Unbecoming Humans

Chapter 31

"If they can do it to you, I see no reason why they couldn't do it to any of the rest of us," she said with a graceful wave of her hand. "We are the future rulers of the human race, Aria, not them. If we don't start acting like it now, they will never relinquish the power they promised to us. It is time for us to show them that we are in charge, and there is no one better suited to lead the charge than you." I scoffed at her proposal.

"Pi is in charge now, not me."

"Why? Because he beat you up? Being a bully does not make him a leader. No one has any respect for him. We wouldn't follow him into the bathroom, let alone into a rebellion. But we do respect you, Aria. We will follow you, because - despite everything that has happened - we know why you are doing what you are doing. Your intentions are noble and deserving of loyalty. Please? Just meet with us? Listen to what we have to say. If you don't like what you hear, you can go back to being a sullen ass, okay?"

I considered my response carefully. I was grateful to Ophelia for attempting to extend this olive branch to me, but then I remembered the image of the knife sinking into Nima's chest from my dream.

"I can't."

Ophelia looked at me with disappointment, but didn't try to argue with me further.

"If you change your mind, we are meeting in the big practice room after lunch." She bade me goodnight, and walked out.

The next morning at breakfast, there was a small apple crisp on my plate to celebrate my birthday. That was it, no singing, or presents, or well-wishes, just a tasty treat at each meal throughout the day. Personally, I appreciated the subtlety of the tradition. Whenever they made a big deal out of birthdays in the movies we watched, it made me uncomfortable. The sight of the warm, flaky pastry brought back some of my appetite, and I managed to eat most of my meal for the first time in weeks.

I was assigned to outdoor activities with a few of the others until lunch. I wasn't sure if my mother was indulging me for my birthday, or if she was sending me outside in the hopes that it would improve my health. Either way, I was grateful.

I played three-on-three soccer with Darya and Kang on my side, against Blake, Hagan, and Takara on the other side. The others were still leery of me and didn't speak to me much outside of what was necessary for the match. Despite their reticence, I was finally able to find some joy in something for the first time in months.

"It was nice to see your smile again," Blake complimented as we walked back to the compound together to clean up before lunch. "I hope you'll consider wearing it to the wedding tomorrow." It was a smooth line, but it brought me crashing back into reality. There were worse things than being married to Blake for the rest of my life, but it certainly wasn't what I wanted.

"I'm sorry," he said, noticing the frown that had taken over my face.

"Me too," I replied in almost a whisper.

I had worked up an appetite during our lengthy soccer match, and I ate my whole lunch with ease. I took extra time to savor the warm, gooey caramel brownie that was my luncheon birthday treat. After I excused myself from the room, Zan met me in the hallway to give me my "free time" assignment for the afternoon. I was perplexed as I looked at my mother's handwriting on the scrap of paper. I was assigned to the practice rooms for the afternoon. It could be no coincidence that that was where Ophelia had told me to meet her and the others after lunch.

My mood had lightened so much that I was actually considering going to the meeting. It seemed harmless enough. Ophelia had said that I could leave if things got out of hand, and the large group practice room was the perfect cover. If anyone discovered us, we could simply pretend that we were practicing. If my mother found out that I had been with the others, I could always tell her I thought my morning group assignment applied to the afternoon as well. It seemed like a convincing, honest mistake.

As I made my way down to the music hallway, I wondered who else would be at the meeting. Certainly Ophelia and Edwin, and perhaps Kang and Takara. After my conversation with Blake about fighting back, I assumed that he was involved in whatever this was as well. And what of Nima? Would she be there?

I began to worry what I would say to them once I was there. My behavior over the last few months had been inexcusable, no matter the circumstances. I wasn't sure there was any way for me to apologize enough for the way I had acted. Most of all, I worried about being in close quarters with Nima. I wasn't sure my heart could survive being near her, or speaking directly to her, knowing that I might have to go back to being a robot once the meeting was over.

A few times on my way to the meeting, I almost turned back as I considered the consequences if things went sideways. We could all be killed. Even if she wasn't involved, Nima could be killed for my disobedience. I did my best to put my fears aside and focus on the excuses we could use if we got caught.

As I neared my destination, I formulated a plan to legitimize our alibi. I was about to head to the instrument storage to get instruments for everyone so that our 'practice session' looked more realistic, when I heard several unexpected noises.

It sounded like an odd assortment of shuffles, grunts, and thuds coming from somewhere past the other end of the hallway. There was no attendant in sight, which compounded upon the peculiarity of the situation. I continued past the door to the instrument room - my original purpose temporarily forgotten - to investigate the oddity.

As I neared the other end of the hallway, the sounds became more pronounced. I could almost make out words spoken by at least two voices, but they sounded off, strained even. I turned the corner towards the direction of the sounds. Halfway down the hallway was a writhing, dark mass.

I stared for a moment, trying to understand what I was seeing. As the two figures separated, my brain caught up. Nima and Pi were 20 yards away. Their faces were covered in cuts, bruises, and blood.

"You belong to me, bitch!" Pi bellowed.

"Not on your life," she spat back at him.

Pi took a heavy swing at Nima, but it was all power and no speed. Nima dodged it easily, but she was caught momentarily off balance. Pi took advantage of her moment of weakness and shoved her to the ground. Suddenly, my switch flipped, as if someone had ignited a rocket. I flew at Pi with all the speed and strength I possessed. As he aimed a kick at Nima's ribs, still unaware of my presence, I aimed my shoulders low and tackled him to the ground, using my momentum to overcome his superior mass.

Pi landed on his back on the hard stone floor, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could react, I grabbed either side of his face and slammed his head into the floor, knocking him unconscious instantly. Fueled by three months of suppressed anger, sorrow, and guilt, I began pounding his face with my fists, over, and over, and over, just as he had done to me in the dojo. I could feel the bones in his face cracking beneath my merciless blows, and blood poured freely from unidentifiable wounds. I still didn't stop.

At last, Nima stepped next to me and gently grabbed one of my arms.

"Enough," she said quietly. Her lower lip was fat and bloodied, one of her eyes was quickly swelling shut, and there was an ugly gash on her cheek just below her eye. Despite the pain it must have caused her, she gave me a pitying half-smile. The sight of her shut my frenzy down immediately. My rage was replaced with concern.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my voice cracking.

"I'll be fine," she replied consolingly, "thanks to you."

"What happened?" I gestured to Pi's unconscious form.

"I was on my way to the mee- to the practice room." She glanced around warily to make sure no one was listening. "He must have found out about it somehow. I was walking by, and he ambushed me from that room." She pointed to an open doorway across the hall from us. "He kept yelling about how I belong to him and I have to do as he says. Fucking prick." Her face contorted with disgust as she looked down at him. She aimed a ferocious kick at his ribs, and I heard his bones crack as it connected. The sound made me wince a little.

"We should go," she said level-headedly. The blood seeping from Pi's mouth gurgled in an unsavory way. I hoped he would choke on it. I nodded to Nima and we fled the scene.