Everything for the next few hours was kinda a blur. I remember leaving the council room with the racket of a hundred voices talking at once. I was numb, unsure how to react to the news I was now going to be trained as an Arknight. Everything I had ever wanted, yet now I wasn't so sure. Facing down a demon had been more than enough excitement for me, and I wanted to leave that part of me behind. But it appears the Grandmaster had other ideas.
Marcus dragged me through the crowd. He was saying something to me, but I couldn't hear him. I was too busy noticing the eyes of Arknights, all looking at me as we made our way out of the entrance hall. The corridors and people I had only just past minutes ago seemed so different now. They still didn't notice me, but I felt different. Marcus was dragging me this way and that before pulling me in front of a set of offices. Each one had an Arknights name, and we stood outside Sir Atticus's one.
Soon Sir Atticus was marching down the corridor, a look of fury on his face. My legs wobbled, both from exhaustion but also from the anger on his face. Marcus stood to attention, and I tried to do a weak imitation. "Inside," Sir Atticus barked, "now." My veins froze as I followed Marcus into Sir Atticus's office.
It was not what I inspected from the office of an Arknight. I had imagined in dreams of maps stuck to the wall with armies being represented by pins. Though there was a world map behind his chair, that was all I recognised. The room was more of a mix match of things. On the left side was a bookcase filled tomes with letters peeling off the covers. On the right was a wall covered in shelves. There were several items on there, but photos mainly dominated it. I spotted a few of Sir Atticus and Marcus smiling up at me.
Marcus didn't sit down, so neither did I. If I was going to become an Arknight, I would have to learn what to do. "At ease," Sir Atticus said, sweeping around his desk. I relaxed, but Marcus stayed upright. His face was braced for something I couldn't see coming, which made me feel even more nervous. Sir Atticus undid his tie and bent low over the table like a panther about to pounce. "What in the angels do you two think you were doing?" Sir Atticus said, glaring at the pair of us. It was like being in Mrs Reynolds' class again but much, much worse. "Marcus, I told you to keep an eye out for Sara, not bring her back."
"After what I witnessed, I thought the Council should know about it, sir," Marcus replied. How he wasn't cowering from the Sir Atticus wrath was beyond me?
"It was the Council I was trying to protect her from," Sir Atticus replied. "I knew something like this would happen. A demon prophecy? If the Council wasn't blind enough." I was a little taken aback by this blatant insult to the most important gathering of people in the country. If a civilian had been saying those things, they could be arrested for general disorder, but to see an Arknight say that was unthinkable.
I wanted to ask a thousand questions, but I didn't feel like it was my place. I was new here, and I didn't know if I was allowed to speak. "What do you think it means, sir?" Marcus asked.
Sir Atticus shook his head. "A thousand theories with not an atom of evidence," Sir Atticus answered. He looked over at the pictures and sighed. "However, I think the demons and Sara's prophecy have a link. Something is going on here, and I bet whatever this Fallen is has a lot to do with it." Sir Atticus turned to Marcus again. "We will have a long chat about this later," Sir Atticus said, giving Marcus a knowing nod. "But for now, I need you to go to your fellow Squires. I'm sure finding out they're now thirteen has caused quite a stir. Do some damage control. Sara and I will join you shortly." Marcus gave a sharp nod and marched out of the room.
Now, I was terrified. With no one to copy or to take the heat, it left me to defend myself. Sir Atticus's full wrath will be upon me, and I would wither in fear. But Sir Atticus did not shout at me. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to a chair opposite him. We both sat down. It was like being sent to the head teacher's office. Sir Atticus sat back and studied me for a second before shaking his head. "What in the Divine's name made you go back?" he asked. His voice was soft, the gentle tone he had used to comfort me after the demon attack.
I thought back to the last two weeks and why I had done the stupidest thing of my life. It was hard to remember, like the memories of such a short time ago were a different lifetime. Sir Atticus's eyes were sharp, and I knew he didn't need a truth blessing to see my lies. "I just had too," I explained. "Something deep inside just need to know if I had a destiny or not."
Sir Atticus just looked at me. Waiting for his response ached in my bones. I just wanted this to be over, but time was moving like treacle. Finally, he took a deep breath. "A prophecy is an exciting thing, but don't let it cloud your judgement. We don't even know what it is." He then lent low over the desk, his gaze boring into my soul. "And I need to make this clear. Under my command, I will not tolerate this kind of action. More for your own safety than anything else. Understand?"
