Chapter 15: Edana

  Usually, the training arena was quiet when I came in to train, but everyone seemed to wake up early this morning to watch the choosing ceremony as they crowded into the arena, anticipatingly waiting for the special moment.

  I could hear the girls from other groups croon songs and ballads about the new boy, Altair, and it was enough to make me throw up. Soar watched with me as everyone hurriedly sat down with their mission groups and partners, watching Dr. Liam with rapt attention.

  I looked at his kind, marred face that I had seen almost every day of my new life, and too many thoughts rolled into my clouded mind.

  I stood next to Frederick in an elegant room, the ambiance and atmosphere filled with power and elegance that only he could afford.

  He dressed me in an exquisite dark blue dress with silver streaks dotting the bottom and wrapped my hair in a matching ribbon.

  “My darling girl, you look stunning.”

  We were standing behind the curtain that led to the assembly hall, and I remembered his calculated smile.

  He gently locked a silver necklace with a crescent-shaped pendant that was studded with perfectly placed diamonds onto my neck. He brushed the little curl of stray hair off my face and leaned down.

  “You truly are my huntress of the night. Are you ready, my darling?” he said, his smooth voice sliding into my ear.

  Only six years old then, I thought that I had the best life I could ever have; everything was prepared according to my whims, and Frederick only gave me the best. I scorned myself for falling for him now, thinking that he could provide me everything I needed.

  “Yes, Frederick.”

  I smiled at him, enjoying the moment.

  He nodded and took me by the hand as we emerged from the curtains.

  Every head turned around as I passed by, their gem-studded clothes that radiated power and influence twitching as each eye scrutinized me in cold approval. I was seated on the right hand of Frederick, and Draven followed after I sat down. His violet eyes pierced through his raven black hair that was fashioned to perfection while his suit matched the shade of his hair. His usually pale skin was even more emphasized in that refined suit, making the esteemed guests of Frederick shiver in apprehension.

  He nodded slightly at me and I stood as gracefully as I could. After years of being taught by the best teachers in comportment, I flowed through the required moves as effortlessly as a knife going through room-temperature butter. Today was a special day; the rich and powerful came from all over the world to see my “special” skills. Frederick wanted them to see how I, a genetically modified hybrid, could be the perfect weapon that they needed.

  Draven’s painfully slim body slid down to a practiced bow and gently kissed my hand. I could hear the grunts of approval from the men and the sighs of their delighted wives as they whispered about how adorable and mannered we were. Draven rolled his eyes, and I suppressed a chuckle. This little gesture proved that genetically modified beings could fit in high society, and somehow, it was important to this little scheme.

  I bent down into a curtsy and lifted my hand off, sliding down into my seat. Frederick was motionless, meaning that everything was going well.

  The guests questioned me with topics of high society, from economics to politics and botany. Wanting to show off, I entertained them with my vast knowledge drilled into me by Frederick. Draven complied as well, earning an approving nod from Frederick. Once our meager meal was delicately placed into our mouths with the correct hand postures, Frederick motioned us to rise and take our positions on the square of space arranged for us.

  “... And now is the moment that you are all waiting for, ladies and gentlemen. I have pitted my newest prototype, Mier, against Draven, a boy with telepathic abilities. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have a telepath to win a war, or get rid of an enemy easily. For I have blended and crafted the most perfect weapon that you could ever wish for, one that can easily slip through any kind of security thrown at them, and even fits the ever demanding needs of high society. With any command given at your disposal, Mier can effectively kill and disarm any opponent you have. Mier, disarm.”

  With that command, I instantly snapped into fight mode, rushing at Draven with reckless ease. Draven barely had enough time to block himself as I launched myself at him, his eyes widening with fear.

  Within a few seconds, I gained the upper hand in the fight, and I felt Draven’s mental power rushing through me. The other guests stiffened with outright fear as they felt Draven’s mind ravagely tear through their mind through our contact, but I paid no attention to it at all. I felt nothing as I pinned Draven down, our bodies entwined fiercely as he weakly pushed me away.

  We were only six, yet we were grappling each other with the experience of soldiers.

  “Mier, let go,” Frederick commanded from the other side of the room, and I let go, making sure that Draven landed upright.

  The entire congregation applauded in pure delight, and Frederick earned so many investors that night. He was as pleased as I ever saw him, and that made me happy at the time.

  The memory shifted to later that night, where he pulled me back into the curtains.

  “Mier, I have a mission for you. Track this man and kill him. I need it done by next week.”

  Frederick handed me a photo of the man.

  “Promise me that you’ll finish the mission? I’ll make sure that your plate of strawberries and cream will be waiting for you here when you come back from your mission,” Frederick goaded, feeling pleased with everything that happened.

  “Yes, Frederick. I’ll finish the mission. Don’t worry about it,” I assured, looking up at Frederick’s satisfied expression.

  The memory shifted again to the garden here.

  He was sitting on a bench behind a wall of kelp, reading a book and humming to himself.

  It was perfect; a quick throw of my knife, and I could come back to Frederick’s praise and adoration. My knife was ready and I reached back to throw it when he looked at me. I was astounded; I made sure that I was in the darkest of shadows and I was blocked by hundreds of strands of kelp. How could he see me?

  “Hey, is anybody there?”

  His head turned toward me, and I was stunned.

  It was like looking at Frederick, but his eyes were a kinder, darker green, and he was remarkably handsome.

  I tried to throw the knife, but my heart told me otherwise. I couldn’t kill him; he looked exactly like Frederick, except he had a calm, loving demeanor that made me want to sidle against him and sleep.

  Talking about sleep, I hadn’t slept in days. I was really starting to get sleepy, but my body wouldn’t let me sleep in foreign territory and Frederick’s genetic tinkering made me able to skip sleep for a few days. As I fought with myself, the kelp wavered and split, revealing his face.

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  “Hi, sweetie. Are you okay?”

  He had a gentle, honest voice that was so different from Frederick’s. How were they so similar and yet so different? My knife slipped from my hand in surprise.

  I never had any problem with following Frederick’s orders, but why couldn’t I follow this one? At the moment, I could just attack him and go back home, but why couldn’t I kill him and be done with it? My body quivered in exhaustion as I tried to regain control.

  I couldn’t do it.

  “No,” I whispered, tears streaming down my face.

  How could I ever kill this man that looked exactly like Frederick? He felt like the Frederick that I wanted him to be, without the greed, anger, and power that he always had. His face softened and he walked to the bench.

  “Come and sit here. I promise that I won’t hurt you.”

  He patted the bench, beckoning me to sit with him.

  What was the harm in sitting beside him? If he did anything, I could easily slice his throat whenever I wanted to without a problem.

  I brushed my tears away and joined him, wondering what would happen next.

  “Is there anything that I can do to help you?”

  Those same eyes asked me a question that I never heard of before.

  “I… don’t know,” I whispered, making me cry even harder.

  Why was I so weak?

  “Hey, it’s okay, darling. You’ll be safe with me.”

  Dr. Liam slowly crawled toward me, not touching me instantly.

  He never knew, but those were the words that I wanted to hear so desperately my entire life.

  He didn’t know that I was there to kill him; he only thought that I was a lost child. Everytime we met, I wanted to tell him the truth, but each time I delayed it, telling myself that I would explain it all to him tomorrow. Well, that “tomorrow” never came.

  “Edana, are you okay?”

  Soar’s face crinkled with worry.

  “What did I miss?”

  I straightened myself, fussing with the zipper on my suit.

  “Not much. Dr. Liam just finished his announcements and he’s moving on to the choosing ceremony. What were you thinking of?” Soar’s motherly tone whispered into my ear.

  “I was just thinking about the past. Nothing much.”

  I looked away and toward Altair as she patted me with her fin. Amber, on the other hand, leaned over to me.

  “I am going to request Altair to join our group,” Amber whispered to both Kyle and I.

  “Why? We’re perfectly fine this way,” I countered.

  “Hey, the kid needs a friend. If you aren’t going to be nice, then I will,” Kyle teased, nudging me a little.

  “We all know that we could do better with another person. But if you don’t believe me, wait for his presentation,” Amber smiled, and that twinkle in her eyes meant that she had a plan.

  That was never a good sign.

  “Does anyone want to test Altair’s compatibility?” Dr. Liam announced. Amber instantly shot up.

  “We want to test his compatibility in combat.”

  Amber’s voice rang throughout the arena, and I realized too late what she had in mind.

  She wanted me to fight him. My eyes widened as I tried to silently knock her back into her seat.

  That was beyond ridiculous. No one could match me, not even if they trained their entire life. How was this weak willed hybrid able to keep up with me? Dr. Liam’s eyes frowned in confusion but continued.

  “Please send your representative forward.”

  “I hope you don’t kill me, but have fun down there,” Kyle quickly whispered in my ear and threw me up.

  The entire arena went silent as I regained balance, the blood rushing up to my ears in embarrassment. With a murderous glare at both Amber and Kyle, I lifted my head higher and flipped Silfurljos out of its place on my belt.

