- Evangeline -

"Here yah go," Aline sings as she slides a bowl of soup over to me. The green liquid sloshes around in the container, and though it does not seem at all appetizing, I bounce on the excuse to look at something. Grabbing my spoon, I begin to gulp it down, all whilst not looking up. It's officially the first time I'm with the others. Keiti and Aline thought it was alright for me to try it out. I, somehow, didn't get a say in the matter. And I'm not certain I want to do this. I know I cannot stay isolated forever, but they... They are simply so many. When I opened the training room doors and saw a true sea of faces turning around to face me, I can't say that I didn't panic. Thank Sheso that Aline had saved me a spot by her and Keiti. I don't know what I would do without her. I glance upwards and our gazes meet.

"Why yah lookin' at me like dat ? I got some soup on my nose or somethin' ?" she asks, perplexed. I go red and mumble, blatantly lying: "No, it's just good soup."

She notices my embarrassment and quickly changes the subject. "Yah was really good out there, earlier."

"Huh ?" It's my turn to be puzzled, and her turn to blush.

"With, yah know, yer sword. Don't react like that when I give yah a compliment," she chides, spooning an overflowing serving of soup into her mouth.

"Oh," I answer, chuckling. "Thank you. I still haven't seen you with daggers, by the way," I realize aloud.

"That's cause my pure talent'll blind yah." She says so with a blank face. There is a moment of silence before I erupt into an undignified fit of giggles - my mouth full of soup. The green slop splurts out of my mouth and flies in every direction, including Aline's face.

At first, she doesn't react. Her mouth hangs open with shock as she stares at me with wide eyes. To the sound of her silence and of my uncontrollable giggles which only seem to be getting louder, she wipes the goop of her face in one clean, smooth movement. Then she grabs her bowl, and ignoring me, begins to eat again. Or pretends to - all of a sudden, her arm snaps up and all, absolutely all, of the soup in her bowl lands on my face with a splash.

There's silence. I'm stunned. Aline must be smirking, but I can't tell. My eyes are lathered with moss-colored glop. I can only hear.

And so I do notice when slowly, very slowly, someone starts laughing. But it isn't Aline's frank and honest laugh, a laugh that's as contagious as a virus and as happy as a lark. It's a mean, sharp laugh, and it occurs to me that this person is not laughing with, but rather at me. The sound begins to echo around the room. Not one person, or two, or even three; it sounds as if the entire room is alight with mocking laughter. Through the noise, I can feel Aline tense up. Someone gets up and walks up to us. "Are you alright ?" Keiti asks, crouching down next to me.

"I'm fine," I answer, somewhat curtly, wiping the soup from my face. "It's a joke, that's all it was." I bat my eyes twice and my vision clears. The laughter has subdued, yet it still lingers around the room, hovering over me like a menacing cloud. Not wanting to get rained on, I push my chair back with a scrape and get up. "Let's go, since your bowl is empty," I try to joke to Aline, but it falls flat.

"Yah not hungry ?" She scrambles to her feet as I begin to walk towards the exit.

"No," I reply over my shoulder. "I seem to have lost my appetite."

*****

"So."

Gail looks at me in the eyes. "You're going to have these classes everyday. In this cave, at this time. Everyday. Got it ?"I nod, not daring to open my mouth.

"Alright. We're going to start with the basics." She places her two forearms on the table at which I'm sitting and lowers herself till her eyes are leveled with mine. Somehow, she becomes even more intense.

"You cannot get caught. Under any circumtances. You must be stealthy and secretive. I hope you understand what's at stake here." She waits for my nod, and goes on. "If you do end up getting caught... We'll talk about that another day." Her words omniously hang in the air."Understood ?" I nod for a third time, but it doesn't satisfy her. "Understood ?" she repeats, her tone harder. "Understood," I reply.

"Good." She straightens up and stretches, scratching her buzzed hair. All menace underlying her low-pitched voice evaporated. "We'll start with the easy stuff, alright ?"

"Alright."

"Come on, follow me."

She strides out of the cave and I trail her silently. We begin to walk down the long hallway. From time to time, she nods to people. I don't. What happened at lunch is still fresh in my mind.

