by Dani Hoots
He scratched his chin, as if thinking what he should do with me. He captured me, though, did he not know what to do with me or was he just playing? “What would Jack say about your feelings for this man?”
My heart jumped at the name. “Is he with you?”
Smiling, Neil sat back down in the chair. I should have not been so fast to respond, I knew, but I had been wondering about his whereabouts for quite some time. I wanted to know if he was alright.
“That is the exact response I thought you would give me,” Neil said. “You love him, don’t you?”
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Even if I could block my thoughts out about Jack, there was no way he would believe them. He knew my true feelings this entire time, he knew how much I cared about him before being separated from me. I couldn’t lie so I nodded slowly. “I… I do.”
“Exactly what I was afraid of.” He let out a sigh, as if this wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. I was just supposed to be his completely obedient servant, not with any emotions or strings attached. I messed that up by falling in love with the man I was supposed to kill all those years ago. Though if he really thought it to be a problem, he should have had me kill him before those emotions started to develop to this point. Unless he was afraid I would run if I did that, and then his plan to use me to find Sanshli would be destroyed. But that was now over with, so what exactly would he make me do?
“When we were transported into the past, he ended up with us,” he explained. “On the Imperial side of the war.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Did I finally find him, after all this time? Could I finally know that he was okay, that he had survived traveling through time?
“So he is here?” I asked. I probably shouldn’t have showed so much excitement, not when I was trying to prove my loyalty to him and him alone. This showed that there was someone else I cared for, someone else that could get in the way of that loyalty.
“Yes, but Myra, might I add, if you want to serve me once again, you are not allowed to love him. You are not allowed to show him any kind of emotion. And more importantly, you aren’t allowed to tell him why. He will try to talk you out of it, he will try to take you away. If I catch a hint of something going on, which I can because I can read both of your minds, fortunately, I will dispose of him and you will be made to suffer the consequences.”
I watched Neil’s leery eyes. They were serious, there was going to be no wiggle room with this. If I screwed up, Jack was a goner. There would be no way I would get Neil to trust me again, and my heart would be shattered. Not to mention everything I needed to get us back to the future would be ruined. I needed everyone there and I didn’t know what would happen if someone died. I didn’t let Neil see that in my mind though. So I would go along with his stupid game. I would appease him to finally be free.
I nodded, reluctantly. “I understand.”
He grinned, as if he had waited so long to hear me say that. “Good. He has been asking about you, knowing that we were going to capture you. He really wants to see you again…”
“As I said, I will not show him any emotion. I will tell him… that I don’t care for him anymore, not after everything that has happened. Not after how he betrayed me.”
It would hurt, I knew, but it had to be done, at least until everything was sorted out and I took down Nygard and the Empire. Then I could tell him the truth, then I could be with him. I just had to wait a bit, but knowing he was alive and having him close by, I knew would be enough. At least that is what I hoped would prove satisfactory. But emotions of the heart are a fickle thing.
“Fine then.” He stepped towards me, so that his legs were just inches from my feet. I looked up at him, still bowing down. My leg throbbed with pain still but it was beginning to dull. “I will let you serve me again. Under supervision of course.”
“Oh, goodie, I get to be watched night and day again,” I commented. All I needed was to be supervised constantly again. It made me feel like a child, though even as a child I had more freedom than my brother gave or Neil would be giving me.
“There’s my girl, attitude and all. I was beginning to wonder.”
“You know me, I never change.”
“Well, that isn’t entirely true, but that’s neither here nor there. All that matters now is that you keep up your training and serve me and me alone. Do you understand that?”
I nodded. “Yes sir.”
“Good, then you should get to it.” He started to leave the room. I knew he still didn’t trust me, that this was a test and he was keeping an eye on my thoughts every moment he could. I couldn’t slip up, but there was one thing I had to know.
“So you have known all along?” I asked as I stood up. I really wanted to know, whether or not he had been reading my mind every second in the past, or if it was just certain times that where he focused and gleaned what he needed… If he had been reading my mind at any point, then he would have known about Father, my past, and everything Jack and I had done together, not to mention all the trouble I had gotten into on each planet, although that was all done under his orders.
He stopped and turned back to me. “That my girl has been going behind my back and shacking up with a crime-lord? Yes, I have. It took everything for me not to kill him, but I couldn’t because I had no proof. You hide your tracks well.”
“That’s because you trained me, sir.”
He stepped up to me and slapped me across the face. “I trained you never to hide anything and to never go behind my back, is that clear?” His voice was harsh, dark, and I didn’t want to imagine what he would do to me if I ever betrayed him again.
I nodded slowly. “Yes, sir.”
“Now, it will be a while before we reach Anosira. Go start training with Dan. He will be your trainer from here on out.”
“Of course,” I said. He turned and walked out of the room. I took a deep breath, letting the pain escape my chest. It would take a while to get used to shrugging Jack off, as he was persistent, which was how I got in this mess the first time. I didn’t want either of us to get hurt, though it was better than getting killed, as I had seen the anger in Neil’s eyes. No, I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Jack and I could explain everything after this journey was over.
