AN~ End of chapter = famous last words.
"Long-range weapons." The Beast said, slamming a pointer against the white board. "Either heavy weaponry or personal. Can anyone tell me the benefits?"
There was no response from the students, all of whom were sitting in the chairs they had been in for health, confused. They hadn't expected the important part of gym class to involve learning about weapons. They'd expected to be fighting.
Finally, Daphne raised a tentative hand. "You can stay out of the way of close-range weapons?"
"Right." The Beast said. "Anything else?"
"You can hide." Red said quietly.
"Good! Now what about the disadvantages?"
There was utter silence.
"You never know when the enemy's coming, or what forces they have." Sabrina spoke up, looking bored. "And you don't know how they are. Sometimes you don't even know if you hit them. It's good for secrecy, but it gives the other side some secrecy, too, especially with the big guns."
"Exactly." The Beast gave Sabrina an approving look. "Your enemy may not see you, but you also can't see your enemy as well. You trade safety for accuracy. How many of the long-range weapons can you name?" He pointed at the students one at a time, moving across the room.
"Tank." Toby said immediately.
"Catapult." Bella added.
"There's that thing that's like a catapult but not..." Natalie said. "A treb-you-shay, or something..."
"Cannon!" Peter Pan chimed in.
"A bunch of different handheld guns." Puck grinned.
"Longbow." Moth smiled.
"Crossbow." Mustardseed said.
"Recurve." Sabrina challenged.
"Slingshot!" Daphne called.
"Sling." Red added.
"There's a difference?" Daphne asked.
Red nodded.
"Keep it coming, people!" The Beast roared, and continued to point at students, faster and faster.
"Nunchucks." Jonas said, directing his comment at Art.
"Throwing stars." Art responded in kind.
"Throwing knives." Tim said, rolling back in his wheelchair.
"Sticks?" Jane shrugged.
"Rocks." Wendell said.
"Spears." Hansel said.
"Axes!" Gretel responded to her brother.
"Darts." Little Boy Blue said.
"Peashooter." Ariel said. "Or blowgun."
"That's enough." The Beast finally said, putting his hand down. "I think we've covered just about everything. In case you weren't aware, we've started your official training now."
Moth raised a hand, "What exactly will we be doing, sir?" She asked.
Sabrina winced. Everyone knew better than to ask him a question like that.
"You are a soldier, now girl!" The Beast roared. "You take orders and don't question! Your job is to learn, and to obey! Not to ask questions like that!"
"Sir?" Puck called. "You asked us if we had any questions, earlier."
Sarina slapped a hand to her face. Was the whole world being taken over by stupid today?
"That's different." The Beast told Puck, remaining calm with a visible effort. "When I ask if you have questions, it means I need to make sure you understand. Then I expect you to ask smart questions. Not, 'why?' Now, I'll tell you what we're doing for the marking period soon, impatient one."
"Idiot." Sabrina told Puck under her breath.
"What we are doing," The Beast continued, "Is beginning a study of weapons. You may have noticed that there are several large weapons here today. Today is the big guns, tomorrow handheld long-range, then we'll have two days of short-range weaponry. Friday is poisons. You'll learn the basics of how to use them this week and next week, then the week after that we start fighting. We'll go from one-on-one to ten-on-ten. All those fighting patterns work differently, and you'll have to learn how to think for each of them, but after ten, they all work about the same way. I'll group you together sometimes, and others you can pick your own teams. If things go well enough, you may be able to start unevenly sized groups this year."
"Sweet." Sabrina grinned. "This is going to be awesome."
"Whatever." Moth yawned. "What about magical weapons?"
"Magic adds a new dimension." The Beast said. "Once you get the basics down, then maybe next year we can move on to magical attacks and forts and transportation besides feet. If you pass, that is."
Sabrina grinned. "I love this class."
"You've mentioned." Daphne said. "I want to use magic!"
"You always want to use magic." Sabrina said. "And you say I'm addicted."
"Let's get a move on, people!" The Beast interrupted. "You learn how these things work now, or get killed by them in the field! Go!"
Daphne got up, and Sabrina followed her, but as she walked behind her sister, she stopped.
"Puck?" She called. "Come look at this."
Puck came over and blinked several times when he saw what Sabrina was pointing at. "Whoa. That's weird."
"What's up?" Daphne asked, turning around.
"Daph?" Sabrina said, "You're shedding flowers."
"Well... growing, actually." Puck said. "Did you run into something magical recently?"
"No..." Daphne said slowly. "What are you-" She looked down. "Oh."
There was a trail of plants growing from the boards in the shape of Daphne's feet.