Having kept my eyes locked on the ground, I don't notice that we have reached the edge of the main cave till she stops. "Ready ?" She asks. "For what ?" I ask, puzzled. Without bothering to answer, she begins to fiddle with a lever fixed on the wall. "Do you need help with-" I begin, but the sudden light blinds me and I cry out.

"Sorry," she throws over her shoulder as she moves away from me. My two hands are firmly anchored over my tightly shut eyes, but I can still perceive the sunlight. "How long have you not seen the sun ?" I grimace. "Too long," I reply. Slowly, I peel my hands away and squint so that my eyes open. The sun... I had forgotten how bright it was. I haven't seen it since my capture, I believe. "Better ?" she asks off-handedly. "Yes." I turn to her. "You look like a snake," she chuckles. "Follow me."

*****

We've been walking through the forest for about half an hour now. I marvel at all the colors on the trees, and the chirping of the birds. Sheso... Catching up with Gail, I ask: "So, how does it function ? Are the rebels not allowed to leave, except for a mission ?"

She passes her hand through her short hair. I think it's a mindless habit of hers. "Well, there aren't exactly official rules. It's just known that we need to go out the least possible. People can, but they need to be careful. That's even more the case for you," she adds, glancing pointedly at me. "But we're no monsters. If people can't stand the caves anymore, they can get some air. Nighttime is better, though."

"Why didn't we wait till night for... this, then ?"

"They're asleep at night," she replies, a smile at the corner of her mouth. I don't answer, but my quizzical face says it all. "Don't worry, you'll soon have an answer to all of your questions. We're here," she finishes, and points to a tower standing in the middle of the forest. Made of crumbling stone, the tower in itself is not very tall; the trees around it are approximately the same size. But it still is awe-inspiring. It must be at least a hundred years old.

"It used to be abandoned," she explains as she moves towards it. "We found it and rehabilitated it. Some rebels knew how." She removes a key from her pocket and carefully inserts it inside the door. "We even fitted a lock," she comments as she pushes the door open. It turns with a creak and a groan to reveal a spiralling set of stairs. I enter and she locks the entrance behind me.

"Coming ?"

"Yes." I won't let myself be intimidated by this.

We begin to ascend. What is that smell ? This place is peculiar, to say the least. "Gail, where are we ?" I finally ask. "Be patient. One more second..." She stops and begins to fumble around. I lurch forward, but I can't tell what she is doing. After some grumbling, she sighs and turns to me. "Alright, as soon as I open that door, we need to get in as fast as we can."

"Understood."

"Ready ?" she asks. Without waiting for a reply, she pushes the door open. We rush through and she twists around to quickly shut it. "There," she murmurs. Straightening, she turns back to me. "So ?" I look back at her, confused. "Look up," she whispers.

My head whips up and I immediately gasp. Over us, on what seems like hundreds of little sticks, dozens of pigeons stare down at us. The structure spirals up as far as I can see. The birds look on at me with amusement, cocking their heads this and that way to get a different angle. They cackle amongst themselves, and a few hop about on their pegs, bending over in an effort to get a better glance. I'm about to smile. And then the smell hits me. What seems like decades of bird... defecation invades my nostrils. That's when I notice the white and green stains covering the walls and floor. "Wow," I exclaim under my breath. "Yep. Wow," Gail answers, sliding next to me. I am not sure our two amazements have the same origin."Karolina ? You here ?"

"Hello !"

I spin around in mild panic. A girl stands before me, though I hadn't heard approach. I don't think I have seen her around the camp. She must be a couple of years older than me, her eyes framed by more creases - even though they are full of vitality. Her jet black hair is cut in a bouncy bob, framing her bronze-colored skin. Two thick eyebrows overline her dark eyes, and her sharp nose bobs up and down as she nods to me. "Princess. Gail," she turns to my teacher.

"Karolina. I'm here to show Evangeline how the messaging works." The girl smiles and focuses her attention back to me. Clapping her hand with glee, she bursts into words: "Hello there ! My name is Karolina, but you can call me Karo, my lovely." She seems friendly enough, I suppose. "Nice to meet you," I reply politely. Her eyes brush over me, unfocused, and she smiles. "You'll have fun, I promise," she throws over her shoulder as she turns away. Abruptly, she brings the thumb and index of her right hand to her mouth and blows a loud, strident whistle. I can't help but gaze on with a certain hint of astonishment. I had only heard Guards do that - I didn't know that girls were capable of whistling. With a rustle, a single, stone gray pigeon flutters awkwardly - or maybe plummets is a better word- down to her. Once more, I gape slightly at the scene: the pigeon seems to weigh half a kilogram, but Karolina sticks out her finger and sustains the bird's mass as it rests on her finger. It seems exhausted by his short flight down. How are these animals capable of relaying any sort of message ? I'm half surprised it hasn't had a stroke yet.

