Beyond Control

15

"Don't disappoint me again, Alpha. My expectations for you are higher than anyone else. I hope you make the right decisions."

He released his hand, but it still felt like it was still there. It sent a shiver down my spine. Why was I held to a higher standard than everyone else? What was special about me that was different than the others?

A couple of minutes passed before the intercom buzzed again. "All students, proceed to the cafeteria! Breakfast will be served. Line up in an orderly fashion."

We made our way to the cafeteria, where the girls were also making their way down the hallway. I kept my eyes open for Emily to come out, and when she did, I wanted nothing more than to run to her. We made eye contact before she gave me a desperate expression.

General Murray and a few other soldiers were keeping a careful eye on us with weapons like assault rifles in their hands. I wanted to slow down for her, but the fear of stepping out of line prevented me from doing so. Emily subtly nodded to me before joining the line behind me.

Soldiers were inside the cafeteria handing out the food, which consisted of a very small stack of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a choice of bacon or sausage patties served on styrofoam carry-outs. It sounded good, but looking at it made me want to lose my appetite. I grabbed a bottle of water and sat down next to Javier, who was staring at his food, unwilling to eat it.

He glanced at me. "My grandma makes food better than this."

I pursed my lips and looked at my plate. "I don't think it's difficult to top this."

Hesitantly taking a bite of the eggs, I realized that it wasn't completely terrible. They tasted like they came out of a can and were microwaved for about thirty seconds. Would this give me food poisoning?

Emily hastily sat down with her plate beside me and hugged my arm. "I'm so glad you're safe. Are you okay?"

"I think so," I answered. "Are you?"

She hesitantly nodded. "I'm fine, I guess. I'm just...I can't comprehend this. This is so overwhelming."

"Tell me about it."

We looked up to see the girl who shot us with fire yesterday sitting down in front of us. She wore her long blonde hair in a braided ponytail and her crystal blue eyes looked at me as if she'd burn me to ashes right where I sat. It was obvious that she radiated power.

"You're the girl from earlier," Emily stated. "With the fire ability."

She rolled her eyes. "If that's what I'm going to be known for, then sure, I'm the girl with fire."

"Well, what's your name?" I asked, ignoring her sarcastic tone while taking a small bite of my pancake. They were too solid for my liking, but I forced myself to eat it despite the hard taste.

"Taryn Arnet," she answered with a lighter tone. "The 'T' is silent. My dad was a Hevastwan native before he received citizenship here and met my mom."

I frowned. "That's unusual. You typically hear about people moving to Hevastwa, not moving here."

She shrugged. "We lived close to the border, so it wasn't that unusual where I was from. Anyway, what's your names?"

"Eli," I introduced. "This is Emily. We go to school together."

She turned to Javier, who'd been sitting silently since Taryn joined the table. She frowned and shook her head. "Are you going to keep sitting there pitifully or are you going to talk to us?"

Her tone caught me off guard, but Emily spoke before I could say something. "Taryn, cut him some slack. He's scared just like the rest of us."

Taryn gave her a hardened stare. "We're going to die if we continue to sit here in our own misery. It's survival of the fittest. Don't you understand that?"