Sins Of The Past (Book 1)

~Arrived Chapter 2~

Aria

Like every day, the car journey followed a well-ruined path of cracked and torn asphalt, the familiarity of it etched into our minds. The road beneath us was rugged, marred by cracks and imperfections that turned the drive into a rhythmic dance of bumps and jolts. The drive felt miserably mundane, we all just wanted to arrive so we could get rid of the built-up anticipation. Our lookout point had become a sanctuary, a place of hidden peace from the world's demands. This day was no different as we embarked on the journey from our lookout, back to the Academy.

The sunlight streamed through the car windows, casting warm hues upon the interior. Leia, with her enchanting voice, transformed the car into a moving concert hall, her voice weaving all sorts of melodies together that harmonized with the passing scenery.

The final stretch of our voyage led us back to headquarters, a place that held countless memories, some good, others not so much. The car's engine hummed a soft melody as we rolled to a stop, the anticipation building as we prepared to step out into the world once again. The car doors swung open, and with a deep breath, I stepped out, the ground beneath felt solid and reassuring under my feet after the bumpy drive. As we emerged from a familiar car, momentarily blinded by the unforgiving sunlight.

My eyes soon adjusted to the sunlight above. As we arrived back at our headquarters, a sense of familiarity washed over me. The building's imposing facade stood as a testament to our shared history, a household of countless memories and missions.

We soon got closer to the entrance, I inhaled a sharp breath and confidently swung open the firm shining front doors. Stepping inside I released the held in breath I hadn't known I had been holding, and made my way inside the heart of the building, followed closely by Leia and Jessie.

The moment the doors opened straight ahead we all saw the sign, the sign of the place that owned us. S.S.T.A.

The letters of the vast sign were big and definitely a statement piece, it filled half the front wall with bold silver letters shining from the light above. The large letters cast a somewhat shadow on the plain gray wall, hiding the faded painting beneath the letters.

Behind the sign, if you were looking close enough, you could still barely see the faded phoenix painting. A painting and a symbol that used to mean something, something great, but now it was covered, as it always will be.

The S.S.T.A. was a hidden building in the city unbeknownst to almost everyone. It stood for something that will forever be etched in the back of my mind, Specialized Skills Training Academy, but most of us called it the Phoenix Academy, its original name.

The Academy isn't someplace that you could just hope to get into, you either did or you didn't. Most of us were either abducted from homes we once had or picked up off the streets, like I was. But that wasn't always the case; some people were offered something I could only dream of: special treatment. Some of the trainees were hand-picked from every corner of the globe, receiving better treatment and more lessons than us lowlifes.

The Phoenix Academy, once a beacon of hope, now hidden in the shadows of its replacement. The SSTA. The name itself, Phoenix, conjured images of rebirth, of rising from the ashes stronger and more magnificent than ever. But within these walls, that promise had died when it was shut down years ago. The faded phoenix behind the sign was a reflection of our fading hopes and the harsh realities of our training.

For those of us who found ourselves here by force or circumstance, the Academy was a place of survival, where every day was a battle. But for the chosen few, the hand-picked elites from around the world, it was a haven of opportunity, a realm of privilege in a sea of despair. The divide between us and them was as clear as the faded emblem on that sign, a symbol that had once united us all, but now served as a painful reminder of our differences.