The Institute

by Kayla Howarth

  ***

  If I thought I was in pain yesterday, it’s nothing compared to how I’m feeling this morning. It’s like I’ve been through electro-therapy again. Every muscle in my body is aching. There’s a knock at the door, but I can barely move, let alone get out of bed. It’s probably just breakfast being delivered, but then I hear Chad’s voice.

  “Come on, sleepyhead, time for class,” he yells out. I drag myself out of bed and make my way to the door. When I open it, he’s leaning with his hand against the doorframe looking as casual as ever.

  “You’re not even the tiniest bit sore from yesterday?” I ask. I’m unable to stand without my muscles screaming at me to fall over.

  He responds with a laugh. “Come on, we’ll be late.”

  “Would that be such a bad thing? It is Drew’s class after all,” I say. “I actually wouldn’t mind a shower before I head down there. You can go without me if you want, I’ll only be a few minutes behind you.”

  “What, and let you get lost? Then have to endure your boyfriend by myself? No thanks.” He lets himself into my apartment, taking a seat at the dining table. He must be able to tell by my face that I’m not impressed with what he just said. He sighs, “Sorry, ex-boyfriend. Just hurry up, will you?”

  Running the water so it’s nice and hot, I hope the heat will relax my muscles. As I’m showering, it occurs to me I didn’t bring any fresh clothes into the bathroom to change into.

  It’s amazing how quickly you get used to having a place to yourself and not having to worry about bringing clothes into the bathroom. I don’t want to get back in my old sweaty ones from yesterday, and Chad’s sitting at my dining table. Oh my God, I think I could die. I finish showering and get out, drying myself with the towel I’m now going to have to wear. Out there. In front of Chad.

  I open the door slightly. “Uh, can you turn around for a minute?” I call out to him through the small crack.

  “Why?” he asks.

  “Because, umm, I’m wearing a towel. I, uh, forgot my clothes,” I say sheepishly.

  “Oh.” He sounds a bit flustered. “Umm, sure.”

  Okay, you can do this, I tell myself. Making a run for the closet, I get halfway there when I hear another knock at the door, and Shilah makes his way into the room.

  “Shilah!” I exclaim.

  Chad looks up at Shilah, then at me, and then back at Shilah when he realises I’m naked.

  “Yeah, sure,” Shilah says with a smile. “Nothing going on, hey?” He turns and goes to walk back out of the door. “I’ll see you guys in class.”

  Damn him, he did that on purpose. He would’ve known exactly what he was going to see when he opened the door. He’s done it to make a point, or embarrass me, or both. If I had to bet, I’d say both.

  Rushing into the closet, I’m thankful it’s big enough for me to get changed in without Chad seeing, so at least I don’t have to make my way back to the bathroom naked. I get dressed quicker than I’ve ever dressed before. I’m almost too embarrassed to go back out there, but I suck it up and tell myself to be confident. Walking out with my head held high, I almost trip over my own feet. Yeah, smooth. Shaking it off, I grab a piece of toast off the plate on the dining room table. Breakfast must’ve been delivered while I was in the shower.

  “Come on, let’s go. We don’t want to be late,” I mock.

  We get to class just in time. There’s a guest speaker today, a former agent who is now paralysed because of an “incident” with a Defective person.

  I sigh. Do I really have to sit through this class every day? There are only so many ways we can be told of indiscretions of the past before it sounds redundant.

  I guess this is how brainwashing works. By the time all these young ones in here are ready to go out in the field, they’d have to believe this crap, right?

  “Longest ninety minutes of my life,” Chad whispers to me.

  I look at the clock above the chalkboard. “Yeah, and it’s only been twenty so far.” We both sigh, slumping down in our chairs.

  “So you took your brother to see Tate?”

  “Yeah, not that it did any good. Did Tate tell you?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t go well?” he asks, but I can sense Drew’s getting angry at us for talking, so I just shake my head.

  After another gruelling seventy minutes, we’re finally dismissed. Everyone except for me.

  “Allira, can I talk to you for a minute?” Drew sounds professional, like it has to do with his class, but I have a feeling it won’t be.

  “I’ll wait for you outside,” Chad says and puts his hand in the small of my back as he walks by. I’m sure that was for Drew’s benefit more than mine, especially because I can see the half-smile he’s giving out of the corner of my eye.

  Standing completely still, I wait for Drew to come to me and start talking.

  “So. How are you going?” he asks in a rather friendly tone.

  “Umm, fine.”

  “You’re settling in okay then?”

  “I guess.”

  “You know, this whole friendship thing works better if you’re friendly,” he says.

  I narrow my eyes. “I didn’t realise we were friends.”

  “I’d like to be though. I just want to make sure you’re not making the same mistake with him that you did with me. I wouldn’t trust anyone in here, Allira, only yourself.”

  I don’t know which “him” he is referring to. I assume he means Tate again.

  “So, this isn’t class-related then?” I say coldly.

  He sighs, which I take as a sign to be able to walk away. It’s bad enough I have to still see him at all. Now he wants to be friends?

  Fortunately, I don’t have time to dwell on it, I have a torturing to get to. Today, my focus will solely be on trying to get through the fitness class without throwing up.