Sixty-Seven Salamanders

by Jeffary Joseph

  I distractedly glanced at her, still punching the air. “Huh?”

  She abruptly reached out and grabbed my wrist. “Come on; I’ll be your sparring partner.”

  I chuckled softly. “You know I’m like a highly trained spy now, right?” I stuck my boot out. “I could probably kill you with my pinky toe.”

  She rolled her eyes and released me, then kicked my foot away with a mischievous grin. “So, go easy on me, Mr. Super Spy.”

  “I guess I can do that.” I raised my fists and got into a boxing stance.

  Candace mimicked me, raising her own fists and stepped towards me in a flash to throw a straight jab that I backed away from.

  “Hoh, hoh.” I smiled. “Where'd you pick that up?”

  She threw another punch with a smile of her own. “When you attend a spy school, you learn a few things.” Then, she lunged and kicked my leg out from under me.

  I saw it coming, but it was way too amusing to see the brainy Candace Green actually fighting. So, I fell landing on blades of grass that pricked my back and burst out laughing while she mounted me.

  “Wait, I give!” I raised my hands.

  She playfully punched my chest. “You’re okay.”

  My laughing receded as I looked into her eyes. I hadn’t talked to her about my blunder last week at the Gauntlet, but I’m sure she knew about it. Even if I failed over and over, I knew she would always be there for me, though I think I’d implode if I ever said something that mushy to her, so gave her a thankful smile instead. “Of course. Now get off me, you’re heavy.”

  Two months passed since the first Gauntlet event and I did my best to file the unpleasant memory in the deep recesses of my mind, but it would still pop up every now and then, especially the subsequent incident that had stemmed from it afterward with George. It didn’t seem to affect our team much, although he and I hadn’t communicated much. I’d given more attention to training recently that my grades were slightly suffering, so Josh and I hit the library on our free day.

  “What about this step, Adin?” He pointed at a section of his notebook. “I always forget whether you factor here or not.”

  I leaned closer to him and peered into it; we were seated at a round, wooden table in the back of the library. Rows of large bookcases were next to us with other students weaving in and out them like bees.

  “Yeah, gotta factor.” I whispered back then returned to my own work.

  Behind us was soft cursing from Vince and George who sat at another table.

  I’d been listening to them trying to figure out the same economics question for the past twenty minutes, so having heard enough of their bickering, I finally went to their table and pointed into George's textbook. “You’re forgetting to subtract liabilities. That’s why your numbers don’t match.”

  They looked up at me in surprise and then checked their work.

  “Damn, he’s right…” Vince elbowed George, then looked up at me. “Thanks, brainiac.”

  George turned his head away and muttered. “Thanks…”

  My eyes opened a bit, not expecting gratitude, especially from these two. I nodded in response and turned away.

  “Hey… mind if we join you guys?” George asked before I got far.

  I hadn’t forgotten what he’d said to me just a couple months back and tried not to let it bother me, but on some level, it still did. I wasn’t one for holding grudges though. “Come on.” I gestured towards our table.

  Only a few days later was Team Umbra's second Gauntlet event. I clenched and unclenched my hand, trying to loosen a cramp that gripped it. A yawn escaped my lips causing my eyes to tear up. I’d spent the entire night going over the plan for today’s exhibition match. The objective was to either defeat all of your enemies within the time limit or capture the enemy’s flag and bring it back to your own camp before time ran out. Each opponent was worth a single point, and team leaders were worth three.

  So, if you found yourself behind in points with time running out your only option was to go for broke and try to seize your opponent’s flag. Each combatant was wearing a unique suit that had a bright orange circle between the abdomen and chest, and also one on the upper back. When it was hit either with our weapons that had rubber bullets or stricken by physical force, it would simulate real pain, and special fibers in your suit would physically restrict you until the match was over.

  I stood up from my bench and hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Everyone understand the battleplan?” It was finally my chance to shine as the team’s tactician.