CHAPTER 7
As ordered, I hurried into the training room to find this ‘Dan’ that Neil had ordered me to work with. I wondered what could be so special about him to have Neil want him to train me. I had been training on my own for so long, I didn’t understand what else I could be taught. Curiosity piqued my interest, curiosity of what kind of person could be stronger and better at fighting than me.
The training room was empty, as usual. Soldiers and guards seemed to get lazy on ships, or they just liked staying away from me. Usually it was the latter, especially on a Representative’s ship. Aboard those ships, people seemed to fear me all the more. I never quite understood why, if I wanted to hurt or kill them, I wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of traveling with them. It would be unnecessary.
However, these men didn’t’t know that about me, and how could they? They weren’t used to me, they didn’t fear what I could do to them. Hadn’t seen what I could do to a person in a single second. Not yet, anyway.
My leg was already feeling better, that was one great thing about being an Illusionist. I didn’t have to worry so much about my injuries, as they quickly healed themselves. I was still covered in blood but I didn’t really care. I could just clean up after training.
Starting my normal routine, I stretched for a bit and then slammed my fist again and again into the bag of sand that hung from the ceiling. I had no idea where Dan was or what he even looked like, so I decided to take the opportunity of being alone and use it to my advantage. It had been a while since I could do this alone and it felt good to get my frustrations out. Usually Lance was with me, talking my ear off as I tried to concentrate. He was the only one who wasn’t afraid to annoy me all this time, though I h
ad been close to punching him in the mouth many times, hoping that would stop him from talking. I never did though, I was too nice when it came to him.
I kicked the bag again. Why I kept thinking about Lance, I wasn’t quite sure. Did I really care for him like Neil thought I did? Or was it just that I wasn’t used to someone wanting to spend time with me, other than Jack of course. Did I see him as a replacement for Jack and that was all? And when I found Jack, would I just toss Lance out like he was just trash? No, even though many thought I was heartless, I wasn’t that bad. I had promised Neil that if need be, I would kill Lance for him. That was a lie conjured up for Neil to see as truth when reading my thoughts. I just hoped it wouldn’t come to the point where I needed to choose.
How many lives of those I loved would I watch be destroyed before this was all said and done?
The Empire had taken everything from me. Father. My childhood. Happiness. Loyalty. Sanity. Now my love. Neil had taken Jack away from me and with that he had everything at this point. I was just a puppet, one that was made only to serve him. I knew it would happen, eventually, when he figured it out. At least he isn’t dead, I told myself, at least I could still see him on a regular basis. At least I didn’t have to kill him myself.
I jumped up and round-house kicked the bag. It felt good to have some peace and quiet, to be away from David, from my brother, and all of the Republic. Yes, I was still under close watch, but I felt a little freer here, like I belonged, even though I had everything taken away from me by this Empire, both past and future.
Maybe that was why I felt free. I had nothing.
I shook off these thoughts. I didn’t like where I was, honestly never did. It was either that or death. Neil had taken me from the Kamps and I was thankful for that. I was thankful that I didn’t die that day when I tried to kill him. I punched the bag again. It was all messed up, I didn’t know what to think anymore. I just knew I needed to take Nygard down so we could return to the future. So we could all live our lives peacefully at last. That was probably not entirely achievable.
“You need better form,” I heard a voice say behind me. I whipped around, curious as to who was standing behind me. I didn’t hear anyone come in. Was that because he was very good at sneaking around or because I had been so focused on punching the bag? Either way I should have been more alert and if Neil was around, I would have been reprimanded.
“Hi,” he said. The man was taller with reddish-blonde hair. His eyes were a bright blue as they glistened with his smile. He wore a black shirt with baggy pants to match. I felt as if I had seen him before, but no idea as to where.
“Hi,” I repeated, confused as to why such a simpleton would ever comment on my form.
He looked me up and down, as if the sight of all the blood confused him but he didn’t say a word. He stretched out his hand. “I’m Dan. Joss sent me to keep an eye on you.”
“Joss? Oh right,” I said, ignoring the gesture of the handshake. Joss was Neil’s new name, or old name I guess. Stupid time travel things confusing my poor little brain. Either way it was his name now and I needed to get used to that. “He sent you?”
He took his hand back. “Yeah, and by the looks of it I can see why. I will help you train.”
I turned back to the bag. “I don’t need any help.”
Dan laughed. “Yes, you do, your form is all wrong.”
I turned back to him, a little pissed, wondering if Joss simply sent him because he wanted to make me angry. He liked doing that sometimes. “Excuse me? I have been doing this for years. I’m trained in ways that would baffle your mind.”
“Really?” He examined me for another second. He seemed confused and I wanted to smack that look right off his face. “Doesn’t show.”
