《The Top Six》 #1 Kirosh Trivar
11:01pm, Thursday, 3118
I stare at the blinking mail icon on my HOL.
IMPORTANT NOTICE from Ralph Menshik, Akademy Director.¡±
I¡¯ve been waiting for three days for this to arrive, mentally preparing to open the notice and read the message inside. But now that it¡¯s actually here¡­ I can¡¯t. My future is in that letter. When I tap the blinking light, everything I know will change, but for better or worse, I have to open it. But what if¡­ I take a deep breath to calm myself. Crack my knuckles. OK, let¡¯s do this. I reach out my hand but everything seems to slow down around me. Hands frozen. No, shaking¡ªI clench them into tight fists. I can do this. Ringing ears in the silence¡ªlouder than anything I can remember. I can do this. Stomach churning¡ªI can feel every bit of my breakfast doing cartwheels over and over. I can do this. Heart racing. Faster. And faster. And faster. I¡­ I-I can¡¯t. I grab my HOL from its charger and race out of my room. ¡°Nathan, Nathan!¡± I pound on the door right across from mine. ¡°Nathan, let me in.¡± ¡°¡­Wha¡ªwhoa.¡± Nathan recoiled to avoid being smacked in the nose as my hand came down to pound on the door again. ¡°It came.¡± I blurt out waving my HOL in his face. Nathan¡¯s head jerked upward. He looked around at the people milling about in the hall before motioning for me to come in. ¡°Well?¡± He asked once the door slid shut. ¡°What did it say?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t opened it yet?¡± he raised an eyebrow at me. I shook my head in tight movements. ¡°It just came in.¡± Nathan took a deep breath and sat in his chair. He exhaled slowly. His hands opening and closing on his knees. ¡°Open it.¡± I stare at it in my hands, the world slowing down again. I try to swallow, but my mouth is as dry as the Zuashai dessert. ¡°Before I die would be nice, Kirosh.¡± Nathan jumps up and starts to pace. ¡°Like right now, would be nice.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± I put the HOL on the table and reach to punch the blinking button. ¡°Wait.¡± Nathan rushes forward. ¡°Um¡­¡± I look at him quizzically. ¡°What?¡± Nathan lets out a low noise halfway between a grunt and a sigh. ¡°No, nothing. Hurry up and open it.¡± Weird. ¡°One.¡± Nathan started. My mind is pulled back to the task at hand and I realize that my hands are sweating like two leaky faucets. I run them down the sides of my slick Akademy pants, which doesn¡¯t help. ¡°Two.¡± I can feel my pounding heart in my ears again¡­ ¡°Three.¡± Oh, close enough! My hand darts out as if it¡¯s unconnected to my body and jabs the mail icon on my HOL. The notification fades into a three dimensional letter. I can feel Nathan¡¯s breath over my shoulder as I start to read.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Dear Mr. Kirosh¡­¡±
I tried to focus my eyes on the page, but the words just blur together. I shake my head and try again.
Dear Mr. Kirosh¡­invitation to join the Top Six Training Program.
My leather pants squeak as I collapse into Nathan¡¯s chair. I did it? I run my hands through my hair as Nathan snatches the HOL. I¡¯ve been accepted? ¡°Dear Mr. Kirosh,¡± Nathan¡¯s voice fills the room. ¡°I would like to extend an invitation to join the Youngling Tournament Top Six Training Program¡ª¡± Uncontrollable laughter floods over me. I¡¯ve been accepted. ¡°¡ªBased on your performance in the tournament, we at the Akademy are confident in your potential, and feel that you would benefit from the two year training program offered only to a select few. By extending this invitation to you, we believe that you have much to contribute to the intellectual vitality and diversity which characterizes Qui¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Whoohooo.¡± I jump up excitedly. ¡°Good job Nathan. We did it. We actually did it!¡± I grab Nathan and shake him. ¡°Um¡­Kirosh¡­¡± ¡°Man, this is going to be so awesome¡ª¡± ¡°Kirosh¡­¡± ¡°¡ªWe are going to be on the road for the next four years seeing every part of Qui. Isn¡¯t that going to be just grea¡ª¡± ¡°Kirosh!¡± Nathan¡¯s sharp tone finally gets my attention. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You are the one that made it¡­not me.¡± I blink at him for a moment. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Look for yourself.¡± Nathan hands me the HOL. ¡°I didn¡¯t make it.¡± I grab the HOL from him confused and skim the letter.
¡°Dear. Mr. Kirosh¡­
¡°bla bla bla¡­¡± I skim the formalities.
As you know, this honor is only extended to a select few. As such, we have also invited the following five competitors: Roshcar Nishk, Garett Mirav, Tash Kitra, Dryden Ekbur, and¡­¡±
¡­and Arina Haron. A lump rose in my throat as reality came crashing down around me. I¡¯ve been accepted, but so has Arina. Arina. Not Nathan¡­ I read the line again as if the name would change the second time through. It didn¡¯t. Instead, it feels like those simple little letters are laughing at me, mocking me as they twist and curl into the name of the one person I was hoping would never make the team. What? My mind was in a jumble. I could feel something ugly stir in the bottom of my stomach, and a sour taste crawl up the back of my throat. ¡°This must be wrong¡­¡± If the letters have been sent out, that means the scores are on the Akademy website. I quickly pull up the Akademy icon on my HOL and scroll until I get to the tournament results. It¡¯s a quick read:
Place Score/500 Name
1st 499/500 Kirosh Trivar
2nd 495/500 Garett Kitra.
3rd 494/500 Roshcar Nishk
4th 487/500 Tash Mirav
5th 480/500 Dryden Ekbur
6th 478/500 Arina Haron
7th 476/500 Nathan Shax
¡°This is for the best.¡± Nathan¡¯s voice dimly reaches me. ¡°Why are you in seventh place?¡± I ask softly. ¡°We¡¯ve been first and second place on all the tests for the past three years. Why are you in seventh?¡± I ask accusingly, I can hear my voice rising an octave. He just purses his lips. ¡°¡­This is for the best.¡± I stare at him. ¡°What? I ask angrily. ¡°How¡­? How is this for the best? We are supposed to be doing this together, remember?¡± ¡°Yeh, but I never wanted to be a Jackal.¡± Nathan suddenly bursts out. ¡°That was all your idea. I want to be in the Arts Sector. I don¡¯t need to get into the Top Six for that.¡± ¡°Nathan¡ª¡± ¡°Kirosh,¡± Nathan cut me off. ¡°It¡¯s better this way. Now we both get what we want¡­¡± Nathan held my stare, but there is something in his eyes. There is something wrong. And it bugs me. ¡°¡­Trust me, this is for the best.¡± He continued. I stare at him intently for several moments. ¡°¡­Is there something you¡¯re not telling me?¡± Nathan rolled his eyes. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± I narrow my eyes slightly. ¡°Natha¡ª¡± Suddenly a loud noise fills the room. Nathan fishes his HOL out of his pocket and looks at it for a moment. ¡°Um, hey. I need to go. There is a meeting for competitors placed 7th to 20th to choose which Sector to intern with. I-I¡¯ll catch you later.¡± Nathan avoided my eyes as he stuffed his HOL back into his pocket and shuffles to the door. He pauses there for a moment, but then shakes his head and leaves. The door gently suctions behind him leaving me once again in the ringing silence.
Please rate and review if you liked this chapter! I would love to hear your comments on how to make this chapter better. Thanks :) #2 General Shaw The creaking noise of the wooden door opening made General Shaw look up from the papers spread out on his antique wooden desk. A small child decked out in a blindingly white uniform slipped into the room through the smallest possible gap. She swallowed hard as she found General Shaw watching her. She turned and gently closed the door behind her. The floor manager had been very specific to tell her that this door was very special to the General and should not at any cost be damaged. General Shaw snorted and rolled his eyes as he watched his young assistant try to close the door as if it were made from delicate Zuashi glass instead of sturdy ancient mahogany. The sun streaming through the side window made the girl glow like a light bulb. Why does the national color of Qui have to be white? Couldn¡¯t the founders have come up with something less abrasive? ¡°What is it?¡± General Shaw barked, his eyes watered slightly from the glare, but he forced himself to not look away. He was not that weak. ¡°U-um, excuse me, sir, um,¡± the young assistant bobbed a small bow before stepping forward with halting steps. ¡°Um, Gary Hartfield, um, is, um, here to, um, see you, sir.¡± ¡°Good.¡± General Shaw grunted. He pushed a button and a video of a man milling in the lobby appeared on his desk. He watched the man slowly look about the room. The man seemed at ease, strolling from one window to the next as if he were looking at art in a gallery. The assistant shifted from one foot to another. General Shaw caught the movement and fought the urge to frown. The assistants the Government Sector assigned to him were becoming younger and younger as the years passed. As a result, they lacked patience; they lacked manners; and they always complained. They let just about anyone intern in the Government Sector these days. General Shaw snorted to himself. ¡°Send him in.¡± General Shaw gave a perfunctory wave of dismissal. The assistant bobbed another small bow and left hastily. Slowing to carefully open the door just enough to slip out. A few moments later, a tall, slim man in his mid-40s entered the room with graceful long steps. Small hands closed the door silently behind him. ¡°Ah, Gary.¡± General Shaw kept his voice light, as if surprised to see the man. ¡°What do you have for me today?¡± Gary bowed slightly, but his piercing blue eyes looked up at General Shaw. ¡°Very important things, as always.¡± Gary¡¯s voice was soft, just barely above a whisper. Yet it carried across the room easily. ¡°I will be the judge of that, as always.¡± General Shaw said unamused. ¡°Of course, as always, you will be the judge of what is important.¡± Gary bowed a little deeper, his suit pulling tight across his back allowing General Shaw to see just how gaunt the man really was under the layers before he straightened and sat across from General Shaw. General Shaw clenched his jaw as he watched Gary. He did not like fake humbleness. He did not like flattery. In fact, he didn¡¯t like Gary, but the man was useful. And it was far more beneficial to employ Gary than to have him be recruited by either of the other two nations of Qui. Gary took out his HOL from the inside pocket of his jacket and placed it on the desk. His hand hovered over the small device as he looked around the room. ¡°Could you darken the room please?¡± General Shaw didn¡¯t answer, but he pushed a button and the shades began to lower. Once they were all the way down, Gary pushed something on his HOL and six photos were projected across the desk: two girls and four boys. ¡°Please tell me I get to choose my own assistant this year.¡± General Shaw said dryly. Gary gave a quick smile that more resembled a rubber band quickly being stretched than an actual smile. ¡°These are Akademy¡¯s Top Six Younglings this year.¡± Gary said softly. ¡°They will be starting their Government Sector training within the week. Most of them are from Gavi Quintar this year, and three, perhaps four, could possibly challenge you for General of Gavi Quintar in the future.¡± General Shaw narrowed his eyes, his fingers tapping his desk lightly. He did not like competition. ¡°Continue.¡± ¡°The first girl on the far right is Hyanna Haron. She is formerly of the Punishment Collar, or PC bracket as it is called these days.¡± ¡°How did she get into the Akademy?¡± ¡°She was sponsored by President Kushman, who is close friends with her adopted father, Wik Haron.¡± ¡°So she is representing Yamara in the Top Six.¡± General Shaw nodded his head in thought. ¡°Yes and no.¡± Gary hesitated. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hyanna was born in Gavi Quintar to two PC bracket parents. She grew up in the PC bracket of Gavi Quintar, so her citizenship is technically Gavi Quintar. Since her adoption, her records have temporarily been moved to Yamara. However¡ª¡± ¡°However, since she was born in Gavi Quintar, once her Qui Duty is activated and becomes a full Qui citizen, she will belong to Gavi Quintar again. And with Government Sector training, she could potentially be a candidate for General in the future.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± A crow. That¡¯s what Gary reminded General Shaw of as he sat there in the chair across the desk. His blue piercing eyes watching intelligently in a cold, detached manner. And they always seemed to capture everything. ¡°What I¡¯m more interested,¡± General Shaw looked steadily at Gary. ¡°Is how she was adopted by a man from the Elite bracket.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unusual.¡± Gary shrugged, two thin bones protruding up for just a moment. ¡°Even I have adopted two PC bracket children.¡± ¡°As have I,¡± General Shaw nodded. Gary¡¯s eyebrow twitched slightly. General Shaw shrugged. ¡°Found him in a community home just after his release from the Playground Islands. He was a bright kid, but I sent him back after a week though. Not my thing to raise a child.¡± General Shaw wrinkled his nose in distaste for a moment, but then he leaned forward in dead seriousness. ¡°But you see, I found him in the Playground Islands, but I waited to see if he would survive them before I made the adoption. But I found him. Not some rich man from our Elite Bracket. So how does another PC child get adopted by a wealthy man from Yamara¡¯s Elite Bracket?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°You are most wise in your evaluation of the situation.¡± Gary tilted his head in another bow, but his eyes hinted at a hidden amount of glee. ¡°May I?¡± General Shaw sat back in his chair and gave a small wave for Gary to continue. Gary tapped the picture of the girl, Hyanna. The six photos disappeared, replaced by three documents: an adoption agreement, and two death certificates. ¡°If you look at the dates, the death of her parents and Hyanna¡¯s adoption are only a week apart. As you are aware, I am sure, adoptions are never that fast. Unless¡­¡± Gary let the sentence hang in the air. His eyes never leaving General Shaw¡¯s block-like face. The General was a short, stocky man with hair so blond that it almost looked white. Gary cocked his head to one side as General Shaw narrowed his eyes in thought, his fingers drumming a slow beat on his desk. One¡­ Two¡­ The small man never slouched in his chair. He leaned back, yes. But he never slouched. And he stared at Gary second for second as if the General was daring the him to look away first. One¡­ Two¡­ The noise was like that of a slow moving clock. The noise giving away just how disturbed the General was beneath his calm demeanor. One¡­ Two¡­ One. ¡°Unless¡­¡± General Shaw started but trailed off when he saw Gary¡¯s eyebrow twitch. Gary only twitched his eyebrow when something was interesting to him. General Shaw let out a short bull-like snort. ¡°There¡¯s no way. General Kushman wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to try that.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gary asked, the bones of his back popping slightly as he elongated his neck to lean forward. ¡°It¡¯s the only logical explanation as to how she went from a PC orphan to the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in all of Qui. And if she is from the Playground, that means¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me what it means.¡± General Shaw snapped. ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Gary bobbed his head and retreated back into his seat, but his eyes never left the general. They never even blinked. General Shaw opened his mouth then closed it. Then opened it again. ¡°Get me more information on her. I don¡¯t care what you do to get it.¡± Gary smiled a wide, toothy grin. He enjoyed his visits with the General. They were always so satisfying. He pushed a button and the six photos returned. ¡°Next to Hyanna is the second girl, Tash Mirav. She is from Mara and came to the Akademy on scholarship.¡± ¡°Is she a threat?¡± Gary hesitated. ¡°Yes and no.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°The boy next to Tash is Garett Dovik. He is Tash¡¯s cousin in the Akademy records, but DNA samples have confirmed that they are not actually related.¡± General Shaw shrugged. ¡°So one of them was adopted.¡± ¡°No. There are no records of Garett¡¯s family, and there are no records of Tash¡¯s family ever adopting.¡± General Shaw tapped his finger on his lips again. ¡°How does this affect the girl?¡± ¡°Garett never does anything without her.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question. Is the girl a threat or not?¡± ¡°¡­No, but she will be a useful leverage point.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Tash¡¯s Qui Duty is tied to the Mistress House of Hanra.¡± General Shaw¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°The Akademy let in a Mistress-in-training? That is rare.¡± Gary nodded. ¡°And if my sources are correct, it was all because of her cousin, Garett.¡± ¡°If they are correct? I don¡¯t pay you for¡ª¡± ¡°They are correct. Forgive my thoughtless words.¡± General Shaw narrowed his eyes. ¡°And if I may be so bold,¡± Gary continued. ¡°I think Garett would make a good asset to your leadership.¡± General Shaw raised an eyebrow, unamused. ¡°Garett joined the Akademy four years ago, and within that short time span, he has been able to join all the brackets together under Rena Mabawala.¡± ¡°He has a nose for politics.¡± General Shaw mused. ¡°That makes him a threat, not an asset.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to mold him into something useful rather than remove him? Someone with that sense of people is worth having, don¡¯t you think?¡± General Shaw pursed his lips into a thin white line. ¡°I need more information on him than just he is good with people. I want to see his Government Sector Exam scores, I want to know his exact relationship with this Tash, and I want to know if his family will be a problem in the future.¡± Gary opened his mouth to answer. ¡°And don¡¯t give me excuses about how you can¡¯t find his family.¡± General Shaw cut in before Gary could take a breath. ¡°I pay you for knowledge, not for excuses.¡± Gary¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded anyway. ¡°Very good, sir. And if he makes top marks on the Government Sector Exam?¡± ¡°If he makes top marks on the GSE and if everything else lines up, then I will consider him. I want to make sure the Government Sector of Gavi Quintar has standards for who becomes its top officials¡­Standards have been lagging of late.¡± ¡°So it seems.¡± Gary agreed, his eyes pinning General Shaw for a moment. ¡°The next three are Younglings from the other nations.¡± The six pictures returned with a swift flick of Gary¡¯s finger. General Shaw shifted in his chair. ¡°Anything about them that is useful?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Gary¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°The boy next to Garett is named Kirosh Trivar. Kirosh is particularly interesting because¡­¡± Gary tapped the photo of Kirosh and it expanded to include a second photo. ¡°Of this this boy right here: Nathan Shax.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Nathan Shax is a Gavi Quintar citizen while Kirosh Trivar is from Zuashi.¡± ¡°Lovely.¡± General Shaw said dryly. ¡°How does this affect me?¡± ¡°Over the four years they have been at the Akademy, these two boys have each had seven fingerprint glitches, four failed physical exams, and two malfunctioned bone density growth chart recordings. Usually a Youngling will have one wrong recording in only one area, and even that¡¯s pushing it. But to have the amount of malfunctions they do is not something I would like to ignore. In fact, before they came to the Akademy, the school never had only ever had seven malfunctions, and those dating almost twenty years before these two boys arrived at the school.¡± General Shaw cracked his knuckles one by one. ¡°Interesting. Very interesting. I want more information on these two boys as well.¡± Gary bobbed his head before continuing. ¡°Next, we have Roshcar Nishk. His mother was a researcher for DiMech Inc. and was one fatalities in the tragic cave-in a few years ago in the Krro Jist§Ö§ß Ice Caves.¡± ¡°Was she a Gavi Quintar citizen?¡± General Shaw asked confused. ¡°No, but she gained special permission to do research in the Ice Caves.¡± ¡°Special permission? That would have had to come through my office.¡± Gary¡¯s eyebrow twitched again. General Shaw pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it. Do you have anything else interesting on the boy?¡± Gary leaned forward again with his toothy grin. ¡°He was there when the tragedy happened. One of only two survivors out of a team of fifteen.¡± General Shaw let that statement hang in the air for a moment. ¡°¡­and Where¡¯s the other survivor now?¡± Gary hesitated. ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t want to know.¡± General Shaw put up his hand. ¡°I want a full report on the second survivor by the end of today. Assuming you do know where he is.¡± ¡°I can have the report within the hour.¡± Gary slinked back into his chair again and pushed his on the last photo of the Top Six. ¡°Last but not least is Dryden Ekbur, son of two Middle bracket sanitation officers for Gavi Quintar. This boy is a non-threat. In fact, I am not even sure how he made it into the Top Six, and that makes him interesting. Don¡¯t you think?¡± General Shaw snorted. ¡°If he¡¯s a non-threat, then I don¡¯t care what you think. He is of no concern to me.¡± ¡°Then, I can have him?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± General Shaw gave a perfunctory wave. ¡°I don¡¯t really care. What I do care about are the things I asked for: more information on Hyanna Haron, Garett Dovik, Kirosh Trivar, Nathan Shax, and the report from the second survivor of the Krro Jist§Ö§ß Ice Cave incident. I want to know if this¡­Roshcar is it?¡± Gary nodded. ¡°I want to know if he is going to be an issue later on even if he isn¡¯t a citizen of Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Gary bobbed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll send my two boys over with the report this afternoon.¡±
Please rate if you liked the chapter! I would also love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, so leave a comment! Thanks :) #3 Garett Dovik
11:52pm, Thursday, 3118
BANG. BANG. BANG. "Coming." I call out, rolling my eyes. BANG. BANG. BANG. The door is made out of Yamara''s light metal, not freaken Gavi Quintar shadow metal.¡°Wha¡ª¡± I open the door just as a fist comes down on the door again. ¡°Whoa, watch it.¡± I dodge out of the way just as a fist comes flying down. ¡°Garett, can you get the into the Recording Hall video system?¡± Kirosh blurted out without any hesitation¡­or tact. I narrow my eyes. ¡°Kirosh, I told you to not¡ª¡± ¡°Can you do it or not? Yeh or no?¡± Kirosh interrupted impatiently as he looked over his shoulder a few times. I lift an eyebrow. What is Kirosh so nervous about? ¡°Kira, you know that I could never do anything like that as it is against the school rules, but¡­¡± I paused. ¡°¡­if I could, what do you need?¡± ¡°The last day of the Tournament rounds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of recordings.¡± ¡°I want Nathan¡¯s last round.¡± I raised the other eyebrow. ¡°Nathan, or Arina¡¯s?¡± Kirosh ran hot and cold when it came to Arina. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to learn everything he could about her, and other times it seemed as if he really didn¡¯t care that she existed or not. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he had asked me to enter the database to find information on her. ¡°They¡¯re in the same round.¡± Kirosh said matter-o-factly. ¡°But I want to see Nathan. Why?¡± ¡°No reason.¡± I shrugged nonchalantly as I study his face. Which mood is he in today? ¡°It¡¯s just that you¡¯re you, and she¡¯s¡­well, she¡¯s her.¡± ¡°¡­That doesn¡¯t make any sense, Garett.¡± I snort through my nose. ¡°You¡¯re too nice to everyone.¡± I try another tactic to tease out the information I want. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt again.¡± Kirosh looked at me straight for the first time since I opened my door. His eyes are steady and determined. ¡°I can take care of myself.¡± Ah, he¡¯s in the Arina obsession mood. Definitely. ¡°So can you help me or not?¡± Kirosh shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again. ¡°¡­Possibly.¡± I fight back a smirk. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Kirosh pursed his lips for a moment. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°A favor.¡± ¡°What favor?¡± ¡°You will know when the time comes.¡± ¡°Garett, you said that last time and I had to¡ª¡± ¡°Either you take the deal, or you don¡¯t get to see the tapes.¡± I cut him off. ¡°Your choice.¡± Kirosh pursed his lips again. ¡°¡­Fine.¡± He gave a tight nod. ¡°Good.¡± A smile twitches on my lips, but I hold it back. ¡°Give me a second.¡± I close the door in Kirosh¡¯s face and grin as I grab my HOL. I crack my knuckles once before reaching for the door again. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±
12:07pm, Thursday, 3118
The recording hall is empty when we get there. No lines, no crowds of noise students, no data download time delay. I crack my neck and the noise echoes off the walls. ¡°Really?¡± Kirosh stared at me. ¡°What?¡± I shrug. ¡°It¡¯s fun to do that when it¡¯s this quiet.¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Kirosh muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and get this over with.¡± Interesting. I slowly follow Kirosh over to the FEEL playback chairs and plug my HOL into the power jack. Hacking into the Akademy database is easy, but I take my time anyway. It¡¯s always more interesting when I wait to give out what the other person wants. I get more information that way. I lazily scroll through the dates. Just waiting. Kirosh snorted in impatience. So predictable. ¡°There are three tapes from the last day of the Tournament: one for the morning session, one for the mid-day session, and one for the evening session,¡± I finally say biting back a smirk. ¡°There are three rooms for each session. Do you know which one Nathan was in?¡± ¡°Just the last session.¡± Kirosh¡¯s leg bounced up and down as if that would make his speak faster. "I¡¯m not sure which room though.¡± ¡°Alright, you take this one,¡± I randomly chose one of the three links to send to his HOL. ¡°And I¡¯ll look at the second link. If it¡¯s neither of them, then it should be the third link.¡± Kiorsh noded and opened his HOL. He plugged it into a FEEL chair jack and pushed play. The chair swivels as the room divider starts to rise. The last thing I saw of Kirosh was his hard, determined face as if he were forcing himself to watch. Interesting. Once the divider was up, I pushed play on my own HOL as I sank into the chair. The room darkened as the recording began to play. ¡°Youngling Tournament video 57 now starting. Please remain seated until the recording has completely finished. Thank you, and please enjoy the newest FEEL technology from DiMech Incorporated.¡± An automated woman¡¯s voice filled the room just before the recording started. I don¡¯t like surprises, and I don¡¯t like to miss pertinent information. So, instead of starting with the second link like I said I would look at, I first looked in on what Kirosh was watching. It took me a moment to acclimate to the room as every image and object suddenly came to life.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I could feel the wood bench beneath my fingers. I could hear the pitter patter of the rain on the roof. I could smell the musty sent of the other spectators who had crammed into the already packed room. The crowed jostled as someone tried to get a better view, and I could feel the bodies around me push into me as if I were part of the crowd. I suppressed a shiver. I don¡¯t like crowds. I quickly pressed the second video link on my HOL. I can always come back later to whatever Kirosh is watching once the crowd thins out a little. ¡°Youngling Tournament video 56 now starting. Please remain seated until the recording has completely finished. Thank you, and please enjoy the newest FEEL technology from DiMech Incorporated.¡± The room shifted to a full view of the West End cafeteria in the Akademy. However, instead of the gleeful squeals and laughter that usually filled this large room, it was now deathly silent. No inviting smells of food cooking. No clanking of utensils. No warmth on the faces of the 500 Younglings that filled that hall day. This must have been earlier in the day than Kirosh¡¯s video because I couldn¡¯t see any rain out of the floor-to-ceiling window. I skip to the last few minutes of the exam before walking around the room looking for anyone I know. Ah, Rena the Queen. Let¡¯s see what you wrote¡­ I zoomed the recording up on her desk and tuned the color levels until I could read the answer on her desk screen.
Question 47: How can a person be both a citizen of Qui and of one of the three nations within Qui?
To be able to answer this question adequately, we must first define Qui. Qui is a large that is split into three nations: - Gavi Quintar - Yamara - Zuashai Everyone born within one of the three nations is first and foremost a citizen of Qui. Then he is a citizen of his birth nation.
I fought back a snort. That was the definition I had given her last week. Word-for-word. Idiot. I rolled my eyes and continued walking. The noise of someone cracking their knuckles reverberated in the silence, catching my attention. The only other person who cracks his knuckles in the Akademy other than me is Dryden Ekbur. I quickly scan the rows until I see him: One blond haired boy far in the back of the room hunched over his test paper as the virtual proctor passed his desk. I jump the camera recording to hover over his desk.
Question 48: Define the terms ¡°Qui Duty¡±:
Dryden snuck a quick glance over his shoulder at the proctor before returning his eyes to his desk. He slowly reached under his desk and hunched his shoulders again. What are you doing, Dryden? I leaned forward in my chair. Dryden looked around again quickly as if he could hear my thoughts through the recording. The proctor had just reached the end of the room. Seven desks away. The boy¡¯s eyes darted to the timer built into the desk interface: one minute thirty seconds left. He has three more questions left to answer, so why isn¡¯t he writing anything? Why is his hand¡­ Suddenly, before my eyes, the answer started to materialize on the virtual paper on the desk interface.
The Qui Duty is the automatic job that each Qui citizen is born into. Regardless of class or family status¡­
Dryden quickly looked over his shoulder. The proctor was coming back up the row. ¡°C¡¯mon!¡± He whispered under his breath.
...everyone is given a Qui Duty at birth...
The proctor was now only four desks away.
...This is so that everyone has a sense of purpose¡­
Three desks away.
...and can gain the happiness that comes with helping Qui¡­
Two desks.
...move forward in all aspects of life.
Dryden quickly retreated his hand from under the desk and flipped the virtual page. The sound rustled through the hall like leaves on the wind. ¡°Interesting.¡± I mutter softly as the buzzer sounded the end of the test. ¡°Very interest¡ª¡± A loud bang comes from the divider wall. I quickly hit the shift button on my HOL to see what Kirosh is watching. It¡¯s Nathan and Arina. This must be the round for 7th place¡­Two questions left for each other them. I noted the scoreboard on the far wall. With ten minutes left in the round. Cutting it close¡ª ¡°Nathan¡­¡± The proctor¡¯s nasally voice cut through my thoughts. Great Qui, no wonder he lost. I choke back a snort. I would have died if I had to listen to this proctor for two hours. For some odd reason, the makers of the automated proctors over at DiMech Inc. had thought that a nasally voice would give the hologram a more ¡°human quality¡± when in reality, it just made it sound stupid. ¡°¡­In Qui society, what purpose does the Punishment Collar serve? Please include examples to back your statement.¡± ¡°The Punishment Collar, colloquially known as a PC, is used as a social deterrent.¡± Nathan suddenly froze, his mouth open. His eyes going wide. ¡°Do you have an example to back your statement?¡± The proctor finally asked after the long pause. Nathan¡¯s eyes darted around the room as if looking for the answer. ¡°¡­I-I¡ª¡± ¡°You have 60 seconds remaining to give an example.¡± The proctor spoke over Nathan¡¯s stuttering. Nathan swallowed noticeably. I furrowed my eyebrows. What¡¯s he doing? He knows the answer. I saw him look it up the night before. I looked between him and the clock as it counted down. What¡¯s he waiting for? I looked back at Nathan, but he seemed frozen. His mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Finally he drew a breath, ¡°In 3015¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but your time has run out. Please sit down.¡± The proctor cut him off. ¡°Arina, if you get this question correct, you will be the winner.¡± Arina gave a small nod as she stood to answer. ¡°A person may only receive the Punishment Collar if he or she breaks the law. That person must then give up his or her Qui Duty for two Duty cycles, or twenty years, and work under the supervision of an appointed official. That official has the right to assign any job within the Punishment Collar Duty bracket to that delinquent regardless of difficulty. With such a high time sentence and no guarantee of a good job, the Punishment Collar has served as an effectual social deterrent against breaking the law since the establishment of Qui, 97 years ago. As such, Qui has a low crime rate.¡± ¡°Do you have an example to back your statement?¡± ¡°The Murderer Act of 3015 first set up the Punishment Collar. Within a year, crime in Qui had decreased 20%. By five years, it had been decreased by 43%. The enforcement of the Act by each President of Qui has brought peace to Qui that the forefathers of the Establishment of Qui envisioned. ¡°That is correct. Congratulations, you have won the¡ª¡± My eyebrows shot upward as the video ended abruptly. So this is what Kirosh wanted to see so badly. He knew Nathan had done something. I pushed the button to lower the divider. However, by the time it had lowered, Kirosh was already gone. Interesting. My eyes narrowed as I sat down again to replay the last question. Nathan purposely got seventh, but why¡­? Why let Arina win? I watched the last few minutes of the round again, this time focusing on Arina. She stares straight ahead with cold, dead eyes as Nathan doesn¡¯t answer in time. Her deadpan face doesn¡¯t even twitch. Did she threaten him? I go back and watched her again, this time zooming in on her face looking for any clue. This is Arina we are talking about. The same Arina who puts at least five people in the hospital every year and gets away with it. I tap my fingers against my chair seat as I watch. One¡­two¡­ And she gets away with it even though her actions are punishable by Qui law, as per the Murderer Act that she cited as an example. I snort as a side thought. Ironic. Three¡­Four¡­ It¡¯s a sad truth, but everything comes down to connections. And this is Arina. One¡­two¡­ The PC girl rescued from her fate by Wik Haron, President of the medical tech company Lo & Micci; Three¡­Four¡­ The PC girl dragged out of the dirt to attend the prestigious Triga Lake Akademy on scholarship I cracked my knuckles and start to smile inadvertently. The PC girl exempt from all violent crimes by the President of Qui, Collin Kushman of Yamara, himself¡ªthe good friend of Wic Haron. My mind started to piece together the bits and pieces of information I had collected for Kirosh over the years. Arina is on scholarship to get out of the PC Bracket, so she owes her life to her sponsor¡ª Suddenly, the lunch bell rang out throughout the empty recording hall, causing me to jump. I quickly disconnected my HOL and erased the video log. ¡ªEverything is based on connections¡­Why is it so important to Wic Haron that Arina makes the Top Six? #4 Roshcar Nishk
12:35pm, Thursday, 3118
I noticed two things as soon as Arina walked into the hospital ward:
