Testing The Waters Novels & Stories

I hope that this is still the first day. A soft breeze blew, almost pulling me into the forest. This must be part of the test. Against my better judgment I sprinted straight ahead hopping over roots and dodging fallen branches until I heard the sound of rushing water. I slowed down to a walk as I neared the river.. There’s not one demon in sight… I wonder why? They usually love to attack anything that is not like them. After fifteen minutes, I reached the fast moving river. “How do I cross this? I guess I could use Aqua. Or a vine to lift me over but I get the feeling that it’s not that simple.” What’s the point in this test?

Pontus, I needed to connect to him. I focused on the water running under my feet, hidden deep in the earth. I closed my eyes and focused on the crash of waves outside the cabin. The mist that sprayed my face whenever I stepped to the edge with the vast sea under foot, the hidden veins of the world untouched by man. “Nei tok lo sin kipa.” I stretched my arms wide, flinging my power like water droplets from my hand. My power dropped through the ground, and I felt the water bubble up to meet me. Water flowed around my ankles, my knees, and I felt it rise higher. I pictured a shield over the entire pack land, and impenetrability shield that would allow us to move freely, but would repel humans.

They test the boundary the way predators test fences. Not with force. Not with noise. With pressure applied just below the threshold that would demand retaliation. A patrol wanders a little too far past an agreed line, just far enough to be noticed and dismissed if someone wants to pretend it was accidental. A resource transfer gets delayed without explanation, paperwork looping itself into polite confusion that no one technically owns. A liaison “misunderstands” a clause that’s been clarified twice already, feigning ignorance with practiced ease and an apologetic tone.

That Wednesday morning started with a challenge I didn't expect. Before I even left for the office, the blue screen had shimmered into life over my vanity. [ NEW TASK: PRECISION UNDER PRESSURE ] Precision over pressure? What does that mean this time? The system had been offering the weirdest of tasks these days. [OBJECTIVE: CATCH 50 DROPS OF WATER FROM A LEAKY FAUCET WITHOUT LETTING A SINGLE ONE TOUCH THE BASIN.] Did I say weird tasks, make that cruel task.

I couldn’t just stand there, so I turned on the shower and stepped in, hoping the water would wash away the nerves. I sang to distract myself—old songs, random lyrics—anything to keep me from counting the minutes. But even the music couldn’t drown out the pulse of fear beneath my skin. When I finally stepped out, wrapped in a towel, steam fogged the mirror. My fingers were shaking as I wiped it clear. “Alright,” I whispered to myself. “Moment of truth, Savannah.” I leaned closer. My eyes searched the little window on the test strip. One line. Just one.

she said. "Water-based sensing," I said. "I've been using it in field operations for eight years." She made a note on her clipboard without commenting further. From somewhere to my left, Lilian's voice came in light and carrying. "Common knowledge," she said, to no one specifically. "Any competent wolf reads drainage before a course run. There's nothing remarkable about hitting the basics." I didn't look at her. I looked at the assessor and waited. "Next round in twenty minutes," the assessor said. "Be ready."

On something real. The whisper faltered. Weakened. Then— Faded. Silence returned. Aria sagged slightly, her breathing uneven. “What… was that?” she asked. Kael released her slowly, though he didn’t step far. “That,” he said, “was something testing you.” Her chest tightened. “Testing me for what?” Kael’s expression darkened. “To see if you’d answer.” Aria swallowed. “And if I did?” A pause. “Then it would know how to reach you again.”

His face went white. “This is not real,” he said, voice shaking. “This is a test. This is not happening in my house.” He dug into his coat, pulled out the small plastic bottle of holy water he carried everywhere, and started spraying it in wild arcs toward the couch. Water hit my shoulder, Jenny’s bare thigh, the cushions. “Out. Unclean spirits. This is not real. Lord protect this home.” My stomach dropped. Part of me wanted to pull out and run. My heart was slamming so hard I could barely breathe.

Others couldn’t remember if they had consumed or gotten wet from the waters at all. Unfortunately, these varying stories didn’t make much of a difference. My suspicion couldn’t be proven by mere conversation alone. If I wanted to know more, I had to test the water sample. It was just a matter of how. Wild Crawler’s clinic didn’t have much in the way of advanced devices. If I had been in Anemond, I could do it with little to no difficulty, but here… I would need to find other ways. ***

I responds. I arrive home before River and Jessica, so I decide to play a prank on River. Surprisingly, her bedroom door is unlocked. Since my little brother has a pet gerbil, I take it out of its cage and place it in River's bed, covering it up. This should teach her a lesson. I return to my room and start studying for our biology test tomorrow. I wait for River to come home and get ready for bed. She thinks she's special because Brody likes her, but I need to remind her that she's still just the water girl.