I push open the Hydra head doors and find Daniel sparring with Liam on the mat. Some trainees have gathered around to watch, but most just focus on their own training and wait for Daniel to call them.

I join the small group huddled around the mat, watching as Daniel expertly dodges one of Liam's periculum attacks. He has gotten much better at controlling his Gift, learning to shape it into something semi-tangible, but still not quite physically there. It almost looks like he's wielding solidified fog. Daniel rushes at the shadow wielder and strikes at his chest, but the latter somehow manages to dodge, and thrusts his Gift straight at Daniel's torso. The impact sends him flying backward, a dark curtain of black fog rippling around his body. He rolls away from it, crouches, and pushes himself back onto his feet.

I don't know how long they've been at it, but Liam's stark white hair is plastered to his forehead. Beads of sweat run down his neck in rivulets. His shoulders heave with every breath.

He's bulked up during our time at the compound. He isn't as scrawny as he was when he first arrived. Thin lanky limbs have given way to toned muscle and broad shoulders. The dark circles that used to decorate his under eyes have also faded, making him seem much more alert and healthy.

Daniel's movements have become sluggish. He seems tired, but not nearly as much as his student. He uses this to his advantage when he finally decides to use his Gift, waiting till the last possible moment to strike, when Liam is at his weakest.

Daniel's Gift may not be much compared to other Elite Gifts in the compound, but it gives him the push he needs to gain the upper hand. Of course, in order to do that, he needs to touch the person he wishes to freeze. In this case, Liam, who is getting ready to strike. He isn't paying attention to how close our mentor is. A smile appears on his face when he thinks he has Daniel right where he wants him. Oh Liam, bad mistake.

Daniel takes his chance the moment Liam fires his shadow beam, spinning one hundred and eighty degrees to avoid it. Once in the clear, he slams his palms on Liam's chest, who doesn't reacted fast enough. His eyes widen. He knows what's coming. His entire body stills. Daniel pushes him down onto the blue mat.

With victory clinched, Daniel huffs and releases Liam, allowing him control over his body once again. He pats his student on the knee as he uses it to push himself up.

"You did good Liam, much better than our last session," he pants, placing his hands on his hips. "But next time, try to be a bit faster."

Liam grunts and pushes himself off the floor, shuffling off the mat with his shoulders hunched and his head bowed. He ignores the crowd and heads over to the farthest corner where his friend, the girl that had been fussing over him the first day of training, waits with a wide grin on her face. I see her talk excitedly and pat him on the arm, obviously telling him that he did well. Liam just shrugs and plops down next to her, throwing a towel over his head.

No one from our year group has managed to beat Daniel yet. Some of the third years managed to overcome him in a fight, but never one that involved weapons. Daniel can use anything and everything that hangs on the far wall, although he usually picks daggers, which is one of the reasons I think Kalen uses them as well.

Daniel is his favorite mentor, also Mara's and Jayson's. The four of them act more like friends rather than trainer and trainees, and I can't help but feel a bit jealous when I see them together. I just hope that someday I can have that sort of trust with him.

I spot Jayson doing pushups a few feet away from the mat, and I sit on the floor, finding Cassie and Mara's bags lying next to his.

"They went to the bathroom, they'll be back," he huffs when he sees what I'm looking at, not stopping his workout routine.

His face is a bit red from exertion, but I've seen Jayson do this a thousand times, and I know he can handle some pushups. Heck, I've seen him run laps around the room without even breaking a sweat.

I sit with the journal in my lap and search for Kalen. Maybe he's with Christian. Daniel did say he was next after I went to talk to him.

"Hey Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Christian call you to his office earlier today?" He looks at me from under his sweat-soaked fringe, blond locks falling into his eyes. "Yeah," he completes another flawless pushup. "Wanted to tell me about why he chose Jack's team and not us." He grunts, finishing his final pushup before spinning around to sit on the floor. When he chugs from his water bottle he makes a sound like a dog who's been left in the sun too long. "And why he's choosing us now."

I start to nod before his words register in my brain. I scoot closer, and ask him to repeat what he said. He laughs at my dumbfounded expression.

"He's decided to let us try and track down this guy, after you point us in the right direction of course."

Oh, so the fate of our first mission as a team is resting on my shoulders. Once again, no pressure Bri.

"But he's keeping it a secret. I guess the rest of the board wasn't too keen on the idea of sending another group out."

"What? Why not?"

He shrugs. "Because of the recent disappearances, others that ended up like Quinn or worse. Whomever we are dealing with, he is a first-class villain."

I nod, understanding. It's logical, they don't want to put more of their people in danger. But if someone doesn't do something, then more people could get hurt as well. Either way, there are risks, and I would rather risk my life than risk somebody else's.

Just then Cassie and Mara walk through the door. They smile when they see me talking with Jayson.

"Hey Bri! We've been looking for you."

My best friend slides into the spot next to me, while Mara just stands with one hand resting on her hip. I see how Jayson looks at her out of the corner of his eye, and I want to sigh at their antics. Can it be any more obvious? They're just too scared to mess up their friendship to do anything about it.

"I don't know about you," says Jayson, getting up from the hardwood floor, "but I am starving."

Cassie points at him, then gives him a thumbs-up as she scrambles to her feet. If there is one thing Cassie likes more than kicking ass, it's food.