  “To be honest, it’s a bit ballsy, but I like it.” Mina looked at me.

  Then red lights filled the room letting us know the match had begun.

  “Okay guys, stick to Adin's plan and stay focused. Let’s kick Team Ghosts' ass.” Mina made eye contact with us all.

  Once the outfit room door slid open, we darted out in a huddled fashion, then split into two groups. My group – Team A went right while Mina's team veered left. There were way more trees and shrubs blocking the view ahead. Also, fake boulders and obstacles had been placed to make the match seem more natural, such as logs and small hills. I slid behind a waist-high boulder with my head lowered.

  The strategy I devised automatically played in my head for the millionth time; Mina headed Team B comprised of George, Vince, Josh, and Noir whereas my team consisted of only Bianca and Hope. The reason for the uneven numbers was simple. I had studied Team Ghosts' past matches that were recorded and figured out they pretty much stuck to a direct approach. So, while my group suppressed their direct attack from the front, Mina's team would hit them hard from the side.

  The problem with that though is the bulk of their team could wipe out my small group, but I had come up with a remedy for that, too. I once watched a movie where a small army was pitted to engage with another almost ten times their size - basically, no way to win. But the commander of the smaller army had the genius idea of making his group look infinitely times bigger. In the middle of the night, he attacked the larger enemy camp with only a few men by creating such a racket beating drums and howling like wild dogs that it scared them off.

  My plan was similar; Hope and I would constantly be firing while Bianca with her awesome speed danced around us, shooting randomly. It would make our small group seem larger than it actually was. Then when the real strength of our squad reached them, they would be crushed. Leaving cover, I fired a volley of bullets into the trees directly ahead. They didn’t need to hit anyone, just hold off any advancing opponents.

  Close by, Hope dove to a log, crawled on all fours, then rose both her handguns and added to my gunfire. Bianca dashed beside me, then behind a small hill, periodically sending off shots as she moved from cover to cover. A bullet flew just passed my eyes, making me gasp in surprise and move to the other side of the man-made boulder, and peek out. A lot of movement was coming from the greenery in front of us. Several shrubs shook back and forth, and I could even see a few limbs sticking out here and there. A few more bullets whizzed by and smacked into my cover, which was probably my cue to move. So, I decided on a tree stump not too far beside me, took a breath and then rolled sideways, coming to a stop just behind it; bullets ricocheted off the ground following my path.

  Hope, Bianca and I continued exchanging fire with the other team for a while before they suddenly stopped. I waved my hand at my two teammates, grabbing their attention. They immediately stopped their assault and looked at me. We then dipped our heads forward to listen, but there was nothing but pure silence, well, only for a moment as panicked shouts and screams could be heard from where the enemy was positioned, sounds of shooting following.

  A huge grin spread across my face as I looked up at the large rectangular monitor displaying the digital pictures of both team participants for a total of sixteen. In a flash, four of Team Ghosts' pictures blinked out to black. My plan was working better than I thought, half of their team being decimated in an instant.

  “Adin, two of t
hem retreated towards you. They realized your group's small numbers. They’ll probably try to flank you.” Mina’s voice crackled through the small radio implanted on the suit near my shoulder.

  I pressed the small button on it. “Don’t worry, just keep up the pressure.”

  They were desperate now, so of course they’d go all out to capture our flag - their only chance of victory. I made a peace sign towards Hope and Bianca gesturing to our right, making them exchange nervous glances.

  Noting their worried looks, I waved them away again, and after a moment’s hesitation, the two girls took off. They were probably hesitant to leave me alone, but I could handle it. Leaning out of cover, I scanned my surroundings, ready to shoot anything that so much as flinched; sweat dripped from the tip of my nose, mixing with the dirt of the ground.

  “Adin! The two retreating was a feint; they’re headed straight for you!” Bianca's panicked voice came through my radio.