My mouth had gone dry, so I nodded. Then, realising what he was saying, I blurted out, "Wait, you are going to train me?"
"Of course," sir Atticus said, relaxing in his chair a moment, "it has been decreed."
I collapsed in my chair. "But, I'm so far behind the rest," I said, the full extent of what was actually happening to me dawning on me. "And my parents, and school, and-"
Sir Atticus put up a hand. "I'll handle the logistics. There's a lot of paperwork to sort out." He looked tired, adding a bit of maturity to his features. Every edge of his face was sharp and ready with a wisdom beyond his years. I wondered if I would ever look so respectable.
"What will happen to me now?" I asked.
Sir Atticus sighed. "Squires aren't allowed off base without permission or on leave. And since you have a habit of finding trouble for yourself, I want to keep you on base."
My heart felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over it. "What? I'm a prisoner?" I said, astonished at such a reaction.
Sir Atticus raised an eyebrow. "No, you're a Squire. And staying here is an order. You've tempted demons twice now, and this Fallen won't let you escape a third time." He plucked out a mobile phone and asked for my home phone number. I was tempted to lie and put off being stuck here. I had so many unfinished things: exams were in a few months, my parents were probably worried where I was, and Alice. But I concluded I had no choice. Sir Atticus typed in my number and waited. "Hello, Mr Blanc?" Sir Atticus said. Now, it definitely felt like detention with the head teacher. "This is Sir Atticus of the six-seven-six order. I'm with Sara now. Yes, she is quite safe, we are at the Mantle, and a situation has arisen." I watched and listened as Sir Atticus explained the situation. My ear strained to hear my dad's voice; even a syllable would be comforting right now. After ten minutes, Sir Atticus and my parents agreed to drop some stuff off for me the next day. Sir Atticus then handed me the phone. "I'll give you a moment," he said and left the room.
I pressed the phone to my ear, wishing for nothing more than to be sucked in through it. "Hello," I said. My voice was so little I could barely hear it.
"Sara," my dad's voice came through the receiver. He felt so close. My past, a simple life just out of my reach.
"Yeah, it's me," I replied. I didn't know what to say now. All I wanted them to do was come round and pick me up and take me home. However, it was unlikely the Mantle would allow pickups. All I could think to say was, "Sorry."
"No, no, no, everything will be fine," Dad tried to reassure me. It was nice he was trying, but even I could hear the knot in his throat. "Mum and I will drop some stuff round tomorrow, and we'll see you then."
"I want to come home," I whimpered. Tears burned my eyes. I didn't want to cry like a child, even though that was all I wanted to do.
My dad hesitated. His silence told me he wanted nothing more than to come and save his little girl. But we both knew that couldn't happen. "I know," he said, "but that's out of our control now. You're going to have to step up, I'm afraid. Try to see it as living the dream a thousand kids want." A thousand kids who had never actually seen a demon, I thought. My dad was trying to make me feel better, and I knew this would be hard for him too.
"I'll try, Dad," I mumbled.
"I know you will," he said. "I should probably go. We'll need to get your stuff together and explain everything to your mother."
"Is mum there?" I asked.
"No, she's currently out looking for you. Alice came back saying you had been picked up by some hot biker boy or something." I couldn't help but laugh even if it was a sad laugh. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sara," he said. "I love you."
"Love you too," I replied. His send-off felt like an execution to my heart. I hung on, listening to the end dial, hoping he would return. Every nerve in me was numb, and the room seemed to buzz like my brain could not compute simple things. I finally ended the call and looked at the phone. Sir Atticus hadn't come back yet. I looked down at the phone and knew this may be my only chance. I dialled the number furiously and listened.
"Hello?" Alice's said.
"Alice! It's me, Sara," I whispered into the phone. I had little time, and I didn't want Sir Atticus to feel like I was taking advantage of the situation.
"Oh. Hey," Alice said bluntly. I didn't like that. Alice was usually so happy on the phone with me. She definitely sounded pissed. And she had good reason to.
"Listen, I feel like I should explain what happened," I began.
"Oh, yeah?" Alice said, her tone still as rough. It was like facing off with an angry cat. "I would like to know how our plan went so wrong. Well, wrong for me, anyway."
"I didn't want to put you in danger again," I said, trying to get through to Alice how sincere I was being.
"Wanted to show off to your new boyfriend?" She spat down the phone. In the past, we had had our fights, and Alice had been moody afterwards. But she always came around. But this sounded different. There was a genuine annoyance at me. "Sara, why did you even involve me in your plans if we weren't going to fight the demon together?"
