The Formation of Team 55

by Neo Nidhi Baghel

  The girl nodded with a smile and began writing down whatever Glory had said.

  ‘Oh, damn! Justin had forgotten to write any of it. He began to scribble everything like a crazy man.

  ‘Chill!’ whispered Brent. ‘I have got it, dude.’ He was writing down everything. ‘You just gaze at her.’

  Justin was a little shocked, but then he did what Brent asked her to do. He kept his notebook and quill aside and kept listening to her contently.

  ‘Now, each novice has to pick four departments to focus on.’ Glory went on. ‘There are seven departments, of course. One for each stream! But, here is where you all get the opportunity to understand three more streams. One out of those four departments will be the stream that you were picked by and the other three will be of your choice.’

  ‘Miss Glory?’ interrupted Rover. ‘What do the Leaders do? Like, I am the leader of Team fifty-one, with the features of a Protector and an Enlightener. Can I pick other streams over them?’

  What? Rover was the leader of his team? And, to make it even worse, his team was 51? Justin wanted to smash his own head into a wall. This meant that the first new descendant from this batch was from his team, giving him the first team of the year.

  ‘Oh no, dear.’ Glory said it apologetically. ‘The leader has to pick all three and gets to pick just one another stream.’

  Rover glanced at Justin and gave him a pathetic smile.

  ‘Don’t respond!’ Brent warned him. ‘The more you respond, the more he gets ignited. We don’t have Dawn or Ace to smack him down. And, he’s got Maria. We don’t even have Kathy right now.’

  ‘So,’ Glory picked up another sheet and pouted at it. ‘Let us talk about the guides.’

  There was a murmur among the novices and everyone looked really excited now.

  ‘You all will have to compete.’ Said Glory.

  ‘We’re ready!’ Maria looked at Brent.

  ‘I told you I didn’t sign up to die in here.’ Brent’s face turned red and Justin could sense his fear.

  ‘I am sorry, Maria!’ Glory smiled sweetly at her. ‘But, you don’t get to do fight with Team fifty-five. You get to fight with yourself.’

  ‘What?’ Rover’s face was worth watching. His eyes were wide and his face was blank.

  ‘Yes!’ She continued. ‘Each team is given the same challenge on the same day and hour. They get to deal with the same trouble, only for different reasons. The goal of this challenge is and always has been, only to see which team completes the challenge first. There are ten teams right now in this batch. The guides are always watching you, all the time. They can see what you are going through and doing to others. They will be watching you when you compete with yourself and show them that you are better than who you think you are.’

  There was a very positive vibe flowing from Glory and Justin could feel it. She was filled with so much enthusiasm.

  ‘Each member of your team will have to contribute their best to win this challenge. It will not just be about you being the best version of yourself, but also about your team, being the best version of itself. The team which shows the best team spirit will reach the endpoint of this challenge first. Its members will be the first ones to get picked by the guides.’

  Everyone was so quiet that Justin could hear Brent’s quill scribbling. Nobody else was writing it down now. Their eyes were fixed at Glory. But, Justin knew that Brent was under the spell of Bro Code, taking down notes for his team as Justin was busy gawking at Glory.

  ‘The details about this challenge will be given to all the team leaders by their respective stream captain, Miss Helen Topaz. She is a Divine here at the Phrontistery, just like the other Stream Captains. And, you must remember that the first session will be held during the first week of August, which is a month from now. It might be the twenty-sixth of May today but consider that this year has started for you.’

  ‘When will we have to complete this task, that you call a challenge?’ Brent asked Glory.

  Justin’s eyes were so lost in gazing at her, that he didn’t even notice what Brent was asking.

  ‘It will be after the first session for sure.’ She answered Brent, but her eyes were at Justin. ‘Somewhere around the month of September. The second session will be held after that during the month of October and then there will be the final tests for all of you during the last week of November.’

  After that, she stopped talking. She kept staring at Justin. He kept gazing at her.

  ‘Justin?’ Brent called him. ‘Justin, everyone is staring at you!!’ he elbowed him.

