SHATTERED

by S. C. Deutsch

  Ana smiled, the first real one today. She allowed Wyn to lead her back to her room, sitting at her desk and staring out the window after he left. At the mention of the heli-craft sims, a light had gone off.

  Ana was finally going to learn how to fly.

  Chapter 11

  Month 2

  Week 1

  “Miss Swift. Can you tell me where Mr. Wardle made his first mistake?”

  “I don’t see any,” Ana replied, shaking her head.

  “Come now, Miss Swift. You aren’t looking hard enough.”

  Ana didn’t want to answer. She knew exactly what Rylen had done wrong. But Rylen had made it his mission to make her life a living hell. If she answered the question, her torment would increase a thousand-fold.

  Ana had been at the Academy for several weeks and hated every minute of it. She just wanted to complete her studies and get out. She had expected resentment but hoped a few students would accept her for who she was. Instead, she was shunned. Ignored and excluded from any social activities, Ana knew she was often the subject of gossip. She told herself it didn’t matter but it still hurt. She was lonely, homesick, and often cried herself to sleep.

  She didn’t like any of her in-classroom courses but of all of them, this was the worst. She despised every minute of it and dreaded being questioned by the instructor. Being called on too regularly to be a coincidence, Ana wondered why the instructor seemed to have it in for her. She did her work, handed it in on time, and did well on the exams. Yet the instructor insisted on calling on her at least once and often several times each class, causing the resentment to increase even though she tried to keep from offending anyone.

  When she first saw the course on her schedule, she thought it sounded interesting. Battle Tactics and Critiques sounded like she would be studying the Great War, looking at the major battles and learning better tactics. However, the reality was far different, as she soon found out.

  Ana had entered in the middle of a discussion over the finer points of knife fighting. She listened intently, offering suggestions when asked, and found the instruction useful. The third day, however, changed her mind completely. She discovered the entire class was based upon dissecting each student’s performance while they battled the creatures on the island. A vid was shown of a student’s battle, the instructor often stopping the recording to point something out. The class would tear the student’s performance apart, insulting or laughing at whatever was perceived as a mistake. The instructor seemed to encourage the abuse, often joining in with the students when the person being critiqued made a serious error. She felt physically ill after seeing the mocking behavior, not understanding how her classmates could be so cruel when they had all spent varying amounts of time just trying to survive. The jeering continued until the end of the vid, then the next several days were spent dissecting it. Ana had sunk in her seat after the first vid, hoping to escape the instructor’s notice.

  Yesterday had been Rylen’s turn. The vid shown involved Rylen and a creature called a Pan-phaco. The head resembled a pig with massive tusks as well as horns, but the body was lean with paws like a cat. It was green with yellow stripes and stood about three feet tall. The eyes were tiny and blood red, reminding her of the goat she had encountered. Rylen had not been paying attention to his surroundings and the Pan-phaco had charged from behind, barreling into him and taking a chunk out of his thigh. Rylen had fallen, screaming in pain, then tried to crawl away. Ana knew immediately what was going to happen and lowered her head to avoid watching. Her instructor noticed and called her out for it, forcing her to watch the entire battle from beginning to end.

  The Pan-phaco had charged again, sending Rylen sprawling as another piece of leg was gouged out. Rylen finally pulled his knife but ended up fighting from a crouched position, his wounds making it difficult to stand. By the time the fight was over, Rylan had suffered what appeared to be a broken arm, several more lacerations on both legs, one shoulder and his back, as well as several lost teeth. How he managed to kill the Pan-phaco was beyond Ana, but he did, stabbing it in the eye and hitting the brain. She had hung her head, feeling sorry for Rylen despite how awful he was to her. Her classmates, however, were laughing uproariously, making fun of Rylen and calling him a coward and worse. She snuck a quick glance and saw his face had turned dark purple and his brows lowered so far they almost touched. She tried to shrink even further in her chair, petrified Rylen would take his anger out on her, and fled as soon as class was over, running straight to her room and not coming out until dinner. Rylen had seemed in much better humor when she arrived, barely glancing at her, and she hoped the danger had passed. Now, however, her instructor had reignited the fire and put her right in the middle of it.