"I think you just got a superpower." Red said. "This is how Sabrina started out a lot."
Daphne's face creased. "I think I need to sit down." She said quietly.
Three seconds later, she collapsed, and the commotion brought the Beast over.
"What's all this?" He asked.
"Daphne has a superpower." Bella said. "And it like, drained her or something, because she fell down and maybe fainted."
"How are you feeling?" The Beast asked Daphne, squatting down next to her.
Daphne, who was leaning on Art, who'd caught her as she fell, said, "Dizzy. Kind of tired. I'm not sure I can participate today."
"I think she should go home." Sabrina said worriedly. "You don't look so good, Daph."
"I'll send you down to Nurse Spratt." The Beast said. "Can you make it by yourself?"
"I... don't know." Daphne said quietly, attempting to stand. Art held her up as she fell again.
"I'll go with her." Tim said. "I wouldn't be much use with these things anyway."
The two left, Daphne leaning on Tim, and The Beast roared, "We haven't got all day, people! Get a move on!"
"I think Daphne's quite the popular girl." Bella said, watching Art, who looked both worried and irritated.
Sabrina passed a hand over her eyes, rubbing her scar in passing. "Please no. She's too young for boys. And they're both teenagers."
"Technically, Tim's several hundred years old, and Art's around four thousand. But age doesn't matter so much when you're an everafter." Red said quietly.
"Wonderful." Sabrina said dryly. "My sister's going to get a boyfriend before I do."
"You don't know that." Jane said supportively.
"Yes I do." Sabrina rolled her eyes. "She's eight and has two boys crushing on her. I'm twelve and have zero."
Red smiled at Puck, who was blushing, and said, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."
Before Sabrina could ask Red what she meant, The Beast called their attention back to the catapult.
"I wonder why it took Daphne so long to have anything happen." Sabrina said. "I mean, it took me a while, too. Why do you think that is?"
Baba Yaga cackled. "Probably has something to do with the changes starting inside."
"So has anything else happened?" Bella asked.
"She's asleep." Veronica said. "But I had to change the sheets and blankets several times. She kept making the cotton ones sprout."
"Did she ruin the blue ones?" Sabrina asked. When Veronica nodded to a pile of cloth by the door to the laundry room, Sabrina groaned. "I liked those!"
"She'll have to learn control, or she'll never be able to go anywhere."
"Someone else can teach her." Sabrina said. "I'm not going to."
"But why now?" Puck asked. "It took Sabrina ages more."
"It may have something to do with their seasonal orientations." Baba Yaga said thoughtfully.
"Our whats?" Sabrina asked.
"Seasonal orientations." Baba Yaga said. "Your favorite season sometimes effects your magical abilities. You developed most in the fall, so you're probably fall-oriented. Things are just starting to grow now, and with Daphne's abilities, I'd say she's a spring-oriented everafter."
"So does that play into other everafters?" Puck asked.
Baba Yaga said, "Some. If you were born an everafter, especially a fairy, your birth season will effect you more than anything. You're winter-born, aren't you?"
Puck nodded. "Mustardseed isn't, though."
"How does that work?" Red asked.
"Mom was below the equator for me and above it for Mustardseed. It was winter below, summer above. She was on the way back from visiting someplace or other." Puck explained.
"And that's rare?" Sabrina asked. "Fairies born in winter, I mean?"
"Yup." Puck said, popping the p. "We don't really do that whole plants and nurturing thing so much. A lot of mothers actually go out of their way to make sure their kids aren't born in winter. Mom was on a hurry on the way back, but I beat her to the punch."
"Always the obstinate one." Sabrina said, giving Puck a smile.
"I've heard it said that some fairies are meant to be born during a certain season, and events will work out so that they are, no matter how their parents try to fix things." Granny said, coming into the kitchen. "Daphne's awake now."
"How is she?" Sabrina asked anxiously.
"Tired." Granny said. "Elvis is with her."
"Elvis?" Red asked. "Why is he there?"
"He's keeping her warm." Granny said. "She's quite chilly."
"Can I go see her?" Sabrina asked.
"Go ahead." Granny gestured to the door.
Sabrina stood up, pushed her chair in, and headed upstairs for her bedroom.
"Hey." She said, slipping into the room. "How you doing?"
"Good." Daphne said, leaning forward to rub Elvis' ears. "Elvis is keeping me warm, aren't you, bud?"
Elvis barked in response.
"Holy bejeans!" Daphne screeched, jumping away from Elvis.
"What?" Sabrina asked, her worried expression matching Elvis'.
"I understood that, that's what!" Daphne screeched. "Elvis?"
Elvis barked again.
"Sabrina?" Daphne said shakily. "Can you get Granny? I think I can talk to animals..."
