After hearing all this, Tracy then finally opened up about being a witch. She’d been very reluctant, at first, but after Missy openly shared so much with her, earning her trust, she began to share as well. Real witches did not openly admit to the rest of the world that they were witches. Too often, over the centuries, that had turned out badly. Even though none of the witches convicted in Salem back in 1692-1693 were real witches, those trials and executions clearly illustrated how hostile and prejudiced many people could be, and those same sentiments still existed today. There weren’t really that many true witches and they were careful to keep their covens very secret.
Tracy explained there were twelve covens in the US, located near major cities. Salem was of course near Boston. Her coven was near Dallas. Others were near New York City, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Seattle, St. Louis and Las Vegas. There were at least three witches in a coven and never more than thirteen. There were just over a hundred witches now actively participating in these covens. And, there were several more latent witches, of course, who were not participating.
Witches were male and female. Male witches were witches. Not warlocks and not wizards. Witches. Although there currently seemed to be a higher percentage of female witches -- the ratio was maybe sixty-forty -- that wasn’t always the case.
As far as what powers and abilities these real witches possessed, Tracy explained it varied, from witch to witch, but was always about energy. Telekinesis, where objects were moved, was a well known power. Being able to use fire or light, creating it and throwing it, was also fairly well known. Many witches could use energy to camouflage themselves or others, by hiding, cloaking or blurring. What else? Sensing and finding others, sometimes called scrying. Controlling the weather. Creating illusions that altered what others might perceive. Binding others. There even were defensive abilities including deflecting the powers of other witches.
Even though Missy was a werecat, Tracy told her that she might also be a witch. She seemed to be doing more than just shapeshifting. What witch abilities did Missy have? Sending out energy bolts in waves or pulses, sometimes in blasts were definitely what real witches might do. And, there was regeneration, healing herself, which Missy had admitted she could do. Tracy wondered -- could Missy also heal others? She suspected this might be possible, based on what Missy had done for Gary. When Missy confirmed it, telling her about Michelle, Tracy was convinced. Missy was also a witch.
As Missy considered all this, she suspected that Tracy might be right. The surprised reaction she’d gotten from Carlos to her energy pulse certainly had suggested he wasn’t familiar with that. And, Robert had likewise been surprised when she’d done that to him. Also, he’d told her she was the only werecat that “P” Branch knew about who could heal the way she did. And, for witches, being a witch was passed down from one family to the next. While it might not manifest in every generation, it definitely was genetic. Since Missy already believed she was somehow a genetic anomaly, this certainly seemed possible. It was all in her genes.
What could Tracy do? While she couldn’t do any of the things that Missy could do, Tracy could harness and use fire and light. And, she could control the weather. Was she powerful? Well, she could conjure up a severe storm, even on an otherwise clear day, and send down lightning bolts. She could direct those onto targets with great accuracy. She’d only practiced doing this on trees and old car wrecks, but from what the others in her coven were saying, she apparently was quite gifted.
How had Tracy’s powers first manifested themselves? Fortunately, her Mom had been tuning in very closely, as Tracy had approached puberty, and she’d still been enough of a witch herself to recognize her daughter was definitely a supernatural. So, Tracy had learned from her Mom about witches and that, indeed, she was likely to have certain powers. With her Mom’s help, she’d tested herself, always in private. First, it had been light. Then, fire. While none of the other abilities seemed that apparent, she definitely was able to create and use these. As her powers in these began growing, year after year, her Mom brought her to the Dallas area coven for help and training.
Within two years, Tracy was conjuring up thunderstorms and sending down lightning bolts. That had been at age sixteen. Her powers were continuing to get stronger every year. She’d learned how to control her powers and how to keep them well hidden. Being exposed as a witch and then maybe seeing an end to all her West Point dreams had been her biggest concern. She believed it was her destiny to graduate from West Point and that, by doing so, she would then find her greatest happiness and fulfillment.
By pairing now with Missy, Tracy could see her goal being that much more attainable. And, as her confidence increased, she became a lot more comfortable with everyone in her squad. Including all the men. While not yet enjoying everything as thoroughly as Missy was, Tracy really began to fit in and make her own contributions. As the others realized just how knowledgeable she was about the military, she became a more and more valued member of the squad. She was especially knowledgeable about the Honor Code and able to help clarify things whenever any questions came up on that. By the end of those first four weeks, she was included with Missy, Marcus and Tony as one of their key leaders in the squad.
-----
Then, Jamieson moved on and all the upperclass cadet positions changed. Maureen Winslow, a female cadet, was the new commander for Company C. This, however, did not sit that well with the new second platoon leader, Ronald Quigby. Quigby tolerated women at West Point, since he didn’t have much choice in that, but he definitely believed men were far superior. This was the first time he was actually forced to report to any female cadet and, even though it was only for the next few weeks, he was not happy about that. Martin King, who replaced Jamieson as squad leader, not only was a close friend of Quigby’s but also shared the same low opinion about women at West Point.
