Manipulate
Chapter Twenty-Three

FFirst stage of training? What does that mean? Max stands in front of us with a bored expression on his face. Was he just pretending to like us? Or did something happen?

“There’s been some slight changes in the system,” Max starts. “The younger unit is moving to a new dorm while you guys will be staying in your current dorm. Rae met with some of the Adults and they decided that we need to separate the two age groups. The TID-Borns will stay in their own dorm as they are right now. But that means that you won’t train with each other. Your schedule will change and it’ll be posted on your Discs. After lunch, you will return to the training room and you’ll do it every day. After dinner, it’s your choice to do whatever you want. So, you’re all dismissed until lunch.”

Everyone walks out of the training room confused. Whispers circulate through the crowd. I don’t understand what is going on but I know something is going to change and it’s not going to end well.

When everyone enters the dorm, it’s quiet. Too quiet. I step onto Nick’s bunk and sit on mine. Theo sits on his with his legs dangling over the edge. His eyes are trained on the ground.

“What are you doing?” Erika asks in a snotty tone.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” I retort.

Erika’s lip curls in disgust but before she can say anything, Nick and Lee call her name and she’s walking toward them. Theo looks at me. His blue eyes are bright. Blush creeps up my neck and it spreads warmth through my body.

The clock only reads nine thirty and we have three hours until lunch. Three more hours until the new routine will take place. Rae said that TID was a safe place. Can I trust her? Or is this for our protection?

I lay down on my bed and curl into a fetal position. My mind begins to wander. Is dad and Aj okay? What is happening at home? What is Donatella doing to them?

My eyes close as I drift off to sleep. I’m still exhausted from last night and my body begs for sleep.

#

“Abhaya, what are you doing, silly?” Aj coos as he picks me up.

A giggle escapes my mouth as Aj tickles my stomach. Aj smiles. His skin is tan from playing out in the sun for hours when he was younger.

Aj is six and I’m only a year old but he adores me. My chubby hands pat his thin cheeks with joy. Aj smiles even wider. He grins ear to ear and I shriek with joy.

Mom stands in the doorway with a smile on her face as she laughs with joy when she sees the two of us laughing and giggling. She walks over to Aj and takes me from him.

“Please go finish your homework, Aj,” mom asks. “You can play with Abhaya later. I promise.”

Aj hands me to mom and he runs off to our shared room. His feet pad on the carpet floor. A giggle escapes my lips when mom puts me in my high chair. She smiles at me from the counter. Mom spoons mashed carrots into a small bowl and sits back down at the table next to me.

I clap my hands in delight as the spoon nears my mouth. The carrots aren’t sweet but they taste delicious in my mouth as I swallow them. Mom smiles gently and chuckles when she looks at me. Orange carrots paint my face as I laugh an evil laugh of joy.

Dad comes home later and picks me up. I shriek with joy as he holds me up high above his head. Aj enters the kitchen and greets dad with a giant bear hug. Dad laughs a great hearty laugh when everyone surrounds him.

“I’m so blessed to have you three in my life,” Dad says, handing me to mom as he hugs us.

#

I wake up to a yell. I forgot what silence sounds like. Without the younger unit, it’s gotten more quiet; but it’s still as loud without them.

I feel a smile warm my body. For the first time I didn’t have a nightmare. I dreamed of my mom. Her long brown hair being pulled back into a messy bun as she fed me food. Her bright smile when she was with Aj, dad, and I. Her laugh. The way it filled the room.

I sit up and replace Erika talking to Mia. They stand against the wall whispering to one another. Theo lays on his bed with his hands behind his head. His eyes are trained up on the ceiling.

The clock on the wall reads ten o’clock. I napped for half an hour without having a nightmare! I lay back down on my side and stare at the window. Blue sky. White clouds and the Sun’s shining. It would’ve been a day that mom, Aj and I would’ve gone to the park and had a picnic and played in the sunshine.

The sun would warm our faces and skin. It was almost magical.

I get thrown back into reality with a loud THUD! Kayla lays on the floor laughing. Her hand covers her face as Mia rushes over to join her. Erika’s face contorts into disgust.

“What’s so funny about falling?” Erika asks with her nose turned up.

