The dialogue of Week 2 was mostly amethyst3232's. Actually, all the parts that Brynn and Hanso meet up are hers.
The Month of Swimming (July) Age 7
Week 1
Bleugh. Thank goodness my asparagus diet was over.
The Kyrii said we were going to try something new. "You're going to teach escape training- to each other!"
"What?" We all cried in unison.
"But sir, Kayley is the only one who did escape training before," Razor pointed out.
The Kyrii waved the comment away. "Of course, of course. What I meant to say was that Kayley will teach Hanso escape lessons. Don't look so shocked!" He added, when he saw our faces. "Kayley, Hanso's the best student in our class. I'm sure you'll have no problem teaching him."
"Yes, sir," she said through gritted teeth.
"And Hanso, I'm trusting you not to play any tricks while I'm not around to punish you for them."
"You can count on me."
"Good. Off you go," he said, showing us the way.
The Obstacle Room- which is what he called it- was amazing. I mean, it had every kind of trap you could think of. Alarms, mousetraps, stink bombs, cameras, EVERYTHING! I just wanted to gawp and stare at the weapons for a few minutes, but Kayley cut right to the chase. "So how exactly did you get out of the prison?"
"Oh, uh..." I shook myself out of my reverie. "The guard who locked me up forgot to take away my lock-picking tools."
"I knew it!" She sounded triumphant, for some reason. I had a feeling that around lunch, everyone would know how I escaped.
"Hey," I said, feeling insulted. "I had to distract her too, you know. It wasn't that easy."
"You bet it isn't!" She agreed. "Don't expect it again; lucky things like that only happen like once in a lifetime. You need real, proper skills to get yourself out of there."
"That's why you're here."
She barred her teeth into what seemed to be her idea of a smile. It was creepy. "Right. Let's get to the lessons, then."
It was absolute TORTURE! I had to squeeze in between bars, tap bricks for possible secret passages, pretend to be sleeping and knock a guard dummy out, use anything, and I mean anything, to help me escape- all without being seen from a video-cam. And that was just the beginning! After that I had to learn how to navigate through the palace without getting caught, avoid arrows, swords, and a manner of pointy objects to get to the exit. She even tested me with laser beams! Since when did electric rays get installed in a medieval castle?
I gotta admit, though, it was a teeny bit helpful. Forcing me into those simulations made me have to think of plans quicker and more detailed than before. I guess I improved my physical activity, too, which was never really my strong suit. All that running from imaginary guards really paid off! I even began to enjoy myself at some points.
Even Kayley was baffled at my progress. "Wow. You pick up things fast."
I thought it was a compliment, so I grinned at her. "You're not so bad yourself, teach." I was surprised when I saw a troubled frown instead.
"How do you do that?" She asked me, with just a hint of exasperation. "Why is it always so…easy for you?"
"You call getting out of a pit of spyders easy?" I laughed, but stopped when I saw her glaring at me. "I don't really know. It's natural to me, I guess, to be good at thieving. Like Brynn's good at guarding."
"Who's Brynn?" She questioned. I cringed. I didn't mean to mention her.
"Just a…a friend, I guess." I hope. "Never mind. Let's get back to how awesome I am at training."
She shrugged. "You're doing well,' she said reluctantly. She had to force herself to give me just one compliment.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Kyrii barged in. "Excellent!" He exclaimed. "I knew you two would be brilliant!"
"Well, we're not trying to kill each other any more. Right?" I said to her.
"Basically," she replied, studying her dagger. She traced the tip of the blade with her finger. "For now." Her eyes were as cold as metal when she said that. Remembering how merciless she was both a month ago and my training, it was almost enough to make me scared. Almost.
Week 2
One thing I'm learning about being a thief is that things never go as you plan. Ever.
The Kyrii told us that we have to get caught, escape, and meet up back at headquarters. We were going to be timed by how fast we got there, so we had to get moving. I knew just the guard to get me captured.
I found her easily, helping some old Techo lady who spilled her shopping bags. I was tempted to take a few items, but I decided to be focused just this once. I really wanted to beat Kayley.
I tapped Brynn on the shoulder and whispered quietly, "If I were to say I was about to steal something, you wouldn't tell the guards, would you?"
"Wouldn't need to," she replied, cuffing me already.
Hiding a grin, I said, "It was stupid of me to say that, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was," she agreed. "I'm sure a decent thief doesn't warn the guards before they steal something."
I just flashed her a smile while thinking, We'll see what you say about that later when you find an empty cell. "You never know. Maybe I wanted you to catch me."
She rolled her eyes. "Hanso!" Her voice was tight with which I guess was supposed to be anger, though I knew she was faking it.
We were almost to the prison, making good time. I tried not to say anything, since I didn't want to slow down. I could tell that she was surprised (and maybe a bit hurt) at my silence, but I really had to go soon. I made a promise to myself that I'd somehow apologize later, though why I would say sorry to a guard, I didn't know.
Then this Lupe jumped out at us from behind a gate. It was that annoying one again! Brynn gripped my hand tighter, signaling that this guy was bad news. "Hello, Brynneth," he told her in a sneering way. "I'm surprised you caught a criminal."
