Everyone is dressed in black jumpsuits covered with numerous pockets. I spot an extra jumpsuit on the end of the bench they are sitting at and have a feeling that suit is for me. I glance back at Charlie who I just realized is wearing a black jumpsuit as well but with more gadgets and handy looking equipment attached to it. Charlie smiles as he catches my attention and nods me towards the suit. I grab the suit off the bench and slip it on over my clothes as a dozen of eyes watch me, not creepy at all. . . I huff out a breath of air before zipping up the suit and plopping myself down on the bench.
Charlie smiles at me and then straightens up ready to speak.
"You are all here because training is necessary to get through the plans for tomorrow night. What we are going to be doing will be very risky so we cannot take chances on people coming along unknowledgeable in the procedure. We will have to be stealthy, invisible and strong. We will most importantly have to work as a team."
Charlie grabs a small cylinder from his belt and clicks a button on it. The cylinder grows quickly into a long baton. Charlie taps an end to the ground and locks eyes with me.
"Have any of you trained before, besides in this training room when you joined the rebellion?" Charlie asks, scanning his eyes along the row of people. No one nods and I know I have the least experience of all. Charlie's hand startles me as he grabs my arm and tugs me up to my feet and next to him. "Take out your baton Elsie."
I search my belt for the cylinder and then fumble it off my belt, pressing the button and the holding the baton awkwardly to my side. Charlie grunts and then comes at me quickly with the baton braced in both his hands ready to knock me down where I stand. I panic as he comes closer, realizing I'm a goner if he proceeds. Charlie hits my baton with his and as if I was a flash of light I touched the end of my baton to the ground helping to push me from the ground into the air and bring the baton over my head for the one long second I was in the air and brought it down on Charlie who quickly shields himself with his baton. I land on the ground while my baton keeps locked on Charlie's.
"That was amazing." A ladies voice exclaims.
I turn my head to catch sight of who said that. Charlie takes his chance and slides his leg beneath me causing me to fall straight onto my butt. I groan and find the face of the woman. She is the woman I met in the training room when wandering around. Her long black hair is still pulled back into a high ponytail and she is also in a black jumpsuit that fits tight to her.
"Charlie is a tough competitor, but I guess he had an instinct that you would be able to take care of yourself." She smiles and helps me up slowly. "Sorry it took me so long to get here Charlie. The meeting ended so there was a huge crowd for me to weave through."
Charlie nods and smiles understandingly. Everyone on the bench starts fidgeting impatiently.
"Alright kids! Get on up and we are going to actually train now!" Charlie shouts out, making my ears ring. "We are going to be pros by the time I am done with you all, this mission will not be a failure as long as I am alive." All the pets on the bench get up quickly and circle around Charlie anxiously. They must be very excited to go and take down the breeding center.
"You should get into that circle as well Elsie. That one stunt doesn't mean you don't need training." She teases. "By the way, my name is Cindy. I know I never told you and I know it would be important for you to know my name for when we go into action at the breeding center." She smiles and pushes me into the circle. Training began, and for once my mind was clear and I wasn't flooding my head with questions, just orders and actions.
I trudge back to my room late at night with aches and pains screaming at me to stop moving. I groan and ignore the dead silence in the main living area as I turn the door knob to my room slowly and push it open causing it to hit the wall. I slide my feet along the ground and shut the door behind me shutting the light out as well. I slip my clothes off along with the jumpsuit leaving only me undergarments and leave the close on the floor.
I wait a little while for my eyes to adjust to the dark room so I can navigate to my bed. I manage to glimpse the bed post and slowly reach towards it inching closer and closer as my joints protest. I grab ahold of the post and pull myself to the bed and plop onto my bed with relief. My bed has never felt so wonderful. I smile up at the ceiling and sigh happily before turning onto my side.
I can't help but let a scream escape my lips when I spot a figure beside me. I squirm back and end up on the edge of the bed about to fall off, letting another helpless scream escape. As I am about to fall and hit the floor an arm wraps around me and pulls me onto the bed safely and a nose traces my neck.
I gasp and blush as I push the figure away slowly.
"Dereck if that is you, you need to leave. I am not interested in you like that." I clear my throat, hoping his feelings aren't hurt too badly. The nose returns to my neck and I can feel his breaths flowing along my neck. My eyes can't help but get wide and I push him away once more. "Dereck! This is inappropriate! Get out now or I will have to get Charlie to remove you by force." I hiss under my breath.
My eyes adjust better to the dark now and I can see the outline of his face. I freeze instantly as his face becomes clearer.
"Dominic?" I whisper. "What are you do-"Dominic cuts me off with an abrupt kiss and I forget my question instantly. He cups my face with his hand and slowly parts his lips from mine.
"I fell for you minutes after I talked to you. I'm surprised I kept calm when I noticed that Dereck had set his eyes on you, but I think we had a connection the moment we were able to spend quality time together." I listen intently and just blush more and more with every word he adds. I knew that I had some feelings for him but I didn't know that he felt the same, or maybe even more. I see Dominic smile and then everything goes black.
* * *
Everything aches as I shift around in my bed, rubbing away the sleep in my eyes slowly. Everything of last night slowly drifts back into memory and I quickly turn my head to see if Dominic is there. I feel a twinge of sadness as I see nothing but upturned covers. His absence makes me wonder if maybe everything was just a dream, that I dreamt up the possibility that Dominic might have a further interest in me other than a friend.
