Chapter 8: A Very Special Day

Disclaimer: Things, places and characters you recognize all belong to the great goddess of Tortall, Tamora Pierce. Everything else belongs to me… Try to copy and DIE!!!

(One year later) Liana got up and ready for the day at 5 a.m. She was used to the daily life of a Shang student now. Little did she know it, but she was one of the more proficient students, her main competitor being Emekien. They glared at each other every time they passed, and despite Locke's warnings to stay away from fights, a sizeable number of small disputes followed, the result being that Liana and Emekien kept training much harder than needed.

Splashing her face with cold water, Liana grabbed her dagger from her bedside table and tiptoed to the practice courts, trying not to wake anyone else up as she made her way there. She was one of a few people who woke up at

5 a.m. to train instead of the regular time of 6 a.m. (A/N: Have you ever tried to wake up at 5 a.m. in the morning? I have. Trust me, it is NOT a nice experience. I was on a camping trip, which was one night in the chalet and one night in a tent. The boys who were in the chalet were watching the World Cup and screaming till about 3 a.m. and highly audible. I only got about 2 hours of sleep. Did I mention that the toilet was stinky, slimy and often used? That meant no shower for two days. I wake up at 6 a.m. for school)

As Liana neared her destination, she quickened her pace, wanting to get as much practice time as possible. Slipping into the courts, she was greeted by Ziran and Nisha, who also woke up early. Locke and Adian were both late sleepers, and could never bother to wake up early. She warmed up with some stretches and exercises. After that, she took out her dagger and performed a quick pattern dance before doing a longer and more complicated one. Her body had long since adjusted to the hours of work she put it to, and did not complain. She went on to practice with sword, staff and then to revise her work, which included the history of the country and places around, the teacher droning on and on nearly bored her to death.

It was six. Liana put back her weapons onto the weapon racks except for her dagger, and rushed back to her room to put that back. Getting into her room, she kept her dagger and woke Locke up. He then woke the others in the dorm up. It was sort of like a chain reaction, but a very queer chain reaction it was. Soon enough, everyone was up and ready for the day. Locke walked Liana to her class as usual, and Liana remembered the goal she had made on her sixth birthday. She had wanted to be the greatest warrior ever. Thinking about it, she realized that in one year she had actually accomplished a lot.

Today in class, Suyih was particularly annoying, complaining about a sprained wrist. Karin's scowl soon stopped her and sword practice continued as normal. The rest of the lessons were a blur until break, when Liana made her way to her room to rest for a while. She did not actually feel like eating that day.

Her room was where her friends found her. Locke immediately plunked a package on her bed, and was soon followed by Nisha, Ziran, Karin, Adian and Gilinhu. She stared at them, surprised that they would remember her birthday. She had told them, but it was at least five months ago. Locke cut into the dramatic silence. "Well, what are you waiting for, just open them! I'm itching to know what Ziran put into his present, he wouldn't tell any of us!" Liana grinned at him, reaching for his package. Unwrapping it, she grinned at him. It was just like Locke to give someone a book for a present. Normally books were fine, but a book that was titled '101 Ways to Kill Your Worst Enemy' was just so Locke. Next, she got hold of Gilinhu's gift. It was a beautiful locket with a mirror inside. She smiled at Gilinhu appreciatively, and then took Adian's gift. Looking at it, she realised that she had actually needed one, but had managed quite well. After all, a hairbrush was a hairbrush. After that, the gift from Karin left her stunned. It was long and thin, and she wondered what it was. Unwrapping it, she stared. It was a beautiful sword, long and sharp. The sheath it was in was black leather and was of a very high quality. Instinctively, she clipped it onto her belt, and then remembered to say thank you. The mystery gift from Ziran came. She unwrapped it, wondering what it was. The shape of the package was small and oval, inside was a small, elongated red oval thing. She turned to Ziran.

"What is it?" She asked him. Ziran took it from her. Opening it up, it turned out to be a beautiful assortment of knives and things. (A/N: Swiss army knife. They had them in those days.) She was overjoyed. It was beautiful! She toyed with it till break was over. It was so small that it fit in her pocket and she carried it with her for the rest of the day. Smiling, she thanked every one of them and went on to the rest of the lessons.

At the end of the day, she collapsed into bed, tired but with the memory of one happy day that would stay with her forever.