Seducer Fey

by Cullyn Royson

  “No,” Cassidy lied in an attempt to hurry the goodbye process along. She’d attended University of Victoria’s Summer Explorations in Martial Arts the summer before and considered herself a veteran.

  “Now you’re all on your own again,” Annabelle continued the thought as though Cassidy had not given the sharp reply.

  “Yup,” Cassidy agreed. “See you in a week.” Cassidy grabbed her suitcase, started toward one of the check-in lines, and gave her mothers a backhanded wave. When she heard her mothers’ car drive away Cassidy felt a surge of adrenaline—for one week of the year she had no parents and no adults to tell her what to do. At the check-in desk, she obtained her name badge and transferred the room key to her Ogham.

  “Hi, are you Cassidy Adisa?” A twenty-something with platinum blond braids and a radiant grin tapped Cassidy on the shoulder. “I’m Jake, I’ve been assigned to your camp family. Want to go find your dorm room,” she said.

  College student counselors don’t count as adults as they are more like smart, attractive, and mature teenagers, Cassidy thought, as she followed Jake toward a grey, brick building. I can’t wait to go to university.

  “Want some help getting your suitcase up the stairs?” A muscular college student with orange freckles asked them.

  “Nah, we got it. Thanks, Ashley.” Jake smiled and hefted Cassidy’s suitcase over her delicate shoulder. “In college, if you ever want to move furniture into your dorm room just offer one of the athletic teams pizza to move your stuff—cheapest labor ever.”

  Cassidy laughed. “Has my roommate arrived yet?”

  “I don’t think so.” Jake set Cassidy’s suitcase by one of the two beds. This year Cassidy was prepared for the bareness of the tiny dorm room, but she recalled the previous year when she had been shocked that camp expected her to live in a closet-sized room with another person. The two twin-sized beds comprised the furniture of the room. A table was folded up over each bed as a desk. True desks had fallen out of fashion, due to space constraints and almost everything being in digital format. All dorm rooms had three screens, one for each wall that didn’t have a window, which rolled down with the push of a button. A three dimensional projector hung from the ceiling next to the overhead light. The three dimensional projectors functioned similarly to three dimensional printers, differing mostly in their purpose: the projector helped an individual experience an image tactally through the use of specialized gloves. After all, three dimensional gaming, movies, and course work were necessary, unlike antiquated tables and chairs.

  Your first activity, Aikido, starts in an hour,” Jake said. “Afterward you can come to the dining hall for dinner. Lights out at 11 p.m. but I won’t bug you if you’re just talking quietly with your roommate. We just don’t want anyone else in your room after 11 p.m. Your mothers signed that it was okay for you to be in gender neutral housing, so there are male-bodied people on this floor if that makes a difference to you when you go to the bathrooms, which are just down the hall.”

  “I’ll be there.” Cassidy called as Jake left the room. She changed into the starched martial arts uniform her parents had tailored for her then flopped onto her bed to play a three dimensional game she’d brought.

  ***

  Backpack slung over her shoulder, Danny bolted from the car before it came to a complete stop.

  “Danny be careful!” her father admonished.

  “Bye, Dad,” Danny shouted over her shoulder. “Thanks for dropping me off.”

  Her dad pulled the car to a stop, hurried out, and rushed after her. She hugged him.

  “Contact your mom or me anytime,” he said.

  “I will,” she promised. Danny had never been away from her parents before. She put on a brave front, but felt panic stir inside her gut when her father’s car disappeared down the road. Her school had given her a scholarship application to the summer camp, which she had filled out never thinking she would actually receive it. If she hadn’t received a scholarship, her family would not have been able to afford to send her to the camp. Ugh, I don’t want to meet a bunch of rich snobs, Danny thought, as she watched a teenager with long cornrows adjusting her perfectly fitted new uniform while walking toward a sign labeled: “Aikido meet up.” The actual martial arts stuff should be cool, though, Danny decided. She glanced at her Ogham and realized she didn’t have enough time to go to her dorm room or check in, so she followed the girl with cornrows at a distance.