  But her warning wasn’t necessary as a male with orange goggles and a red-headed female with a ponytail sprinted in my direction side-by-side. I immediately squeezed my trigger over and over, feeling the rifle vibrate in my hands as it hit the girl, sending her crashing to the ground, but the guy with goggles was still running like a madman towards out flag. Hurriedly emerging from cover, I ran exposed to my left to cut him off and fired more bullets that whizzed by.

  Dammit, hit him...! I gritted my teeth and raised my gun to shoot again, but nothing happened. My heart flipped as I squeezed the trigger so hard that my finger cried in pain, but it was no use. The reason was simple - I was out of ammo. I fell back and hit the ground with a thud a second later as a bullet smacked into my chest, causing my rifle to bounce out of my limp hands.

  From my view on the ground, I helplessly watched the boots of the goggled-male zoom by.

  “TEAM UMBRA FLAG CAPTURED.” A robotic voice announced from nowhere, filling the training range.

  He exited our camp triumphantly holding a purple flag not long after, then faded from my vision as he got further away. I numbly looked at the ceiling, every other muscle constrained by the suit. It was happening again; we were losing because of me. I had come up with a sound enough plan, but this body of mine, these hands of mine – they just weren’t good enough.

  “TEAM UMBRA FLAG RETURNED TO TEAM GHOST’S CAMP. MATCH OVER.”

  I rolled to my side as movement returned and spoke in a voice that was even lower than a whisper. “You’re pathetic.” It was the same scene; head hung low, shoulders slumped, rifle dangling lifelessly in my hand, it even looking defeated. I vaguely remember Josh forcing me to my feet and now dragging me to the outfit room, but my feet stopped working once near the entrance; I was scared to face my teammates, scared to face their judgment.

  After a bit more urging from him, I took a timid step inside, then stopped again to look at everyone who was at their respective lockers. “Hope, George, Mina, Josh, Noir, Vince, Bianca.”

  All their heads turned to me with questioning looks; Josh walked from behind to also face me.

  “I promise you all – you will never see someone work as hard, give as much of themselves, and sacrifice as much for this team as I will from now on. I won’t let you guys down again.” I exited the room right after, still dressed in my sweaty training suit. Back in my room, I laid in bed, watching the ceiling. I'd headed straight for the team dorm house after my grand speech, which I’d meant every word of it. Now there was just the small problem of actually doing it. How the heck was I going to get stronger?

  I grabbed my phone beside me and signed in on Skype. A few old classmates were on, plus my sister. I checked the time and called her – she should’ve been in bed by now. After a few rings, her smiling, pigtailed face popped into my screen.

  “Hi, Adin!”

  “Hey, what are you still doing up?”

  “Wellll, I was giving Melissa advice on what to do about Brian, ‘cause today at lunch he pulled her chair from behind her, but I told her that’s just because he’s a boy and boys are too stupid to show their real feelings, and she said –”

  I put my hand up and smiled. “I think I can figure out the rest. Just don’t stay up too late.”

  “Okay, I won’t… Hey, Ad?”

  “Hm?”

  “Is something wrong?” Her smiling face transformed into one with concern.

  “Why are you asking that?”

  “I don’t know… You look a little sad.”

  I hadn’t realized I’d been projecting my somber mood. “Nothing major. I’m just not doing well in a particular class right now.”

  Arena put a hand to her chin, thinking for a moment, then grinned. “Then just work harder.”

  “Just work harder…?”

  “Mhm!” Her grin grew wider.

  Maybe she was right. Maybe it was that simple. I gave her a thankful smile. “Thanks, Arena. I think I’m actually gonna go study now. I love you, goodnight.”

  “Love you too!” She waved and the connection cut off.

  Wasting no time, I hopped out of bed and headed straight for the training range. And once there, I flipped open the lid of the control box to push the necessary button and make the dim lights of the place grow brighter. Then, I walked to the middle and started my routine, kicking and punching the air, with each strike envisioning myself being blown away. To be more accurate picturing the old Adin blown away. If I was ever going to succeed, I had to shed away the weakness that clung to me like snakeskin.

