"All we need is...", he said, grabbing her mouth full of blood and began squishing it "...to obey the treaty by passing anyone from the Otherside to them on the given day and smuggle our guys in, unnoticed".
This devious man didn't seem like he was lying. But he also seemed like he was just doing that.
"Why the testing, though?" "Silly girl, not everyone or anyone can cross over. Tamers are the only beings who can cross because they're not truly human -- just look like it. In the past, Tamers would usually fall in despair and accidentally cross with no way back but since that war, we want to get as many of them in our control first and then, have them open the boundary.
"It opens" she thought aloud
"Only that witch can open it but our Tamers will start a rebellion on that side to ensure our victory", she suddenly noticed her instinct sharpened as her blood got old in her mouth. She has come to some conclusions about herself and why they want her.
"Let's make a deal. Since I'm assuming that I'm a pure blood from the Otherside, from your marvelous speech. I will cooperate with you. If -- you keep the kids at my orphanage the best care ever...assuming that you can't kill me" She said after spitting out 2 pints of black blood.
The man's eyes widened with the joy of a child's, "So, you are smart after all. That means, you're choosing us?"
She nodded off to unconsciousness and those terrifying mundane days began.
At the beginning, she was the last out of 10383 kids, but by the time Yanassa came, she became the first.
They traumatized them thoroughly, trained them and traumatised them the serum tirelessly and treated them like different species of entertainment. It was a blood game upon a blood game and someone must die.
12 years old Kathy Rivera, was weak from birth. Her love for dancing helped her to develop a body far stronger than any average male but she was homeschooled all her life so, she's been shy since she came to the facility.
On the first day of Kathy's arrival, She walked to the class area holding out the map on her phone. She was already late for the first class.
"I'll have to make it to PE then", she decided and ran to her dorm room.
The way to the dorms was like
walking through prison cells but between every cell, was a door to a relaxing paradise. Spa, water beds, feather cushions...a dream room. Kathy picked up her L sized sports outfit from beneath her unorganized pile of luggage and dashed to the fields.
Sitting on the bench to catch her breath, she saw a bunch of kids making their way to the centre of the Allball field.
She has never seen such a wide, colourful field with hoops taller than any in basketball, just floating straight up like a circus ring; there were disks placed on walls with ancient designs. It looked like a Mayan game but there was a feeling of modern tech mix. There's an electric fence that knocks out anyone who hits it once. There were neon lights all over the place.
Modern day bleachers adorned in classical modern-day drums, 3 students high, were manned by the staff of the facility, which I still don't know its name.
*Sighs
Those staff always wore onesies and overalls but they all had masks that no two persons wore.
The first trumpet began to sound the summon of the players. It was a boys versus girls match but there was someone who piqued my attention. Her name was Phoebe Jolie.
She was a timid nerd who looked shorter than 5ft despite her being older than most of us. Since everyone gets a list of everyone's details, I could tell from a glance that she's unremarkable.
She wore hazy glasses and left her hair flowing messy. Her clothes were oversized and her cute looks were overshadowed by her oldies style appearance.
The staff began sounding the huge drums with huge drumsticks, then a man with a Chinese Lion mask walked to the centre of the field and signalled for the players to gather round.
After they huddled up, she told them the rules of the match and everyone bowed in a circle form in sportsmanship. A big colourful basketball shot out from the centre of the huddle. As though from an action movie, Lincoln Peller; all-rounder sports star swiped low to steal the ball. The game commenced
In this facility, anyone who fell behind was eliminated immediately so even breaking the rules to survive was a stretch. In sports, the player with the least input is eliminated, so spectators would place bets on each game not on the outcome, but on the eliminated player.
At this point, the game was one-sided.
Peller was a young promising multi-athlete who had a bipolar personality, earning himself several yellow cards. Once, he got 9 yellow cards in one season when he played basketball. His life wasn't terrible though so I don't know what made the facility pick him from the streets of Colorado.
I haven't seen any other athletes from the list. So it's obvious that the game today will be -
*Dum dum dum
A girl was thrown to the fence and got zapped out
The drum was beat thrice
And the staff lady in a Chinese Lion mask picked the ball from Peller and walked to the centre, waving for two other staff to bring a stretcher for the girl; apparently named Rey Dole.
She looked out but for someone zapped, I didn't see any sigh of sweating or burns. I was starting to get suspicious.
As she was carried out of the field, I felt like Enola Holmes and followed her. I made sure to avoid the eyes of the staff and put my shoes at the front of the bathroom, left the shower on, and played my music to avoid suspicions.
They passed the narrow training hallway and turned right to the open back road. If they took a right, they'd be heading to the infirmary but they stood right in front of the security camera and did a u-turn straight to the staff quarters.
None of us are allowed here but the place we first saw was in the staff quarters. My aunt was a detective who died in the line of duty. Naturally, I wanted to follow her footsteps.
I have learnt everything I need to be the best detective in the whole West Kansas but my dream was cut short when the facility took me. I thought it was a scholarship program so I signed up online, but I got in though. But the officer scheduled for a bus to pick me, I found out that I was the only one in it also, the bus made me doze off and I woke up in my room in the facility.
Most people don't know how they got here either and everyone has to figure out their life once they land here.
Passing stealthily behind them, I started to feel nervous as the roads became unfamiliar. They were taking so many turns that I thought Rey will drop from the --
She dropped from the stretcher.
The staff stare at each other for a while before placing the stretcher down, put her in and continue.
I began trailing them through the forest until I saw a 4-story building I've never seen in all my 6 months here.
The building looked very old with moss at its crevices, the stained cream colour and the plants grasping at the bottom walls. Everything about the building screamed "Don't go in"
But I have to. I need to. I need answers.
So yes, I went in with my breath in the ground.
