“Hi,” Brooke said, her mouth stuffed with food.
Justine jerked her chin, a way of greeting.
Tamara forked a portion of roast beef, and her eyes glistened with excitement. “I may be new here, but I know who you three are. Russ used your MM training video as examples to follow.”
“Oh?” My interest piqued, I soaked in her enthusiasm.
Mr. Novak, the head of ISAN, had introduced the five newbies the week before. For the first five to seven days, the newbies were confined in one area for further testing.
I remembered my first day—more blood tests and mental mission training to determine my level of tolerance and my capabilities. The grueling testing exhausted me. After tests, I had been sent back to my room.
Mr. Novak had prohibited me from mingling with other girls and I’d realized then ISAN wasn’t a place of comfort and home. My destiny had been set. They owned me. They would use me. I had no choice. I had no money, no friends, and no family.
Russ preached I would be somebody important one day and make a difference in this world. I held onto that thought and reminded myself why I had committed to ISAN in the first place.
I took a gulp of my vitamin-laced water and almost gagged.
Justine grimaced. “I don’t know how long I can drink this awful protein shake.”
Brooke tapped Justine’s cup and almost knocked it over. “You drank it all.”
“Well, I don’t have a choice, do I?” Justine gripped her tray until her knuckles turned white.
“You do.” Brooke stared, eyes unblinking, challenging. “You could’ve opted not to sign your contract. You knew what you were signing up for, so stop complaining. We’re all going through the same shit.”
I scrubbed my face and sighed, preparing for anything to happen. Justine jumped out of her seat, her fingers flexing, and her eyes cold as stone.
What the hell? Not again.
“Stop.” I held out my hand. “You’ll be deported.” I shook my head. Then I snickered at the image of pot roast and mashed potatoes on Justine’s face and hair. Oh, how I would love to dump food on her head one day.
Justine sat as if nothing had happened. Brooke gossiped about what she’d found on the net, telling us all about fashion dos and don’ts. Tamara smiled. As for me, I exhaled in relief; my team hadn’t disturbed the peace. I took my last bite of broccoli as I thought of the weird message I’d received on my TAB.
After dinner, I went to the meeting room as announced during meal time. When I arrived, Russ and Lydia stood side-by-side on a raised podium situated in the center of the room.
“Good evening.” Lydia spoke through a tiny microphone clipped on her red, long-sleeved shirt.
Lucky Lydia. As a superior, she wore any color shirt she wanted. Even without makeup, she was beautiful. Her smooth skin appeared soft, and she looked as sweet as her voice, with a friendly smile and dimples.
Lydia waited until the shuffling stopped. “Tomorrow, some of you will be in session with Russ and some of you will be with me. Then we’ll switch, depending on your last score from this point. The two teams with the most points will be on the next special assignment.”
Cheers filled the room.
Russ raised his hand and the noise faded. “We have a big assignment next week. I’m not authorized to say more, but know I’ll be picking the best of the best. Also, I’ll be adding one more person to each team. You’ll be notified tomorrow. Don’t forget to do your homework. Good luck. You’re dismissed.”
“I hope I get to be on yours. I heard your team was the best,” Tamara said.
“You bet it is.” Justine raised her chin, slinking past me.
“Is she always this cocky?” Tamara kept her steps even with mine.
You have no idea. I raised a corner of my lips. “Always.”
Brooke took a step to the other side of Tamara. “Who told you we were the best? We were short by one second. Surely some other team made it. But, then again, we never know the other teams’ scores.”
“All the newbies know. Russ, the cute instructor, said so.” Tamara twisted to find Russ.
I did the same in curiosity. I was sure he’d be gone, but when his eyes locked on mine, my face warmed. I pivoted away. Surely, he wasn’t just focusing on me, rather making sure everyone headed to their rooms.
“Wow. That’s awesome.” Brooke almost ran into the wall when the hall split east and west.
“I’m going to the left.” Tamara waved her hand. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Tamara.” I smiled.
“See you tomorrow, newbie.” Brooke rounded the corner with me.
I really liked Tamara. Rarely did I meet an amiable newbie, especially in this environment. ISAN encouraged competition—something you didn’t do with friends. For this reason, I understood the hostility among peers. I just hoped Tamara would remain the same after the hell she would have to go through. She had no idea what was in store for her.
She’d be fine, right? She’d come out of juvie or from foster care, like all the rest of us had, and she still acted bubbly. But deep in my gut, doubt grew—she wouldn’t be fine.
I had been in her shoes once—compliant, hopeful, and gullible—but now I questioned everything. After all, I had become a weapon—an assassin. No matter the reasons for my killing, I would be playing God and taking people’s lives. In the end, I would become a darker version of myself.
“Who do you think will be on our team?” Brooke asked.
“No idea. Do you know something I don’t know?”
“No. Your senses are better than mine. I thought you could read their minds or something by now. I would love to have that kind of power. I’d especially want to know Russ’s thoughts.” She waggled her brows.
I snorted. It felt good to let out some stress. Sometimes Brooke knew just what to say. Brooke seemed to be the go-getter type, but she never judged or competed with me.
I shrugged. “Sorry. I have no idea. Wouldn’t it be great if I could read minds? Maybe I could eventually with Helix.”
Brooke’s eyes sparkled. “Maybe you should try it. It might work if you use a higher dosage.”
The sound of the footsteps dissipated around us.
“Why just me? We can both try it.”
“You and I both know you’re special. It’s why you’re the team lead.” Brooke stopped at my door. “You think faster, move faster, and hell, you have a map in your mind. You can see it in 3D, can’t you?”
“I can.” I dipped my head, shuffling my feet.
Brooke had never raved about me before. I didn’t like to brag, and I didn’t want to admit aloud to being different or special, but secretly I agreed.
“That’s so freakin’ awesome.” Her eyes scanned my name on the door. “Well, here we are.”
“Yup.” I lowered my voice. Any louder and my voice would have reverberated to the guards. “The halls are so dead quiet and freaky like Mr. Novak.”
“He definitely creeps me out. I don’t like the way he scrutinizes us, like we’re his pets.”
I gasped at her boldness, even though I felt the same way. He reminded me of my foster father, especially around the eyes. His bottomless pit coal eyes impaled me like spears.
I wished I could’ve defended myself from my foster father when he’d come at me with a belt, since my foster mother hadn’t done anything to stop him. But he would’ve beaten her, too. Helix would’ve been good to have then.
“Pets? Don’t think like that.” I frowned. “He’s probably shaking because if given a chance, we could beat the crap out of him with Helix.”
“I guess.” Brooke lifted her shoulders. Her scowl replaced her somber expression. “He reminds me of one of the people who killed my parents. I never told anyone how my parents died. They were murdered in our house right in front of me when I was a little girl. Men in dark clothes came during the night when we were asleep.”
“I’m sorry.” I thought about what my mom had done to
give me comfort, so I wrapped my arms around her. It was the first time I’d shown her affection. Then I immediately regretted my action and stepped back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”
I tensed. First, I didn’t know how she’d react since she hadn’t returned the hug. Second, I didn’t know if anyone was watching us besides the guards. Not that showing affection was a crime. Cameras hung from the ceiling, but I didn’t know where, exactly.
Brooke squinted her eyes, then eased back a step. “Anyway, I’d better go. I need to finish my homework.”
“See you tomorrow morning.” I placed my hand on the scanner.
“See ya.” Brooke headed toward her room as I entered mine.
I gathered my supplies to wash up at the community restroom. After I did my business, I went back to my room and finished my homework. Once in a while, I’d run my fingers along the length of the three faint scars on my body, wondering how I’d gotten them.
One spanned my lower back and another my left rib. The third scar was a burst of distorted streaks that might have once resembled a sunrise on my right side. I might have gotten these scars when my foster father whipped me, or when I’d been wounded in fights at juvie. No matter how hard I tried to recall, it remained futile. Dismissing the thought, I got into bed.
