The trio had been trekking the land for hours in silence. The sun followed them through sandy beaches, rocky landscapes, and finally, to a forest. However, the sun would have to depart from them soon to a place beyond the horizon. Travelling at night in the woods would probably be a bad idea so Lucas suggested that the three of them set up camp and start moving again in the morning.
Lucas made a small fire, Sophia captured some squirrels to eat, and Jalen skinned and began roasting them over the fire. They started eating, and the only thing thing to be heard was the crackling of fire and the chewing of squirrel meat. Lucas couldn't take it anymore.
He clapped his hands together. "Who wants to play 'Truth or Dare'?"
Jalen stared blankly at him. "What."
Sophia snorted. "What are we, ten?"
"Thank you for volunteering, Sophia! You can ask Jalen first," Lucas exclaimed.
Sophia and Jalen shared a look and shrugged.
"Uh, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Coward."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Ask me a question already."
Sophia tapped her chin in contemplation. "Hm. Why... are you such a loser?"
Jalen stood up. "I'm not playing this game."
"HAHAHA- No, wait! Sorry, sorry! I'll ask you a serious question, I promise!"
"Where were you even gonna go?" Lucas murmured.
Once Jalen say down again, Sophia started thinking for real. "If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?"
"The Library of Haoraine," Jalen replied without hesitation.
Lucas raised his eyebrows. The Library of Haoraine was legendary among nerds all over Wanumon, and Lucas was one of the lucky nerds who had the opportunity to actually visit it. Several times, in fact. It was the one part of the royal grounds that commoners were allowed to visit as much as they wanted to. Lucas still remembered getting lost in the mazes made of bookshelves under the ceiling that seemingly reached the stars.
"How come?" Sophia asked.
"The day I was banished was the day before I planned to visit it," Jalen explained. "If- When I get to go back, I'm going to visit that place as much as I can."
"Take me with you!" Lucas piped in.
"You guys are really sad, you know that, right?"
"Ha, ha," Jalen remarked dryly. "Okay. Lucas, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
Jalen looked around the darkening forest. "Uh, lick a tree!"
"Okay."
Lucas stood up and walked over to the closest tree. He did as he was told. It felt like licking a hard, stiff carpet... which Lucas somehow knew. The rough bark had an earthy flavour to it, as well as a warm metallic taste. It took a second for Lucas to realize that it was the taste of blood.
He backed away from the tree and spat onto the dirt.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic! Trees don't taste that bad," Sophia jeered.
"Is there something you want to share with us?" asked Jalen.
"Shut up!"
"No, it tasted fine. I cut my tongue on the bark."
"Oh."
"You might get an infection or something."
"Exactly!"
"Don't you..." Sophia gestured vaguely. "...need to get rid of the bad blood, then? Spit it out, then Jalen can give you some of his own blood! I think I have a knife in one of my pockets..."
"How would he give me his blood?"
"...Make out with each other!"
"NO!" Jalen and Lucas exclaimed simultaneously.
"Your loss." Sophia shrugged. "If Lucas dies of insomnia, his blood is on your hands, Jalen."
"...You mean amino?"
"ANEMIA! THE BOTH OF YOU MEAN ANEMIA!" Lucas hollered. "Idiots. The both of you. I seriously doubt I'll die from anemia or an infection. I'm more afraid of dying from eating raw squirrels."
"The squirrels aren't raw-!" Jalen brought his food closer to the light of the fire. He caught a glimpse of the red and pink squirrel muscles hiding within the dry, white meat. He promptly tossed his dinner into the fire.
Sophia laughed and did the same. "Ask me a question this time, Lucas!"
Lucas threw his food out, too. "Okay. Truth or dare?"
"Dare. Because I actually have some balls."
"..."
"..."
"You know what I mean!"
Lucas stared bewilderedly at his new companion for a few seconds before giving her a dare. "I dare you to tell me how you know Vaessen."
An express flickered on Sophia's face like the shadows in the light of the flames. It disappeared as quickly as an ember drifting too far away from its home. "This isn't how you're supposed to play the game."
"I don't think there's any roles against it," Jalen said.
