Word Count: 2 549
CHAPTER TWELVE:
You'd think that training would get easier with time, what with it being the third consecutive day of our death sessions, but nope. My body has not been coping. I'm a little nervous, because Ian mentioned the fact that our first observed assessment would be sometime soon, any day now. And so naturally I'm worried that I may not have developed my powers by whenever that is.
What if it's too soon after the operation and my body hasn't settled into the change yet? Or what if the procedure doesn't work at all?
Ian also mentioned how ideally he'd be showing me how to use my body and my powers during our combat training, but until Monday, that isn't happening.
It's only been a couple of days since my arrival, but everywhere I turn there are initiates at least trying to use their powers. Neave tests hers out on me all the time by blowing away any object I'm about to touch. For example: glasses, pens, food, knives – she's almost air-stabbed me a few times – and I can't help thinking that if the assessment is ability related, I'm going to mess up on a colossal scale since I don't have any... let alone practice.
I'll admit it's a little annoying, but I think she's only doing it to get me to try and retaliate since I told her I don't feel comfortable using my powers in front of people yet. She first got hurt by the fact that I referred to her as 'people' and then resorted to labeling me as one of the 'perfectionist type'. I didn't expect this whole process to be so relaxed. For the most part I'm free to do whatever I want to. There isn't a set time for training sessions and so that's all up to you and your Watcher as long as you're ready for the assessment days which we're only notified of just a few days prior. We only get to know what the assessment is on the day though; I bet it's because the leaders don't want to completely lose the element of surprise.
I look up from the food on my table in the restaurant I'm sitting in with Neave. It's a nice place, with a Retro 70s slash Old Wild West feel about it; from neon lights to leather seats and steak. My mother wouldn't be fond of my spending money on restaurant food. The idea of me giving 2 1/2 hours of my life to someone else would probably make her quake, but I guess you gotta live a little. (Or die a little?)
I look up from the thick piece of steak on my plate, my mouth salivating at the sight of lovely sauces and meat juices dripping onto the scene and I instead set my sights on Neave. She's eyeing up one of her projects – another cellphone – as she swipes through the screen. She's been trying to convince me to take one of her spares, talking about how easy to use they are and that I should really learn to appreciate old technology and how she's given it all these upgrades which will literally blow my mind, but I'm not too keen on it.
Just as I touch my fingers to my wrist, considering playing a video game from my chip I notice a trail of black flowing down her nose and I make a break to let her know.
"Neave, it's happening again," I tell her and her face flushes red.
"This is so embarrassing and annoying," she huffs getting up from across from me. "I'm sorry I'll be right back," she babbles and soon all I can see is her retreating figure.
I'm glad I haven't been getting any nosebleeds like she has, because that would be a lot more than just embarrassing or annoying for me, but the cold feeling did return a second time only a day ago. There's also a few other people I've been seeing disappear from various rooms with their hands clutched over their nostrils and every day it gets more and more obvious just how true Neave's words were.
Something is wrong with everyone.
I beamed my mother to ask about what's going on and to catch up a little, but what she told me did very little to calm my nerves. She thinks it's some kind of virus and the sad part is that that's not the worst part. There's apparently something serious that our government and our predecessors have kept from us. And I find it worrying that the secret only saw the light of day in the midst of my mom's research in the hopes of finding the key to our genetic mutation in order to save me.
The virus that killed most of the human race didn't happen by chance. It was man-made and the reason why our genetics changed wasn't some massive stroke of luck either. It was the doing of genetic modification, done to make a select few immune to the disastrous effects of that which brought the world so close to a minute to midnight. It's sickening and yet I can't help thinking that to some extent it was necessary; but on the other hand, who decided which people were worth saving?
After years of studying and monitoring blood from numerous donors and then comparing it to my own pure, original and unblemished Retrograde blood, my mother reached the shocking discovery that there is something amiss.
There's a weird combination of real and synthetic that's alive and well in almost all of the population in the Ring and my mother fears that we were never really immune to that virus. That maybe it just went into a quiet phase when our kind was originally exposed to it, evolving slightly over the years only to be awakened now by a chemical in whatever experiment it was that went wrong in the Ring.
Even after that last ditch attempt to save the human race, we're all going to die anyway. In the second coming of the virus. The scary part is that the government is trying to keep it quiet and they go around discrediting the only people who really do care about the well-being of our people — the media. But why? Does that mean they have some kind of plan?
The thought tastes like oil caked in honey. The one time my mother chooses to be a little more honest with me and the world is dying.
I lift my fork after deciding that thinking so deeply about this is really unhealthy and instead focus on something else. The restaurant I'm in. I'm a firm believer in the fact that there isn't anyone braver than a young entrepreneur where we are in the world right now. It means not bothering with impressing your leaders and instead sacrificing almost half of your life in a venture that may not work out at all, one that could possibly kill you. Same goes for singers, actors and writers. There's so much risk involved, but there's nothing that makes me prouder than witnessing the good that came of their struggles. I guess that's part of the reason why I'm enjoying being in this restaurant right now.
A bell jingles at the entrance of the establishment, grabbing my attention for a moment as I glance back to see who entered more out of instinct than curiosity. Two Air Kru boys enter with wide smiles on their faces, teasing a male who I soon recognise to be Kai Dassin. I duck my head down slightly when they pass me in a wave of laughter before taking their seats only two empty booths ahead of me.