Kayla shakes her head still laughing. “I don’t know. There’s some things that make no sense in life,” Kayla explains.

Erika turns away as if she’s scared that Kayla has a disease and she’ll catch it. Theo sits up and runs a hand through his hair. His eyes dart around the room. And then, they meet mine.

“Abhaya, can I talk to you? Alone?” Theo asks.

“Sure,” I say with a nod.

I swing my body off of the bunk and follow Theo out into the hallway. He walks as if he can’t wait. As if something bad is going to happen. As if it’s a secret and he doesn’t want anyone to know about it.

“Sorry for the inconvenience Abhaya. I meant to tell you this earlier but I didn’t. Anyways, Rae needs you down in her office. She needs to talk to you. One on one,” Theo says.

“Okay. Thank you,” I say and I turn on my heel.

Just as I’m about to walk down the hall, Theo grabs my arm. Not harshly but enough to grasp my attention. I turn around and Theo sucks in a breath. He’s unsure about something.

“Good luck during training. I think that you’ll do pretty well,” Theo says as his eyes meet mine.

“Thank you. Have fun living in the Adult’s quarters,” I say with a smile.

Theo smiles. “Thank you. Bye.”

“Bye,” I call behind me as I turn down the hall.

Theo’s figure gets smaller and smaller as he fades into the hallway and as I walk down toward Rae’s office. I walk along the wall on the left side of the hall. Not my best habit but whatever.

I knock on Rae’s door when I arrive. Her small figure and warm smile greet me when she opens the door.

“Come in, Abhaya,” she says as she opens the door up wider.

I enter Rae’s office as she closes the door behind her. Alia and Max sit in chairs against the wall. A dark head sits in a chair at Rae’s desk. His dark brown, unruly hair is the only thing that is visible. He wears a black polo and his skin is tan from sun exposure. Ideas of who he is run through my mind.

The boy stands up from his chair. His face, his eyes, his smile. Aj. Aj!

Aj looks at me. He rushes over and hugs me. “God Abhaya. Thank God you’re okay! I was so worried about you. How are you? Are you eating enough?” Aj asks frantically.

I smile. Aj’s here. My brother. My one and only brother is here! “I’m fine Aj. I really am. I’m doing just fine here. How’s home?” I ask.

Aj’s eyes fill with sorrow. He stares at the ground, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He’s unsure. Aj takes a breath and looks back up.

“Abhaya, dad hasn’t been home. I mean, Donatella, Linda and Lillie have been home but dad hasn’t been home lately. Something’s wrong. I can feel it,” Aj says as his voice falters with each word.

“What?” I ask. “What!” I exclaim.

Aj nods and looks back down at the ground. Rae comes over and asks Aj and I to take a seat. I sit down and my body is shaking. I’m shocked, and stunned. That is something our dad would never do. Never.

Aj sits and wrings his hands. Worry paints his face as his eyes bounce around Rae’s office. I don’t blame him. My heart races and my anxiety increases with each second. Rae’s face is calm and her posture is composed as she sits in front of Aj and I.

“Look, Aj and Abhaya, I want to help you both as much as I can but there’s only so much that can be done at the moment. Aj, I promise to keep sending you information about Abhaya and how she’s doing. Abhaya, you may go back to your dorm until lunch. Have a safe trip back home, Aj,” Rae says as she stands up to open the door for us to exit.

“Thank you, Rae. Have a good day,” Aj says as he exits the office with Max and Alia behind him.

“Bye, Rae,” I say as I exit.

Rae stops me before I can exit. She runs back to her desk and pulls out a small black box with a maroon flame and a phoenix rising from the flame on it. Rae hands it to me with a smile.

“Here, I noticed that you had glasses and I thought since you have physical training later you might want well need these,” Rae says pointing to the box.

I open the box and inside a pair of contacts rest inside on a maroon cushion. I pick up the contacts and examine them. I smile. Wow!

“Thank you so much! Are they semi-permanent or are they permanent?” I ask with curiosity filling my head.

“They’re permanent,” Rae starts. “You have your mother’s eyes and vision,” Rae says with a laugh.

I smile and hug Rae. I point to the flame and the phoenix on the box. “What does this mean? Is this the symbol of TID? Or what?” I ask.

