Again they ran, all 3 of them. They made it just in time, Anastasia was about to close the door to the log cabin when they arrived.
"Are you listed in the club activities, too?" she asked Margarette when she noticed the new comer.
"I am here to observe," said Mar, "I am 1st Lieutenant Margarette Gunnar from the Military Department."
"I'm not sure..." Anastasia began to say, but Mar had already entered the room.
She looked back at the girl by the doorway. "There is no need to worry. I will be as inconspicuous as I can. You would hardly notice I am here," she said as she sat at the back of the room with her legs crossed. The rest of the class looked at her, murmuring, some of the students who came from the military division even saluted to the young lieutenant who saluted back in her seat.
"It's okay, Anastasia, it's about time we begin," Josiah called from the front. "Now, please follow me to the back room."
Anastasia approached them and handed each student a box of materials.
"Has everyone received a kit?" Josiah calls from the front.
He then proceeded to show the class how to remove the film from the camera, how to wind it into the real, and how to develop the film.
"I bet I can do that in 2 minutes flat." Margarette was suddenly beside Dorin and Seb as they were working on their films.
[You said we wouldn't know you were here?] wrote Seb sarcastically.
"I was bored. I can disassemble a rifle and put it back together in 20 seconds." Mar bragged, "I bet I can remove that film in 2 minutes or less."
"Riffle? Is that a kind of camera?" Asked Dorin, his hands moving inside the black developing bag.
His friends stared at him.
[It's a gun.] wrote Seb who had just finished his photo reel.
"A gun?" the other asked again.
"It is a long cylindrical weapon made of steel used in the military and in law enforcement." said Mar.
"Oh, it's a kind of staff then?" Dorin nodded knowingly. "My mother used to teach us fighting but I've never seen one that could be disassembled before... is it another kind of modern contraption?"
"Well, in a way... it's a staff that makes use of black powder to launch metal slugs into distant targets..." Mar tried to explain.
[Just give him a book about it.] wrote Seb, [Or better yet, take him to the firing range sometime.]
"Brilliant idea!" Mar hit her fist on the palm of her hand just as Anastasia came up from behind her.
"Umm... have you guys got the hang of it?" she asked the small group. "Josiah would like to continue the lecture..."
The three looked at the speaker in front of the room. He was glaring at them. "Oh, sorry," Dorin apologized standing up. He bowed slightly and said "Please excuse us for the delay, sir. We are ready to move on with the lecture."
Josiah seemed to be taken a back with his speech.
"Yes..." he said after a pause, "So, to continue, I now want you to take your film rolls and wind them in the reel as you just practiced..."
"I'll go back to the back of the room..." Mar whispered as she slipped away.
[Stay seated this time.] Margarette glared at Seb.
Josiah called their attention again after the class finished developing their film.
"This is the end of our lesson for today." he called from the front. "Tomorrow at 8 am sharp we will proceed to print our negatives in sensitized paper. You can leave as soon as your negatives dry," he added, "Choose 4 pictures for printing tomorrow..."
"Also, as part of our exercise in shutter speed, we have a small assignment for you..." Anastasia said smiling, "Tonight, we want you to take pictures in the dark. There will be a full moon tonight, so go ahead and be creative. You can take pictures of the night sky, the busy night market, the highway, anything that shows light and darkness..."
"We will also be developing that tomorrow with your first roll," said Josiah, "You can experiment all you want, just make sure you develop the film before you come to class and choose the negatives for printing."
"So we can leave as soon as they dry..." mumbled Dorin.
"Do we really need to wait two hours?" Mar asked.
"No time..." said Dorin, "You still have to take me to the shooting ranges..."
[We need to get them dried first. Taking them out while wet might get them dusty. Dirt or dust will show on the final photos.]
"All we need is to get them dry, right?"
Seb was still writing when he felt a warm breeze pass through the film hanging on top of their table. [You! No indiscriminate use of magic!] he wrote, but it was too late.
Dorin was already inspecting the rolls which seem to have dried up in no time. He looked around to see if there was anyone who noticed the small act of magic done by his companion, but everyone else were too busy with their own work.
"There, now we can leave..." Dorin said with a grin.
"Wait a minute," Mar piped in, "You want to go to the firing range now?"
"Why yes, I would like to see this rifle you mentioned, perhaps we can have a duel if there's enough time." said Dorin. “I still have kitchen duty.”
"Kitchen duty?" asked Mar, confused.
“He had an accident in the kitchen this morning, now he has kitchen duty.” wrote Seb. He has also cut his film and was placing the last strip in the sleeves.
"Well, there's a firing range near by..." she thought for a while, wrinkling her brows, "we can go there if you like..."