  “Rylen should have been aware of his surroundings at all times,” she mumbled.

  “Correct,” her instructor, Mr. Axton, said with approval. Turning away, he called on another student. Ana glanced down at her tab, hoping her answer was not enough to set Rylen off. He had taken a special interest in her from the first day and never let a chance go by to insult or belittle her. Ana was afraid of him, worried he would someday physically attack her. Rylen was big, towering over her by at least six inches, and had to outweigh her by over a hundred pounds. She heard he spent much of his free time lifting weights, making the muscles in both his arms and legs enormous. But she could tell he wasn’t very smart. She couldn’t figure out how he managed to gain admission to the Academy or how he became an upperclassman since he never seemed to have the correct answers. In addition, he often became surly and belligerent when he didn’t know the material. She concluded the government must have some other plan for him, based on his brawn and not his brain, and were passing him through without being too concerned with his proficiency.

  Mr. Axton called on her twice more, making her wish she could melt into the floor. She could feel the hate radiating off Rylen and when she snuck a glimpse, he was glaring at her, a murderous look on his face.

  “Watch your back, little girl,” he mouthed the minute their eyes met. Ana quickly slid her eyes away, desperately trying to figure out how she was going to escape in one piece. Gathering herself, she dashed out the door the minute class ended, running straight to her next one and sliding into the seat as she tried to catch her breath. Rylen wasn’t in this one, so she was safe for now. But she was terrified he would be waiting outside, and her fear kept her from concentrating, annoying her instructor and causing her classmates to giggle behind raised hands.

  When Ana stuck her head out the doorway after class, Rylen was nowhere to be seen. She hoped he had gone someplace else but kept a wary eye out as she made her way back to her room. She almost made it to the door unmolested when she heard a menacing whisper in her ear.

  “I told you to watch your back, little girl,” the voice whispered, a meaty hand grabbing her upper arm and spinning her around. “You failed to pay attention to your surroundings, princess. And as you so gleefully pointed out, that’s dangerous. Let’s see you escape this fight.”

  Ana knew better than to protest. Using her Tai Chi, she relaxed her muscles. Rylen, feeling her arm go limp, smiled viciously, only to have Ana reach up and give him a quick kiss on the lips. Stunned, he let go and stared. That was all the time she needed. Whirling, she whipped out her tab and plugged in the code, darting through the doorway as it opened.

  “Not all battles can be won with knives,” she called over her shoulder. She knew she was going to pay for the remark but couldn’t help herself. It felt good to knock him down a few pegs, even if it meant she was going to have to be even more careful from now on.

  Ana entered her room, catching Jax as the creature leapt into her arms. Jax was as unhappy as she was, often needing to be held for long periods. Settling in her lounge chair, she cooed and hummed to her furry friend and tried to figure out what do about Rylen.

  Jax eventually relaxed, sitting back and signing love to her. Ana signed back, then rose and gently deposited her
companion on the bed. Reaching into the fridge, she removed two apples and a bottle of orange juice. Sharing with Jax, she sat on the bed and folded her legs beneath her.

  Vice Premier Drake had found someone who had been studying sign language and Ana and Jax now attended a daily session every evening. A historian attended the sessions, bringing a book that listed the signs with him. The two would sit across from each other and she would attempt to make the signs with her hand while pointing to a picture of the word on her tab. Jax had taken to it easily and now had an extensive vocabulary, able to tell Ana when she was hungry, tired, sad, or happy. Jax could also identify everyday objects as well as ask how she was feeling. Ana often worked with Jax outside of the sessions, wanting to get her companion signing full sentences as fast as possible. She cautioned Jax not to show her true abilities, wanting whoever might be watching to believe her companion was struggling. She was also careful in her room, certain it was monitored, and only signed to Jax freely when they curled under the blankets or when they were outside in their private area.