  1. She wasn¡¯t actually hurt, which is a first.
  2. She seemed to be looking for something.
I slowed my job of loading supplies into the necessary compartments to watch her. She seemed small under the heavy mahogany door frame, almost like a weak little teenage girl. I paused in my work. It¡¯s rare to see her like this¡ªto see this flash of vulnerability. Suddenly her eyes shifted toward me and the image of the scared girl disappeared. Her eyes, while distant, were sharp and clear. There¡¯s an intelligence in them that rivals even Kirosh. I nodded my head at her in greeting as she made her way over to where I am. ¡°You¡¯re unhurt today.¡± I state when she gets close enough. ¡°This is a rare sight.¡± Fact. Arina just looks at me. ¡°I¡¯m looking for your father. I am supposed to have a check-up today. Is he around?¡± Fact. Fact. This is how we talk. In facts. No pleasantries. No doublespeak. Just facts. My mother was the one who taught me to think in facts. I¡­No, don¡¯t think about that. I quickly swallow and turn back to my work. ¡°He¡¯s at lunch, but he should be back soon. He doesn¡¯t eat for very long.¡± Fact. Fact. Fact. Arina nods and starts to hand me supplies. She works methodically. Deliberately. Almost as if it were a way to distract her from something. I don¡¯t ask. ¡°¡­You got fourth in the Tournament.¡± She stated bluntly after putting a few items away. Fact. ¡°You got sixth.¡± Fact. ¡°I¡¯ve accepted my position on the team.¡± Fact. ¡°I¡¯m going to the office after lunch today to drop off my form.¡± Fact. ¡°You¡¯re going to accept?¡± Arina slowed her movements. I could feel her eyes scrutinizing me. ¡°Don¡¯t have a choice.¡± Arina stared at me for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t want to be in the top six.¡± She says it more as a statement than a question. I shrug. ¡°Then why are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Was lucky, I guess.¡± Arina¡¯s face doesn¡¯t change as she cocked her head to the side slightly. ¡°You don¡¯t like camping.¡± Fact. ¡°¡­Fact.¡± I agreed with a nod. ¡°Then why are you in the Top Six?¡± ¡°To become a doctor.¡± I sighed. ¡°You don¡¯t need to make the Top Six to become a doctor.¡± ¡°No¡­¡± I hesitated. ¡°But I will if I want to become a researcher. Only people with Jackal permits can become researchers.¡± Arina nodded, but a dark look crossed her face. I blinked, and it¡¯s was gone. Strange. ¡°Your mother was a researcher.¡± ¡°Fact.¡± ¡°She is dead.¡± Fact. ¡°How did she die?¡± Arina pins me with her unblinking stare. The question caught me off guard and my hand hesitated as I reached for more supplies. ¡°¡­Camping.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°The mountains. We were there for one of her research projects.¡± ¡°This was before you came to the Akademy.¡± Fact. ¡°How old were you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not friends Arina.¡± Fa¡­well, if we take into account the amount of time she has spent in the ward, then add the amount of time she spent talking to me minus the amount of time she spent talking to anyone else at the Akademy¡­ I scratch my neck absently. I¡¯m probably the closest thing she has to a friend here. I rub the bridge of my nose. ¡°Is this information important?¡± ¡°It is.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Fine. I was seven.¡± ¡°How did she die?¡± ¡°I already told you.¡± Fact. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. How did she die?¡± I narrowed my eyes at Arina. ¡°Why are you interested?¡± I ask warily. When she doesn¡¯t answer, I narrowed my eyes even more. Why is my mother¡¯s death an interest to her? ¡°Law of Tanstaafl: Nothing is free¡± Fact. ¡°Correct¡­¡± Arina nods slowly. ¡°You have asked me very intrusive questions.¡± Fact. ¡°You owe me, so now it¡¯s my turn.¡± Everyone knows to avoid Arina. Everyone. Because you just don¡¯t know when Arina will snap. However, I¡¯ve learned that Arina thinks in owing and not owing. She won¡¯t become angry as long as she thinks that she owes you something. ¡°Fine.¡± She purses her lips into a thin line. ¡°Why are you so interested with my mother¡¯s death?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you get nightmares.¡± I can feel the blood drain from my face. How did she know? How did she find out? ¡°Lots of people get nightmares.¡± Fact. ¡°How did you hear?¡± ¡°I overheard Kirosh talk about it after last year¡¯s camping trip.¡± Kirosh and his big mouth. I ball my hands around a package of supplies and jam it into its compartment. ¡°Why are you so interested in me?¡± ¡°You are part of the Top Six. The Top Six get broken into partners. I don¡¯t talk to anyone else.¡± Fact. Fact. Fact. I don¡¯t know how she does it, to be honest. To go throughout the entire day barely talking to anyone. I¡¯ve rarely seen her smile. I wonder if she even knows how to sometimes. Kirosh, on the other hand, almost never stops smiling. Or talking. Although, every three months or so, he goes through a period where he smiles less than usual and his answers become short and curt. But even then, Kirosh is still Kirosh. She doesn¡¯t know what the nightmares are about. She doesn¡¯t know anything. I jammed another packet into its place, but it got stuck. I tried to fix the packet, but my hands slip off the slick material. She doesn¡¯t know. No one has found out. I¡¯m still safe. She¡¯s here to see my father anyway. This is just small talk. I forcefully adjusted the packet and slam the container shut. Arina worked silently across from me. I didn¡¯t know either of them until they came to the ward after their now considered ¡°epic fight¡± four years ago. And sometimes I wish I knew neither of them. Relax. Take deep breaths. She doesn¡¯t know anything¡­Fact: these are conjectures, not facts¡­think in facts. Think in facts Roshcar! I take a deep breath. Fact: Four years ago, Kirosh had three broken ribs, a broken nose, a concussion, two broken fingers, and a fractured neck. Fact: if Arina had hit him one more time anywhere on his face, Kirosh would have been paralyzed from the neck down Fact: Arina only had a broken nose and a black eye. Fact: Kirosh had fought back. Fact: Fighting is against Akademy rules. Against Qui law. Fact: Kirosh¡¯s hands that day weren¡¯t hurt¡­ ¡°Arina?¡± I jerked my head around at the sound of my father¡¯s inquisitive voice. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I came for my check-up.¡± ¡°Your check-up isn¡¯t until tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh¡­I must have gotten the days mixed up. I will come back tomorrow.¡± I watched as she silently left. My heart rate has risen to an almost painful degree now. Fact: My father wasn¡¯t expecting her. ¡°Roshcar, you can now go eat dinner.¡± My father didn¡¯t look at me, which would normally bother me¡­ Fact: She talked to me more than usual. I picked up my bag and forced myself to cross the room at a normal pace even though every fiber of my body is telling me to sprint out of the room. Conclusion: She wanted to talk to me, not him. I tried to swallow. Fact: My mouth is dry. I made my way to the door, but I no longer see the door. Fact: My palms are sweating. Instead, I¡¯m back there. Fact: My heart is pounding. Trapped in the ice cave. Fact: My breath is coming out in shorter and shorter breaths. Something is coming. Something is chasing me. Fact: I want to run. I want to run far, far away... I can hear it howling in delight. I am running across the chasm my mother has been working in, the bridge teeters from side to side precariously. Suddenly, my foot catches on one of the rungs and I go down. Hard. I have to fight to keep myself on the wavering bridge. Clawing at the rungs as my leg goes over the edge...Then it steps on. Laughing at my weak attempts to pull myself up. I almost let go when I see its face. That horrible, ugly face. Large eyes. Blood red eyes. Gaping mouth with lips in a permanent snarl. The flesh is melded into the rest of its body as if it had been soaked in acid. It takes a step toward me. Towering over me. I gulp in the thin cold air faster and faster as I try to find my balance. Pulling my leg back under me, something tears into my flesh and I crumple in pain. I look back¡­ It takes a step toward me. Grinning. Laughing. Mocking. My heart speeds up to an excruciating level. I have to get to the other side. I claw myself up and sprint. Not caring about the pain in my leg or the swaying of the bridge. I have to get to the master controller. I reached for the door handle but in my mind my hand slams down on a blue button. I¡¯ve seen my mother push it after everything is packed away and the hole is ready to be refilled with the ice she had displaced in the name of science. But, nothing happens. I need to destroy the bridge. I push the blue button again, but still nothing. It¡¯s coming. It¡¯s behind me¡­ I push on the button furiously. Why isn¡¯t the button working? Suddenly, the cave gives a rumble, but the thing doesn¡¯t seem to notice. Its snarling laughter fills the cavern, sending chills down my spine. It¡¯s taking it¡¯s time in crossing the last few meters of the bridge like it¡¯s having fun, like it¡¯s enjoying seeing me panic. It knows I have nowhere else to go. I¡¯m trapped. I¡¯m¡ª The door swung open and it hit me hard in the shin. I looked down to rub my leg, but the ice is stained red. My blood¡­My leg is bleeding from where¡­ ¡°Oh, Roshcar. What are you doing standing behind the door?¡± The entering doctor frowned at me. ¡°I, I, I was going to lunch.¡± I stuttered, forcing my thoughts back to the present. I placed one foot in front of the other. My leg is fine. My leg is fine now. The doctor just grunted and passed me. I closed my eyes and took a ragged breath before walking through the door and down the empty hall. The door suctions shut behind me and I jumped. The sound reminding me of the terrifying high pitched scream as the ice came crashing down--taking with it the creature and the bridge, and¡­Stop it. Fact: It¡¯s done. Fact: That day is over. Fact: I can¡¯t let it haunt me; I can¡¯t let it ruin my life. Conclusion: Arina can never find out. No one can ever find out. #5 Tash Mirraav
1:15pm, Thursday, 3118
TM: ¡°In my room, there is a mirror. It¡¯s small with white trim. When I look at it, I feel at peace.¡±
HU: ¡°Why?¡±
TM: ¡°Because it reminds me that I am here. Because it reminds me that I am in this place and not somewhere else¡­Because it reminds me that I am alive.¡±
I shut off my HOL after sending that last message and turn back to the girl talking non-stop in front of me. ¡°¡­can you believe it, darling?¡± The girl in front of me pouted at her little hand mirror, checking her glossy red lips that accentuated the warm undertones in her bronze skin. ¡°What?¡± I asked, realizing that she was talking to me. ¡°I said can you believe that Arina made sixth place instead of Nathan?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± My HOL buzzed as a new message arrived. ¡°Yeah, I know. Weird. Um Yaiya, the line has moved.¡± Yaiya snaps her mirror shut and rolls her eyes as she excused herself from the line, ignoring the buffet style food beside her. ¡°I saw your name on the list, darling.¡± Yaiya winks at me. ¡°You¡­and Kirosh.¡± ¡°So?¡± I asked confused while I spoon generous helpings of salad and fish onto my platter before turning to follow Yaiya to an empty seat by the window. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re so cute, darling.¡± Yaiya daintily sat on the edge of her chair. ¡°But you can¡¯t hide it from me.¡± ¡°Hide what?¡± I followed her example and took a seat opposite of her. ¡°Oh, darling, your tattoo tells everything, remember?¡± Yaiya hands me her hand mirror smugly. ¡°See?¡± My tattoo is the latest Emblem Pattern Change tattoo, or EPC for short, from MedComp¡¯s ¡°mood reading¡± cosmetic nanoparticles. Everyone at school had at least one last week. I took Yaiya¡¯s mirror and positioned it so I could see my neck. There, sprawling out from under my shirt collar, was a weeping flower¡ªthe national flower of Zuashi. ¡°So?¡± I asked again, snapping the mirror shut quickly and covering my neck. ¡°Oh, just admit it already, darling. You¡¯re not fooling anybody with your whole ¡®I¡¯ve got a man in love with me, but I won¡¯t tell you his name.¡¯ I know its Kirosh.¡± Yaiya took her mirror back while reaching into her handbag to pull out a white pencil. In less than one minute after sitting down, she began to draw bold, iridescent white strokes across her high cheekbone. I open my mouth to protest, but another platter clattered onto the table beside me. Both Yaiya and I look up surprised. ¡°Lena, darling, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Yaiya¡¯s hand hesitated over her cheekbone. ¡°Dryden Ekbur.¡± Lena, sank into her chair. She had almost no adornments, opting for a more classic, yet beautiful, look. ¡°I had to invite him to my party or else he wouldn¡¯t give Kirosh the invitation.¡± Yaiya narrowed her eyes and her lips became a thin red line. Quickly making a few swift strokes with her pencil. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have asked Dryden then, darling. No one wants him at the party.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he your brother, Yaiya?¡± Lena asked as she began to organize the food on her plater into neat piles. ¡°Half-brother. I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead being blood related to someone like him.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± I ask absently as I look at the message on my HOL:
HU: ¡°Where else would you be?¡±
¡°Because his real father was sent to the PC Bracket. And you know what they say¡­¡± Where else would I be¡­ My mind wandered for a moment.
TM:¡°Somewhere not good.¡±
¡°¡­The violent nature that gets people sent to the PC Bracket run in families. It¡¯s in their blood.¡± Yaiya shivered. ¡°You can¡¯t trust someone from the PC bracket. They are the worst of society. They lie, they cheat, they use violence¡­they are the worst, and I am glad to not be related to Dryden in anyway except name.¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t that bad¡­¡± Lena started, but her words died on her mouth when Yaiya gave her a glare over the top of her mirror. ¡°So¡­what were two talking about? Lena hanged the subject. My HOL buzzed again:
HU: ¡°Are you afraid of going back to that place?¡±
¡°Tash, who are you talking to?¡± Lena leaned over to look. ¡°What? Kirosh.¡± I blurted without thinking. ¡°Oh,¡± Lena said with a knowing smile. ¡°Maybe now that you are in the Top Six with him, you will finally be able to make him yours.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean¡ª¡± ¡°She is still denying that she likes him, darling.¡± Yaiya interrupts. ¡°No, I really wasn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry, darling. We¡¯ve all had our share of Kirosh Trivar.¡± Yaiya said with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°There¡¯s no shame in dating him now.¡± ¡°I agree, Tash.¡± Lena took my hand from my neck and placed both of hers on top. ¡°If this had been four years ago, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to hang out with you if you started dating him. But now, I can give you my full blessing.¡± ¡°Wait, what was wrong with him four years ago?¡± I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. Both Lena and Yaiya stare at me for a moment. ¡°Well¡­¡± Lena said slowly as if explaining something hard to a child. ¡°He has no connections in the Elite Bracket of Qui, he was very small and weak, he¡ª¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t weak.¡± I roll my eyes, taking my hands back from Lena¡¯s grasp so I could eat. ¡°No, of course not now, darling.¡± Yaiya snapped her mirror shut. On her cheekbone sat a beautiful snow rose¡ªas to be expected from the daughter of the leading Qui artist. ¡°But he used to be. Remember that time he let Arina beat him up all black and blue? I heard he had to stay in the hospital section for a month¡ª¡± ¡°I heard she broke his ribs, his hand, and his neck almost to the point of paralyzing him.¡± Lena cut in, nodding her head. ¡°¡ªNathan had to tutor him every day to keep him from being kicked out of the Akademy from poor grades, darling.¡± Yaiya narrowed her eyes slightly at being interrupted. ¡°But that¡¯s so four years ago. He¡¯s changed since then. Just look...¡± She turned to ogle the tall tan boy on the other side of the room. He had originally sat talking with two of his friends, Dryden and Roshcar. But as students began piling into the cafeteria, more and more had joined his table¡ªmany of them, of course, were girls. He wasted no time in including them all into the conversation.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°But I was popular back then and I still hung out with him.¡± I protest. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re such a sweet person, darling.¡± Yaiya placed her hand on my arm before going back to watch Kirosh. Somehow her comment sounded more like an insult, than a compliment. ¡°And besides,¡± Lena said after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°Without our patronage, you would have become lowly, unimportant and unnoticed Tash Mirra¡¯av: a Mira¡¯an girl with an unrequited love for her Zuashaian friend.¡± ¡°For the love of Qui, I don¡¯t like him in that way!¡± I exclaimed, throwing up my hands. I can feel my EPC shift under my skin and I quickly clamp my hand on my neck to keep the image from the two girls prying eyes. ¡°You¡¯re not attracted to Kirosh? Not even in the slightest? Not one ounce of you is remotely interested?¡± Lena asked with a sickeningly sweet innocence. ¡°Of course I can see that he¡¯s attractive. I¡¯m not blind. But it doesn¡¯t me¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, ah, ah. But nothing. Answer us this, is your mystery man also in the top six?¡± Lena pressed. ¡°Well¡­yeah, but¡ª¡± ¡°See?¡± Lena and Vera exchange ¡°I told you so¡± looks and I could feel the heat rising to my face. ¡°So, speaking of Arina,¡± I shift in my seat. ¡°I was surprised when she wasn¡¯t kicked out of school for the whole Kirosh fiasco.¡± ¡°I found out from my dad that she was,¡± Lena leaned in to whisper excitedly. ¡°But her sponsor convinced the Akademy to reinstate her with probation since she is from the Punishment Bracket and, oh how did he put it¡­ ¡®unused to the way civilized Qui works¡­¡¯ or something like that.¡± ¡°Youh¡¯re kiddging.¡± My head snapped up, my mouth full of food. Even Yaiya looked surprised. ¡°Not getting kicked out takes some serious connections, darling. What does her dad even do?¡± ¡°And who knows what her father did. I¡¯ve only heard that her entire family was sent to the PC bracket a long time ago.¡± Lena shrugged. ¡°And Tash, don¡¯t pucker your mouth like that. You look like you¡¯ve just had something rotten. It¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Lena lifted her nose in the air and turned her head as if she didn¡¯t want to look at my face. I quickly swallow my food. ¡°How did she get sent to the PC Bracket in the first place, darling?¡± Yaiya asked as she played with the cookies on her platter. The rest of her food was untouched. Lena¡¯s eyes twinkled as she lowered her voice. ¡°I heard that she didn¡¯t like the local magistrate in her town, so she snuck into his house and killed him. Shocked him to death with her HOL.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.¡± I state, but neither of them are listening to me. ¡°I heard that she got angry with the food she was served while in the community home after her parents were taken, so she killed everyone in the home with nothing but a rope.¡± Yaiya declared, not to be outdone by Lena. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is possible either¡­¡± ¡°Well, I heard¡ª¡± Lena talked over me. ¡°Who cares?¡± I interrupted loudly enough to get their attention. ¡°She was sent there, isn¡¯t that reason enough?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to yell, Tash. We aren¡¯t in Mara.¡± Lena frowned at me. ¡°Try to be less¡­¡± Lena waved her hand as if trying to capture my whole body in one word. ¡°¡­less Mara¡¯an.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just¡­Arina creeps me out.¡± I take my hand off my neck and rub the bridge of my nose. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Everything about her is creepy. Haven¡¯t you noticed?¡± ¡°No, darling. I make it a point not to associate myself with those of low social importance¡­except you of course, darling. But you¡¯re different, and your cousin is Garett.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, I think she¡¯s creepy.¡± I mutter. ¡°She almost never speaks; her face never seems to change. Like, ever. And her eyes¡­it¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t really look at you. Like she isn¡¯t focusing on you but something behind you, or through you. I can¡¯t really explain it. It¡¯s just creepy.¡± I shiver. I can feel my EPC shift. It itches slightly. ¡°And now I have to be stuck with her for two years¡­And, to make things worse, I think Garett likes her.¡± ¡°Your cousin? You¡¯re worried about your cousin?¡± Lena asks incredulously. ¡°Oh how pretty.¡± Lena leaned in to move my shirt collar slightly. ¡°Your tattoo is a lillyvera.¡± ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± I finger my tattoo self-consciously. The lillyvera was the vampire butterfly that only inhabited the satellite island of the northern nation of Gavi Qunitar, Mara. My home. ¡°What¡¯s so wrong about being worried about him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a big boy, Tash. I think he can take care of himself. Why should you care who he likes anyway?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s just a little problem like, oh I don¡¯t know, because I don¡¯t like her.¡± Lena opened her mouth to retort but the chimes of her HOL stopped her. ¡°Sorry, I have to take this¡­¡± Lena stood up and walked a little ways away for some privacy. As soon as Lena turned her back, Yaiya reached over and snatched her little pile of bite sized cookies. She crunched them one by one slowly. Her own plate was still untouched¡ªthe only missing component was her own little pile of cookies. I sigh and look at my HOL:
TM: ¡°I¡¯m terrified of going back, to be honest.¡±
HU: ¡°You feel that if you don¡¯t see your reflection in the mirror in your room, you¡¯re not really there?¡±
TM: ¡°I feel that if I don¡¯t see my reflection in my mirror, that this is all just a dream. And I¡¯m still stuck over there in that horrible place¡­¡±
¡°That was my father.¡± Lena gleefully bounced back to the table. ¡°He got me a part in the FEEL movie that DiMech Inc. is trying to produce. Soon my face will be known by everyone in all of Qui.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not 22. Your Qui Duty hasn¡¯t been instated yet.¡± I raised my eyebrows. ¡°Oh Tash, you are so cute with your provincial thinking.¡± Lena tweaked my nose as if I were a child. ¡°I¡¯m a career entertainer, which means that my family has been entertainers for enough generations that I can start my Qui Duty as long as I have finished the Youngling Tournament and have turned 16. The Tournament is over, so that means that I will be an official working member of Qui society on my 16th birthday in two days. You¡¯re both coming to the party tomorrow aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course we are darling. We wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world.¡± ¡°Great. Well, I should be going now.¡± Lena pushes her food towards Tash. ¡°Be a friend and throw this away for me.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± I gave a perfunctory wave. ¡°You¡¯re a doll. When I¡¯m famous, I¡¯ll keep you in mind.¡± Lena winked at me. ¡°Yaiya, are you coming? You said you would give me back the notes I lent you after lunch.¡± ¡°Of course darling¡± Yaiya quickly thrust the rest of her cookies into her handbag as Vera sauntered off. She rose and turned to leave when her eyes seemed to catch on something. ¡°Oh and Tash, darling, you should really get that tattoo removed before you leave for training with the others in the top six. It¡¯s so last week¡­and it¡¯s disgusting. E¡¯h u¡¯talre[1], darling.¡± ¡°Yeh¡­see you later too.¡± I muttered as I clenched my neck again. Yaiya and Lena never ceased to remind me of my dependence on them, both bluntly and passive aggressively. It was annoying, but I put up with it¡ªanything to be noticed, anything to be respected, anything for connections, which includes swallowing my pride when my friends try to speak my language. Try and fail. I sighed to myself and pushed my food around my plate for a moment before returning to looking out the window. Suddenly, my fork slipped out of my fingers and dropped with a clatter. Arina Haron was not ten feet from the window just staring in at me with those weird unsettling eyes. Just watching. Just waiting. Then, she turns slowly and walks down the path looking neither left nor right. Her head is held high and her shoulders are pinned back as if she owned the place. Freak. I mutter to myself. Something sharp pricked my neck and I tighten my hand over my neck. The tattoo was moving again, I could feel it under my skin like a coiling, slithering snake. The pain continueed as something warm began to seep onto my hand. I removed it slowly and look down. Ink and blood are pooled together, a side effect of the EPC program if an emotion was too overpowering. I clamped my hand back over my neck before anyone could see and hurried off to the bathroom. Annoyed, I grab paper towels from the dispenser and thrust them under the faucet. I will get my money back for this crappy tattoo, especially since I spent almost my entire year¡¯s allowance to get it. When the towels are wet enough, I remove my hand to clean my neck and almost scream. There is a face just peeking out from my shirt collar. Its grotesque face snarling, grinning as blood and ink runs down from where its claws are poised¡ªalmost as if they have latched onto my neck from the inside. I tear off my shirt and scrub at the tattoo, willing it to change. And it does. Into a line from a poem that my last Ancient History class I swallow hard. In my room, there is a mirror. It¡¯s small with white trim. When I look at it, I feel at peace. I scrub my neck harder. I feel at peace. And harder. I feel at peace. A small cry rises up my throat as I scrub even harder. But the tattoo doesn¡¯t change again. The four lines of the poem only get more and more stark until the words seem to burn themselves into my brain:
Claws for anger and a face for hate, Merged together in an ugly fate, For one so hideous,you cannot overlook, That there inside of you, it has its hook
[1] See you later #6 The Hartfields
1:57pm, Thursday
Two claws suddenly sprang up in front of a tall, blond haired youngling as he walked down the street. They encircled a holographic advertisement as he walked through it. Unaware. These advertisements were everywhere. Popping up on store fronts, on the sides of the skyscrapers to show new products, and on the pedestrian walkways to proclaim special deals or new products coming soon. This was the Triga Lake City. Different languages clanged off the walls of the buildings. Different smells filled the air. The motorway was silent as usual, filled only with the hum of the BubbleME¡¯s cruising through the streets. But the pedestrian walkways, they were as loud and bustling as ever. Ten feet down the walkway, a second hologram sprang upwards at him. The clawed hand came reaching for his face from behind a sign: DiMech Inc. FEEL Movie. Coming soon! Another ten feet and a face came snarling out at him from behind the sign. Someone sidestepped into him to avoid the hologram. ¡°Hey!¡± He pushed back. ¡°Watch it. I¡¯m walking here.¡± The person fell at his feet making several of the crowed stop and turn, stunned. ¡°You¡­you pushed me?¡± A woman was on the ground looking up at him with wide eyes. ¡°You pushed me?¡± Her voice becoming more shrill. ¡°No, I¡ª¡± ¡°H-he pushed me.¡± The woman pointed at him accusingly. ¡°He pushed me!¡± ¡°PC Youngling¡­?¡± ¡°Violent..?¡± The youngling looked around nervously at the questioning crowd. ¡°¡­Did you see that?¡± ¡°Pushed that woman¡­?¡± ¡°Here, let me help¡­¡± He bent to help the woman up but she burst into tears the moment he touched her. ¡°Violent¡­¡± The crowd whispered definitively. Their eyes turning from questioning onlookers to accusing stares. ¡°Punishment¡­¡± ¡°Violent¡­¡± ¡°¡­Collar.¡± ¡°Violent¡­¡± ¡°Youngling¡­¡± ¡°Violent¡­¡± ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± That one whisper snaked through the crowed alone. But it was the one that made Dryden turn pale. He hunched his shoulders and sped through the growing crowd. Not caring who he pushed or muscled out of the way. He got ten feet when a fourth hologram appeared. The same snarling face came out at him. Just as he passed through it, he heard that whisper again. ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± His eyes went wide and he bolted into a side alley. Sprinting as if he were being chased for his life. ¡°Having fun?¡± A man¡¯s low whisper cut through sound of the youngling¡¯s heavy breathing as he passed camera after camera that lined the streets of the city ¡°Perhaps.¡± Gary snickered in the pale light of the shifting holographic images. The blue light reflecting onto the older man seemed to accentuate his harsh cheekbones and stretched skin. In his hand was the microphone he had just used. Someone snorted in the darkness as Gary switched the image from the youngling hurrying through the city to a girl in a rather unremarkable bathroom scrubbing her neck furiously. In the mirror, tears streamed down her face. She angrily yanked off her shirt exposing a fluttering, twirling, and dancing iridescent woman on the small of Tash¡¯s back ¡°Take note boy. This is Tash Mirra¡¯av, the first Misstress-in-training to every attend the Akademy. She¡ª¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Garett¡¯s strained voice suddenly filled the room. Tash whirled around startled. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. The EPC just went weird during lunch.¡± ¡°I saw. In fact, the whole school saw¡­This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you had waited for me to make an appointment with a real artist when you wanted the EPC¡ª¡± Suddenly the sound cut off. ¡°What happened? What did you do?¡± Gary whispered harshly. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Keystroke sounds filled the air. ¡°It should be working...¡± On the screen, Garett picked up Tash shirt and thrust it towards her. His nose was wrinkled as if he had smelled something rotten. She looked at it for a moment than back at Garett, her eyes wide. Her lips moved, but still no sound came through. ¡°Well it¡¯s not working.¡± Gary snapped. ¡°Fix it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying¡­¡± Suddenly the image cut out and a sharp rap sounded through the darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare break that boy!¡± Gary voice came crawling through the darkness like a swarm of insects. He tried to grab the darkness again, but he got only air. ¡°Do you want sound or not?¡± A click sounded in the darkness, and the image blinked back on along with the sound of heavy breathing. Garett¡¯s chest was heaving. One hand still held the shirt while the other was curled into a fist. Suddenly, Garett whirled and punched the stall door. It crashed open with a loud BAM. ¡°See? Fixed.¡± Gary¡¯s hand snaked out and grabbed the darkness, shoving it down onto the table with a dull thud. ¡°Do not disrespect me, boy. When I tell you something, you say yes sir¡­¡± A chair creaked. ¡°Is that understood?¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Yeh¡­¡± came the muffled response There was another dull thud and a muffled grunt. ¡°Yes sir.¡± The hushed voice was almost drowned out as Garett began to speak: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ruin this opportunity. This is the only one you will get. Mess this up and even I won¡¯t be able to help you, little cousin.¡± ¡°Cousin, cousin, cousin. I¡¯m not¡ª¡± The sound cut out again. ¡°Good. Now figure out what¡¯s wrong with the machine.¡± Gary turned back to the image. Garett¡¯s left hand was twitching along his sleeve as if he were trying to flick away tiny insects as he watched Tash talk animatedly. Suddenly, his twitching hand grabbed Tash just as she turned back to the sink and yanked her around to face him. She struggled and they both ended up half facing the hidden camera. The sound crackled and popped as Garett began speaking. ¡°You¡­mine¡­I wo..n¡¯t let¡­get i..nthe way o..fthat.¡± The sound finally stabilized. ¡°Not even your Qui Duty. Do you understand?¡± Tash just glared at Garett. ¡°Now, have you accepted your position in the top six yet?¡± Garett continued. ¡°Yeh, this morning.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Garett released Tash and leaned against the sink, his eyes slowly inspected her. ¡°I need you to get close to Kirosh. Being his partner during the next two years of training will be crucial.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°No buts, Tash.¡± Garett pushed off from the sink and begin to pace behind her, a slight shade of pink starting to crawl up his neck. ¡°It¡¯s either Kirosh or Arina. Since you don¡¯t like Arina, you take Kirosh. I¡¯ve already got him¡ª¡± ¡°What about Dryden or Roshcar? Why does it have to be only Arina or Kirosh?¡± ¡°Because they have the best potential for future contacts.¡± ¡°Kirosh? He¡¯s from the Middle Bracket, Garett. How does he have potential? Rosh would be better. And why Arina? She¡ª¡± ¡°She has connections to the President of Qui.¡± Tash pursed her lips. ¡°What about you? Why can¡¯t I be your partner?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be partners. We will get more connections if we split up. And besides¡ª¡± The sound cut out again just as Garett turned his back in the image. His left hand once again touching his arm. Massaging it. Gary¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡°It¡¯s not our machine.¡± Came a muffled voice from somewhere under the table. ¡°No¡­¡± Gary said slowly. ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡± Garett and Tash shifted around in the image. She went to gather more towels and he half turned to follow her. ¡°D¡­o..as..yo..u¡¯re told.¡± Garett¡¯s voice crackled and hissed through the room. Stabilizing as his left hand grabbed Tash¡¯s wrist as she walked in front of him ¡°I. Have. Been.¡± She said through clenched teeth. ¡°Not well enough, obviously.¡± Garett lightly touched her neck. ¡°You¡¯re little escape from lunch became a gossip tag. A gossip tag, Tash.¡± His hand suddenly grabbed her cheeks roughly and shook her head. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you not to make a scene?¡± She didn¡¯t answer. ¡°I was the one that had to watch your embarrassing escape over and over again at the table. Instead of doing the things I wanted during lunch, things that would have helped further the plan, I had to sit there and convince Rena not to socially ostracize you¡ªthem that you are worth keeping around. I could have ignored your little stunt and just done what I had wanted to do, but I had to change that plan to cover for you¡­I¡¯m doing this for you.¡± Tash yanked her head away angrily. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going to tell Arina to get her to trust you? That everything you do is for her?¡± ¡°¡­What does Arina have to do with any of this?¡± ¡°You like her Garett. I¡¯ve see you watching her.¡± ¡°She has valuable¡ª¡± ¡°Connections, yeh, I got it¡­just leave Garett¡­I don¡¯t¡­to worry about me.¡± The sound started crackling again. But Garett wasn¡¯t touching his arm. Instead his back was turned away from the camera. In the mirror, his lips moved. Gary¡¯s eyes narrowed as he focused the image on the mirror. ¡°I¡¯m doing this for your own good, Tash. Why can¡¯t you understand that?¡± He whispered in place of Garett¡¯s voice. Tash looked at Garett through the mirror. Her face contorting into a sneer. ¡°Really? My own good? I though you only brought me so that you could use me for your own benefit¡ªto help your stupid plan. Isn¡¯t that why you had me make friends with Lena, or date Rex, or take Ancient agriculture of all things just to get close to Rena the Queen?¡ª¡± ¡°Ishnik!¡±[1] A muffled Mara¡¯an curse wafted up. ¡°What?¡± Gary asked absently, still focused on reading Tash¡¯s lips. ¡°¡ªAnd now you want me to get close to Kirosh while you can get cozy with Arina? Arina of all¡­¡± Suddenly a scream filled the room, jolting awake a blob of clothes in the far corner of the room. ¡°¡­Got the sound back.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell.¡± Gary said dryly. ¡°Det¡¯topas`t!¡±[2] Garett hissed at Tash in Mara¡¯an as he launched toward her and yanked the towels away from her neck. He pulled her sobbing form smoothly into a hug and shifting so she wasn¡¯t looking into the mirror. ¡°Calm dow¡­just¡­nan..otech¡­¡± The sound crackled and popped for a moment before it stabilized again. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll get you an appointment to have it removed. It will be gone by tonight, yeh?¡± Garett fished out his HOL form his back pocket and quickly punching in a few keys. Gary zoomed in to catch what was appearing on Garett¡¯s HOL. ¡°What are you guys watching?¡± The blob of clothes had unfurled itself and wandered over to the table. It had a smooth baritone voice. ¡°Ah, Arko.¡± Gary waved for the form to sit. ¡°Nice of you to join us. Perhaps you could help your useless brother get the sound to work properly.¡± ¡°What camera are you using for this?¡± Arko entered the circle of light enough to light up his face and dirty blond hair. ¡°The R-8¡± A head materialized out of the darkness on the other side of Gary, the blue light of the image spilling across his dark hair. No longer whispering, his voice also came across the darkness as a baritone. But where Arko¡¯s was smooth this one was husky like he had been shouting for hours. ¡°Why are you using the R-8?¡± Arko sighed exasperatedly. ¡°It¡¯s the easiest to hack into.¡± ¡°We have firewalls.¡± Gary sniffed as he focused the image on what Garett was punching into his HOL. Tash still crying on his shoulder. ¡°Yeh, and a quick search on the HOL database can give you ever spec you could ever imaging on how to get around an R-8 wall. Here Falcon¡­¡± Arko threw his HOL to dark haired man. ¡°Plug that in and run the Ex-8 program. It will tell you if another device has been synced with the camera or not.¡± The head disappeared back under the table while Gary furiously scribbled down what Garett was typing. Suddenly a loud beeping noise filled the room. Gary clicked on a second screen, allowing for the image of the tall blond haired boy to re-appear. His hand was on the handle to the front door of the Gavi Quintar Government building. ¡°He finally made it.¡± Gary snickered as he pulled up the youngling¡¯s sensory information from his contact with the door handle. ¡°High levels of norepinephrine, fast pulse¡­perfect.¡± ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Arko asked. ¡°Just some fun¡ª¡± ¡°Ishnik!¡± Falcon cursed loudly. ¡°Two other devises are using the camera.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gary¡¯s head whipped under the table, his spine showing under his jacket at such an angle. ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Run the M2F7 program. That should find the other devices.¡± Arko yawned. ¡°Sir,¡± A woman¡¯s voice filled the room. ¡°Dryden Ekbur has arrived downstairs. He said he has an appointment with you.¡± A soft thud and a long stream of curses filled the room as Gary banged his head while trying to sit upright again. A smirk twitched on Arko¡¯s face in the pale light. ¡°Ye-yeh. That is correct.¡± Gary fumbled with the intercom like a dodgy old man. ¡°Let him though please.¡± ¡°Yeh, sir. Right away sir.¡± The woman clicked off. ¡°Find out who is listening in.¡± Gary said as he stood and stuffed his HOL in his pocket. ¡°I want¡ª¡± ¡°One is coming from within the Akademy, the other is coming from this building.¡± Gary snorted. ¡°One of the Generals, no doubt. But who from the Akademy would know of the camera?...¡± ¡°Sir,¡± the woman¡¯s voice came on again. ¡°I¡¯ve sent the youngling up to your office.¡± ¡°Thank you Arline.¡± Gary took a few quick steps to the door. ¡°Find who was listening in to the conversation, boys. I want to know which general was listening in and who from the Akademy has a curious nose by the time I return.¡± Then he was gone. ¡°Sir?¡± Arline¡¯s voice came over the intercom again. ¡°Sir, are you there? I sent the youngling to your office.¡± Arko snorted and reached over to push the speaker button. ¡°He heard you Arline. He¡¯s on his way over.¡±
[1] Shit [2] Stop it #7 Dryden Ekbur
1:53pm, Thursday
A world without color is a world without feeling. A world where you are too distant to care. A world where you are at your most violent¡­or so I¡¯ve been told. ¡°Beware of the world without color, Dryden.¡± That person would say. ¡°Or else you will end up like your father in the PC Bracket. Doing the jobs no one wants. Doing the jobs that fit your...¡± The voice would pause. It¡¯s eyes would scrutinize me like an insect. ¡°Well, it would just fit you.¡± But I can see color. I see vibrant blues every day when I have my cup of blueberries in the morning. ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± That whisper still haunts my steps as I hurry through the alleyways. Blueberries have amazing antioxidant properties. I speed up my steps. Just a quarter cup of these little fruits can slow brain degeneration and increase memory and cognition. ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± There is that whisper again. I look all around me swiftly. My eyes burn from the excruciatingly bright yellow from the sun. Like the bananas Aunt Mac brings home from the market. Bananas are a good source of potassium. ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± Where¡­! The rolling oranges that line these alleyways in patterns that have no meaning. In names of places I¡¯ve never heard. In images that¡­ I slam my fist against the wall. My chest heaved with each breath that rips through my lungs. ¡°Oranges are orange, Dryden. Remember that and you will never forget this color.¡± Aunt Mac¡¯s soothing voice came crashing into my head almost as hard as my heart thumping against my chest. ¡°Remember Dryden, oranges are orange, and oranges¡­¡± ¡­Oranges have good vitamin C. I swallow and force my eyes to stare right at the waving orange lines in front of me. If you eat the white portion of the rind, you get a good amount of calcium¡­ I grope at the orange line and follow it around and around. I can see color. I can see it. My finger intersects with another line. A purple line. Purple grapes. Then a blue line. Blue blueberries. Next is yellow. Yellow bananas. Then back to orange. Orange oranges, brown potatoes, grey¡­black¡­grey¡­black. My breath starts coming faster again. Where¡¯s the color? Where did it¡ª ¡°Murrderrerr¡­¡± I put my finger on a random line. Purple¡­purple¡­think Dryden! Purple¡­.purple beets, blue potatoes, yellow lemons, orange pumpkins. Blue corn, orange carrots, purple plums, yellow spaghetti squash. Yellow pineapples, purple eggplant, blue blueberries, orange sweet potatoes. Orange apricots, blue potatoes, yellow pepper, purple elderberries. I follow the lines out of the alleyway and back onto the churning walkways. Back into the sea of color. My breath starts to return to normal. My heart stops beating so fast. This is has been one of the worst days ever. And it all started this morning with this:
Dear Mr. Ekbur, I work for the office of Government Sector Relations and I found your scores perfect for interning with the Gavi Quintar Government Sector official Elite Bracket Paldine, Merv Ervot. However, there is an issue with your family background. I would like to discuss this in person so that we can quickly clear up this issue and have you smoothly transition into the Government Sector. Sincerely, Gary Hartfield, Office of Government Sector Relations, Gavi Quintar
¡°Issue with your family background.¡± They probably mean my biological father¡­I run my hand through my hair. What the hell? What does my biological father have to do with my life anymore? He¡¯s been gone for more years than I¡¯ve been alive and yet he still¡­¡­oh ishnik! Seven minutes to get to the building. I do a complete 360. Where the hell am I? ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ...This is definitely the worst day ever.