  Out of nowhere, someone grabbed my leg as it flew high in the air, causing me to stumble back.

  “G-Geez!”

  Noir was beside me with the same blank expression on her face; she could make a great statue.

  “Do you like to scare people half to death or is it just a hobby?” I shot out breathlessly.

  She didn’t respond.

  I stood up straighter, still recovering from the shock. “What are you doing here?”

  “I followed you.”

  That isn’t creepy at all.

  Before I could ask why, she spoke again. “I like to walk around campus when it’s quiet and chanced upon you, so I was curious as to where you were headed.”

  “Oh, well, I’m just getting a little training in before bed.”

  “I understand, you may resume.”

  I nodded at her and started fighting my invisible self again but stopped when realizing she hadn’t moved. “You know, it’s like, reallyyy hard to focus with you watching me like that.” I punched the air slower.

  “I have a question.”

  I stopped and faced her. “Why didn’t you just say that? My eyes are brown. I’m a Taurus. And my guilty pleasure is watching The Notebook with a bucket of ice cream.”

  “Why did you join the Organization?”

  Her question caught me off guard. “I don’t know… There were a lot of reasons.” I knew it was vague but didn’t exactly know myself, so how could I give her a proper answer?

  “Why did you become a Salamander?” Her empty gaze bored into me.

  I frowned. “I just told you.”

  “Why did you join, Adin? Why are you here?” She raised her voice.

  “Because I want to matter!” I yelled out unexpectedly, then looked away in surprise and embarrassment. I guess that was the ultimate factor. I wanted to be a part of something special. I wanted to be important. I wanted to matter.

  She watched me for a second before a faint smile appeared on her lips and she walked closer.

  My vision shifted back to her and heart sped up a little. "What are you..."

  She stopped directly in front of me. "Be at my residence tomorrow after your classes. And bring your training attire."

  "Why -"

  "You ask too many questions." She frowned and then walked away.

  I stood there stupidly, I didn't know what just happened, but apparently, I had a date with Noir.

  The next day, I showed up to her cabin in my training gear as she had rather rudely s
uggested. My hand was halfway to the door when I noticed a small sticky note and peeled it off to read it. “Passed where the two hands meet.” I sighed. Apparently, she didn't just talk in riddles; she liked to write in them, too.

  Where the two hands meet? I didn't have the slightest clue what those words could begin to mean and searched around the cabin but didn't see much. The surrounding area looked pretty much the same, nothing but trees. I did a full three-sixty before spotting a pair of trees that had two branches that were touching. “Where the two hands meet…” Not having anything else to go on, I pushed passed them and entered the brush.

  There was a narrow dirt path on the ground that I could just make out and followed it for several minutes but didn’t feel I was making much progress. And just when I was thinking of turning back, I spotted rays of light pierce the trees to the upper left. Passed them was an open area filled with white sand and what looked like a pond in front where the dirt ended, similar to a beach. What caught my attention, however, was what was in the middle of the open space.

  Noir was engaged in a series of kicks; her long legs stretched towards the sky as she fluidly alternated between legs. All I could do was watch the awe-inspiring performance that looked more like dancing. She was beautiful, and I reminded myself dangerous, too. The swan was one of the most graceful and elegant creatures on earth, but at the end of the day had the ability to rip your throat out if threatened enough.

  The French girl abruptly stopped mid-kick with her leg still high in the air and turned her head towards me. "You know, staring is considered rude in some countries."

  "S-Sorry, I was admiring your, uh... kicking skills." I moved my eyes off her slender leg.

  She finally brought it down and faced me. "I’m sure that's all you were admiring." Her mouth curved up in a smile.

  I cleared my throat. "What is this place, anyway?'

  "I utilize this area for training purposes... or when I need to get away. It calms me."