I slip out of bed and check the clock. I gasp as the numbers flash three o'clock. I slept in much later than I thought I would, nobody even came to try and wake me. I quickly slip on some old jeans and a tank top before leaving my room and walking into the bustling crowd of people in the main living area. I pass through groups of chattering towards my destination. Scaling the spiral steps make my thighs scream in protest but I keep going, knowing that I need as much training as I can get before tonight.
I enter the training room and scan the room. No one in sight. I thought there would be even more people, training for tonight as well to assure success. I walk towards the far end of the room to get a weapon to train with. Once I get to the weapon rack though, there were no weapons to be seen. I frown and look at the smudged hard floor. What am I supposed to do? I hear the door open to the room and turn my head to see who has also come to try and train. I will have to deliver the sad news of no weapons.
"Elsie, what are you doing in here, everyone is getting ready while you are just wandering around aimlessly?" Dereck looks at me confused.
"I. . . I was coming to train some more before tonight. . . Where is everyone then?" I sigh, I wouldn't know since no one tells me anything.
"Everyone is in their rooms getting together their things and gathering for a quick meeting with Charlie and Cindy to make sure everyone knows the procedures. C'mon, we can't waste too much time."
I grunt in response and follow him out the door and back down the torturous steps to my bedroom. Dereck waits in the doorway as I go into the bathroom and change into my jumpsuit, I make sure to check that all the gadgets are there. I can hear Dereck getting impatient through the door and roll my eyes as I exit the bathroom.
"Impatient much?" I ask teasingly as I pull my hair into a short pony tail. "I kinda can't believe that the break in of the breeding center is so soon."
"I can, the sooner we take action the better." Dereck nods his head towards the living area gesturing for me to go before him. I pass him and glance back to catch him taking a peek at my butt. I turn my head before he knows and sigh, men. Dereck manages to get to my side and walk with me as we trudge through the crowd closer to the front. I glance around trying to spot Dominic but I cannot seem to see him anywhere in the crowd. Dereck doesn't seemed concerned about his brother's absence but why would he. Dereck stops a few rows of people from where Charlie and Cindy are standing and watches as I slowly come to a stop beside him while continuing to scan the crowd with my eyes.
I watch as Cindy and Charlie speak to themselves and everyone else does the same while waiting for the command to quiet down and listen. I turn to Dereck and he is looking at me. I give Dereck a soft smile and smiles back before taking my hand in his. I feel my face get red and I have no idea what to do.
"I hope you don't mind, I don't want us to get lost." As he says that the crowd gets louder and I hear a beep from across the room behind me. People begin shifting and flowing towards the noise, leaving behind people that are staying for whatever reason I am. I really wish I was more in the loop. That would make life so much easier. I watch as the room drains of people and scan the room to see just a fair sized group of people left, and no Dominic.
I give up looking for Dominic and focus my attention on Charlie and Cindy. Charlie steps up onto a nice brand new podium and clears his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the night has come that we are going to make our first action to freedom, to equality! I am excited for you, so no need to make noise." Charlie grins and continues on. "You all have trained at least once with me and Cindy and we both decided you are prepared for the job ahead. You know your gadgets and you know the lay out of the breeding center. Let's not waste time, and get to work!"
After Charlie says that, Cindy steps up and places her foot onto a button placed on the floor of the podium. Once she releases the button from her foot the floor begins to shake. I quickly turn my head to Dereck and panic in my head. What the hell is going on!? Dereck smiles calmly and grabs my hand tighter.
The walls around us sink away and become smooth, all the book shelves and the stair case are flat against the wall. The room becomes just a smooth cylinder shape and the floor is slowly moving us higher and higher up, towards the ceiling. I am really hoping there is an opening, and by looking at Charlie's huge ecstatic grin I'm sure there is.
As we get closer to the ceiling the floor begins to slow down, I take a chance to scan the people and see they are just as confused and intrigued as I am. I look up at the ceiling and spot a knob placed right in the middle of a circular door that must be our exit. Our head almost touch the ceiling when the floor comes to a stop. The podium is tight up against the ceiling, Charlie and Cindy are walking towards the circular door as everyone stands still and watches. Nobody has spoken a word but I don't think they have clue what to say at a weird moment like this.
Charlie reaches up and begins spinning the knob causing his muscles to bulge from his arms. It doesn't take him long to undo the door and as it swings open Charlie grabs hold of a handle and pulls down and extends out a ladder. Dereck looks at me and I look back at him.
"I have been wondering why I wasn't woken up for the meeting that you guys had. . ." I ask Dereck, letting the sadness in my heart fill the words. I may have had only one owner practically my whole life but that doesn't mean I'm fine with being left out.
"There was no meeting, that's why. Victoria lied about the meeting, I don't know why, but she seems to always like to feel like she has a meeting with everyone, just to feel important or something." He shrugs. "Sorry, I thought you could tell she was lying. Luckily the plans weren't her responsibility, they were all Charlie's and Cindy's." He glances to Charlie and Cindy as they smile over to us we are the last ones who are left to go up the ladder. I glance back at Dereck and he pulls me by my hand to the ladder.
Dereck lets go of my hand and scales the ladder up into a dark ball of mystery. I glance at Cindy and Charlie then clear my throat, I feel like this is my battle, the one who makes a difference. I look at the ladder I am holding and nod to myself. I will work my hardest tonight, and we will come back with more people than we left with.
"No matter what you think, you are ready." I hear Charlie bark to me. He is right I smile and climb the steps up into the darkness ready to help this world fulfill its true potential.