2:07pm, Thursday
¡°Dryden Ekbur.¡± A wide smile spread across Gary¡¯s face as the door opened. ¡°Please come in. Were you waiting long?¡± ¡°What? Oh, um no. I¡ª¡± ¡°Please, sit. We have much to discuss.¡± Gary held out his hand at the empty seat as the door closed behind me with a faint click. ¡°Before we get started, I just have a few quick questions to update your file.¡± He started before I even pulled the chair out from the table enough to fit in it. ¡°Alr¡ª¡± ¡°You were mostly raised by your aunt on your father¡¯s side?¡± ¡°Yeh.¡± ¡°When did you start living with her?¡± ¡°Just before my sixth birthday.¡± ¡°What does your aunt do?¡± ¡°She is a Middle Bracket Sports player.¡± ¡°Sports One, I see.¡± Gary scribbled on a pad of paper. ¡°And your uncle?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Middle Bracket Sports doctor.¡± ¡°Any specialties?¡± ¡°Sports nutrition. Um, how is this relevant?¡± ¡°Like I said, I just need to make sure our records are up to date.¡± Gary smiled thinly. ¡°As I¡¯m sure you have already leaned in Government class, but the Qui Duty passes from father to son and from mother to daughter. So, since your father was original Qui Duty was Sports One, your Qui Duty is, therefore, also Sports One.¡± ¡°Yeh, I have training every evening while at the Akademy, and all day in the summer¡­in case the Akademy falls through.¡± ¡°What sport are you specializing in during the summer training?¡± ¡°The GQ national sport.¡± ¡°What is your training regimen like?¡± ¡°¡­Intense. Um, I don¡¯t want to stay in Sports One. That¡¯s¡ª¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s why you have made it into the Top Six.¡± Gary picked up a piece of paper. ¡°Your scores are very competitive¡ª¡± ¡°To intern for Padline Ervot. It was in the HOL message¡­¡± Dryden trailed off as Gary glared at him over the top of the paper.¡± ¡°Your scores are competitive, but there is a slight problem with your relation to your biological father.¡± ¡°How so? By Qui law, anyone sent to the¡ª¡± ¡°I know Qui law.¡± Gary snapped. ¡°And if you were going for any other sector within the Elite Bracket, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem, according to Qui law. However, members of the Government Sector, no matter the Bracket, must come from upstanding citizens. Do you understand why?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°The Government Sector directs society. We are the role models of society, you could say. Therefore, those who hold office positions in the Government Sector must have an impeccable backgrou¡ª¡± ¡°B-but I made it into the To Six¡­¡± ¡°Yes, you did.¡± Gary said unblinkingly. ¡°And if you would let me finish, I think we will be able to come to a favorable conclusion.¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± I muttered. ¡°Like I was saying¡­Those in the Government Sector must be the role models of society. And the only thing keeping you back is that your father was found guilty of conspiring against Qui and was, therefore, sentenced to thirty years labor in the PC Bracket.¡± I nodded. ¡°However¡­¡± Gary paused as he put the paper down. ¡°General Shaw has reviewed your father¡¯s case in light of some recent information coming to light¡ª¡± ¡°Recent information?¡± ¡°¡ªand he thinks that your father should be honored for his service to Qui.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­The Gavi Quintar Government was led to believe, ten years ago, that your father was the main cause behind several attacks on Qui. Therefore, he was sentenced to the PC Bracket. ¡°But you said recent information.¡± ¡°That is correct. We now know that your father acted uprightly and should be honored for his actions¡­and service.¡± ¡°Service?...Service?¡± I could feel my voice going as high as the woman¡¯s earlier. ¡°He was dragged away like, like¡­like a dirty, filthy, PCer. And you call that service?¡± I can understand how that must have been upsetting for you to watch at such a young age¡ª¡± ¡°You can understand?¡± I slammed the chair backwards in my haste to stand up. ¡°You were the one that sentenced him Mr. Hartfield. I remember¡ª¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Gary¡¯s blue eyes pierced into mine. ¡°Yeh.¡± I stared back. ¡°And you know what I think¡ª¡± ¡°Dryden Ekbur.¡± Gary¡¯s voice sharpened quickly. ¡°Do you want your father to be honored or not?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t the point.¡± I slammed my fist on the table. ¡°That is exactly the point. Now, if you do not want to listen to how your father will be honored you are free to leave.¡± My breath came in short bursts from my nose. ¡°¡­fine. How?¡± ¡°I expect you to sit in your chair with calmness and patience without interrupting me.¡± ¡°I rolled my eyes, but picked up my chair and slumped into it. ¡°Happy now?¡± Gary snorted softly as something flickered across his face. A smile? A facial twitch? Creepy old guy. He opened his mouth to speak. Sometime within the next year, a new society bracket will be established called the Paragon Bracket. It will mainly be to honor special people in society¡­really make them stand out as the best of the best, you understand?¡± I shrugged. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°We would like your father to be the very first person to be inducted into the Paragon Bracket. You, by direct relation, will automatically be placed within the Elite Bracket after you complete your Top Six training.¡± ¡°¡­Is that it? What about the recent information¡± you received? Why didn¡¯t you find it earlier? Why was he blamed?¡± ¡°Ah, I am unable to tell you that, unfortunately. However, just know that we have taken care of the person truly respon¡ª¡± ¡°Who was responsible? Mrs. Warek? Dr. Sadzo? Dr. Wiston? Mr. Belmont? Who else worked with him¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Who was it?¡± My fists slammed down onto the table. ¡°Easy boy.¡± Gary¡¯s slithery voice did nothing to hide the twitch of his eyebrow or his smug expression. ¡°All you need to know is that he was wrongly blamed. But, if all goes well, his name will be cleared within the year.¡± ¡°Why a year? If you have the information now, why can¡¯t you clear his name now?¡± ¡°Well, two reasons. First, the next Presidential elections will be in six months.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°In order for Gavi Quintar to establish a new society bracket, our General needs to become President.¡± ¡°So basically, my father will be honored if General Shaw becomes the next President of Qui?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°Oh great.¡± I throw my hands up in the air. ¡°So my father will only be honored if little Gavi Quintar, who hasn¡¯t won an election for the past five terms, suddenly and miraculously wins the upcoming elections.¡± ¡°We will win.¡± ¡°Yeh, sure. And what will happen to my father if General Shaw doesn¡¯t win?¡± Gary¡¯s eyes narrowed for just a moment before returning to a relaxed state. ¡°I¡¯m sure he will gain recognition¡­.just not very much.¡± I pursed my lips. ¡°Will I still be eligible for the Elite Bracket if General Shaw doesn¡¯t become President and my father doesn¡¯t get special honors?¡± Gary shrugged again. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. It¡¯s less certain that you will be able to switch your Qui Duty. It would all depend on your performance within the Top Six Program.¡± Dryden paled. ¡°Anyway, the second issue is that your father was released from the PC Bracket three years ago¡ª¡± ¡°Three years?¡± My eyebrows shot up. ¡°He had triple PC sentences¡­he was supposed to be there for thirty years¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªHowever, he has missed his check-ins with the Middle Bracket Government official.¡± ¡°You lost him?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s missing. There¡¯s a difference. But, perhaps you could help¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± I said flatly. ¡°There¡¯s no way my father would be free and not come home.¡± ¡°¡­So he hasn¡¯t tried to contact you at all?¡± Gary¡¯s eyes watched me carefully. Is this guy stupid? ¡°No. Because. I. Didn¡¯t. Even. Know. He. Was. Released.¡± ¡°Perhaps you know someone who would know where he is?¡± I just stare at Gary. ¡±Are you serious right now?¡± ¡°Completely.¡± ¡°How would I know anyone from the PC Bracket?¡± ¡°Perhaps your mother would know¡­?¡± I roll my eyes. ¡°If she knew he was released, she would have told me. If he had contacted her, she would have told me.¡± Gary¡¯s eyebrow twitched. ¡° But your mother did know that he was released. It is protocol to notify the family when a member of the PC Bracket re-enters society.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± I stated again. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the facts, boy.¡± Gary picked up the HOL without batting an eye. ¡°Call your mother. She will tell you it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Oh please, how stupid do you think I am?...I¡¯m not going to call my mother when she¡¯s at an important job thing.¡± I scuff my feet. ¡°Besides how incompetent are you people? First you wrongly accuse him, then, if it is true, you lose him? Maybe I don¡¯t want to be a part of the Government Sector after all.¡± Gary shrugged and put the HOL down. ¡°That is your choice. However, we would still like to honor him for his service. If you find anything out about his whereabouts, don¡¯t hesitate to contact me or Arline at the front desk.¡± Gary stood and walked to the door. The meeting was decidedly over. ¡°As if.¡± I mutter. The chair teetered back and forth as I shoved it roughly away from me as I stood. Gary grabbed my arm before I passed the threshold. ¡°Just remember Dryden, we would like to restore you and your father to your rightful place in the Elite Bracket. But we can¡¯t do that unless all the pieces come together. Your role in this is tantamount to its success¡­how much does family really mean to you?¡± I yanked my arm away. ¡°Just think about it.¡± Gary¡¯s whispery voice followed me down the hallway. ¡°Perhaps you know someone from the PC brack¡ª¡± The elevator doors closed, cutting off Gary¡¯s voice.
3:03pm, Thursday
The inter-room mail system icon blinked on my desk as I walked into my room exhausted. I flung my jacket onto my bed and tapped on the icon. Yaiya¡¯s name popped up and floated around in circles above the desk. What now. I groaned inside my head as I waved my hand over the twirling name. It dissolved into a single piece of paper with flowing handwriting:
Dear Baby Brother, Congratulations on making the Top Six. Here is a poem for you. I hope you cherish it for years to come. You can¡¯t see color, Don¡¯t you know, You can¡¯t see color, You are the lowest of the low, But you who were born to a father in disgrace, You who were born to be nothing more than waste, Somehow managed to pull off this accomplishment, Trust me, if came to all our astonishment¡­
I crumple the poem in my hands and grab my HOL. Ten more hours before my mom gets off from her work. I collapse on my bed just wanting to curl up and forget everything that happened today. Worst day ever. ¡°Perhaps you know someone¡­¡± Gary¡¯s voice came back to me. I roll my eyes even though no one is around to see. As if I would know anyone from the PC¡­I froze. Arina is from there. I leap off my bed and rush to the door. Maybe Arina would know something¡­! #8 Tash Mirraav
4:17pm, Thursday
TM: ¡°I am sitting in this immaculate doctor¡¯s office waiting for the end of my appointment, and it¡¯s making my skin crawl.¡±
HU: ¡°Why?¡±
¡°Tash?¡± A woman¡¯s voice comes on over the room speaker making me jump. I quickly put my HOL away and push the intercom button just next to the chair armrest. ¡°Yeh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re blood tests have come back clean. The EPC is completely out of your system. You are free to leave now.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I open my HOL again.
TM: ¡°I hate the doctor. I hate the sharp glean of the needles when it catches the light; I hate getting poked and prodded like was a pincushion; I hate the harsh lights in the overly clean halls; I hate being looked at like I was some kind of exotic animal from the time of the ancients. By the end of the visit I always want to scream in their faces that I am Tash. I am a person, a human being. Why can¡¯t doctors see that?¡±
I stared at myself in the mirror. Why can¡¯t they see that? I gently pushed on the area where the face had been. True to Garett¡¯s word, he had gotten her into a good EPC removal facility. There wasn¡¯t a single trace that the EPC had ever been installed on her neck¡ªno residual markings from the malfunction, no scars. My HOL buzzed. Speak of the devil himself.
GK: ¡°There will be a BubbleME waiting just around the corner when you¡¯re done. So when you finish, come straight out. No messing about in there, got it? We need to discuss the party tonight, so come to my room as soon as you get back.¡±
I sighed. He didn¡¯t even trust me to get my own transportation¡­why do you think I got this EPC without your help in the first place, you idiot? I wanted to see if I could do something, anything, without your help. Anything at all¡­but I guess not. I gloomily turned from the mirror and picked up my bag. I hesitated by the door and cast one more look at the mirror. ¡°Now don¡¯t forget: stand tall, be proud and look as condescending as possible and no one will look twice at you¡­¡± I forced my head up high. ¡°¡­Be tiny and unauthoritative and everyone will notice that you don¡¯t belong¡­¡± I squared my shoulders. ¡°¡­Be Arina while you are in there, Tash¡­¡± I pulled the door open and strode into the hall. ¡°¡­As much as you dislike her, be her and nothing will go wrong.¡± I knew the theory behind why Garett had told me that. It just hurt that he felt like he had to tell me. To remind me¡ªas if I didn¡¯t know the danger of getting discovered. What a messed up society. I sighed again. As long as everyone here thought I was one of them, one of the Elite Bracket, I would be unnoticed. I would just be another Youngling in the doctor¡¯s office for her monthly checkup. No one will question my about my motives. No one will accost me about bills or insurance or collateral for if my check didn¡¯t go through. No one would notice me. But if I had entered a place like this as ¡°Tash, Mistress of Hanra in training,¡± I would have been thrown out before I could even request treatment. Mistresses never go out in public, unless for work, because they are hated. Hated yet desired. I couldn¡¯t suppress my eyes from rolling at the irony. It¡¯s funny how hate and desire often times go hand in hand. Society hates Mistresses, yet men need them. Men need them, so Mistresses are tolerated, as if ignoring them, segregating them, and treating them as subhuman would make them go away altogether. Like a bad dream¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ruin this opportunity. This is the only one you will get. Mess this up and even I won¡¯t be able to help you, little cousin.¡± Garett¡¯s words swirled around in my head. ¡°No ishnik.¡± I muttered over the lump in my throat as I moved quickly through the hall and across the reception room. Garett¡¯s words still stung like a barbed nettle that just wouldn¡¯t get out of my skin. A barbed, stinging nettle that leached doubt and the feeling of inadequacy into every corner of my being. I reached for the door, but it flew open before me¡­almost like I could control it with my mind. I looked up surprised and found myself staring into two strikingly blue eyes. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡± The eyes belonged to a man who looked to be in his mid-40s. He was wearing a black suit that complimented his black hair and nicely trimmed beard. However, it also made his eyes stand out in a glaring way, making them the center of attention. ¡°No¡­no it¡¯s alright.¡± I amended, trying to regain my composure. ¡°I wasn¡¯t really looking to see if there was someone on the other side of the door.¡± The man smiled at me. ¡°Please,¡± he moved aside to hold the door open for me and gestured that I should walk out first. I gave a tight smile and small nod in his direction out of polite gratitude, which oddly enough made the man chuckle. ¡°What?¡± I ask icily. I was not in the mocked again today. The man had let go of the door, allowing it to swing silently shut before replying. ¡°You¡¯re not part of the upper brackets, are you?¡± I froze, my mind whirling to come up with a retort. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I mean no offense. It¡¯s just that you are too nice to be in the upper brackets.¡± ¡°You can be nice and be in the upper brackets.¡± I said icily. ¡°Of course, of course. Thera Kushman is like that...¡± the man stroked his chin in thought. ¡°Have you ever met her? She¡¯s a lovely woman.¡± ¡°No. I haven¡¯t had the chance to meet the President¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°Ah, so I was right. You¡¯re not from the upper brackets then.¡± The man¡¯s face suddenly turned stone cold, like Garett¡¯s did when he was extremely angry. A chill ran down my spine. ¡°What makes you think that?¡± I fought to keep my voice steady. ¡°Thera Kushman has made it a point to have every upper bracket family over for dinner at least once. If you were part of the upper bracket, you would have met her already, but you haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°I was sick, alright. Get off my back already.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Like I would tell you after you accused me like that?¡± The man smiled and his face sank back into a congenial state. ¡°Mine is Gary, Gary Hartfield of Gavi Quintar.¡± Gary did a little half bow, which allowed me to see a few white tendrils in his neatly combed hair. The advisor to the General of Gavi Quntar. My breath caught in my throat. ¡°D-does it look like I care?¡± I tried to do my best Arina impersonation. ¡°It does.¡± Now in full Arina mode, I made the most rude hand gesture I had seen and stalked off. I made sure to hold her head high and walk with the same arrogance I had seen Arina do at lunch. As much as you hate her, be her. As much as you hate her, be her. As much as you hate her, be her. I repeated over and over in my mind until I turned the corner. Only then did I run the rest of the way to awaiting BubbleME Garett had programed to wait for me. I hastily punched in the coordinates for the Akademy before looking around to make sure I was still alone. I was. But I wasn¡¯t going to take any chances. I jammed my finger into button programed to make the clear bubble window frost over so that none could see inside and hunkered down to wait for the ride to be over. This is so the worst day ever.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. I glance out the window as the Bubble passes the office I had just left. Gary was still there, but he was talking with two men. One had dark hair, just as black as Gary¡¯s own, and the other had dirty blond hair. Their backs were turned so that I couldn¡¯t see their faces. However, just as the Bubble passed the men, Gary looked up and smiled. I jerked my head down. He can¡¯t see in. I reminded herself as the Bubble picked up speed. He doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m in here¡­right?
4:37pm, Thursday
I ran to Garett¡¯s room as soon as the BubbleME pulled up to the Akademy. I pushed the doorbell. But no answer. I pushed it again¡­and again¡­and again. But he didn¡¯t answer. Seriously? You¡¯re the one that said to come find you as soon as I got back¡­ I gave an annoyed snort. I bet he¡¯s probably in the recording hall. I turned on my heel and quickly walked to the elevator. He could have at least put a note on the door for me. I pushed the button for the Recording Hall floor. 12 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ 11 ¡­ ¡­ C¡¯mon! I pushed the button for the Recording Hall three more times as if it would make the machine go any faster. I didn¡¯t of course, but I needed to do something. Anything to release the tension in my body that was threatening to boil over. ¡­ 10 ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ X-ing Akad Level 5. A click reverberated through the elevator as it attached to the pulley system that would carry it sideways into the school portion of the Akademy. Each door we passed lead into a full building designated to the different sectors and subjects in which they specialize. Bldg 1: Arts Sector ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Bldg 2: Tech Sector ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Annex to West Cafeteria ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Bldg 3: Agriculture and Environment Sector ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Bldg 4: Health Sector ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Annex to East Cafeteria ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Bldg 5: Government Sector ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Annex to South Cafeteria and Recording Hall There was another groan from the elevator as it once again attached to another pulley system before moving upwards. Down would take me to the cafeteria. The doors finally opened and I stepped out into the dimly lit Hall. For the past month, this place had been packed with students cramming for the Youngling Tournament. But now that the Tournament was over, it was like a ghost town. My shoes echoed eerily off the walls and archways as I passed from one end of the Hall to the other, checking every room. Garett wasn¡¯t in any of them. Where did he go? I stepped back into the elevator and pushed the Government Sector building. Sometimes he hangs out in the simulation halls to go over who knows what. The history classes used the uploaded three dimensional simulations to teach everything from ancient battles and wars to the agricultural or political or social ways of the ancients. But the Health Sector also used this floor to go over procedures and real-life situations, so Roshcar sometimes went with Garett to the simulations. ¡°Guys time¡± is what they called it. The other Sectors didn¡¯t have a need for them, so neither Kirosh nor Nathan nor Dryden really came here all that much. The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors finally open to¡­ Two brown oval eyes swiveled to stare down at me, yet they didn¡¯t seem to actually focus on me. Arina¡­ Why do I have to be so short! The stray thought bolted through my mind as I stand there frozen in the elevator. Arina just looked at me, her eyes not moving from mine. So creepy. ¡°Are you going to get out?¡± She finally broke the silence. ¡°I, uh¡­¡± I scuttled out, turning my body so that I fit past her without touching her. ¡°I, um¡­¡± The words stuck in my throat when I saw Arina walk stiffly onto the elevator. Her back was soaked wet from sweat. Garett like simulations¡­maybe¡­ ¡°H-hey.¡± I blurted out just as the doors started to close. My hand darted before it and stopped the doors from closing. ¡°Where is Garett?¡± Arina doesn¡¯t move. Her eyes just kept staring at me. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you. At least have the courtesy to answer.¡± I snapped. I met her stare with my own. Something inside of me stirred and my ears felt like a thousand angry bees were buzzing inside of them. ¡°Oh, forgive me. I didn¡¯t realize it was an honor to be spoken to.¡± My pride flared and I straightened to my full height. ¡°Where. Is. Garett?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± ¡°Cut the crap Arina, I know you like him.¡± Arina raised an eyebrow at me, and for the slightest of seconds, I could have sworn I saw a smile twitch at her mouth. Or was it a smirk? ¡°That would be you, Tash, not me.¡± ¡°You know my name?¡± I took a small step back before I could stop myself. ¡°a-and of course I like him. He¡¯s my cousin.¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows at Arina¡¯s cryptic response. Was that an ¡°of course¡± that she knows my name, or ¡°of course¡± I like Garett¡­? ¡°What are you doing here?¡± I try to change the subject as I stop the elevator doors from closing again. ¡°School¡¯s not in session anymore. Why are you in the simulation area?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the day. There¡¯s no rule that says I can¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°No, but you need supervision to run a simulation.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Who said I didn¡¯t have supervision?¡± I opened and closed my mouth. If I left to go check the bird¡¯s nest¡ªa glass command center in the corner to the room that controlled the simulations¡ªthen Arina would leave. If I stayed, then I wouldn¡¯t know if she were telling the truth or not. ¡°¡­You made someone supervise you while everyone else is on vacation? How selfish are you.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Arina narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find Garett.¡± Arina only snorted. ¡°Do you know where he is?...You know where he is. Tell me where he is!¡± I demanded, stepping forward into the elevator to grab her arm. ¡°I have no idea where your cousin is.¡± Arina hissed, shoving me backwards out of the elevator. I fell, hitting my wrist hard on the cold floor. I cradled it, feeling it to see if anything had broken. ¡°Don¡¯t think you can get away with everything Arina.¡± I glared up at her, cradling my wrist. All the pent up emotions from the entire day suddenly flowed into my head, clouding everything. ¡°Someday you will get yourself into something that your precious daddy won¡¯t be able to get you out of, and when that day comes, I. Will. Laugh. In. Your. Face.¡± ¡°Take a number.¡± She leered down at me just as the doors started to close for a third time. ¡°Good luck finding Garett.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Hey, I¡¯m talking to you. Stop the doors¡­What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Do you know where he is? Is he in your room?¡ª¡± The doors closed. Arina answered me, but just waited with those dead looking eyes and emotionless face until the elevator moved. And she was gone. I winced as I tried to rotate my wrist. Pursing my lips against the pain. Worst day ever, for sure. I stood up slowly and walked down the short hall into the reception area. There was a guard in the bird''s nest, just as Arina had said. He was sleeping, but he was technically there. The doors to the twenty simulation rooms were all open. None were in use. Garett¡¯s not here either. I turned dejectedly back to the elevators. Just as I stepped onto one, my pocket suddenly buzzed. I jumped and quickly fished it out with my good hand.
HU: ¡°Not all doctors are like that, and sometimes people other than doctors are like that. We are all human. Yet, sometimes, we view each other based on not who they are as a person, but what they are associated with. Which bracket they come from, who their friends are¡­even what Qui Duty they were born into¡­¡±
I shoved my HOL back into my pocket and pushed Bldg 4 to go get my hand checkout out. I didn¡¯t want to read philosophy right now¡­Wait¡­! I snatched my HOL and flicked to Garett¡¯s contact icon. It was a lillyvera, of course. I tapped on the icon and the wings fluttered as a shrill ring sounded, but no answer. I tapped it again and the lillyvera took flight, fluttering around a three inch diameter as another shrill ring sounded. Finally the icon dissolved into a face. ¡°Garett¡ª¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­No nothing¡ª¡± ¡°How did the procedure go?¡± ¡°It went fine. I just need to talk to you.¡± ¡°We can talk when you get back.¡± ¡°I am back and I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, can we talk later then. I¡¯m in the middle of some¡ª¡± ¡°No we can¡¯t talk later.¡± I snapped. ¡°Did you know that the families in the upper brackets have each been individually invited to eat with the President¡¯s wife?¡± ¡°¡­Yeh.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me?¡± ¡°No. It wasn¡¯t important.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t important? Garett, everything¡¯s important!¡± ¡°Not at the Akademy¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t at the Akademy, Garett.¡± ¡°¡­what happened?¡± Garett narrowed his eyes ¡°Um¡­when I came out of the building, I ran into a man.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°He said his name was Gary Hartfield¡­and he knows I¡¯m not from the upper brackets.¡± Garett¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Did he say that he knew, or was he just guessing? ¡°He asked if I knew Thera Kushman, and I said no. Then he said that because of that he knew that I wasn¡¯t from the upper brackets.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I told him that I was sick and couldn¡¯t make the dinner, and to get off my back about it.¡± Garett cracked a smile for a brief moment before resuming his interrogation, ¡°How do you know that he¡¯s actually Gary Hartfield?¡± ¡°Because he said he was.¡± ¡°He might have been some guy just been messing with you.¡± ¡°I doubt that. You didn¡¯t see his eyes. There wasn¡¯t any messing about when he told me his name.¡± Garett frowned. ¡°Did you tell him your name?¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not stupid.¡± ¡°Well, if you hadn¡¯t gotten a faulty EPC in the first place, we wouldn¡¯t have even had to be here.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s all my fault?¡± ¡°Yeh, kinda is¡­Is that it?¡± I heard laughter in the background. ¡°¡­Where are you?¡± I narrow my eyes. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Gar¡ª¡± ¡°I need to go now. Make sure you show up at the party.¡± ¡°Wait, Gare¡ª¡± But the signal had already cut off. #9 General Shaw
6:33pm, Thursday
General Shaw forked the delicious smelling food and waved it under his nose for a moment before taking a bite. The crunchy apples gave little pops of sweetness against a backdrop of the tart cranberries. The candied, sour lemon rinds gave his teeth a satisfying suction. He took another bite. The tart flavors of the cranberries melded with the sweetness of the apples and bananas making a perfect blend of tart and sweet. It was like a juxtaposition of cold wind from the sea paired with the warmth of the sunshine on your head. He took another bite. This time it was like biting into a rainbow of taste. The bitter flavor of the chocolate curbed the overly sweetness of the bananas. It¡¯s smooth and creamy texture made his mouth feel like velvet. Like petting a cat with silky smooth fur, or hearing a perfectly performed violin concerto. The slight nutty flavor just brought out the rich undertones of the tart berries. He took another bite. Everything was just per¡ª ¡°Um, excuse me Sir, um, this just came from Gary Hartfield¡¯s office¡­It was marked as important¡­¡± His assistant held up a package. ¡°Put it over there.¡± General Shaw gave a perfunctory wave. ¡°I¡¯m busy right now.¡± ¡°Um, t-the note said, um, that you should watch it immediately, sir.¡± General Shaw sighed and motioned for the assistant to hand him the device. ¡°Leave.¡± The package contained a short letter and a VidHOL. General Shaw placed the VidHOL on his desk player before reading the letter as he waited for the room to adjust to the video parameters.
This is information we talked about earlier. There are two recordings on the HOL. Be sure to watch both of them. ~Gary
The desk went black for a moment before a four recording boxes appeared before the General. All views were from the standard issued eye lenses required to be worn by all DiMech employees out on a field expedition. General quickly looked at the timestamp as the four men made their way through a low ceilinged cave. This video is ten years old¡­ General Shaw cracked a knuckle. When did Gary get this? The men entered a large cavern that was lit with bright glowing orbs of light. In front of the men were five doors. Ancient doors. Not the black and silver marbled doors that marked all DiMech Inc. property. ¡°Hey Hank, which one did you get open?¡± The right most view swiveled around to look behind him as they all approached the doors. ¡°The middle one¡­follow me.¡± The left most recording angle took the front most position. The others lined up behind him single file as he opened the ancient door. Surprisingly, it opened without making a sound. ¡°You would think this would have crumbled centuries ago¡­¡± A hand reached out from the center-left angle. ¡°¡¯It¡¯s called ingenuity, Jax.¡± The center-right angle man slapped the man touching the door heartily on the back. ¡°You know, the thing you don¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Get off me Finch.¡± Jax flicked the man¡¯s hand away. ¡°Enough you two¡­Everyone switch to night vision mode, now.¡± Hank commanded. Within moments all the iris recorders switched to the green night vision. ¡°And remember, it¡¯s slippery from here on out, so watch where you step. There¡¯s black ice everywhere.¡± Oh please¡­I was interrupted form eating my food to watch this? I could have done this after I finished. General Shaw snorted softly once. He clicked open the recording¡¯s playback settings and pushed the ¡°move faster 2x¡± arrow. Not three minutes after entering the cave, Hank slipped. Then Jimmy fell. Then, to top it all off, Finch slipped and tried to grab Jax to steady himself but only succeeded in making them both fall. Well at least I¡¯m getting dinner and a show¡­ Suddenly all three men stopped. Before them was a shaft that went straight down. That is when General Shaw pushed play again. ¡°¡­right who wants to go first?¡± Finch looked at his companions. ¡°I will.¡± ¡°At¡¯a boy, Jimmy!¡± Hank reached out a hand and patted the man on the shoulder. ¡°Do an iris check to make sure the recording is going smoothly while we get you strapped to the cables.¡± Jimmy fiddled with his helmet for a second. ¡°All settings are green.¡± ¡°Good. Just give us a few¡­alright, done. You¡¯re all ready to go.¡± From Jimmy¡¯s camera, Shaw saw the three other men lower Jimmy down the circular shaft that looked like it had been carved out with crude tools. As Jimmy was lowered into the darkness, he joked about how exotic it was to look at the ancient walls that allowed for very little movement. ¡°Feels like I¡¯m a chimney sweep from that book from the ancients.¡± ¡°¡­Jimmy only you would read a book from the time of the ancients. None of us have any time for that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called getting cultured, Finch.¡± Jax pipped up. ¡°Maybe you should try getting some sometime.¡± ¡°What¡ª¡± General Shaw impatiently hit the ¡°forward 2x¡± button again but then almost immediately pushed play. Jimmy entered a huge cavern. ¡°Great Qui.¡± Jimmy breathed. ¡°What? What is it?¡± ¡°What do you see?¡± The others clamored over their communicators. ¡°Guys, this is amazing¡­it¡¯s like I just came through the roof in Great Establishment Hall. This cavern is huge¡­!¡± Then there was a whisper that came like a light breeze in the windless cave. It was barely audible, but the words were clear, unmistakable, and ominous... ¡°The humans have returned. The experiments can begin again, and we have a thirst for blood!¡± General Shaw narrowed his eyes. His fingers tapping on the desk as he watched. One¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ ¡°Pull me out!¡± Jimmy cried as his light hit the bodies that were hanging from the ceiling floating almost in the still air. Decrepit old skeletons just hanging, swinging back and forth with the new air that Jimmy brought in with him. Their eyes staring out into nothing with hunched backs, long fingernails shaped into claws, and gaping jaws. General Shaw leaned forward. Was it just the dim light from Jimmy¡¯s suit, or did their heads turn to look at him with gaping eye sockets and bones that haven¡¯t been used in centuries? The body that he hit on the way up, did it turn and reach out to him as it swung back and forth on its cable? ¡°Pull faster!¡± Jimmy ordered hoarsely while trying to pull himself up the line, not wanting to stay in the room any longer. But something had been awakened. General Shaw leaned in even closer to the box with Jimmy¡¯s view. But the man was swinging his head around and around that it was impossible to tell what was moving and what wasn¡¯t. Then the screen just went black. General Shaw furrowed his eyebrows and checked the settings on his HOL. It wasn¡¯t his machine that had cut out. It was all the iris recorders¡­all the feeds had cut out just like Jimmy¡¯s had done. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± General Shaw pushed pause on the HOL before the second recording popped up and buzzed for his assistant. Iris recorders are never supposed to go off line. That¡¯s the whole point in having them¡­This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Sir?¡± The girl peaked in. ¡°Get Gary.¡± ¡°He¡¯s gone home already¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. Get him here now.¡± ¡°Y-yeh sir!¡± When the door closed again, General Shaw continued to watch the recording. The second clip was of one of the men. He was young looking and very thin. He was in a small room rocking back and forth while holding himself, looking everywhere but at the camera. His eyes were slightly rimmed in red. Almost like he had been crying. Every noise made him jump. ¡°Can you tell me what happened?¡± ¡°I-I already did.¡± ¡°You told the company what happened so that they could record it for their records, that is true. But now the company wants to help you get better, Jax. We care about you. The only way to get over this is to talk about it. Can you do that for me? Can you talk about it? ¡°Talk. Talk. Talk, talk, talk. I can talk. I¡¯m good at talking. Talk, talk, talk.¡± Jax rocked back and forth. ¡°Very good, Jax. Now I want you to talk about what happened on the night of the 89th Qui Establishment Commemoration, Tuesday, 3008?¡± ¡°We-we were in the Krro Jist§Ö§ß Ice Caves of Gavi Quintar to test, to test, to test the ice before the permits to mine the ice were approved.¡± ¡°¡­Yeh, that is true. But I want you to talk about the¡­incident that happened.¡± ¡°Incident¡­incident¡­incident.¡± Jax rocked back and forth repeating the words over and over again. ¡°You were told to investigate some new caves by Mrs. Warek. Is that correct?¡± ¡°New caves¡­new caves¡­yeh, yeh, new caves.¡± ¡°¡­So what happened?¡± ¡°What happened, what happened¡­¡± Jax repeated. In the background the woman let out a loud sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s do this another ti¡ª¡± ¡°We went inside what seemed like a door, the very first humans to ever explore. Jimmy looked at us in amazement ¡°I wanna be the first to see more of these ancient beings that were here before.¡± He said, so we lowered him down a small shaft until we were almost out of rope. He didn''t see anything at first but then we heard a gurgle over the intercom. He told us that he was in a room. He said that ¡°It looked like he had just fell through the roof of the Great Establishment Hall, the room was so grand.¡± Then there was a whisper...or was it the creaking of the structure..."The humans are back. The experiments can begin again, and we are thirsty for blood." ¡°Pull me out! Pull me out! Pull me out!¡± Jax suddenly screamed. ¡°Pull faster! Pull faster! Pull faster!¡± Then he stopped just as suddenly, and just rocked back and forth. Silence fell over the room. ¡°Jax, ca¡ª¡± ¡°We, we, we pulled as fast as we could, but by the time we got Jimmy back, it was already too late. S-s-something, something, something had gotten him.¡± ¡°What do you mean something got him? Can you explain that to me?¡± ¡°¡­When we pulled him over the ledge, his eyes were bloodshot and glowed red, but the Jimmy we knew was already dead, taken over by something...by something¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean taken over by something?¡± ¡°Something¡­something¡­something¡­¡± The woman sighed again. ¡°Alright, ¡°by something.¡± What happened next?¡± ¡°He attacked us¡­we tried to run. We ran for our lives.¡± Jax looked around the room with wide eyes. ¡°We ran, we did. But Jimmy¡­he¡­Hank!¡± Jax turned and reached out his hand as to grab his friend, but he retreated it quickly as if he were afraid someone would grab it. He began to rock back and forth again. ¡°Hank¡­?¡± the woman prodded. Jax just shook his head. ¡°Jax, what happened to Hank?¡± ¡°The humans have returned. The experiment can continue, and we have a thirst for blood.¡± Jax muttered while he rocked. ¡°Jax. Jax are you listening to me? What happened to Hank?¡± Jax stopped rocking and looked straight into the camera with calm eyes. ¡°Jimmy broke his neck with one movement.¡± ¡°What about¡­Finch? I haven¡¯t heard you talk about him yet.¡± ¡°¡­Jimmy cut his suit with his ice pick while we tried to run away. His leg was scratched.¡± ¡°What happened then?¡± ¡°I made it back to the work station and looked back. Finch was hobbling along, grabbing his leg because he said it burned. We could hear Hank was coming after us, so I shut the hatch and locked it.¡± ¡°You left Finch behind?¡± Jax nodded calmly. ¡°I could hear him banging on the door, begging me to open it up, but I didn¡¯t. Hank was coming...or was he? Silence fell in the room. Jax stared unblinkingly into the camera with dead, hollow looking eyes. ¡°Then what happened?¡± The woman asked calmly. I didn¡¯t hear any screams from Finch. I didn¡¯t hear anything but angry knocks on the door. Finch had stopped yelling at me, but the banging continued¡­¡± ¡°Alri¡ª¡± ¡°BANG.¡± Jax yelled at the top of his lungs. His fists hitting the desk. ¡°BANG.¡± ¡°Jax¡ª¡± ¡°BANG.¡± ¡°Jax I need¡ª¡± ¡°BANG.¡± ¡°Jax, I need you to stop hitting the tab¡ª¡± ¡°BANG.¡± ¡°Can you go in there and give him he drug, please. This isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± The woman¡¯s voice sounded over the screams. In the screen, a man entered the room. Jax looked up and froze just as he was about to bring his hands down again. ¡°Continuous knocking. The knocking wouldn¡¯t stop¡ª¡± Jax pleaded with the man as he approached. ¡°I¡¯m just going to give you something to help you relax a little, alright?¡± ¡°¡ªIt wouldn¡¯t stop¡­ouch.¡± ¡°There you go.¡± The man quickly exited the room. Jax swayed on his seat for several minutes completely unaware of his surroundings. It took several moments for him to find his way back to reality. But even then, a part of him was still lost. ¡°Jax?¡ª¡± He slowly stood up from the chair and walked over to the door. ¡°¡ªJax I need you to continue talking. What happened after the knocking?¡± ¡°Knocking?¡± Jax asked absently. ¡°¡­it stopped¡­It stopped when I opened the little window door next to the hatch.¡± Jax reached his hand out and lightly touched the window on the door in the room he was presently in. ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°I¡­I looked out and saw a figure.¡± Jax peered out the window. ¡°Finch? Finch is that you?¡± He called through the window. ¡°I¡¯m sorry man. I¡¯m so sorry. I couldn¡¯t go back for you because Hank was coming¡­¡± Jax trailed off. His body completely frozen. ¡°¡­Jax¡­Jax, what do you see?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a figure in the hallway. It¡¯s hobbling over to me, it¡¯s head is down. It¡¯s at the window now. It¡¯s hand is reaching out¡­it¡¯s starting to bang on the window. BANG. BANG. BANG. Finch? Finch, look at me! Is it alright? Is it safe?¡± Jax was pounding on the window and talking to the air. Still lost in what happened. ¡°Jax, is that Finch hitting the window?¡± ¡°Finch, are Jimmy and Hank out there? Is it safe? BANG. BANG. BANG.¡± ¡°Jax, what is happening? Talk to me. Remember you promised you would talk to me. Tell me what is going on.¡± ¡°J-Finch¡¯s whole body is shaking. His head is bent but it sinks even lower, as if he doesn¡¯t have the strength to hold it up¡­Hank!¡± Jax frantically pats with window as if trying to catch someone¡¯s attention. ¡°Jax¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Hank...but, but, but how is that possible? Jimmy¡­the neck¡­his eyes are red!¡± ¡°Whose eyes?¡± ¡°Hank¡¯s eyes are red and drool is coming out of his mouth.¡± Suddenly, Jax turned his head startled. ¡°The banging on the door has started again. It¡¯s keeping in rhythm with Finch¡¯s knocking. Bang. Bang. Bang.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s knocking on the door, Jax?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t kn¡­It¡¯s Jimmy.¡± Jax took a slight step back. ¡°H-he¡¯s pushed Finch¡¯s head down more to look into the window, right at me.¡± Jax took more steps backwards but stumbled and fell onto the floor. His eyes never left the door. ¡°He¡¯s laughing at me.¡± Jax whispered, his face white as a sheet. ¡°F-Finch?¡± He asked almost hopefully. ¡°Fin¡­¡± Jax froze again. ¡°Jax, what is happening?¡± ¡°¡­Finch¡­he is looking at me too. He¡­he¡¯s laughing. His eyes¡­his eyes.¡± Jax choked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his eyes?¡± ¡°¡­They¡¯re red too.¡± A small sob came from Jax. ¡°I¡¯m sorry man. I¡¯m so¡ª¡± Suddenly, he gasped and his eyes went wide. ¡°What is it Jax? What do you see?¡± Jax shook his head slowly. ¡°¡­face¡­¡± ¡°Face? You saw a face? Jax started rocking back and for the again. ¡°Jax, what did this face look like? Was it Hank¡¯s face?...Finch¡¯s face?...Jimmy¡¯s face?...Jax? Jax are you listening to me? Jax¡­¡± the woman let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s get him back to his room. I think that¡¯s all we can do for today.¡± Suddenly, Jax stood up and walked right to the camera and held it up to his face. His red rimmed eyes were now apparent and intensely bloodshot, as if he hadn¡¯t slept for weeks. But they were steady. Calm even. ¡°The humans have returned. The experiments can begin again, and we are thirsty for blood.¡± Then he smiled.
