The next day in the morning, Carlota was the center of attention to what the others had to say about their short hunt yesterday. Carlota understood that she may have been holding them back with her inability to do much as a newcomer. But that was something the girls knew they would have to work on with her as Kimberly laid it all down for Carlota...
Kimberly:"You did well yesterday, Carlota, but not well enough. We need you to be as good as the rest of us have become. So we're going to start training you today, in the hopes that you can will be someday soon. The first thing we will have to work on is getting you used to your weapon.
Carlota:"Don't you regret this, Kimberly. I'll be ready this time."
Kimberly:"Good. We can't wait to get started."
Fumi:"And we happen to have just the right place to work with."
It was then did the girls found themselves on some makeshift grounds for training. There was a stack for some other weapons that they use, and some logs embedded with some arrows for practice. Kimberly took the center, with her spear in hand, and spun it by her fingers as she demonstrated her skills with it.
Kimberly:"This is the first step on how to handle a weapon such as this. It's like an extension of your, not something you're simply carrying. Treat it as such, and it shall take care of you."
As Kimberly spun the spear, swinging every which way and around her body, Carlota watched curiously. The movements were smooth and fluid, and because of the length of the blade, it was even able to cut through the grass and the dirt.
Carlota:"(amazed) Wow..."
Kimberly:"Now give it a try yourself."
As Carlota took the center, the others watched as she tried to mimic many of the movements that Kimberly had shown her. But with her using a club, it was much different, being more of a one-handed weapon, yet heavy enough that Carlota needed to use two. She was only able to accomplish heavy swings as the others studied her sloppy movements. They had rather deadpan expressions, except for Kimberly, who was annoyed by how they were looking at the rookie.
Kimberly:"Try and be a little more supportive, you guys."
Malika:"She's not going to get too far, but if you really want us to do so, then may I suggest a sparing session with her?"
The group looked at each other with some curious looks in their eyes while Carlota wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about. But soon enough, she finds herself in a standoff between herself and Malika, who has her own club in hand. Each of them gripped their weapons firmly and had narrowed eyes staring at each other. But that soon ended when Carlota was caught off guard by how fast Malika swung her own club, forcing the Latino girl to go on the defensive as she tried her best to dodge and block every attack Malika made on her. However, the first round went to Malika, as she suddenly swept Carlota off her feet and made her fall to the ground. Malika then towered over the downed Latino girl, who raised her head, shook it, and quickly got back on her feet by raising herself off the ground with both her hands. And that is when she turned to face Malika again.
Malika:"If you want to survive out here, then need to be unpredictable and unexpecting."
Taking a breath, Carlota decides to be the one to strike first next, going more on the offensive and making Malika block many of her moves. Right when Malika tries to attack, Carlota spots that she's open and decides to land a hit right at her ribs. Malika was taken aback by this for a second, as it was a decent hit, but she did something even more unexpected as she just decided to shoulder barge Carlota, knocking her off her feet again and right back to the ground. It was much rougher than before as Carlota expected her back to be bruised, not to mention, adding to humiliation, did her ponytail wound up flying into her face and in her mouth. Getting back, rather painfully this time, Carlota was on one knee, flipping her ponytail back as she looked towards Malika.
Malika:"You're enemies will strike hard. You need to strike harder."
Grunting in frustration, it was as if something awoke in Carlota as she got back up and now attacked with more aggression, swinging her club with full force. Malika was pushed back even more, unfazed, yet secretly impressed with Carlota's newfound initiative. That is when Carlota really decided to take a page out of Kimberly's notebook as she drove the tip of her club into the ground and used it to launch herself off her feet, which slammed right into Malika's abdomen, sending the girl back a few feet before she lands and slides on the ground, roughly. And with that, their training ends and Carlota takes the third round. The other girls seem rather impressed by her coming skills, applauding slowly but soon raising it up.
Fumi:"Not bad for a first try."
Kimberly:"Keep it up like that and you'll be one us in no time."