  Justin blinked and looked around at everyone. He cleared his throat and looked away.

  ‘Are there any questions?’ Glory looked away from Justin. ‘Any doubts, maybe?’

  ‘Miss Glory?’ A tiny boy raised his voice. ‘What if we don’t complete the challenge first?’

  ‘It is said that they won’t fight for you.’ Glory got up from the circular stage and began to pace around the area that was surrounded by the novices sitting on stairs. ‘The guides! When a team wins, they dash ahead to pick the best ones. They want someone who is best at what they do to follow them. When a team wins, the team knows it because at least one member from that team gets picked right before they are about to complete the challenge. Every one of you will be picked while you are competing with yourself and by the time you are done, you will have your guides.’

  ‘But, what if we don’t get picked?’ Maria asked her.

  ‘It has never happened. Every descendant has been picked by a guide.’ Glory exhaled thinking deeply. ‘It might happen that they pick you and then, you don’t follow their teachings. That’s when they will disown you. They might abandon you as well.’ she gulped nervously.

  Justin sensed something. Fear? No, that wasn’t fear. His eyes scrunched slightly, trying to look deeper. What was she feeling? She was scared of something? No! It was someone.

  Who could be it? Who is Glory scared of?

  ‘Has anyone ever been abandoned by their guide?’ Justin asked her. He knew what he was doing. Glory was scared of someone who was abandoned by their guide. He wanted to know who was that person.

  ‘That is not important.’ she was trying to hide her fear, but Justin could see it right through her. His behavior of making people smile had turned into an ability to read emotions and feelings.

  ‘Glory?’ Brent raised his hand.

  Justin gritted his teeth and looked at him.

  ‘I’m sorry. Miss Glory,’ Brent corrected himself. ‘Who are these guides?’

  Glory took a deep relaxing breath and sat back on the tiny stage facing them. “The guides are the same beings you used to call gods on Earth. Ancient gods… they become the guides and pick the novices as their followers. They guide you in their own ways and help you reach the Source. They know the Source better than anyone because their origin was the Source.’

  ‘Gods?’ A girl with short black hair and a spectacle shook her head. ‘What sort of gods?’

  ‘All gods,’ Glory nodded thoughtfully. ‘Even deities! The first one who marks you with their sign gets you. After that, no other god can claim you whatsoever.’

  ‘And, can you tell us anything about the authorities?’ Brent asked her another question. ‘All we hear about them is that they never come to the Phrontistery and stay at Hellberk. I mean what if we have any issues that we want them to address?’

  ‘If you have any issues you can talk to us, Brent.’ She said it with a very straight face. ‘You will never have any issue so big or troubling that you will need to contact the authorities.’

  There was a creaking sound and Justin could tell that somebody had opened the door and entered the auditorium.

  ‘William.’ Glory stood up with a smile on her face. But, Justin could feel it wasn’t real.

  ‘Let’s not kick each other.’ Brent mumbled to him. ‘Switch!’

  Justin blinked several times and then turned his attention to Rover. Pathetic Rover! Bad Ro
ver! Useless Rover! He went on calling him names.

  ‘How’s it going, Perry?’ William walked ahead towards her as if he were walking on a ramp. He gave her a tight hug and looked around at everyone.

  ‘It’s going really well actually.’ Glory smiled at him.

  Why was he calling her Perry? Because her gemstone was Peridot?

  Justin sensed something.

  ANGER

  It was not coming from anyone else, but him only. He felt a surge of anger rushing through him and he looked down. Rover! Rover! He forced himself to think of Rover.

  ‘Mr. William?’ The girl with short hair and spectacles raised her hand.

  ‘Yes, dear?’ William smiled brightly at her.

  ‘It is a pleasure to meet you.’ she stood up and walked ahead to shake his hand. ‘I have heard so much about you. It is so amazing to see you finally.’

  ‘Oh, dear! Thank you.’ He gave her a hug and gestured to sit back on her place. ‘We will be meeting more often when you reach your fourth year. That’s when I start taking sessions.’

