The Last Wars by Bianca Gray (reading women TXT) 📕

laughed.
“I always win. Especially if it’s against a guy. I don’t have to do much. Sometimes my weapon is lipstick. I just have to rub it onto my lips and then kiss him. He’s instantaneously knocked out,” Venus said.
“How is lipstick a weapon?” I asked. Venus shrugs.
“It’s a special type of lipstick, made especially for my use. I don’t know how it does what it does…” she said.
“That’s why you’re part of this group?” I asked wondering if this was a wannabe elite group.
“Unimpressed?” she asked.
“Sorta, kinda,” I said.
“I’m a good kicker, too. I’m really strong and very flexible,” she said.
“Fight her, you’ll probably lose,” said Valora nodding.
“She’s really smart and can figure out what you’re going to do before you do it,” said Ida.
“Now, Valora,” started Venus.
“I come from a wolf pack. I rely on my strength and that usually does it. Plus, my teeth are a pretty good built in weapon,” she said lifting up her lip to show me her canines. They looked fairly sharp. They could probably rip off flesh if she wanted them to.
“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” said Valora nodding her head.
“I fly,” said Fayre taking something of Venus’s lunch without her knowing. God, that girl has to be at least partially raised by foxes, I thought to myself watching her keep stealing things from people.
“Fayre, explain a bit more,” said Venus exasperatedly.
“I’m a really good jumper, and it looks like I fly,” said Fayre.
“So if she’s in front of you, she can jump over you and then suddenly be behind you,” said Ida. I looked at Fayre’s sparkling green-gold eyes. I didn’t doubt that she was just as deadly as the twins. She smiled. Raised by hawks…got to watch out for her, I thought. Even though Valora scoffed about it early, hawks had very good eyesight and they were a sort of predator. I tried to swallow this meat thing, but I was really scared of this small petite girl.
“Ida?” asked Venus.
“I’m very good with a bow and arrow,” she said smiling. Great, stupid archers, I thought to myself. They’re better than knife throwers sometimes.
“That’s all you’re gonna say?” asked Valora.
“Pretty much,” nodded Ida.
“Snow?” asked Venus. Snow looked up.
“What?” she asked. Venus shook her head and sighed.
“Why are you part of us?” she asked. Snow White smiled.
“Why else?” she asked.
“WE know why but little miss Annika here doesn’t,” said Valora.
“Hmm, do I have to tell her?” she asked.
“YES,” said Ida.
“Do it! Do it!” called out Bambi, banging her little fists on the table. Fawn imitated the movement but didn’t say anything.
“Fine, I’ll tell her,” said Venus rolling her eyes.
“What?” I asked confused.
“She has this touch. We’re not quite sure how she’d possibly be able to get it. Maybe that old myth about toxic waste is right, but when she touches you in a certain way then you fall over in pain. You’re not physically hurt but you have this serious pain. It could be anywhere too. You may feel like every limb in your body is being ripped off, when in reality it’s not. It’s a complicated gift. And no one knows how she’d possibly be able to have it. A family of humans raised her; all had an unnatural gift. We’re thinking that maybe they lived near radiation or actual toxic waste. We’re not sure. Even the Fighters Control isn’t sure. All anyone knows is that she’s most definitely a threat,” said Venus.
“But you all said this boy, Nick, has never been beaten,” I said slowly.
“Mhmm, never. He’s really good at dodging and escaping. Which is needed in all of our skills, especially mine and Snow’s,” said Venus.
“He’s extraordinarily strong too,” said Valora.
“And absolutely scrumptious,” said Fayre absentmindedly.
“Fayre! You know we’re not supposed to think any man is…scrumptious…” said Ida slightly turning red.
“Oh, you know we’re all thinking it,” said Fayre.
“Scrumptious?” I asked, “Doesn’t that mean delicious? Like as in…food?” Venus laughed.
“Could also be used to say that a guy is extremely handsome,” she explained. I mouthed ‘oh’. I looked over, across the cafeteria and caught Nick staring back at me. He quickly looked away.
“We’re not allowed to speak about boys in that way though. Because love doesn’t exist, no matter how many times SOME people read those old love stories,” said Ida teasingly. Fayre stuck her tongue out at her.
“Those are really good books. Whether they’re extremely old or not, they’re superb,” said Fayre, defensively.
“Books?” I asked.
“Shh!” said Venus putting a finger to her lips. Then she leaned over to whisper in my ear.
“Books are what the ancient people did to bide their time. We all learned how to read illegally. Books were banned, mostly because there’s not much of them and because they teach wrongful things. For example, love. Or trusting people. Or caring. They don’t condone those things. So, in return, they don’t condone books. So, Fayre hides them. I taught them all how to read,” whispered Venus.
“How?” I asked.
“My adopted family knew somehow…so they taught me. And they told me to teach other people,” said Venus shrugging.
“Teach me,” I begged. She laughed.
“I will, I promise,” she said holding up her pinky. I stared at it. Then I lifted mine next to hers and she curled hers around mine.
“Pinky promise,” she confirmed. Then a bell rang indicating lunch was over.
“Nice meeting you!” called out Valora.
“Great to have someone like you in the Elite group,” said Venus.
“I’m in your group?” I asked.
“Well, duh, why wouldn’t you be?” she asked. I shrugged. My mentor, Jane, was waving her arms maniacally.
“Um, I have to go,” I said looking at my mentor like she’s crazy. Venus and everybody waved goodbye. Before I got to Jane, someone yanked my upper arm and turned me around. It was Nick. I was staring into beautiful blue eyes. I blinked in surprise. He flashed a slight smile. Then I yanked my arm out of his grip and then rubbed it.
“Caught ya,” he whispered. Then he walked away. Then I realized he took my pendulant. I ran after him and then tackled him.
“Give it back,” I hissed. He dangled the pendulant in my face.
“You mean this?” he asked teasingly. I tried to grab it and then he rolled out from under me. Then I grabbed the pendulant and wrapped the chain around my neck.
“Let. Go,” I hissed. He fingered the pendulant and then let go.
“Interesting design there,” he murmured.
“I don’t know what it means and I honestly don’t care,” I said.
“Hmm, a bit ignorant are we?” he asked looking at me curiously. I just glared.
“I’m Nick,” he said pointing to himself.
“I know,” I said. He stared at me with his mysterious blue eyes. I couldn’t read what his thoughts were.
“Well, I don’t know yours, I’m sorry,” he said.
“Annika,” I said.
“Annika,” he said, like he was trying it out on his tongue. I nodded my head. He smirked.
“That means beautiful in Arabian,” he whispered when Jane came up. He patted my head and then walked away. What. Just. Happened???? I asked myself. Did he just say I was beautiful? But there was supposed to be no love connection to anyone what so ever. Maybe its just attraction… Then I thought the most deadliest thought…the most regretted thought I ever had…and that thought was: I hope not…
“What just happened with you and Nick?” asked Jane.
“Nothing,” I simply said but a little too quickly as I put the necklace back on my neck. She watched as I put it back on.
“Ah. He stole your necklace,” she mused. But I could tell by her eyes that she knew it was much more deeper than that… I couldn’t tell if she approved or that she knew I was going to distinguish this flame as soon as possible.