Carlota:"I thought I already was one of you girls."
Jane:"That's for us to decide."
Kimberly:"You have potential, Carlota. But in order to survive, you must learn to not fall the first two times."
Understanding but silent, Carlota nods in agreement.
Carlota:"What's next?"
Kimberly:"Next lesson...is getting in touch with the environment around us."
Skipping over to a clearing in the Jungle, the girls were in the center of it all as trees surrounded them and Carlota looked in awe at the sight of it. She was used to the Jungle looking so dangerous and feral. But this was...
Carlota:"It's beautiful. Definitely better than anything else I've seen in the Jungle so far."
The rest of the girls were looking at Carlota with faces of amusement
Kimberly:"The trees and the vines here align in such a way that we use them to traverse the jungle. It's here that you must learn to navigate it as well by using its terrain."
Carlota:"How am I gonna do that?"
And, at the snap of her fingers, Kimberly had Tricia demonstrate this time by jumping up into the trees and grabbing hold of the vines that hung from above. Carlota was in awe yet again while the rest of the girls looked at Tricia with respect as she moved through the veins gracefully. To Carlota, she was like a female Tarzan or a monkey in its prime. But that is when Kimberly walked over to Carlota with a smile, knowing that she had to follow from example.
Kimberly:"Now follow after her."
That made Carlota tense up a bit, but not before she looked over to Kimberly with a determined smile, all while sweating nervously. But if Tricia could do it with ease, why wouldn't it be possible for her?
Carlota:"(nervously) ...Yeah, I can do this."
Climbing up a tree, she grabs hold of a vine while the girls watch her from down below. Taking a deep breath, she grips the vine firmly before taking some steps off the branch she stands and jumps, allowing herself to swing from the vine, albeit not as well as Tricia did. In fact, the moment she went off, she almost immediately bumped into ever branch and tree coming her way, and it wasn't long before she ended up slamming head-first into a tree, which the girls cringed at while Carlota was left dazed, losing her grip and just before could hit the ground, a branched managed to snag onto her panties, catching her in mid-air. Carlota was left with her face looking red after slamming into the tree as the girls went over to her, wincing at the pain she felt.
Angelica:"Uh...are you okay?"
Carlota:"It's...not as easy as it looks in the movies."
Kimberly:"Perhaps, we should try out a little slower."
And that is when Fumi used one of her arms, picked Carlota up from the edge of her pants, and pulled her off the branch.
Fumi:"You should really be more careful."
Carlota:"I get it."
That is when the girls decided to take Carlota up to some even higher trees, where at least 10 vines were lined up ahead of them as Tricia took hold of one of them.
Tricia:"It's okay to start out small. But don't let just one vine do all the work. Please observe..."
Slowly by sturdily, taking one vine and swinging across before grabbing another as soon as possible, Tricia showed Carlota that it's really all about timing as Carlota gave a nod.
Carota:"Okay...I'll give it a shot now."
Mimicking almost exactly how Tricia did it, Carlota showed much better results than her first attempt. The girls were impressed by this, and even Carlota was surprising herself as screamed for joy with every vine she took.
Carlota:"WHOOOOOO!"
As she reached the end, Carlota landed on her feet on another tree branch, right next to Tricia as they looked to see the other girls applauding her efforts.
Kimberly:"You're a fast learner, Carlota. You've already gotten better at being in tune with nature. But, there is still one last lesson."
And after the last two, even the third would make Carlota nervous. A little while later, a pair of warthogs were moving across the ground as the girls were hiding in some bushes. The third and last lesson was hunting, as they all had some bows and arrows to work with as Carlota had one and Kimberly had another.
Kimberly:"This is the hardest thing we have to do to survive."
Carlota:"Is it just like the lions?"
Dani:"Well, there are many different ways to hunt all kinds of animals."
Fumi:"Think you can take the shot?"
Carlota was definitely nervous here, since not only were they asking her to kill an animal, but the fact of the matter is that she never used a bow before.