I took a deep breath, trying not to let my anger get the better of me. I didn’t need this pip-squeak telling me in what ways I was weak. He may have been older than me by a good number of years, but that didn’t mean he knew more than me. That didn’t mean he had lived through the things I had lived through. “I’m not a person you want to irritate, I don’t want to get in trouble with Joss for beating you into a pulp on the first day, though I’m sure he wouldn’t be surprised.”
The threat didn’t seem to make him waver. “Try me.”
“Excuse me?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. No one wanted to duel with me, except Lance sometimes, but he was an exception. And I was always easy on him. Really easy.
He raised his hands up, his palms opened instead of closed into fists. Not many people used that as their defense, so I had to give him some credit. He definitely had some background in fighting.
“Try to beat me. That’s an order as your trainer.”
I shook my head. This man was a lunatic, thinking that he could beat me. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Yes.”
He threw a punch but I blocked. I tried to punch back but he blocked it. He was surprisingly strong for his physique. He kept a smile the entire time he blocked all my punches.
“Come on, Myra, I thought you said I was no match for you. Prove to me you are as strong as you say you are.”
Trying to keep calm and not let my anger get the better of me, as anger always clouded my judgement, I tried to sweep underneath his legs but he was ready for that. He countered my attack, leaving me to fall to the ground. I stared up at him. I couldn’t believe it. No one had ever made me fall before, not unless I dragged them down with me, which is usually how Tom and I ended up. I swore he always did that on purpose and liked it when I pulled him down with me. Damn he was such an ass.
Walking over to me, Dan let out his arm to help me up. I reluctantly grabbed it and let him help me up. At least he was a gentleman about it, at least he didn’t rub it in my face that I had lost after boasting about how powerful I was. Instead, he simply had that soft smile on his face.
“Again,” he said.
To say I was frustrated was an understatement. No one had defeated me in all these years, and I didn’t want to admit defeat. Instead I raised my hands, ready to fight again. I wouldn’t let him get the better of me again, I would not let him knock me down. I had been taken by surprise the first time, it wouldn’t happen again.
That was a lie, it hadn’t been surprise that was on his side. He was truly better than me and he wanted to prove it. So he indeed knocked me down again and again. I honestly wanted to kill him, yet was intrigued that he could take me down so easily. He knew fighting skills that I had never seen before, and I had been trained by fighters all throughout the universe. It must have been some lost art that had disappeared with the collapse of the Republic. I knew near the end of this that I had to have him train me.
The worse part of it all was the fact the smile on his face never left. He thought this was fun, he enjoyed fighting. It wasn’t a smile due to proving me wrong, but more of a comforting smile, one trying to show me what I could be capable of if I let him teach me. And after hitting the ground for the fifth time, I knew I had to let him teach me.
He said his name was Dan. I didn’t remember a man named Dan in the history books. He must have been insignificant, just a soldier of some sorts. His face did seem similar, like someone I had met before and killed, so many people in my lifetime that he could easily just have looked like someone else. I had noticed that through the years, that so many people had a lot of similar qualities. It was interesting, to say the least. But the way he acted, the way he fought, there was no way I had ever met him before, I would have remembered.
Because that would have meant I failed at defeating him, and I never failed at defeating anyone, including Thomas, although Thomas would disagree. Well, that wasn’t completely true. Jack had beaten me a couple of times, but not very fairly. But then again, the times I did beat Jack, I wasn’t being very fair either.
The first time I met Jack, he won against me. It was my first real mission and although I had failed in my orders to kill Jack, Neil decided it would be best to write up a treaty
with him. This was half due to realizing that Jack would make a formidable ally, and half due to Jack threatening to kill me if he didn’t comply. I doubt Jack would have actually killed me—he had taken great interest in me. Since then, when the two of us dueled, we were usually an equal match.
But this man named Dan was far from a fair match.
I wondered if it was this body I now possessed, as it wasn’t the one I had when I served the Empire, or having been training with the Republic for a year that I had lost my strength and resolve, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I could beat anyone I faced while training there, even Alan. Although I didn’t know if Alan was really that good or if his anger for me made it easier for me to win. He couldn’t stand it when I defeated him, so I was able to focus better and win the match. So if it wasn’t me, that just meant this guy was just really good.
Dan slammed me down on the ground again, my back glad that I had something padded to land on. I let out a sharp laugh. Yes, I was frustrated at first, but now I just couldn’t believe I had lost so many times in a row. After so many years of training, so many years of winning, I had finally found my match. It was remarkable. And luckily I knew he would train me so that someday I would be able to defeat him, and I would be the very best.
“No one has ever beat me,” I said as he pulled me back up. He didn’t even look as if he had broken a sweat. Whatever his training style was, I was ready to learn.
“Well apparently, no one knows how to fight,” he mumbled more to himself than to me. He seemed a little disappointed that I had lost, which I wasn’t sure why that was the case. Usually when I won, I was more content than worried about the person I was fighting. He must have really wanted me to be better, probably so he wouldn’t have to train me as much as he feared he now had to do. “We should probably call it a day. Shall I show you to your quarters so you can wash up?”