CHAPTER 3

I just love it when our mentor people thingies give us “recess”. It was snowing and I couldn’t help but cry. I haven’t mourned my dead family that I knew were dead. And I figured that now was a good a time as any. Except after just mourning over the leader of our pack of foxes, I realized that people like to train during this time, only more playfully. I figured this out after Fawn practically paralyzed me for a few minutes. Bambi was just giggling and pointing at me. Fawn just smiled, a bit hardly though, like she was expecting me to retaliate. Instead I just smiled back at her, when I was able to actually move. Fayre cartwheeled towards me. Then she jumped like 10 feet into the air and landed on my shoulders, lightly, but I was startled and fell to the ground.
“Hmm, some elite member you are,” she murmured under her breath.
“I’m better with weapons,” I snapped back. She rolled her eyes and proceeded to smirk at me. Oh, I was going to get her whenever I got to train against her, I thought angrily. Venus stepped up; against the snowy background she was dazzling. I immediately thought if Nick thought she was extremely beautiful…. Then I shook the thought out of my head. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I had hardly talked to him once. The only connection we had was that I beat him and he was probably impressed and angry about it. This was just a trick, I was sure. He probably did this to ALL the new girls who beat him… Oh, wait… I’m the only girl who’s beaten him. I smiled smugly as I thought this. Valora bounded up to us all chewing on some bone of hers so vigorously you would think that she thought someone was going to take it from her in a second.
“HEY VALORA! DUCK!” yelled Bambi as she hurled her twin sister into Valora. Valora looked up too late. Fawn outstretched her claws (that I didn’t know she had) and dug them into Valora’s thigh. It hit her thigh instead of the designated place of the chest because Valora might’ve looked up too late but she moves very quickly. So she had stood up and was going to run when Fawn dug her little claws into Valora. Blood started to pour out of the little wound and Valora looked enraged with anger. She yanked Fawn off of her and threw her. Snow White, coming just in time, caught the dazed yet smug Fawn and set her down gently. No one wanted to kill off one of the twins, that would just be devastating, whether Valora knew it or not at the moment. Valora started to run towards Fawn and Bambi but they both danced around her. Valora, getting confused, mostly because she was so angry and because it seemed like she was seeing doubles, just grabbed at the air. Fawn and Bambi giggled, from different sides of Valora, sounding identical, making sure Valora thought it was coming from everywhere around her. They were also dressed the same, their long wavy hair was pulled off their faces with identical navy blue headbands. Matching puffy winter coats covered both their torsos and underneath that they were both wearing navy blue dresses. They were giggling and running their long nails against Valora’s leg, the only place they could get to. They practically shredded her jeans and then started to cut up her legs. Valora screamed in agony. So, this was