Jefora caught on and screamed, “It’s a distraction!”
Craw stayed on defense. With the twins going after Cassiella, Tras pinched and created a line of white aura that close lined simultaneously. I concentrated on helping Cassiella. While distracted, the blue Hymer struck me in the ribs and cracked them. I hooked him back hard in the jaw. While we fought, Craw defended the flag. He acted as a moving red shield with his distance-based aura. The giant red shield helped Cassiella capture the blue flag by stopping others from invading our territory. When she placed the blue flag in the hole that held our red flag, the buzzer went off, and our team won. The red light turned green. The Hymer was still trying to attack me, even though the match was over. The buzzer went off again. I was still dodging punches. Eventually, the Leader’s voice barked out over the speaker.
“The match is over Subject Shrak. Any further misconduct will result in squad Jefora going to the room and being stripped of their rank.”
The blue Hymer obeyed the Leader’s command, even though he continued to eye me malevolently. I went back to my squad smiling, still clutching my side.
“You alright, kitty cat?” said Cassiella with pride.
“You’re pretty mean for an angel; you know that?”
I could tell she was happy we won, and that was her way of apologizing. We waited for the other squads to finish up so we could start our next match. The walls lowered into the floor, and we faced our next opponents, three Humans and a Cyclops. This area had fake trees and grass, and two large heaps of boulders. The flags were placed high up on these rock piles and could only be reached by climbing. I followed my squad, and we faced off against our opponents.
We quickly discovered that both teams were using the same strategy. It didn’t matter. Tras used his white aura to knock out two of the Humans who had recklessly attempted to overwhelm him. Watching Tras dispose of the Human Abundans was like watching someone swat away flies. From that point on, our victory was a foregone conclusion, and taking the flag was too easy for Cassiella.
The final arena had snow and water and was considerably colder than the other arenas. It contained a small manmade river that flowed from one end to the other, and the flags had been placed at the bottoms of deep pools at either end. Unfortunately, we quickly lost our flag to a Tranvesus on the other team, who was able to breathe underwater because of his gills. Tras felt stupid for not taking the offensive.
After our loss, we waited until the other teams to complete their matches. We moved on to our next game, which took place in the first arena. The last team we faced was not Jefora’s squad, and they were the weakest group we encountered all day. We knocked all of them out in a matter of 30 seconds.
We were the first team to notch three wins. We were all so happy to get the rest of Friday off. We celebrated with a cafeteria feast, where I drank milk and ate meat until my belly could hold no more. I practically inhaled the food. When I looked up, Cassiella was staring at me while she ate her salad.
“It’s not going anywhere, you know,” said Cassiella.
I paused from stuffing my mouth full of food and swallowed. I noticed they used utensils to eat meat. I never did back at home.
Cassiella continued, “Don’t you know how to use a knife and fork?”
I ignored her insults and took another bite of the delicious steak. After I was done chewing, I decided to talk. “Meat is meant to be eaten with your hands.”
“No, it’s not,” said Craw.
I leaned back in my seat, “Craw, I had to hunt to eat. I ate the meat I got directly off the skewer because using a knife and fork would take too long.”
Tras smiled at the conversation and said, “Your customs are good for fire-cooked meat, but this place is different. You have to learn to eat with a knife and fork.”
“Seriously? You too?” I asked.
After we finished our feast, a man with a suit entered the room. He was the bartender who drugged me, “What do you want as your reward for winning?” he asked, holding a pen and clipboard.
Tras asked for a basketball, Craw asked for a tennis ball, and Cassiella asked for a soccer ball.
“And what about you, Salan?” asked the bartender.
‘There’s plenty of time to train,’ I thought. ‘So why do I need sporting gear?’
“Um, how about a book?” I asked.
We waited for the bartender’s response.
“You can’t get that. It has to be a sports item.”
I paused for a moment, being indecisive.
“Look, I have orders from the Leader to do this; ask for something,” said the bartender.
“I’ll take a tennis ball too,” I mumbled.
“That I can do. Also, your sheets and mattress have been,” he added.
He wrote something down on a notepad and walked away. The others stared at me with worried faces when the bartender left.
“What can you do? A tennis ball is better than nothing,” I said, trying to change the subject.
They all knew I was still suffering from the death of my mother. It’s easy for a friend to show sympathy. It’s harder to ignore the elephant in the room during social occasions.
“Cassiella I’ve been in the facility for a while, what day is it today?” I asked.
“Today is the 20th of October. Hey! That reminds me. When is your birthday, Salan?”
“January 25th. Why do you ask?”
“To throw you a birthday party of course,” said Tras.
“I’ve heard of those. You have cake, right?” I asked.
The others seemed concerned again.
Craw raised an eyebrow, “Have you never had a birthday party before?”
“My mother would let me take the day off from school and have fun in the forest, but that’s about it. Once we scraped enough money for a small pie when I was four. I can’t remember how it tasted.”