As I stared at the ceiling, I replayed the day in my mind. Today had been better than the day before. Brooke and I were getting closer to developing a real friendship; albeit it had taken us six months.
It had been so long since I’d had a friend. Ever since I’d gone into foster care, I’d hidden my life from everyone else. I made sure I stayed invisible, especially when it came to making friends.
Many people stayed away from me, anyway. Everyone in our small town knew about my alcoholic foster father, and they wouldn’t allow their children to come over to my place. Couldn’t blame them. So, when I ran away, I hadn’t missed anyone and no one missed me.
I’d also met a potential new friend. I hoped Tamara stayed as sweet as she’d seemed. With real friends, I might actually like it here after all. Though I complained about ISAN, it beat sleeping out in the streets, stealing food, and being utterly alone.
The stranger on my TAB came to mind. All sorts of nonsense invaded my thoughts. What if one of the girls had pranked me? What if Mr. Novak had tested me? Violating a rule would likely result in harsh consequences, but I had no idea what. Surely ISAN wouldn’t just send me back to juvie knowing what I knew.
Too tired to think, I drifted away to my fairy dream world—a place where my mom was alive. A place where I had a family, friends, and even a sister and a brother ... and I was happy.
The suspense drove me crazy.
I stood on a yellow line in a giant circle while Russ and Lydia stood in the center. They wore their training outfits—dark gray pants with matching red shirts. Lydia had her hair tied back as usual, but for some reason, she and Russ seemed different—more tense.
In the center of the circle was the ISAN logo—a compass with the initials ISAN in the middle—the same symbol imprinted on the front of the guards’ vests and all outfits.
With my hands behind my back, spine stiff, eyes forward—ISAN attention stance—I waited for my training to begin.
“Good morning.” Russ produced a barely noticeable smile. “Hope everyone had a restful sleep. In a few minutes, the screen will display the schedule for your team, indicating when to report to the fitness workout with me, or self-defense with Lydia.”
Lydia stepped forward. “As I’ve mentioned before, the top two teams will go on a special assignment. As an extra incentive, the winning team will be allowed to go out on a Friday night for three hours to a place of their choosing.”
Cheers erupted but faded. Mr. Novak appeared and raised his hand to silence the crowd. His eyes—cold as a gravestone—fell on me, rooting me to the spot, singling me out. I bristled, heart racing. Despite the perfect temperature in ISAN, I shivered.
Look away. I couldn’t. His gaze held power over me, making me weak and stiff.
In addition to the fact he walked like he had a stick up his butt, he never smiled. His chiseled jaw clenched, his shoulders pushed back proudly, and his onyx eyes warned me not to mess with him. Sporting a black suit, his tie perfectly straight, he always dressed like he was going to a funeral. Too bad it wasn’t his.
Lydia squared her shoulders and cleared her throat. “We’ll give you some time to look over your schedules. Russ and I will be in our offices if you have any questions.”
With a nod, they ambled out together.
The room went silent. The hunger to contact the world outside the building fed my desire to win. I presumed everyone felt the same. Only two teams would go on a special assignment and one team for Friday night for three hours.
Did my team have a chance?
“Come on. Let’s go find out who goes first,” someone said.
As if the words were some kind of cue, girls jostled each other in the race to check the list. Brooke pulled my T-shirt, ensuring we would stay together, but someone rammed my shoulder in passing. If Brooke hadn’t grabbed me, I would’ve fallen flat on my face.
“What the heck?” Rage surged through my veins. I searched for the rude girl who didn’t apologize as I straightened my shirt.
Brooke narrowed her eyes. She had no shame in pointing her finger at the culprit. “The girl with the black T-shirt. The big mean one. Her team calls her Roxy.”