Carlota:"Um, uh...Okay. I'll give it a try."
That is when Carlota got up, lanced an arrow, placed it against the string of the bow, and pulled back as much as she could on the string. The girls were looking at her sloppy stance when she released the arrow, and much to their dismay, the arrow flew by the warthog's head and ricocheted off a tree, bouncing around a few of the trunks of trees before it was seen flying back to the girls. They all quickly ducked, but Jane was not fast enough as the arrow nearly hit her head, only managing to give her a middle hairline though. But, it definitely irked her as she glared with silent fury over at Carlota, who had a nervous smile on her face. Before Jane could tear Carlota limb from limb, however, Malika and Tricia held her back while the others helped with Carlota's stance with the bow.
Kimberly:"Okay. So you're not gonna be able to do this like they do in the movies. Pay close attention..."
She helped to position Carlota in the way she rightfully held the bow and arrow in her hands.
Kimberly:"Keep your elbow straight, don't pull the string back too tightly, and of course, aim with the right eye you facing with the bow.
Carlota nodded and took all that information in as she was much calmer than before in her second attempt. This time, when she released her arrow, she managed to hit her mark on the warthog. The arrow dug right into its side and the animal squealed in pain before falling over. While proud of her second attempt, Carlota and the rest of the girls move over to see the animal, and soon realize it is still alive. Knowing that she was responsible for injuring the animal made Carlota feel sorry for what she had done, all the while the other girls held serious expressions on their faces.
Fumi:"You need to finish it."
Carlota:"(surprised) ...Me? I-I-I'm not sure if I can."
Kimberly:"(comes over) I know it's not easy...but the creature is in pain...only you can put it to rest now."
That is when Angelica walks over with a spear and slowly hands it over to Carlota, who accepts it and decides to finish the job. With as much might as she can muster, Carlota drives the spear into the hide of the Warthog, cutting its life short then and there. When the deed was done, Carlota felt as if she made the biggest mistake in her life, but Kimberly put her hand on her shoulder, with a face of encouragement.
Kimberly:"You do what you have to do."
Nodding at that statement, Carlota understood very well now and showed a face of determination. Taking the spear and the arrow out of the warthog, she then uses both her arms and tries to put them under the dead animal before lifting it up and trying to carry it with a cradle. She felt how heavy it was as she got a good grip.
Carlota:"What are we gonna do with it?"
Fumi:"Just what we usually do with the game we've hunted."
Understanding what that meant, Carlota does her best to carry the animal as they all head back to camp. The body of the warthog was put at a place, the right side of the tree, where the girls would prepare to skin and save any meat from whatever game they had gotten before. What remained of the Lion they had hunted before was still there, as there was a makeshift table, a large wooden pot, and animal parts hanging from a string attached to an overhead branch. After Carlota left the dead animal there, they all headed back up to the main hut. Inside, the girl moved around Carlota with signs of respect as Kimberly was next to talk.
Kimberly:"Carlota, after completing all the tests we had set for you, focusing on each of the lessons, it is a pleasure to name you as one of the girls of the crew."
Carlota had on a big smile on her face after hearing that.
Kimberly:"While you would prefer to be home by now, know that we'll do everything we can to get you back. But until then...consider yourself one of us."
And with that, all of the girls, minus Kimberly, stood around Carlota to commemorate her. Wilma gave her a pat on the back out of respect as Carlota appreciated all the compliments she was getting. She may not know how long she would have to be here, but she knows that she can make the best out of the situation.
Meanwhile, in Great Lake City, Lincoln was taking the time to go and visit Ronnie Anne and her family as he headed up to her apartment. Upon knocking on the door, he was greeted by his friend, though she wasn't looking very calm at the moment.
Ronnie Anne:"(acting calm, but sweating nervously) Lincoln! Good to see you, but you came at...weird time."
Lincoln:"What's going on, Ronnie Anne?"