Quigby and King considered it their duty to force out those female New Cadets whom they did not consider worthy of being there. They’d heard about New Cadet McCrae and that body fat nonsense and had decided they’d be making an example in her squad. Jamieson had obviously been pussy whipped and that wasn’t going to happen once they took charge. Jamieson had lucked out by having his squad somehow perform so well, which was how he’d probably avoided being written up as a poor leader. Since almost every squad had two females, the performance by Jamieson’s squad wasn’t all that impressive. They were certain that his squad’s performance had been in spite of, rather than because of, any contributions from either of its two girls.
Right from the start, King had been very quick to criticize each squad member, correcting anyone who was not following all the required eating procedures. There would be no unauthorized big bites, which he’d learned this squad had been getting away with. He paid particular attention to New Cadet McCrae. He noted that she actually would move her eyes the least of anyone. He was suspicious about her. He had been surprised to see her APFT score for pushups and sit-ups. Some girls could run fast, having less weight to carry and excellent lower body strength in their legs to do that.
But, she’d scored 50 pushups and 100 sit-ups. He decided to challenge her on that a couple minutes into Monday’s lunch. “New Cadet McCrae, is it correct that you scored 50 pushups and 100 sit-ups on your initial APFT?” He also wanted to interrupt her meal, just by forcing her to talk rather than eat.
Missy stopped and, without moving her eyes, she answered, “Yes, Sir.” Then, without moving a muscle, she waited. She could sense this Cadet King was trouble.
King said, “Why those exact numbers, 50 and 100? Those almost seem as though you selected those numbers and paced yourself. Did you do that, New Cadet McCrae?”
Missy answered, “Yes, Sir!”
“Well, what is your intent when you take this APFT again later this week? Do you intend to pace yourself and repeat those exact same numbers again?” King was actually surprised to hear her admit to pacing herself.
&nb
sp; Missy said, “Yes, Sir!”
King pounced on that answer and said, “So, you have no intention of improving those scores, is that right New Cadet McCrae?” He noticed that everyone else at the table was obviously growing uncomfortable with all this. Good.
Missy said, “No, Sir.”
“Well, why not, New Cadet McCrae? Aren’t you capable of better scores than that?” King wanted to rattle her but, so far, she’d been sitting there like a rock, not moving and not looking at him.
Missy asked, “Sir, may I make a statement?” She wanted to avoid answering his questions without first using the specified responses required for a New Cadet being corrected. She knew he was baiting her.
“New Cadet McCrae, what is your statement?”
Missy said, “My APFT scores are acceptable, more than twice the minimum even for males, and there is no requirement for me or benefit for my squad to my achieving any higher scores. In spite of my loss of muscle mass since that first week, I hope to again achieve those same scores.” She knew he was harassing her because of that body fat incident. Now, her squad members were smiling at her. She was messing with King, just as she’d done with Jamieson.
King was not happy with her response or her attitude. Quigby had shown him those notes from the DPE concerning her and he knew she’d gained two percent body fat. She appeared to be a big girl and he’d assumed she had to have gained weight, getting fat on all the food Jamieson had allowed her to eat. But, if she was claiming to have lost weight, he so wasn’t going there. He could easily check this information and, if indeed she’d gained any weight, he’d be all over her about it. He decided to try a different approach.
“Well, you obviously are sliding backwards rather than making any progress and that’s not very helpful for your squad. What training will you be getting this afternoon?”
Missy said, “Rifle marksmanship, Sir.”
“And, will you be helping your squad in marksmanship, New Cadet McCrae?
“Yes, sir!” said Missy. She still hadn’t eaten a single bite since he’d started asking her questions. And, since yesterday had been day twenty eight since her last Change, she had gotten her period, right on schedule. Perfect timing. She was really not in any mood today for all this bullshit.
“Have you ever fired any weapons, New Cadet McCrae?” King was fishing now, but he knew his questions were keeping her from eating.
Missy said, “No, sir.”
“Well, how exactly will you be helping your squad, then, New Cadet McCrae?” King was thrilled to discover this. She’d probably be dragging down the squad average scores quite a bit, just starting out.
“By achieving the highest scores in the Company, Sir.” Missy was willing to pick up the gauntlet which he’d just thrown down in front of her. Her squad members were definitely reacting to this; she was totally messing with King now.
King did not appreciate her attitude one bit and did not like the way all her squad members seemed to be supporting her. But, had she just dug herself into a hole she couldn’t possibly climb out of? She’d said highest in the Company. “Why not try for best in the Regiment, New Cadet McCrae?” That was putting her in her place.
“Yes, sir! By achieving the highest scores in the entire Regiment, Sir. I will be top shot. Sir.” Missy was now slapping him with that gauntlet and was going way, way out there on a limb that might be a bit too far, even for her. Oh, well! All part of “The Game”, right?
The end of meal announcement was made, which ended any further questions from King but also ended any further eating. Missy was leaving the table hungry this time. Somehow, she didn’t think this little pissing contest would end well, no matter what she did. But, regardless, word of her claim to become top shot would now quickly get all around, both to her classmates and to all the upperclass cadets as well. Even the tactical officers, or TAC officers as they were called at the academy, would all be hearing about the brash and bold manner that she’d responded to King with.
