by Jae Choguk
try, but there was no way I could just leave the Academy…right?
“I can’t just leave, I am an Anima.” I said feeling proud to say it for the first time, showing how much had changed since spring.
“You are whatever you choose to be, which could be a hunter.” Demetrius replied proudly. I thought I didn’t have a choice, and normally I would’ve taken any chance to get out, but the Academy was the one place where people like me were. Plus there was a cute black cat, and cuddle brown bear waiting for me to return. I smiled and looked at him.
“You’re right, I could. Unfortunately the people that are like my family are there, something I won’t feel if I go with you.”
“Your father will be sad to hear that…” He shook his head and before realization hit me, the door burst open. Jeremy and Mr. Zander came at full speed into the room, and I tried to get up, but Demetrius’ arm was still around my throat, and his knee keeping me down.
Jeremy launched himself at Demetrius knocking him off me, as Mr. Z helped me up.
“What the hell happened?” He demanded as I got to my feet, and I didn’t think I would have enough time to explain, seeing as how more hunters decided to show up. I jumped at the guy closest to me knocking him on his ass. I put a claw to the guys’ throat, but realized I could never kill him. When I froze in that second, the hunter threw me off, and smashed my head into the ground. I saw stars, and my vision was going fuzzy. He grabbed my hair and smashed my head into the ground again with such force that I felt paralyzed.
The grip he had on me suddenly left, and I looked up dazed. Jeremy was beating the shit out of him a few feet away from me. He punched my attacker repeatedly until his face was a bloody mess. I had only been scared because of Jeremy, and this was one of them. But rather than being scared of him, I was being scared for him.
“Stop it.” I said, but he couldn’t seem to hear me, or anyone for that matter. I yelled again, but his eyes were filled with blue fire. I ran up to him and tried to make him drop the guy, before he actually killed him. I grabbed his arm, but he shoved me off. I grew irritated and did what I learned in the first day of self-defense. I flipped him right over my back and put my knee on his chest. He looked up at me in surprise.
“Please, it’s over now.” I said looking down at him, who was still blinking in surprise like he didn’t even know what just happened. I got worried and shook his shoulders. He finally seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was in and sat up slowly, knocking me off him.
“I’m fine now, calm down.” He rubbed his back where he landed.
“Calm down?” I exclaimed running a hand through my hair, which was a bad idea seeing as I still had blood coming out from when my head was smashed in the ground. “You never ell a girl that, unless you want them to get even less calm!”
“Alright,” Jeremy put his hands up and walked towards me. “My bad, just let me see your wound before you make it worse.”
“I’m fine!” I snapped, trying to cover how worried I was about him. I whipped around and started walking towards Mr. Zander who was squatting next to a Hunter who he had managed to capture. I felt the world tilt sideways and I fell to my hands and knees, coughing until I threw up. I was breathing heavily and grabbed the back of my head. Pain shot through my head and I felt like collapsing right there, to wait until I healed myself. I shut my eyes tight against the pain and tried to make myself go to sleep. It wasn’t hard; I felt myself seeping into darkness surprisingly easy, but then someone decided to wake me.
“Get up Lydia!” Someone yelled and I opened my eyes into slits. I saw Jeremy and Mr. Z hovering over me. Then I started laughing when I saw the hunter that Mr. Z had captured.
“She’s lost too much blood; a head injury isn’t going to heal as fast as you think Lydia!” Jeremy frantically tried to stop the blood. I was still giggling over the fact that Mr. Z was holding the Hunter up by his collar like a child.
“Let’s get her to the car, just keep her head as still as possible.” Mr. Zander started dragging the guy and I started giggling more, even though it wasn’t as funny as it should have been. I could tell I was losing consciousness, but I wanted to stay awake and not miss a second of the life I may not see again. The pain was numbing in my head, so I focused on the rhythm of Jeremy’s heartbeat as he carried me.
I heard the engine start, and felt a hand on the back of my head.
“You have to wait a little longer Lydia, but with Sensei’s driving you won’t have to wait long.” Jeremy said elevating my head more. I groaned, but I didn’t want to show how close I was to passing out. I felt the bumps of the road as we drove out of a place called nowhere.
