***
Rick and Diana walked with us to the blackened abyss that they called a forest. The stories I’d heard didn’t do it justice. The darkness seemed to be a living, breathing, pulsing existence all its own. The permeating terror of pitch-black jungle and ravenous unseen predators collided with my empathic sense.
I understood why we retreated form the dojo, and I even understood some of Rick’s logic. What I didn’t understand, was how he expected this time in the jungle to give me the ability to deal with Julia. He spoke to me like he was preparing to impart some grand power to me, yet all we were doing, was survival training.
For a girl who grew up with rovers in her everyday life, this seems kind of ridiculous. Ridiculous, because I felt like there had to be a better use of my time.
“P
