Chapter 5

With each step, Renae struggled with her holster, feeling it slowly descend her leg. She struggled keeping up with Jarrod as she had to keep stopping and tightening the holster. Passing each tree she jumped over the under brush and tried running to keep up.

"Okay, this place should be fine." Jarrod said as he grabbed a branch covered in grass exposing a glade filled with yarrows, white flowers filled every inch of open space and trickled into the trees.

"This place is amazingly gorgeous." She whispered in awh as she entered the sanctum.

"Yeah, I found this place a while back. When I first started working at the school. I used it as my personal space to calm my mind when I could, but I haven't been here lately." He said disappointed.

Hearing the wind in the trees, Renae walked further into the clearing and couldn't help but be drawn to the serenity. She closed her eyes and listened to the wind traveling through the trees and grass. Silence filled her racing mind and she let herself relax. Only until she heard a whipping sound heading straight toward her, breaking the silence. The shock dropped her to the ground, avoiding being hit.

"Good job." Jarrod said "You know how to dodge without warning." Renae looked up to see Jarrod holding a staff above her head.

"Actually I don't. It was kind of just instinct when I heard a swoosh. Were you really about to hit me unprovoked right now? Even without actual training before?" She said grabbing her handle from her holster.

She stood up and gripped it watching it as it extended. Grabbing another part of the pole in her hands, she felt electricity jolt through her arm. The second she realized she was being shocked, she dropped it and let the handle hit the ground.

"Ow!" She yelled.

"Ha! You should know where to grab your wind walker. It'll electrocute in every other spot then where its handler is holding." He smirked holding back his laughter.

"Then where the hell am I supposed to hold something I've never even heard of?!" She snapped at him shaking her hand.

"You'll have to find that out yourself. I honestly don't know for that one. I had it made for you, not for me." He lost his smile and watched her.

In fear of being shocked again, she picked up the handle and let out a sigh. After it extended she looked closer 'Wind walker huh?' She asked herself. She looked at the engraving noticing a small spot that looked to fit her hand. Slowly she reached for it and grabbed it with caution. Relief washed as she felt no shock.

"About time." Jarrod laughed as he lunged at her.

"What?" She asked before she blocked him and watched her wind walker shock his. Proud of herself, she fought off her father and taught herself to use her weapon.

-

Long after Jarrod went home and Renae stayed in the clearing and trained till one o'clock in the morning. Forcing herself to get used the schedule soon to control her life.

"Time to come in for the night. You barely had any chili earlier, you must be starving." Jarrod called to her with a flashlight in hand.

"Okay, I just wanted to get that one maneuver down before I head in. I'm not really hungry anyways." She refused to lose her stance as she tried to flip over a small boulder to her left.

"You can perfect your moves later. You need to eat and sleep too. You won't get better without taking care of yourself." He walked over and grabbed her shoulder. In a moment of shock, she swung at Jarrod, aiming for his chest.

"Woah! Do I need to take that away from you?" He asked dodging just in time.

"Sorry, I guess I was just in the zone." She huffed, then placed the handle in her holster.

"I get it. I was the same way when I was your age. I wanted to be the strongest and most experienced fighter I could be when I was young." He smirked. "As long as you take care of yourself first, you'll be able to reach your goal, whatever it may be." He patted her on the back as they began to walk back.

"I'm not sure I have a goal. I mean, I want to be able to do the job well and not let you down but I don't know or understand what my end goal is. Go to college? I don't really want to. Find someone who could eventually make a decent spouse? I mean sure but not now. I do know I just don't want anyone to be able to walk over me anymore."

"Good, because we got plenty of time for all that husband crap later. Are you sure about college though?" He asked trying to hide his disappointment.

"I'm sure. School's been controlling my life for too long and I know I want a break. Maybe I'll take a year to myself and think about it? I know I don't want to go to college and decide one or two semesters in that this isn't what I wanted and have already wasted time and money. I want to know what I want before I try and go after something."

"So young and already so wise. I'm glad to have you back sunflower." He laughed wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"I don't think so." She shook his hand off of her shoulder and shook her head with a grin.

-

A week passed since Renae was taught to fight with her wind walker. Tonight will be her first night as campus security in training, her future partner will be showing her exactly what needs to get done before she'll be able to take shifts on her own. Before tonight only one student was a part of the campus security, who happens to be a day student as well. His name is James, he's a year older than Renae but he's given Renae the benefit of the doubt. He plans on staying at the school and continuing campus security after his graduation in a few months. He's been using the pay to pay for his tuition, adding another student onto the security will be docked from his pay but Jarrods making sure he won't have to worry about tuition or his food card.