“That, my dear, is the Flame of TID. It represents our spark and rebellion against the Government,” Rae explains gently. “The phoenix represents the struggles we’ve had in the past and that we’ve rebuilt ourselves many, many times.”

I smile and hug Rae once more. I walk toward the door and open it. Rae closes the door behind me with a soft click. I walk down the hall to a bathroom. I open the door and remove my glasses. I open the contacts and put them in my eyes.

I blink a couple times. They’re perfect! My vision is crystal clear. I place my glasses back into the black case that my contacts were in. I exit the bathroom and walk down the hall toward the dorm.

I open the door and close it gently when I enter the dorm. There’s hardly any life. And if there is, it’s just breathing. I push my body up onto my bunk and pull out my Disc A notification pops up on the screen. I unlock it by typing my middle name. L-y-n-n-e.

The screen turns green as I read over the new schedule. I’m not going to complain even though we have to get up earlier and go to bed later than we do now but it’s only a one-hour difference. That’s all.

6:30 Wake Up and breakfast

7:00 Training

12:00 Lunch

12:30 Training

5:00 Dinner

The rest of the night is yours lights out at the usual time

The bell rings for lunch and we exit the dorm. It’s not as loud as it was before but with Nick and Lee it’s going to be loud, no matter what. Nick rushes through the crowd with Lee following him.

I bet that Lee doesn’t even have a brain. The way he follows Nick there’s no way he has his own brain. You might as well surgically attach Nick and Lee together and let them share a brain.

We enter the cafeteria and the scent is different. We get in line and grab trays. The food is different. Hamburgers and fries are served instead of other choices. I pick up a hamburger patty, a bun and a small serving of fries. TID has definitely changed. No. TID has had a drastic change and I can feel it.

I walk over to a table and sit down. Abi joins me with a bright smile. Theo sits down across from me. Peter and Trey sit down next to him and they begin laughing.

“Hi, Abhaya! You’re lucky you get to start physical training. We have to start mental training after lunch,” Abi mopes as she picks up her hamburger.

“Well you have to remember, that the younger you are the more powerful and dangerous your powers are,” Theo says as if he’s reminding Abi for the thousandth time.

“I know, I know, I know,” Abi says as she takes a bite of her hamburger.

“Well obviously you don’t know,” Theo says, pointing a finger at Abi.

Abi rolls her eyes and picks up her fries. She throws them at Theo but misses him. Theo laughs and throws a fistful of fries back at Abi. They act like siblings--like how Aj and I would.

I join in on the fun after Theo throws fries at my face. The salt stings my skin when it hits. I throw a fistful of fries at Theo and hit him in the face. He laughs and throws another fistful of fries at me.

I laugh. Theo feels like a brother to me. A brother from another home. A brother from another mother. [1]

The bell rings and we’re all covered in salt and grease. I stand up bump into Theo. His face is still pink from laughing, and his face is covered in grease.

“Good luck later,” Theo says as we part ways.

“Thanks. Bye,” I call out.

The last thing I see is Theo’s smile as he blends in with the ocean of adults. I follow the rest of my unit down the hallway and down to the training room. When we enter, the scent of sweat and blood hits me straight in the face.

Punching bags are lined up in rows. Orange, worn fabric hangs on chains as we line up in rows. My eyes bounce around the training room. I notice targets, guns, bullets, a mat rests in the center of the room.

My heart starts to race. This is the beginning of Stage One. Physical.

Max stands in front of us with his arms crossed over his chest. Two minutes later the door squeaks open as someone enters the training room. Theo. He walks briskly toward Max. Our eyes seem to follow him.

“Sorry that I’m late. There was an accident I had to help clean up,” Theo explains to Max.

Damnit. I can hear what Theo’s saying. I really hate my powers right now.

Max nods. “It’s all good Theo. We were just about to start training.”

Theo nods and stands on Max’s left. They both carry an almost stone like expression on their faces. But Theo’s is softer while Max’s is harder. Theo’s posture is professional unlike Max’s. Max’s posture looks like someone replaced his spine with a metal rod or a pipe. It’s that stiff and straight.

