Devastated, I run to the laboratory and hide my tears from public humiliation. That was only day one. Am I invited back to the Joffrey program for the rest of the week? My attendance isn't mandatory. Oh, what's the point anyways? I'm not strong enough to be compared with these other Legendary, Mythical, and Noble warriors. My days here have officially been numbered.
I let my crying run its course. Somebody else sobs near the back of the laboratory, behind the tables. Lily is crouched on the floor with her sleeve as a tissue. The mascara from her eyes drips black tears down her cheeks. Something urges me to cry with her, but I put on a brave face. Seeing Lily upset isn't pleasant to witness. "Hey," I whisper. "What's wrong?"
Lily takes in a deep breath. "Stupid crap," she breathes. "I just got off the phone with—never mind. It doesn't matter. How did your first day of training go?"
I grin despite the horrible day. "Doesn't matter."
"Well, aren't you mysterious," Lily says.
"If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay." But I can tell that's not true.
"Sag, there's something I need to tell you. Um—I'm not exactly sure how to say this. But there's someone in my life I really—"
The doors swoosh open. "Lily, are you in here?" someone calls out. "Training today was a bitch. A'Dimsyte threw that new warrior to the ground!" I can tell by the sound of her raspy voice it's the same girl I met during training. She doesn't know I'm in the same room with her.
Lily drops the previous conversation for now. "He did what to you?" she gasps.
"Oh, nothing serious." We stand up from the floor together and curiously stalk closer to the visitor.
"How can someone be this far in a Nightfire tournament and not know how to do a standing back tuck? That's one of the first advanced moves you learn as a warrior." She's distracted by grabbing empty beakers off the silver table. I forget her name, yet out of everyone in the class, she's the only one who introduced herself to me as Ryan's wife.
"Annie," Lily declares to her. "I think you're referring to my friend, Sag."
Annie whirls around and gasps at the sight of me. "Oh!" she says, almost dropping the beakers. "I see you two have met."
Lily giggles through my embarrassment. "Sag, this is Annie. She's my sister-in-law."
"Ryan's husband," I remember.
"We already met," Annie informs her, but she gawks towards me. "You better learn how to do your standing back tucks, kid."
"I know." My smile is tense. "Does this mean I'm not allowed back in?"
"Of course you are," Annie says. "He better see you on time tomorrow."
Lily holds onto my arm gently with dark concern. "I can't believe he threw you!"
"Does he always talk to us below the belt like that?" I ask.
"Oh, yes. I love his teaching methods." Annie titters like she doesn't have a problem with it. "A'Dimsyte knows how to put warriors into shape. Don't worry. He's especially harsh on the newbies."
Lily rolls her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Sag."
"No, it's okay," I say honestly. "A'Dimsyte enjoys motivating in a negative way. Like Abigail."
"Yeah, but Abigail wouldn't say those things about your dad. You know A'Dimsyte is heartless," says Lily softly.
Time passes. The only way to tell if it's night or day in a space station is if I'm sleepy or not. The bunkbeds Seeker Headquarters possesses are standard, comfortable, and co-ed. I share the bunkers with two other warriors and Lily. It's dark. Lights out. Lily hangs over the top bunk while I'm on the bottom with my arms and legs sprawled out, looking up to her. I laugh when she tells me about Luka's experiences when he was in Nightfire. One time, her father's telekinesis accidentally pushed A'Dimsyte out the window, and A'Dimsyte has been terrified of heights ever since. She, unfortunately, wasn't there when it happened.
"My dad broke my arm when I was a kid," I laugh, remembering the story. "He was holding me and didn't know his own strength. It was an accident. At the hospital, he had to tell the doctors I fell off my skateboard. I don't even know how to ride a skateboard. He doesn't know me at all. Guess we're even because I don't know anything about my dad either. Not that it matters."
"It doesn't matter?" Lily is shaken. "Sag, he's your father. It should matter."
