Prologue: Useful

By the way... this is my own little world....

Useful

Sarah started awake as the train car jostled her roughly. For a moment she was dreadfully disoriented: where was she and why wasn't she in her bed? then it all came rushing back to her. 

Their country of Xapphique had been at war as long as she had been alive. However, the war had always seemed so far away... like something that would never touch her. Then, four day's ago, the armies of Sachat had invaded their small town. There had been no warning. That morning she had gone from getting up and wandering to the book store with her sisters (thank goodness Alison had decided to stay home and hidden) to out in the middle of the town square surrounded by leering soldiers  and other people from the community. The captain had ordered that all the houses be pillaged of anything of value and that all girls between the ages of 14 and 20 be loaded into the massive wagons they had brought.

That was how Sarah found her self to be a spoil of war.

Next to her Yasmine shifted fitfully in her sleep. On her other side Rachel continued to sleep like the dead. Sarah could make out the indistinct shapes of her other friends laying close by in the darkness. She didn't normally like to sleep in such crowded courters but she found that she was now very grateful to at least be surrounded by people that she loved and trusted even in the midst of this terrible situation. They had ridden in a cart in fearful silence the first day for hours before they were loaded onto a ship. Then on the second day Rylie had mustered up the courage to go ask one of the guards what was on all their minds; what was to become of them? At first the guards ignored the questions. But eventually they discovered that even the guards were unaware of what was to happen to them. 

Yesterday they had been shuffled off the boat and down some stairs to a underground train meant for carting animals (though thankfully it wasn't filthy) The gold and other valuables had been separated at this point and sent off on another train while the guards supervised their entrance to the cart and securely locked them in. Then to their surprise the guards had taken their leave completely. Apparently once the train started moving underground there would be no room to escape... unless by escape you meant get shredded between the walls of the tunnel and the wheels of the train. Rachel speculated that all the secrecy implied at least that they weren't likely to simply be sold off as w****s or slaves: there would be no need to hide something like that considering that is what everyone expected of live spoils of war. They must have a more specific purpose for them. Sarah wasn't quite as optimistic.

Suddenly there was a screeching of breaks and Sarah felt herself sliding with her friends into an abrupt pile at the end of the cart.

"Whaaaa? what is going on?" said Yasmine groggily. Before anyone could answer though the doors to their cart were thrown open. The person before them was a tall male with salt and pepper wiry black hair. His face was horrifically scarred and his left eye white and blind. He sneered at them.

"What's this? another bunch of useless b*****s?" a scared hand abruptly grabbed Sarah by her hair and lifted her up for a closer look. Sarah yelped in pain and squeezed her eyes shut as she smelt the alcohol on the mans breath. It did not last long for almost immediately there was an outcry of indignation from her friends. She heard a clatter as protective arms arched out for her and fingers and fists clawed and punched at the hand in her hair. Sarah was let go immediately pulled far out of reach. The was the sound of skin hitting skin and the thump of two bodies hitting the ground. Sarah cracked her eyes open to see Bethany and Jaya planted protectively in front of her looking grim but determined and Siana and Rylie holding her shoulders from behind. Yasmine and Rachel were on the floor, Yasmine clutching her stomach and Rachel wincing at the quickly purpling bruise on her face but scrambling over to Yasmine to pull her out of harms way again.

To Sarah's surprise the man began to laugh in delight.

"Ohoo~! Not a bunch of pathetic w****s are we? no, no! I think we've got some fighters here! And not just fighters; a team.... perfect." The man began to survey them appraisingly with a glint in his eye that Sarah was sure wouldn't bode well for them, "Rainalf? get the vixens from this compartment inside. I've looked at the others; all useless, you can send them on to the districts."

"What do you plan to do with us?" asked Siana cautiously. The man glanced carelessly around at them before his eyes settled on Rachel who was chewing her lip and frowning at the wall.

"Hmm... what will I do with you? I wonder... you with the bangs, you look like you might have an idea." he said his eyes bright and watchful.

"I- I- am not really sure. I would prefer if you just-" Rachel stuttered shifting uncomfortably.

"Speak." the man commanded. 

"Just do it." said Jaya, Rachel sighed resigned.

"You called the others useless and are sending them away, but not us... that must mean for some reason you think we are useful. The only things you have said though to indicate what we might be useful for is that we were "fighters" and a "team"... so you are hoping to turn us into some sort of hit-team?" asked Rachel uncertainly.

"Very good... not bad at all. Close, but I can work with that. Not a hit-team, you won't be working on the surface or in the public eye, more like assassins, spies, whatever we need you to be." said the man.

"But we arn't-!" began Yasmine.

"You aren't now." agreed the man, "But you will be."

Author's Note

So I actually posted this yesterday before Grad but apparently it didn't save or post (thank goodness I remembered to make a backup) so it's up. Only a prologue, but I anticipate that this story will be fun.

Reviews

[PokemonFan#1]

("Allyson" is spelled as so)
EEE!!! So exiting!! XD

[Imagination-mage]

WHOOP WHOOP!! Even though I was beaten up, I still KICKED A*S!!!