...
It's so eerie here. The building's inside was far worse than the inside. It was like a huge robot morphed into a building and went to sleep. The inside screamed new technology. The walls were reinforced by some metal. The whole place was laminated by sensor lights.
They only lit up when someone passed by so I had to follow them real close.
As I followed them through the huge metal doors. One of the lights suddenly started beeping and other lights followed suit. They shine a spotlight towards where I stood and I quickly ducked and crawled towards a corner. But before I could get there, someone noticed me.
"Stop!"
I couldn't halt in my tracks, I ran for my life as they brought out tiny tranquilizer pistols to chase me.
I was running but the metal doors won't move. I thought it was the end when I slipped and fell through a wall. I gasped and immediately ran through. It didn't help as they followed me through.
I noticed that this part had so many turns, in contrast to the building's circular shape.
I began racing my pursuers, taking a right, left, right, another right, any turn I could think of. I was tired of running around like this. I stopped at a cross junction and just as I was about to turn straight, someone pulled me against a wall
"Umph --"
A tiny hand was clamped on my lips from my left. I began darting across the turn I made and the guys ran straight, avoiding me.
I pulled down the hand and slumped to the corner in relief, fatigue and an extra day to live. I turned to say, "Thanks" but I was stunned to see a small girl.
Her black hair transcends to green with a glow of its own. Her pale skin complements her small yet perfect physique. Despite all, her russet brown eyes with a hint of orange was a striking contrast that made her eye-catching and perfect for any man.
She looked at me and I heard my inner voice tell me that "she's very pretty"
"I know. Stop gawking"
I jumped back on my thoughts train of thought when I heard her voice in my head.
"W-what", I finally muttered.
"Look", she began with a sigh "you're not supposed to be here... despite what you saw" "Th-that, ummm" I tried to rebottle.
Does she know what she said - that I should leave here? I know but, she's here.
"No. We're here together, so we'll leave together."
As though the walls had ears, they began closing in on us and the blue-lighted halls turned red. She quickly grabbed my hand and clipped a rope hook on my friendship bracelet, pulling me as we raced for an exit.
"Umm...", I tried to talk
"Deanna Hawkins. 16. Tamer 1/8399/278492. Special skill: Unlocked"
I was bewildered
She spoke like a soldier, no, military robot and she said things I couldn't make head or tail of. As if being in my head, she sighed and spoke again.
"Haa...Argh" she scratched her scalp, loosening her ponytail out of frustration.
"I can't say much but try to pity me here. A tamer is someone who takes the serum and has unlocked some kinda superpower hidden in their DNA. I unlocked mine on the first dose. Also, the first part of the number is the rank, second part is the number left and the third is the total count"
I just ran with my agape mouth. The actual heck. So, we're lab rats for a superpower team and if you calculate it...then, 280,000 plus kids were subjected to this...torture.
I began shaking and Deanna glanced at me and yanked me into her arms. She placed it above her shoulders and took a sprinting stance.
"What -" I stopped to see seven staff members with 2 tasers and a tranquilizer pistol each. Every staff member had these things. But you could tell that they were the guard type. I noticed a glow from my left and I saw Deanna's face glow in a spotted pattern round her face as she grimaced.
With me on her shoulders, she launched herself to her opponents and began fighting, no, beating. It was a brutal one-sided beating of an elder punishing a child.
She leapt over the first guy and kicked his nape from the back, landing into the metal ground. She was almost hit with the razor in the face but she crouched in time and gave him a headbutt. The others ran at her together but as she ran to them, she slid under one of them. She then slid me on my ass to a corner.
With a soft thud, I was moved to safety. I gazed at her, eyes full of questions.
What were the patterns on her face...
She transformed, is it part of the powers they wanted to unlock..
If she was this strong, if she was always strong...why didn't she leave
After thinking for forever, I heard someone clap. It was one of the staff but I saw something on his belt, a badge on the strap, right near the boring buckle.
I then recalled seeing that in different forms. My eyes had a glint, concluding that there's a hierarchy among the staff.
Deanna was about to lunge at him but I pulled my senior's arm in fear. "Don't! He's a high ranking person here, probably a general in military terms", I spoke in panic. All I got was an "Oh"
"... that's who he was. You were too cocky for a mere general", she scoffed.
"Are. You. Nuts!" I yelled but to no avail. The masked guy sighed and Deanna looked confused.
"Don't you recognize him?!" I looked puzzled.
"...He welcomes all here. He is known as the Major Clown around these parts", she explained but I was still lost.
"Haa...they're looking for the perfect vessel for espionage"
Like a nuclear missile. It hit me
The deadly training, mysterious food, the treatment, the confidentiality and with what she explained about the numbers... Oh fuck sake, we're in deep trouble...and no one will save us.
I tremble at my own thoughts when the clown's presence fades, reappearing like a mirage to give a surprise punch at Deanna. I pull her and begin running
"Where will you run to?", she asks. "Anywhere!" I yell.
One turn after another, I couldn't think straight. Then like God heard our cry, a door appeared and we ran in.
I panted heavily and started pulling things to the door.
"Kathy Rivera..." I ignored her
"Kathy"..."Kathy!"..."Kat!!"
"What what what!" I ask, holding a tube thingy. Deanna walked near me and turned the light on. A dim light covered the room but I saw enough. I froze as the vessel in my hand had some sort of mutant giant eel-dolphin hybrid petrified in it.
"Don't drop it"I told myself, looking round the rooms and seeing worse things. The mythical creatures from books were there but...they were not pretty.
They might have but I couldn't tell because every vessel had no eyes, the skin dead, bones broken. And yes, they're hands too.
It pained me dearly but I learned something new today, the smallest species weren't the ants, they were humans. I looked as I saw the biggest ant in my entire life.