Karolina doesn't seem to be thinking the same thing. With her left forefinger, she gently strokes the bird's head. In response, it begins to coo softly. Karolina laughs lightly; her eyes stay focused on the bird. She seems to have forgotten our presence. Gail must be coming to the same realization, for she shifts her weight and coughs discreetly. Karolina starts and looks at us. Her eyes shrink till they're slits staring right at Gail and me. They remind me of the old arrow slits that still hang around the castle walls, and I find myself wondering if she'll try to hit us with a projectile of some sort. Suddenly, with abrupt realisation, her eyes widen and pink grows in her cheeks. "Yes, yes ! Pardon me," she mumbles, "I had forgotten you were there-"

"It's alright," interrupts Gail. "I just need you to explain the system to Evangeline, Karo."

"Right, right," she stutters. "Of course." She nods at me, as if seeing me for the first time, and stretches out her left hand. "How d'you do, my lovely ?" she asks me. I stare at her with barely controlled bewilderment. She traces my gaze back to her hand, and blushes once again. "All my apologies," she chuckles, embarrassed, "I hadn't noticed that I extended Rupert for you to shake, my lovely." Not bothering to extend her second hand, she brushes past me to make her way towards an imposing wooden chest in the back of the room. Similarly to the rest of the building, it has not escaped the pigeons and is covered in white splats. It doesn't seem to bother Karolina, though, as she bends over and heaves it open. Taking advantage of Karolina's back turned to us, Gail edges closer to me and whispers: "I forgot to warn you - she's a bit... bizarre, sometimes." I am about to reply when the girl spins back to face us, a glow in her eyes. The pigeon - Rupert, if I remember correctly - startles and ruffles his wings in discontent at her sudden movement, but Karolina takes no notice as she heads towards us. "This is both very important and very easy, my lovely," she quickly explains, an excited look blinking on her face. "I would even say easy-peasy. See, you attach this little tube on the pidgeon..." She breaks off and turns to Rupert, an example of the said-tube clutched in her second hand. But the pigeon understood what was going on and apparently did not appreciate whatever Karolina was holding in her left hand. With a high-pitched cry, he launches himself heroically off her arm into the air. He flies up for a few seconds, his feathers catching the light. In his eyes, I can tell he sees freedom, like a lantern at the end of a darkened hallway...

Apruptly, Karolina's hand snaps up and grabs Rupert's leg. With a strong tug, she pulls him down and back onto her arm. He complies and resumes his previous position, not without sending his master a killer look. At our stunned faces, Karolina chuckles and comments: "Rupert's a bit temperamental."

Turning back to him, she proceeds with attaching the thing to his leg. The color of the tube matches the pinkish sheen of the bird's leg perfectly. If I was merely a slip further away and didn't know that it was there, I wouldn't have seen it at all. Rupert doesn't ruffle a feather and only resumes his glare. I must admit it, I am beginning to feel a sliver of affection for that bird. Karolina pulls me out of my thoughts with a sigh of content: "There. Done ! Then all you have to do, my lovely, is send him off. All my pigeons know the way back here; that's because I feed them when they arrive," she winks at me. I bite my tongue but can't help thinking that that must be the reason for their slight obesity. "Don't worry about how they'll get to the castle in the first place, I'll take care of that. Alright, do you want to try ?" She detaches the tube and hands it to me. I make eye contact with Rupert, who seems to be pleading with me not to accept. His beady eyes grow wide - I never thought a pigeon could be so endearing, but this one somehow is. "Karolina, I'm sorry, I don't think Rupert..." I trail off. "Oh, is he not suitable ? Maybe you're right," she chuckles good-heartedly. "Let me get you another bird." She thrusts her right arm upwards with sudden strength, and Rupert, though somewhat startled, thankfully flies upwards. She brings her fingers back to her lips and whistles. The note is ever so slightly different that the first one, and a second bird drops down on her outstretched arm. "Here, try with Carolina," she offers. "It's Carolina with a C, that is. I'm not so narcissistic as to call a bird after myself." Gail snorts, amused. Karolina politely ignores her and hands the bird to me. "Here, hold her, my lovely."