"Then I don't want to play anymore!" she huffed.
"Come on, don't be like that. Answer the question. Or, complete the dare, I guess."
"It's fine, Jalen. She doesn't need to answer if she doesn't want to," Lucas and.
"But-?"
"But I really would love for you to tell me someday," he said to Sophia.
Sophia eyed him up and down with crossed arms. With a sigh, she conceded. "Fine. I'm a bit too sober for dumping my sob story right now, but fine."
"Great. Thank you."
Sophia let out a sharp exhale. "Hold on tight, boys!" she said with a forced smile.
"Sophia! Hurry up!" MJ cried out.
The little girl running behind her couldn't stop laughing. Her giggles echoed through the non-stop chatter of the busy street market. The sweet sounds of her glee were music to MJ's ears, bit now was not the time to be laughing. Now was the time to be running. That fact didn't seem to register in Sophia's young mind, however.
Sophia stopped in her tracks and turned around. The stall owner she has shrunken to the size of a toddler pathetically hopped over the baskets and merchandise that MJ pushed over. Sophia stuck her tongue out at him and took a bite of the apple she stole from him in amusement. She wasn't able to properly savour the fruit before MJ yanked her into a nearby alleyway.
"MJ-?"
"We can eat once we get to safety," she said.
The two girls, having barely spent a decade on this cruel world, were met with a towering brick wall marking the end of the alley. The playful smile on Sophia's face was wiped away at the sight.
"What do we do now?" she asked her friend, afraid.
"It's fine." MJ opened up her satchel and took out a long piece of twine with a curved wooden stick tied to one end. She began swinging it to the roof of the building blocking their way.
Sophia looked back and heard the voices of numerous angry merchants getting closer. She grabbed MJ's arm to comfort herself. "They're getting closer..."
MJ launched the end of the twine with the stick into the air. During its ascent, the twine transformed from a single pitiful string into a thick, reliable rope in the blink of an eye. The stick the same shape as a raven's beak turned into a sharp and gleaming metal hook that anchored itself into the building's brick sidings. The display of such a beautiful Gift left Sophia breathless every time.
"First try," MJ gloated.
She grabbed onto Sophia's waist and pulled her closer. "Hold on tight."
Holding her best friend with one arm, grasping the rope with her other hand, and climbing up the wall with her legs was literally a balancing act. Every muscle in her body was crying out in agony, but MJ knew she had to keep moving. Sophia buried her face into MJ's shoulder, brushing her cheek up against MJ's rich hair.
"They're over here!" cried a merchant.
"MJ..." Sophia's voice quivered.
"I know!"
Finally, MJ could place a foot into the roof, so she used it to pull Sophia and herself up. They tumbled to the top and let out a round of quickened breaths before letting go of each other. However, when the two of them looked up, they found themselves facing a man donning a black sheriff's uniform.
"Little girls like you shouldn't be stirring up so much trouble."
✦✧✧✧✧✦
"Get to work, you useless children!"
The crack of a whip echoed through the warehouse as kids of all shapes and sizes scattered. Sophia and MJ took a seat beside each other on their rickety bench, not daring to raise their eyes from the weapon the were creating.
It was a simple sword. Light and thin. Sophia seriously struggled with getting the balance right, but it would have to do. Sophia took the sword by the handle and tossed it into the pile of all the other blades in the warehouse.
Sophia didn't really know if she and MJ were lucky to end up working in the warehouse instead of being sent to prison. The two were told that imprisonment was "unfit for such fragile girls" and that "discipline through developing skills in a hands-on working environment" would be a more appropriate alternative. In reality, that was just Bray'un's town council trying to get away with child labour.
A sweatshop was a better term for the facility. However, instead of being payed in actual money no matter how little it amounted to, everyone was payed in "education". You see, all the workers were just like MJ and Sophia: Exhausted and burnt out children without a single cent to their name or a family to run home to.
But there were some who displayed "exemplary attitude" and were given a chance to go to the Capital and begin training in the military. All the children worked themselves to the bone to get themselves to stand out from everyone else finally leave, but MJ and Sophia were the exception. Why would they want to join a force dedicated to the eradication of their existence?