Ronnie Anne:"Um...s-s-step inside, and I'll try to explain it as best as I can."
Lincoln:"Okay."
And with that, Lincoln is let into the apartment.
Lincoln:"So...what's wrong?"
Ronnie Anne:"Well...to make a long story short, Carlota has been missing for two days after she was supposed to come back from her student exchange program."
Lincoln:"(worried) Oh no. What do you think happened to her?"
Ronnie Anne:"We're not sure, but the rest of my family's kind freaking out right now."
Lincoln:"They're taking it pretty bad?"
And that is when, as if on cue, Frida came over to the kids, albeit a little frantic, with her hair a bit undone and looking like she'd been crying a lot. But the moment she saw Ronnie Anne with Lincoln, she tried to put on a happy face and remain calm.
Frida:"Lincoln, mijo! So good to see you! (takes the two by their hands and puts them down on the coach) Go on and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"
Lincoln:"Well...I could use some juice and-"
Frida:"Juice! Got it! Be right back!"
She zooms to the kitchen, and soon comes back with a glass of apple juice before shakingly handing it over to Lincoln.
Frida:"There you go. Make yourself at home! I'm gonna be here if you need me."
She then headed into the hall, where the two can here pacing and pondering.
Frida:"(echoing voice) ¡Ay dios mío! ¿Dónde está mi niña? ¡Debería haber regresado hace dos días!"
Lincoln:"...So, has it been like that for all of your family?"
Ronnie Anne:"Yeah. And my uncle has been on the phone nonstop."
And that is when Carlos walked by, on the phone, his clothing a bit unkept and with bags under his eyes as he yelled pretty angrily into the phone.
Carlos:"I'm telling you the same thing that I told the man, who connected me to the woman, who connected me to you that my daughter has been missing for two days! ...Her plane must've crashed! We don't know what went wrong."
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were honestly unnerved by the sight of how Carlos was at the moment since he's usually never this angry. But as he continued to rant into his phone while walking into his bedroom, the two caught sight of Carl, walking from his room to Carlota's, humming a joyful tune as he came out, taking Carlota's bedsheets and pillows with him, as well as a few of Carlota's makeup bottles. Ronnie Anne looked annoyed as she groaned, before getting up on her feet to go have a word with her little cousin. Lincoln peered into the hallway as best as he could before he could see a dust cloud rising in the corner, followed by the sound of punches and kicks being exchanged. Sounded like Ronnie Anne was beating up her little cousin as Lincoln decided to stay put and let this play out by itself.
After she was finished working over Carl, Ronnie Anne confronted him for what he was taking from Carlota's room.
Ronnie Anne:"Carl, you idiot! Now is not the time mooch of your sister not being here! That's just wrong!"
Carl:"Back off, Ronnie Anne! I'm just borrowing her stuff until she gets back!"
Ronnie Anne:"Put it back! And don't let me catch you doing this again!"
Carl:"Aw, come on! I'm making the best out of this situation! If you tell me, this house has never been better!"
Ronnie Anne:"(twitches eye in anger) ...Your own sister has gone missing, and your having fun with it?! That makes you a bad brother, Carl!"
Carl:"Why, you...!"
Ronnie Anne:"Don't start! Just go!"
And with that, Carl grumbles before picking himself up and picking up all the stuff he tried to take, then starts to put it back in Carlota's room. With that out of the way, Ronnie Anne takes a heavy sigh before meeting with Lincoln back on the couch.
Ronnie Anne:"Sorry about that."
Lincoln:"It's okay. I didn't realize the situation was THAT bad."
Ronnie Anne:"Yep. Two days without a trace of Carlota, and our household has fallen apart."
Lincoln:"It's a bit of a longshot, but have you guys tried to go and look for her?"
Ronnie Anne:"Eh. We're still thinking about it. Not quite sure yet. But for now, why don't we just make the best out of your visit here?"
Lincoln:"I guess that sounds good."
And with that, they turn on the TV and prepare to watch something to get their minds off this...