"I didn't. You made the plan," I said simply. There was a pause as Alice worked out the fault in her logic.
"Fine, be like that," Alice said.
"Alice," I said.
"Just don't involve me in any more of your demon schemes, ok?" She said and hung up on me. I sat there, stunned. So stunned I couldn't even cry. Alice, my best friend in the whole world, had deserted me. I sat there, self-pity washing over. Why had I not told her I didn't want her to come with me? And how was I supposed to know Marcus would pick me up? I didn't even know he existed till this evening. The word 'boyfriend' rang around in my head. Had we looked that couplely? Was this really jealously from Alice? She had always been the one boys fell over, why couldn't I just have one boy like me? I stopped myself from going down that trail of thought. Not only was it ludicrous, but it was making me more angry at Alice. Taking deep breaths, I reminded myself I was the one in the wrong here. And here I was all alone.
The door swung open, and Sir Atticus walked in. I looking down at the phone, not wanting to give it up. However, I knew I had no choice. I handed the phone back to Sir Atticus. "Sorry I took so long. I-"
Sir Atticus interrupted before I could start babbling. "No need to explain. This is a strange time for you. We'll take things one step at a time." His friendly voice made me relax, and I tried not to think about what my new life entailed. "Its lights out soon," he said, "I'll show you where you will be sleeping."
"Ok," I said. Then, realising where I was, I asked, "Am I supposed to say 'yes, sir' now?"
"Technically," Sir Atticus said, leading me out the offices into the corridor, "but let's leave that till your training starts, ok?" I nodded, not wanting to seem disrespectful. As we walked through the corridors, it was weird that it was still so busy even at night. I guessed it was because the demons didn't work only in the day, so night shifts were a thing. I dreaded the idea of doing a night shift.
Walking through the complex was a very different experience than it had been with Marcus. Originally every building was a new wonder to me, and the surrounding mystery intrigued me. Now, the clusters of buildings seemed to be closer and pressing in on me. The hundreds of buildings I was going to need to learn about was daunting. Something must have shone on my face because Sir Atticus said, "You'll be getting the full tour tomorrow. Don't worry about getting lost. Everyone gets lost during their first couple of weeks. There's a competition to see who ends up in the weirdest place."
"There is?" I said. It surprised me that the Arknights had a sense of humour. From the posters and tv shows, they were always depicted as battle-hardened, no-joke kinda characters.
"Yes, Marcus ended up in the mechanics' studio. You probably saw the relationship between him and Hawkins. The craziest was a fellow called Harry Tulip, who lost his way from the showers and ended up in the middle of the field in the dead of the night. No one knows how he did that still."
"Where did you get lost?" I asked.
There was a pause. I wondered if I had crossed a line. But, Sir Atticus replied, "I got caught wandering into a forbidden section of the Matrix. I got such a bollocking from my Master for that." This didn't make me feel better as I wondered how much trouble I would get in for where I ended up getting lost.
We approached an area marked out with a red dotted line that spanned a load of buildings and a field. In the dark, I couldn't make out what the silhouetted structures were, but I knew they must be an obstacle course. Terror was causing my stomach to turn inside out. How would I fair next to trained Squires? "If you are lost, just come back here," Sir Atticus said, pointing at the red line. "This is where ninety percent of the Squires' work happens." This section was quieter, and there was barely anyone about, just armed men patrolling the buildings. I gulped.
Sir Atticus led me along a line of buildings that looked a little friendlier than the other blocky buildings. These had windows and inviting front doors. Peering into some of the buildings, I saw common rooms with TVs, books, table tennis tables, and lots of things to entertain people. "These are the barracks," Sir Atticus said. "This is where you sleep and relax with your fellow Squires. We find that allows people to bond better." He then began counting along the houses. "Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine, two-thousand. Here we are," he said, pointing to one of the huts. I wondered why he had been counting so high till I realised I would be sleeping with Squires my age. Boys and girls that had five years of training on me. We approached the door, and Sir Atticus swiped his card on the access panel. "We'll get you one of these tomorrow," he said and opened the door for me. I reluctantly entered.
It was warm inside, and the decor was quite plain. A potted plant stood in the corner, but that was the only colour. Ahead was the door to the rec room, but Sir Atticus lead me down the corridor where it split off in two directions. He took me to the left door and knocked. There was a scrambling noise inside and, without a reply, Sir Atticus went in.