"You better hurry or you'll be late for school!" Jarrods voice echoed in the hall shaking Renae from her anxious thoughts.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute!" She yelled back. After she was ready, she walked slowly towards the kitchen, tucked away in the confines of her mind.

She felt the disappointment sink in when she thought of the fact she had a whole school day to get through before she had the ability to get on her new job. She had a sense of guilt for James knowing she'd be taking from him, even with his encouragement. He had told her before he had felt a sense of drowning being the only one on the job but finding people to work the job and keep students wellness in mind was too difficult. Three hundred and fifty seven students, half of which needed to be monitored more close then the other half was begining to weigh on his shoulders. Renae was excited to start, a feeling she hadn't felt since before the passing of her dear friend. She was ready for the school day to end.

"Hun.." Renae was pushed off her train of thought by Jarrods voice "You need to wear uniform shoes." He pursed his lips staring at her old shoes that he had hoped she'd thrown away.

"Oh, sorry. You'd think I'd be used to this whole uniform thing by now." She sighed before turning and running back into her room to grab the shoes that went with her uniform.

She was standing in front of the mirror when she realized her bruise was gone. She thought of how Tyler would joke with her, telling her she had inhuman healing abilities because bruises and cuts would only ever last for a day at most while his could take weeks. She shook off her memory and tied her shoes before running out into the living room.

Noticing Jarrod had already left, she walked out the door. Hoping not to be late, she started running. Just before she got to the main doors of the school, she looked down at her keys and remembered she hadn't locked the door 'What's wrong with you today? Get out of your head.' She thought to herself as she took a deep breath and turned around.

She began running faster, she could feel her blood pumping as her feet hit the ground. After turning the second corner she ran into someone and fell back onto the ground. She watched their feet stumble backwards as she scrambled to get upwards, ending up on her knees.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking-" She started to speak as she dusted herself off, she cut herself off as she looked up and saw who she was speaking with. A few of the students from that incident with the alcohol passing a week prior. He was a more broad student then the one who had attempted to touch her before, he was swinging a crowbar in his hands, in an attempt to intimidate Renae.

"Okay, not as sorry as I thought. You can get out of my way now please. I need to get something and I don't need you making me more late then I already am." She spoke through a sigh as she stood to her feet and continued dusting herself off.

"No, I need to give you a little payback for breaking my freaking arm." The smaller boy with his arm in a cast yelled through a whisper hoping not to alert anyone inside.

As the bell rang, Renaes thoughts went to her math teacher, he was already getting upset with her being absent minded during class, now he'd have another reason to send her to detention and deter another night to start campus security.

"Hear that guys?" The smaller one started to chuckle "Time to have some fun." He lost his smirk as he walked towards Renae.

Renaes senses slowed, every step he took that she watched, was in slow motion. Taking the slow moving time to her advantage, she surveyed the area, two other boys and a girl were standing hold a weapon of their own. The small boy holding a crowbar, Renae could see him slowly bringing it up to get ready to hit her. As it was approaching her face, she extended her hand and grabbed it, halting its movement.

"I'm not sure I can say I understand everything that's going on right now but I'm more then happy to break your other arm." Renae smirked.

A breeze hit the back of her neck, turning to meet the breeze, Renae was met with the blonde girl swinging a bat towards her. Renae stepped to the side and watched the bat swing right past her and meet the boys small frame. After the bat met his stomach, his crowbar hit the ground. Seeing the opportunity, Renae grabbed the crowbar. She couldn't help but wince as she saw the bat slowly detach from his stomach and he himself met the ground.

"Danny! I'm so sorry! I wasn't aiming for you!" She screamed dropping the bat into one hand and covering her mouth with the other.

"It's fine Denice.." He managed to push out between coughs "just get her... before she gets away or you." Dannys voice shook when he could speak.

"As if you'd be able to catch me." Renae thought out loud. Her pride was growing as the smirk on her face spread.

Denice regained her grip on the bat and attempted another swing with no success. Each step she'd swing once more, her steps becoming faster with each wild swing. Renae took the crowbar and hit against the building wall, remembering Jarrods office was on the other side.