“Listen up, stage one is physical and it’s going to test your physical strength and your stamina. Later, which hopefully in the next two weeks, you’ll start stage two. Which is mental. Stage two is going to test your mental endurance and you’re going to learn how to control your powers. Then finally, stage three is the last stage. That’s when you combine all you’ve learned and you apply it,” Theo announces.

“I want all of you to run three laps around the room. Then line up as you are now,” Max orders.

Everyone starts running. Everyone except Erika. She stands there lost. No wait, not lost; confused. Her feet stay planted in the ground as if she’s a plant or a tree. She’s not going to move or be moved.

Max walks over to Erika and orders her to run. But she doesn’t. He tells her again. She doesn’t listen.

“Go run the three laps with others,” Max says sternly to Erika.

“No! It’ll ruin my hair!” Erika shrieks. [2]

Laughter erupts from us. She’s made herself the laughingstock of the group and there’s no going back to change that now. Erika stomps her white tennis shoe on the ground impatiently. She looks like a kid that’s about ready to have a temper tantrum.

Max looks at us with cold, hard eyes. “Keep running!”

We resume our laps. Soon, we’re done and we’re lined up in rows again. We wait for orders from Max, but we have to wait for Erika to finish running her three laps. I can hear her saying things under her breath about how stupid and pointless this is.

Erika finishes and we’re all looking at Max for answers or as if we’re a bunch up dogs waiting for a command. Max stands in front of us with his hands behind his back.

“Today will be simple. You’ll be learning basic self defense skills and working on protecting the face,” Max says while pacing back and forth.

Mia looks at me and shoots me a confused look. Theo leans against a stack of crates in the back as Max talks about what we’ll be learning.

“I want all of you to replace a punching bag and stand next to it,” Max orders.

Everyone scrambles to get to a punching bag. We stand there waiting for instructions. Max calls Theo over to assist him. Theo stands up and walks over to where Max points at an empty punching bag.

“Theo, can you please demonstrate the proper technique for punching please,” Max asks.

Theo nods and demonstrates the proper technique for punching. His fists are curled and his body is ready. Theo keeps a fist in front of his face to protect it while he throws a punch to hit the bag. He moves his feet. He shuffles around the bag like it’s a real person and he’s in an actual physical fight. Sweat beads Theo’s face as he attacks the punching bag.

Max stops Theo. He turns toward us and places his hands behind his back. “I want all of you to do exactly what Theo just did. But no shuffling around the bag. We’ll be learning that tomorrow.”

Everyone starts punching the punching bag. Nick looks like a maniac when he punches. His punches are wild and he looks like a younger sibling being stopped by their older sibling. Lee isn’t much better. I observe Erika. Her punches are weak and she’s putting in no effort.

I start to throw punches at my punching bag. The material is rough and in just a matter of minutes, my skin is drying out from the rough material. My knuckles sting from the impact and sweat rolls down my forehead and neck.

Max and Theo walk around the room observing each and every one of us. They stop every so many times a row to assist people with their technique and their position. I feel eyes burn into the back of my neck as I hit the bag with enough force.

An hour later, my knuckles are split and red. My palms are developing calluses from the bag. It feels satisfying yet it hurts. Max looks at us while Theo leans against a stack of crates. Max clears his throat and Theo walks over and stands next to Max.

“After dinner, new training uniforms will be placed on your bed. You’ll change into them and you’ll be expected to wear them every day to training,” Theo announces, his voice filling the room.

We get a five-minute water break. Everyone either sits on the ground in small circles or they sit along the walls talking quietly. I sip water from a plastic cup that I filled at a nearby water fountain outside the training room. Someone sits down next to me.

“Hey,” he says.

I stop drinking the cool and thirst-quenching water from my cup and see Theo sitting next to me. He has a sweet smile painted across his face and his face is slightly pink from demonstrating earlier.

“Hey,” I reply.

Theo continues to smile. He plays with his shoelace on his sneaker.

“You did really good earlier with the punching,” Theo says, not looking up at me.

“Thanks. So, do you know why we get new uniforms?” I ask.

“Beats me. I think that Rae and Max wanted to be able to tell the two groups apart. Well the TID-Borns and the TID Transfers.”

I nod. “That’s reasonable.”

Theo laughs.

“What?” I ask.

Theo looks at me and smiles. “Well, I know that I’ve only known you for two weeks but, you really are a Phoenix. