Koruna

Choosing Battles

Chapter 65
Choosing Battles

Koruna helped her up as they walked to their class, “What did you want to tell me?”

“I am not a bad person. My mother sent me here because I refused to put on make-up and marry the man she has chosen for me. I cut my hair because I wanted to hurt her as much as she hurt me but that didn’t go so well.” She smiled sadly.

Koruna remembered her first impression of her, she knew there was something else Rika was hiding but it wasn’t in her place to point that out. She had no idea why she was telling this to her, she had seemed so hostile from the start and now her attitude had completely changed. She did not know what to make of it but decided to go with the flow.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Some people grabbed me and scared me just now, I don’t know who they were but they left when they heard a sound outside. I don’t have the strength to defend myself, I guess I am saying please help me in here, I would do anything you want, just protect me at least until we leave here.” Rika begged desperately, it was easy because of what she just went through. The tears came quickly and her body was still shaking, Koruna could fill up the blanks on what had happened.

Rika looked sincere, “I know, I would understand if you say no… I had to try.”

“What makes you think I have the power to protect you?”

“They wouldn’t try what they just did with you. It is obvious especially with how you handled yourself.” Rika wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Look, I can’t promise you anything but I wouldn’t stand by and watch you get hurt if I can help it. Is that good enough?”

“It’ll do.” She gave her a small smile.

They got to the class and each of them was strapped to a chair, headphones were put and a video was played for everyone to watch, it looked simple enough but Koruna wondered why they had to strap them to a chair to watch a video on courtesy and morals. She found R’ao who frowned at the clip playing and looked at Koruna, their eyes met. R’ao was trying desperately to say something to Koruna but he didn’t want to alert the enforcers.

R’ao knew what this was, it was a simple brainwashing technique that advertisers used back in the day. It was also part of the ways his father had tried to get him into order in his earlier years but his mind was too strong for it. He wanted to tell Koruna to focus on anything else that wasn’t the clip, underlying the video was an almost inaudible message that kept playing. None of them could hear it but it was there for the subconscious part of the brain.

R’ao had an idea of how he could distract Koruna without alerting the enforcers.
“Koruna, remember the first night I was in your room?”

Koruna frowned and blushed, It was abrupt for R’ao to refer to that night he climbed in through her window. She thought about it and was trying to figure out if there was a secret message in there somewhere. She looked back at R’ao but the enforcers were already alerted to the sound of R’ao’s voice. They ensured that each of them focused on the clip playing.

The class ended and they moved to another session. This was more physical, relaxing the mind as well as the body. The instructor called it Yoga but it was different from what they knew as Yoga. They had grouped them in threes, Koruna was amongst two other boys. The cat one and the one that started fighting on their first day here, they did as they were told until they were asked to hold hands.

“I don’t want to.” The cat boy said.

“Do you think any of us want to? We have to or our brains would be fried. Now, stop being a pussy and bring your hand.” The other boy said.