  I walked down the bleachers, and everything seemed surreal as I relived the moment when I walked out of the curtains with Frederick’s hand in mine. This time, I was alone as everyone scooted away to give me room.

  I could hear the excited whispers of an expected good fight and the fear flowing through Altair as he tried to breathe.

  I glided onto the stone platform and landed right in front of Altair. I could see the spear that Professor Gunnar lent him trembling as he regripped it, his knuckles white.

  With a flick, my spear slid out to its full length, its dangerous length taunting anyone who laid eyes on it while the interchangeable blades on the tip swung in a menacing arc, daring everyone to come closer and feel its ice cold blade.

  I took the blades off and handed it to Dr. Liam as Professor Gunnar, the weapons master, helped Altair take his blade off before he lost his fingers.

  Dr. Liam walked to my side and bent down, worry etched at the edges of his eyes.

  That was weird.

  Dr. Liam never showed his worry in front of everyone before.

  “Edana, please try not to hurt or maim Altair, okay? It would be great if he doesn’t revisit the Infirmary,” he whispered.

  So that’s why he looked so worried.

  “Of course, Dr. Liam. I will try my best,” I coldly replied as I stepped away.

  Our spears safely disarmed, we stood on the opposite corners of the circular platform, and with a nod from Dr. Liam, I sprang into action.

  With practiced grace, I slid down and knocked his legs down. Surprised, he tried to jump upward but was too slow. My spear connected with his knee, and he sprawled against the floor. I pivoted toward him and waited until he stood up.

  The split second he stood up, I rushed at him again, feigning toward the left before sliding underneath him and grabbing his shoulders from the back. I could see him move toward the right only to realize that I was behind him and I smiled, the push of adrenaline tingling in my limbs. Wisely, he chose to drop down and roll, but by then I was already at his throat.

  I let go and jumped up, feeling bored. He wasn’t much different from the others. His moves were rough and defensive, which wasn’t enough.

  I wanted to push him even more, but really, I wanted to show Amber that he wasn’t ready for us, at least for me.

  The crowd roared and sucked in its breath in intervals, making the arena pulse with their energy. Dr. Liam looked on with a pained expression displayed on his face as Altair struggled on.

  Feeling like I should move on, I moved in with my spear, rapidly twisting and bending it as I gained the upper hand. Altair’s eyes widened in fear as he tried to block me, his knees slowly bending against my blows.

  In desperation, he flicked his leg out under me, and I grabbed his neck while blocking his spear, swinging from his neck away from the reach of his legs. Altair tried to twist away, but I didn’t anticipate his next move. He swung his leg too far and instead of hitting me on the head, he caught me in the hip.

  Surprised and upset that I made a mistake, I quickly corkscrewed in the water as we both crashed down onto the stone platform, our bodies fiercely entangled together. With me on top of him, I brought my spear down in a final blow, but I felt a mental wave drive right into my mind, and I heard a voice.

  Please don’t kill me.

  His pitiful mental voice radiated fear and pain as he said that.

  I shook my head in confusion, disoriented for a few seconds.

  I had him pinned down so that he couldn’t hit back, but no one could ever mentally talk to me, much less brush their conscience against mine.

  Afraid and enraged, I bore all of my mental being on him, squeezing his mind from all sides. I remembered learning this technique from Frederick, and all the lessons with Draven crying out in pain as I successfully did this on him over and over popped into my mind.

  I heard a painfully strangled groan from under me and I instantly stopped, lifting myself off him. Altair sighed in relief as he curled himself into a ball and Cleo instantly came, nudging him gently with his beak.

  Dazed and ashamed of myself, I wanted to ram my head against the wall in frustration, but I extended my hand to him in courtesy.

  “Are you going to ask me to kiss your hand?”

  He looked at my hand warily.

  “Very funny. But if you noticed, I’m not Riley. She thinks about boys much more often than I do. Now, do you want to lie there and embarrass yourself even further or get up?” I lightly scorned, trying to hide my anger behind a veil of expressionless demeanor.

  His arm slowly grasped mine and I hauled him up. The crowd stood up in astonishment, and the sound of their applause was like gunfire.

  Dr. Liam smiled, probably relieved that Altair was still alive while everyone whispered and pointed at him and me, wondering how he managed to unnerve me. I stepped toward Amber and Kyle as they clustered around me.

  “Do whatever you want, but I won’t change my mind,” I snapped at both of them, swinging myself onto Soar as she took off, out of reach of the whispers and stupid politics within circles of gossip that clouded the arena.

  “Do you have any special requests for where you want to go?” Soar spoke, her voice hinting something else.

  “Do you have any place in mind?” I responded halfheartedly, distracted and mad.