Late in the night a young man of sixteen was in the trees near a lone daycare center that stood as an ant against the backdrop of the gigantic trees nearby. He had an athletic build with short brown hair and was tree swinging for relaxation. His name was Brad and he would leap from one tree to the next with a look of pure joy on his handsome round face. Swinging high off the ground through the trees, he stopped just before his next swing – something caught his eye. A good distance away he could clearly see a woman in a tree, her hair long and red, staring at him intently. This was his leader, Bethany, and he watched as she glided from the tree to the open ground below and looked up at him.
Brad took flight and glided down a few feet from her. He walked the short distance in the open field to her with apprehension: for her to be in the woods meant something was wrong. What could she want? Why was she even there? He looked all around him as he walked, wondering if others were in the area, but they were alone but for an ominous, gentle breeze.
“Hello, Bethany,” he said and stopped in front of her.
“Brad.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Yes. We lost another Caver.”
“How can I help?”
“I need you to assist those that will be chosen. Help them to adjust; we cannot afford any more losses.”
“I live to serve. It will be my honor.”
“Good.”
“Who has been chosen to serve our cause?”
“We are short on recruits and have to take substandard humans who are not yet ready. They will be far behind the others and will slow them down. I will get a list from the school and you and two others will choose. Do not fail me in this important task.”
“I will not fail: my training is complete.”
“Have I raised children all these years?” Bethany’s voice held a tone of anger. She drew up to her full height, a scowl upon her face grew: in his arrogance, her meaning was lost.
“Task me and I will show you success.”
“Very well, you are tasked. Go!”
Bethany held up her hand in front of the young man as if to wave goodbye. A small red ball of fire appeared in her palm and began circling, growing until it was as large as her fist. Brad saw the fireball developing and took off running to the trees behind him. He ran with blazing speed. Leaping tree to tree, he was a good distance away before he was met with his first shock.
Bethany’s fireball hit with a loud thundering bang and branches lit up with fire as they fell from the smoldering tree. Brad changed direction mid-flight and glided under the falling limbs of fire to a lower perch. He leaped to another tree and climbed to its top to check her location.
With a speed equal to Brad’s, she darted in and out of trees, firing at the running boy. She missed several times – and then hit him, dislodging him from his perch. Brad dove to the ground. He rolled this way and that, dodging fireballs, before returning to the trees.
This section of the woods had been set up as a training course and Brad raced through it without a problem. After several minutes of near misses, Bethany hit him dead-on and he fell to the ground, immobile. Bethany leaped from one branch to another to get a better look at her kill. The young man was gone. He had made it to the finish line and stood with a broad grin as he waited for her arrival.
“Well done, Brad. If your father was here he would be proud of you,” Bethany said with little enthusiasm and a slight shortness of breath.
“Thank you. I feel pride when I think of him,” he answered, pretending he didn’t notice her breathing pattern had changed.
“Go and get ready. I will have you informed when the list is prepared.”
“I honor you with my service.”
Brad bowed and leaped straight up in the air. When Bethany looked up she saw moving trees – but no Brad. She had faith that they would find good people this time. She took a leisurely stroll through the woods and at the end of her walk she stood in front of the daycare center; she went inside.