Chapter 8: Jazmine POV: Training
"You will be waking at six in the morning to start your training with Blue!" Selene said as I fell asleep.
Six? In the morning? I thought.
"Wake up. Wake Up! WAKE UP!" Selene yelled in my ear.
"I am up!" I moaned.
"Okay, now write a note to your parents, that you're at the park and will be home by twelve," Selene hooted.
"Why do we have to run to the park?" Blue moaned.
"Oh, you're not even tired," Apollo replied.
"So," Blue growled back, "Wait! Why am I not tired?"
"We will explain," Apollo said.
"Who is we?" Blue moaned.
"Selene and I, just listen," Apollo finished.
"Apollo and I are going to teach you how to control your abilities," Selene informed Blue and I.
"What do you mean control," I asked.
"Listen. You need to learn how to switch your abilities on and off. Behind every punch, kick and bite is the power of all the animals you can turn into. Behind your legs is the speed of all the animals you can be. You need to learn how to control your abilities so you can look like a normal person!" Apollo answered, Blue and I, with genuine interest.
Look like a normal person? Great.
"Okay, and how do you teach us that?" I asked.
"Don't you think that we will explain that?" Apollo replied.
"Jazmine just listen, please," Selene hooted.
"Ugh, fine," I moaned, "but do we have to wake up this early to have our training session."
"Yes, we do so people can not see us training you. Soon after you can control your abilities we can train whenever we want because you can be invisible, through your watches," Selene answered.
"So, to begin we wanted to tell you another way to change into a animal instead of just yelling it aloud. You can just think it or click the animal file that is located on the right side of your watch,"Apollo informed.
"Uh, I left my watch at home," I announced.
"Then I guess we have to skip to the part where you click the button on the left side and we will enlarge. I will be right back flying, Jazmine home to get her watch. Oh, and you aren't the only ones who can enlarge us, we can enlarge ourselves," Selene said.
"Wow," Blue exclaimed, "that's awesome!"
"Hop on, Jazmine," Selene hooted.
"Uh, how like on your back?" I questioned.
"Yes, now hurry we have other things to teach you, no time should be wasted," Selene rushed.
"I better tell you about me now since you know your story," Selene began, "as you already know Apollo and I were born on the same street same day, but I am a snowy owl, hence I am white with brown striped wings, I am not known to be in Chicago because my kind is in the Arctic. Sadly, my food supply has been low so we have been migrating south. Though if someone were to see me and find me I would be taken and be tested on, and basically kept under custody, so try not to leave me alone on the streets of Chicago. Also I no longer have a family, but every normal sized owl I am always in contact with them no matter what. That's basically everything I can think of for now if you have any questions be free to ask them."
"Wow, I'm sorry that you have no family anymore, and I promise you I won't let anything happen to you in Chicago, it is a very dangerous and scary place afterall. Plus that Link thing we did I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe," I replied, "well while we are telling each other about ourselves I wanted you to know that I am not brave and there is this disease going around and I am not sure if you can get it. It is extremely dangerous, as well as contagious and there is no known cure yet…"
"Yes I heard about that, I am not sure if I can get it too, though," Selene replied.
"Okay, let me go grab my wa-," I began.
"No, you don't have to go from here," Selene said.
"Uh, why?" I asked.
"I can swoop by your window, you can crawl in it if it is unlocked," Selene answered.
"Oh ok, I'm pretty sure it's unlocked," I replied.
I crawled in the window and reluctantly found my watch sitting on my dresser. When I peeked out the window to get back on Selene's back she was about twenty feet below the window.
"What are you doing? I need to get back on your back," I whisper yelled.
"Jump" is all Selene would say, over and over every time I questioned. I was confused at first, but then I realized that she wanted ME to jump.
"I am definitely not jumping," I said.
"Do you trust me or not, do you think I won't catch you? Have you lost your trust in me? Did you ever trust me? Do you remember the oath from our link?" Selene hooted.
"So basically what you are telling me is that I have to jump out the window, be free falling for like ten seconds and you will catch me?" I asked.
"Yes you must or training cannot continue, trust is the most important thing to have with your link, and trust me it's not like it will be the only time you will do this. You need practice," Selene stated.
I took a deep breath gave her an expectant look and leaped out the window. I must have been in the air for seven seconds before I landed on her soft body with a plop. Although it was only seven seconds it felt like an eternity.
"No wonder they don't want us training while the city is awake, not just because they are tiny animals that enlarge to about twenty feet long and thirty feet long wing span, along other reason it's dangerous," I muttered.
"Hey, you are on top of me and I have extremely good hearing you cannot whisper anything a mile away without me hearing, including muttering something under your breath right on me," Selene said.
"Hearing? Without you hearing? You mean without you eavesdropping?" I muttered.