8:15pm, Thursday
¡°Sir, I¡¯m ha¡ª¡± Gary whispered as he gracefully entered the room. ¡°Where did you get the recording?¡± ¡°There are all in the public records. Anyone can access them if one knows where to look.¡± ¡°But you have more, I assume.¡± Gary hesitated. ¡°¡­This is all you need to know¡± General Shaw cracked a knuckle. ¡°Exactly how much other data have you collected?¡± ¡°If I told you, you would break the plausible deniability safeguard.¡± General Shaw pursed his lips. How long had Gary really had the information? ¡°Do we know what got them?¡± ¡°No.¡± Gary looked disappointed. ¡°But I am looking into the situation.¡± ¡°Then you do have more on this.¡± Gary hesitated again. ¡°¡­possibly.¡± General Shaw snorted the air out of his nose. ¡°Possibly?¡± ¡°Let me put it this way: I believe I have found a way to cut the PC Bracket costs from researching this incident more. However, I do not believe it is the time yet to show you everything.¡± ¡°Oh, you believed it would be better. But last time I checked, you weren¡¯t General of Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°No, I am not. But this is what you pay me for, is it not?¡± Gary asked, his eyes sharp and unyielding. ¡°¡­It is.¡± ¡°Then with all due respect Sir, let me do my job.¡± General Shaw¡¯s fingers drummed slowly on the desk. One¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ Two¡­ ¡°Fine. But I want weekly updates on your progress.¡± ¡°Of course, General.¡± Gary drew out the last word, his piercing blue eyes never leaving Shaw¡¯s. ¡°Dismissed.¡± There was an air of smugness about Gary that made General Shaw narrow his eyes. What is he planning¡­? #10 Tash Mirraav
8:27pm, Thursday
HU: ¡°Not all doctors are like that, and sometimes people other than doctors are like that. We are all human. Yet, sometimes, we view each other based on not who they are as a person, but what they are associated with. Which bracket they come from, who their friends are¡­even what Qui Duty they were born into¡­¡±
I re-read over the message. I still haven¡¯t replied to it yet. To be honest, I don¡¯t know what to say. Well, actually I have so much I want to say but I don¡¯t know where to begin.
TU: ¡°I have once again found myself in yet another doctor¡¯s office.¡±
¡­No, I can¡¯t say that. Like who cares about that?
TU: ¡°I hurt my wrist today, so I¡¯m back in the doctor¡¯s office.¡±
Great Qui, that¡¯s just as superfluous. I¡¯m not even responding to what HU said¡­ Claws for anger and a face for hate, Merged together in an ugly fate, For one so hideous, you cannot overlook, That there inside of you, it has its hook. The poem suddenly came back to me as if it were still on my neck. I started typing:
TU: ¡°Claws for anger and a ace for hate, Merged together in an ugly fate, For one so hideous, you cannot overlook, That there inside of you, it has its hook.¡± This was on my neck today just before I got the EPC removed. At first I thought it was disgusting and horrible, but maybe it¡¯s not so far off from the truth¡­ To be me is to be fear, To be me is to be hate, So I hide, I hide inside, Don¡¯t let it free, Don¡¯t let them see... ¡­see what it means to be me¡­
I paused, my hand hovering over the delete button. No one cares about this eith¡ª ¡°Tash?¡± My hand jerked to close my HOL as my head whipped up. ¡°Kirosh..¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing down here?¡± ¡°I fell and hurt my wrist.¡± I held up my arm. ¡°I wanted to make sure it was alright since we begin training tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oh¡­how is it?¡± He came closer to look at my wrapped wrist. ¡°Just a sprain.¡± ¡°Cool¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Still trying to calm down from being startled. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Roshcar to finish his work, and then we¡¯re going over to Lena¡¯s party. Want to join us?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I hopped up from my chair. ¡°Let me go get ready.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s meet in the front of the Akademy at¡­9:30? That¡¯s in about an hour.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± I hurried out of the room. Once I was safe in the elevator, I opened my HOL¡­ Message sent. Are you kidding me!
9:33pm, Thursday
Alright, time to go¡­ I quickly looked at my HOL. Still no message yet. Whatever, it¡¯s better if HU doesn¡¯t respond to that one. I look at my mirror for one last make-up check. Alright, looks good¡ª A light knock interrupted my last minute preparations. ¡°Coming,¡± I called as picked up my jacket and hurried to the door. ¡°I was just ab¡ª¡± I froze. There in the hallway was none other than Gary Hartfield. Behind him were the two other men I had seen with him before. ¡°Hello Tash, do you remember me? We met after you got your EPC removed I think.¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± Gary smiled thinly. ¡°It was very rude of you to not tell me your name, you know. I would have gotten here much sooner if you had.¡± ¡°Let me go cry for you. Oh wait, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You should.¡± ¡°And why is that?¡± Gary leaned in close. ¡°Because I can get your Qui Duty changed to actually be in the Elite Bracket.¡± ¡°I already told you I¡ª¡± ¡°Now, Tash, we both know you are from the Hanra Mistress House.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I took a slight step back as a shiver ran through me. ¡°Now don¡¯t look at me like that. I just want to talk to you.¡± Gary easily brushing past me and entered the room uninvited. ¡°Falcon, Arko, see that we are undisturbed.¡± The two men nodded and closed the door. ¡°What do you want?¡± I asked, putting as much distance between me and Gary in this small room. ¡°Well, to be honest, I was hoping that we could come to some sort of arrangement.¡± I stiffened. The word ¡®arrangement¡¯ to a Mistress carried a certain weight, and I was well aware of what it meant. ¡°This arrangement is not what you are thinking, don¡¯t worry. If I wanted that, I would go to an actual Mistress, not one in training.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s the arrangement?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite simple actually: I will switch your Qui Duty to whatever your cousin tricked the system into believing if you do something for me in return, of course.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about¡­but just out of curiosity, what do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want you¡­¡± Gary paused to sit elegantly in my chair. ¡°To help me make Garett, your cousin, the next General of Gavi Quintar.¡± I looked at Gary stunned. ¡°General?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There is was again, that strange affirmation that was similar to what was used today, but just not quite right. ¡°Now¡ª¡± A shrill ring sounded, interrupting Gary. ¡°What?¡± He snapped into his HOL. ¡°Ah¡­I see. This is very good actually, saves me the trip. Yes, send him in.¡± Garett entered the room cautiously. First looking over me, his eyes hard and wary, as if inspecting me. Looking for something. Finally, he turned to look at Gary. ¡°Good evening.¡± Gary rose and held out his hand. ¡°My name is Gary Hartfield.¡± Garett¡¯s face broke into a congenial smile as he shook Gary¡¯s hand. ¡°It is an honor to meet you, sir. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?¡± ¡°I came to talk with Tash about getting her Qui Duty changed.¡± ¡°Oh? To what?¡± ¡°To match what you¡¯ve put into the Akademy system before anyone finds out what her real Qui Duty is.¡± To his credit, Garett didn¡¯t look phased at all. He just smiled. ¡°You are very generous, sir, but I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Perhaps not. But the offer still stands. And, since you are here, I will let you know the terms of the agreement. I will switch Tash¡¯s Qui Duty in the Qui Database if she helps me make you the next General of Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Me? A General?¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, the elections are coming within the next year, and if General Shaw is elected President, we will need to elect a new General.¡± ¡°True. However, I am still a Youngling. Only certified Jackals have the option to become Generals.¡± ¡°That is why this Training Program is extremely crucial for your continued candidacy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°As long as you complete the first year of the Top Six Training Program, which is specifically geared toward understanding the Government Sector, you can apply for the Jackal test. If you pass the test, you will become a Gavi Quintar Jackal, and, therefore, will be eligible to be elected the next General of Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°So how does Tash factor into this?¡± ¡°Behind every powerful man is a powerful woman. All eyes will be on you as you go through the program. Other nations may try to recruit you. You will be limited in how much you can do. tash, however, can do the things you cannot.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± ¡°Gather information on your opponents.¡± Garett¡¯s eye raised slowly. ¡°I can do that fine by myself. She doesn¡¯t need to be dragged into that.¡± ¡°But she will if you want to beat Kirosh Trivar.¡± Gary¡¯s eyes never left Garett¡¯s. they never even blinked. ¡°¡­What does Kira have to do with this? He isn¡¯t from Gavi Quint¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, he was born in Gavi Quintar, which makes him a Gavi Quintar citizen. Birth nation trumps childhood memory nation.¡± Garett¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Then that¡­¡± ¡°Then that would make Kirosh a General candidate as well, yes. And frankly, he looks better on paper since he came in first in the tournament and he has an established childhood in a respected town¡­You, on the other hand, have questionable origins.¡± Garett narrowed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. I am also willing to permanently change your record if you agree to become the Gavi Quintar candidate.¡± ¡°Again, I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± Garett smiled. ¡°But, what information would you need Tash to collect?¡± ¡°The information would be on Kirosh, of course. But specifically, I will need her to collect some sample DNA for me.¡± ¡°Sample DNA? Like hair?¡± ¡°I was thinking more like blood.¡± ¡°What?¡± I asked outright. ¡°How in all of Qui do you expect me to do that?¡­not that I¡¯m agreeing to do it.¡± ¡°Who cares about that.¡± Gave me a perfunctory wave, but his eyes pierced into mine telling me: ¡°Shut up. Let me do the talking.¡± ¡°No, she is right. It is a bit much to ask of a Youngling¡ª¡± ¡°She can get it.¡± Garett interrupted Gary. ¡°Why do you need blood?¡± ¡°That is not important at the moment. But I think perhaps we should start with an easier task.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I blurted out before Garett could challenge Gary. ¡°I need access to his personal files.¡± ¡°So? Can¡¯t you get them?¡± ¡°No, because on paper, he is still a Zuashi citizen.¡± ¡°And only I can get his password?¡± I asked unconvinced. Out of everyone in Qui, only I am able to get this information? You¡¯ve got to be joking. ¡°No, but you are the fastest and least expensive option available at the moment.¡± ¡°Why do you need his family records?¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Reasons that I cannot discuss with you as you are not a part of the Government Sector¡­you¡¯re not even part of the Elite Sector. A shudder ran through me. The sneer behind that comment was obvious even if Gary¡¯s face was still smiling pleasantly. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Can we have some time to think over things?¡± Garett cut me off. ¡°Yes, of course, of course. Just know that you are our first choice but not our only choice to be the candidate for General. However, if you decide to become the official General candidate, all this information will be shared with you, by the way.¡± Gary stood and straightened his coat. ¡°If you need to speak with me, call this number.¡± Gary handed both Garett and I a small business card before walking to the door. ¡°Either I, or my two sons outside will answer¡­Boys, come in here for a moment.¡± Then two men entered. ¡°The dark haired one is Falcon, and the other one is Arko. When I am not around, they take care of things. You can trust them.¡± ¡°Thank you sir.¡± Gary bowed his head politely. ¡°It was all my pleasure. Have a good night to both of you.¡± Gary also bowed his head, although not as low. And then they were gone. Leaving the room in utter silence. Neither one of us moved. Finally, I couldn¡¯t take it any longer. ¡°Um¡­ Suddenly, my HOL buzzed in my pocket. I fumbled to take it out.
KT: ¡°Hey, where are you? We are at the front waiting.
Ishnik!...9:50 already?... ¡°Um...Garett, I¡ª¡± ¡°¡­This. Is. Great.¡± Garett almost shouted the last word making me jump. He broke into the biggest laugh I had ever heard from him. ¡°This is so great Tash. Did you hear him? Did you? We can both get our Qui Duties changed. You won¡¯t have to be a Mistress anymore!¡ª¡± ¡°Garett¡­¡± ¡°¡ªWe can both be free.¡± He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. ¡°I thought for sure I had to wait four years¡­¡± he muffled voice tickled my neck. Then he suddenly took my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. ¡°But now it¡¯s only one year. We only have one more year to go¡ª¡± ¡°Garett¡­¡± ¡°¡ªAnd I will be General¡­¡± ¡°Garett!¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong? We should celebra¡ª¡± ¡°I-I have to go meet Kirosh. I told him I would go with him and Roshcar to the party.¡± ¡°Oh¡­this is good. No this is great.¡± He let go of me and took a step back. ¡°Go, go.¡± I didn¡¯t move. ¡°What?¡± Garett asked, his eyebrow raising slightly. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t want to spy on Kirosh.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s a nice person, Garett. Anyone but him, please.¡± ¡°No is ever a nice person. Stop being so naive. Besides you don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°But what if Kirosh gets kicked off the team? Isn¡¯t he the best option for gaining contacts?¡± ¡°Tash, you won¡¯t need contacts if I become General. We won¡¯t need any of them. Not Lena. Not Vera. Not Rena. Not Kirosh¡­none of them. We won¡¯t have to do things to make them like us anymore either. Oh I can¡¯t wait, Tash¡± Garett rubbed his hands together. ¡°As soon as I become General, I will ruin them until they know what it means to¡ª¡± ¡°What about Arina?¡± ¡°What? Oh, we won¡¯t need her either.¡± ¡°What about me? Will you get rid of me too?¡± Garett frowned. ¡°Stop being ridiculous. You¡¯re different.¡± ¡°Because of our contract?¡± Garett took a step forward and lifted my chin to look him in the eyes. I could feel just how small I was compared to him when he did that. ¡°I promised you I would get you out of your Duty, and I will. So, if you don¡¯t get Gary the information, I will. Your choice.¡± ¡°¡­Fine.¡± I scowled. ¡°But I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°As long as it gets you out of your Duty, I don¡¯t really care.¡± #11 Kirosh Trivar
9:55pm, Thursday
C¡¯mon Tash, where are you? I look at my HOL¡¯s clock for the fourth time in as many seconds. Tonight was the party of the year. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I would be invited since we haven¡¯t been on very good speaking terms since she broke up with me. But, Lena is famous for her last minute invitations. She likes to think that it keeps everyone on their toes¡ªthat it hypes up the anticipation. I was even more surprised that Dryden was the one she gave the invitations to. Neither one like each other. But, a party¡­with Lena. I can¡¯t help but grin. She may have dumped me, but she totally still wants me. Now where is¡ª Suddenly my HOL vibrates.
TM: ¡°Sorry I can¡¯t go with you guys right now. I¡¯m not feeling well¡­girl stuff. I¡¯ll see you guys there later.¡±
You couldn¡¯t have told me that earlier¡­? I rolled my eyes before turning to Roshcar. ¡°Tash said she couldn¡¯t make it right now but that she will meet us there later.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Roshcar shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±
10:32pm, Thursday
The first thing I saw as we pulled up to Lena¡¯s mansion was Arina. She was wandering around the side of the house following a crowd of people. The throbbing music could be heard all the way from the street. It was like the pulse of the party that underlay all the chatter and squeals from the outdoor pool behind the gate. The crowd was no doubt headed for the pool as everyone was dressed¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to get a drink.¡± Roshcar pulled me out of my thoughts as he climbed out of the BubbleME. ¡°You?¡± ¡°I, uh¡­¡± I glance in the direction of the crowd. ¡°I¡¯m going to see if I can find Nathan. I¡¯ll catch up with you in a bit.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Roshcar shrugged and strode towards the house. I, on the other hand, followed the crowd into the side yard. The pool scene was active. Almost everyone had a drink in their hand. Almost everyone. There were the few outliers who were sitting awkwardly off to the sides trying not to be noticed. Probably some ¡°promising first years.¡± I chuckled to myself as I walked through the crowd. Nathan¡­Nathan¡­Nathan¡­ I wandered into the house and through the various rooms. Where are you¡­? I found the stairs to the basement and followed some happily chatting couple as they descended. The music grew louder and louder as we got closer and closer to the dance room. QuiBeats technology proba¡ª A flash of light hit me in the face as I walked into the dance room. Momentarily blinded, I felt my way over to a safe corner and waited for my vision to clear. When it finally did¡­ Wow, I breathed even though the comment was swallowed by the music. This is amazing!Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Pulsing music orbs were floating around the room, releasing little iridescent particles that pulsed and changed form according to the beat. It was like the entire room was a giant waveform. I stood there watching until something caught the corner of my eye. Nathan¡­? I pushed my way through the mass of bodies, following the back of the person towards the door out into the back lawn.
10:57pm, Thursday
I pushed myself through the crowd until I could reach out and¡­¡°Nathan!¡± I grabbed onto the figure¡¯s arm. The person turned, surprise his face. It wasn¡¯t Nathan. ¡°Oh¡­sorry.¡± I shouted over the noise and let go. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°What?¡± The other person shouted. ¡°I¡¯m sorr¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you.¡± The other person shrugged and walked off. Whatever. I rolled my eyes. I wasn¡¯t about to go chase down a random person just to apologize. I turned towards the dance floor again. Would he be dancing¡­I doubt it¡­but this is him after all¡­ I ran a hand through my hair. I hated dancing, but he didn¡¯t. I¡¯ll check outside first, just to make sure. I pushed myself the last few feet to the door and escaped outside. The night seemed crisper than it had been before but maybe I had just been inside with hot sweaty people for too long. I take my time to stroll around the yard. There were several couples outside on various benches, but no¡­ ¡°Nathan?¡± Off in the corner, sitting alone was Nathan. ¡°Oh hey.¡± He looked up as I quickly strode over. ¡°Where have you been?¡± I demanded. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see my messages?¡± ¡°Yeh, I saw them, but I was busy with¡ª¡± ¡°Why did you let Arina win?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I saw the tapes Nathan. That last question at the end of the round, I know that you knew the answer. Why didn¡¯t you get it right?¡± ¡°How did¡ª¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Why didn¡¯t you get the last question right?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it.¡± Nathan shrugged. ¡°Nathan, we learned the answer to that question two days before your test. There¡¯s no way you forgot it.¡± ¡°Well, I must have alright? I got it wrong fair and square.¡± ¡°Did she threaten you?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Your fairy godmother.¡± I snarked. ¡°Arian, Nathan. Did she threaten you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Did she promise you something if you let her win?¡± ¡°Kirosh, I got the question wrong, alright?¡± Nathan stood up with a sigh. ¡°Just let it go.¡± ¡°Let it go? Nathan, what are you talking about? You should have gotten second. We¡¯ve planned on going this trip together since we were like seven, and you¡¯re asking me to just let it go? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Our plan was never to get into the Top Six.¡± Nathan kicked a rock. ¡°¡­But it¡¯s still going to work out, alright? I promise.¡± ¡°How can you say that?¡± I demanded. ¡°How do you know that?¡± Nathan didn¡¯t answer. ¡°She did do something to get you to throw the round.¡± ¡°No, she didn¡¯t.¡± Nathan sounded weary. ¡°Nathan¡­¡± I narrowed my eyes at him. He looks like he hasn¡¯t slept in days. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± He trailed off, his eyes looking behind me. I turned, and there in the light of the doorway was Arina. She was just standing there, watching us. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, alright?¡± Nathan continued hurriedly. ¡°I-I should go.¡± ¡°Nathan¡­¡± I reached out and caught his arm. He just looked at me. His eyes weary but steady. ¡°Nath¡ª¡± ¡°Nine months, Kirosh. Just Nine months.¡± ¡°Nine months? Nine months till what?¡± But Nathan shook off my hand from his arm and hurried off. He paused just as he passes Arina and nodded at her. Surprisingly, she nodded back before returning to watch me. What did she do to him? I stared back at her. And I mean really look at her. She hadn¡¯t changed a bit from before. She still had that proud tilt of her head; that disdainful look in her eye as if she were looking at an insect¡­that sad twist in her smile. And she was smiling. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. That smug bitch. Just what did she do to Nathan. #12 Roshcar Nishk
11:00pm, Thursday
Fact: I am at a party. Fact: I am drinking. Fact: I feel happy. I don¡¯t care about my nightmares. Fact: Girls are pretty. Fact: I¡¯m dancing. Addendum to previous fact: I¡¯m dancing with a girl. I threw my head back and laughed harder than I had in a long time, but the raging music swallowed it whole like a hungry monster. The sweaty bodies before me, behind me, and all around me swept me along with the beat. I chugged that last few inches of my drink before heading over to the refill station. Suddenly, someone bumped into me. ¡°Naaathaaan..!¡± I slurred as I stumble a little to regain my balance. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have a drinnnk?¡± ¡°No. I¡ª¡± ¡°Youuu, my friend, need a drink.¡± I threw my arm around his shoulder and guided him to the drink station. I grabbed two full cups off the counter and handed one to him. He sighed, but took it. ¡°Cheers, buddy.¡± I yelled over the noise before taking a big swig from my cup. Nathan, oddly, just stared into his own. Fact: Nathan isn¡¯t happy. I giggle. I haven¡¯t made such a simple fact analysis since I was five. I would follow my mom around and tell her when I noticed who was happy and who wasn¡¯t¡­ Fact: I don¡¯t want to remember anything right now. Conclusion: I need more alcohol. I chugged the rest of my cup and reach for another. When I turned around again, Nathan was just staring at me, his mouth open slightly in surprise. ¡°Whaaat?¡± He says something as he started to laugh, but I couldn¡¯t hear him. Then he handed me his cup, clapped me on the back and disappeared into the crowd. Weird. Fact: Now I have two cups. Question: How am I supposed to dance with two cups? I tried swaying to the music, but the liquid sloshed in the cups dangerously. I tried bobbing along to the beat, but the same thing happened. I frowned. Fact: these two cups are hindering me from dancing. ¡­Conclusion: Better chug one of them. I lifted one of the cups to my mouth, but stopped. Arina was in the doorway looking at something in the yard. Fact: Arina is strange. Arina turned as if she can feel me thinking about her. I froze. Fact: Arina knows I have nightmares. Her eyes landed on mine and then the two cups in my hands. Fact: Arina knows I have nightmares. She rolled her eyes and walked off. Fact: Arina knows I have nightmares¡­and she lied to me. Suddenly, the churning crowd on the dance floor seemed like a slithering mass. Hands reaching out at me. Trying to pull me back in. Trying to¡­ I chugged my two cups. Don¡¯t think about that. Just drink. I grabbed a third cup and downed it. Then a fourth. I reached for a fifth. ¡­Fact: I have never seen Arina drink alcohol. I started giggling. Arina drunk¡­ I laughed outright before taking a sip from my cup. I could feel the liquid burn my throat this time as it went down. Lena never served ordinary drinks, thankfully. Hypothesis: A few more of these and I will forget everything. I grabbed a sixth cup and walk as steadily as I could over to the wall and followed it to the door. I¡¯m careful to step over the door frame, then down the three stone steps into the yard. The air was less oppressive outside. Fact: More space. Fact: Fewer walls¡­ My stomach churned. Look at the sky, just look at the sky¡­So pretty. Fact: I can see the stars. Fact: the caves didn¡¯t have stars. Fact: the caves only had walls and ceilings¡­ ¡°Hey, Rosh.¡± A voice forced my head to bobble around. ¡°Kiroshhh..! I saw Nathan. He¡¯s inside. He wouldn¡¯t drink anything though, I¡¯ve already tried.¡± I held up the cups in my hands. Kirosh smiled thinly at me. ¡°How much have you had to drink?¡± ¡°I dono, mOm.¡± ¡°Here, give me the cups.¡± ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m drinking them.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Roshcar, you¡¯re drunk.¡± ¡°So? Got a problem with that?¡± ¡°No, but Lena will if you start puking all over her front lawn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m drunk, but I¡¯m not that drunk.¡± I took another gulp of liquid from my cup and let it burn down my throat. ¡°What causes lightning in the sky?¡± ¡°What causes lightning? An idiot can answer that Kirosh.¡± ¡°I want to know the facts.¡± ¡°Ohhhhhh.¡± I smiled as my mind went to the happy place where all facts live. ¡°So what causes lightning?¡± Kirosh¡¯s question pulled me back. ¡°Lightning? Well¡­¡± I thought for a moment.¡± Well, first you have little things, and then they boosh and then they go boom and zzz, and then bam. Lightning.¡± My hands flew around as I tried to illustrate my point, but the cups were making it a little hard. ¡°Alright, I think you¡¯ve had enough to drink. Here, sit down right here and don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°OK.¡± The grass felt nice and cold. I fell onto my side. Fact: The grass is soft. I turn and bury my head into the grass. Soft. Like a blanket.
11:21pm, Thursday
¡°OK, Roshcar, I¡¯m back.¡± My head flopped over and I saw two people bending next to me. Question: Why are they sideways? ¡°Roshcar, I¡¯ve brought Dryden. We¡¯re going to help you back to your room.¡± ¡°Hi Dryden.¡± ¡°Went a little heave with the drinking, eh?¡± Dryden had a slight northern Gavi Quintar accent, which reminded me of my mom sometimes¡­ ¡°I waas haaving fun. But mOm over here doesn¡¯t think I should haave fun.¡± I jerked my head in Kirosh¡¯s direction, but ended up hitting him in the nose. ¡°Ow¡­¡± Dryden laughed as he helped me to my feet. ¡°We¡¯re going to go nice and slow. Tell us when you start feeling sick.¡± ¡°Whoa, you aren¡¯t sidewaays aanymore¡­It¡¯s nice outside.¡± My head flopped back again as they wrapped my arms around each of their shoulders and we started walking. ¡°The staaars aare so pretty. Look aat the staars.¡± ¡°Yeh, pretty stars.¡± Kirosh grunted. ¡°We are walking down some stairs now toward the transportation area. Be careful where you step.¡± ¡°I hearrd that we will be camping when we leave the Akaademy for training.¡± ¡°Really? Who told you that?¡± ¡°A riiii naaa.¡± I drew out her name because the syllables felt funny on my tongue. ¡°I wonder if we will get to see more stars too.¡± ¡°¡­She¡¯s probably just messing with you.¡± I turned towards Kirosh surprised by the spite in his tone. ¡°Faact: you¡¯re not happy.¡± ¡°¡­No. I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Kirosh didn¡¯t answer. I think he shrugged, but I couldn¡¯t really tell because everything was starting to move in waves. ¡°Are you going to tell us why you were so depressed earlier?¡± Dryden asked. ¡°I was not depressed.¡± ¡°Yehhhh, you werrrre.¡± I giggled. ¡°I was not!¡± ¡°You were hardly talking at lunch. Fact: you only not talk when you are sick or are very upset about something.¡± ¡°Aaand you weren¡¯t sick becaause if you were I would know. I work in the Heaalth Waard, you know.¡± ¡°I know, Rosh¡­I wasn¡¯t depressed.¡± ¡°You only cheered up when I gave you the invitation for tonight. You were depressed.¡± ¡°Depression is baad for you.¡± I mumbled. ¡°I would know becaause I¡¯m depressed aaall the time. You know? You should just talk aabout it.¡± ¡°You sound like a girl.¡± Dryden snorted. ¡°I¡¯m just a little out of it toda¡ª¡° I tune out everything else as my vision goes in and out and my head falls forward as if my neck could suddenly no longer support it. Then, my stomach starts to crawl up my throat¡­ ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick.¡± I manage just moments before my body jerks over and heaves.
