Chapter 7

The next day was to be the vote. The vote that decided who would lead the pack for the rest of our lives, or until the leader died.

Dimitri and I were the only contestants, and there was some noise about the news. We were both loved, sure. I mean, Guardians were picked for their social flair too, not just their ability to hack at things. But I didn't know which of us was loved more.

The Vote was split into two parts. The first was a test, meant to show which of us was more competent in the field of battle and as a tactician. The second was a speech. Both Guardians tried to win over the Pack, and then they voted while the Guardians waited on the Balcony.

I was the better tactician, but he was the better fighter. The differences were only marginal, of course. But that difference could mean someone's life in the future. And as I already pointed out, we were equally social. So I guess it really depended on what the group valued more.

The note sent said that after the Pack had decided, the new leader was to report to Judge Harks to get a new keycard, one that let them through the gates and into the land beyond. The land of the privileged. They were allowed to leave campus on the weekends. Leaders also received better food, nicer clothes, and more amenities, like pools and movies. The leader's life was always more stressed, and the Adults tried to make up for that with privilege.

We went to class the day before, like it was any other day. But I could tell there was something different. All of the Guardians were hitting harder, focusing up, thinking more; they were trying to get any edge they could over their partner. I looked over at Dimitri, and realized that he saw the same sight. His gaze met mine, and there was a question in his eyes, one that asked are we really going to compete like they are? I shrugged as if to say Why not?

He smiled, and ran up to the wooden dummy he was supposed to be striking. We were practicing with swords right now, and he had a flair for it. Deftly, he spun his sword once, making what would have been a painful cut across the dummy's "arm". He then twisted to the side, as if dodging a blow and lunged at what I imagined was the opponents exposed side. He continued trading blows, and eventually, with a certain art, he decapitated the Dummy. Yes, he had a flair for it. But I could beat that.

I stepped up to mine, focused in, and blinked. What had been a wooden dummy was now a Dami, standing in front of me, a rearing bear. It stood eight feet tall, and I narrowed my eyes. Its claw came at me, a side swipe. To any human, it would have been a death blow. But to a Strijder, a Krijder even, it was clumsy. I ducked, and stepped forward into the bear's side, cutting it while I moved behind it, all the while taking graceful steps, avoiding, cutting, and swiping. It got to the point where its fur was matted with blood, and I was sweaty. The bear got angry, and charged with its remaining strength. I jumped as high as I could, tucked my legs, and flipped over the Bear/Dummy. I then turned, and in one fluid motion, took off its head. Sweating, I walked past Dimitri, murmuring in a voice almost inaudible, "Bring it on Comrade." He smiled and shook his head.

The rest of the day passed the same way, and before I knew it, we were at dinner, smiling and laughing over a nice lemon salmon dish that Abby had prepared. I blinked, and I was in my bed, everyone else asleep. But I couldn't fall asleep, couldn't get my muscles to relax. So I pulled myself out of bed, got on a robe, and walked out onto the balcony.

I stared up at the moon, wondering if that was the same moon that Alex saw wherever he was. Then my thoughts shifted to him completely, wondering where he was and what he was thinking.

It took me a while to realize that I wasn't alone on the balcony. Dimitri was there, looking amused as he watched me. "You know, spying isn't very nice."

He merely replied, "It's not spying if you're in plain sight." I shook my head and turned to go back inside. "Rose, wait." I paused and turned back to face him.

When I looked, I saw a completely serious face. He paused, like he hadn't expected me to stay. Then he thought for a moment, and I almost went inside.

Right when I was about to go back, he said in a quiet voice, "You know, I don't care whether or not I win. I just want our Pack to do well."

Surprise almost took over my features, but that wasn't what I was known for. So instead, I merely winked and said, "'Course, Comrade." Then I turned around and stepped back inside. I liked the name Comrade on him. I wasn't sure why. Maybe in a different time, in a different universe, he could have been a cowboy.

I slept peacefully after that, and smiled when I woke up, a ray of light peeking through the blinds covering the balcony. And then I remembered what today was and sighed. Oh well, better to get it over with early.

On the days of the Vote, the Guardians went to normal classes, but unlike normal days, the rest of the Pack came with them to evaluate each of the Guardians. This would explain why the rest of the girls were out of bed and apparently dressed for the day. I got up, and dressed in my favorite black skinny jeans and lacy red tank top.

Just as I was pulling on my cappuccino-brown boots, Lissa walked in. "Hey I just wanted to, you know wish you good luck and all that. I hope you do well." I nodded and smiled, but she knew that it was a fake smile, and gave me a pat on the back before walking out. I parted my hair really quickly, and then followed suit.

First up was conditioning. I was the faster runner, but Dimitri could bench press more weight. Again, the difference was tiny. We went through our usual routine, and the Pack took notes.

Next was Leadership theory, where we took a test and the Pack got to see our results and what questions we had gotten wrong. Both Dimitri and I got a perfect score, making us smile.

During Martial Arts, Dimitri and I sparred with each other. We both landed a couple of solid blows, but in the end, I was the one that got knocked down. So far the score board read Dimitri 1, Rose 0. I would have to get him back.

And that happened in Weapons Training, when we had a free for all session. We were placed on a field with a bunch of weapons, and were told to defeat our opponents, in this case each other. The weapons were real, but they expected us to stop before anyone was seriously injured. I picked up a sword, and waited for him to attack. He had chosen a two handed axe, his best weapon.

As he charged, I saw a playful glint in his eyes. Like this was just a game but no body else knew. I smiled, and when he was almost to me, I stepped out of the way. "Come at me bull, and meet your match." I said when he missed. He laughed, and then charged again. This time, I stepped out of the way and gave him a push. He stumbled onto one foot, which he planted and used to push back towards me.

I was expecting this though, and was able to side step again. This time I took a swipe, cutting his dominant hand. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was going to scar, and cuts on your main arm always hurt. A lot. He breathed in deep, and I knew he felt it. But he smiled, and we began to circle each other.

Every time he struck at me, I parried. And every time I jabbed, or sliced, he blocked. This process went on for a while, until I finally decided to make a move. But he made it first. He leapt into the air and in a perfect imitation of me, tucked his legs and flipped over me. He then turned and struck. Into thin air.

The thing is, that was my move, and I knew how to counter it. As he had gone over me, I had turned with him, so that as soon as he landed, I had slid underneath him through his legs, with timing such as that he didn't see me in front of him. I gracefully came out of my slide, kicked him in the back of the knee to incapacitate him, and then pushed him over. When he felt my sword point on his neck, he surrendered. Both of us were breathing hard, but my breath was that of a winner.

I turned and went back to the locker rooms, like it was nothing. Meanwhile, he was still laying there, tying to figure out how I had done that. The Pack members, and the rest of the Guardians for that matter, were applauding my move. I smiled and dressed out. Time to deal with the speech that I hadn't written or practiced. Fun.