“That’s no birthday party. We’ll throw you one ourselves,” said Tras as he stood up.
“What are you going to do?”
“You’ll see,” he replied with a grin. He walked over to the chef. My sensitive ears were able to hear him ask the chef to bake a chocolate cake.
“Why a cake if my birthday is January 25th,” I said.
“Doesn’t seem like you’ve celebrated it properly, so we might as well make up for that,” said Craw.
I can’t remember the last time I tried chocolate. I usually had whatever I could find in the forest. Poor people didn’t have the opportunity to choose their dinners.
“Does chocolate cake taste good?” I asked.
They all stared at me like I had two heads.
“What?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t had chocolate before,” said Cassiella.
“I haven’t…”
We talked for quite a long time before the cake came out. When it did, we walked back to my room with it. Tras scanned the door open.
“Wait…so you have access to my room too?” I asked.
“Yes; everyone has access to a squad mates room.”
We all entered and sat down on the bed. We cut the small chocolate cake into slices and handed them out. I ate my piece and found that it tasted amazing. I practically inhaled the cake, and there was some chocolate on my face.
“I swear you're more of a pig than a cat,” said Cassiella.
I wiped my face, “Can you stop nagging me?”
Tras laughed, “I think you hit a nerve, Cassiella.”
“I know how to embarrass you, so don’t start talking back,” said Cassiella.
I smirked, “You seemed pretty embarrassed yourself when Tras called us lovebirds.”
Cassiella folded her arms, “Who wouldn’t be! Just look at you,”
“What are you guys talking about? Are these two together?” asked Craw obliviously.
“No, we’re not,” Cassiella and I replied in unison.
The day went by fast and the night was filled with laughter. I showed them the flute and pl
ayed some of my mother’s melodies. When 9 pm rolled around, it was time for lockdown, and everyone was ordered back to their rooms. Cassiella was the last to leave.
Without turning around, she said, “Salan, if you ever want to talk to me about what happened to you…”
This threw me off guard, and I didn’t know how to respond.
“I’m more concerned about what is going on in Faslow? What does the Leader want?” I asked.
Cassiella seemed to understand my position. “There have been lots riots in Faslow since your mother’s hanging. I don’t know if they’ve stopped. I told you already that the Leader wants soldiers.”
She used her arm scanner and left, so I had no chance of responding.
Weeks went by very quickly with this group of friends. Our competition with squad Jefora was fun. The Leader looked paler each meeting, and his cough grew worse. He seemed ill. Eventually, it was the start of a new year on Monday’s practice.
We were all kneeling, waiting for the Leader. The walls slid open, and a man in a suit walked out. His face was wet with tears. Something wasn’t right. He paused, and we all ed at him with curiosity. Where was the Leader?
“I’m sorry to say this, but the Leader passed away last night in his sleep,” said the man in the suit.
10- Blackmail
“Having a heart that’s three sizes too small must be really convenient for business.”
― Naima Simone
The kids around me cried. They reacted like they lost a parent. I was sad, but I didn’t cry; my initial reaction was of pure shock. I put my head down, contemplating what would happen next.
“Please stop, kids. Let me finish this quickly,” said the man.
The crying died down, and the man continued. “The Leader's son will be taking over. Today, however, we will mourn his death. Everyone is expected to attend the funeral at 5 pm sharp. The funeral will be held here. This is fairly traumatic for us all, so the rest of today is a day off.”
He took out a handkerchief to wipe the tear from his eye.
“And remember,” his voice trembled.
We did not finish the classic morning sentence. Most of us were sobbing.
“Dismissed,” he said as he walked back into the bright white light.
I got up first and walked out of the room without saying a word. Going back to my room felt odd. The mood of the area changed. My depression made me tired, so I covered myself in blankets, and rolled into a fetal position. He had not been a good man, but he had not been a bad one either. He had, however, been a great Leader. Most people are neither heroes nor villains – people are shades of grey. Shortly after I rolled up in my blankets, I heard the door open to my place, and Cassiella walked in.
“Salan, are you under the blankets?” she asked.
Her voice sounded like she was in pain. I took a deep breath.
“Yes,” I said in a whisper.
I slowly got up out of my bed, my blankets still half covering me. I gradually lifted my head up from the covers. Cassiella hugged me immediately and fell into my arms crying. I held onto her.
“It's going to be OK, Cassiella,” I said.
“No, it’s not. He helped me so much to be stronger; he treated us differently. He disciplined us properly and had high hopes for all of us.”
Still holding her tight, I said, “He wouldn’t want you to be like this. He would want you to mourn for today, but eventually you have to start moving on. OK?”
“OK,” she sniffed.
I felt I needed to make her comfortable. A thought occurred to me. I released her, stood up and began to scrounge through the drawer for my prized possession. My mother’s flute.
“Look. Would you feel better if I played the flute? It always cheered me up when I was little. It still does,” I said.
“OK,” she muttered.
