Chapter 5
The snow had started falling ever so lightly that winter, but what had started as a picturesque change of season soon turned into a cold, dark, uninviting stretch that sent many students home due to sickness and due to the nationwide panic induced by prolonged snowfalls. It was usual for the Academy to have a winter break, but usually the boarders were only away for a week or two before usual training resumed.
The school was technically closed for a month due to the adverse weather conditions, and as Natasha didn't have a home to go to, the thought of staying through the worst weather imaginable was scary at first. Natasha's first winter there would have been many peoples idea of torture, yet somehow she soon found an inner peace there that burned deep inside her, keeping the chill from her bones. There were no scheduled classes, but determined to keep her mind sharp Natasha spent most of her days in a library, learning the subtleties in languages and being intrigued by complex mathematics . She would eat her meals alone generally, as all of her normal friends had gone home. She was one of 17 boarders remaining, ranging in age from 8 to 21. Tala was the person she missed the most however. So many hours they had spent together pouring over books and having conversations in multiple languages. He had left earlier than most, not even saying goodbye. Yet there were quirks in his personality like that. Natasha had noticed that he never said goodbye or goodnight.
Soon enough, the school re-opened for the usual classes, and life began to get back to normal for Natasha. Her classes were still mainly academic and her timetable was packed so that by the end of the day she was exhausted. On top of that she now also had practical lessons on Beyblade technique and skill.
Everyone in the class was given a heavy practise Beyblade with which to train, and at first Natasha found that even though she knew the techniques and the equations that would give her a maximum output force, just getting the rip cord out of the launcher was difficult. Yet after a few weeks her confidence grew and she became more focussed and determined than ever to make her launch the best she could. It was during one of the practical sessions, when the instructor was shouting yet again that all his students were useless and didn't practise hard enough, that Tala re-joined the group.
His presence became obvious to Natasha, who hadn't noticed him at first, as the instructor beckoned him to the front and commanded him to show the others what power they should be capable of by now. His eyes were like polished ice as he sauntered forward, his Beyblade dangling in his fingertips loosely. He reached the edge of the training platform and launched. Everything was done so smoothly, so fast and with such a precision that Natasha could only gawp at him in amazement, as did most of her peers. Tala then retrieved his Beyblade which flew directly into his outstretched palm.
The instructor's usual 'I'm so much better than you and I know it' smirk had vanished from his face.
'You've gotten stronger Tala.' He said, brusquely. 'You're trip to the homeland must have proven successful.'
Tala's head snapped up at him.
'The master instructed us not to speak of it. Do not think he will not know about your indiscretion today.' He retorted, with evident authority.
His tone of voice made Natasha's skin shiver into goose pimples. She had never heard him, or anyone for that matter, sound so…frozen. It caused an alien feeling that Natasha's mind rejected at first, but slowly began to rationalise. Something was wrong. It had to be that something was wrong. Tala turned and began to leave the room, but he stopped when his eyes met Natasha's.
'Come with me.' He said. She did.