Roxy towered over me and bulged with muscles. I soon learned running into me wasn’t an accident when she glared at me. Her scowl promised there would be more trouble ahead. Guess she didn’t like Russ telling newbies we were the best. My assumption only, but I couldn’t think of any other explanation. I had never interacted with her before.
I ground my teeth, my fists hard as rocks. I wanted to rush over there and hammer her face into the ground.
Steady the anger, Ava. You’re a leader. You’re better than that. Think of your team. So I simply offered my fake charming smile and gave her the bird.
She schooled her face so tightly, her cheek muscles twitched. When she lunged forward, her team held her back. Roxy swatted at her friends to release the hold on her and then scampered away.
Good. You best scurry away. I lit a victorious smile for the win.
The crowd stopped and I rooted my eyes on the screen that ran the length of the wall.
“Do you see our names?” I asked Justine.
“Nope. Nothing so far ... can’t see the bottom. There’re too many people. But there goes Tamara.”
Tamara’s petite frame slinked through the throng. She found us a few minutes later with a bright smile. “Justine, Brooke, Ava and me—we’re Team Ten. Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah.” She twirled her hips and her neck simultaneously.
I giggled at the hilarious display—her version of the happy dance—she had no rhythm, but I had to give her credit for moving to her own beat.
Justine leaned on her hip and crossed her arms, staring at Tamara, appalled. “Great. We get a clown.”
“You’re such a bitch.” Brooke shook her head, like a mother reprimanding a child. “You’re jealous because you can’t dance like her.”
I smiled, secretly thanking Brooke for sticking up for Tamara. Tamara didn’t say anything, although her lips parted and her eyes darkened. One day soon, she would be brave enough to fight back, once her newbie status changed.
Justine pushed her chest to Brooke’s and I prepared to step in the middle.
“Look.” Justine stabbed her finger in the air for emphasis. “I want to see the outside of this place. If any one of you messes up, I’m asking for a transfer, understand?”
Go ahead. That would make my day.
Brooke’s lips spread broadly. “No one is stopping you.”
Justine gazed up at the ceiling and scoffed. “I’ll meet you guys in fifteen minutes.” She pointed down. “Right here on this spot. You see those idiots, huddled together?”
I
considered the group Justine pointed to.
“They’re Team Nine,” Justine continued. “We’re up against them. I suggest you get some rest and think of ways to beat those girls, or they’ll kick our asses. They look like they’ve been drinking steroids.” She stomped away.
Tamara gasped. Her eyes widened. “Maybe Justine is right. Maybe we should rest before—”
“Don’t worry. Justine is all talk. She’s just scared.” Brooke waved her hand as if she could dismiss Tamara’s anxiety.
Everybody headed to their rooms, except for me. Reviewing the list once more, I noticed all teams had five names. Tamara had failed to mention the fifth line read M. Just the letter M. Strange. Did I know someone whose name started with M? And why was she in all the teams?
Having some time left, I sprinted to my room, planning to check for another strange message on my TAB. I rushed through the door, powered my TAB, and checked the clock. Plenty of time.
Anticipation heated my blood. I waited, but no message appeared. Despite being suspicious of the unknown message sender, I was disappointed. Then after five minutes, three words popped up at the right corner like the last time.
I had a strong urge to peek over my shoulder when fear pricked my skin. I should ignore the message, but I couldn’t help myself. My heart drummed faster. I felt nervous and excited at the same time. Oh, what the hell? I hadn’t done anything wrong. I hadn’t reached out first. I typed back.
I hesitated. Had I just failed a test? I debated whether to shut down my TAB. If it was a test, I was already screwed.
I wrote back.
I thought about questions that wouldn’t cause suspicion, and I could only think of one.
My fingers paused as I debated what to type. The urge to respond before time to leave outweighed the consequences of being caught, so I continued.
A lie.
What? Had he just asked me out on a date? Was he some kind of psycho killer? He didn’t even know me. Wouldn’t a name like Adam put the brakes on? Maybe the stranger was female. Or maybe he was gay. I snorted and noted the time.