When Bart came through the clearing, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The most beautiful enclosed cove was there before him. There was a huge waterfall, crashing down into a calm, small lake. The water was a clear blue and the sun reflected off of it perfectly, making the water sparkle. The grass surrounding the cove was a bright green and the trees were extra tall. Bart couldn’t believe he had never seen this place even though he had lived in Dorman Falls his entire life.
“It’s beautiful,” Charlotte said, standing by the water as birds flew overhead. Jason was off to the side stretching and smiling as he observed the two kids’ faces. Bart couldn’t believe his eyes or his nose. There was the smell of warm desserts wafting through the air. Bart wasn’t sure why it was desserts he smelled, but he was definitely intrigued.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Bart continued. “It’s amazing.”
“Just wait until you see Zathya,” Jason said. “I can tell you’ve never seen the majestic cove before,” he laughed. “It’s all over your faces but Zathya puts it to shame.” Bart just ignored him as he ran up to the water. His reflection was perfectly clear as he stood above it looking down. This was the first time he had looked at himself since the battle at the secret house and he didn’t like what he saw. He looked a complete mess. There was dried up blood on his face and his clothes, his shirt and pants had rips all throughout them, his hair was all over the place, and he had a scar on his cheek.
“Wow, looks like I’ve been through the meat grinder,” he said looking away from the pond. It wasn’t until now that he noticed how bad Charlotte looked now as well. Even though her hair was messed up and her clothes were a wreck he still saw her natural beauty. Bart had never really noticed how beautiful she was, and it was weird that now, sitting here looking like she had been hit by a tornado, that he recognized it.
“It’s crazy how much she looks like her mother,” Jason said, startling Bart. He hadn’t noticed Jason coming over to him while he was looking at Charlotte. “No worries, I won’t say anything,” he continued.
“About what?” Bart asked, trying to act innocent. Jason just laughed and patted him on the back.
“Okay,” he said loudly. “First things first. What has Victoria taught you about wielding so far?” Charlotte stood up and looked to Bart who was already looking at her. Bart could tell she obviously wanted him to explain what they had learned but he wasn’t so confident in his ability to put it in to words.
“Well, um,” he started but Jason put his hand up to stop him.
“Don’t tell me,” he said. Bart looked a little confused. “Show me.” Originally Bart was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to explain what he had learned. Now he was nervous he would crack under pressure. “Don’t worry, I won’t be attacking back or judging you or anything. I just want to see what we have to work with.” Charlotte and Bart once again looked to the other for any silent advice but both had nothing. Bart shrugged and Charlotte nodded. They turned to face Jason and took their stances. Bart began to clear his mind and focus his body. He could already feel the wind starting to form up around him. He pulled the wind in and then with one great push, he shot it towards Jason. Charlotte swirled around and faced the water and then in one quick motion, spun back towards Jason while bringing her hands up and over her head. Water from the lake shot up and over her and towards Jason at a relatively moderate speed. Bart tried to wield the wind to move faster and faster to try and reach Jason. Right when Bart felt the wind closing in on Jason, Jason motioned his hands and the grass in front of him grew until it was at least ten feet tall. Then, the grass turned into a solid brick wall and shielded Jason from the attack. Bart’s hands fell to his side and his mouth hung open in shock. Charlotte just stood there with her eyes wide. Both of them couldn’t believe their eyes. Had Jason made a brick wall out of grass?
“How did you do that,” Bart exclaimed. The wall turned into water and splashed back into the ground. Jason was smiling as he walked towards the two baffled teens.
“I see Victoria still uses nature as her primary teaching tool,” he said when he got close. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. I favor manipulation and creation wielding though. It’s a personal preference.” Bart was still amazed at how easily Jason turned grass into a solid brick wall and then into water. Charlotte was quiet and still looking past Jason to see where the wall had gone.
“Well I want to learn that manipulation and creation wielding ASAP!” Bart wasn’t even thinking about defense. He wanted to learn how to change things into other things. He started to wonder if he could turn grass into anything he wanted.
