May It Be Forever

THE OVERCOMING

I woke up with my body aching all over at 1:30 in the morning. Although I still had three hours to sleep, sleep would not come. I lay there staring at the ceiling while my breathing raced, and I could feel my belly quivering every time I breathed, possibly because of the abs. I couldn't feel the right side of my face. I tried to understand why Stella was reacting this way, but I couldn't. It was strange because I didn't remember treating her badly or reacting negatively towards her. I attempted to get out of bed, but I stumbled around the house due to the punches and kicks that Stella had given me. How could I even run? I couldn't even walk properly! I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a glass of orange juice, then sat down on the counter, leaning my elbows on it. I looked over my shoulder and saw the black sky outside through the window.

I got out and watched him as there were still stars in the sky. Suddenly, I heard a noise - a snapping of twigs.

"Who is there?" I asked into the darkness.

The figure approached, and I took two steps back.

"Emi?" The voice was unfamiliar.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

It was Stella, and I took another step back.

"Stella?! I ask you the same thing."

"Relax, I didn't come here to hit you. Ah...I came to apologize, actually," she said, looking a little shyly away.

"You looked like a different person, Stella. In your eyes, I saw hatred. I was afraid, I swear. For a moment, I thought you were going to beat me to death..." I said, my voice shaking with fear.

Stella laughed in response, but her laughter quickly faded. "I was out of my mind...When you hit me in the stomach, I remembered my father..."

"Your father...? He...?"

"Yes. He beat me and he beat my mother too..." Stella trailed off, her voice heavy with emotion.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling a pang of sadness for her.

"Don't be. I'm sorry for you. I took all my anger and hate out on you, and you have nothing to do with what my old dad did to me and my mom."

I nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

"Is that why you came to O.S.?" I asked.

"Sort of, it's that way...The one who referred me to this hidden society was a friend of mine..."

"A friend?" I asked, curious.

"Yes, her name is Florence. Well, she's not... she's not our age. She's older, about our parents' age. And she knows about this hidden, secret society."

"Ahh, I see. But does she live here in the society or...?"

"No, no, no. She used to, but now she lives in the outside world. Emi, we better get inside before the guards notice our presence here."

"That's right, let's go."

Once inside, we sit on the sofa next to each other.

"Do you think you'll pass the tests, Emi?"

"Honestly, I don't think so. I'm the weakest of the whole group," I said with difficulty.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You're not weak; you just need to try harder. Florence told me that your family is legendary. Your ancestors were warriors! You have warrior's blood in your veins, Emi. You just need to find your strength."

"Thank you, Stella."

"There was a silence. I realized that the O.S. was very well organized. Had it never been attacked before?"