  ‘Mr. William, we were just talking about how the guides pick the novices.’ Maria informed him very politely. ‘Who is your guide?’

  William frowned at her. ‘What is your name again?’

  ‘Maria!’ She squealed joyfully.

  ‘Maria,’ he smiled at her. ‘You are not supposed to be asking that. Only my teammates know who my guide-’ he paused and gulped nervously. ‘I mean, who picked me when I arrived here. You know, it is the rule. You cannot reveal the name of your guide to others. Keep it within the team. It will benefit you a lot.’

  ‘Mr. William?’ Another girl raised tried to get his attention. The Prime Descendant was hot after all.

  ‘Enough for today’s introductory session.’ William gritted his teeth and gave her a fake smile.

  He was not behaving normally at all. His behavior was getting weirder day by day.

  ‘Perry?’ he looked at Glory. ‘I want you to begin with the second year’s introductory session. It is almost noon. Wrap it up, come on!’

  With that command, he stomped towards the door.

  ‘Yes, William.’ Glory mumbled as the door creaked and he left.

  She looked at Justin. He was still gazing at her.

  ‘You all can leave now.’ she ordered everyone. ‘Your team leaders will be informed about the upcoming events and procedures for everything. If you have any questions regarding your particular stream, then please contact your respective Stream Captains.’

  ∞∞∞

  ‘He’s hiding something.’ Justin told Brent as they walked past the CafeZone. ‘Till now, I thought it was just about Vanya. But, now I am sure that he is not what he looks like. He’s not the right man to be our Prime.’

  ‘Justin!’ Brent kept looking around as they hurried through the area. ‘Keep your voice down. I don’t anyone to hear us talking about him.’

  Who was William’s guide? Whatever reason he had given to that girl was good enough for him to escape the question. But, Justin could feel it in his gut that there was some other reason too. Why was he behaving so weird?

  ‘Do you think Ace is back yet?’ Brent asked Justin.

  They had crossed the cafe zone and were heading towards the hill. Justin was so angry right now. He could still see Glory’s face full of fear. Was she scared of William? He barely heard what Brent had asked him. He stopped walking. The two had just reached the edge of the rocky path that led up the hill and Justin kept staring at it.

  ‘Say something, you’re making me feel worried.’ Brent told Justin.

  ‘I think William was abandoned by his guide.’ Justin bit his lip.

  ‘Are you crazy?’ Brent climbed a few rocky stairs and waited for him. ‘I agree he is being unusual, but that doesn’t mean he is… he is… holy fudge!’ Brent sat down on the rocky stairs. ‘He is the one who was abandoned by his guide. That is why he said who picked him. He stopped in the middle of that sentence because he couldn’t tell Maria who his guide ‘is’ or ‘was’. So, he was picked, but then he got abandoned by his guide.’

  ‘Do you know what that means?’ Justin gulped looking around ‘Remember, what Hunter said? A true descendant’s identity is not in his or her gemstone. It is in their guide. A descendant who had no guide is not a descendant.’

  ‘So, he’s not even a descendant?’ Brent clutched his chest. ‘What are we going to do?? Why has nobody else figured this out yet?’

  ‘They know!’ Justin sat next to Brent and tried to calm him down. ‘The look on Glory’s face. You saw it, right? She knows it. And, I bet others know it too. We need to find out why they are letting him be the Prime even when he isn’t a descendant anymore.’

  ‘Do you think he is the Evil Eye, Hunter told us about?’ Brent was sweating with fear now.

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Justin began to rub the temples of his forehead. ‘But, he might be related to him. Write down all of it. We have to find out why they are letting him be the Prime! We have to meet Hunter! We have to ask him how he knows about the Pearl of our team! We have to meet Glory-’

  ‘Really?’ Brent, who had begun to note down everything Justin was saying, stopped everything to look at him. ‘You want to involve Glory here? She’s the Academic Head! This romantic route is not going to be rosy.’