I played my mother’s melody. Cassiella sat on the bed with me. Her mood seemed to brighten a bit. I was glad to see that this was working. She smiled and awkwardly averted my gaze.
“Do you mind if I stay here?” she asked.
When I first arrived, I would have told her no, but I had come to feel compassion for Cassiella. She wasn’t as cold as I thought she was.
“Sure,” I said.
We spent a good time talking and I managed to get her to stop crying every now and then. When 4:30 rolled around, we all went to the training room for the funeral. Everyone gathered there. Including many staff members I had never seen before.
One of the strangers stood up, a bearded man with black hair and green eyes. He held a wooden cane that had a shark handle. Why was he speaking first? And who was this guy?
The unfamiliar young man then began to speak. “My father was a great man. He helped build this facility three years ago and, with his passing, I will take charge as the new Leader. I feel sorry for every Abundan here. I have big shoes to fill and I hope I do the best possible job to get results. Starting tomorrow there will be some changes in this facility. I will improve this place. From now on, call me Leader.”
He glanced over the audience and then sat down.
His speech was followed by a prolonged period for mourning. After a while, some people got up to give a eulogy, while others stayed silent. Eventually the men in suits took the coffin away through the sliding walls. Dazzling bright light briefly illuminated the training room. I waited until the clock struck 6 and we were all dismissed.
It was an oddly brief funeral. Everyone in my squad went back to my room except for Cassiella, who wanted to be alone. I talked with the rest of the squad for a few hours until Craw and Tras left. Just before 9, Cassiella showed up with a pillow in one hand, her eyes were red from crying.
“I can’t sleep. If you don’t mind, can I be next to you tonight?” she asked.
I sat up from my bed and smiled. “I don’t see why not.”
I pulled down the covers and she crawled in next to me, staring into my eyes. Without warning, she started scratching my head again. Was she trying to embarrass me?
“Hey! Cassiella! Cut it out,” I said in protest.
“Please, I like doing this.”
“Alright, but you can’t tell anyone about my purring, OK?”
Having someone scratch your head before bedtime is the most amazing feeling. It completely calms you down – or at least it calms me down.
“Hey, Cassiella?”
“Yes?”
“What do your wings feel like? Is it like a bird’s feather?”
All this time, I had never felt a Caltron’s wings. I had punched them, but never really felt them in my hands.
“That’s an odd question, but here.” She extended her wing for me to touch. It felt like a mixture of feathers and velvet. It was surprisingly warm and comforting.
“Wow! This feels soft. Your wings are beautiful.”
“I don’t think anyone has complimented my wings before. You’re a funny guy,” she smiled.
I went to sleep. I didn’t suffer from the usual nightmare that night. It felt safer with her beside me. The world felt better with her beside me.
When I woke up, I rolled over and saw Cassiella. I smiled. I checked the clock and saw it was 8 am. Tras walked into my room without warning just as I was getting my shirt on. Cassiella woke up and saw Tras standing there in the doorway.
“Oh, my bad,” said Tras.
He turned around and started walking away.
“Quit jumping to conclusions, Tras!” shouted Cassiella.
“What are you guys talking about?” I asked.
I tilted my head at Cassiella and saw that she was embarrassed. My brain took a while, but eventually I read the situation. When I turned to say something, I found that Tras had left the room.
“Wait Tras; it’s not like that!” I shouted.
Cassiella jumped out of bed, still dressed from the previous day.
“Sorry, Cassiella,” I said.
“It’s no big deal. You were helping a friend out.”
“I’ll take the first shower. You can go after me,” I said.
“I have my own you know.”
“Oh yeah; I guess you do,” I replied.
I got dressed quickly and met up with Tras and Craw. They were kneeling in the training room. Tras was staring at me with the biggest grin plastered on his face.
“Fun night?” he asked in a whisper.
“It wasn’t like that,” I hissed.
He could tell this annoyed me. I probably shouldn't have showed it, because now the joke was gonna stick, I could tell. At least it would be among our squad. Cassiella showed up soon afterwards and knelt alongside me. Tras was still grinning.
I put my mouth close to his head and whispered, “Quit making it weird, Tras!”
Then, the new Leader entered the room. He used a shark-handle cane even though he didn’t need to. He seemed happy for a son who had just lost his father. His presence was different from the previous Leader, somehow quicker and more energetic. He wore a white suit just like his father. He was a handsome man, with the same suave face as his father. The Abundans around me had solemn looks on their faces.
“Good morning, everyone. There are going to be some changes starting today. Originally the facility did the P.S.O. treatment every month. Then my father increased it to every three days. One member passed away from the experiments. My father then took the initiative to make it every week on Saturdays. This will no longer be the case. Subject Scott was too weak to handle the operation every three days. I believe that if you aren’t faint of heart, operations on a three-day cycle will only make you stronger. So, we will be increasing it to every three days starting Saturday.”
Although some of the subjects around me liked this idea, the lower class Abundans seemed to fear that what had happened to Scott would happen to them.
Untold Deception Page 14