So, in order to prevent themselves from getting shipped off to the Capital, the pair spent their days trying to make the most mediocre weapons possible; nothing too flashy but nothing that would land them with more scars on their already marked-up skin.
The blaring sound of the buzzer rang through the building. That was the signal for the children to take a "break" and start preparing themselves for their lessons. Teachers came and went every week, so no one was surprised to see an unfamiliar woman enter the room. She was quite small in stature and had golden bronze hair that barely reached her chin. She wore glasses that framed the bewildered look in her eyes upon taking in the sight of the warehouse.
"Um, hello everyone. You can call me Vaessen. Anything, really, as long as it isn't 'ma'am'. I was sent here by the military to hopefully be your permanent teacher and help you out with getting a place in the military. That sounds nice, right?" she said.
Everyone in the warehouse perked their heads up. They all seemed to understand the same thing: Get on Vaessen's good side, and you've just gotten yourself a one-way ticket out of hell.
In the following days, the atmosphere of the sweatshop's learning hours shifted dramatically. People answered questions in the blink of an eye and jotted down notes (if they knew how to write) at lightning speed.
But MJ and Sophia? The couldn't risk even the slightest possibility of being chosen for the military. At first, they just idly half-listened to the lectures in the back of the class like they always did, but Vaessen continually worked at getting the two of them to become more active in class. Their grades gradually began rising and Vaessen aimed a warm smile at them everyday. She specifically targeted them because she knew they weren't making any efforts to participate. If this kept happening, MJ and Sophia just might have ended up becoming a part of the military.
That was when MJ proposed a new approach. In class, they began making crude jokes, ripping up their notes, and even got up and left the building a few times. Sophia and MJ would try to take walks around the area before being hunted back down and beaten up. Unfortunately for them, their backs could only take so many lashes, so they had to stop.
"Sophia, do you mind talking to me before going back to work?" Vaessen asked one day.
"Okay...," she responded hesitantly.
Once all the other kids got started on work again, Sophia followed Vaessen outside. The sun was shining brightly, Sophia assumed. She didn't know for sure. There was so much smog surrounding the warehouse.
"Where's MJ?" Vaessen asked.
"Speaking with the director," Sophia told the teacher. It wasn't a complete lie.
"I see." Vaessen nodded her head. "This place is terrible, wouldn't you agree?"
Sophia hummed in reply.
"Despite all that, most of the kids here are so excited to learn. It really brings a smile to my face."
"That's only 'cause they're sucking up to you to get to the Capital," Sophia grumbled.
"That was the goal," Vaessen admitted.
Sophia raised her brow. The instructor's honesty surprised her a bit.
"Jorviks are getting bolder in the Capital. I shouldn't really be saying this, but the military is getting desperate."
"Desperate? You didn't even know the meaning of the word until you got here!" Sophia exclaimed. "Now that you do, you're taking advantage of that fact and telling kids who were doomed to die from the start that there's hope for them. But in reality, everyone here is just going to be whisked off to be slaughtered by some Jorviks. Well, I'm sorry to say that MJ and I see right through your lies. We didn't choose this life, but we sure as hell can choose how we want it to end. So, go! Take those ill-fated kids with you and mold them into weapons like the ones their friends have died trying to make. MJ and I will be waiting here for you to kill us."
Vaessen titled her head slightly. "And why would we want to kill you?"
"No reason..."
Vaessen stared intently at the young girl for a moment. "Oh, I get it now. You and MJ are Gifted, aren't you?"
Sophia pushed Vaessen aside, knocking her over. She didn't bother looking back when the teacher yelped in surprise. The young girl rushed back into the warehouse, barely stopping herself from falling into a vat of molten metal. She wiped the sweat off her forehead as she kept moving.
Sophia felt eyes on her as she moved past working stations and up a rusting, metal staircase. It wasn't long before she reached the last room on the mezzanine and swung the door open.
There was only one person in the room other than her, prompting Sophia to let out a sigh of relief. It was MJ, kneeling on the floor in front of a desk. She didn't dare to turn her head around as she clutched the frayed edges of her bloody sleeves. She stayed there, completely still. That is, if you ignored the shaking in her limbs. The sight pained Sophia. At least this would be last day she would ever have to witness it.
