Hope Released

Something Undiscovered

     I kept the note a secret and to my surprise had to keep the next seven notes I discovered secret too. The next eight days- from the second day of the week to the third day of the week after- I found flowered parchment in different places only I would think to look for any day to day reason.

     The day after my official introduction to Nixon I woke up to the sound of a slight whisper of paper sliding on ground. I lifted my head off of my pillow to look at the door to find that another note had just slid under my door. I had quickly gotten to my feet to see who was at the door but couldn't get it unlocked fast enough to see who it was. To my satisfaction and confusion however, the next mystery note I received had a large "L" and a small number nine written on it. I had hid it in my clothes drawer along with the first note and gotten ready for the day.

     The next several days I found the rest; getting out of the pool I found a "B" with a one in my discarded shoe, a "U" with a four the next day next to my lunch after I returned from the washroom (Skye and I were the first to arrive before our friends and he had gone to pick out his meal from the buffet table so when I asked him he said he didn't see anyone.) , and another "U" with a small eight floating on the water in the pool right before morning training another day. An "E" with a two was given to me by hand from a passing trainee I haven't met before on my way back to my room one evening. I had no luck getting answers from her. Finally I found a T with a five in the pocket of my sweater, and an "F" with a number seven stuck on the window right outside my room another morning. Several days passed after the last flowered parchment I found and I had grown restless trying to understand the notes again and again.

~~~

     For the duration of the days it took to find the notes and then a few days after that to discover I had no more to find, Nixon had indeed replaced Nazana. Flyte made it clear to us all that it were to be only temporary and that Nazana and another captain specializing in vision-based powers were sent to retrieve lost soldiers across the border into the Shadows ground.  A dangerous mission yes, but they were safely hidden and the plan they had concocted would assure no failure. Flyte ended the speech with a smile and reassuring gestures to all who approached him on the subject later on. We entered the training room with Hoseena and Rento that morning and our rigorous training continued. The entire week consisted of various attacks I could use against dummies we had placed in a broad circle in the center of the room. Taking turns unleashing our energy upon them; in whatever form it manifested itself in us individually, we would shoot, hit, and tackled the targets until they were torn and disfigured.  By the end of the week a stocky, large, and fully bearded captain by the name of Hitch had the dummies reformed and animated through the use of his powers. Nixon decided it was time to raise the bar and step up to the next level. On the sixth and final day of that first week with Nixon as our trainer we began working with the creepily animated dummies who spun, dodged, and rammed into us as we propelled our strengths forwards and left whatever weaknesses we had behind. 

     Sweaty, sore, and fatigued by the end of every session, I had noticed that Nixon was a very put together young man. He not only instructed, but joined me at my side to fulfill my goals and push me harder. I felt that I grew closer to him each time he took up a stance beside me mimicking the actions I needed to perform in order to attack full force; giving me sincere smiles every time I performed well. Some days I yearned for his voice after he would cup my hands in his own to examine the water bending I had almost perfected, I would describe the steps I took to achieve a specific shape in the water I had held in my hands at that moment, looking down at my creation which became more complex with each passing day and would look up to find he was staring at my face the entire time with an open affection. I would hardly be able to contain the pink glow gushing forth among my aqua light as I tried to continue to speak; only resulting in farther embarrassment.