"What, me ? Now ? But I can't-" Without listening to my protest, she pushes Carolina off her arm, who flutters upwards, and then down. I wince. The landing is going to be harsh.

Quite the opposite, actually. The bird delicately settles down on my right forearm. "That's it," coos Karolina. I'm not certain as to who she is encouraging. "Now you can stroke her, my lovely." Uncertain, I pat the bird's head. She flutters her wings with mild irritation and my hand flies away. "Alright, forget the petting. Try attaching this," Karolina offers, handing the tube to me.

"With one hand ?"

"It was made for that, my lovely."

I nod, and focus. After a quick probing of the ingenious device, I realize that if I do this... And that... With a satisfying click, the tube pops open, and all I have to do is slide a slip of already-rolled paper which Karolina hands to me into it, before clasping it close with my pinkie. "See ? Easy-peasy," Karolina laughs. "All you'll have to do is twist the tube, exactly like you did." She claps her two hands together, and, higher up, some birds ruffle their feathers in surprise. "Alright, I guess that's it, isn't it ? I wouldn't like to trap you here. Come, girl," she beckons, lifting Carolina off me. "I'll show you out."

Even if she had tried to, Gail wouldn't have been able to protest before Karolina - quite literally - pushes us out the door. We stumble in the staircase and try to regain our footing. I hear a "Ta-ta ! See you soon !" before the door to the dovecote shams shut. I stand in startled surprise until Gail rescues me with a chuckle and a tug on my arm. Slowly, we make our way down the stairs. It's only when we reach the door out of the tower that she casually asks me: "So, what do you think ?"

"Well, she is a bit strange but..."

"I wasn't talking about her. The tube. What do you think ?"

"Oh. It's ingenious, in my opinion. It was very thoughtful to fashion it that way. I can't even begin to imagine the struggles I would have gone through if it hadn't been made for one hand. And that color... It matches perfectly. How did you all do that ?"

"Trade secret," she winks back at me. Some very pale pink sneaks into her cheeks, though.

"Wait..." I pause as it begins to dawn on me. "Did you invent that tube ?"

"Yeah - yeah, I did," she confesses, looking very much pleased with herself. "It was my idea to use the pigeons to communicate. We use them to talk with allies in villages further away," she explains. I still remain fixated to the first piece of information. "You... You are a genius, Gail !" I can't help the amazement from creeping into my voice. "You map out the strategy for the camp, you have all these original ideas, you invent machines-"

"And a lot more," she adds. "I can't take all the credit for everything, though. This is a great place to imagine and develop my ideas. Besides, I'm not alone in doing all the things you've mentioned. Take strategic planning, for instance. Dæor and Keiti do a lot of it, to be honest," she fills in.

"I don't think you should belittle your achievements," I protest. She chuckles. "Thanks, Evangeline."

We walk for a while without either of us saying anything. Wanting to break the silence, I ask her: "How did you learn all of these skills, anyways ?" She is still silent, but her quiet has changed - bigger, more menacing, more... afraid, maybe ? "You don't have to tell me," I add hurriedly. "I didn't mean to be indiscreet."

She shakes her head and attempts a smile. "I know you didn't. It's not your fault; I just don't like talking about the past, as don't most other rebels." She gives me a pointed look. "So you might want to be a bit more... careful."

"Yes, understood. Thanks... for the tip." She nods. "No problem. Alright, I have things to do. Have some free time." She must be wanting to leave this hazardous discussion. I don't blame her. "Thank you." She moves over, and opens the entryway to the camp. "See you around." She walks in.

I linger behind, not wanting to leave the cool spring air and that little slice of the coming summer. Or maybe I don't want to go inside. My head tilted back towards the sky, patterned blue and green by the trees overhead, I sigh. Gail was right. I need to avoid talking about the past. Especially if I want to avoid conversations about my own.

Without turning back, I stride into the main hall and close the entryway.