by Cheree Alsop
The skin on the palms of his hands was scarred by burns. I had never asked him what happened; a Galdoni’s scars were his own. Yet I still wondered what he had gone through to make him and Kale so close. Whenever I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a family, they were what I pictured, Kale with Brie and Saro with Skylar, one close-knit family who protected each other’s backs. That was one family anyone would have to have a death wish to mess with.
“I need to train.”
Saro immediately shook his head. “We can’t. If anyone finds out that you’ve broken the integration rules, you’ll be out without a chance to go back.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. “I know. It’s stupid.”
He set a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not stupid. Fighting is in your blood. I know what it’s like to need to hit something so badly you feel like you’re going insane. But with this being the first year Galdoni are accepted in schools, we’re walking on eggshells. I need to ask you to be patient. Can you do that?”
I nodded. I couldn’t do anything else. Saro had watched over me since the Center was rebuilt. Our rooms were next to each other. He was the one who had given me the courage to go to school in the first place. I couldn’t let him down; at least not with him knowing it.
“I think I’ll grab some dinner,” I told him.
“I’m helping Skylar finish up dining services, then we’ll be up,” he replied, smiling down the hall at Skylar as she pushed a cart laden with trays toward us.
“See you there,” I said, trying to sound sincere.
Luckily, his attention was on his girlfriend. It was amazing to see how smitten he was with her, and it also went the other way around. Every time they saw each other, their faces lit up and Saro smiled like he never did with anyone else. He was so different with her, calmer, nicer, as if she brought out the best in him. I wondered how one person could bring out so much in another.
I slipped through the door to the balcony. The new Galdoni Center had been built south of the one that had burned. I could see the small park with the silver statues that marked the memorial to those who had died during the attack. Goliath, the biggest Galdoni at the Center and the Academy as far as I was aware, had found me in the wreckage of the sixth floor. I had been sleeping like many of the others when the world collapsed around us. If it wasn’t for the giant Galdoni, the statues would be a memorial to me as well.
I flew to the tenth floor. The new training facilities were bigger than the last had been, with more fighting rings and better equipped private training rooms. Goliath stood in one corner surveying his small kingdom with his arms crossed and his tan wings hanging loose. Nobody in their right mind would mess with the Galdoni. Occasionally, he took on three or four in a friendly bout that usually ended in sprains and bruises for everyone but him; he kept those events few and far between for all the Galdoni’s sake.
I snaked a punch at his ribs. Without looking at me, he caught my fist in his beefy hand and answered it with an open-handed slap to my chest that knocked the wind from me.
“Nice try, Reece.”
“Aren’t brawny beasts supposed to be the slow ones?” I asked.
He gave a single deep chuckle. “You’re confusing me with a human.”
I laughed. “Maybe so.”
He grinned at me, his wide smile belying his huge size and ability to crush anyone like an ant. “How’s school?”
I shook my head. “Not a good subject.”
His bushy eyebrows rose. “Girl problems?”
I grimaced. “How is it everyone knew about the girl Galdoni but me?”
He shrugged. “I make it my business to know.”
I nodded and repeated the statement he had said many times, “And nobody messes with your business.”
He laughed, a deep, rumbly sound. “You got it.”
I nodded. “Somebody’s messing with my business, Goliath. I need to train.”
He frowned and glanced toward the Galdoni training throughout the room. I had already ensured that the closest Galdoni were too busy with staff sequences to overhear us. Goliath must have figured it wasn’t worth the risk because he motioned for me to go to his office. I took a seat on the uncomfortable wooden chair he kept near the desk. He had told me once that he had picked the worst chair at the Galdoni Center for any who chose to enter his office; it made them that much more eager to leave. I shifted uncomfortably.
Goliath shut the door. “Per the rules, you’re not supposed to train.”
I gave him a dry look. “Have you ever known a Galdoni who didn’t train?”
He shook his head and took a seat behind the desk. His chair was bigger than some of the couches at the Center, and he loomed over the tiny computer that sat in one corner and was being used as a paperweight. “I thought it was crazy when they passed it, but a rule’s a rule.”
I stared at the ceiling, hoping for inspiration. “There’s also a rule that if I fight, I get expelled for life, but there’s no such rule for the students.”
I saw his curious look out of the corner of my eye. “Somebody’s trying to fight you?”
I nodded and met his gaze. “A student named Brayce and a few of his cronies. He figures if he can get me to punch him, he can get me expelled.”
“So he risks being beaten to a pulp by a Galdoni so that he can get rid of you?” Goliath shook his head incredulously. “That’s messed up.”
I sighed. “Tell me about it. That’s why I need to train. I can feel my muscle memory lagging. I need to be able to defend myself without killing him. All I want to do is knock his head off. Maybe if it hurts him enough to attack me and he has nothing to show for it, he’ll leave me alone.”
Goliath nodded. “Makes sense.”
My heart rose, then his expression became troubled. I was worried he would remember the rules.
“You’ll have to train in secret.”
I nodded, relieved. “I can do that.”
He studied me. “I’m sure you can. Meet me in training room G in five minutes.”
