Chapter I: "Could Be Trouble"
A fifteen-year old girl led her three companions down a clearly walked along path through the thick forest. Her hair was brown and fell to her shoulder. A thick clump of it fell half way over one of her brown eyes, and she had to keep flicking it away. She was nearly six feet tall. She had on grass-stained blue jeans and a navy-blue, quarter-sleeve shirt with a small black backpack strapped to her back.
A bleach blonde girl with sky blue eyes followed closely behind. She had the appearance of a twelve-year old. Her eyes darted from side to side almost every second; she seemed to hear something the others didn't. Her blue jeans had green stains on the knees, but her ocean blue shirt looked to be brand new.
Clasping the blonde's hand was the youngest of the group - a ten-year old boy. His hair was the same shade as the leader's, and his eyes blue-green, showing a hint of fear. His deep blue cargo pants showed no signs of dirt and neither did his black, short-sleeved shirt.
Bringing up the rear of the group, was a dirty blonde headed boy, looking to be thirteen or so. His eyes were a deeper blue than the other two. He had on a pair of tan cargo pants and a deep green T-shirt. He was slightly shorter than the oldest girl.
"Be on your guard, guys," said the eldest of the group. "White Tiger Hills is very dangerous if you don't know where you are going, trust me." She slowed a bit, feeling watched.
Robert - the fourteen-year old boy - replied, "Aw, Sar', don't be afraid! We're all together, nothing bad is going to happen. Plus, I am here to protect you." He seemed to be completely oblivious to the snapping of twigs every few seconds.
"Don't be so sure, Robbie," Sarah retorted in a whisper so he wouldn't hear.
Another twig snapped loudly on their left. Sarah halted the group and turned in the direction of the sound.
"Did anybody besides me just hear that?" Jenny, the twelve-year old, asked.
"What about that Robbie?" Sarah asked, throwing a glare at him.
Robbie smiled sheepishly, saying nothing.
After a minute, a bird flew out of the trees where the noise had come from. Jenny and Sarah both let a sigh escape their mouths.
"See?" Robbie said, being the first to break the silence. He was grinning in a mocking manner. "There is nothing out here."
Sarah ignored his comment and started again.
They kept walking for their destination - White Tiger Village.
"Sarah," Sam, the youngest, began for the first time since they had gotten off the plane. "What is White Tiger Village like?"
"Yeah, you have been there before with your friends."
"Well, that was three years ago boys," Sarah told them. She thought for a moment, staring at the dry dirt ground before her. "All I remember is the people really...Some were hospitable to me; others were...Well let's just say they weren't so thrilled about Ray bringing his friends home," she laughed at the end. Then she became serious again. "I do recall a lake, though. Mariah showed it to me." Sarah looked up to the blue sky. "It was even more sky blue than the sky itself!"
A comfortable silence fell over the four.
"Hey Sarah," Jenny called behind her.
"Yeah?"
"Are we going to live there?"
Sarah paused in mid-step to turn to the three following her. "We came here so we could. I am certain my old friend, Ray, won't mind."
Robbie smiled mischieviously, his eyes narrowing. "Just your friend?" he asked.
Jenny and Sam began to giggle.
"Shut your mouth, Robert!" Sarah commanded.
Before anyone could say anything else, to their right, a twig snapped loudly for the first time in ten minutes. Everyone turned in that direction.
Sarah took a step forward, anger threatening to take her over. "Show yourself now!"
A few seconds passed, then a tall figure emerged out of the darkness of the thick forest. His hair was short and his eyes were like green fog. His shirt and pants were dirty from crawling on the floor of the forest. He was sixteen years of age. His name was Travis.
Sarah immediately recognized him since he was a former member of their team. She was the first to recover from the shock and said, "Why are you here?"
Flashback
"Travis, what you have done to my sister is unforgiveable," a fourteen-year old Sarah told a year older boy. "That is the last straw! I am banishing you from this team!"
"But she -"
"I do not want to hear it!" the younger version of Sarah almost yelled. She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to keep control over herself. "Get out of my sight and stay out of it," she commanded calm again, but her eyes burning.
Travis narrowed his eyes back at her. "Fine, but you will regret it," he told her, stomping out of their practice field, never to be seen.
End of Flashback
Sarah, Robbie, Jenny, and Sam hadn't seen him since then - until now, that is. Sarah narrowed her eyes the same as she had done a year ago to stop the burning anger. He may have been sixteen and stronger physically, but Sarah knew she could beat him if it came down to it.
She knew what was coming.
"Sarah, I want a rematch with you," Travis finally said what she had anticipated. "What do you say?" His red blade was in hand already.
Sarah thought. Half of her wanted to beat him so bad, but the other half knew he had something up his sleeve. Ever since that day she had tried out for Travis's team - now her team - and won, she had been captain, and he had held a grudge on her.
"I accept."
His smile widened, and his eyes darkened. Sarah suddenly felt like she shouldn't have agreed.
"There's no dish," Robbie pointed out, speaking for the first time since Travis had arrived. He shot her a glance that was desperately telling her to back out now.
"We'll play without one," Travis replied calmly. He had now put about twenty feet in between himself and them. Sarah took two steps closer to him to leave her team a little ways behind her so they could run if nessecary. "Who wants to start us off?" Without waiting for a reply, he said, "Robbie, get over here!"
He hesitated, but Sarah nodded for him to do as Travis said.
"Play along for now," she mouthed silently to him.
"Everyone ready your blades!" Robbie told Travis and Sarah. When he saw they were both more than ready, he yelled, "Three...Two...One...Release!"
A blood red blade immediately started to relentlessly attack its opponent. The defender - a blade with a base color of deep purple and hints of gold - dodged every one like it had done this all before.
Sarah smirked inwardly at this. "Your strategy is still the same." While she talked, she kept her eyes on the battle before her.
Suddenly, the red blade stopped its attacks.
Her smirk was wiped off her face, replaced with utter confusion.
"Still the same now?" Travis asked from his spot across the field.
Sarah didn't answer; she only watched his blade completely alter its technique. The two blades spun with only a foot of distance separating them.
"Don't know what to do now, huh?" Travis asked her, laughing.
She looked away from the two spinning tops to Travis. She replaced the confusion and frustration with a smile. "At least you finally realized your old strategy sucked," she told him.
He abruptly stopped laughing, staring at her with now deep green eyes that looked deadly. She knew that that would work; she knew he was still the same old sensitive bully.
"We will see." He spoke those words with such difficulty that his teeth didn't even unclench! With that, he began to take steps back. He held up his hand, and his blade returned to his palm. Then he was gone in the shadowy forest.
Sarah released a breath she hadn't known she was holding and called back her blade. She placed it in her black backpack's side pocket, then turned to her companions. She plastered on a smile, saying, "Shall we continue?" Without waiting for an answer, she took the lead and headed in the direction they had been traveling before Travis showed up.
She shuttered at the thought of what would have happened if he had chosen to finish the battle. She really wouldn't have known what to do since his way of battling had changed completely.
'He's toying with me.'