11:31pm, Thursday
¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°Fact: drinking sucks.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t drink.¡± Dryden muttered. ¡°Whaaat?¡± I flopped my head over to look at Dryden. ¡°Nothing. C¡¯mmon, let¡¯s get you back to sleep this off.¡± We start walking again. ¡°So why¡ª¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t depressed.¡± Kirosh cut Dryden off. ¡°I went to the Recording Hall with Garett, alright?...I wanted to see why Nathan lost to Arina.¡± ¡°Ah¡­And?¡± Kirosh didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Wellll you must have found somethinggg if we have to pry it from you. Usually you gush about anything and everything.¡± I pointed out as we made our way to the BubbleME loading station. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what I found.¡± My body slumped onto something hard and round and cold. Little bubbllle. I wrap my arms around the girth of the smooth exterior. ¡°Kira¡­¡± ¡­Fact¡­: Dryden sounds upset. ¡°What?¡± Kirosh snapped back. ¡°What did you find?¡± Fact: It¡¯s not good for your teeth to clench your jaw¡­Dryden, you shou¡ªn¡¯t clench your jaw, Dry.¡± ¡°Stop mumbling and get off the Bubble so I can open it.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s¡ªso nice. Cold. ¡°Come here.¡± Someone drags me off the smooth coldness. ¡°Sit here while I get the Bubble open¡ª¡± Question: why is Dryden upset? ¡°¡ªwhat did you find Kira?¡± Dryden¡­Dry¡ªdennnn.¡± ¡°Great Qui, what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t caaall him that, Dry. He doesn¡¯t like it becaaausee it sounds like a girl¡¯s name.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll call him whatever I want to call him.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s your deal tonight? You haven¡¯t stopped picking on Roshcar this whole time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what he deserves for getting this drunk.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s something Yaiya would do, not you. What has gotten into you?¡± Dryden took a step back, allowing me to slump gratefully onto the smooth coldness again. I¡¯m baack darling. Did you miss me? I giggled. I had read that in a book somewhere. ¡°I¡­Just a lot of things have happened today, alright?¡± I turned my head with a thunk. ¡­Fact: I forgot to ask¡­ ¡°¡­They were tied going into the last ten minutes of the round, and Nathan¡­he answered his last question wrongly on purpose. Arina only won because he let her win.¡± ¡­Fact: I¡¯m tired¡­ ¡°What?¡± ¡­Fact:¡­ow Something pulled on my head and tilted me backwards roughly. Fact: the stars¡­ Then my head tilted sideways. Then down. Then backwards again. ¡°Ohh, Look at the stars¡­they¡¯re so¡ª¡± ¡°Just. Get. In. The Bubble¡­!¡± ¡°Dryden?¡± I bobbed my head around to look at him. ¡°Drydennnn.¡± ¡°What? Do you feel sick again?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t aanswerrr my questionnn.¡± ¡°What question? You didn¡¯t ask anything.¡± ¡°Ohhhh.¡± My head and body moved sideways this time. ¡°You doon¡¯t look happy. Why are you unhappy?¡± ¡°You¡¯re. Not. Haaappy.¡± I poked Dryden¡¯s cheek with each word. Or tried to¡­ ¡°Cut it out¡­You¡¯re going to have to be careful of Arina.¡± ¡°Why do I¡ª¡± ¡°Not you, Rosh. Just lean over and go to sleep. ¡°Why do I need to be careful of her? I¡¯m not weak anymore.¡± ¡°Kira, if she made Nathan give up his spot, then that means she hasn¡¯t given up on trying to hurt you.¡± ¡°What¡­she¡­to me now?¡± I think Kirosh snorted, but I don¡¯t care. I just wanted to sleep. What pretty lights¡­ ¡°I¡­stop until¡­sees you dead.¡± Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead¡­Mom?...the stars are pretty tonight. Just like you said¡­ #13 Kirosh Trivar
11:37pm, Thursday
¡°Why do I need to be careful of her? I¡¯m not weak anymore.¡± ¡°Kira, if she made Nathan give up his spot, then that means she hasn¡¯t given up on trying to hurt you.¡± ¡°Why does that matter? What can she do to me now?¡± I huffed. ¡°If she made Nathan give up his spot, then that means she¡¯s really gunning for you. I don¡¯t think she will stop until she sees you dead.¡± I opened my mouth and closed it, turning to stare out the window. The BubbleMe ran so smoothly that if it weren¡¯t for the buildings passing by, it would be unnoticeable that we were even moving. ¡°¡­stars are pretty tonight¡­¡± Roshcar mumbled as he rolled over onto his back and stared aimlessly out the top of the Bubble. ¡°Yeh¡­¡± Dryden agreed absently. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He had been weird all day today, and it¡¯s not like him. ¡°Dryden¡­¡± I began, but paused. ¡°How..um how¡¯s your aunt?¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Was all the response I got. ¡°I bet you¡¯re going to get another food package from her for passing the tournament in the top six¡­remember last time you got good marks and she¡ª¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t told her yet.¡± Dryden cut me off, his face pinched up as if was thinking about something. ¡°You haven¡¯t¡­What? Why not?¡± ¡°Great Qui, Kira. I just got the news today, alright? Just like everyone else. Do I have to report every little detail to her as soon as I get it?¡± Something¡¯s wrong with him. Probably Yaiya said something. ¡°Did¡ª¡± ¡°Listen, let¡¯s just get Rosh back to his room, alright?¡± Dryden nodded put the Bubble¡¯s front window. We were pulling up to the Akademy. The trip had been much shorter coming back than it had been going over. ¡°Yeh¡­of course¡­¡± The Bubble stopped just outside of the main doors. Garett was there, the light reflecting off his hair like a spotlight while the light of his HOL illuminated his face in a strange blue glow. I guess he¡¯s waiting for someone to come down before heading to the party. I shrugged as I got out. ¡°Hey Garett.¡± I called out, but he didn¡¯t react. He was absorbed in looking at whatever was on his HOL. If he can access the Akademy database, what else can he access¡­ ¡°Garetttt!¡± Roshcar calls out loudly as he tries to wave his arms. ¡°Stay still.¡± Dryden grunted as he pulled him out of the Bubble. Garett¡¯s head whipped up. ¡°Hey¡­ What¡¯re you guys up to?¡± ¡°¡­Roshcar drank a little too much, so we¡¯re helping back to his room.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± ¡°¡ªneed help?¡± Garett raised an eyebrow at Roshcar as he slumped over and graced us with the music of his gut turning inside out. ¡°Yeh, can you get the door for us?¡± ¡°I like the staaars.¡± Roshcar¡¯s head swings toward me. ¡°Yeh? Why¡¯s that?¡± We have reached the doors now and they swing open silently. Roshcar doesn¡¯t reply as his head flops over to the other side. His eyes have glassed over as if he were lost somewhere in his mind. The three of us silently move through the corridor to the elevators. Dryden looked neither left nor right. Just dead set on completing the task. Garett, on the other, was looking at everything. Watching us all. That¡¯s just how he is. I mentally shrugged off the discomfort of his eyes fixed on my face. A creepy habit, but that¡¯s just how he is¡­watchful and calculating, but a nice guy. ¡°Kirosh, how tall are you?¡± Garett suddenly asked. ¡°¡­almost six feet, why?¡± ¡°Just curious. You look small compared to Dryden¡­Do you have any scars?¡± ¡°I scrunch my face at Garett. ¡°That¡¯s random.¡± ¡°Just curious.¡± ¡°¡­Yeh, I have three from when Arina hit me with the chair leg.¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Must have been a sharp chair leg to make a scar.¡± ¡°The scars are from the chest tube needed to re-inflate my lungs and the third was from the surgery to fix my broken rib.¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± Dryden suddenly stopped in the middle of hallway catching me off guard. Before us were the elevators and¡­Arina. She turned as if she could hear the silent doors open and she just stared at us. She didn¡¯t smile. She didn¡¯t look away. She didn¡¯t look apologetic or smug. She¡¯s just looked¡­like Arina¡ª no emotion, eyes forward staring into nothing. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Garett looked between us and Arina. ¡°N-nothing¡­c¡¯mon Dry. We need to get Roshcar to bed.¡± ¡°Yeh¡­¡± Dryden¡¯s face went completely blank. ¡°¡­Hey,¡± I called out as we got closer. ¡°Do you mind if we take this elevator? We need to get Roshcar to bed. Can you can take the stairs just this once?¡± Arina just glared at me. ¡°The elevator will fit five people.¡± ¡°Yeh, but it will be a tight fit.¡± ¡°So?¡± Dryden looked at me with an ¡°I told you so¡± look. ¡°We need this elevator, Arina¡­For Roshcar.¡± Arina¡¯s eyes flickered to Roshcar, taking everything in. ¡°Roshcar, can you hear me?¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± Roshcar rolled his head forward. He was falling asleep as he stood there. ¡°Can I take the elevator with you?¡± ¡°Sureee. Why not? We¡¯rrre all part of the same groupp now, right?¡± ¡°Fact.¡± Is all she said. And Roshcar, surprisingly, giggled¡ªor maybe that¡¯s not to surprising considering how he was laughing at the street lights as we passed through the city. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to have a problem with the arrangement. I¡¯m taking the elevator.¡± She turned back around. I snorted through my nose, but I nodded. Dryden huffed beside me also. I looked over at him and froze. I know that look¡­ ¡°Dryden¡ª¡± ¡°We know what you did.¡± He blurted out. Great Qui Dryden. I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of things. You¡¯ll have to be more specific.¡± Arina didn¡¯t even turn around to look at Dryden as the elevator signaled its arrival. Dryden opened his mouth again. ¡°Dryden.¡± I hissed. ¡°Stop. It¡¯s not worth it.¡± He looked at me once and rolled his eyes, but he clamped his mouth shut. We all managed to get into the elevator, but it was a tight squeeze with Roshcar taking up most of the left side as he leaned against the wall. Garett stood beside Arina while I was in the middle. Dryden stood next to Roshcar and kept him from sitting down and going to sleep. ¡°Please watch your feet. The doors are closing now.¡± An automated voice came on after Arina pushed the Dormitory button. I clenched my teeth as the doors shut us all in. All five of us together for what seemed like an eternity already even though the ride had just began. Silence reigned, pushing in one every one of us in this small elevator as if the walls were part of a garbage compactor. Every floor we passed, Dryden snorted like a caged bull as if the extra air will make this thing go faster. It doesn¡¯t. Finally, someone drew a breath. ¡°You talked with Nathan.¡± Arina spoke up as we passed the third floor. ¡°Yeh¡­¡± I looked askance at Arina. She was still looking dead ahead. She nodded once. ¡­ ¡­ 7 ¡­ ¡­ 8 ¡­ ¡­ 9 Another breath was drawn. This time it came from the other side of me. Dryden¡­ I closed my eyes and hoped he wasn¡¯t about to speak. Maybe it¡¯s just a sneez¡ª ¡°We know that you made Nathan let you win.¡± I elbowed Dryden, as Arina slowly turned her head to look us. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s what you meant earlier.¡± ¡°Do you deny it?¡± Dryden pressed. Arina shrugged. ¡°Does it matter? He lost.¡± ¡°Does it matter?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°Of course it matters.¡± Arina didn¡¯t answer ¡°Floor 12. Thank you for riding. Please watch your step.¡± The elevator door opened, but no one got out. ¡°He lost. Get over it.¡± Arina looked me full in the face. What? I could feel something ugly stir in the bottom of my stomach, and a sour taste climb up my throat like a woman crawling up from the inside of my belly. Everything seems to fade away as she just stares at me with her deadpan face. ¡°Kirosh¡­¡± With that one word, reality snapped back into place and I stomped out. Get over it? What the hell? Who does she think she is? She took away everything Nathan and I worked hard for. Everything! And she just ripped it all apart by her arrogant, greedy, PCer hands¡ª ¡°Hey, Kirosh!¡± Dryden¡¯s voice pulled me back again. Oh, Rosh¡­ I whirled around to go back, and almost ran into Garett. His grey eyes pierced into mine. Calculating. A shiver ran down my spine. That¡¯s just how he is. I reminded myself. That¡¯s just how he is¡­I grabbed Roshcar¡¯s arm as Dryden helped him out of the elevator. ¡°Dryden,¡± Arina called out as we started down the dormitory corridor. ¡°I know what you did too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of things,¡± He snarked back. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to be more specific.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Arina asked as she walked toward us. She paused next to him. ¡°Did you have fun at Lena¡¯s party tonight? I¡¯m sure you wanted to stay longer.¡± Dryden froze, his eyes widening slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her, Dry. She¡¯s just trying to get in your head.¡± Arina turned her stare on me and something flickered over her face, but it¡¯s gone before I can even be sure it was there in the first place. Then, without another word, she passed us all nonchalantly, leading the way down the empty hall. We all turned to watch her pass, but I freeze before turning fully. Garett isn¡¯t watching Arina. He¡¯s watching Dryden. I know that look¡­What did Dryden do to make Garett angry? #14 Tash Mirraav
12:24am, Friday
I watched as the numbers on my HOL slowly ticked by. I knew I should go to the party, if only to make an appearance, but I couldn¡¯t seem to move. I need to go or else it will count as a social demerit¡­I need to maintain my social standing. I let out a harsh laugh. Social standing? I¡¯m leaving tomorrow for five years. By the time I return, most of these people won¡¯t even remember my name. ¡°¡­Garett would make a good General¡­¡± Gary¡¯s sly voice seemed to come out from the shadows of my room to whisper in my ear again. I shivered in the cool night air. I knew I should be overjoyed to hear those words, but I¡¯m not. What was wrong with me? If Garett became a General, I wouldn¡¯t have to ever worry about becoming a Mistress. I would finally be free¡­ I sigh. 12:25am Seriously? Only one minute has passed? I got up and started to walk. The moonlight flittered through ribbons of clouds that lazily passed in the night sky. The night flowers in the hedges bloomed in bunches around me, their sweet nectar willing the air as various insects buzzed and chirped in the shadows of the night. To my left were the hedges. To my right was a small cluster of trees whose leaves added to the symphony of the night. I had chosen this spot because it looked offered the most seclusion. The most privacy from the watchful walls of the Akademy behind me¡­even if the shadows reached out at me like hungry fingers. I don¡¯t want to spy on Kirosh for the next year. That isn¡¯t what friends do. And I am his friend. Just friends, despite whatever Lena or Yaiya may think. I rolled my eyes. What is wrong with me? I sighed again and sat on one of the many benches lining the avenue. ¡°So many sighs.¡± Came a raspy voice suddenly. I jumped up, my heart pounding. I turned in a complete circle, but no one was around. ¡°C-come out.¡± I tried to command, but my voice wobbled. A snicker filled the air. ¡°That wasn¡¯t funny. Come out or else I¡¯ll report you.¡± The gravel crunched behind me and I turned to find a girl no older than 12 or 13, roll out from under then bench. ¡°Who are you?¡± I demand, my heart still pounding. ¡°And why were you under the bench, you freak?¡± The girl cocked her head to the side and just watches me. ¡°My name is Sola. Who are you?¡± ¡°None of your business. Why were you under the bench?¡± ¡°None of Your Business.¡± Sola repeated slowly, feeling each word in her mouth like a newborn. ¡°I will call you NYB¡­Nice to meet you, NYB.¡± The girl broke out into a wide smile and stood up. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to surprise you. I was hiding.¡± ¡°From whom?¡± I didn¡¯t smile back. I was shaking. Sola looked around as if to make sure no one was listening then leaned in close and whispered in a loud voice: ¡°A person.¡± ¡°A person? That¡¯s all?¡± She nodded with wide eyes as if she had just told me her biggest secret. She¡¯s must be in her first year here. I let out a long sigh. ¡°Fine, whatever. What¡¯s your room number? I¡¯ll take you back before you get caught.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back. I want to stay here.¡± Sola looked at me with big round eyes. But her gaze was just slightly off, as if she were looking behind me. I look quickly over my shoulder. But no one was there. ¡°Can stay, NYB?¡± Sola asked with such hope in her voice that I smiled thinly and just shrugged. ¡°Yay!¡± Sola jumped up and down for a moment before she suddenly froze and stared off into the darkness. ¡°Is there someone looking for you?¡± Sola didn¡¯t answer. Her eyes kept searching the shadows as if she could see through them. ¡°Why are you here, NYB? Are you trying to hide too?¡± She suddenly asked without turning. ¡°¡­Something like that.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Why are you hiding?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t really hiding, really¡­Just thinking, I guess.¡± ¡°What were you thinking about?¡± Sola twitched her head sideways to look at me. The movement was unsettling. ¡°A-A person.¡± ¡°Oh¡­Has the person done something bad?¡± Her eyes looked black in the moonlight. Like two black pools taking everything in. Creepy. I shuddered. ¡°No¡­not yet.¡± ¡°What might this person do that¡¯s bad?¡± ¡°Hurt a friend¡­maybe.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sola nodded, releasing me from her unrelenting stare. ¡°You should tell the person to not do the bad thing that will hurt a friend.¡± ¡°They already know.¡± I sighed. Sola hoped over to me and patted my hand. ¡°Hyanna always says that sighing means that you have something to say but don¡¯t know how to say it yet. So, practice on me. That way when you see that person again, you will know what to say.¡± ¡°Is Hyanna the one your hiding from?¡± ¡°No. She is my friend. I never hide from her. But you are trying to change the subject.¡± I sighed. ¡°I can¡¯t practice with you. I need to go to a party¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Sola¡¯s face fell. ¡°¡­But¡­but there are these two girls who think I like someone that I only think of as a friend, but I don¡¯t know what to say to them to get them to believe me.¡± Why am I rattling on about this? ¡°Do you think you can help me with that?¡± I should really just go to the party. ¡°Yes. Yes!¡± I froze. ¡°Yes? Don¡¯t you mean Yeh?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± Sola looked at me strangely. ¡°Do you know Gary Hartfiled?¡± I asked sharply. Sola¡¯s face froze and her eyes narrowed. ¡°Do I know Gary?¡± She spat. ¡°Yes. I know Gary. I don¡¯t like him. He is mean. He is like a snake. He is¡ª¡± suddenly she stopped and studied my face. Her eyes calculating. Her face deadpan. She looks just like Arina when she does that¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t trust him, NYB.¡± She finally spoke, but her voice had lost all of its emotion. ¡°He will hurt you before he helps you. Remember that. He will hurt everyone to get what he wants and he will help no one unless he is the one that profits the most.¡± I snorted. ¡°Sounds like someone else I know.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Sola¡¯s eyes were once again staring at me so intensely that I felt naked. ¡°N-no one.¡± I look away from her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡­If you don¡¯t like Gary, why do you say Yes like he does instead of Yeh like everyone else?¡± ¡°Hyanna says Yes instead of Yeh. She says that all the ancients used to say Yes. And, I like it better than Yeh. It makes me feel like Hyanna.¡± Sola puffed up her chest in pride. ¡°I know the feeling¡­¡± I patted her head. ¡°If you¡­if you have met Gary, then you are in danger.¡± Sola suddenly grabbed my arm and whispered, softly this time. ¡°Please, don¡¯t trust him. Tell Jack whatever Gary has told you. Jack will protect you. He protects Hyanna. He is the only one she trusts, so you can trust him too.¡± ¡°Who is Jack? ¡°Jack the Jackal. Don¡¯t you know him?¡± ¡°No. And who is Hyanna? I¡¯ve never met her so how can I trust her?¡± ¡°Yyou have.¡± Sola looked at me like I was slow to understand something. ¡°¡­but she has many names. Maybe you only know her by her other name.¡± ¡°What¡¯s her other name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± Sola giggled. ¡°Ah c¡¯mon. I won¡¯t tell anyone, I promise.¡± But Sola wasn¡¯t listening to me. She was once again peering into the lengthening shadows. Suddenly she twitched her head to look at me. ¡°I must go now, NYB. Good bye. And remember, don¡¯t trust Gary. Talk to Jack.¡± With that, Sola ran off along the garden path and was quickly out of sight. I ran after her, but it was like she had disappeared into thin air. I ran around another bend and ran into a solid mass. into Dryden. Not surprisingly, I go flying and he barely sways from the impact. ¡°Tash?¡± I looked up to find Dryden peering down at me, the surprise evident in his voice. He was holding his HOL. ¡°Hey, Dryden.¡± I winced at my hands as I stood up. Dryden quickly looked down at his HOL and turned his back as if to shield something from my view. ¡°No. no¡­it¡¯s nothing. I got to go. No, I got to go. I¡¯ll call you later.¡± ¡°Who¡¯re you talking to?¡± I asked, trying to see the HOL, but all I see is a sweep of a woman¡¯s long blond hair before the image faded out. ¡°It was my mom¡­why aren¡¯t you at the party with Yaiya and the others?¡± ¡°I-I was just about to go, but I wanted to look at the night flowers one last time¡­we leave for training tomorrow.¡± I look at my HOL. ¡°¡­or today actually since it¡¯s past midnight.¡± ¡°Oh, alright. Have fun.¡± Dryden brushed past me. ¡°See you later.¡± ¡°¡­Yeh¡­see you¡­¡± But Dryden was already gone from sight. Now that was weird¡­this has just been one day full of weird. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, working out the knots and tangles that had accumulated somehow in the last hour. Suddenly, a branch snapped, startling me out of my thoughts. ¡°Sola?¡± I squinted into the darkness, trying to see who made the noise, but only the shadows stared back. Probably just an animal. I turned to start walking towards the Akademy, but as soon as I take a step, another branch snapped. A movement in the corner of my eye made me look up into the trees, and for the briefest of seconds, I could have sworn I saw a face¡ªa hideous face, scared beyond recognition but smiling. Laughing. I took a step backwards, my heart jumping into my throat. But when I blinked, the face was gone. I searched the trees and shadows with my eyes frantically, but nothing stirred. Not wanting to stay in that spot any longer, I did what any self-respecting 16 year old youngling would do: I turned and I... ¡°Whoa!¡± I let out a startled gasp. A man was standing just beyond the bend Dryden had disappeared down. ¡°Younglings these days.¡± He muttered in a deep voice, his eyes weary. ¡°What you doing out here so late?¡± ¡°I, um¡ª¡± ¡°Just¡­go to bed.¡± The man sighed and waved his hand as if too tired to hear any excuses. ¡°Younglings shouldn¡¯t be out here late at night.¡± ¡°Yeh, sir.¡± I say respectfully and quickly leave. #15 Roshcar Nishk
6:05am, Friday
A shrill beeping noise woke me up. Every blast of the alarm felt like it was splitting my head wide open. I threw a pillow in the direction of the noise, but it still continued. I looked up bleary eyed and grabbed for my alarm clock. I pound it into silence before falling back onto my pillow with a contented sigh. The shrill beeping noise jolted me awake again. Disoriented, I looked at the wobbling numbers. 6:10am. You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me. I grabbed the clock and threw it against the wall. But then, for the third time, the head splitting shrill beeping filled the room. I groaned and buried my head under my pillow. ¡­Fact: I hate my life. But the shrill noise wouldn¡¯t stop. With a groan, I rolled out of bed with a flop and squirmed around until I found my alarm under my desk and shut it off once and for all. Glorious silence fell, and then I felt it: my head aching with every pulse of my heart. I stumbled over to my bathroom and pulled out my secret pill stash from behind the toilet. One of the bottles read: TESTER. I pull it out and pop two small blue pills into my mouth. I had pilfered these pills from the Health Ward yesterday during my shift. They were BioCare¡¯s new detox pills. The bottle had said they would rid a hang-over in less than an hour¡­.Let¡¯s see if they work. I stumble back to my bed and fall onto it, trying to get back to sleep. But I was awake. I threw off my covers with a sigh. Might as well go to the Top Six Building now, even if I will be an hour and a half early. I walked slowly to the door, my head pounding with every step. Uhg, this might take me an hour and a half just to get to front of the Akademy. I opened the door and stepped into the deserted hallway. The only sound came from the slight buzz of the lights. It was strange to see the hall so empty. My footsteps reverberated off the walls with small pops. That seemed to take over my mind entirely. Nothing else was able to penetrate the pulsing noise. It was strangely soothing. Almost like a lullaby. I turned the corner and collide into a blur of brown and black. I wobble sideways at the impact. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± the words died on my lips as I found myself looking straight at Arina. She, surprisingly, looked down and stuffed her hands in her pockets before taking a step to the right, giving me enough room to pass. I warily edged around her. ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t mean to make you uncomfortable.¡± She blurted out as I passed. Uncomfortable? Question: Why would she care about my comfort? I paused. ¡°¡­This is a fact.¡± She nodded once at her own statement then turned to leave ¡°H-hey,¡± I called out without thinking. She turned. ¡°¡­Um¡­¡± My heart started to pound as if I were running. ¡°Want¡­want to go to the Top Six building together?¡± For the briefest of moments I thought I saw a smile flicker across her face, but it could¡¯ve just been the lights as they began to dim. She shook her head. ¡°I need a shower first. I go to the new building afterwards.¡± Then she turned on her heel and walked silently down the hall. No noise reverberated off the walls. No footsteps echoed. She was silent, as if she didn¡¯t even exist. I watched her until she entered her room. Only then did my breath come out in a whoosh. I hadn¡¯t realized I had been holding it in over the pounding of my head. I just need to calm down. She doesn¡¯t know what the nightmares are about¡­I look at my HOL. 6:32am. I still have time to go exercise. I need to distraction, even if my head is killing me. I finally made it to the elevator and push Annex 1, where the West Cafeteria was located. The gym was in the top floor. When I got there, Dryden was already there. ¡°Hey.¡± I nodded. He looked up surprised. ¡°Hey¡­I didn¡¯t think you would come today. You were completely out of it last night. Kira and I had to drag you back here and put you to bed.¡± I just grunt. ¡°¡­Why are you here?¡± ¡°I need the distraction.¡± ¡°From what?¡± Dryden snorted and gave me a look I couldn¡¯t read. ¡°¡­Personal stuff.¡± Dryden looked at me for a moment then just shrugged. ¡°Yeh¡ª¡± The door opened and, surprisingly, Kirosh walked in. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re late.¡± Dryden called out. ¡°Yeh, yeh.¡± Kirosh shrugged. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you still be in bed, Rosh?¡± ¡°My alarm woke me up and I couldn¡¯t fall back asleep¡­Where¡¯s Nathan?¡± ¡°¡­Not coming. He hurt his knee the other day, apparently, so he¡¯s going to sleep in today.¡± ¡°Alright. You two hurry up and get warmed up. We only have an hour before the transport leaves for the Top Six building.¡± Dryden turned on the music.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Kirosh and I spent ten minutes warming up before we made our way to where Dryden was lifting weights on the bench. I picked up the hand weights as Kirosh headed for the pullup bar. I watched Dryden as he benched 90kg. Exercise was like second nature to him. We rotated after ten minutes. My head was lightly pounding, but I ignored it as I hung from the pullup bar. Just push through the pain. Dryden had told me once when he was first teaching me how to exercise properly. We were running and I felt like my head was about to explode. Similar to now, but this time was different because my pain was due to dehydration, not lack of endurance. I watched as Dryden started pumping the hand weights two at a time. His muscles rippled under his shirt. I looked at my own arms. They weren¡¯t skinny like they had been before, but they weren¡¯t as big as Dryden¡¯s. We rotate again after another ten minutes have passed. Fact: the new line of anti-intoxication pills from BioCare is a major improvement from the last generation of pills. But I still feel like I¡¯ve been stepped on and served for lunch. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to pass on¡ª¡± ¡°No passing.¡± Dryden cut me off. ¡°You¡¯re here; you do the routine. No excuses.¡± ¡°¡­Fine.¡± I sighed as Kirosh helped me take off his 75kg and fit my measly 50kg onto the bench bar. Another ten minutes passed. ¡°Alright, now 2 mile a run.¡± Dryden called out as he punched in the command for the workout alley to appear. The wall mirror sank into the floor exposing a long corridor. The walls lit up into a nature scene, illuminating the twisting tunnel before us. Annex 1 was special in that the walls of the gym could move to expose hidden pathways. They were mostly used for running exercises in the winter when it got too cold to go outside. We slowly started off into the tunnel. ¡°Wow, Rosh, you¡¯re actually running at our pace today.¡± Kirosh jokingly elbowed me. ¡°I thought I would take it easy on you guys today¡­you know since I¡¯m¡­I feel like a potato today?¡± Kirosh snorted out a chuckle. ¡°¡­We¡¯ll have to work on your comebacks.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have good comebacks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all in your head man. Everyone has a good comeback in them, just have to find it.¡± ¡°Well...you know what is in my head?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The medulla and the pons¡ªtwo brain structures that control your breathing rate.¡± ¡°Rosh, not now.¡± Dryden cut it. ¡°We don¡¯t need a biology lesion while running two bloody miles. Running is boring enough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you run for a living?¡± I narrowed my eyes at Dryden. ¡°No, I play sports. I¡¯m not a freak like you.¡± ¡°Whoa.¡± Kirosh sped up a little to tap Dryden¡¯s arm. ¡°C¡¯mon, Roshcar¡¯s fine. What¡¯s gotten into you these past two days?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Dryden snapped. ¡°I just want to run without having to listen to a stupid biology lesson. Is that so hard to ask for?¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± I sped up and passed both of them. I ignored the pounding of my head and just fell into the rhythm of running. The corridor ahead of us shifted to expose an inclined hill. Structural classifications of the respiratory system: One¡ªthe upper respiratory system, which consists of the nose, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, oral cavity, and pharynx. The upper respiratory system warms, moistens, and filters the air before it reaches the lungs. Two¡ªthe lower respiratory system, which consists of the larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and lungs. Three, the respiratory pump, which consists of the respiratory muscles, rib cage, pleural membranes, and tissues of lungs. ¡°Roshcar, slow down. This isn¡¯t a race.¡± Kirosh broke through my thoughts. ¡°Let him go.¡± Dryden grunted. ¡°He¡¯s here to work out, but he won¡¯t be getting a working out if he runs at our pace.¡± Breathing. Definition: pulmonary ventilation, or the movement of air in and out of the lungs. Includes inspiration and expiration. Inspiration. Definition: breathing in air¡ªair flows into lungs; achieved by a pressure gradient; alveolar pressure must be lower than atmospheric pressure; volume of lungs must increase Expiration. Definition: Breathing out¡ªair flows out of lungs; exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the atmosphere and body tissues; achieved by a pressure gradient; alveolar pressure must be greater than atmospheric pressure; a passive process¡ªmuscular contractions not required because of the elastic recoil of the lungs and chest muscles. Path of air through respiratory system¡­ I skid to a stop. The wall that was supposed to have shifted to reveal the next portion of the course hasn¡¯t moved. There wasn¡¯t any more room to move forward. The others came up behind me. ¡°What the¡­¡± Dryden frowned as he looked at the wall. ¡°Are you sure you put in two miles as the end distance?¡± I asked. Dryden shot me a look. ¡°Of course I did, and even if I hadn¡¯t, the course would¡¯ve looped around to end back in the weight room. The course wouldn¡¯t stop midway through like this.¡± He put his hands on the wall and pushed. It didn¡¯t move. He tried a different section of wall. It still didn¡¯t move. ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± He muttered as he chose a third section and pushed. ¡°Ouch!¡± He jumped backwards shaking his hand. ¡°What happened?¡± Kirosh and I asked at the same time. ¡°I got a little shock, that¡¯s all.¡± Dryden was shaking his hand out, but I could see a small droplet of blood pool on his forefinger. ¡°¡­The wall must have short circuited. Let¡¯s just go back and do something else.¡± ¡°How about some free running.¡± Kirosh offered as we jogged the short way back to the weight room. ¡°Alright¡­I¡¯ll set the course.¡± Dryden headed over to the command box on the wall next to the door and punched in free running set. The mirrored wall rose up to hide the hidden tunnel, and the wall opposite of it sank down into the floor to reveal a separate room filled with sequential boxes, walls, ropes, and bars. I¡¯ve put the timer to shift the course every two minutes with my specs running first, then Kira¡¯s, then Roshcar¡¯s. Don¡¯t start until the course has shifted. If you don¡¯t finish in the allotted time, just get off the course. While you wait, do wall sits.¡± The holographic timer appeared in the center of the course and counted down from five. When it hit zero, Dryden sprinted for the first bar, swinging onto the boxes, and continuing down the course like a monkey. Hypothesis: If I use my arm as a lever and jump over the bar, I could use my angular momentum to¡ª ¡°Hey, Rosh¡­¡± Kirosh interrupted my thoughts. ¡°Is anything important happening in nine months?¡± ¡°¡­Not that I know of, why?¡± ¡°No reason. Just curious.¡± We lapsed into silence again. I looked at Kirosh out of the corner of my eyes. The burning sensation in my legs seemed to emphasize the unusual silence between us. Fact: usually by now he would be talking about classes. Fact: classes are over now. Hypothesis: perhaps he doesn¡¯t know what to talk about now that there isn¡¯t any more school. ¡°Hey¡­!¡± Dryden¡¯s shout made my head snap up. The course was changing while Dryden was in mid swing. He fell. Hard. ¡°Who did that?¡± Dryden came storming over. ¡°We didn¡¯t touch the controls.¡± Kirosh slowly stood up from the wall. I followed, grateful to break the tension in my legs. The course continued to change until all the equipment lined both sides of the room, leaving the center open like an arena. ¡°¡­Is it a cleaning day?¡± I asked. Suddenly, the room went dark. Pitch black dark. ¡°What the¡­¡± My hand shot out and groped for the wall. My heart beat rising. The wall was cold and steady. I felt someone move beside me, the body heat warming my other side. The lights flickered back on. Dryden was not more than three feet away from me, his face contorted into a snarl. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Dryden¡¯s head snapped back and a look of surprise washed over his face, completely replacing the snarl. ¡°¡­What was that?¡± He looked down at his hands, turning them over as if expected to find something on them. ¡°Let¡¯s call it for today. Maybe the drinks for last night are still in our system, or something.¡± Kirosh stepped in between us. ¡°Y-yeh.¡± Dryden muttered. ¡°See you at breakfast.¡± #16 Gary Hartfield
7:15am, Friday