I thanked him and walked to the balcony. Because of the new print reading system, it would have been faster to use the stairs to go just one floor down, but I used any excuse to fly. I took an extra loop around the building just for kicks before I landed on the ninth floor. I hurried to my room and grabbed my training pants. They were loose and tied at the waist like the pants we had worn at the Academy, but these were made of cotton instead of the scratchy material we had become used to. It was one more reminder of what life had been, and the life Kale had worked to provide for us.
“Going somewhere?”
I turned at Saro’s inquisitive look. “I, uh, well,” I stammered, wondering how to explain the pants. “I ran into Goliath and he mentioned they needed more clothes on the training level because a few of the Galdoni had ripped theirs. I told him he could use mine because I wasn’t allowed to train.”
The excuse sounded pretty dumb to me, but Saro nodded. “That’s nice of you. Tell him I’ll mention the shortage to Kale and have some more ordered.”
“I will,” I replied in relief.
He turned to leave, then hesitated at the door. “I should have told you about Ava. I understand how a head’s up would have been nice.”
That brought a smile to my face. “No problem. I don’t think anything would have happened differently, but I wouldn’t have been caught staring with my mouth open like the rest of the class.”
Saro chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind next time.”
“Thanks.”
I jogged to the balcony with the white training pants held under one arm. It wouldn’t do to have anyone else question me. I jumped into the air, pushed my wings down hard, and rose to the tenth floor. The print reader beeped and I hurried inside. Goliath was already waiting near the training room door.
He put a hand on the wall, blocking my path. “Just to be clear, your educational opportunities and my employment are hanging on the fact that you can keep this train
ing a secret.”
I nodded. “Trust me; I know.”
He studied me a minute longer, than let me pass. I opened the door and was surprised to see a Galdoni with red hair and pale orange wings punching a dummy in the corner. He turned when we entered, and I recognized him as Lem. He was a good friend of Saro’s; they often went on missions from Kale together.
“What’s going on?” I asked Goliath.
He shrugged. “I asked Lem to train you. I’ve got a job to do and if I’m missing, people are going to start asking questions.”
Lem held out a hand, his green eyes bright. “It’ll be nice working together,” he said.
I shook his hand. He yanked me forward into a headlock. I grabbed his wrist and drew it over my head, drove a left punch in to his kidney, then dropped and spun, using my leg to sweep his legs out from under him. Anticipating my move, the Galdoni jumped. He landed with his fists ready and a smile on his face.
“Well done. Looks like we’re going to have fun together.” He rubbed his side where my fist had connected. “Except if you don’t want to leave bruises, you’re going to have to ignore the impulse to punch your attacker.”
“My bad,” I replied. My heart was racing. It felt good to give into the impulse to fight. The adrenaline filled me with heat.
“Again?” Lem asked.
I nodded with a grin.
“I’ll leave you two to train,” Goliath said. “Straighten up when you’re done.”
Chapter Four
It was well after midnight when I flew back down to the ninth floor. My knuckles throbbed and I would definitely have a few bruises even though we had worn sparring gear. It felt great, like I was doing what I was supposed to, even though I wasn’t. I loved the simplicity of fighting. Fists and feet made sense to me. When my body fell into the cadence of combat, it felt like a graceful, deadly dance. I knew where each fall of my foot should be, how each punch should land to create the maximum impact, and where I needed to be afterwards to defend myself. I wished the social aspects of life were as simple.
I paused on the balcony, my hand raised above the print reader. A sound repeated from the floor below. It was muffled, but carried through one of the windows. The eighth floor had been assigned to the female Galdoni Saro and Kale had freed. I seldom saw them because they preferred to keep to themselves. Ava was the first I had actually seen up close. One of them was crying. Something told me I knew who it would be.
I let out a slow breath. I couldn’t land on the eighth floor because the print reader wouldn’t open. I would have to take the stairs or the elevator. The thought of riding in the little white box made me shudder. I opened the door to the ninth floor balcony and went inside. The downfall of taking the stairs was the cameras. After the last building was attacked, security at the Galdoni Center had become extremely tight. If I went to the eighth floor, I would probably be tracked and stopped.
I crossed the hallway to the door, took a steeling breath, and opened it. A glance at the little dome camera in the corner confirmed my fears. I paused with a hand on the doorknob as memories flooded my thoughts.
I saw a similar camera in a corner covered by a sheet of protective glass. The room was small and grey, the door made of metal and sealed so that only a tiny ray of light showed through when the lights in the hallway were on. I could open the slot in the door that food came through, but it barely made a difference in the darkness. Cold permeated everything. I had to will myself not to shake, because once I started, it was hard to stop. Instead, I kept warm by jogging in place and throwing punches at the ghosts that haunted my mind.
I shook my head to clear the memory. I reminded myself that the camera on the wall was to protect us, not control our actions. I hurried down the stairs.
