Winter smiled goofily noting the way the other teams were eyeing them, "How does this work?" Leo began explaining, "We have to scour the battlefield and try to obtain as many flags as we can manage. We must also defend our own flag. At the end, the team with the most flags wins." M.J. added, "Other than that, there are no rules. You use any means necessary to protect your flag. And do anything you can to steal the flags of others." Winter twisted her ring, "The swords and daggers?" They nodded, "There are healers surrounding the battlefield. If anyone gets injured, they are tended to immediately." "I don't like the sound of that," Winter swallowed, "Has anyone ever died during the mock wars?" They looked at each other, "One person did. Or at least that's what we're told." M.J. rubbed at his nose, "It's probably just a lie to keep us on our toes." Leo imitated Cornell, "Take this seriously." M.J. chuckled, but Winter could tell part of them took the wars very serious. The mock wars aimed to gauge student's strengths and weaknesses by seeing how well they fared against each other. It was a battle of pride. Winning meant you were untouchable. Everyone wanted to be untouchable.
The teams were assigned a station. Winter walked alongside M.J. and Leo to theirs. Every team had a flag matching the color of their armbands. Winter ran her hand along the cloth of their flag, "White and no design. They weren't very creative." M.J. whispered, "They gave us white because they deemed us the weakest team." Leo scoffed, "White as in the symbol for surrender." M.J. narrowed his eyes towards the other teams, "They decided we're easy pickings. Most of them will come for us first." Winter crossed her arms, "Let them come." Leo smiled, "Are we still proving them right?" Winter tilted her head up, "Weakness will be our greatest strength." M.J. grinned deviously, "We at least want to have fun doing it." Winter laughed, "Do whatever you want with your illusions. As long as no one catches on." Winter turned to Leo, "You, on the other hand, are needed elsewhere." His posture straightened and she went on, "I would like it if you used your powers to prod around in the heads of the teachers." She gestured her hand, "There is a stage full of administrators inside that room." Leo shook his head, "Not anymore. They all relocated to watch the war." Winter tied her hair into a high ponytail, "Do you know where they went?" Leo nodded, "But my guess is, I'll find more information on the field than off." She wondered what he meant but lifted her chin, "Do whatever you think is best then." Winter stretched her legs. She was going to pretend to be on the offensive, a flag thief. Her real mission though, was to uncover the true nature of the war. She had to feel out the goal of the person in charge to get a better read on them, figure out how they think.
From the intercom a disguised voice called out, "Teams at the ready. The mock war begins now!" At that command, the world around Winter lurched into anarchy. Winter sprinted to a lone corner of the battlefield to watch. Team against team. Tensions ran high. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Objects flew. The ground shook. People were levitated. A fire grew in the distance. Someone shouted at every turn.
Winter observed as a girl snuck behind a short boy and slashed his calves. He fell to his knees as the girl reached for the forest green flag. Before she could grab it, the bones in her fingers made a crunching sound as a telekinetic clenched his fist not far off. With a flick of his wrist, the flag floated to him. His goal achieved, the telekinetic moved on to the next team. Healers rushed out from the shadows to fix the girl's hand and the boy's slashed calf. Scenes like this occurred throughout the battlefield. It was pandemonium. Winter stalked around, somehow managing to avoid confrontation. She was headed toward the purple flag that matched Jax's armband when she heard a noise behind her. The second she turned around, the hand that was outstretched towards her neck burst into flames. Winter glanced at her hands. These flames were not hers. She noticed a figure behind her attacker. His eyes glinted in the firelight before he melted into the shadows casted by the sun. Winter clenched her fist and the flames went out.
She moved forward to find another vantage point to observe Jax's team. She watched as Lucas went off to gather more flags while Sam and Jax manned the station begrudgingly. Winter approached them at full speed. Instantaneously, red and blue flames erupted from the ground, forming a ring that surrounded the flag. Winter placed her hands on her hips, studying the fire. She was glad they were working together, but she found herself more absorbed by the flames. They meshed together and produced a radiant purple fire. Jax flexed his hand and the flames dimmed, "What are you doing Winter?" Winter paused for a moment and glanced at their bracelets again. Sam's was red. Jax's was blue. The color of their bracelet matched the color of their flames. Winter stared at hers. She had to be sure, so she stepped mindlessly towards the flag. "Winter?" She took another step forward and another. One more step and the flag would be within reach. The flames ignited again. First red, then blue. The fire danced, uniting into that brilliant purple. She did not flinch away. Winter placed her hand into the fire, somehow knowing she would not get burned. Winter heard someone shout. Her bracelet disappeared. She pulled her hand out again, realizing that it had not disappeared, but was camouflaged. The colors were identical. Winter said, "Put it out." Jax clenched his fist and the fire dissipated. Her eyes focused on the flag. She rose her bracelet up to it. They were matching too. She stared into the soot that was left behind. The words echoed in her mind, "They're watching."