“Manipulation and creation are very useful tools when it comes to wielding. If you can master it, you will be a very powerful wielder. It is, however, very difficult to master. This is undoubtedly why Victoria decided to go with nature as your first learning instrument.” Charlotte finally came to her senses and looked at Bart and then at Jason.
“So can we learn it, or are we not ready?” Her question was the same question Bart had in his head. He was ready to learn some new stuff even though he hadn’t mastered his first lessons. If he could learn to manipulate the things around him at the same time as continuing to use nature to his advantage, he would be a force to be reckoned with. At least he would be on the right path to becoming one.
“I think you’re ready to begin learning this art. However, it will take a tremendous amount of practice and dedication.” Charlotte and Bart exchanged looks and then agreed with nods. “Then let us begin. The first step is the same. Focus all your energy towards what you want to manipulate.” Bart already picked out what he wanted to manipulate. He began to focus his entire mind on the stick. Everything else began to become a blur the more and more he focused. “That’s it, keep your mind focused. Do not falter.” Bart continued to keep the twig as the center of his attention and sure enough, the rest of the world seemed to vanish. There was only the stick and Bart. “Now that you have focused your mind on what it is that you wish to manipulate, think about what you wish to do with it. What do you want this item to become?” Bart knew exactly what he wanted to transform the stick into. Now he began to picture a sword in his mind. He wanted a large and long steel sword. In his mind, he could see the perfect weapon and he used his mind to try and focus on the stick and the sword at the same time. Then, suddenly the stick rose off the ground and began to float in front of Bart.
“I’ve got it,” he said sounding extremely excited but then the stick began to drop.
“Stay focused!” exclaimed Jason. Bart immediately re focused and the stick stayed afloat. He struggled to focus on the steel sword that he wanted the stick to become. It was hard to get the stick to take shape but he continued to focus. He could feel the essence of the stick and slowly he began to try and form the stick into the sword. Rapidly the stick began to change shape and Bart opened his eyes to see if he had done it.
“Not so lucky,” he said as he stared at the newly shaped branch. The small stick had grown in size and the shape had formed into a sword however, it remained wood. No steel was in sight.
“Not bad for a beginner,” Jason said with a smile. They both looked over at Charlotte who had transformed a leaf into a small cup.
“Well one of us got it,” Bart said with a little frustration. Charlotte just smirked as she looked at her cup.
“You did good Charlotte,” Jason said as he walked over to her. “It was a hard task but you overcame it.” He took the cup and examined it. Out of the blue, the cup turned back into a leaf and slipped through Jason’s fingers.
“Darn,” she said sadly.
“It is okay,” Jason said calmly, placing his hand on her shoulder. “It is a difficult chore to change an item, something you succeeded in. Keeping it the way you want it is something that will come with practice.” Charlotte managed a smile, but Bart could tell she was disappointed. She wasn’t very good with the wind wielding yet. For her leaf not to stay a cup must have been more than a little upsetting. Bart felt that she should be a little happy though because at least she got the leaf to transform. He chose not to say that and instead just stayed silent. “Keep practicing,” Jason said smiling and patting her on her back. Bart decided to do the same, knowing he needed a lot more practice. The constant pressure to get better wasn’t just coming from everyone telling him to practice. It was also coming from the undying fear of what he would be facing once he got to Zathya. Yes, of course he had already had a small sample of what to expect. However, he still dreaded the thought of facing the tattooed killer and the huge monster of a man that charged with reckless abandon. The fact remained that even with the training he had had, Bart knew he was nowhere near ready to face them. On top of all that, he had no idea what the sly man in the business suit was capable of or whether or not there were more enemies he had to face.
“Come on, stay focused,” Bart said as he tried to regain his concentration. He didn’t want to fail his mother. He didn’t want to fail the father that he never knew. Bart was never one to accept failure. In fact, failure was one of Bart’s largest fears. The difference between failing this time, and failing in some small task that his mother had him do for the festival was that this time failure resulted in certain death, not just for him, but for his family and friends as well. He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t fail.
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