I pushed open the door to the eighth floor, then hesitated. It was different from the ninth floor. The walls were the same beige color and the speckled marble floor contained matching swirls. Similar comfortable tan couches held residence at each end for those who wanted to sit and talk beneath the wide windows that now bathed the hallway in starlight. It took me a moment to realize what that difference was. I bit back a laugh. It didn’t smell like the locker room at Crosby High. Instead, subtle hints of softer scents like flowers and mangos touched the air. Apparently girls smelled better than boys. I wondered if I could get a room transfer.
A muffled sob made my heart twist. I walked down the hall, my sneakers making soft snicks along the floor. I paused by room eight twenty one. Her room was directly below mine. Another sob sounded. It was faint as if she had her face in a pillow. The door was open a crack. I pushed it open slowly.
“Leave me alone.”
I froze, my heart hammering in my throat.
“Don’t,” she protested, her voice tight. “Please don’t.”
I pushed the door open further. Moonlight spilled across the room from a wide window whose curtains had been thrown aside. My heart slowed at the sight of Ava huddled in a corner of the bed. Her blankets were twisted around her as though she had been struggling all night. Tears streaked her cheeks. Her eyes were closed. She shook her head from side to side.
“Leave me alone. You don’t have to do this.” The terror in her voice tore through my restraint.
I crossed to her bed and put a hand on her shoulder. “Ava,” I whispered.
A small shriek tore from her. She huddled against the wall, her eyes still closed and fear stark on her face. She was still asleep, caught in a tormented dream or memory. I had gone through plenty of those when I left the Academy. I did what Kale had done for me. I wrapped her in my arms.
“Ava, Ava, it’s me, Reece.” She struggled. Cries of fear filled the room. She tried to get away, clawing at my arms as her wings tried to force free.
“Ava!” I said as loud as I dared without bring security down on us. “Ava, you’re alright! Wake up! You’re safe, Ava. Listen to me.”
Her struggles slowed, then stopped. She was shaking in my arms. For a moment, she froze as if she realized what was going on, then she turned in my arms and put her head against my chest. Her whole body trembled, and I quickly realized I still hadn’t put on a shirt from training. Her tears pattered onto my chest. A shiver ran down my spine at the hot and cold that played across my skin.
“You’re alright,” I whispered into her mussed long black hair.
She shook, the top of her head brushing against my chin. “He was there, and I was tied down. I couldn’t get away. He kept. . . .” The words cut off as if she couldn’t bring herself to say them. I held her tighter, willing her racing heart to calm as it pounded against my chest.
Anger burned through me at whoever had caused her such terror. I wanted to break every bone in his body, and it still wouldn’t be enough suffering for the torment he had caused. “You’re safe with me,” I said, willing my voice to remain calm. “I’ll protect you.”
“Thank you,” she said. The words came out as a sob.
I leaned against the wall. She huddled closer as if she couldn’t feel safe enough. I smoothed the feathers of her wings and used gentle fingertips to brush the tangled hair from the side of her face. It was wet with her tears and refused to obey. I tucked the stray strands behind her ear, wondering at how soft they felt.
I had never held a girl in my arms before. She felt soft and warm even as she continued to shake in my arms. I used my foot to scoot her blanket within reach. When I could grab it, I wrapped it over her wings so that it settled around her shoulders. A small sigh escaped her. Her eyes were closed. She was almost asleep, but the tears continued to trickle down her face.
“You’re alright, Ava,” I whispered. Night terrors had tormented me for almost two months straight after I left the Academy. Memories of training, classmates dying, and the never-ending crack of whips still brought me to my knees at the most unexpected times. The fact that whatever had been done to Ava was enough to cause the same terror meant it was something truly horrible. All I could do was hold her.
There was something else. Being with her, holding her, made me feel different. It was as if I was strong enough to help someone, instead of the Galdoni who messed everything up and was a target. I had done something good. Now wasn’t the time to blow it.
Eventually, I eased her head carefully onto the pillow. Her breath caught, then resumed again. The smallest of smiles touched her face. I stood still, captivated that I could even be in the same room with something so beautiful. The smile faded and her eyebrows pulled together.
I wanted to touch her cheek, to soothe the troubled look and let her know she was alright, but such a touch might send her into sobs again. I let out a slow breath and left her room. I shut the door to a small crack like it had been when I entered. I waited for several minutes to ensure she was sleeping soundly, then went back to the stairs.
It took a long time for sleep to steal through my restless mind. I kept waking with the thought that she was crying again. Sounds of her terror played in my head, tormenting my dreams. I wanted to help her, but I wasn’t able. I could never find her. She was lost in my dreams.
***
The next morning, I sat at a breakfast table with Kale, Brie, Saro, and Skylar. A few more Galdoni were scattered around the room, but most were either still sleeping or were training with Goliath.
“You went to her room?” Saro asked, surprise clear in his voice.
I shrugged, keeping my attention on my oatmeal. I swirled the fresh strawberries around as I replied, “I couldn’t just leave her crying.”
I saw Kale nod out of the corner of my eye. “Was she alright?”
“No,” I replied. I stared at the table, remembering. “She kept saying things, but she was asleep. She was crying uncontrollably.” I looked at Kale. “I did what you did for me.”