  Justin hit him on the head. ‘Call her, Miss Glory! She’s my future wife and your Academic Head. Only I can call her Glory.’

  Justin heard something snap behind him. He turned around and saw that the saber was climbing down the rocky stairs and coming towards him. He kept growling softly at them. Brent flinched as he approached nearer. But, he just walked around them and stood on the path from which they had just arrived.

  ‘You knew it too, didn’t you?’ Justin asked the saber.

  The saber pawed closer to him and sat right in front of him with his big face close to his. His eyes were gleaming gold and wild.

  ‘He’s here so that means someone is with Vanya.” Brent looked up at the hilltop. ‘I can’t believe I was snoring when this beast sniffed me for the first time.’

  Justin rested his forehead on one of the bladed canines of the saber and just closed his eyes. He wasn’t ready for what happened today. William? William? Why him? He was the one person the team was ready to trust even though he had been lying to them. What if he was really abandoned by his guide? What if he was related to the Evil Eye? What were they going to do now

  ‘Source,’ Justin hugged the canine beast and just remained there and so did the saber. ‘Help me!’

  Brent laid back on the rocky stairs and kept staring at the saber. ‘It will.’

  Little did they know how madly the saber wanted to help Team 55.

  Chapter 6

  Victoria finds a base

  Has it ever happened that you are lost and looking for something, but you’re not able to find it no matter how hard you try to? And then, one day you just find it, even when you are not looking. It happens a lot. It happens with everyone. You get so tangled up with your life that you are not able to find any solution to any problem.

  Do you know what you should do?

  Just take a step back, sit quietly, relax and let life unfold in front of your eyes. When you look too hard for something, you are mentally yelling that you can’t see it and that becomes your truth. When you keep going on with your life, working with a positive perspective, you just don’t find what you are looking for. But you also find things that are even better than what you were looking for.

  That is how the Source works. It keeps providing you with what you believe you have in your possession already. If you believe that you deserve sorrow and pain, the Source will give you that. If you believe you deserve opportunities, the Source will shower you with that. The Source takes the form of whatever you believe in so that it can be the truth for you.

  That is why it has been said, ‘You are what you believe in.’

  Keeping that in mind, why don’t you
try to expand the realm of your mental and spiritual abilities? It might take some time, but it will happen. It always happens, right?

  29th July 2010

  At the Phrontistery of Bridging, every descendant is taught to use this amazing connection they have with the Source to enhance their physical, mental and spiritual abilities. No matter whichever ability it is, if you keep working on it, the Source will turn it into your truth. Just like it was turning Victoria’s base into a passage, without even letting her know it.

  It took Victoria and Kathy a month to be where they were today. At the moment, the two of them were inside the hill’s empty and hollow rocky base. Victoria had managed to move aside most of the rocks using telekinesis and her ability to control the wind. Some rocks were floating around in midair looking like balloons. They would collide gently with each other and then change their direction.

  Ace had visited the base just this morning and asked Kathy to fix some lamps and torches everywhere. The base looked more like a cave now. The two girls had managed to dig a passage from behind the hill, where nobody ever went. It was under the cliff behind Vanya’s cottage, at the foot of the hill.

  The passage that led to the base under the hill was big enough so that Victoria could flow out the rocks that would fit through it. She had just dropped a huge chunk of rock a little away from the entrance of the base and exhaled looking tired.

  It was dark now. The sky was bursting with thunder and she could tell that it was about to rain. Maybe they should head back up to Vanya’s cottage, thought Victoria.

  She turned around and walked inside the passage. The walls of the passage were raw and round, full of earthy smell. They were a mix of dirt and rocks. There were torches on both sides on the passage as Victoria walked in. The fire that was lighting up these torches wasn’t usual. They had a tinge of every color. Victoria wondered if those colors defined the fire’s owner’s mood. Some torches kept booming every now and then and she was sure that Ace had lit them. They were bold and commanding. Some torches just remained very calm and soothing, just like Justin’s nature and ability to put people at ease.