the wall wrongly. If it wasn’t for Jess who caught my hand and brought me up I would have fallen.

Once on the other side, we continued our jog towards the finish line. We decided to jump down on the hiking trail to go faster. Soon, we saw Ren up front and together Jess and I started sprinting like never before. Ren heard us a picked up speed. Since I was part bird, I was not as fast on ground as them so I was having trouble keeping up.

At the end, where Boris and Zoe waiting for us, Ren finished first, Jess second and I close behind. “Yesssssss” Ren screamed in happiness. He was dancing in joy when I was lying on the ground panting and tired.

“If I didn’t fall, I would have won” Jess tried to defend herself. Ren skipped towards her gave her a huge kiss.

“You owe me a day of happiness my love” he said. She playfully hit him on the arm.

“Congratulations kids” Boris said. “1h12 minutes, that is very good time. You are the first to make it to the end”

Jasmine arrived several minutes later. She finished sixth. She lied down between me and Jess and groaned. “I hate running” she whined. I laughed and patted her thigh.

“Where’s Jimhaya?” I asked her.

“Somewhere behind” she waved her hand in fatigue.

The other students were slowly arriving. Time passed by and the two hours came to an end. I didn’t see Jimhaya until Zoe began to create a force shield blocking the road to make sure those who didn’t finish within two hours could not cheat and follow the group. We saw Jimhaya jogging and slipping through the small opening between the mountain and the shield. She didn’t look tired at all.

“Two hours precisely Jimhaya, I’m not impressed” Boris said. She simply shrugged

“You did not specify how fast I was supposed to finish” and walked away from him. She sat by Red and I’s feet and smiled.

“Wow, you made it” Ren said unhappily “How great” Red and I glared at him while Jimhaya ignored him.

“Alright kids, all of you who are beyond the barrier can go home, this is over” Boris said and everyone groaned. “The rest of you have five minutes to catch your breath then we are going to evaluate you on your fighting and magic skills.”

We took our five minutes and then head back down the mountain. The walk down was very casual, Ren was hanging with some of his pack members who came and introduced Jess to them. I was talking animatedly with Red when Sean, the Don Juan, stopped by us.

“Hey Siana, good job on your time” he told me. “It’s cool that you’re here again. I hope we will both make the team. Let me tell you, there is a lot of competition this year” he looked at Red and winked. “Hi, I’m Sean. It’s good to finally meet one of the famous triplet sisters”

“Hi I’m Jasmine. It’s good to meet you” she said shaking his hand.

“She’s not interested” I said.

“Jealous, beautiful? Don’t worry, I’m always free for you” then he turned his undivided attention to my friend.

“So, Jasmine, how do you like living here so far?”

“It’s good. I like small towns, the atmosphere is very calming here.”

“It’s not very calm, where I go” he snickered. I rolled my eyes. “I know the best places to have fun. Speaking of, there is a party after the tryouts and you are welcome to come” he grinned.

“Thanks, but no thanks. Parties are not my scenes”

“You know where to find me if you change your mind” he winked and walked ahead.

We came back to the open field, and lined up into two lines. There were about thirty five of us left.

“During the next few hours you will fight. You will be divided into six groups of six and fight each other.” Boris said and put us into groups of six. I was put with Red, while Jessica and Ren were together. Jimmy was in another group.

“Good luck” I told the triplets.

“You can fight?” Jimmy said curious.

“Of course I can. I’m the only one who managed to beat Boris” I said proudly. “Beside you”

“You were lucky.” Boris said near us. “If I hadn’t tripped on the debris I would have given you the final blow” we laughed, remembering the memory. “Go to your group. I will pass by later”

-

I spent a good part of the afternoon fighting against other students and won all of my matches. It was fun to battle against Red though. She was a very good fighter but lacked a little technique and confidence. The others were too easy. I was Jess and Ren playfully fighting each other who were about the same strength. I turned my attention back to Red.

“You’re a good fighter” I told her.

“What did you expect? Who do you think taught me how to fight?” Red asked looking across the field. I followed her gaze and saw her brown haired sister watching at two guys fighting in a bored tone.

“Cool” I said. We watched the other students fight for some time until we heard a commotion.

“I’ve had enough Jimhaya. I want to see you fight. Go into the circle and knock him out.” Boris yelled in anger. Everyone around us, including us, made our way to them. We all stood in a circle leaving Jimmy and a guy named Peter in the middle. The boy was smirking as he took a fighting stand. Jimhaya, on the other hand pretended not to know how to fight. She was standing awkwardly with her hands up. Like an idiot, Peter ran straight into her bluff. He lunged forward like a bull to hit Jimhaya but with one quick side step, she punched the guy in the throat and he went down like a log. We heard guys and girls gasp at the sight.

“Coach Boris,” Ren stepped forward into the circle. “I request a fight against Jimaya” there more gasps and whispers.

“What are you doing?” Jess sneered.

“Don’t worry babe. I know what I’m doing.” He said.

“Denied” Boris said.

“But-

“It’s late. Tryouts are over today. Tomorrow I will grant you the challenge of fighting Jimhaya, but now go shower.” With a groan, Ren glared at a passive and bored looking Jimhaya but her body language was showing a dark form of excitement when she stared back at him. She really wants to fight him, I thought shivering.

-

We now were sitting on the bleachers packing our bags when Sean decided to stop by again. He sat in front of Jimmy and I on the bench lower than ours and looked at Jimhaya with a smirk.

“It’s Jimmy right? Hi, I’m Sean” He said giving his hand. Jimhaya looked at him with a blank face and remained silent. “Okay” Sean said after retracting his hand.

“So there is a party at my house and I want to you come” He gave her his dashing smile.

“Do not call me Jimmy” My friend said. The guy before us looked confused. “It’s Jimhaya to you”

Sean raised his hands in surrender “Alright, alright, Jimhaya. Would you like to come to the party with me? I promise I will give you a good time” I made a gagging noise.

“No”

“But- he didn’t finish his sentence because her hand flew downwards to his crotch. His whole body stiffened as his eyes threatened to pop out of his head.

“Listen meat boy, you annoy me and you reek. I do not like to repeat myself and I certainly do not want to go to an overcrowded, loud semi-orgy party of yours.” Jimmy spat, her whole body leaning towards him in a scary way. Her ice cold eyes bore into Sean’s scared ones. His breath was now shallow and he was supporting himself by holding the bench with his now white knuckle hands. Jimmy sighed in pleasure seeing his squirm. “You men believe you are so invincible and desirable when all I have to do is squeeze” Her last word was dripped with venom as she tightened her hand. The poor boy whimpered and his eyes were glazed with tears. “and the magic goes away”

“Do not approach me again” she said and only let him go when he promised and begged her to release him. He took a shaggy breath before getting up and making his way down the bleachers with his wobbly legs and stiff body.

It was silent for a couple of seconds before everyone, even the students who were eavesdropping burst laughing. “Did you see his face?” I said between laughs. Jimmy however did not laugh or smile. She stayed silent and watched us.

“He was so livid I was sure he was going to puke right then and there” someone else said. I laughed too hard and some air went through the wrong tube so I started to cough hysterically. Beside me, Jimmy raised her hand to pat my back but I moved away from her tough.