Black Equation - The Forgotten Ones

Black Equation - Chapter 28 (Part 2) *

Chapter Twenty-Eight (II)

Their quick footsteps echoed against the white marble floor. They were no longer confined within the training area, as Denna called it. Walking along the busy halls filled with people wearing either white laboratory coats or black mission suits, Faye felt she entered another world yet again.

Was this whole facility really underground? It’s so damn huge! She wondered how many years –decades – did it take to finish this hidden base. It was hard to believe that something like this really exists.

She looked around, afraid that she might see a familiar face. She sighed in mixed relief when she found none.

To her confusion, it seemed like almost everyone was pinning a knowing glance at her. Her brows knitted together as she tried to decipher the reason behind their curious looks. She stared down at her arms. She frowned at the thought of how she must’ve looked in their eyes. The sleeves of her hospital gown were torn, highlighting her yellowish bruises and newly-inflicted welts crisscrossing along her arms. To top it off, Denna was holding her whip firmly on her hands, as if her life depended on it.

She shook her head. Why must she care?

Lightheaded, she focused instead on the questions swirling and twisting inside her mind. She stared at the female Base, wondering whether she should ask her some or not.

“What?” Denna growled, uncomfortable with Faye’s intent look.

“I’m just thinking … how do you control your powers?”

“What’s it to you?”

Faye shrugged. “Just curious.”

“An ordinary person like you won’t understand.”

“I see. It must be very difficult,” Faye mused. If she’s really Gifted, and her powers could negate others, she wondered if there’s any way to control it, maybe use it for someone else. It seemed unfair to her that only she was protected from the dangerous Gifts lurking inside this place. There must be some way to manipulate it. Would that require some intense training?

Denna shook her head. “It’s not hard. It’s just… there’s a certain feeling for us. Practically, these Gifts are part of who we are, and we can use them at will. It’s just like an extra hand, or a foot. Like a muscle. It comes naturally, by instinct.”

“By instinct,” she repeated, more to herself than Denna. She wore an expression of polite interest at the subject, just to not raise any suspicions, but deep inside, she was contemplating, trying to grasp the newfound power inside her.

She realized that it was true. It had always been a part of her. She was only unwilling to acknowledge its presence, but it was there, throbbing and swelling, waiting for a time that its mistress would use it. She shivered at the thought of what that would imply. Her breathing quickened as numerous images flashed altogether in her mind.

She pushed the thoughts away before Denna took notice of her strange reaction.

*****

She was definitely a brunette, she thought, though her hair was dyed black. Denna wondered why, but then, it didn’t matter. Once she was promoted to be an Equation, she too would have the liberty to change her appearance. She would have her hair dyed red and pink and then buy clothes that normal people wear. She would enjoy the independence every Equation had. No more punishments, no more schedules, no more rules. She knew that the shackles of belonging to Master Kreuz would only become stronger, but still… it was the thing closest to freedom that a Gifted like her could get.