"Anya?" Becky's voice was far away and Anya looked at her in a daze. She'd been absorbed in the situation and still was, but suddenly there was a vague recognition of where she was, of the kids around her talking and screeching excitedly. The sun still shone brightly, the students were happy and the weather was perfect. It only existed in the background to Anya, a cruel joke to undermine what was taking place.
"Anya?" Becky asked again, and Anya panicked that Blackbell had picked up on her signs of distress. Anya panicked further at what would happen if Becky decided this warranted the teachers attention and fought to reel in her breathing and shaking to little avail.
Her friend waited for an answer and Anya tried, but her voice was trapped in her throat. Her tongue couldn't seem to form words. She felt as if she were in a clouded dream, movements difficult and unresponsive.
"What's wrong?" Becky asked worriedly, referring to her concerning state. "Do you feel sick? Are you okay?" She put a hand on Anya's forehead, but it wasn't feverish. This didn't assuage her, she knew something wasn't right. Anya was acting weird again and Becky was becoming increasingly frustrated that she didn't know why. The last time, it was caused by a bad dream and Anya had said it was nothing, and now it came out of nowhere. She'd been acting odd all day too, what was going on?
"I'll get the teacher." Becky meant to turn away from her, but Anya grabbed her arm.
"No, Anya's. . . . just cold." She managed in a quiet voice, the words thick and hard to get out. A lie to cover up the extraordinary amount of adrenaline racing through her. She was surprised she spoke at all.
Becky didn't believe her. Anya looked too distressed and the weather was too hot for her to shiver unless she really was sick. It was moments like these Becky wanted to press further and figure out what was going on, and on the other hand, didn't want to upset her. Becky was beginning to think she should no longer gloss over these anomalies in Anya's behaviour. Most the time she appeared to be fine, but it was instances like these that made Becky question it. It was stressing her out.
"Alright, moving on." Mr. Gable called, and Becky's skepticism was put on hold as they lined up. She questioned why Anya waited to join at the back when they could have easily been closer to the front and it raised flags she didn't even know they eluded to. It was just weird. She knew Anya had no preference where they stood in line.
She put it aside as the class trod along over the dirt path tramped down by innumerable feet over the years, and soon the ground shifted to railed wooden walkways. The breeze receded as the cover of trees flanked their sides and the sun beat down on the students black uniforms, now with no relief from the wind. Anya's palms sweated and she had never wanted to take the bandages off so badly. Her movements were stiff and she walked along with the class, antsy and high strung. She thought she might throw up if she let herself.
Sounds of the children floated down to her, and Becky also talked, though Anya hardly listened. Her perceived fortress of safety had been ripped down and it was all she could do to dwell in the resulting vulnerability. The security that had been building and building since her return home, had crumbled the instant she knew the director was here. Anya didn't know if she could do this. She was too afraid, too aware of what would happen afterwards. She couldn't do it again, she simply couldn't, it was too much. But what did she do? What about her classmates? There was no way she ran, and they weren't harmed. Or her, for that matter, they'd certainly catch her anyway.
Anya took hold of Becky's hand in a reach for comfort and Becky thought nothing of it. Anya hoped it wouldn't be the last time. Her parents would come for her, like before. They would come, they would come, they would come. They wouldn't abandon her.
She was pretty sure.
It didn't matter how many times she heard them think or say they'd protect her, a trace of doubt consistently survived her attempts to erase it. As if it were a scar that wouldn't fade.
Anya barely acknowledged she was moving and fought to keep herself together. She wished she knew how to make the line stop. Her own distraction to counteract the director's and prevent what was coming. She didn't want to think about every step that was bringing her closer to him and wherever he would take her.
She crumbled inside when she thought of it, the crushing reality that it was actually happening.
No. She couldn't do this. She couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't. The aforementioned thoughts of her parents, doing nothing to quell the rising hysteria.
Becky, Anya thought.
She couldn't let her die.
She couldn't do this.
But Becky.
'Get ready.' Kai's voice popped in her head. Loud and forceful to assure it grabbed her attention and she jolted.
She'd been inattentive to where she was, or where she was going, and saw they were nearing an intersection. Tall greenery rose up high above their heads.
'When I say so, you're going to go left at that intersection.' Kai thought at her. 'Make sure that girl and the man don't notice.'
The latter to which he referred to was the Wald's homeroom teacher who had brought up the rear of the group. One teacher to head the front, one to watch the kids from behind.
Kai must have eyes on her. Either his own or someone else's.
