A year passed and some of the children who had reach thirteen years of age now had to make the decision - either to stay on in the School of Paradeisos or to attend the School of the Beast.
“You are NOT my father”, Mertle told Eagle, clearly making her decision. “Therefore, you have no control over my life and decision. Which of you is coming with me?”
Johnson opt to follow Mertle to the School of the Beast while Nathan decided to continue staying behind as an eagle rider.
“Mertle, please think this through”, Tomi wept and the look on her face clearly begging her daughter to reconsider her choice.
“Sorry, mom, I have made my choice. Today is the day I am free and independent. I will do as I please. How about you, Birdy, who will you follow?” Mertle look into the green eyes of her best friend with her very own green eyes sneering as if to say, “Make the wrong move and that’s the end of our friendship”.
Birdy hesitated for a moment. She looked into the ocean blue eyes of her mother who seems to be begging her to make the right decision before turning to look at Eagle who had his left arm around a weeping Tomi and then turned on more time to look at her step father, Lawrence who said nothing but placed his hand on Mads who would not stop begging with her facial expression. “I will go with Mertle and Johnson, sorry mom and dad. I am tired of moving place to place and it’s time for me to decide my own destiny”.
That was the last time the three children were ever seen for a while. They decided to live a life of their own as they followed Jake, Bart, Edward, Adrian, Mis Strong, and many others out of the School of Paradeisos. The people who left consist mainly of these who were friends with Jake.
“How did this happen?” Eagle asked after the children who decided to leave did.
“Everybody has a choice to make and by thirteen years of age, that is when choices are made. This is not the first time, it has happened. It also looks like Jake has planning all along. He has been planning to cause this division before your wedding it seems”.
Confirming Norman’s words, Tomi spoke up, “Now I understand why Mertle has begun distancing herself from Eagle and myself for the past three months before her 13th birthday preferring to stay over at Edward’s house most of the time. She had been taking Birdy along with her. Please forgive me, Eagle, Mads, and Lawrence”.
“It’s not your fault. Everybody has got to make their decision sometime on another. Eagle, Lawrence, and myself have already thought Birdy the best we could. All we can hope and believe for is the best”, Mads got out of her seat beside Lawrence and walked towards Tomi, hugging her best friend who was sobbing. “I thought our children who become Eagle riders having been spared our pain but it seems like it is they take after us both the good and bad”. Turning towards Mads while still embracing Tomi, she continued, “And Birdy takes after you too I haven’t forgotten”. Punching Eagle in the knee while laughing, Mads certainly knew how to light up a room even during the saddest of times which shows as everybody laugh along before she took her rightful place beside Lawerence.
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“Both Lawrence and Mads are going back to the north tomorrow. They are here for a visit today. While half the eagle rider’s are gone, thankfully these small children twelve and under have remained”. Norman spoke up the moment the class quoted down. “Today, I will let you in on a secret of your Eagle’s. An Eagle is not only as strong as its rider but is also only as noble. In other words, an Eagle cannot get more noble than its rider is. Besides, your eagle will not live as long as you as when the time comes for battle, your eagle would most likely be targeted first as he or she depending on the gender of your eagle will protect you the best it can. I know this is hard to hear for some of you are close to your birds. While, I had advised you Eagle riders to care for your eagles, this possess includes feeling like a parent letting go of their children”. Norman explained to the whole class. “I have been an eagle rider for nine years now and my neon blue eagle has surprisingly lived this long. She must be really strong. Among these with the most powerful eagles include Lawrence, Mads, Tomi, and especially you, Eagle. Your bright green eagle is the strongest out of all”.
While everyone was clapping this hands, Eagle remembered Jake making fun of him back in high school not once but several times. “You are the weakest link, Eagle. Our team is only as strong as its weakest link and I accept no weakness. You screw up the game for the rest of us and I will kill you myself”. This happened when Jake and his new friends played soccer for fun and called Eagle to come along to fill in the void as nobody was available at that time. This same incident repeated itself a month while Eagle was riding his bright green eagle only for Jake’s red eagle to easily catch up. “Still as weak as ever aren’t you. You have got everything from me. I even had Tomi before you”. Eagle at that time knew something was up but he did not catch on at that time but he did notice Jake slowly slipping back into his old ways. Although they did not get in a physical fight, his former bully was using his mouth a lot more to put him down which started the same time his red head step daughter, Mertle distance herself from him and Tomi.
“Hey, Eagle. You are drifting back to the past. Let it go. That is no longer you. Focus on what is happening now”. Norman called out.