  Inside the University of Victoria’s gym, Danny followed the signs and the other girl to a basketball court covered in red, blue, and gold mats. The instructor wore a karategi, the white martial art training uniform, and hakama, pleated fabric tied in a knot at the waist by four straps. She stood in the center of a circle of seated students.

  “Glad you decided to show up,” the instructor said to Danny and the other girl as they trailed into the gym. “We are partnering up, so you two can be together. Please find a place on the mat and introduce yourself to your partner.”

  Reluctantly wandering over to a mat, Danny met the other girl’s gaze for the first time. The other teen’s striking brown-eyed gaze and vibrant complexion made Danny feel the little green monster of jealousy bite her.

  “I’m Cassidy Adisa,” the girl offered.

  “Edana Reyes, but I prefer Danny.”

  “Please bow to your partners as a sign of respect.”

  Danny and Cassidy both bent at the waist—neither relinquished eye contact.

  “I’m taking real martial arts like Tae Kwon Do and Judo—I’m just checking this one out for fun,” Danny explained.

  “I’m taking this, Tai Chi, and Karate because I think there’s much to be learned from both offensive and defensive martial arts.”

  “In Aikido, it is important for you to learn how to fall ...” the instructor started to say.

  “I want to learn how to punch and kick,” Danny said under her breath.

  The instructor turned to face Danny, with a complacent expression. “Punch me,” the instructor invited. Danny obliged shoving her fist toward the instructor’s abdomen. The instructor gracefully sidestepped, caught her wrist, and guided Danny to the floor.

  “In Aikido you will also learn how to use someone else’s momentum against them,” the instructor explained.

  Impressed by the power of Aikido, Danny became the best partner Cassidy could have hoped to have in just the first session together. She watched Cassidy’s movements and body rolls meticulously, making thoughtful observations and suggestions when needed. By the end of the first session, both Cassidy and Danny felt comfortable with the front roll and Cassidy had successfully executed the back roll several times with Danny’s careful spotting.

  ***

  After grabbing food at the dining hall and a taking shower, Cassidy swiped her Ogham across the door to her dorm room. She noticed Danny dabbing her thick hair with a towel while seated on the other bed. Cassidy felt a twinge of envy, when she observed Danny’s sharp-featured profile and freckles.

  “So, you’re my roommate, eh?” Danny said sprawling across the bed.

  “Yeah.” Cassidy pulled on her baggy pajama shirt over her uniform then slipped it off from underneath the night shirt. “Can you believe how cramped these rooms are?”

  “This is the size of my room,” Danny muttered.

  Cassidy glanced uncomfortably at her roommate. “At least you don’t have to share your room with anyone,” she said in an attempt to cover up her faux pas.

  “True. Sorry you have to share.”

  “But I am happy to be rooming with you,” Cassidy added quickly. “You’re going to be awesome in offensive martial arts.”

  I have to share a room with her for a week and I do like chatting. I should probably try to be civil, Danny thought. “What are you taking besides Tai Chi and Aikido?” Danny asked. “You know that one extracurricular thingy we get to do.”

  “Kayaking,” Cassidy replied. “This is just going to be regular river kayaking, but I really lo
ve surf kayaking.”

  “What the heck is surf kayaking?”

  Cassidy hit the button to make the screens go down. She and Danny selected three dimensional imaging on their respective Oghams and put on their visors. “Sunset: Show image of wave ski and gear,” Cassidy demanded of her Ogham. An image of a flat kayak appeared in front of Danny and Cassidy appeared in front of them. Danny put on the gloves usually used for gaming and attached them to the three dimensional projector. She ran her hands along the image of the kayak while the printer made imitations of the material she touched on her fingertips. The sensors in the screens changed the appearance of the straps to hold the person’s feet and waist, as Danny clipped and unclipped them.

  “So, surf kayaking is surfing on your butt with ski gear on? Weird sport.”

  Danny’s conclusion made Cassidy chuckle.

  “I’m doing fencing,” Danny offered.

  “That sounds fun. You’ll have to tell me how it goes. I love swashbuckling movies.”