Selene and I showed up. Selene and Apollo fluttered to the ground and let us leap off their backs.
"Okay, finally time to continue our training. Did you guys enjoy your trust work?" Selene questioned.
"Yeah," we both replied.
"Alright, now you must learn to control your punches, kicks, and bites."
"Why," Blue asked.
"Don't tell me you never play punched someone," Apollo told Blue.
"Yeah Blue don't lie, you punch me at least every two days," I said with a snicker.
"Did I say I never have," Blue snapped.
"Anyway, punching, kicking, and biting are very important so pay attention," Selene said.
"Alright, Blue punch that tree, focus on your abilities but don't change into anything," Apollo instructed.
"I'm going to break my hands!" Blue yelped in return.
"No you won't, your hand is like diamond when you focus," Apollo returned.
"Yeah and goldfish walk on land," Blue retorted. Blue readied herself. Splinters flew as Blue punched the tree.
"What the heck!?" Blue yelped. There was a good two inch hole in the side of the tree.
"What'd I tell ya," Apollo, smiled as he spoke.
"Wow!" I said as I examined the tree.
"Your turn, but remember focus," Selene spoke.
"Okay, okay, I got this," I mumbled as I focused. I hit the tree right next to where Blue had. I smiled as splinters flew and I saw a one and a half inch sized hole.
"How come my punch indent is smaller?" I questioned.
"That is because Blue can become more predatory animals suited for power strength. While you turn into animals that rely on speed rather than strength to survive. So when we teach you how to summon your speed you will be faster than Blue. You two aren't identical," Apollo stated.
"Oh," I said.
"Okay, next you will each punch a pillow," Selene instructed.
"Where did you guys get pillows?" I asked.
"We had them. No more questions. But when you punch the pillow don't focus on your abilities. Eventually, you will be able to click your abilities on and off," Selene finished.
"Hey Selene, about earlier sorry for being a jerk," I whispered.
Selene glanced at me and nodded her head approvingly.
"Okay, Blue punch the pillow but don't focus," Apollo told Blue.
"Okay, okay," Blue said as if in a daze. Then feathers flew.
"Blue you did know you weren't supposed to break the pillow right?" I asked.
"Yes I knew that Jazmine! But something took me over," Blue growled. I could tell she wasn't saying something, but I let it slide.
"Yes, something did take you over. It could be outrage or it could be instinct. In this case it appeared to be outrage. You, Blue, are an outrager?" Apollo replied simply, yet thoughtfully.
"What is an outrager?" Blue and I questioned.
"It is killer by nature. You can learn to control it," Apollo replied.
"Wait what?" Blue yelped, "but I have never killed anyone!"
"Maybe not, but you have never been trained to attack," Apollo said thoughtfully.
"Try again but don't think at all," Apollo instructed. A muffled punch sound was heard.
"Hey I didn't break it!" Blue said happily.
"Jazmine your turn," Selene began. I didn't punch the pillow, instead I seized it, then ran.
"What the heck! Why'd I do that?" I questioned.
"You are a seizer," Selene replied shaking her head, not in disappointment but in amusement.
"A what?" I asked.
"A person that attacks swiftly, yet with great efficiency. Then retreats quickly to prepare for the next planned attack," Selene replied simply.
"What's the difference between a outrager and a seizer?" Blue inquired.
"A outrager is less planned and normally wins all battles with blunt force and strength. While a seizer is more planned and normally wins by tactics and speed," Selene answered.
"Oh, more what each of us can turn into stuff," Blue replied.
"Outragers and seizers can't use guns and such. They find those weapons awkward and unnatural. They either rely on fists or medieval weapons," Apollo explained.
"So you each must choose a weapon," Selene spoke.
"Why?" I asked.
"Mere protection. We expected this would happen so all the weapons are bulletproof," Apollo replied.
"Two questions. One, will we even be able to deflect bullets. Two, why would we need protection," Blue questioned.
"With the new disease eventually the world will fall into chaos. For your first question, yes, you will be able to deflect bullets," Selene answered.
"Alright we will choose weapons," Blue agreed for both of them. Weapons were laid in front of us, swords and daggers, swallows, battle axes, broadswords, spears, and war frails, we tested each out.
"I feel most comfortable with the swords, so I guess the sword and dagger," Blue decided.
"Blue from now on you will be our swordsmen," Apollo spoke with authority.
"I feel more fit towards the swallows," I finished.
"From this day forwards you will be our swallow wielder," Selene spoke.
"You said you expected this, why?" Blue inquired.
"We expected this because I am scarier and Selene a invisser," Apollo responded, "I assume you want me to explain. So I can focus on someone and find their greatest fear and use it against them. Selene can become invisible for short periods of time."
I won't bore you with us being trained. Nothing else strange happened. Oh, and we are super fast. We can run like eighty miles per hour.