Gary once again found himself seated across from General Shaw for the third time in less than twenty-four hours. He frowned at himself in the mirror as General Shaw loaded the video on the HOL Gary had given him upon entry into the room. Early morning meetings were not to his taste¡ªthey made him look¡­old. ¡°What am I looking for, Gary?¡± General Shaw interrupted Gary¡¯s attempts to fix his complection. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gary strode over to the desk and pushed a few buttons. ¡°This is the video you requested of the survivor, Jax, at a later date after the original interview.¡± ¡°Is this video public?¡± General Shaw asked as the video loaded. ¡°No. This is from my own workings.¡± General Shaw nodded once and turned to the video as the image appeared. Jax was in the center of a large white room. He wasn¡¯t moving. Wasn¡¯t blinking. Wasn¡¯t doing anything except staring straight into the camera. His eyes were red rimmed like he had pink eye, but it was his irises that were striking. Jax¡¯s natural grey eyes were slowly turning bright red. ¡°What¡¯s happening to his eyes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a condition where the eye over produces blood vessels, which you see taking over his irises. It happens in pigeons quite often.¡± ¡°¡­So he¡¯s turning into whatever red eyed monster he was talking about?¡± ¡°He turned¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Jax.¡± A woman¡¯s voice came on over a loudspeaker. ¡°Nod your head if you can hear me.¡± Jax nodded once. ¡°Good. I want you to stand up, pick up your chair and move it three feet.¡± Jax stood up and did as he was told before turning to look at the camera again. He stood motionless like a doll. General Shaw pushed the forward 2x button and sped through the recording. Jax performed various commands without hesitation and always returned to staring directly into the camera to await further orders. He never once opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Is that it?¡± General Shaw asked after the screen faded to black. ¡°Yes.¡± Gary reached for the HOL ¡°What of the skeletons? Have you managed to get those down yet?¡± Gary paused. ¡°I want to that video as well.¡± General Shaw looked pointedly at the HOL that Gary was stuffing inside his jacket pocket. ¡°¡­As you wish¡­¡± Gary half nodded, half bowed his head as he flipped to the correct video and took placed the HOL back on the machine. The room darkened again and an image appeared of a room with three skeletons laid out, each to its own individual table. The tables were encased in a thick glass covering with no air holes. Tiny robotic arms were resting along the sides of the tables awaiting instructions from the monad consol. Seven scientists entered the room. ¡°I studied technology and robotics in Duty school, not archeology.¡± One of them grumbled. ¡°Why am I even here?¡± ¡°Because you are the best in your field¡ª¡± One of the scientists spoke up. His countenance was nothing remarkable. Rather, he looked perfect for his profession with the thickly rimmed zoom lenses from DiMech Inc. on top of his head as if at any moment he may want to inspect the molecular composition of the objects around him. ¡°We all are.¡± A pristine woman said with a slight frown as she set down a stack of papers she had been carrying with a stern thwak. ¡°¡ªAnd this is a very rare finding. Of course they would only want the best of the best working on it.¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯m the best.¡± The first scientist grumbled as he slumped into a chair on the far wall. ¡°But why am I here. I don¡¯t need to be present while you poke and prod the dead ancient.¡± ¡°Oh stop being such a sour pot.¡± A bright bubbly woman with thick curly hair lightly punched the grumpy man. ¡°We all have other projects we are working on so this was the only time we could do this¡­Aren¡¯t you even a little bit curious what happened to these ancients?¡± ¡°Yeh¡­but the difference between me and you is that I can be asleep while you are curious. I don¡¯t have to be awake in the wee hours of the morning scraping dead bones.¡± The man slumped down further into his chair and pretended to go to sleep. The bubbly woman opened her mouth to retort. ¡°Warek, just leave him.¡± A fourth doctor spoke up with a deep voice that effortlessly commanded the well-sized room. He was a stocky man of medium height with absolutely no hair on his head, but he wore the dark blue lab coat that signified him as the group leader. ¡°Now before we get started¡ª¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t very import¡ª¡± Gary spoke up, his hand reaching for the move forward 2x button. ¡°Leave it.¡± General Shaw commanded without looking away from the image as the blue-coated scientist continued speaking. ¡°¡ªI want to remind you all that we are the first team to look at these skeletons. That is a great privilege. However, the company is sending in three other teams to confirm or refute our findings, so let¡¯s do our jobs and do them to the best of our ability. Agreed?¡± ¡°Yeh sir!¡± The bubbly woman was the only one who answered. The leader nodded. ¡°I want two to a station, with the exception being Fenro who has fallen asleep.¡± The group chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not asleep, unfortunately.¡± Fenro called out from his slumped position on the chair. ¡°These chairs are impossible to¡­get¡­comfortable in¡­¡± He grumbled as he tried to find a comfortable position. The lead scientist just chuckled and turned back to the group. ¡°We have been given three hours with these skeletons, so you will only have one hour with each of them to get what you need. After an hour passes, we will rotate stations so that everyone will get to see all three skeletons. Understood.¡± The group nodded. ¡°Everyone agreed?¡± The group nodded again. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s get to work. I¡¯m calling up the command boards for each table. Everyone please take two minutes to enter your fingerprints into the system so that you will be able to access the equipment you may need¡­¡± A line formed in front of the head scientist as he pulled out the command board from its charger on the wall. ¡°Gage Hastov. Osteologist. Group leader. Confirmed. Please enter your project.¡± ¡°Team one data collection for DimMech Inc.¡± ¡°Please enter test subjects now.¡± ¡°DiMech subject 20076, 30071, and 89890.¡± ¡°Subjects confirmed.¡± ¡°Please enter team data now to access equipment.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Gage motioned for the first person in line to step forward and place her forefinger on the open interface of the small, portable machine. ¡°Dara Warek. DiMech Molecular Anthropologist. Confirmed.¡± An automated voice came from the finger pad device. ¡°Shelsha Vi. DiMech Molecular Anthropologist. Confirmed.¡± ¡°Steve Mayta. DiMech Molecular and Bacterial Biologist. Confirmed.¡± ¡°¡­You too Fenro.¡± Gage called out. ¡°Come put in your fingerprints.¡± ¡°Do I have to?¡± ¡°Yeh.¡± ¡°¡­Fine¡­jus.t when I finally got comfortable too¡± Fenro huffed as he laboriously stood and shuffled over to wait his turn. While he waited for the two people in front of his to go, he absently looked over at the skeleton on the table just next to him. ¡°Caz Winno. DiMech Molecular and Bacterial Biologist. Confirmed.¡± Fenro reached over and tapped on the glass casing. ¡°Stupid humans all in a row, stupid humans with nowhere to go.¡± The skeleton lunged forward as if jerked by strings and smashed into the glass before falling back onto the table. ¡°Whoa!¡± Fenro jumped back. ¡°Belmont Elcine. Osteologist. Confirmed.¡± The computer voice announced, but no one was listening. ¡°Fenro, what did you do?¡± Gage hastily put the command board on the table behind him before taking three large steps to Fenro and the encased skeleton. ¡°I-I just tapped on the glass.¡± ¡°Dara and Shelsha, check to see if any damage was done to the skeleton. Fenro¡­just don¡¯t touch anything and come put your fingerprints into the system so that we can get started.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault.¡± Fenro muttered as he followed Gage to the command pad and offered up his finger to be read. ¡°Fenro Taz. Organic Robotics. Confirmed.¡± ¡°Now go back to your chair and don¡¯t move or touch anything until you¡¯re needed.¡± Gage commanded. ¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me twice.¡± Fenro snorted and hurried back to his chair, giving the skeleton cages a wide berth. ¡°Dara, Shelsha any damages?¡± ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any obvious damages sir.¡± Dara said as she finished circling the container. ¡°I am bringing up the probing arm now¡­¡± Shelsha said as the robotic arm that was attached to the side of the table unfurled and hovered above the skeleton. A second arm appeared on the other side of the skeleton as well. Dara turned on the monitor just above the casing as the arms gently touched the skeleton¡¯s head. A skeletal reading was displayed on the holographic monitor. ¡°No damages to the¡ª¡± ¡°Stupid humans all in a row, stupid humans with nowhere to go.¡± The skeleton lunged forward and smashed into the glass casing again before falling back onto the table. Shelsha jumped backwards. Her lips pinched into a thin line. ¡°Interesting¡­Caz, check out table number two to see if you get the same result. First tap the glass, then have the robotic arm touch the head of the skeleton.¡± The group of scientists gathered around the second table. Even Fenro approached and watched from the safety of the wall. The same thing happened, but the message was different: ¡°Sleep, sleep, together we sleep. Awake, awake, all we will take.¡± ¡°Amazing. Whoever made these must have implanted a recording system implanted within the bones.¡± Vi said in a mixture of awe and respect. ¡°See?¡± Fenro waved his finer around, pointing to nothing in particular. ¡°I-I told you it wasn¡¯t me.¡± He turned to the camera above the table. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, just so we¡¯re clear. I don¡¯t want a bill on my door tomorrow morning. Understand?¡± ¡°Fenro stop talking to the camera and get over here.¡± Gage rolled his eyes. ¡°Internal robotics is your specialty.¡± ¡°No way I¡¯m not getting within ten meters of that thing until it¡¯s tied down.¡± Fenro paced back and forth along the wall. Gage just sighed and nodded to Caz to punch in the command for the straps. Thick bands suddenly grabbed onto the skeleton¡¯s wrists, arms, legs, feet, and forehead causing the skeleton to wiggle furiously about. Its bones beat against the metal table with ominous booming noises, adding a dimension of eeriness to its message. ¡°That¡¯s creepy.¡± Fenro shivered. ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon. They aren¡¯t that bad. Just think of them as puppets.¡± Gage tried to laugh away the nervous tension that suddenly filled the room as the skeleton continued to thrash on the table. Suddenly, a loud crunch filled the air and everything went silent. Gage jerked around. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It¡­A finger broke off.¡± Caz pointed to the left hand where the forefinger metatarsal was lying detached from the rest of the hand. Black liquid started to ooze from the broken appendage. It pooled on the table and started to move about, as if searching for a way out of the container. ¡°Fenro, get over here.¡± ¡°No..no way I¡¯m¡ª¡± ¡°Listen,¡± Gage cut him off in a stern voice. ¡°The skeleton is strapped down now, but this black stuff is moving. Definitely internal robotics, which is your specialty.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°DiMech is paying you for your specialty.¡± Shelsha broke in with a very peeved voice. ¡°However, if you feel you aren¡¯t the best in your field, please leave and let someone else do it for you.¡± Fenro pulled his head back as if he had been slapped. ¡°Fine¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°Everyone move. You¡¯re all in my way.¡± Everyone gave him space, but crowded along the other side of the case to watch. ¡°Don¡¯t you all have work to do?¡± Fenro looked up annoyed at them all. The others looked at Gage. ¡°¡­He¡¯s right, everyone back to work. Gather as much data as possible without touching the skeletons. I want Dara and Steve on table one.¡± Gage pointed to the table opposite of where he stood. ¡°And Belmont and Caz on table three.¡± He turned and pointed to the table that Fenro had first touched. ¡°Vi and I will watch Fenro, since this will be our skeleton. Be careful, everyone.¡± The others slowly shuffled to their work stations, muttering between themselves and looking over their shoulders periodically to see what was happening. Fenro tapped the glass casing and General Shaw could see a faint holographic command box appear. Fenro tapped the glass a few times before placing wide test tube onto the glass. It slowly phased through the glass and was caught on the other side by a robotic hand that smoothly appeared from its resting position on the side of the table. As soon as the robotic arm started to move, the ooze suddenly shifted its movement and crawled all over the arm. It wound its way up and into the test tube as if feeling it out. Fenro punched in a command on the glass and another arm appeared to unscrew the test tube cap. But the black liquid suddenly launched itself at the glass, completely phasing through the section that Fenro had just used. Fenro screamed as the black liquid splattered onto his face, a sickening hiss filled the air. ¡°Shelsha close the phase door on the casing.¡± Gage shouted as he grabbed Fenro who was rushing for the door. He pushed the man¡¯s head into the sink and turned on the eyewash station. Two streams of water came out like a jet stream, but the black goo wouldn¡¯t wash off. A sickening crunch filled the air, and Fenro screamed louder. ¡°Belmont, Steve get the quarantine door open.¡± Gage barked. ¡°Dara¡ª¡± Suddenly Shelsha grabbed her face as well. ¡°Caz get Shelsha into quarantine. Dara close the phase door on that crypt. Stop the black liquid from getting through. Now!¡± ¡°Gage, there isn¡¯t any more black liquid in the¡ª¡± The skeleton jerked bolt upright and turned its head to look at Dara. It reached out its hand and it started phasing through the glass. Dara quickly finished the command that Shelsha had been entering, stopping the hand midway through. Only the very tip was peeking out into the air. With a grinning face, the skeleton lay back down slowly, its arm splitting off with a crunch. More black liquid started to drip out of the break point. ¡°S-sir, the phase door is¡ª¡± Dara turned and froze. All the other skeletons were also sitting bolt upright, their heads turned as if they were watching the four other scientists try to contain the two that had been infected by the goo. The problem was, however, that one by one, the scientists crumpled in screams except for Gage. Dara rushed over to help drag the four withering scientists into the quarantine room before she and Gage escaped. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± General Lakes asked as the tape continued. ¡°Why are they all screaming?¡± ¡°We think the black ooze somehow transferred to the other scientists upon direct skin-to-skin contact¡­ They never knew what happened.¡± Gary commented. He pushed fast-forward and the time stamp zoomed through the first hour, the second hour, the third hour and the fourth hour of just watching the scientists twitch on the floor. Finally, on the eighth hour, he hit play again. Silence filled the room as the twitching scientists started to move again¡ªthey started to stand with their broken bodies. Slowly. Laboriously. Painfully. They stood up and shuffled with their heads down until they were right in front of the camera. Then they all looked up, their faces scratched, their jaws unhinged. A faint whisper could be heard as if it was wind rustling through the trees. ¡°What is that noise?¡± The General asked as he leaned in to hear, but it only sounded like static coming through the speakers. ¡°Just watch.¡± Gary commanded. The noise grew louder and louder until the words could be heard: ¡°The humans have returned. The experiments can begin again, and we are thirsty for blood.¡± With the last word, the scientists took the camera and smashed it on the floor, ending the recording. ¡°What happened to the infected scientists?¡± ¡°¡­They¡­are no longer with us.¡± General Shaw raised his eyebrow slightly, but then shrugged. ¡°What of the other two teams? What did they learn from these skeletons?¡± ¡°¡­They are all no longer with us.¡± General Shaw breathed in deeply. ¡°You mean in the ten years that you have had these things, you haven¡¯t learned anything from them?¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve learned a great deal from them, sir.¡± ¡°Show me the results?¡± General Shaw held out his hand expectantly. ¡°The results¡­¡± Gary paused. ¡°The results will be evident when the first FEEL movie comes out, for better or for worse.¡± General Shaw leaned back in his chair. A smile twitched at his mouth. ¡°Fine. I remove myself from that knowledge for the sake of plausible deniability.¡± He paused, cracking his knuckles in thought. ¡°What of the survivors then? Gage Hastov and¡­Dara Warek?¡± ¡°They have been placed into a special program to ensure their secrecy, of course.¡± ¡°Special program?¡± Gary grinned, his white teeth glowing against his pasty skin. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What special program?¡± ¡°All in due time, sir. All in due time.¡± #17 Kirosh Trivar
8:02am, Friday
¡°Nine months, Kirosh. Just nine months.¡± My growling stomach seemed to echo Nathan¡¯s urgent whisper from last night making both my stomach and Nathan¡¯s words impossible to ignore. I made a beeline to the buffet of food directly across from the door I had just entered. ¡°Nine months, Kirosh¡­¡± My stomach growled again as I picked up an empty plate to fill and got in line behind Tash and Dryden. Nine months till what? Nine months from when? From three days ago when the Tournament ended? From yesterday? From now? Why nine months? What will happen after nine months? I fished out my HOL and quickly pull up the tentative schedule for the training program as I waited for Dryden to get his food from the buffet:
Year Sector Training
1 Government Sector
2 Food Sector
3 Art Sector
4 Tech Sector
5 Health Sector
¡­It¡¯s very tentative. However, in nine months, we won¡¯t even be done with first training sector after nine months. Is the Akademy is going to change its policy about the Top Six Program in nine months to let Nathan join as a seventh member? I put my HOL back into my pocket and shuffled forward a step¡­There wouldn¡¯t even need to be a ¡°nine months¡± if Arina had been kicked out of the Akademy like she should have been four years ago. ¡°Are you going to get food or just stand there gawking all day?¡± ¡°Uh, sorry¡ª¡± I froze when I saw who had spoken. Behind me was a middle-aged man. He was short and stocky and very muscular. On his left armband was the symbol of the three nations of Qui¡ªthe symbol of a Jackal, a Bracket-less Duty that was just as powerful as a General. I saw the letter J embroidered over the top of the symbol, and I could feel my jaw drop slightly. There¡¯s only on Jackal with the letter J: Jack Hurg of Yamara, the best Jackal of the three nations. A free mover¡­A free man. I backed away a step to allow him to pass in front of me, and give a small bow of respect, but he just snorted. ¡°Do not bow to me.¡± He barked out. ¡°I am not a King, nor am I God.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± I started. ¡°I don¡¯t want your respect just because I am older than you.¡± By this time the others had also turned. Their shock no doubt reflected my own. However, his face looked almost bored. ¡°I suggest that you sit down and eat as much as you can or else later you won¡¯t have any energy.¡± I looked at the selection of food. Eggs, ham, bread, bacon, fish, rice, quinoa, lentils¡­what in all of Qui is that? On the very edge of the selection was a bowl with a less than appetizing pile of mush. Actually, if I were to be completely honest, it looked like a three year old made breakfast with anything he could find, and then sneezed on it for seasoning. Great Qui¡­why¡­? Jack ignored all the other food and headed straight for the snotty bowl. He picked up the serving spoon from the plate just beside the bowl and started to scoop large spoonfuls onto his plate; with each scoop, the mush made a loud suction noise as if it too were protesting that anyone would be sane enough to eat it. I swallow hard and turned back to filling my own plate, but suddenly my stomach didn¡¯t quite feel as enthusiastic about food as it had been just moments ago. ¡°It would seem that I am to be your Jackal this year.¡± Jack kept talking. ¡°So let¡¯s just get this out of the way. Introductions. Now¡­You, in the back of the line that was gawking at the air. Start.¡± I swallowed hard. ¡°Kirosh Trivar.¡± ¡°Age and origin nation?¡± ¡°16, and Zuashi.¡± ¡°Next. You, the tall one.¡± He barked out. He finally put down the serving spoon for the mush and perused along the rest of the buffet. ¡°Dryden Ekbur.¡± Dryden hunched self-consciously. ¡°Age and origin nation?¡± ¡°¡­17, and Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Next. You, the girl.¡± Jack pointed with serving spoon of the eggs before turning to heap several giant portions onto his plate next. The must just next to these acquired eggs was oozing it¡¯s liquids all over the plate. ¡°Tash Mirra¡¯av.¡± At that, Jack¡¯s eyes flickered up to look at Tash. ¡°Age and origin nation?¡± ¡°16, and Hanra.¡± Jack just snorted softly as he turned and walked over to a table. ¡°Next. You, short boy number 1.¡± ¡°R-roshcar Nishk.¡± ¡°¡°Age and origin nation?¡± ¡°16, and Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Short boy number 2.¡± ¡°¡­Garett Dovik.¡± ¡°Age and origin nation?¡± ¡°17, and Hanra.¡± Jack¡¯s eyebrows rose with that statement. ¡°Two Mara¡¯ans in one group. Very rare for any of you to leave Hanra. I can remember only three who ever left. So, why are you here?¡± This time it was Garett who snorted. ¡°Very rare for anyone to choose to become a Jackal. In the history of Qui, only one has ever chosen it, so why did you?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to.¡± The Jackal¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t blink. ¡°Then are we not allowed to want to come to the mainland just because we are of Mara descent?¡± ¡°That would depend.¡± ¡°On what?¡± Garett cut in. His eyes were narrowed. Nothing in particular.¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°My turn. My name is Jack Hurg. I am 42. I am from Gavi Quintar. I am the second person to ever choose to become a Jackal instead of following my birth Duty¡ª¡± Suddenly the doors flew open and a slim woman entered like a ball of sunshine. ¡°Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Top Six Center.¡± She kept speaking without pausing. ¡°I hope you all are enjoying the selection of food we have prepared for you¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do.¡± Jack muttered. ¡°¡ªPlease¡­Ah, Jack.¡± The woman frowned slightly. ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed your eating practices since the last time.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The woman turned back to us with a grin once again. ¡°Please get as much food as you want, we can always have more brought in. And once everyone sits down, I will begin the orientation. While you get food, I will take attendance.¡± ¡°I already did.¡± Jack said as he walked over to one of the circular tables on the right side of the room. ¡°Even so, rules are rules¡­Kirosh Trivar?¡± ¡°Here.¡± I said before quickly retreating to a table as well. ¡°Dryden Ekbur?¡± ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Tash Mira¡­Mira¡­¡± ¡°Here.¡± Tash rolled her eyes. ¡°Ah, very good, very good¡­If you are thinking of a career in the Government Sector, you may want to change your last name. Garet Dovik?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Garett¡¯s cold voice could have chilled the room, but the woman didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Arina Haron?¡± I looked around, surprised that I hadn¡¯t noticed before. Arina wasn¡¯t present. ¡°Arina¡­?¡± The woman looked at all of our faces as if she expected Arina to appear behind one of us out of thin air. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s just running a little late.¡± Jack commented as he scraped his plate. The proctor frowned. ¡°Unfortunately, we are on a tight schedule, so if the last member of your team doesn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Oh give it a break.¡± Jack rolled his eyes. I¡¯ll end up giving it to them later anyway, so it doesn¡¯t matter if one of them isn¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter?¡± The woman asked shocked. ¡°Now listen here, Jack. Just because¡ª¡± The door opened with a faint ¡°whoosh,¡± and Arina walked in as if she had just returned from summer vacation. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Jack said gruffly, pausing in shoveling the snotty food into his mouth to look at Arina.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Arina just shrugged. ¡°Get food.¡± He went back to eating. Arina inclined her head. ¡°Arina Haron?¡± The woman asked as Arina walked by. Arina just inclined her head in a nod again. ¡°Very good.¡± Clapped the woman. ¡°Now that everyone is here, we can begin¡ª¡± I watched Arina as she made her way to the breakfast buffet. She paused to look at the selection of food. ¡°¡ªhere in the Top Six Center, you find several different Top Six groups here at different stages of their training. This building will always be your starting point before you begin training in the different Sectors¡ª¡± Great Qui. She¡¯s taking food from the snotty bowl. ¡°¡ªToday, I will be giving you a quick overview of what we expect of you during the five years of training.¡± The woman placed her HOL on the left wall and punched in a few keys. The nature scenes faded and several folders appeared. Each one labeled for the five Qui Society Sectors. How will she keep her figure if she eats food like that? She has great legs¡­ And just like that, I¡¯m suddenly all too aware of the curve of her legs as her tight Akademy issued pants cling to her body. Thanks brain. Thanks a lot. Remind me to not trust your judgement if I ever get into a difficult situation. I look down as Arina turned and walked over to sit at a completely empty table. ¡°¡ªSince your first year is Government Sector Training, there are some basics that we need to go over before you can be released to your assigned Jackal.¡± The woman pushed the folder labeled Government Sector and a document appeared. She pushed a button next to the HOL and the document appeared before all of us at our individual sections of the table. ¡°As you may already know, the Government Sector is composed of Officials¡ª¡± I tried to focus on what the woman was saying, but my eyes darted over to Arina anyway. Just in that moment, she looked up and her eyes locked onto mine. Well, at least I thought she was looking at me. Her eyes were pointed in this direction that is all that was needed to cause my heart rate pick up. ¡°Nine months, Kirosh¡­Nine months.¡± My blood pounded in my ears. Then her eyes flickered away to look at the rest of the group around me. ¡°¡ªThese Officials are split into six categories.¡± The woman pointed to the list in the document. ¡°Magistrate, Legal, Padline, General, Jackal, and President. Now, I have copied Article 2 of the Qui Establishment Agreement Act. Could I have¡­Tash please read Article 2 for us?¡± Tash nodded and began to read. ¡°Article 2: Qui Leadership: Each nation of Qui shall be ruled by a democracy split into the following as seen in the table below. Note this table was taken from the Qui Establishment Act, Section A: People¡­Do you want me to read the table as well?¡± Tash asked. ¡°Please.¡± The woman motioned for Tash to continue. ¡°Citizen: Everyone born of Qui regardless of national fealty. All citizens are placed into distinct brackets at birth. The brackets are discussed more under Article 3 Section A. Mag¡ª¡± ¡°Actually, let¡¯s have Dryden do the next one.¡± ¡°Magistrate: Within each nation, the lowest citizen bracket shall be split into seven voting districts. Each of these seven districts will have one Magistrate. Each Magistrate gets one vote in the Legal Score.¡± ¡°Very good. Kirosh, would you take the next one?¡± ¡°Legal: Within each nation, the middle citizen bracket shall be split into five voting districts. Each of these five districts will have one Legal. Each Legal gets one and two fifths of a vote in the Legal Score.¡± ¡°Garett, next.¡± ¡°Padline: Within each nation, the top citizen bracket shall be split into ten voting districts. Each of these ten districts will have one Padline. Each Padline gets seven tenths a vote in the Legal Score.¡± ¡°Arina?¡± Arina just glared at the woman for a moment. ¡°¡­General: The President of each nation. Generals take the issues discussed within the Grafter Theater to the President of Qui.¡± ¡°Jack?¡± ¡°Jackal: Each nation shall have a maximum of seven Jackals to carry out any job necessary to maintain the peace of Qui. These individuals shall be knowledgeable in all areas of Qui Society, be able to shift between any Qui Bracket, and perform any Qui Duty. These individuals are granted the same government power as the General.¡± ¡°Roshcar?¡± ¡°President of Qui: There shall be one President of Qui chosen from the existing Generals. Presidential elections will be every five years for the people of Qui will be able to pick their leader.¡± ¡°Great! Are there any questions so far? No? Good.¡± The woman barely paused before she continued talking. ¡°Now, the Government Sector training is mainly focused on Jackal training. Herefore, you have been assigned a Jackal to lead your group. In this case, Jack Hurg has been selected to be your Jackal. While you are under Jack¡¯s care, you will do Jackal jobs for three Magistrates, three Legals, and three Padlines¡ªone for each nation of Qui. Once you complete those jobs, you will be Jackal halfway to becoming a fully-fledged Jackal. If you wish to become a full Jackal, you will then have to take a test. If you don¡¯t, you will be given the option to intern with a Government official. Otherwise, you will cycle through the different departments of the Government Sector of your birth nation.¡± Tash raised her hand again. ¡°Yeh, Tash?¡± ¡°So¡­after we complete the nine jobs, are we finished with our Government Sector training?¡± ¡°No. Let me explain this a different way: for your training, you will need to complete one job per bracket per nation per Official. So what does that mean? Well, for example, your first job will be to help the Magistrate of Edenyon. He an Official of the Lower Bracket and from Yamara. Your next job will be to help a Magistrate from Gavi Quintar; and after that you will be assigned to help a Magistrate from Zuashi. You will then cycle back around to Yamara, but this time be assigned to help a Middle Bracket Legal, and so on and so forth. After you finish those jobs, then you will be able to intern with any Official within the Government Sector. Any more questions?¡± No one answered. ¡°Good. Now, once you have completed your first job, you will be required to take the Government Sector Test (GSE) to allow Government Sector Officials to decide if they want to extend an invitation to you to intern with them in the future. Please note that the GSE is different than the Jackal test.¡± Tash raised her hand. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ah, yeh?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little subjective? I mean what if we complete the jobs within a month? Won¡¯t that put us at a disadvantage to take the test with those who have been in the Government Sector their entire lives?¡± The woman smiled even more brightly, which made her smile look as if it were about to fall off. ¡°Everyone who enters the Government Sector must complete the GSE on the seventh day of their first week here. It is mandatory for all the three nations, so this test will carry over for your Government Training for both Yamara and Zuashai. Now just for a reference point, I have included the GSE score ranges per bracket."
Data Recorder Magistrate Legal Padline General/Jackal President
GSEscore needed <301 301-400 401-500 501-600 601-700 675-700
¡°As you will notice, Generals and Jackals have the same GSE requirement. Also, after the Presidential elections, the new Presidential candidate must retake the GSE and score between a 675 and 700, where 700 is a perfect score. If the candidate fails, then he or she will be removed from their office as General for one term, allowing a new General to compete for the Presidency, and the election process will begin again.¡± Since the Government sector is allied with all the other sectors, we have a building dedicated to each Sector. The green building is for everything related to the Food Sector; the Red building is for the Health Sector; the yellow building is for the Arts Sector; and the blue building is for the Science Sector. Within these buildings, anyone within the Government Sector that scored in the 150-300 range on the GSE will be designated to receiving and compiling all the data that the individual sectors send us regarding policy updates, requests for new facilities, permits, etc. Anyone who scores above a 300 on the GSE will be then reviewed for a Government Official job. Now all the data collected from the Building Office Workers goes to one of the five officials outlined in the previous page. After the Government Officials receive the data, they then bring it to the Legal Score to discuss the issues facing Qui. Within the Legal Score, the Officials narrow down the requests by half by deciding on what needs higher authority and what can be handled by the Sector Officials themselves. The requests that they cannot handle, they to pass on to the Grafter Theater where the Generals and President come together to discuss how to keep Qui safe and keep the land healthy. Kirosh looked at the document before him. It held a little summary table labeled ¡°Section B: Forums.¡± It held the exact same information the woman had just sped talked through:
Legal Score The body of government in which the officials of all Qui citizen brackets come together to make policy. The Legal Score shall be comprised of the seven Magistrates, five Legals, and ten Padlines.
Grafter Theater The body of government held in the Triga Lake capitol. The President and three Generals convene in the Grafter Theater to discuss issues and policy for Qui as a whole.
¡°Now, like I said before, your first job will be to help the small town of Edenyon¡ªthe keepers of the Lake of Hearts. Since Edenyon is near the border of Gavi Quintar and Yamara, it is frequently a disputed territory. Gavi Quintar is requesting that the Lake of Hearts be measured for their personal records and personally give it to them at the Legal Score meeting in four days. Now I know what you are all thinking.¡± The woman held up her hands as if to ward off impending complaints although no one had opened even had enough time to get in a word in. ¡°You are all probably thinking that this is a Magistrate¡¯s job. And you are completely right, it is. However, The Magistrate of Edenyon frequently asks for a Jackal to be present for two reasons. The first is so that the data will be returned immediately to the Government Sector Building here in Triga Lake, and second because of an old legend of the Lake of Hearts.¡± ¡°Legend?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a silly old children¡¯s tale that tells of the Beast of Edenyon.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the legend?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t really care.¡± The woman shrugged. ¡°But I¡¯m sure someone will be happy to tell you when you reach the town. Now, there is a time limit to completing this job. You must return with the information in three days due to the upcoming Legal Score meeting.¡± ¡°But that meeting isn¡¯t for four days.¡± ¡°Yeh, but the Data Collectors also need to record the data for our own records.¡± The woman said with a blank and simple face. ¡°Now, before I release you to your Jackal, I want to remind you that this is the easiest task of all the Government levels. If you¡¯re not back by the third day with the information, you will be dropped from the program. If you return on time, your job will be marked completed and you will be able to spend the remainder of your first week here studying for your GSE. Enjoy.¡± The woman said with a bright smile and left in a flurry of clothes before anyone had time to ask any more questions. ¡°¡­That was Thera.¡± Jack sighed. ¡°Thera? As in Thera Kushman¡­the President¡¯s wife?¡± Jack just nodded. ¡°And before you ask, yeh, she¡¯s always like that.¡± Silence fell, but it was periodically interrupted by the sound of Jack scraping his plate. When he finished, he pushed his plate away and leaned back with a sigh. ¡°Now that we are alone, let¡¯s get a few things straightened out. One thing Thera didn¡¯t mention is that for the next five years, you will be in my care as Younglings. I will more or less shuffle you around the three nations to learn from the top officials in each Elite bracket sector. All your ¡°free time¡± will go into learning about my Duty even when you are not in the Government Sector, just in case one of you is dumb enough to choose it as your Qui Duty.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we want to choose becoming a Jackal?¡± Garett asked. ¡°Give it a few days. You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Jack snorted. ¡°Since you are in my care, there are only two rules that I require you to follow. First, do what I say, when I say it. I don¡¯t want any whining or complaining. On the road, act like men and women,¡± he gave Arina and Tash a small nod, ¡°and I will treat you as such, regardless of your age. With that being said, if you act like little children, I will treat you like children¡ª¡± His manner of speaking reminds me of Arina for some reason. ¡°¡ªRespect is to be earned, not to be expected. Second, I will be splitting you into pairs in the near future. These pairs are non-negotiable. As a pair, you will do everything together. If your partner fails, you fail. Your partner will be your both your family and best friend. Is that clear?¡± ¡°Yeh, sir.¡± We all said in perfect unison. ¡°Good. Your first day of training starts now.¡± He stood up. ¡°We leave when the hour is up¡ª¡± ¡°But that¡¯s in 25 minutes!¡± Dryden exclaimed. ¡°We will meet in the front of this building. Don¡¯t be late.¡± Jack waved without turning around. I stared at the door as it closed behind Jack, but my mind wasn¡¯t on the short amount of time we had to pack our things and get back here before the designated time. My eyes darted to Arina who was still picking at her food. ¡°One of us will have to be paired with Arina¡­for five whole years¡­ #18 Tash Mirraav
10:42am, Friday
The ride out of the city was short. The BubbleME took us the 200 miles to the city edge in less than thirty minutes. From there, we took the road to the MassEXO field. The MassEXO was similar to what the ancients called an airport. However, in Qui, everyone had bone implants that fortified their endoskeleton. These implants also served as links to exoskeleton upgrades. So, instead of having one pilot for a few hundred people, anyone with an endoskeleton implant could hook up to a flying exoskeleton upgrade and fly to wherever they want just as easily as driving a BubbleME. Since DiMech Inc was the main tech sponsor of the Akademy and Top Six Program, we were going to be using the TransportME upgrade to travel as a group. I had planned to sleep during the trip to Edenyon, but sleeping while flying was impossible. Thankfully, we were only in the air for an hour, even though the trip was supposed to take over five hours to reach our destination. When we landed, we all piled into a MassBubbleME. Much better to be on the ground than in the air, if you ask me. But somehow, I just couldn¡¯t get comfortable enough to sleep in the BubbleME. So I watched the land zoom past us. Fist one hour, then two hours passed of nothing but flat land, hilly land, farm land, wet land¡ªit all blurred together like a bad painting. We were eating our packed lunches when Kirosh suddenly pushed his face up His face was pushed up against the BubbleME¡¯s glass as if it weren¡¯t transparent enough. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± He breathed. I turned dully to look at what he was interested in. The mountains were rising up before us like ominous guards, but they were just mountains. Nothing that special. The ones in Hanra were much taller and more numerous. These were like babies compared to what I was used to seeing. I turned back to my window and packed my food away for later, wishing for sleep to come for probably the hundredth time since the start of the trip. Between Gary¡¯s surprise visit and the party, I had only gotten two hours of sleep last night. I just wanted to rest. ¡°Whoa look at that!¡± Kirosh tapped on the window like a child. ¡°Yeh¡­wow.¡± I said as I leaned over to grab my bag. After Jack had left us in the breakfast room at the Top Six Building, we had all rushed back to pack. However, what we didn¡¯t know, and what no one seemed inclined to tell us earlier, was that the Akademy automatically moves your belongings into new rooms within the Top Six Building. So, by the time we returned to the Building to pack, we only had seven minutes left to pack. I don¡¯t even remember what I threw in my bag. ¡°No, really¡­look.¡± Kirosh shook my arm. ¡°What is¡ª¡± I swallowed my words. The edge of the forest looked in front of us with trees so large that you had to look out the top of the BubbleME to see the tops. I squinted at the sky to try to see the tops as we zoomed closer and closer. Then, suddenly, the sky darkened. We had entered the forest. I looked at my HOL: 11:01am. I looked back out the window. The shadows coming from the trees made it feel more like two in the afternoon, not eleven in the morning. Jack pulled the BubbleME off to the side of the road. ¡°We go on foot from here on out.¡± We slowly piled out of the vehicle, each of us trying to take in the magnificence of the forest. Jack tapped something in the BubbleME and it sped off, leaving us alone in this quiet forest. I spun around as I noticed for the first time just how quiet the forest was. There was not a sound of birds or insects. It was like the very trees themselves were sleeping¡ªas if the very air was holding its breath. Yet, the air was not stale. It was light and crisp. I shivered and pulled on my sweatshirt, mumbling a Mara¡¯an prayer under my breath. ¡°Follow me, and don¡¯t fall behind.¡± Jack started down a path almost hidden by the tall ferns that covered the woodland floor. We followed behind cautiously. There isn¡¯t even a sound of our footsteps. It¡¯s like we aren¡¯t even here. A hidden branch reached out at me as I pushed my way through ferns so tall a six year old child could hide standing straight up. I swiped at it and instantly jumped back as I saw where the branch had come from. It was a smaller tree with no leaves and covered almost entirely of moss. I shivered harder. It looked more like an overgrown tarantula than it did a tree. A hand reached out and gripped my shoulder hard and pushed me forward. I didn¡¯t have to turn around to know that it was Garett. I took a deep breath and nodded, hurrying to catch up with Jack who was climbing over a branch that had fallen on the path. My eyes widened. The branch was as thick as a normal tree back in Yamara. And yet, this was only a branch. Jack waited for us all to climb over the branch before he began to talk. ¡°Question: how does a Jackal travel if not by BubbleME?¡± ¡°On foot?¡± Kirosh ventured an answer. Jack chuckled. ¡°Nope. By horse.¡± We all looked at him dumbfounded. ¡°Follow me.¡± Jack led us around a large tree that was so large that five men could stand side by side and still be hidden from view. On the other side was a rather rundown looking building nearly hidden from view as it blended into its surroundings. Jack disappeared into the building and came out a few moments later leading a horse. A freaking horse! ¡°I thought he was joking.¡± Kirosh said surprised. No one else spoke. A horse is one of the few animals that have survived in Qui since the time of the ancients. They belong in an agricultural museum, not out here in society. ¡°This is a blue roan pryor mountain mustang. One of the finest horses still living.¡± Jack said with no small amount of pride in his voice. And it was obvious why. The beast was beautiful. ¡°This one is mine. There are five still in the stable. Go pick which one you want.¡± When no one moved, Jack sighed. ¡°Fine, wait here.¡± He went back into the shed-thing and led out a grey colored horse. ¡°You all will be getting gentle quarter horses. They are easy to work with, as long as you¡¯re not mean to them. Respect the horse, and he will respect you. Now, this beauty is Quedam.¡± Jack led the horse to Dryden. ¡°Take the reins.¡± Jack held out the pieces of cord that were attached to the halter around the horse¡¯s face. Dryden took them tentatively. Jack went back into the shed and lead out a light blondish red colored horse. ¡°This is Roni.¡± Jack handed me the reins. Roni tried to nuzzle at me, but I jumped back, letting go of the reins. Jack let out a loud laugh as picked up the slack reins. ¡°He isn¡¯t going to hurt you, Tash¡­here, pet his nose like this.¡± Jack held out his hand and gently stroked Roni¡¯s long nose. Roni whinnied softly in response, and nuzzled at Jack¡¯s hand. ¡°See? He¡¯s saying hello.¡± Jack handed the reins back to me before returning to the shed-house. The third horse he led out was a light colored horse that looked golden, but whose main and tail were white as snow. ¡°This is Sunfelt.¡± Jack announced, giving the horse to Kirosh. As I petted my horse as Jack showed me, it crossed my mind that it seemed only fitting that such ancient beasts should be within this forest. Everything about the Edenyon Mountains was shrouded in an ancient feeling. A mysterious feeling that only grew when Jack led out the forth horse that was as black as night with a bright white star on his forehead that stood out compared to all the others. His name was Nightstar and was given to Arina. The fifth horse was the color of Zuashi sand. Jack handed this one to Garett ¡°This is Cookie.¡± Garett just looked at the horse with a calculating eye and nodded. The last horse was a dark chestnut color named Brownie. Roshcar stepped forward when Jack signaled. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve gotten that settled, it¡¯s time to learn how to ride your horse.