"Granny!" Sabrina called down the hall. "We have a new development!"
"What is it, liebling?" Granny asked, climbing the stairs quickly, followed by the rest of the family.
"She says she thinks she can understand animals... Elvis, at least." Sabrina said, leading the way back into her bedroom.
"Oh dear." Henry said. "I'm not sure how much more of this I can stand."
"We're becoming a minority here, Henry." Veronica said with a smile. "But at least our daughters will have a long life!"
"If we live that long." Sabrina said darkly, thinking of the impending war.
"You will." Puck grinned at her cockily. "I'm taking care of you, after all."
In the room, Daphne and Elvis were having an animated conversation, of which the watchers only understood half. It seemed that most of Elvis' conversations wasn't actually spoken out loud, but used body motions to convey meanings.
"They're... actually talking..." Bella said wonderingly.
"It's actually not that different." Red said. "They talked to each other all the time. It's just, now Daphne's getting a real translation, not just guessing."
"Which may be why her abilities have developed as such." Baba Yaga said. "She seems very animal-oriented, and plants and animals go hand in hand where magic is concerned."
"She should talk to Goldie." Sabrina said. "And we should find someone who knows plants. Unless you do." She directed the last part at Baba Yaga.
"I can teach her control." Baba Yaga said. "After that, I'll be about as much in the dark as I was with you."
"Who we aren't sure is done developing yet." Granny cut in.
"But we're talking about Daphne now." Sabrina said. "I know what to do if something else happens. I'm getting a feel for this stuff."
"Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?" Daphne asked, turning away from Elvis suddenly.
"You weren't paying attention." Red answered. "Sorry."
"It's fine." Daphne said. "So... do you think it's just Elvis, or other animals, too?"
"I suppose the only way to know that would be to test it." Granny said thoughtfully.
"Are pixies animals?" Daphne asked.
"No." Puck snorted. "Why?"
Daphne sighed. "I was kind of hoping I'd be able to understand them now."
"You might actually be able to." Sabrina, who had begun to understand a few pixie phrases recently, said. "It's a language like any other, and you're good at languages."
"Really?" Daphne asked.
Veronica nodded. "I know a few words in it. It takes quite a bit of time to become fluent if you're not a fairy, though. Something about the syntax."
"The whosit?" Bella asked.
"The syntax." Veronica replied. "The way the language is structured."
"Thank you." Sabrina said. "I didn't know what that one meant."
"So can we test it out?" Daphne asked. "I wanna see if I can talk to other animals!"
"That involves finding animals." Red pointed out. "And bringing them here, because you can't get out of bed. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"We didn't make Sabrina wait until tomorrow when she was stuck to the ceiling!" Daphne protested.
"That was different" Sabrina said. "That was a control emergency, like you growing flowers out of the floor. This is like... training, and testing. It's not vital that you find out as soon as possible."
"Please?" Daphne asked. "I'll never ask you for anything else again, ever!"
"I doubt that," Sabrina said, "and it's early March and freezing out there."
"So pull your weather control bit and warm it up!" Daphne suggested.
"Do you know how much that messes with our ecosystem?" Sabrina asked.
"No." Daphne replied.
"Me either." Sabrina said. "But it's bad. And the more I do it, the more likely the whole town is to end up a desert or something."
"Party pooper." Daphne made a face.
"Unintended consequences, Daph." Sabrina replied serenely.
"Please, Uncle Jake?" Daphne asked, giving him Bambi eyes.
Uncle Jake took one look at her face, sighed, and said, "I'll go get my coat."
"I'll go with you." Granny said. "I can use the exercise."
"I've got to get started on my homework." Sabrina said.
Bella, Puck, and Red mumbled in agreement and followed her downstairs.
"We get to work on control, girl!" Baba Yaga cackled to Daphne.
Henry and Veronica looked at each other, slightly nervous.
"We should probably go." Veronica said. "Give them some privacy."
"In case she loses what little control she has." Henry agreed. "Stay close, though?"
Veronica nodded. "Just in case."
"So glad that's not me anymore." Sabrina said, heading downstairs.
"How do you mean?" Bella asked.
"I don't have to worry about learning my way around my powers anymore." Sabrina said. "I'm pretty much done developing, according to Thumbelina, so I just have to master the specifics."
"Don't be so sure!" Red said in a sing-song manner.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sabrina turned with a snap.
"Daphne's been telling me what she sees." Red said. "You're nowhere near done yet."
"Great." Sabrina said dryly.
Puck pattered her on the back, and she stiffened slightly. "Relax, Grimm. You managed the rest of them fine. What could go wrong?"