"Yeah, well, I did." She glared at him. For a moment, she seemed like she wanted to go to the dungeons as much as I did.
"We found out about your hiding place. Grave of some lady," he said with an evil smile. Brynn stiffened. "It actually looked quite nice. Note the –ed on the end."
She took a deep breath, visibly trembling. Then slowly, she looked at me, as if she was asking for permission. I remembered that she was still holding on to me, and that if she went, I had to go too. Momentarily, I wanted to refuse. Couldn't she check whatever it was later? I had a race to win! Still, there was something that made me pause. Maybe it was the Lupe's evil grin, or her shivering hand, but I found myself saying, "If it puts off putting me in a cell, I'm all for it."
She sighed with relief and pulled me round the back of the Guard's base. A memorial ground stood there. It wa all very solemn and serious. She ran between the graves, dragging me along behind her. When she reached a certain one, she stopped.
She started quivering all over, looking like she wanted to cry. She bit her bottom lip. I suddenly noticed why: The one that she was staring at had been completely devastated. The grass, which I guess had once been beautiful, had been all dug up. A vase of flowers had been smashed. On the gravestone itself, someone put graffiti on it with very rude words. Taking a closer look, I saw a name: Summer Vines. It sounded familiar, somehow, though I wasn't sure. All I knew was that Brynn, who usually always appeared so tough, was upset. I wanted to put my arms around her, but I knew that would definitely get her sobbing. The only thing I could do was say, "Are you okay?" It was an incredibly lame question, but sincere, at least.
"Yeah." She wasn't a very good liar.
"Brynn, are you seriously okay?"
She gazed at her boots. "Yeah, I'm fine. Honestly, Hanso. They were just mucking around and…"
"Who was she?" I interrupted. I really needed to know. "A member of the family? A sister, an auntie?"
"No," she explained. "She's the reason I joined the guard. She saved me and my mother from a terrorist while I was still small, and it's that which inspired me to take up being a guard."
When I was still small...Summer….terrorist….it clicked. She was the guard who got me to be a thief! And evidently she was important to Brynn, too. I was mad. Positively furious. Grief-stricken. Sad. Confused. Worried.
I don't know- it was just a jumble of emotions. But the one thing that was bothering me was: Why wasn't Brynn doing anything about it? I mean, she had the guy to her feet in the tournament. Why couldn't she do the same now? Then I remembered again that she was a guard. She wasn't allowed to do that, no matter how much she wanted to. And judging from her expression, she REALLY wanted to. Except, she couldn't.
But I could. I breathed out through my teeth and walked off to find that stupid Lupe who'd caused all that trouble. This time, I was the one yanking Brynn alongside of me. She was so dazed that she didn't even argue, though she did say half-heartedly, "Hanso, I should really put you in that cell now."
"In a minute," I replied. "Let me do this one thing." I finally spotted the Lupe, still near the gate where we met him.
"I wish I could see the look on 'er face!" I heard one of his cronies say.
"Man, she'll be crying for weeks!" Another added. Alright, now I knew what I was feeling: Enraged.
I coughed, grabbing their attention.
"What do you want, thief?" The leader asked.
"Brynn," I said, looking at her right in the eyes. "Let go of my arm." It was an order.
"But," she struggled. "If….if you escape…"
"Trust me." I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Slowly, her grip slackened. For a second I was kind of shocked, but I quickly regained my wits. I strode up right to the guy. He looked down at me, as if I was beneath his notice. Big mistake. I lifted a fist and punched him on the face. When I withdrew my hand, blood was on my knuckles.
Brynn gasped. The Lupe and his friends swore and started cursing me, but I paid no attention to them. I just came quietly and presented my arm to her. "To the dungeons."
She was still shaking when she locked me in a cell, so I asked again, "Are you alright?"
Instead of answering, she told me, "You shouldn't have done that." Then, with just the smallest trace of a smile, "But thanks anyway."
As soon as she was gone, a voice asked, "Shouldn't have done what?"
Razor was in the opposite cell. His face was mournful. "Hi, Hanso." He stared at the door, where Brynn just left. "That is one distracted guard. She forgot to take away your tools again!"
"Oh, yeah." I noticed my arm-warmer was still on my hand. So much for the "only happens once in a lifetime" thing.
"I did the getting arrested part alright," he continued. "It was the getaway I was having problems with. Hey, why are you here anyway?" He asked suddenly. "All the others have gone. I thought I was the last one."
I shook my head. "I needed to make a slight detour."
Week 3
Kayley won, of course. She's been gloating about it all week, saying stuff like "In your face!" and "Bet you don't feel so uppity now!" But for once, I didn't care. I actually can't believe that the silly competition even mattered to me.
Week 4
"You know, Hanso, you'll always be the best thief to me," Razor said. "Just please cheer up!" I gave him a half-smile, not able to tell him what was really bothering me. It wasn't that I hit the Lupe. It was more like I didn't hurt him enough, didn't get to him sooner. There was something else, too, though I couldn't describe it into words. But I couldn't get over it.