PROJECT SPARTA

CHAPTER 8

"Hey, Whitt!" Everyone dimmed down and was curious of the new boy who didn't know where he was from. A short black haired kid walked to the front of a small group, arms folded across his chest. His face was tight and compact as if it were a clenched fist. Judging by his voice, this was the recruit who snickered at him, when he admitted that he did not know where he was from.

"Yeah..." Xander answered the call and turned to the contemptuous figure approaching him.

"Where are you from again?" Duke's bark dripped with condescension. Xander recognized the power grab and so did the other recruits.

"Duke... leave him alone," Ashton tried to step in, but Xander took the opportunity to explain.

"I never really knew my parents... they died when I was young. I've moved around a lot and I guess everything has kind of blurred together," Xander responded honestly – he wasn't going to make his first impression with a lie.

"Oh we have an orphan here!" Duke said with showmanship as if they were on the school yard and he was the bully. Bronson responded with a chuckle, while everyone else felt uncomfortable and uncertain how to react. The Spartans held on to the moment waiting for Xander's response.

"The way I see it Duke, we are all orphans now... We're on our own..."

"What did you say?!" Duke advanced a volatile step closer and growled through clenched teeth.

"I said I think we are all orphans now. You heard the Colonel, you have no parents in here." Xander was right but it was nothing Duke wanted to hear. A clenched fist cut the air and collided with Xander right in the face. Xander dropped like a bag of bricks.

"Don't think you can tell me about my life, just because you were never loved, you shithead!"

Ezra stepped in, shoving Duke back on his heels.

"What is wrong with you, Duke? Leave him alone!"

"Welcome to Project Sparta!" Duke wildly laughed, beaming down at Xander.

"Get the hell out of here!" Ezra yelled, putting himself between Xander on the ground and Duke. Duke squared his shoulders but Ezra's eyes were deep with fury. Duke flinched forward in an effort to make Ezra jump, but he did not. Duke then laughed it off until he exited the Mess Hall.

Xander slowly got to his feet and his double vision slowly converged to a singular sight. The pain wrapped around his face from his cheekbone, paralyzing all expression. The Spartans looked on, upset and unsure of what to do.

"Are you okay?" Jooles smiled at him.

"Yeah, thanks..." Xander's gratitude was primarily aimed at Ezra.

"We got to have each other's back in a place like this," Ezra said as a matter of fact, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal.

"Don't worry about him, I think he's adjusting pretty slowly," Jooles explained in an attempt to comfort him.

Another boy found his cue and introduced himself, "Hey bud, nice shiner! I'm Mac." Xander reached out his hand.

"Pleasure." They embraced hands and Xander rubbed his eye as it was swelling shut. "So, who wants to play some pool?!" Xander asked, trying to change the subject as he walked back to the pool table and simpered through the pain. Xander knew the importance of putting up an unfazed and strong exterior.

"Count me in too." It was Fiona, skittish and bashful. She met Xander's coy eyes. Some awkward moments passed. He couldn't seem to break his gaze from her glacier blue eyes. Fiona, too, was looking in his eyes, but she was focused on the one that was ballooning before her.

"It's swelling pretty good..." she said, breaking his trance.

"It'll be fine..." he said from the back of his dry throat. The roses in Fiona's cheeks were in full bloom.

Xander arranged the balls in the triangle, setting the rack. He looked up from the balls and spoke a sincere thought.

"Thanks, guys." It was natural for them to sympathize with Xander. They were still going through the difficult adjustment to their new life. They knew it was hard enough to cope with and adding a black eye to the mix could only make it more difficult.

"No problem," Ezra said.

"Anybody have the cue ball? And no, this is not it," Xander pointed to his swelling eye. Everyone laughed. Jooles produced the cue ball and fired off a break. Xander stared down at the table and watched the pool balls break apart at the point of impact. His shot had come up, but he still remained transfixed on the scattered balls across the pool table. A few voices spoke, but to no avail as they sounded distant and lost to his reflection.

Nothing will ever be the same again...

Then through the thought came a small, sweet voice.

"Xander..." His eyes snapped from their position and met Fiona.

"You aren't alone in all of this..."

Xander smiled up at Fiona as he felt companionship for the first time since he had entered the Compound. There was already a budding understanding between the two. He nodded with difficulty, grasped the pool cue and lined up his shot. He snapped his shot off and dropped a solid in the corner pocket.

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