¡± And for the next three hours, we all learned how to mount our horse, guide it around, dismount, and lead it by the just the reins. We then had a light snack that Jack provided out of his bag before finally journeying down the path towards our destination. We plodded along for what seemed like ages, and soon the shadows began to lengthen in the forest. Finally, Jack pulled his horse to a stop and turned to look at us. ¡°There¡¯s a canyon up ahead that we have to cross before we stop for the night.¡± Jack dismounted and pulled his bag off the back of the horse. ¡°After we cross it, we will stop for the night.¡± ¡°What canyon?¡± Dryden asked, looking around. Nothing but trees rose up before us and behind us. The ferns guarding the almost non-existent path. Jack chuckled. ¡°We are going to have to blind the horses so they don¡¯t get spooked on the bridge.¡± Jack walked around and handed out little caps to put over the horses¡¯ heads. I gulped as I looked at mine. Bridge¡­? ¡°Everyone dismount and put these caps over the horse¡¯s ears and across its eyes so it can¡¯t see. Then, we will go one at a time until we reach the other side. Understood?¡± We all nodded, more or less. I dismounted and looked at the cap again. Bridge¡­? I ventured a look at Garett in front of me, but he was busy putting the cap over his horse¡¯s head to catch my eye. ¡°Alright¡ª¡± Jack started. ¡°Wait¡­I¡¯m not ready yet.¡± I called out as I quickly stuffed the cap over my horses head. It patiently waited as I tugged and pulled on its head. ¡°¡­Everyone ready now?¡± Jack asked, his voice hinting at impatience. ¡°Yeh, sir.¡± We chimed in unison. ¡°Good. Now we will go one at a time. Make sure you are at least five steps behind the person in front of you.¡± Jack commanded before turning and directing his horse forward. ¡°Follow me.¡± He called out over his shoulder. He walked straight, even though the path curved to the right, and pushed his way through the foliage. We followed silently. The foliage parted before us as Jack ploughed through and, suddenly, it was as if night had turned into day as we entered a clearing with the bright sun streaming down upon us. It¡¯s blinding light seemingly 100 times stronger than what I remembered. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± I squinted until my eyes could readjust to the brightness. And then I saw it. An expansive canyon with nothing but wood beams and heavy planks between us and certain death. The whiteness of the canyon walls amplified the sun¡¯s light, which was what had made it so blinding. Jack strode forward with his horse in tow as if he were taking an afternoon stroll through the park. Then Kirosh, then Roshcar, then Garett¡­then me. I could feel my stomach churn as I stepped onto the bridge. Don¡¯t look down. Don¡¯t look down. Don¡¯t look down. I trained my eyes on the rump of the horse in front of me and how the muscles rippled under its skin. Don¡¯t look down. Don¡¯t look down. Don¡¯t look down. I gripped the reins of my own horse tighter and tugged her forward. Step. By. Step.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. There had been a light breeze when I first stepped onto the bridge, but as I made my way forward, the wind seemed to increase. The closer I got to the center of the bridge the more the wind tugged at my hair like fingers, pulling it across my face and into my eyes. I swiped it away in annoyance, taking my eyes off the tail of Garett¡¯s horse for just the slightest of seconds. But that was enough. The canyon walls were beautiful, but nothing could hide the sheer drop into oblivion if something were to go wrong. I snapped my eyes back onto the horse in front of me. If Sunfelt suddenly kicked, I would go over the edge. I gulped. The floor seemed to sway, which was impossible since the beams that the planks were nailed onto were full tree trunks¡ªat least fifteen feet in diameter. Somewhere in front of me a horse neighed. If Quedam were to push up against me, or side step, or lose his footing in anyway, I would go over¡­all the way down. The blood rushed in my ears drowning everything out. My heart was pounding, and not in the good way. It felt like it was clawing its way out of my chest. I tried to breath, but the wind seemed to steal away all the oxygen¡ªflittering it away down into the ravine below as if teasing me. I gasped and gasped, but my vision was starting to go dark¡­ ¡°Tash¡ª¡± I felt someone grab my shoulder. No. No. I don¡¯t want to be here. I don¡¯t want to be here. I will be good. Don¡¯t throw me over. Don¡¯t¡ª Suddenly I was back there. On that Mistress House roof with the Head Mistress. One of her hands was on my shoulder, the other on my wrist, dragging me forward to the edge. ¡°(Don¡¯t throw me over).¡± I begged. My legs gave out beneath me and I crumpled onto the old beams, making myself as small as possible. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard feet approach. ¡°(Don¡¯t throw me over. Please. I¡¯ll be good).¡± ¡°Garett get over here. I don¡¯t speak Mara¡¯an.¡± I heard distantly. Garett. Garett. Garett. I focused as hard as I could on him. On everything I knew about him. On every crinkle of skin on his palms that I have traced more times I can count to every laugh line on his face¡­well, he has more frown lines than laugh lines, but it didn¡¯t matter. As long as it was Garett, it didn¡¯t matter. It doesn¡¯t matter. It doesn¡¯t matter. It doesn¡¯t¡­ You think it doesn¡¯t matter? A voice from my past suddenly yelled in my ear. You think it doesn¡¯t matter? You think what you did was alright? You little¡­I¡¯ll show you. You will either learn to follow orders, or you will pay the price. And do you know what the price is? ¡°(Stop it. Go away).¡± I sobbed. ¡°(Go away. I didn¡¯t know.)¡± ¡°Tash, it¡¯s Garett. Open your eyes!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t know? Of course you didn¡¯t know. This is why you have to go through training before you can be a Mistress. But mistakes must be atoned for. Bad mistakes must pay the price. And that price is to be THROWN OFF THE ROOF. The voice was screaming now. Screaming just like Mistress Yrvko had done that night¡­ ¡°No one cares about one little girl from Hanra training to be a Mistress. There are hundreds in training. What is one little girl? No one will care if you die. No one will miss you when you are gone. You belong to the House now. Nothing can save you now.¡± ¡°(I¡¯m sorry.)¡± I screamed back. (I won¡¯t do it again. I¡¯ll be good. Don¡¯t take me to the roof. Please! Don¡¯t¡ª) ¡°Tash¡ª¡± ¡°(Don¡¯t be mad. Please don¡¯t be mad).¡± I whispered. ¡°(I¡¯ll be good. Don¡¯t throw me over. Don¡¯t¡ª)¡± ¡°Tash!¡± Suddenly my vision cleared. Garett was in front of me, shaking my shoulders. I looked around wildly, trying to scoot back but I couldn¡¯t get out of Garett¡¯s grip. ¡°(Not the roof. Don¡¯t let them take me, Garett. Please. Let me go.)¡± ¡°(Tash, look at me. Look at me!)¡± He shook my shoulders and my head snapped up to look at him. ¡°(Tash, no one is going to throw you over. I promised I would protect you, yeh)?¡± I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Yeh?¡± He demanded with more force, shaking my head with his hands. I nodded furiously. ¡°(What does that mean? Tell me).¡± ¡°(It means)¡ª¡± ¡°(I can¡¯t hear you. Speak louder).¡± ¡°(It-It means you won¡¯t hurt me).¡± ¡°(And)?¡± ¡°(And you won¡¯t let anything hurt me).¡± ¡°(So what does that mean about today, about right now)?¡± ¡°(I-I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know.¡± I start to shake again. ¡°Don¡¯t be ma)¡ª¡± ¡°(Tash, I¡¯m not mad. No one is mad. And no one is going to throw you off of anything. Do you understand me? No one).¡± ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°Promise. Now stand up. You have to walk to the other end. Do you see it?¡± Feet shuffled out of the way and I could see the other side. It was no more than 100 feet away. ¡°Is she alright?¡± Jack stepped into my view. His eyes watching me unblinkingly. Trust Jack. Sola¡¯s voice slid into my head. Trust Jack¡­ ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Garett snapped before grabbing me under the arms to drag me up. I clutched at his shirt as my feet wobbled. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me.¡± I begged. Garett paused for a moment before pulling me into a quick hug. ¡°Never.¡± He whispered before helping me to my feet. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to walk in front of you. Look only at my back. Don¡¯t you dare think about looking down. Got it?¡± I just nodded at him. He turned and started to walk, but I reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. He hesitated for a brief moment, turning to look over his shoulder. But he said nothing, and continued on. Step. By. Step. Until we reached the other side. As soon as my feet touched firm ground again, I rushed into the foliage and out of sight of the canyon. ¡°Wait.¡± Jack called out, but I didn¡¯t listen. I ran as fast as I could into the foliage. I whipped through the ferns without caring where I was going as long as it was away from that bridge. ¡°Tash¡­¡± Jack¡¯s voice sounded faint, but with this forest, he could have been just behind me. With that thought, I ventured a glance over my shoulder as I ran. Nothi¡ª I hit something hard and dense that made me stumble backwards from the impact. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Dryden filled my vision. ¡°You ran into me again.¡± My mind went blank. Wasn¡¯t Dryden behind me on the bridge? I heard a soft neigh of a horse and my head whipped around. Not more than fifteen feet away was Arina. Wasn¡¯t she also behind me? ¡°Tash¡­?¡± Jack¡¯s voice sounded out again. ¡°She¡¯s over here.¡± Dryden called back. Within moments Jack and Garett appeared. ¡°W-w-why are they here?¡± I pointed to Dryden and Arina. Dryden snorted softly. ¡°Seriously? Because we are all on the same team¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean that.¡± I snapped. ¡°Why are they here? On this side of the bridge? T-t-they were behind me.¡± My voice kept rising with each question. Neither Jack nor Garett spoke. ¡°Why are they all on the other side already?¡± I asked again, my voice rising. ¡°Trust Jack.¡± Sola¡¯s voice slid into my head as I looked between Garett and Jack. ¡°Tash, I want you to look at something¡ª¡± Jack began. ¡°Don¡¯t make her do that.¡± Garett interrupted, his voice low and hard. ¡°She¡¯s been through enough for one¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me do what?¡± I asked frantically. ¡°Garett, don¡¯t make me do what?¡± Suddenly, Jack strode forward and grabbed my wrist. He dragged me back into the foliage before anyone could say a word, and marched me right back to the bridge. ¡°N-n-no!¡± I tried to reel backwards, but Jack kept pushing me forward. ¡°Don¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Garett, get hold your cousin.¡± Jack pushed me against a warm body, and two arms encircled me. ¡°Now, Tash. I need you to watch this.¡± I was still trying to wriggle away, but the arms wouldn¡¯t budge. Jack took a step onto the bridge and went maybe ten feet in. Then, he lifted a foot and took a step to the right. Off the bridge¡ª ¡°No!¡± I lunged out to grab him, but his foot¡­it didn¡¯t fall. ¡°W-what?¡± I breathed as I watched Jack move his other foot off the bridge and stand in the air. ¡°H-h-how¡­that¡­Gar¡­what?¡± I wriggled against the arms, but less frantically as I tried to process what had just happened. ¡°W-wha¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a canyon, Tash.¡± Garett¡¯s voice filled my ear. ¡°This is just a trick. An optical illusion. My head snapped to look at him, then back to Jack. I opened my mouth, then closed it. I opened it again, and closed it again. No words would come out, so I just shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s an optical illusion.¡± Jack confirmed. ¡°W¡­why?¡± I finally croaked. Jack didn¡¯t answer immediately. He just looked at me with a blank face. ¡°Trust Jack.¡± I could hear Sola¡¯s urgent whisper again in my head just before he opened his mouth. ¡°I needed to know if anyone was afraid of heights.¡± He said simply as he began to walk back towards me without touching the bridge once. I opened my mouth to retort, but no words came out. I gripped Garett¡¯s shirt harder, and tried again. But still nothing came out. I struggled violently against Garett¡¯s arms one last time, and they gave way. I bolted for the foliage once again, but Jack caught my arm. ¡°Wait.¡± Jack caught my arm, forcing me to stop. ¡°Don¡¯t run off just yet. It¡¯s easy to get lost in there.¡± Jack¡¯s cool demeanor made me just that much angrier. I tried to throw off his hand, but it stayed clamped over my forearm, dragging me once again. But this time, thankfully, away from the so-called canyon. He only released me when we had reached the others again. ¡°Since I have all of your attention, I want to lay down some rules while we are in this forest¡ª¡± ¡°Why are we here?¡± I finally found my voice. It growled and rasped through my throat like an angry beast. Like my EPC tattoo beast from yesterday. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we take the Transport directly to Edenyon? Why come through these stupid woods at all?¡± Jack looked on without even blinking an eye. His calm, steady face as unmoving as the trees beside us. The others came up behind Jack and looked at me with surprised and curious faces. Only Garett stepped forward and placed himself between me and the others. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Garett said quietly. ¡°Why are we walking?¡± ¡°Has anyone here ever been to Edenyon?¡± Jack asked, looking around the group of shaking heads. He sighed. ¡°The only way to get to Edenyon is on foot. The Transport is not allowed to fly within 100 miles of the town.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Roshcar asked curiously. ¡°Touch one of the trees.¡± Jack nodded to nothing in particular since the trees were all around us. I looked at Garett, but he didn¡¯t move. It was Kirosh who reached out first to pat the large tree trunk, but he pulled his back suddenly as if he had been bitten. ¡°It¡¯s stone?¡± He looked at Jack in surprise. Jack nodded. ¡°Most of these tall trees have been petrified.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± Dryden asked as they all started to touch various different trees. I scooted closer to Garett now that everyone¡¯s attention was elsewhere. ¡°It¡¯s an ancient forest.¡± Jack shrugged. ¡°There are many mysteries that we have yet to learn about the ancients. But anyway, back to the rules of the forest: never go anywhere by yourself. It¡¯s too easy to get lost in this forest. Understood?¡± Jack looked directly at me. I glared back at him. ¡°Trust Jack.¡± Sola¡¯s voice echoed in my head as I pursed my lips. Trust Jack? I gripped my hands into fists, willing them to stop shaking. Why should I? What has he ever done for me to trust him? ¡°Understood?¡± He asked again. Garett shifted slightly in front of me, and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Yeh, fine. Whatever.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Jack said. ¡°Since you have all agreed, I will now split you into temporary pairs until we reach Edenyon. These are not the permanent pairs I will be deciding on later. This is just so that you don¡¯t end up lost before we get there. Understood?¡± Roshcar and Arina nodded; the rest of us just looked between ourselves. ¡°Good. I want Garett and Tash as a pair; Dryden and Kirosh as a pair; and Roshcar and Arina as a pair¡­¡± #19 Roshcar Nishk
3:07pm, Friday
¡°Treat the parings as if you were permanent partners. If that is too hard for you to understand, the pairs must stay together. No excuses.¡± Why her? I was still trying to process the announcement when someone snickered. Hypothesis: Garett probably snickered. I didn¡¯t care to turn and look. Observation: he enjoys seeing others in discomfort¡ª ¡°Is there something funny Dryden?¡± Jack asked. Dryden? My head slowly turned towards him. Hypothesis disproven? I glance at Garett. Sure enough, his face had no signs of laughter. Instead, Dryden was the one trying to suppress a grin. This morning¡¯s workout came rushing back to me¡ªDryden¡¯s face snarling at me. I swallowed, but my mouth had gone as dry as paper. Question: have I done something to make Dryden mad at me? ¡°No, sir.¡± Dryden replied. He crossed his hands behind his back and widened his stance. A Sportsman¡¯s move to show that he wasn¡¯t afraid. ¡°Then why were you laughing?¡± Jack asked. He didn¡¯t move a muscle. But when Dryden hesitated, Jack took a step forward. ¡°Please, we all want to share in on the joke.¡± ¡°I-I was just thinking that Rosh and Arina make a good pair, that¡¯s all.¡± Dryden shrugged. His face lost all glee as soon as Jack took a step towards him. ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡± Jack asked. ¡°¡­No reason.¡± Dryden shrugged, dropping his gaze to the ground. ¡°Perhaps I should make you her partner instead.¡± Jack mused. ¡°No!¡± Both Kirosh and Arina said at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise. Even Jack looked between them surprised. Fact: this is the first time I¡¯ve seen Arina and Kirosh agree on anything. ¡°¡­Fine.¡± Jack huffed. ¡°Let¡¯s head out. We can still have a few more miles, and remember, stay with your partners, especially now that it¡¯s getting dark in the forest.¡± We headed out with our backs to the bright clearing and entered the dark forest once again. It might be only 3 in the afternoon in the real world, but in the forest, time didn¡¯t seem to matter. Darkness was already beginning to creep in and eat everything around it. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Jack called out, breaking my concentration. He gave one sweeping look back before he mounted his horse and prodded her forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I nudged Cookie after him and we were off once again. The trees and shrubs that once held wonder just an hour ago were starting to look like they would eat us whole with no one the wiser. It¡¯s fine. I chided myself. They¡¯re just trees. That one is Scarsus pseudotsuga menziesii, otherwise known as the Pine of the Ancients. It is usually found in ¡°old¡± forests, or the forests that have survived from the time of the ancients. It likes a moist, mild climate. That there is a Scarsus picea sitchensis, otherwise known as the Ancient Spruce. It is usually found in forests that contain Scarsus pseudotsuga menziesii and Carnivas aquas. Carnivas aquas, otherwise known as the thirsty shrub. Recycles up to fifty percent of its water, and, therefore, requires a lot of water to survive. It usually is found in high altitude places that have good water system, such the Edenyon Mountains that are known for its complex river system that empties into the Yamara-Gavi Quintar branch of the Triga Lake. Question: How does Carnivis Aquas recycle so much water? Plant transpiration: when water evaporates from plants. Occurs in stems, leaves, and roots. It is important because as the water evaporates out of the plant, that evaporation creates a negative pressure gradient that helps draw water and minerals up through the plant from its roots. Plant transpiration also plays a significant role in the water cycle. Question: Why is water important? Two reasons: One, it supports photosynthesis because water plus carbon dioxide plus light energy is transformed into sugar and oxygen; and two: water helps keep the plant cool in hot weather¡ªthe plant uses evaporative cooling. Question: Do plants ever get ¡°thirsty¡± or feel thirst? I reached for my water bottle and paused before taking a drink. Question: What is thirst? There are two types of thirst in a human: osmometric thirst and volumetric thirst. Osmometric thirst is caused by a loss of water intracellularly, such as eating a high salt content meal pulls water out of the cell into the bloodstream. Volumetric thirst is caused by a loss of water extracellularly¡ªa loss in blood volume¡ªsuch as getting a hemorrhage. Regulation of body fluids requires three things: one, a way to detect changes in osmolarity; two, a way to detect changes in blood volume; and three, a way to correct any imbalances. I tip the bottle up against my mouth, but nothing comes out. ¡°Jack, I¡¯m out of water.¡± I called out, but he didn¡¯t seem to hear. ¡°Jack¡­¡± I called out again, this time giving Cookie a little extra nudge with my legs. She just snorted at me and kept her pace. I pushed her sides a little harder, but still no response. Not sure what else to do, I lifted my legs a little and brought them down against her sides while pushing my body forward in the saddle as if I she had eyes on the back of her head to see me urge her to go faster. Maybe she did have eyes on the back of her head because she seemed to get the message. She leapt forward, causing me to grasp at her main to stay on. I heard a faint curse as Cookie hurtled through the foliage. It was too dark to see straight now, so I just held on. Suddenly a dark figure loomed up beside me out of nowhere and a hand reached out. I jerked away from it and almost fell off sideways. Cookie made a hard right and kept running, but another hand came out at me and grabbed my reins. The hand pulled hard and cookie came to a full stop, causing me to almost fall off again. ¡°Idiot.¡± A hushed voice came at me as I sat quivering and panting atop Cookie. ¡°I got him.¡± The voice said louder, and I realized that Arina was the one holding my reins. A dark figure atop a horse came through the foliage behind me. ¡°What did you do?¡± Jack¡¯s voice was disturbingly calm. ¡°I-I-I was just trying to catch up to you to tell you that I was out of water. I wanted Cookie to go a little faster, so I nudged her. That¡¯s all.¡± The words babbled out of me. Jack snorted. ¡°Wait here; I¡¯ll go get the others. Let¡¯s hope they haven¡¯t gone galloping off as well.¡± Jack turned and was quickly eaten up by the darkness. I quickly fumbled to pull out my HOL. The clock read 5:34 in the afternoon. It hadn¡¯t even been thirty minutes from when we left the bright clearing, but I felt like we had been traveling in this darkness for hours. I just wanted to curl up in my bed and sleep the darkness away. Suddenly something rustled in the foliage around us, and my head snapped to look at the noise. I pointed my HOL in the direction of the noise and I could see the shrub swaying, but nothing was there. I shook my head trying to release my growing anxiety, but all I could see was darkness. It was all around me, pressing in one me. Suffocating me. ¡°Here, have my LightVis.¡± Arina handed me a small halo of light. The LightVis was nothing more than a circuit of light that concentrated its light based on where a person was looking. When no one was wearing it, it distributed its light evenly across the circuit. ¡°I-I have my own.¡± I reached over to get my LightVis from my bag and put it on. The path illuminated in front of me and made the forest seem less oppressive. The others were doing the same thing before mounting up and getting in line behind Jack. I turned in my saddle to watch the others when my LightVis swept across Arina. She looked up just as the light flashed over her, making her eyes glow like two orbs, as if she were an animal. I froze. She only shrugged and placed her own LightVis on her own head, unaware of what her eyes had done. As she moved about, my eyes caught on her exposed forearm. Just inside the nook of her elbow, barely visible, was a watermark tattoo that shimmered and faded in and out depending on the light¡ªit was the seal of approved erratic behavior. My breath caught in my chest.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Fact: We are alone. Fact: If she wanted to, she could attack me. Suddenly something rustled in the foliage around us, and my head snapped to look at the noise. The shrub was swaying, but nothing was there. I shook my head trying to release my growing anxiety, but all I could see were was darkness. It was all around me, pressing in one me. Suffocating me. ¡°We¡¯re over here.¡± Arina randomly called out. And not more than a minute later, Jack and the others came tromping through the foliage. ¡°Good, now that we are all together again, here¡¯s another rule. Never make the horse you are on go faster. It will follow the horse in front of it, so just let it go at its own pace and no one will get lost.¡± Someone snickered. ¡°Something funny, Dryden?¡± Jack asked. His voice sharp. ¡°How did you know that Arina and Roshcar didn¡¯t just want to be alone?¡± Dryden¡¯s face was contorted into something resembling a sneer. But it was so out of character that it was almost comical. Almost. ¡°I don¡¯t know what is¡ª¡± ¡°How come Arina knew what to do?¡± Kirosh cut Jack off as he advanced on Dryden. ¡°Because I¡¯ve been on a horse before.¡± Arina stated before Jack could open his mouth to reply. ¡°You¡¯re from the PC Bracket.¡± Kirosh¡¯s voice rose. ¡°Where in all of Qui did you learn to ride a horse?¡± ¡°Just because I¡¯m from the same Bracket as you doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m an invalid.¡± Arina said coolly. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jack cut in. ¡°Everyone put on your LightVis¡¯. We head out in five minutes.¡± ¡°W-what about water?¡± I blurted out. ¡°We will stop for water soon. There¡¯s a stream in two miles.¡± Jack said as he turned to get his own LightVis from his pack. Arina guided her horse to stand beside mine. ¡°When you kicked her and moved your seat forward, you signaled her to start running.¡± I nodded, but another snicker caught my attention. I shifted my eyes toward the source to find Dryden looking straight at me. I swallowed hard and turned back to face forward. Jack was scrolling through his HOL not paying attention to any of us. I ventured another look at my friend, but his eyes were still pinned on me. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him.¡± Arina¡¯s voice was barely audible. Her head was bent over her horse¡¯s neck as she stroked his main. Her eyes were neither on me nor Dryden. ¡°There is something wrong with him today.¡± ¡°Fact?¡± I couldn¡¯t keep the surprise out of my voice. ¡°Fact.¡± She nodded. ¡°He is not a mean person¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°Fact.¡± I agreed as I risked another quick look at my friend. His eyes were finally distracted off of me and were now directed at Kirosh. His face was blank as if he were nothing more than a machine. It was void of everything, every emotion. ¡°¡­But today, something is off. He is not himself.¡± Arina continued. Something in her voice made me look at her more closely. It sounded almost like worry. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jack cut me off. ¡°We need to keep moving.¡± ¡°Keep behind me.¡± Arina said as she prodded Nightstar forward to walk directly behind Jack. I nudged Cookie forward tentatively. At first she didn¡¯t move, and I looked frantically at Arina and Jack who were already moving off into the foliage. The others were starting to move as well and I could feel Dryden¡¯s eyes still pinned on me. C¡¯mon. I nudged Cookie again, but she still didn¡¯t move. Please, just start walking¡­ I swallowed and lifted my feet to nudge Cookie again. But before I could bring them down, her ears twitched and she started walking but not before letting out a big horse sigh in protest. I look up to find Arina stopped, and watching me. She opened her mouth and a small click sounded; Cookie surprisingly walked a little faster to place herself just behind Nightstar. I looked at Arina surprised, but she had turned back to face forward and nudged Nightstar forward. Her watermark tattoo shimmered once in the beam of my light. Observation: Arina is a violent person. I frowned as the thought flittered across my mind like a free bird. Observation must be backed by facts. What are my facts? Fact: In the four years Arina has been at the Akedemy, 147 different people have visited the Health Ward. Fact: Out of the 147 cases, against her, 146 of them have all given statements of what happened. Fact: Only Kirosh opted to not make a formal statement. Fact: Out of the 146 known cases, ninety-seven of them claimed that Arina pushed them while they attempted to talk with her. Twenty-four, had a split lip, nine had only a black eye, thirteen had both a black eye and a split lip, and three had a broken nose. Fact: Only Kirosh received severe wounds from Arina¡ª three broken ribs, a broken nose, a concussion, two broken fingers, and a fractured neck. Fact: Out of the 147 cases, the Akademy¡¯s Committee for Proper Qui Behavior found that Arina acted within the bounds of her watermark tattoo on 146 of them. That is to say, she didn¡¯t start the violence, but acted violently in self-defense. Fact: She only attacked first in Kirosh¡¯s case I racked my brain trying to fit the pieces together to fit my observation, but most of the facts refuted my observation. Only in Kirosh¡¯s case could there be any truth to the observation that Arina is actually violent, but no one really knows what happened between them four years ago since he refused to make a formal statement against her¡­ Question: Why was Kirosh¡¯s case different? Question: What did Kirosh do four years ago to cause her to attack first? Question: Will she attack him again while in this program?... Will she attack one of us? I fixed my eyes on Arina¡¯s back as if it could tell me what I wanted to know. Question: Will she attack me?¡ª ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Jack¡¯s voice cut through my thoughts. I looked around as he dismounted. We were neither in a town nor near a stream. ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re here?¡± I asked confused. We were in a small area that looked surprisingly well swept. The brush had all been cleared aside to allow maybe seven or eight people to gather comfortably and still have plenty of room. There were also two logs around a dent in the ground. The dent looked blackened and charred. ¡°Everyone drop your bags here and follow me with your horses.¡± Jack commanded, ignoring my question. I hurried to do as I was told. Once everyone had followed Jack¡¯s instructions, he led us into the foliage on foot. I was about to open my mouth to ask where we were going when the faint sounds of a bubbling brook hit my ears. Jack led us around one of the great trees, and there it was. Gurgling like a gleeful child. ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to teach you how to unhook and clean your horse¡¯s bit, and then how to take care of your horse. No one gets diner before I¡¯m satisfied that all the horses are properly cared for. Understood?¡± We all nodded. ¡°Good. Now watch carefully.¡± Jack showed us the proper way to care for the beasts from the time of the ancients. And they stood there patiently as we took out their bit and groomed them. Cookie nuzzled me her thanks at me when I had finished, and I petted her nose back. The heat of her muzzle was oddly comforting. ¡°Dinner time.¡± Jack called out. ¡°What about the horses?¡± Tash asked. ¡°They can forage for themselves, you don¡¯t have to worry. They know these mountains better than anyone.¡± Jack patted his steed¡¯s neck with a hearty thump. The horse just snorted at him and flicked an ear. ¡°Now follow me. We can¡¯t have anyone wandering off now.¡± Jack strode quickly forward and picked up one branch after another. By the time we reached the place we had left our bags, he had his arms full of wood, which he proceeded to dump into the charred dent. In no time at all, a small fire crackled in the pit. While we situated ourselves on the two logs, Jack pulled out our dinners and handed them out. ¡°Why did we have to take our stuff off the horses?¡± I asked as we ate. ¡°At lunch we didn¡¯t have to do that.¡± Jack paused and looked at me. ¡°This is where we will be spending the night.¡± My spoon stopped halfway between my mouth and the plate. ¡°We¡­we¡¯re camping outside?¡± Jack nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll get to Edenyon tomorrow in plenty of time to collect the data, so we don¡¯t need to rush. Better for the horses too if we camp for the night. They aren¡¯t as young as they once were anymore.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± I asked. ¡°I think we should keep going¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re camping.¡± Jack said firmly. ¡°But what about the wildlife? Aren¡¯t there any animals that we should be careful of?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Jack said. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you worried?¡± ¡°Nope. They won¡¯t attack us unless threatened. There is nothing to fear, especially not with me around. I will keep you safe. There is nothing to be afraid of here. Don¡¯t worry.¡± I ate slowly with those words reverberating in my brain. ¡°There is nothing to be afraid of here. Don¡¯t worry¡­¡± I followed the others as they handed back their empty food cartons and set up their camping rolls. I knew there would be camping. I don¡¯t have anything to be afraid of here. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. Jack will protect us from any dangerous wild animals. That is what Jackals are for anyway¡ªthat¡¯s part of their job. I glanced at my HOL as I climbed into my camping roll. It was just barely past six o¡¯clock, but somehow I was tired enough to sleep. I let my head fall onto my pillow still letting my brain mumble to itself. There is nothing to fear from the darkness anymore. Scary monsters don¡¯t exist in Qui. They don¡¯t exist. They don¡¯t¡­exist. I could feel myself start to drift off to sleep. The warm food in my belly helping me along. ¡­ ¡­ They¡­don¡¯t¡­exist. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ They¡­¡­don¡¯t ¡­¡­ ¡°Roshcar, it¡¯s coming.¡± Mom? ¡°Run. Don¡¯t look back¡­no, don¡¯t look at me, just run. Just run. Into the ice caves, hurry!¡± #20 Kirosh Trivar
12:07am, Saturday
I¡¯m not sure what woke me first, the blood curling scream, or the view of Arina straddling Roshcar¡¯s chest, punching his face repeatedly. Everything was a blur. I leapt forward, trying to disentangle myself from my cocoon of blankets while lunging for Arina. I tripped and fell. By the time I scrambled up, Dryden and Garett were pulling Arina off of Roshcar. Surprisingly, she didn¡¯t struggle. Jack and Tash were crouched over Rosh, inspecting his face. ¡°He¡¯s fine, just knocked out.¡± Jack announced as he rustled in his pack for something. He took out a silver tube that looked like Tash¡¯s lipstick, and he waved it under Roshcar¡¯s nose until he groaned. ¡°What happened?¡± Jack commanded more than asked. He was looking down at Roshcar, who looked up wide eyed. ¡°He was having a nightmare and it was getting on my nerves.¡± Arina said. ¡°So I hit him to shut him up, but he was thrashing around so much that I missed and had to hit him a few more times.¡± I snorted. I couldn¡¯t help it, I really couldn¡¯t. Jack¡¯s eyes centered on me. ¡°Is there something you would like to share?¡± ¡°No.¡± I said quickly, but Jack¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave me. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­well it¡¯s just that I doubt that¡¯s what happened, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­well, at the Akademy, she has a history of beating people up for no reason.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of her history.¡± Jack said coolly. ¡°This is a violent offense.¡± Dryden spoke up. ¡°This needs to be reported.¡± Jack turned his sharp gaze on Dryden. His face was unreadable in the soft light¡ªscary almost as the shadows danced across his sharp features. ¡°No¡­¡± Roshcar blurted out. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. I was having a nightmare and she woke me up.¡± ¡°She attacked you Rosh.¡± Dryden stated as if talking to a child. ¡°You need to report her. Maybe she¡¯ll finally get kicked ou¡ª¡± ¡°And what have you done?¡± Roshcar suddenly flared. ¡°All you¡¯ve been doing is making fun of me all day. So right now, I don¡¯t really care what you think I should do.¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa.¡± I said, stepping between Roshcar and Dryden. ¡°That¡¯s enough. We¡¯re all concerned for you Rosh, that¡¯s all Dryden is saying. We don¡¯t want Arina to think she can pick on you.¡± ¡°Pick on me?¡± Roshcar turned on me. His was voice rising. ¡°Right now she¡¯s the only one who hasn¡¯t picked on me in this group.¡± ¡°When did I ever pick on you?¡± I asked confused and slightly annoyed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Roshcar threw up his hands. ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Jack cut in. ¡°Everyone back to bed.¡± He bent and picked up his HOL before looking at the group again. None of us had moved. ¡°I said back to sleep.¡± He growled. That got everyone moving. ¡°Good.¡± He said once we were all back in our sleeping bags. ¡°Now I have to make my daily report to the Top Six Office¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to report Arina.¡± Roshcar interrupted. Jack¡¯s eyes centered on Roshcar. ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide. Now when I return, all of you had better be in your bags sleeping. Understood? If I return and even one of you has wandered off, I will make sure that you never enter the Top Six Program ever again.¡± With that, Jack turned and walked swiftly into the foliage. ¡°¡­Should¡¯ve reported her.¡± I heard Dryden mumble beside me. ¡°Then could¡¯ve used that as leverage¡­¡± Leverage? For what? I rolled over to look at Dryden, but he already had his eyes closed and soon drifted off to sleep. He was always the first to get to sleep no matter where he was. There was this one time when the Akademy took all the second years to the coast see camel fish migration. The BubbleME was so close to the edge of the cliff that I was certain we were going to fall off. Dryden, however, was asleep for the entire trip. What would he need leverage for? I rolled back onto my side and my eyes fell on Arina¡¯s form. She was curled up into a small ball. ¡°I don¡¯t want to report her¡­¡± Roshcar¡¯s statement reverberated through my head drudging up the past like dragging a white sheet through mud. ¡°It-it wasn¡¯t her fault.¡± A voice from the past spoke up from the far reaches of my memory. ¡°She isn¡¯t bad. She just got scared, that¡¯s all. She didn¡¯t mean to hurt¡ª¡± I clenched my fists. I remember every feeling, every emotion, every second of the day she attacked me four years ago. I remember looking into her eyes and knowing that she had done it on purpose. I remember. I even remember the exact action that made her snap¡ªone simple, innocent¡­we were twelve alright? Did Roshcar try something similar? No, he couldn¡¯t have. He screamed because he was having a nightmare. But Arina was the one that said that. She could be lying. But he even said that he had a nightmare¡­ My thoughts raced as the others drifted off to sleep once again. I closed my eyes to try to stop my brain from thinking any more, but images of Arina standing over Roshcar while laughing and hitting his face kept appearing just inside my eyelids. I turned to try to get more comfortable, but nothing seemed to work. Finally, I gave up. I reached for my HOL and the clock¡¯s numbers only seemed to mock me: 12:54. How can the others sleep so easily? I rolled my eyes and pushed on a game to play to pass the time. Round after round I played with my head tucked under my blanket. Suddenly, I heard a noise and I quickly shut off my HOL. I held my breath as I strained my ears to listen. The noises were getting closer. It was a soft padding of feet. Was it an animal? ¡°You should be sleeping.¡± Jack¡¯s voice gave me a start. He must¡¯ve seen the light from my HOL. I guiltily reached up to pull the covers down from over my head. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep.¡± Arina¡¯s voice came softly. I froze, surprised. He wasn¡¯t talking to me? I carefully peeked out from under a corner of my blanket. Sure enough, Jack was crouched beside Arina¡¯s sleeping bag. His back was to me. ¡°Still get the nightmares, eh?¡± Jack asked with a half sigh, half snort. Nightmares? She claimed that Roshcar had the nightmares, but really it was her? Did she attack him in her sleep? ¡°Still asking dumb questions, eh?¡± Arina shot back. ¡°Did you have one tonight?¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± Jack sighed and let his butt fall to the ground. It landed with a small thud. ¡°What did you dream about this time?¡± He asked. ¡°None of your business.¡± Arina retorted sullenly. ¡°C¡¯mon H.¡± Jack said as he lightly tapped his knuckle on her forehead. ¡°We made a promise, remember.¡± They know each other? And what does H stand for? Arina sighed and sat up. ¡°In¡­In the dream, I had two tickets to an amusement park. One for was me and one was for a friend, but he canceled at the last second. So I had to find someone else to go to the amusement park with, but while I¡¯m looking for someone to go with me, I get lost.¡± Arina scrunched her eyebrows together as she continued. ¡°The scene changes and I suddenly find myself also trying to search for a Tech store because I needed to buy something, but I get lost again in a maze of hallways and instead find all these different stores. I walk into one of the other stores and I make friends with one lady. I tell her that I¡¯m looking for the Tech store, and she decides to help me look for it. However, as we look, we end up finding the exit. She says that we should follow the exit because then we can go around to the front and find the store that I want. So I follow her outside, but as soon as we step outside the exit, all these people run by us as if they¡¯re trying to escape something. It¡¯s raining too, and there are huge puddles that cars are going through in a hurry, and the splash makes the people running all wet.