"Yes please. I heard they are serving lasagna today." She closes her eyes and licks her lips. "I can already taste it."

We laugh at her blissful expression and decide to head over to the dining hall for some lunch.

I love the dining hall. The constant chatter and laughing heard from every table reminds me that I'm no longer alone, unlike at school, where the noise just made me feel more alone. A giant buffet-style table runs across the far wall, stacked with delicious breads and cheeses and meats. Fruits and vegetables are each in their own separate area, and two cooks serve the meal of the day at the food line. I grab a tray and pile on pieces of ham, cheese, and breadsticks before I get in line. I grab one of the salad bowls sitting off to the side, and stand behind Mara, waiting for my turn to arrive.

"It looks great!" exclaims Mara when the server gives her a steaming slice of lasagna. It does smell heavenly, but the chef just grunts and moves on to me, giving me my piece.

"He's always in such a sour mood," she pouts, grabbing one of the side dishes and heading over to our usual table.

"It's probably because they won't let him back in the kitchen after the cake incident."

Mara laughs, nearly dropping her tray, but managing to straighten it at the last minute. She fake glares at me for almost making her drop her food, and I just smile back.

The cake incident is when Mr. Sour somehow confused the buttercream frosting for that day's dessert, with lard. He hasn't been allowed in the kitchen since, so now he's stuck on serving duty.

I slide in front of Cassie, leaving space between me and Jayson, who looks up expectantly, waiting for Mara to sit next to him, but she chooses to sit in front of him instead. Jayson's face seems to fall before he looks down at his tray, forking a giant price of lasagna into his mouth.

"How is this food so good?" Asks Cassie, practically moaning through her mouthful of delicious lasagna.

I dig right in, finishing my cheese and breadsticks before I go in for the main course. I would eat all day if I could. Sadly, that wouldn't be very healthy. I stuff a piece of bread into my mouth and nearly choke when someone sits down right next to me, food tray catering on the table.

"Be a bit louder will you," I cough, patting my chest to try and dislodge the piece of bread that is now stuck in my throat. I drink some water and manage to swallow, glaring at the person responsible for startling me.

Kalen is attacking his food with such a fervor you would think he hadn't eaten in weeks. We all just stare as he practically inhales his meal, glancing at each other to see who will be the first to talk to him.

"Hey, you okay buddy?" Asks Jayson, placing a hand in his shoulder.

Kalen whips his head up, mouth so full he looks like a chipmunk.

"We need to find the Elite." He doesn't elaborate further and instead dives right back into his salad, so this time I decide to try and get more of a response out of him.

"We know that," I say gently, a little sarcasm leaking into my tone. He levels me with a glare. "What we want to know is why you are eating as if you've been starved for the better half of your life."

He stops chewing and stares at me, and for a second I think the lack of oxygen from chewing instead of breathing has gotten to him. But he swallows and sighs, eyes gleaming under the white lighting.

"Christian is letting us go on a mission," he whispers.

"Yeah, we know," I whisper back, and his eyes widen in disbelief as the rest of the group nods in agreement.

"I'm always the last one to know this stuff," he mumbles, picking up his fork to attack his little slice of pie.

"No, the role of never knowing what's going on belongs to me. Don't steal it from me," says Jayson, pointing at Kalen with his fork.

"Anyways," Mara, having finished her lunch a while ago, gets up to get rid of her tray. "As soon as I stop feeling like a stuffed turkey, I'm going to head to the training room and practice dueling for a little while. I need to be prepared for when Daniel calls on me. Jayson, would you mind helping me?"

Jayson, who had been listening to every word she said, lights up like a Christmas tree.

"Sure." He exclaims, getting up a bit top quickly and banging his knees under the table.

Mara tries to conceal a giggle, turning around before it manages to escape, and Jayson turns red from the tip of his ears all the way down to his neck. I pat him on the back, giving him an apologetic yet amused smile.

"I think I'll tag along," says Cassie, but the way she says it has me looking her way. She stares pointedly between Kalen and I, and she even has the nerve to wink at me when he isn't looking.

"Wait, but--"

"Bye!" And with that, all three of them exit the dining hall in the direction of the training rooms.

I stare down at my slice of pie, stealing glances at Kalen from time to time.

"Well," He says all of a sudden, startling me for the second time today.

"Well what?" I stammer, sure he caught me staring.

"Are you going to tell me what you and Christian talked about?"

Oh, that's right. He'd asked me to tell him what happened with Christian. My heart starts beating at its normal rhythm again, and I push my tray away.

"Same as you guys," I start. "That whomever it is that attacked Quinn needs to be stopped." He nods, knowing there is more.

"But he also gave me this."

I grab the journal that was resting in my lap and place it on the table. Kalen looks at me for permission before reaching out to hold it. He flips open the cover, reading the title as I had back in Christian's library.

"The Secrets of The Future And How To Find Them," he reads out loud.

I nod.

"That was written by my three-times-great-grandfather. Christian says this will help me control my Gift, and maybe even help us find the man that Simon Says is working for."

Kalen's eyes sparkle with excitement. A grin widens on his face. He hands me the journal, grabs both our trays and stands. He disposes of our leftovers and turns to face me.

"Well then," he says. "What are we waiting for? Let's get reading."