I stand up from the bed, grabbing onto the railing from the top bunk. We look intently at each other at the same eye level. "On the subject of, it doesn't matter," I say, "who called you earlier today? You were so upset."
She frowns at me and doesn't answer.
"Yeah, you were about to tell me something, but then Annie interrupted us," I recall. "What were you going to say?"
Lily can't seem to find the right words. I'm baffled by how ashamed she looks. "Sag...have you ever had a girlfriend?"
I shake my head. My answer surprises her.
"You haven't?" she asks. "Not even like a second-grade Valentine?"
"Nope."
"Have you ever even kissed a girl?"
"No." The answer doesn't hurt. I'm not embarrassed admitting it to her.
"You're not gay, are you?"
"If I were, I think I would have lost my virginity to Tyrone by now."
"Okay, so...you're not gay," Lily repeats. "That's good to know."
"Where are you going with this?" I ask.
"Sag, I know that you like me," she says, and I'm taken aback. "And I really like hanging out with you, too, and everything...but—" She slowly adds on the information. Each sentence stabs me like a knife. "But there's someone else I like. And it's JT."
"Okay..."
Lily looks unsure. "You know, Sag. This industry has treated me like crap. Why do they always have to be so bias?"
I can't agree more. "You're tough, Lily."
"So are you," Lily notices. "Even without your genetic ability."
We have a moment where we're about to kiss, but she quickly backs away from me. This might upset her more than me. I don't feel anything, not sad, happy, or indifferent. When she rejects my love for her, all I can say is, "you are beautiful, Lily."
"Sag, I want to forget everything I just said for a moment. Because whether I break your heart or not, I want to make sure the first person who kisses you loves you. Okay?"
"Okay."
Lily assumes the position. She sits upon the top bunk, so our faces connect. I close my eyes while she takes my hand, waiting for the impossible to happen. Then, when her lips lock onto mine, I swear I'm flying. Memorizing. I don't register the moment until later. Her lips release, and I'm appalled it's over. There's nothing I want more than to keep going. "I love you, Sag," Lily whispers.
"I love—" I'm dreadfully blindsided by a blade spinning towards me, slicing up my face. Fortunately, the thrower misses the significant arteries on my neck. But I can feel a red line of blood stretching down my forehead. Lily screams out my name but sounds distant. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground, terribly confused.
The other warriors wake up in a panic. "What's happening?" someone demands.
A second blade aims for my face. This time I'm ready for it. From the ground, I obliterate the incoming knife-edge, halfway between me and its thrower. My hands clench into fists immediately, prepared to blast another. The lights turn on, and someone sounds the alarm. A loud bell rings endlessly as we fight. Now I see my attackers. Two reptilians slither over the bunk beds, through the sheets, and around the walls.
"It's the Cluster!" someone cries. That same warrior dashes for his weapons bag underneath the bed. He frantically pulls out a gun and fires. The first reptilian dies from a bullet to the head. Black blood splatters all over the sheets. A'Dimsyte must know what's happening by now.
Even though ruthless warriors are effectively killing the intruders, for whatever reason, they have their focus on me. The reptilians can care less about anyone else in the room. Their motives are apparent the second they ignore Lily. They've come for me.
The reptilian springs forward, and I instantly blast. He outsmarts me by ducking—the explosion demolishes one of the bunk beds behind—and then attacks me. Our struggle on the floor is fast and painful. Catastrophe overwhelms me when I see the reptilian pull out a syringe.
"No!" I'm not quick enough to break my hands-free. By the time they're in fists, a sharp prick like a bee sting shoots up into my neck. Numbness takes over. My fingers flick, but nothing happens. My eyelids become heavy, and I'm desperate to keep them open. It's useless. Whatever drug runs through my bloodstream, I assume, is going to kill me. I would panic if I didn't feel so weak. I would beg for Lily's help or try to take the reptilian out with me. But I'm paralyzed. After my head hits the floor, my senses are gone. I can feel the reptilian carry me out of the room. It doesn't take long until I blackout.