-----
Cadet Quigby pulled Cadet King aside, asking him to stay for a minute. He’d just finished a short meeting with his squad leaders; they both waited until the others were gone. Then he asked, “What’s this I’m hearing about New Cadet McCrea in your squad? Did you actually get her to say she’d be top shot?”
King proudly answered, “Yeah, I sure did. That was after I tried to rattle her about not making any effort to help her squad. At first, she was giving me attitude. She even brought up how she’s losing muscle mass, which is supposed to be her excuse for why her APFT scores won’t be improving.”
“But, she’s the one who tricked Jamieson into getting her body fat tested … didn’t she gain body fat when they tested her a week ago?” This was why Quigby had suggested that King start in on her in the first place.
“Oh, she gained body fat all right, but it turns out she’s some kind of muscle freak. Here, look at this photo. I found this on the internet, along with a lot of interesting stuff about her.” King showed Quigby the photo of Missy, looking fierce in her most intimidating pose, right after she’d won the amateur trophy at the mixed martial arts Expo.
Quigby said, “Holy shit! That’s her? Wow. When was this taken?”
King explained, “Two years ago. She’s playing us, Ronald. This bitch came here four weeks ago weighing 150 pounds but obviously in very similar shape to that photo. Not an ounce of fat anywhere, except maybe for those nice boobs of hers. And, I checked. Now she’s lost weight in spite of increasing her body fat. I almost fell for her bullshit, too. When she mentioned losing muscle mass as being why her pushup scores wouldn’t increase, I was this close to calling her out on that. But, I could see by the looks I was getting from her squad members … that was going down the rabbit hole. You know?”
“Good job, then. So, you changed the subject to marksmanship. And, she’s saying she’ll get top shot? Do those internet stories talk about her being an expert, in addition to being this … what? … freaky fighter chick?” Quigby began studying the photo, examining it very closely. “Hey, did you notice these scars? Are those real or just some makeup for her act?”
King said, “She claims she’s never fired any weapon. Those stories don’t say anything about her doing that, either way. Or, about her having those scars. I don’t think that really matters, anyway. When I asked how she expected to be any help to her squad, she gave me this crap about maybe getting high scores in her Company. I then pushed her and she announced she’d be the top shot in the whole Regiment. I think we’re going to be having some real fun, messing with her now.”
“Great. We don’t need any freaks here … especially if they look as hot as this girl does. Women are nothing but a distraction in the military.” Quigby paused, and then asked, “What else do those internet stories say about her, anyway?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Jul 2018
“Clear on the right?” The range safety officer had just yelled out the standard question over the PA system, asking if all the weapons had been cleared on the right side of the range. He waited until he heard the appropriate response being yelled back at him, “Clear on the right!” Then he yelled out, “Clear on the left?” Again, he heard the appropriate response, “Clear on the left!” Now he yelled out, “The firing range is clear. New Cadets, you may go down and retrieve your targets.”
Missy got up from where she’d been lying in the prone position, having fired her M4 rifle for another group of three rounds. The M4 carbine was the Army’s latest combat unit rifle and she was learning how to zero her weapon. The M4 was similar to the M16 that the Army had used earlier for many years, but shorter and lighter. This was her weapon, issued for her use during marksmanship training. Each weapon was issued out and checked back in by serial number and she would now be the only one using this rifle. Once she had it zeroed in, which meant the sights would be adjusted as needed for her use, she then would be firing this same weapon in all her later training exercises. Eventually, of course,
there would be the marksmanship qualifications and competitions when she’d again be using it.
To zero the weapon, a series of rounds were fired, three at a time. Although the rifle was capable of automatic firing, and the entire magazine could then be fired in just a few seconds, most of her firing would be only one round at a time. Her very first shot group had resulted in all three rounds hitting her target, which was certainly a good thing, but they were somewhat scattered and all were off to the right and a bit low. Likewise, her second shot group had also been low and to the right. But, she had placed all six rounds within a four centimeter circle and been ready to make her sight adjustments.
Per the TAC officer’s instructions, to move the shot group up, down, left or right was a matter of adjusting her sights so many clicks one way or the other. Then, after making her adjustments, she had fired her next shot group of three rounds.
Missy had enhanced eyesight, of course, and now that she’d been able to “get the feel” of her weapon, experiencing how it kicked back against her shoulder and her cheek following the discharge of each bullet, she was easily able to aim, breathe, squeeze the trigger while holding her breath, and after the recoil, return to position her rifle for the next round. In order to minimize the recoil, it was important to always keep her cheek and her shoulder pressed firmly against the weapon. This was merely another physical task and she was having no difficulty. Her later groups of three rounds had all been within a small circle, just larger than a quarter. She had only needed to make one click more to move the group down and two clicks to move the group to the right.
Missy Goes to West Point Page 20