  “How was Niall today?” she asked when Jax finished eating. Jax’s face lit up and she signed the word good, then love. Ana smiled and ruffled Jax’s fur.

  The request for the vid-recordings had been denied. When Ana asked why, she was told the government didn’t want any recordings of the school to be seen by the general population. She cursed at the response but didn’t argue.

  The pair had also been assigned to one-on-one training sessions. The classes differed daily so the two were never bored and it was the only time they were happy. Jax loved the rock-climbing wall, often trotting over as soon as they entered the facility, and Ana often had to order her down. Jax also enjoyed the track sessions, galloping gaily alongside as Ana ran or retrieving the arrows she shot on the archery course.

  Jax, however, refused to swim laps, no matter how much Ana tried to persuade her to. Jax would run back and forth along the edge of the pool as she swam, but even if she could convince her companion to jump in, Jax would only paddle around before climbing back out. Ana didn’t push it, but she sincerely hoped there would never come a time when the pair would need to swim a long distance.

  In addition to the daily classes with Jax, Ana had added a martial arts class, a gymnastics class, and had taken her father’s recommendation and included a yoga class that taught meditation.

  Ana rose and reached for her pack, then stepped in front of one of the closet doors and moved as close to the interior as she could. Sticking her hand inside the backpack, she picked at the bottom seam until it came loose. Removing the bone knife, she pushed it up her sleeve, grabbed her suit and goggles, and shoved them in the pack. After Jax climbed in, she made her way to the physical education complex, grateful Rylen seemed to be occupied elsewhere, and spent the session trying to convince Jax to swim with her.

  Class the next day was even worse. Mr. Axton had the other students, ending with Ana, explain how they would have handled the fight with Pan-phaco. She could hear Rylen’s heavy breathing as he hissed at every student’s lecture, and she was deathly afraid someone was going to get hurt. She knew she was on her own, having discovered the first day the school not only turned a blind eye to physical fights, but actively encouraged them. Unless someone was in danger of being killed, the administration never halted them, and she often heard the instructors taking bets on who they thought would win. The fact Rylen was enduring a second day of humiliation could only mean another fight was coming. Ana had heard that Rylen enjoyed fighting and was often involved in the brawls that erupted on an almost daily basis. She lightly fingered the bone knife, seeking reassurance she would be able to stop Rylen if he came after her.

  A ferocious storm had blown through the night before, causing several trees to lose their limbs as well as uprooting many of the bushes that lined the walkways. The damage was so extensive the entire school had been called to help with the cleanup. Immediately after lunch, Ana and her classmates reported to the maintenance shed where they were given heavy gloves and large bags. They were then broken into groups of four and assigned a small remote transport to pile the debris on. The groups spread out across the campus and proceeded to clean up the mess.

  Her group was clearing the front of the campus where the damage was the worst. It was backbreaking work and Ana was exhausted. They had almost reached the end of their assigned area when she suddenly felt a strong shove between her shoulder blades. Falling face first, she rolled over to see Rylen standing over her with his hands on his hips, laughing at her mud-covered face. Ana scrambled to her feet, backing away in fear.

  “I told you to watch your back,” Rylen growled. “That’s twice you failed to do what you said I should do. I think it’s time you learned a lesson, little girl.”

  “Rylen, don’t,” a voice called. “She’s not worth it. She’s half your size and probably can’t even put up a good fight.”

  Ana’s temper exploded. It was bad enough she was treated like she didn’t exist. There was no way she was going to let anyone say she was weak and couldn’t defend herself. Rising slowly, Ana took a deep breath. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she crouched slightly and glared at Rylen. Time to end this, one way or the other.