Up ahead, Professor Henderson and Mr. Gable walked by the walkway that intersected perpendicularly, and continued on straight.
Anya held Becky's hand tighter.
'Just a moment now.' The director warned her, the words spoken straight into her heart to make it pound harder.
Anya didn't know what to expect and with each second that passed, she anticipated something terrible. It would be just like the director to do something horrific and call it a "distraction". All these kids, the teachers, they had no idea what was going on and she worried what Kai was planning.
The thudding of feet on wood was cloppy and hollow as Anya went through the intersection and it only built her dread. It felt as if she were being escorted to the gallows.
She hadn't gone far beyond the junction when—
Crack!
Anya was already jittery and she jumped at the splintering collapse of planks up ahead and a shout of alarm. A few kids screamed and Anya thought the worst. She couldn't see Professor Henderson at the front anymore, but the walkway was wide and she stepped to the side as many others did.
The walkway which was supported about a foot off the ground, had given way and the the professor had fallen along with a few children. It wasn't nearly as bad as she expected and the class rushed forward to crowd as close as they dared. The Wald Hall's homeroom teacher immediately rushed past and Becky followed. She was unaware that Anya didn't also.
'Now.' Kai instructed and Anya spiked with intense pressure at his words to go, an overwhelming want to ignore him. No breath in her lungs as she stood motionless, an indecision that tore her apart, though she knew she couldn't stay. It was actually happening and she didn't want to go, she didn't want to go back to that life. She didn't want to leave the class that remained oblivious to what caused this scene.
'Now!' Kai repeated and she jumped. He was warning her. If she hesitated any longer, he'd retaliate. The assertive urgency in his voice eradicated any notion she had a choice in the matter, and with one last look at Becky, turned away.
And left.
It was a short walk back to the intersection and in a moment, she was out of sight from her classmates.
She began to cry.
'Move quickly. Take the next left turn that you see.'
The walkway shifted to a long dirt path soon enough and Anya hurried down it. It ran by an animal pen, though she was barely conscious of it. There were no other people here. She rounded the corner and he spoke again soon after
'Go straight after the turn. Take the second path on the right.'
He had mapped out the zoo, she suspected. It sounded like he didn't have spies on her anymore, and wished she could take advantage of it. She knew she would regret it if she did.
There were a few more turns and she must've been walking for at least ten minutes. She made one more turn and stopped ten steps in.
'Agent Fisher should be there at the next right.' Kai said belatedly.
Anya knew. She could see her. On the side of the path, Fisher sat on a bench that faced the opposite animal enclosure.
Anya hadn't sensed her at all. The new devices.
Fisher stood.
'She'll give you your further instructions.' And he was gone.
"Subject 007." Fisher said in greeting. She wore civilian clothes to blend in, her face as stoic as ever. Anya had seen her in apparel other than her combat gear before, and yet it was still always strange. They never fit her personality or her ability to switch gears on a moment's notice.
Anya didn't respond. She never had and she never would. She was sure if she tried, her voice wouldn't come through anyway, it'd be more of a whisper for lack of air. She tried not to cry out loud, but a sob slipped through. Everything was becoming too real. Each time the director thought at her, each person she saw from the lab was like a bucket of freezing water over her head. She had become accustomed to living with her parents, the idea she would stay there forever, that she'd never deal with these people again.
But here Agent Fisher was.
"Let's go." She prompted her to come closer from where she stood some metres away.
This was it. As soon as she walked over there, she'd be stuck with them until her parents came. The finality of it was suffocating and she was grounded where she stood. She couldn't run like she wanted nor move forward. She didn't want to get any closer. She didn't want to, she didn't want to, she didn't want to. She couldn't. She had to. Anya breathed heavier. A little quicker.
How long would it take for her parents to come? To find her? What would happen until they did?
She couldn't do this, she couldn't do this.
She had to.
"Lets. Go." Fisher said warningly.
The consequences were too steep if she didn't and she dragged her leg forward reluctantly. They were as stone, grating against the ground, heavy and unwieldy.
No. She couldn't do this, she couldn't do this. She needed out of this. How did did she get out of this? What did she do, what did she do? Surely there was something. There had to be. This couldn't be happening, she couldn't do this.
As if on cue, Fisher's head snapped up and locked on something past Anya. She spun around when she realized someone was behind her.
A pit twisted and sank in her stomach.
No. Nonono.
What was he doing here?! He was going to get himself killed!
Anya stared wide-eyed at him, and the boy who had looked about to speak, paused at the sight of her face.
Damian had followed her.