Bacon, bacon, more bacon; strips of fresh mango, pineapple, and strawberry; add in blueberry syrup with waffles and breakfast cannot get much better.  Of course, there is the company.

Metcalf sat with about nine other students.  She had known most of these girls since they were children; they met at the dorms.  A few were newer friends that once challenged her in the training center.  By now, they were all good friends and did almost everything together.  They were all fierce warriors.  They were also teenagers.

The friends sat at a long table on the lowest level of the dorm’s cafeteria, a grand elaborate cafeteria with three semi open levels.  Each level was larger than the one above it.  All around there were lifelike paintings, carvings, and sculptures of things and animals found around rivers or streams.

The levels were connected by a double stairway through the center.  At the bottom of the stairway were the larger tables and the window.  Visible from the top of the stairs was a great window.  It took the entire area of the unused three story wall.  It curved into the side walls as well but didn’t take them over.  It provided a wonderful view of the mighty Thousand Flower River which was currently frozen over.

While admiring the view, the ladies talked and joked about everything and nothing.  Dreamy young men in dramas; homework and reports due; clothing; possible trips into town; rumors of heavy snowfall; impersonating teachers; no topic was off limits.

In the middle of all this, Metcalf’s handheld rings.  She answers in a way that does not display the image of the caller.  Answering the call, she gets up and turns away from them.  Her friends already knew who it was though.  It had to be Naoh or Koh.

“Metcalf, what’s taking so long?”  It was Koh.  Apparently Naoh, his older sister, did not find the situation urgent enough to call Metcalf herself.

“What do you want,” Metcalf said with a hint of annoyance.  They knew not to bother her in the morning.  “I’m eating.”

“The Center is filling.  You’re going to miss out.”

“You can do a few drills without me can’t you?  I‘ll be there when I’m done.”

“Naoh says hurry up.”

“Yeah sure,” at that, she hung up.  She really appreciated what they did for her after her first test but Noah and Koh were slowly getting more and more demanding.  She felt a little less sorry about planning to leave them.  They can get their own points next year.

Her demeanor was completely different when she turned back to the table.  Watching her this whole time, her friends knew exactly what was happening.  They didn’t like her going to the training center to gamble with the Lai Siblings, but it was how she stayed in the academy.

“You don’t need them,” Haruna Huai said.  Though not the oldest or the strongest, she was the shortest and most outspoken of the youths.  “They’re using you.  I bet you could go much further without them.”

“I was thinking about that myself,” Metcalf was relieved that she was not the only one that understood her situation.  “I’m going to Master Fu next week to see what training I can do.”  The conversation continued for a short while.  After that she excused herself and left.

Lost and Found #1 – Lost and Found #3