¡± Arina shook her hands as if they were wet themselves and continued. ¡°When I exit with the lady and see the people running, I realize that this is all at the amusement park¡ªthat I¡¯m already inside it. Seeing all the people running with terrified faces makes me and the lady start to run. We run for her car and start driving away. As we go, we drive through a big puddle and splash some people. I turn to look at who we splashed, and I see that the one of the people we just splashed was the friend I was originally supposed to go to the amusement park with. As I watch, the friend turns to the now soaking group and starts talking with them and making sure that everyone is alright. And in that moment, I realize that the friend had said no to my invitation so that he could go with his other friends. Then I hear the lady beside me say: ¡°See? He just didn¡¯t want to go with you. You¡¯re boring and not fun anymore. He wanted to go with new people.¡± I¡¯m still looking back and the whole group is wet, but they¡¯re still running. I don¡¯t understand what everyone is running from.¡± Arina paused as a shiver ran through her. ¡°Was that it?¡± Jack asked calmly. Arina shook her head. ¡°Then the scene changes again and I¡¯m in this room. It¡¯s large and has a lot of people. I don¡¯t know where I am, like I¡¯ve never seen the room before, but I know that if I stay in the room, everything is alright; that I¡¯m safe. But then I realize that I forgot something important outside the room and I need to go get it. I head for the door, but the leader stops me just before I can open it. I tell him that I left something out there and I need to get it. He sighs and says ¡°fine, if you¡¯re quiet it should be ok because they should be asleep, but take this anyway.¡± He hands me something between a crossbow and a gun¡­it was like a crossbow that shoots bullets¡ª Crossbow? Bullets? The words didn¡¯t make any sense to me. Was a crossbow some sort of tie or gift? And bullets? Was that some sort of animal? Why would someone hand you a tie and an animal? Dreams are weird. I rolled my eyes. ¡°¡ªI take out a flashlight and then I go out the door. It¡¯s all dark in the hallway and I can¡¯t see anything.¡± ¡°The scene changes again. It seems like I made noise while looking for the thing I lost and now something is after me. I turn a corner and run into someone. He is a normal person, and I recognize him as my partner. He is angry that I left the room, and shakes my shoulders telling me how stupid I am. But then there is a noise from behind me in the darkness and we freeze. Then we start running, trying to get back to safety. Somehow we split up, and something is chasing me. I am scared because I¡¯m lost and now I can¡¯t find my partner either. I try to shoot the thing chasing me, but the bullets keep getting stuck. The thing is laughing at me, but then my partner shows up and drives the thing away.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Arina began to speak faster and faster, the words spilling out of her mouth unchecked. ¡°The scene changes and now I¡¯m at this lake, but the lake is more like a small pool inside this room in the facility that we are trying to get out of. My partner dives into the lake and a man jumps up from the lake surprised. I follow my partner into the water, concerned that I no longer see him and that there is this new person in front of me. When I get within about 5 or 6 feet, he says ¡°why did you wake me up?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked. I was reloading my crossbow thingy and I finally got it to work. The guy in the lake ignores me and says, ¡°Now I have to figure out what to do.¡± For some odd reason, I shoot him with the crossbow and an arrow comes out of it and sinks into his cheek like it was putty. He looks at me and says ¡°Now why did you do that.¡± Then he takes arrow and pushes it all the way into his face while roaring at me. I turn and I run as the guy starts to change into this monster thing, then it starts to chase me. I drop my crossbow because I¡¯m so scared, a-and because I need to run with all that I have and can¡¯t afford the extra weight.¡± Arina¡¯s eyes were wide as they looked at nothing in particular. Her hands were tracing her movements as she recounted her dream. ¡°I-I follow the hallway into a big room and then do through the only open door. I sprint through that following hallway, down some stairs, and straight to a dead end. The dead end is filled with closed elevator doors that are impossible to open.¡± Arina gulped in a ragged breath as if she were still there trying to escape. ¡°The monster is laughing at me as he climbs down the stairs slowly. He¡¯s toying with me. Then I see an open door just next to the stairs and I bolt for it. I manage to get into it and slam the door shut just as the monster lunges for me. It hits the door instead. I sink to the floor trying to keep the door shut with my body when I hear more monsters start coming down the hall of door I had just entered. I think to myself ¡°They¡¯re coming and there¡¯s no escape¡­¡± Arina trailed off. They sat in silence for a few moments. Then she took another ragged breath. ¡°I close my eyes, and when I open them all the monsters are dead around me. My partner is there shaking me and telling me to wake up and that he¡¯s found the way back to the room. I look up at him and then back at the dead things around me, and I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m the one that killed them, that I¡¯m now a monster too.¡± ¡°Why would you be the monster?¡± Jack asked, cutting in. Arina looked at him wide eyed. ¡°B-Because the monster part hides inside of you when it comes out, you black out. So, I grab onto my partner and tell that he has to kill me; that I can¡¯t go back to the safe room and endanger everyone there because now I am one of the monsters. As I say that, I remember what happened to me when I heard the other monsters come down the hall while trying to keep the other monster from breaking in¡ªthey came around the bend and attacked me, the door flew open and the other one came in. I start screaming while they just laugh over me¡­¡± Arina trailed off again. Then she gave one quick shake of her head and continued. ¡°As I¡¯m remembering, I¡¯m also telling my partner who is trying to drag me down the hall back to the safe room: ¡°You have to kill me. I can¡¯t go back anymore. I¡¯m no longer safe. I¡¯m one of them now. I will hurt everyone in the safe zone.¡± I see all these images of what would happen if I was taken back to the safe room. How I would kill the others and how much fun it would be, and how I would be laughing while ripping someone¡¯s head off and hearing the screams around me. ¡°I will kill them¡­so please kill me.¡± My partner stops, and he opens his mouth to say something, but then I wake up for real.¡± ¡°That¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all.¡± Arina cut jack off. ¡°When I try to go back to sleep, the nightmare continues but this time I am in my old house. There are four or five us now, and we are trying to be real quiet because we know the monsters are inside the house. We sneak through the kitchen and go into the dining room. The two male members of the group go first and peak around the short wall into the living room. While they do that, I realize that in the kitchen there are knives, so I go back and pick one up. The other two ladies behind me also picked up knives¡ªlike long butcher knifes. Then I go to stand behind the two guys who are still peering around the corner into the living room. They are whispering to themselves about how they don¡¯t see anything and how it¡¯s probably safe; that maybe there aren¡¯t any monsters here today. Then they turn to tell us that it is safe, but their faces are already monsters. I turn to run, but there¡¯s another monster behind me and the two ladies. I raised my knife in defense, but¡­but then I woke up to Roshcar screaming¡­and you know what happened after that.¡± ¡°Arina¡­¡± Jack let out a big sigh. ¡°You are safe. This is Qui. Nothing will happen to you.¡± ¡°You of all people, Jack, should know better than to say that to me.¡± Arina said sharply. ¡°You of all people should know¡­¡­¡± ¡°I do. It¡¯s my job. And that¡¯s why I can say that you are safe. As long as I¡¯m around, you don¡¯t have to worry. Now get some sleep.¡± Jack said sternly as he pushed to lay back down. Then he stood up slowly with a small groan and I quickly let the corner flap down. ¡°¡­What did the he say?¡± I could barely hear Arina¡¯s voice through my blanket, so I peeked through the flap again. ¡°Who?¡± Jack was looking down at Arina, but his back was no longer turned to me. I lowered the flap slightly so that I could only see his feet, diminishing the chance of him seeing my eyes and realizing that I was still awake. And listening. ¡°My dog.¡± Arina looked at Jack sarcastically. ¡°Who do you think?¡± Jack snorted. ¡°Well¡­Doc wanted to pull you out, but All Supreme over ruled it. Said you needed more time to adjust.¡± All Supreme? Who in Qui is that? ¡°Adjust?¡± Arina returned the snort. ¡°What four years of school wasn¡¯t enough time for him to let me adjust?¡± ¡°He¡ª¡± ¡°He wants me to be like everyone else. Passive. Like a sheep.¡± Arina shot out. ¡°That is never going to happen Jack. I can¡¯t just forget everything that I¡¯ve seen¡­and done¡­¡± Something in Arina¡¯s voice made me open the flap a little wider to see more clearly. It almost sounded like she was lost¡ªa little girl, weak and lost. ¡°Would you rather be sent back to the Islands?¡± Jack asked. Sent back to the Islands? As in revoke her adoption? ¡°¡­No. I never want to go back.¡± She said so softly I almost didn¡¯t hear her. ¡°Then you have to learn how to adjust. That¡¯s all any of us can do.¡± Jack replied. ¡°And what if¡ª¡± ¡°From what I gather.¡± Jack spoke over Arina¡¯s protests. ¡°It wasn¡¯t him who wanted you to adjust, but the Lady.¡± ¡°Thera?¡± Arina spoke as if the name carried some hope in it. She propped herself up on her elbows and a shy smile crossed her face. ¡°Thera is nice, even if she is married to the All Supreme. You should be nicer to her to Jack. You weren¡¯t nice to her this morning.¡± Arina wagged a finger at Jack. It would have been comical if she hadn¡¯t made that last statement. There was only one person in all of Qui with the name Thera. And that was Thera Kushman¡­the President¡¯s wife. The All Supreme must be President Kushman¡­what in the world is going on? ¡°I¡¯ll do what I want.¡± Jack grunted. ¡°Now go to sleep.¡± ¡°Jack¡­¡± Arina¡¯s face lost the ghost smile and she grabbed onto his pant leg. Clutching it like a child would her mother¡¯s leg. ¡°What will happen if I don¡¯t adjust?¡± ¡°¡­That won¡¯t happen. I won¡¯t let that happen¡­Why do you think I¡¯m here. Sola and Hyde too. We¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Arina looked at him in surprise. ¡°You, Sola, and Hyde?...Jack, what¡¯s going on?¡± Arina¡¯s voice was more than tinged with alarm. ¡°Arina¡­¡± Jack sighed and crouched down. I lowered the flap even further so that I wouldn¡¯t be detected. I could hear Jack draw in a breath to speak, but nothing came. I strained my ears again, but still nothing. No sound except the crackle of the fire. Then something dense hit the soft dirt just beside my head and a dark object filled my vision from my flap slit. ¡°I know you¡¯re awake.¡± Jack¡¯s voice sent a chill through me. ¡°So I¡¯ll only say this once. Eavesdropping isn¡¯t nice. It¡¯s cowardly and childlike. Don¡¯t do it again. Now go to sleep¡­ That goes for you too Garett.¡± Garett? I wanted to turn in my sleeping bag to look at the other boy, but I was still too petrified from Jack¡¯s warning. Was he listening too? Why would he be listening? ¡­Well, why would I be listening? My mind was whirling once again. I could hear Jack snort softly. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s been seven hours¡­that should be good enough.¡± Seven hours? I was too confused to hear the faint click. What is with all the numb¡ª ¡°WAKE UP.¡± Jack¡¯s amplified voice made me sit bolt upright and scramble to get out of my blankets for the second time in less than an hour. ¡°WE MOVE OUT IN TEN MINUTES. IF YOU ARE NOT ON YOUR HORSE BY THAT TIME, YOU WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.¡± ¡°W-what time is it?¡± Dryden¡¯s sleepy head also snapped up to view the surroundings without understanding. ¡°IT¡¯S WAKE UP TIME.¡± Jack bent to put a few small branches on the fire to light the clearing a little better. ¡°It¡¯s barely one in the morning.¡± Tash grumbled. Her was hair in such a disarray that only came from peaceful sleep. ¡°Be thankful I let you sleep in.¡± Jack said. ¡°Slept in?¡± I asked incredulously. ¡°You all had seven hours of sleep. That¡¯s plenty, no more than plenty if you were a Jackal. Usually a Jackal only gets four, maybe five hours of sleep. But we will have to work on that. Now let¡¯s go. Everyone up.¡± Jack went around pulling off the blankets of those who tried to ignore him. Much grumbling of course ensued. It took us almost two hours to get packed, clean the campsite, and saddle the horses. But finally, just as the HOL clock ticked down to three in the morning, we finally started off once again towards Edenyon. I hope. It was impossible to tell where we were going, or even how the horses knew where to go. The only thing any of us could do was trust the horses¡­not a pleasant idea. By 6am, we entered a large plateau with a stream running down the mountainside. I looked breathlessly at the landscape unfolded before me. The dark sky was tinged with sun¡¯s first few rays of hope; the mountain trees seemed to be spreading out their pleading hands begging the sun to come faster and expel the darkness that pressed down on all things both great and small. The mountains around us towered over us like ancient of ancient kings. No words were needed to convey their message: ¡°This is all mine. Nothing you can do will ever tame me.¡± ¡°Kirosh.¡± A hand landed on my shoulder, breaking the spell. ¡°Hurry and fill up your water bottle.¡± Jack said sternly. ¡°We have to keep moving.¡± I gave one last look at the mountains as the sky grew more and more pink with each passing moment. I sank the bottle under the water without looking. I breathed in the deep scent of the leaves and dirt. For someone from the arid nation of Zuashi, it never ceased to amaze me just how sweet the earth could smell¡ªit was the perfume of the earth. Finally, when I couldn¡¯t take the cold water any longer, did I take my bottle out of the stream and cap it. Then we mounted our horses once again and journeyed on. For another hour we went with seemingly no end. Then, suddenly, the twinkle of a house light off in the distance flickered momentarily though the trees catching me off guard. ¡°Jack¡­a house!¡± I pulled Sunfelt to a stop and pointed to where I had seen the light. ¡°What? Where?¡± Roshcar turned in his saddle to try to see where I was pointing. Jack just chuckled. ¡°Yeh, they should be popping up right about now. We are getting closer to town.¡± Edenyon. I thought giddily as we continued on. Our first assignment. All thoughts of what had happened just hours ago were completely swept aside at the thought of finally getting to see Edenyon. According to QuiFy News, the town of Edenyon was ranked the sixth most beautiful place to live in all of Qui. The houses started out few and far between¡ªsometimes close enough to see, sometimes far up the mountain¡ªbut then they grew closer together, popping up right beside us as we rounded one of the large tree trunks. ¡°We¡¯re here. Finally.¡± Jack called out as we rounded a bend. Before us, a cleanly swept road was laid out. Along the strait, it was lined with buildings of different sizes. Then it snaked and curled up the mountain and down the mountain. It was impossible to tell where those side roads lead to in the dim light and dense foliage, so my attention snapped to the buildings we were passing. The glow from the lanterns illuminated their signs: Hair salon, chiropractor, pet grooming¡­ Sunfelt followed after Jack without me prompting as my head swiveled back and forth taking everything in. The seemingly random placement of the shops lining the road spoke of the normalcy of the town¡¯s way of life. It was both similar to what I had known in the city, and yet, so different than what I was used to that I couldn¡¯t even imagine how their day went. It was amazing just how much diversity there was just within Yamara. ¡°Edenyon is smaller than what I had imagined¡­¡± I said. Based on the number of shops lining the road, and even the number of houses peeking through the trees, the town seemed to be no bigger than to hold 100 people maximum. How can this even be called a town? ¡°This isn¡¯t Edenyon.¡± Jack chuckled. ¡°This is one of the sister towns. From here, we will take the InterTrain to Edenyon.¡± ¡°Inner train?¡± ¡°Inter.¡± Jack reinforced. ¡°InterTrain. Since it¡¯s hard to get outside materials into the mountains, the President had a train system made that connected all the towns within the Edenyon Mountains. It¡¯s called the InterTrain system. You can get on the train at any town and be, at most, an hour away from Edenyon town. It¡¯s much better than having to travel another day to get to there from here¡­The next train is in an hour, so we need to hurry and put the horse away. Follow me.¡± ¡°What about food?¡± Dryden asked as his stomach gave a powerful growl. ¡°If we have time, we will get some. Otherwise, you will have to wait until we get to Edenyon.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°The faster we move, the more likely we will get food before the train leaves.¡± Jack interrupted. Train? My curiosity was peaked again. Everything today was going to be exciting. If only it would come faster! We rounded a bend in the road, and a flat plateau clearing stretched out in front of us. The wide open space was lined with trees on all sides. The sun beginning to peak between the mountains made the field look like liquid emerald delicately interlaced with ruby and amethyst clusters. It was as breathtaking as any metalwork masterpiece from the Zuashi Elite Masters. ¡°We¡¯ll let the horses off here.¡± Jack announced. ¡°Get your stuff together. And rub your horses down like I¡¯ve shown you. I¡¯ll go tell the horse master here that we¡¯re leaving these seven in his field.¡± Dryden opened his mouth, but Jack beat him. ¡°If you are all finished by the time I return, then we¡¯ll have enough time to go get food¡­Arina, you take care of my horse too.¡± #21 Gary Hartfield
6:23am, Saturday
¡°You seem to be sacrificing King¡¯s quite often these days, Shaw.¡± A tan woman said absently as she stared out a glass window upon a large cavern. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight braid that coiled beside her in her seat like thick rope. On her sleeve was the symbol of General of Zuashi.She pointed to a large structure across the cavern that looked reminisce of a castle from the time of the ancients of ancients. Smoke was snaking out of it, almost obscuring the holographic symbol that hovered above the structure: the symbol of Gavi Quintar. On the exact opposite end of the cavern was the same structure except over this building hovered the symbol of Zuashi. A multitude of people dressed in all white exited the smoking building followed by just three dressed in all black. They all approached the center between the two structures to stand under the image of a chessboard that hovered for the Generals in the crow¡¯s nest to see. On this chessboard Qavi Quintar was labeled black while Zuashi was labeled white. Mostly white pieces were left on the board. Only the black bishop, black knight, and one black pawns were left standing. In the far corner of the board, the black king was knocked over in surrender as it was surrounded by a white queen, white knight, and two white bishops. ¡°White team, Zuashi Nation of Qui win. Please confirm General Fakuma of Zuashi.¡± An automated voice filled the room, saving General Shaw the necessity of answering the woman. ¡°Confirmed.¡± The woman replied. ¡°Confirm accepted. White team, Zuashi Nation of Qui win. Please confirm General Shaw of Gavi Quintar.¡± ¡°Confirmed.¡± General Shaw said with an air of restlessness. ¡°Confirm accepted. Players are now dismissed.¡± Both General Shaw and General Fakuma stood as the people in the cavern started to disburse. ¡°Good game Shaw.¡± General Fakuma held out her hand as she turned to face him. Her face was stern and held hard weather lines, but her twinkling dark eyes gave away her triumph. ¡°You too Fakuma.¡± General Shaw answered curtly as he took the outstretched hand and gave it a quick shake. ¡°I¡¯ll send over the papers for the land transfer this afternoon.¡± General Fakuma said as General Shaw turned to gather his things. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± He motioned to Gary who was watching the event from the corner. They walked the short corridor to the fleet of elevators. General Shaw punched the call button and the two men waited in silence. The sound of General Fakuma¡¯s laughter drifted through the hall. ¡°Probably on a call.¡± General Shaw said through his teeth just as the elevator arrived. Once inside, Gary pushed for the top floor and then stepped back. Once at their destination, they exited into a square room. On each wall was a set of elevators. Each wall also had a plaque labeling with nation the elevators served. Gavi Quintar on the left wall, Yamara directly across from the elevator the two men had just exited, and Zuashi on the right wall. Once inside these elevators, General Shaw pushed his office number, and the elevator sped off into a long, dark tunnel. A full hour had passed before the two men finally stepped back into General Shaw¡¯s office. ¡°Another loss.¡± General Shaw chuckled as he lowered himself into his chair. ¡°They don¡¯t suspect a thing, do they?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it, sir.¡± Gary slid into the chair across the desk. ¡°Good. Let them have the food lands on Mara. I¡¯ll get it all back and more in six months, when I become President.¡± General Shaw smirked. ¡°Y¡ª¡± ¡°Only six more months, Gary.¡± General Shaw continued over Gary. ¡°Then I will be President of Qui.¡± ¡°Y¡ª¡± ¡°Why do they need more food lands anyway?¡± General Shaw rubbed his chin. ¡°Zuahsi is currently Qui¡¯s largest holder of PC Bracket lands. That makes for a lot of mouths to feed.¡± Gary said in one breath before General Shaw could cut him off for a third time. General Shaw snorted. ¡°Why do they want the PC Bracket lands anyway? They don¡¯t do much good in terms of finder new talent, and it just adds countless mouths to feed. It¡¯s a waste of resources to own that many PC Bracket lands.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but that strategy seems to be working for them.¡± Gary said dryly. General Shaw snorted. ¡°Quality over quantity, Gary. It¡¯s all about Quality over quantity. It doesn¡¯t matter how many substitutes you have for the Players, but the type of Player on the Chessboard¡­That¡¯s why Kushman is currently the President.¡± General Shaw cracked each knuckle slowly as he scrunched his eyes in thought. ¡°When will the prototypes be ready?¡± He asked suddenly. ¡°We are still in the process of testing them. If everything runs smoothly, the three of them will be ready by the Presidential Broad Elections match in four months.¡± Gary said smoothly. ¡°And in six months? For the Presidential Elections¡± ¡°By then, we should have a whole set of Players ready.¡± ¡°Good, good.¡± General Shaw rocked in his chair. ¡°I¡¯m confident that we will make it through the Broad Elections without having to use them, but¡ª¡± ¡°They will be ready.¡± Gary affirmed again. ¡°Good.¡± General Shaw sat forward and placed his elbows on the desk. ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the Top Six Younglings?¡± ¡°Things are progressing, sir.¡± General Shaw snorted. ¡°I¡¯m sure they are¡­Here.¡± He tossed Gary a HOL card. That is the data I have on Mrs. Nishk. Analyze it and decide if it holds any pertinent information.¡± ¡°Right away, sir¡ª¡± A nock came at the door. ¡°Enter.¡± General Shaw commanded with a slight frown. ¡°Excuse me sir,¡± The young assistant stuck her head through the door gap. ¡°But a woman named Vivani is waiting in Gary¡¯s office. She said to tell Gary that something urgent has come up.¡± Gary frowned. ¡°Vivani¡­Excuse me General, but this cannot be ignored.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± General Shaw half sighed half grunted. ¡°But I want a full update on the Younglings by the end of the weekend.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Gary bobbed. He quickly strode past the young assistant and took the shortest possible rout back to his office three buildings away. As he entered his office, a middle-aged woman with pale skin and dull red hair rose to greet him. She had the look of one who had born at least one child, if not more. Yet, her years didn¡¯t seem to weight her down. They only added to the motherly appearance. ¡°Vivani.¡± Gary smiled and took the woman¡¯s hands in his and gave them a gentle shake. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Vivani paused, concern written across her face. ¡°I¡¯m worried about my neighbor.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Gary asked kindly. ¡°I seem to recall you have many neighbors since you live in the circle district.¡± ¡°Th-the Wareks. They are such poor dears. To think that they¡ª¡± Vivani¡¯s face melted into pity. ¡°Sit down and tell me what is bothering you.¡± Gary cut her off quickly, motioning to the chair Vivani had risen from. ¡°Ah, yeh, yeh¡­But the Warek¡¯s are such poor, gentle dears.¡± Vivani continued as she sat down again. Gary walked around the desk and sat in his own chair. ¡°Dara had two daughters before she died. The older one, Katlyn, is now eighteen. The younger one, Marty, is turning twelve this year¡­It broke my heart that they lost their mother sis years ago¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, it was a pity. What about them?¡± Gary asked over Vivani. ¡°Ah¡­Well, last week, Katlyn called me in a panic. She said that her sister and father went camping in the Edenyon Mountains and were supposed to have checked with the Park Authorities every day, but they missed a day.¡± ¡°Not checking in once isn¡¯t uncommon.¡± Gary shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s what I said, but Katlyn said that she called the Park Authorities every day for a week, but still not a word from them.¡± ¡°Perhaps they are in an area where the HOL doesn¡¯t work.¡± Gary frowned slightly. ¡°Th-that¡¯s what I said as well, but Katlyn, she¡­¡± Vivani trailed off, her face going white. ¡°She?¡± Gary prompted. ¡°She¡¯s gone to Edenyon to look for them herself. By herself¡­¡± Vivani got even more pale, which was quite a feat considering her already fare complexion. ¡°What if something happens to her? Gary, I¡¯m worried that she will get into trouble. Can you help her?¡± ¡°This is Qui, my dear.¡± Gary said kindly. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly fine for a young woman to go off on her own.¡± ¡°Yeh, but this is the Edenyon Mountains, Gary, not some city.¡± Vivani¡¯s eyes were wide and earnest. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand¡­¡± Gary¡¯s eyebrows twitched downward. ¡°The Edenyon Mountains are¡­¡± Vivani paused. ¡°The Edenyon Mountains are from the Ancient world. Who knows what are in those mountains¡­what evils.¡± Vivani shuddered. ¡°They are just mountains, my dear.¡± Gary said calmly. ¡°They aren¡¯t just mountains.¡± Vivani looked straight at Gary unblinkingly. Her pale grey eyes steady and as hard as the best Gavi Quintar metal. ¡°They are the home of the Beast of Edenyon.¡± Gary smiled like a father smiling at a scared child. ¡°That¡¯s just a local folktale. There is nothing to be scared of.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°But I will send my two boys to Edenyon to find Katlyn, if that will ease your mind.¡± Gary continued over Vivani.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The woman pursed her lips and nodded. ¡°Thank you. I knew I could count on you¡­it¡¯s just¡­well ever since my own girl¡­¡± She trailed off. ¡°I know.¡± Gary came around the desk and took Vivani¡¯s hand again. ¡°Those two girls remind you of your own¡­I know.¡± He patted the hand. ¡°She would have been Katlyn¡¯s age by now.¡± Vivani looked up at Gary with eyes that seemed to be looking at the past, not the present. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My boys will find Katlyn.¡± Gary repeated. ¡°Now let¡¯s get you home.¡± Gary pushed a button on his desk. ¡°Sir?¡± A woman¡¯s voice filled the room. ¡°Larka, please call Mrs. Zorwik a BubbleME.¡± Gary said. ¡°Right away sir.¡± The woman replied. ¡°C¡¯mmon.¡± Gary helped Mrs. Zorwik to her feet and walked her to the door. ¡°The BubbleME will be there by the time you reach the ground floor.¡± ¡°Th-thank you.¡± Mrs. Zorkik said. Her face showing her years in weary lines that tugged on the corner of her eyes. ¡°My pleasure. Besides, I made a promise to help out the Warek¡¯s at their mother¡¯s funeral. I hate to break that promise now.¡± Mrs. Zorwik just smiled, squeezed Gary¡¯s arm, then turned and left. Gary waited until the woman entered the elevator before closing the door and striding quickly back to his desk. ¡°Falcon, Arko and Janarha please come to my office.¡± Gary spoke into his HOL as he sat behind his desk once again. ¡°Beast of Edenyon¡­¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°To believe in such a thing in this age is completely ridiculous.¡± Gary tapped his desk and a holographic interface appeared. He began tapping various items, and several folders and documents appeared. NATHAN SHAX was written across the top on the foremost document. Gary took this document and enlarged it before he began to read the text. He didn¡¯t get far before a light knock sounded on the door. ¡°Enter.¡± Gary commanded. ¡°Sir?¡± A woman peaked her head into the room. On her nose sat elegantly framed glasses. ¡°Come in, come in.¡± Gary motioned. The woman entered the room. She was tall and thin¡ªher legs seemed no bigger than umbrella rods¡ªand she was carrying what seemed to be a notebook. Her black hair was tied back in a tight bun that pulled her dark complexioned face into a grim line. Her impeccably white coat flowed behind her as she walked quickly to the open chair and sat in it with a laughable determination to complete the task given. ¡°You called, sir?¡± Janarha¡¯s voice had a thick Mara¡¯an accent. ¡°Yes. There are a few things I need you for a few things¡­but I¡¯m glad to see you are you are putting the new HOLPad to good use.¡± Gary remarked dryly. ¡°¡­Did you bring me up here, away from my work, to see if I was using the new tech you ordered?¡± Janarha asked, her mouth puckering in distatste. Before Gary could reply, another knock sounded. ¡°Would you get that, Janarha?¡± Janarha frowned, but did as she was asked. However, just as she reached for the door, it suddenly swung open to reveal Arko about to step over the threshold. She glared at the him as she skipped backwards to avoid her toes from being trampled by Arko¡¯s boot as it crossed the threshold. ¡°Janarha.¡± Arko smirked as he walked past her. ¡°How many lemons did you have to eat today to get your face like that?¡± ¡°Why are they here?¡± Janarha whirled around to Gary, her cheeks tinged pink. ¡°Sit down, all of you.¡± Gary commanded ignoring her question. Arko smirked again and flopped into an unoccupied chair. His legs sprawled out before him and his arm flopped over the back of the chair. Falcon followed quietly behind, allowing Janarha to go before him. ¡°I need all three of you here for several reasons, so do try to get along today.¡± Gary raised an amused eye at the scene before him. ¡°Janarha, ¡°I want you to pull up all information we have on the Warek family.¡± ¡°Warek?...Are they currently in the program?¡± Janarha asked as she tapped on the notebook device. ¡°No. It should be under associate family for Dara Warek.¡± Janarha¡¯s hand paused and hovered over the device. ¡°Dara Warek¡­Doctor Dara Warek?¡± She looked at Gary over the rims of her glasses. ¡°Yes.¡± Gary nodded and turned to the two men. ¡°I just had a rather interesting visit with her neighbor. Apparently the youngest daughter and father have disappeared in the Edenyon Mountains on the Yamara side.¡± ¡°So?¡± Arko asked. ¡°Does anyone ever go missing in Qui, Arko?¡± ¡°No sir.¡± Arko said definitively. ¡°Really?¡± Gary raised an eyebrow disdainfully. ¡°Not unless someone wants them to disappear.¡± Falcon mused. ¡°Exactly.¡± Gary narrowed his eyes. ¡°So the question becomes, who would want the Warek family to disappear, and why. So, Janarha, you will be in charge of gathering the information. Arko and Falcon, you two will travel to Edenyon to do some looking around.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t¡­¡± Janarha trailed off as all three men turned their attention on her. ¡°Isn¡¯t what?¡± Gary asked. ¡°There was a man in the program that said something about the Underground working close to Edenyon.¡± Janarha said slowly. Gary raised an eyebrow. ¡°And why wasn¡¯t I told of this immediately?¡± ¡°It-it didn¡¯t cross my mind.¡± Janarha said grudgingly, ignoring Arko who wasn¡¯t trying too hard to hide his smirk. ¡°It didn¡¯t cross your mind.¡± Gary said slowly, feeling every word in his mouth. His quiet anger rolling off him in waves. ¡°Well, I¡¯m so glad it has finally made it into your mind.¡± Janarha¡¯s cheeks flushed again. ¡°I¡¯ll get you the report.¡± She quickly turned to the device in her arms and tapped it in frenetic successions. ¡°Oh really? How thoughtful.¡± The scorn dripped from Gary¡¯s words like honey. ¡°Why would the Warek family, a respected and generously compensated family, want to join a rebel group?¡± Falcon interrupted. Gary¡¯s head snapped to look at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know, and that annoys me.¡± Gary snarled. ¡°Janarha, after you are done gathering the report on the Underground in the Edenyon area, get a team together to go through all the files we have on Dara Warek and the Warek family. I want to know what we missed.¡± ¡°Right away sir.¡± Janarha made a few quick taps on her device. ¡°Team has been assembled. We should have a report for you by the end of tomorrow at the latest.¡± ¡°I want it by this afternoon, by the time the boys leave for Edenyon.¡± Gary commanded. Janarha opened her mouth to protest, but she quickly shut her mouth when Gary narrowed his eyes even further. ¡°O-of course, sir.¡± She murmured. ¡°Good.¡± Gary relaxed his face into one more agreeable and leaned back against his chair. ¡°Now tell me about the status of the Youngling.¡± ¡°We ran a test this morning in the Akademy workout room. We used five microliters of serum on the subject. The results were favorable sir.¡± Janarha pushed her glasses up her nose with a short thrust. ¡°Bring up the report.¡± Gary commanded. ¡°Right away sir.¡± Janarha tapped on the object in her arms. ¡°Here we are.¡± She placed the device on Gary¡¯s desk and a single holographic document appeared. ¡°Hmmm. You tested the new serum on the youngling correct?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± Janarha gave one curt nod. ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I believe he is a very promising candidate for the program.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Gary quizzed. ¡°With five microliters, we were able to escalate normal aggressive behavior, or the short bursts of annoyance we all experience into pathological aggressive behavior, where the subject actively sought to hurt the victim target.¡± Janarha said without hesitation. ¡°The Subject was also more open to suggestion during the first seven minutes of administration. We also saw an increase in the levels of several neurotransmitters, or the signaling molecules of the nervous system, that have been known to increase aggressive behaviors. These levels stayed above baseline for almost twenty-four hours.¡± ¡°What about now?¡± Gary asked. ¡°We do not have any data since the nanobugs were programed to be degraded naturally by the body within twenty-four hours after administration.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Gary thought for a moment. ¡°What are the next steps moving forward?¡± ¡°Before we can proceed any further, we need to test his ability to perform on instinct to establish a baseline for his normal tendencies.¡± ¡°He¡¯s from Sports I.¡± Gary said dismissively. ¡°That should be enough.¡± ¡°While it is true that most of the instinct sports are grouped in that category, there has been research that shows that one out of every 545 players in Sports I that aren¡¯t suited for that Duty.¡± ¡°And that means¡­?¡± Arko asked bored. ¡°That means there is a very small chance that the subject may fail our instinct test. And since there is that small possibility, we need to perform the test before continuing further.¡± Janarha stared only at Gary, refusing to turn her head to acknowledge Arko. Gary sat back in his chair. His eyes narrowed slightly in thought. Finally, he nodded. ¡°Your judgement doctor, so prepare the test if you feel it is necessary. You will go with Arko and Falcon to administer the test.¡± Janarha stiffened. A move that was not lost on Gary. He gave a toothy smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed, Janarha. They¡¯re no threat to you.¡± ¡°You will make them look after my project as well, aren¡¯t you?¡± This time it was Janarha¡¯s turn to narrow her eyes. ¡°May I remind you that the last time that happened, we almost had to scrap the entire thing because Arko got in the way?¡± ¡°Hey¡ª¡± Arko protested. ¡°That won¡¯t happen again.¡± Gary¡¯s face lost what little congeniality it had in an instant. ¡°Both of them know the consequences of interfering again. ¡°¡ªthat wasn¡¯t my fault. I didn¡¯t interfere!¡± ¡°I refuse to go if Arko is there.¡± Janarha declared. ¡°Ah, c¡¯mon Janarha, you¡¯d love for me to go. Admit it.¡± Arko teased. ¡°I refuse to go if Arko is there.¡± Janarha spat through clenched teeth. ¡°He has no regard for science, he steal¡¯s my equipment, he¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Gary snarled. ¡°You¡¯re both going and that¡¯s final. Understood?¡± Janarha shot Arko one last dirty look before grudgingly nodding. ¡°Good. Janarha you are dismissed.¡± Gary gave a perfunctory wave. Janarha puckered her lips, but rose and gave a small bow. Then she left with a swirl of her white coat Once the door had closed again, Gary bent over slightly to open his desk drawer and took out a HOLPad. ¡°Here, Falcon. I want you to take point on this project as well while you are in Edenyon.¡± Falcon took the device and flipped superficially through the contents. ¡°Tash Miraa¡¯av¡­the Hanra Mistress Younging?¡± A tinge of surprise colored Falcon¡¯s voice when he read the name. ¡°And the boy too, Garett Dovik.¡± Gary nodded. ¡°He is the future of this country, even if the General can¡¯t see that just yet.¡± Gary gave a dissatisfied click of his tongue. ¡°I want a favorable answer to my proposal. Understood?¡± ¡°What proposal would that be?¡± Falcon asked. ¡°I want him to become the next General of Gavi Quintar once General Shaw becomes President. The details are in the file¡± Falcon just nodded as he continued to flip through the folder. ¡°Who have you put in charge of observing Nathan Shaw?¡± Gary continued. ¡°I¡ª¡± ¡°Do I really have to go?¡± Arko cut in, his whole demeanor had changed since Janarha had exited the room. He now sat straight in his chair and he¡¯s face had turned into a scowl. ¡°Yes.¡± Gary stated matter-o-factly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I didn¡¯t go?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like her and she doesn¡¯t like me¡­although I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯m the epitome of the perfect man.¡± Both Falcon and Gary snorted at the same time. Arko rolled his eyes. ¡°Why do I have to go if¡ª¡± ¡°Arko.¡± Gary¡¯s glared at the younger man. His blue eyes giving a fair warning to any objections that may come. ¡°You will be going. That is final. Understood?¡± ¡°Yeh, fine. Whatever.¡± Arko muttered. ¡°Not ¡°Yeh.¡± It¡¯s Yes. Say it correctly.¡± Gary commanded. ¡°¡­Yehsss.¡± Arko said. Gary¡¯s eyes narrowed into two slits. ¡°Don¡¯t give me your lip boy. ¡®Yes¡¯ what?¡± Arko glared at Gary. ¡°Yes what?¡± Gary asked again. His voice as cold as the winter wind. ¡°¡­Yes, father.¡± Arko snarked grudgingly. Gary let out a snarling chuckle. ¡°Goo¡ª¡± ¡°But why do I have to go?¡± Arko pressed. ¡°Falcon can¡ª¡± Gary slapped the desk, cutting Arko off, and his eyes narrowed to slits. ¡°Either you go with them, or I will put you in charge of following Nathan Shaw for the next six months. You will eat, sleep, and crap that Youngling, if you do not go. Now, which one do you want?¡± Arko pushed his lips together into a thin white line as he considered the two options. ¡°I¡¯ll take the Youngling.¡± He said with a decisive nod. Gary just stared at Arko for a moment. ¡°Fine. Get the file from Falcon. Now leave me, both of you. There is a lot to prepare if Shaw is going to become the next President.¡± He started tapping his desk and pulling up various files. ¡°Yes, father.¡± Falcon murmured as he stood. He shot Arko a look when he didn¡¯t move. Arko just gave one, almost unperceivable nod before he also stood and followed Falcon. ¡°And boys.¡± Gary called out just as Falcon reached for the door. The two men half turned to find Gary¡¯s blue eyes as bright as the ocean¡¯s sun as if some fever had taken over them. ¡°Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± They both said this time as each gave a small bow. Then they turned and walked into the empty hallway as Gary¡¯s ever watchful eyes followed them until the door quietly clicked shut.