  “Me too!” Danny lay with her head and shoulders upside down over the edge of the bed her hair cascading toward the floor. “Which ones?”

  “Gosh anything with sword play. Even if it’s colorful light swords used in an ineffective but cool looking style. I like anime too. What else do you like to watch?”

  “I’m more into Western cartoons,” Danny replied. “Oh, and documentaries about flora and fauna are fun too. What else do you like?”

  “Okay, if you promise not to tell anyone …” Cassidy began and Danny nodded eagerly. “I like all those hit pop songs everyone makes fun of.”

  A frown spread across Danny’s upside down lips, as though she expected Cassidy to tell her something much more tantalizing. “I listen to pop music when I work out all the time,” she replied with a shrug. Pulling herself to a seated position using only her abdominal muscles, Danny stretched. “You know, I’ve never been kayaking, so I look forward to hearing about it too.”

  “We should probably get to bed. I have Tai Chi at 5 a.m.,” Cassidy commented.

  “Who is the person who set up that insane schedule? I don’t have to get up until 10 a.m. to do fencing.”

  “They want us to practice with the sunrise.” Cassidy stuck out her tongue and wrinkled her nose to show her disgust. “I’m a sunset girl myself.”

  “Well, goodnight then.”

  “Nice talking to you.” Pulling the covers up to her neck Cassidy snuggled into her pillow. “Since I have to go to bed early, do you want to have dinner together?”

  “Yeah, let’s meet up in the dining hall after activities,” Danny replied. Okay, maybe this Cassidy person isn’t so bad after all, Danny thought as she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Yawning, Cassidy rolled her shoulders back and exited the dining hall in where she’d had a hearty breakfast thanks to the appetite she’d worked up from Tai Chi. Her whole body felt at ease under the warm late-morning sun. I don’t know why I don’t do Yoga or Tai Chi every morning, Cassidy thought. Who am I kidding? I like to lie in bed as long as possible. She took a shuttle to the outdoor activities area of the camp off of the University of Victoria campus. She would be kayaking, but other students would be doing, fencing, canoeing, and archery. Aware that she would be about an hour early, Cassidy wore her tankini under her clothes. Thanks to modern technology her suit would dry in less than two minutes when no longer submerged in water, so it would be comfortable to wear back to the dorms.

  When she arrived at the riverbed she made herself comfortable on her towel to consult her Ogham about the best swimming spot in the river within five minutes walking distance. As she scanned the river with her Ogham, Cassidy heard a shrieking sound. Fearing the sound came from a child, Cassidy changed her Ogham’s settings to find the origin of the sound. A map appeared on her Ogham with a dot indicating the direction of the sound. With that information, she made her way to the river, where she saw a large log from which the strange shrieking sound emitted. She bushwhacked her way to the other side of the log where she found a Douglas Squirrel with its bloody leg twisted at an angle that almost confirmed it was broken. The squirrel’s mangled leg had gotten caught on the bark, in an attempt to get free it had gotten stuck upside down. Each time the current rose it dunked the squirrel’s head under water. The creature’s dark eyes filled with even more terror when it noticed Cassidy. Waving its arms and tail it struggled more violently than before, tearing up its injured leg even more.

  Cassidy inspected the turbulent current across the deep river. The rotting log started big enough to support human weight by the shore, but soon tapered out. The unfortunate squirrel had gotten itself caught a third of the way into the river where the log looked possibly thick enough to hold a cat. Cassidy had walked on logs enough to know that they were less dense than water, but once rotten and soaked they became significantly less buoyant. She also knew that even if the log could support her, balance would be the challenge in the river. Taking off her outer garments, Cassidy decided to walk as far out on the log as she could comfortably, then get into the water and use the log to keep the swift current from dragging her away. The rotten wood squished under her toes and moldy bark slid off the sides of the log as she walked out. The lapping sound of the river, while soothing on the shore, started to intimidate Cassidy as it splashed against the log with enough force to make the log sway. Bending her knees, Cassidy gripped the log firmly with both hands, and slipped into the river. With one arm over the log she made her way toward the squirrel. Water splashed in her mouth as the small waves from the current slapped against her face. At last she reached the squirrel, which froze when she got close.