Five girls my age stood bolt upright to attention next to five well-made beds. There were seven empty ones, too, which was a little odd. The room was pristine. Alice would have called it too clean. There was not one stray piece of clothing or escaped hairbrush. The girls stared forward like they didn't even recognise we were there. They were like statues, not a hint of distraction in them. The power they radiated out was like being in a room full of head girls. I shuffled, uncomfortable.
"At ease," Sir Atticus said, and the girls relaxed. Sir Atticus stayed at the door and pushed me inside a little further. "This is Sara. I'm sure you all have already heard what happened at the meeting today, and Marcus has informed you what is happening." Sir Atticus' sharp eyes darted to each girl like a hawk seeking out a reaction. "Though these are strange times, I expect you to treat Sara like one of your own. She may be new, but she is a Squire. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir," said each of the girls without hesitation. It was kinda frightening how in sync they all were, and they reacted instantly. I tried to imagine myself being like that, but it just made my stomach squirm.
Sir Atticus nodded. "Good. I'll leave her in your care." He then turned to me. "I'll see you at the canteen. Seven-thirty sharp. Good night." And he then closed the door behind him.
There was a tense silence. I wanted nothing more than to wrench the door open and tell him to take me home. But that would not make a great first impression. I turned and looked at the girls who were watching me. "Umm, hi?" I said, taking a step backwards.
"You're not exactly what I imagined a Prophet to look like," one girl said, turning to examine me. I didn't even know what that meant. Were Prophets supposed to look like something?
"Yeah, Virgil is going to kick off when he sees you tomorrow," another girl said, a wicked grin on her face. This was spiralling out of control already. Who was Virgil, and why had I pissed him off? I had done nothing yet, and I was already making enemies.
"Virgil can go suck a dick," said a girl with short hair and slick eyebrows. None of the other girls replied, clearly not wanting to disagree. No one moved as everyone watched what this girl would do next. "Well, if I'm the only one with manners," the girl said and strolled over to me. She stretched out her hand, "Lex," she said.
"Sara," I replied, not realising until a split second after everyone already knew that. Lex didn't seem to mind, though, as she just snorted.
"Lovely. Welcome to the two-thousands," she announced. She wrapped her arm around me and started pointing at people. "This is Autumn," she said, pointing at the first girl to speak. She had brown hair and green eyes. She was also by far the tallest girl there. "Next you have, Jesse and Ilona," the two girls waved from their short bunks. "And finally, Katrina," Lex finished pointing at the girl who had spoken about Virgil. She had black hair and dark eyes. She glared at me like my presence was a crime. Katrina gave me a sharp nod and returned to her bed.
Lex rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get you a bunk," she said, dragging me into the room. "You can have the one next to me," she added, plonking me down on the bed. It had a thin mattress, and I thought it would snap in two. I didn't know what to say, so I just mumble thanks. I looked at Lex's bed. Her bed was identical to mine and gave off the military feel you saw in movies. Next to it was a bedside table with a single picture of her family. It made me sick to look at it. On the other side of her bed was her wardrobe, covered in photographs and a tally of markings down its side. I tried to read it, but I couldn't make anything out. The other girls had decorated their sections as well, nothing too special, but each had made it their own space. My little, bare section made my heart craved my old room.
Lex was rummaging through her bag and then threw some clothes at me. "You can borrow these PJs till you get your own stuff."
"Thanks," I said. There was a bathroom at the end of the room with small cubicles. Nothing impressive, but everything the girls needed. I slipped into a cubicle and sat down. Everything hit me all at once. The stress, the drama, the hurt. It overwhelmed me in a single wave. Hot tears ran down my face as I tried to keep my gasps as quiet as possible. I didn't want the other girls to hear me cry. My entire body shook as I tried taking in some deep breaths. I tried wiping the tears away with a tissue, but soon new tears replaced it.
I froze as I heard the door open. There was a light knock on my door. "Hey, Lights out in a minute," Lex's voice came from the other side. I furiously got dressed and tried my best to hide I'd been crying. It was apparent I had been crying as I opened my door. My eyes were puffy, and I was still sniffing. Lex looked at me, sympathetically. "Good to get that out?" She said. I just nodded. Lex put a hand on me, "Don't worry, everything is going too fine. I'll make sure of it." I nodded again, not wanting to speak in case I'd throw up.
We went back to our bed, and a minute later, the light went out. I lay there in the dark, doing my best not to cry again while listening out for the whispers of the other girls. But all I could hear was their gentle breathing. It was by far the most miserable and sleepless nights of my life. And the last thing I wanted to think about was that I was going to be an Arknight.