Sophia dropped down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulders. She felt MJ shrink away from the touch for a moment but relaxed after realizing who it was. Sophia could feel MJ's body lose all its tension and let her rest her head on Sophia's shoulder. Silent tears spilled down from MJ's umber cheeks and onto Sophia's soiled shirt.
"It's okay... It's just me," Sophia cooed.
"Why are you here?" MJ whimpered.
"We're leaving."
MJ raised her head. "What?"
"Vaessen found out. She knows what we are." Sophia took MJ's hand and helped her up.
"Where do we go?"
"I don't know yet," Sophia admitted. "Somewhere far away from here. Somewhere where the military can't find us and no one even knows what Gifteds or Jorviks are."
"That place doesn't exist, Sophia."
"Maybe not. But we can dream. And we can run."
MJ tightened her grip on Sophia's hand. "Then let's go."
"Wait!"
Sophia and MJ turned to face the doorway and found themselves to be facing Vaessen. Sophia glared at the teacher and moved herself to shield MJ from her.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
"Yeah, right!" Sophia spat venomously.
"It's the truth!" Vaessen swore. "In fact, the whole reason why I'm here instead of kicking butt in the military is because I got in a spat with some five-star general about Gifteds."
Sophia softened her expression. "Oh?"
"You don't want to be here anymore, right? But you don't want to be a part of a force that literally advocates for your demise. I understand. But if you two would just listen to me for a moment, we could work something out."
"So we listened to here. It was a gamble, of course, but in the end, it ended up being worth it for the most part. As long as MJ and I promised to behave in class, Vaessen said that she would help us escape."
"Did she just not care about all those other kids working there?"
"The were fine. Vaessen ended up taking all of them to Capital. They were pretty tough, so I expect that a good number of them are still alive."
"Oh. Cool." Lucas wondered if any of the kids Vaessen enlisted ended up in the 43rd Cardinal Brigade with him.
"The day came when MJ and I had finally received enough money and resources from Vaessen to finally run away. She promised to go with us and do her best to help us train our Gifts. We waited and waited, but she never came. Eventually, MJ and I figured we could take care of ourselves like we did before getting caught."
"How long ago was that?" Lucas asked.
"Just under a year ago. It took us six years for Vaessen to get us everything we needed, though. A year of that time involved MJ creating the Acheron with her Gift. She claims that the only reason she's upset with Vaessen is because she instructed her to make the Acheron for nothing. But I think it's a little more personal than that."
"Were you upset when Vaessen didn't come back for you?"
"A little confused, maybe, but not upset," Sophia replied. "But I always had faith that she'd come back for us. And she did! In the form of you, Lucas!"
"I guess," Lucas said. "And I think Vaessen had a good reason for not going back for you guys."
"Really?"
"Yeah. She never specified when, but she told me she got banished from Bray'un for speaking to the town council about Gifteds. That probably happened on the day she planned to run away with you two."
"Maybe." Sophia stretched out her arms a bit. "Well, that was a really long dare! Jalen, truth or dare?"
"Zzz... Zzz... Zzz..."
"I think he's asleep."
"Wow, was my life story really that boring?" Sophia huffed.
"No, it was really interesting, actually. Thank you for telling me. Jalen is just... Jalen."
"Mm. Well, it's getting late anyway." Sophia did her best to get comfortable on the forest floor. "G'night."
"Good night, Sophia."
Lucas went to lie on the ground, too. It was a bit difficult to doze off with all the thoughts wandering around his mind. Seeing the abrupt deterioration of MJ and Sophia's relationship was already painful. But now that he really understood just how much the women had been through together, he pitied Sophia even more.
"...I always had faith that she'd come back for us. And she did! In the form of you, Lucas!"
So it's all his fault, huh? The only thing he could do with that on his conscience was fall asleep and pray that MJ would forgive him when they would meet again.
---
A/N
No beta, we die like Odasaku. Anyways, I'm bad at outros...
Bye.