  It’s probably not a good idea to actually touch a wild animal, Cassidy realized as she dug at the bark that held the squirrel’s leg. “Really got yourself in there didn’t you?” Cassidy addressed the squirrel through gritted teeth. Her fingers stung in the cold and the tips started to bleed from the abrasion of the wood. Summoning all of her strength, Cassidy grabbed the entire chunk of bark and ripped it from the log successfully, but lost her hold on the log. As her face submerged under water she saw the squirrel dart to safety. Before the current could drag her under the log and down the river, Cassidy managed to anchor herself to the fallen tree again. She attempted to pull her head above water, but realized some of her hair had gotten stuck underneath the log. Frantically she tried to dislodge it, but underwater and only by touch proved difficult as she struggled for air. With desperate brute force, she managed to rip enough of the cornrows out of the log for her to catch her breath, but not enough to break free.

  ***

  Danny pulled one of the flat chest guards over her head. After several attempts, she managed to get her arm through the correct holes on the plastron, an arm guard used in fencing. Another student passed her a small fencing jacket, which she put on with more ease than the plastron. Holding her hair back she wiggled her head into the oval shaped fencing helmet to complete her uniform. For the last two hours, she and the other students had practiced some of the basic footwork for fencing without uniforms. Finally, we get to use the swords, Danny thought.

  The instructor set four swords out on the grass. “This is a foil, an epee, and a sabre,” he explained indicating the three thin weapons. “They are used for different types of fencing with different rules depending on which is used.”

  “What’s the real sword?” a middle school aged boy asked.

  “This is a broadsword.” The instructor held up the flat sword with a long sharp blade the boy had indicated. “It is not used in fencing, but I brought it as a comparison to the fencing weapons.”

  The instructor put the broadsword away in his bag and continued to explain the differences between the weapons. Danny lost focus on the interesting lecture when her Ogham lit up to show an urgent message: Message from Cassidy: Danny, I’m at these coordinates. I need your help now. I’ll get in trouble if they know I went into the river without supervision. Bring a knife.

&nb
sp; Danny turned to the brunette girl next to her. “I need to go check on a friend,” Danny whispered. “If the instructor finds out I’m gone, say I went to the restroom.” The brunette nodded. Danny snuck around behind the instructor and the rest of her class. No one was allowed to bring weapons to the summer camp, so she had to leave her pocket knife at home. She did, however, know of a certain sharp blade she could use. While the students crowded around the instructor to touch the other swords, Danny dug the broadsword out of the instructor’s bag and charged off with it.

  The Ogham map indicated that Cassidy was twenty minutes away, but Danny made it there in half the time by dashing at full tilt toward the location. I’m running with an unsheathed broadsword, I wonder if this counts as running with scissors.

  “Cassidy!” Danny panted when she found her friend.

  “Bring the knife,” Cassidy gargled from the river.

  As she stared into the turbulent river, Danny felt her knees get weak with fear. She took a deep breath. Her friend needed her to do this. At least it isn’t an ocean, she told herself. It’s just a big pool, Danny. She crawled across the log until it started to bend pushing Cassidy farther under water. Holding the blade she carefully guided the hilt toward Cassidy.

  “That’ll work,” Cassidy muttered, as she took the sword. To Danny’s horror, Cassidy put the blade up to her neck.

  “What are you doing?” Danny yelled as Cassidy hacked off part of her cornrows. She passed the sword back to Danny, who took it and edged back to shore. Freed from her restricting hair, Cassidy joined Danny on land a few minutes later.

  “Thanks for finding me.” Leaving a gap between their bodies so as not to soak her friend, Cassidy embraced Danny.

  “Sorry about your hair.” Danny caressed the frayed ends of Cassidy’s shorn hair.

  “Will you help me fix it?” Cassidy held up the rest of her long cornrows. “I want the kayaking people to think my hair was always short.”

  Hesitantly, Danny painstakingly sawed off Cassidy’s hair as evenly as she could. “You look really good with short hair,” Danny decided when Cassidy turned to face her.