  Rylen saw her get ready and smiled, a dark, evil smile that she ignored. Believing Ana’s smaller size would be no match for his massive build, he stepped forward and tried to grab her arms. Ana ducked and twisted, somersaulting several times before springing back to her feet. Turning, she smiled and started bouncing again.

  Rylen’s smile faded, replaced by a look of pure hatred. Stomping forward, he reached out and smacked her before she had a chance to pull far enough back. Ana’s head jolted sideways from the impact and she took a step to try and regain her balance. Rylen took another step and she arched her back, bending away but not retreating. Rylen balled his fist and raised his arm, intending to punch her in the face. Ana suddenly stepped forward and kneed Rylen in the crotch, causing him to double over and howl in pain. She danced away and as Rylen painfully rose, she smacked him in the nose with her open palm. The crack was loud enough to be heard several feet away and Rylen’s nose started gushing immediately. Several people in the group gasped, then started laughing. Rylen fell to his knees, both hands covering his face as the blood leaked through his fingers. Ana backed up several feet, then looked at the group surrounding them. Nobody would meet her eye, several looking away when she glanced at them. Then the murmurs started.

  “She’s a dead woman now.”

  “He’ll kill her for sure, rules be damned.”

  “I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes for all the credits in the world.”

  “No way he’ll let her get away with this.”

  Ana stared, fear causing her to start trembling. She had again let her temper get the best of her, not thinking her actions through. Part of her was happy she had hurt Rylen, but she suddenly realized hurting him only made him more dangerous. From what she was hearing, everyone was afraid of Rylen and besting him didn’t do anything to raise her status. Ana was now a marked woman.

  Rylan was still on his knees, moaning in pain as the blood continued to drip over the backs of his hands. Ana looked at him once more, turned, and fled, heading straight for the maintenance shed. Once there, she quickly turned in her gloves, then raced back to her room, triple checking to make sure both doors were locked securely behind her. Once inside, she huddled in the corner between her desk and the wall, shaking uncontrollably as she wondered what to do next. Closing her eyes, she started her meditation, eventually getting herself under control. Rising, she cleaned her face, then plopped in her chair and contemplated her next move.

  Ana couldn’t stay in her room forever. It was almost time for dinner, and she was required to go. The last time she attempted to duck a meal, Wyn had come for her, telling her in no uncertain terms that unless she had prior permission, she had to attend every meal in person. If she didn’t go to dinner tonight, Wyn or somebody else would
come fetch her, embarrassing her by marching her in after everyone was already seated. Sighing, Ana rose and began to pace. She had no doubt Rylen was going to come after her, if not tonight than sometime tomorrow. Sighing again, she took a quick shower and headed to dinner, waiting until the walkways were full of other students and hoping they would provide some protection.

  Dinner was uneventful. Rylen, a huge bandage across his nose and eyes starting to blacken, ignored her completely. Ana wasn’t fooled, making sure to keep a close eye on him. When Rylen left the commissary, she waited several minutes before slipping out, taking a roundabout way back to her room.

  Ana was only a few feet from the entrance when she felt his hands grab her shoulders, spinning her around so his face was inches from hers. She could smell the fish on his breath, as well as an underlying stench of something nasty, and recoiled, turning her head away so she wouldn’t be sick. Rylen let go of one arm and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  “What, you too good for me?” he snarled, causing her to bite down hard on the gag that threatened to erupt. “Little Miss Bitch, all high and mighty, thinks she’s so special. Thinks her little show today will make everyone like her. Will make me be nice to her now. Well, little girl, I have a surprise for you. No one likes you. And your little stunt today is going to cost you dearly. I’m about to teach you to never, ever, hurt Rylen Wardle again.”

  Ana kept silent, instinctively knowing anything she said would make things worse. Gritting her teeth, she slowly let the bone knife slide out of her sleeve, hoping she wouldn’t need to use it. Rylen bent forward and Ana knew he meant to kiss her. She forced her head to the side, causing him to drop his hand and slap her.