Kai sits across from his companions which makes it so that I can see him through the gap the two chattering bodies leave open. His blue eyes dot between their faces and I watch him brush a hand through his hair before responding to something that they must've said.
I observe his lips part as he delivers his words with a small grin on his face and I could almost mistake him for someone without a target on his back. He must have really good friends if they aren't subjecting him to a massive pity party or ignoring his existence all together. I see all the strength I wish I could have in him. I may not know him, but he makes me feel so proud of the part of myself that I'm supposed to hate. The part that I have to hide and keep a secret at all costs. It's the very same part of me that I wish I was never born with and yet somehow I may just miss it when it's gone. It's me after all.
"Right ... I'm back and you're staring," Neave points out as she takes a seat across from me, effectively covering my view in a blanket of skin and hair and other things.
I slip a straw between my lips and slurp some of the pink drink in my glass up, not making any eye contact, as if ignoring her will make her drop the subject.
"Hello!" she says snapping her fingers in my face.
"What?" I gasp with a small smile, manipulating the electronic menu embedded in the countertop. "This is really good ... I think I might just have another one."
"What were you looking at?" she repeats, grabbing my hand to make sure I stop my lazy attempt.
I look away from her and stare down into my drink.
"Nope! No! Suki, you're not going to ignore me. I'm your super cute, super amazing best friend. This is not how our relationship works," she blusters and then slams her hand on the table.
"You're also my only friend," I gripe with an upturned brow.
"I don't know what made you think that's better, but it's not. That's even more reason as to why you absolutely cannot just going around ignoring me!"
Silence.
"Suki. Look. At. Me," she breathes slowly and I can't say why, but I do. I can't help it.
When her eyes meet mine there's almost a hypnotic glaze over them.
"What were you looking at?" she presses.
My eyes risk a small detour and land somewhere behind her frame. She turns around slowly which has me cringing in my seat, because there is absolutely no way that that wouldn't grab at least one member's attention.
"Ooh!" she gushes when she turns back around, keeping her frame unnaturally still in the hopes of looking even a little inconspicuous. "You interested in one of them?" she whispers so loudly that the point of her softened tone is lost on me.
I narrow my gaze as a scoff pushes passed my brims, "Of course not."
"We can join them if you'd like. I've spoken to one of them quite a few times in the past. He seemed nice enough and I'm sure they wouldn't mind," she narrates and my head automatically resorts to a rigorous shaking that I hope is enough to convince her of my intentions.
"Fifty years is too short to not want to make the most out of it. Who knows, maybe you'll be having one of their kids in a few years' time," she drawls lazily, leaning her head on her palm.
"There is something very, very wrong with you," I chastise with a narrowed gaze.
"I know," she sighs, "but pretty soon you'll be just like me. I'm gonna rub off on you, I have that effect on people like you."
"Peaple like what?"
"People named Suki," she says with an unruly smile and I narrow my gaze.
I watch her slip out of our booth and it dawns on me just how badly I have failed at keeping her in her seat. She grabs onto my hand, pulling me out and she practically carries me over to the small group of euphoric faces.
"Smile, okay? And at least try to carry your own body weight," she whispers in my ear as she ushers me to them.
"Hey," Neave greets when we arrive, "I saw you guys walk in and I thought it might be cool if we joined you," she says nonchalantly.
Kai's grin instantaneously drops from his face; his smile lines run slack, but the other two boys simply glance at each other for a brief moment and then nod their heads, encouraging us to sit. My self-proclaimed best friend nudges me into the booth, forcing me to sit next Kai who reluctantly moves over and then she occupies the area on my left.
"Neave right?" one of them asks and it dawns on me that she may not know any of them as well as she's letting on.
"Yup, and this is my friend Suki," she lilts with an over-wide grin on her face and I simply raise my brows in acknowledgment.
I can't help feeling a little uncomfortable knowing that Kai is so put off by our presence.
"My name's Nova," the guy who originally addressed us says, his green eyes lifting to greet my own and then shifting over to Neave. "This is Sawyer," he introduces, beckoning to the curly haired blonde next to him who simply put is just cute, "but he prefers Saw."
"Nice to meet you Sawyer," I greet and Nova snickers.
"That over there is our main TV-man, resident Pukka Kai Dassin," Nova jokes and all Kai does is let his blue eyed gaze flicker over my own for less than a second, before looking back to the front of the establishment with his head resting on his balled up fists, supported by the elbows on the table.
The entire exchange was so very different for me. It scared me how much I had to say to people I didn't know at all prior to coming into this. It wasn't anything like being back at my old Division where all conversation seemed to be about constantly keeping up an air of politeness when you don't really even care and trying not to come off as offensive, standoffish or mean. It wasn't anything like school either where like at home, no one ever bothered to try.
I didn't have to worry about that and I loved it ... and soon I can really be a part of it. I hadn't even known I was capable of exuding so much confidence, at least not in front of other people. They let me ignore, maybe even forget what I was on the inside. The only downside was how quiet Kai remained. He answered in short nods, not once letting his voice out of its box; his demeanor was what spoke volumes.
As I sit next to him, coolness seems to radiate off of him and crawl up my skin with every passing moment, its one message screaming how much I don't belong here. He only lets his words taste our surroundings as Neave and I prepare to leave.
"Bye Suki," he whispers, causing me to snap my head to the side.
'It's him,' Aspen's voice echoes in my skull and my heart pulls to a stop.
I stare and he stares right back.
X X X
A/N
He gives me chills... ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-chills
Kai everybody 🤩
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