“Now quickly pick her up without making her faint.” Mr. Z says and I could almost feel Jeremy roll his eyes, making me give a small smile. My legs swayed as I was rushed onto an operating table and I muttered one last thing before anesthesia took me under.
Ten
Time passed quickly, even though it had been a few days already. I heard voices from above me, but I didn’t feel the need to open my eyes since I could already distinguish them all already.
“When will she wake up?” Jeremy said with a hint of anxiety in his voice.
“She should be awake any minute now, so calm down.” Mr. Z said and from the smell of tea, he was sitting down somewhere drinking it. I loved that he could be calm in any situation, even though a comrade getting hurt is one of the hardest things to watch. It’s even worse when you know you can’t do anything to help, but in his own way, staying calm is how he does it.
“Why did she need to get herself hurt, why couldn’t she just stay where she was and let me finish off that last guy?” He says more to himself than anyone else.
I tried to push myself up, and felt nauseous in the process. Jeremy rushed over and helped me sit up the rest of the way. “I wasn’t going to let you have all the fun.”
“Just shut up and eat.” Jeremy says shoving a saltine in my mouth. I can barely swallow though, because I was so thirsty.
“My bad,” He tipped my head back, and helped me drink. I was so surprised by how much he seemed to care that I choked on my water. He lifted up his shirt and wiped my face and neck where I spilt the water. I was frozen in shock, and he just looked at me innocently like he didn’t know what he was doing wrong.
“Did I die?” I ask shrinking away from the new, scary Jeremy.
“What do you think?” Jeremy flicked my forehead.
“Not?” I rubbed my forehead with a grimace. He smirked and I felt more at ease.
“So do you want to know what you missed out on?” Mr. Zander said getting up from his chair, leaving his tea on the table beside it to sit on the edge of my bed.
“Why not,” I muttered, ready to hear how I messed up the mission again.
“Don’t sound so upset, you didn’t ruin the mission.” Mr. Z winked like he knew that’s what I was thinking, and I cringed as if that would protect my thoughts from being said out loud. “Anyways, after your surgery was done, we interrogated the guy we caught, but got nothing out of him yet.”
“You mean like torture?” I ask not wanting to know the answer.
“Unfortunately, we are desperate enough to do that.” He replied quietly. Jeremy was just looking out the window with a weird expression on his face. I turned back to Mr. Z and waited for him to continue. “He still didn’t break after the torturing, so he’s just in the cell underground. Do you know what that guy wanted? He escaped before anyone could get to him.”
I shifted uncomfortably from the looks they were giving me, like I was guilty of something. “Nothing, he just asked if I wanted to join them.” Before they said anything I quickly added that I said no, obviously.
“But why would they signal out someone as new as you?” Jeremy said in calculating voice. I still didn’t really know that answer myself, so I just gave a noncommittal shrug. They exchanged suspicious glances and I lifted an eyebrow.
“Am I not good enough to be needed by them?”
“You know it’s not like that, but they aren’t known for setting up super elaborate plans just to recruit one girl.”
“I suppose.” I say not wanting to tell them what he said to me. They wanted me to become a traitor, and bribed me with my father? I didn’t even remember what he looked like, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t curious. With everyone’s brains on overload I fell asleep once again, and this time I dreamt of my dad for the first time in years.
When I was finally left alone I slowly peeled back the covers of my bed and stood up. I winced as I pulled the IV from my arm and walked towards the door. I crept quietly through the hallways keeping a hand on the wall to keep me upright. I felt the cold rough stone on my fingertips as I crept to the big double doors I saw my first day here.
“Come in.” A voice answered after I knocked on the door. “I was wondering when you would come.” The old man sat behind his desk, hands folded, waiting patiently for me to sit down. I took a seat and looked at him curiously.
“How did you know I was coming?” I ask sitting down in the chair across from him.
“Simple, I know everything that happens within this school.” He gave me a look than made me shift in my chair, wondering just how much he knew. I didn’t ask, and he didn’t tell.
“Then do I need to explain what happened, or will you tell me what you know?”
“I assume you mean what do I know about your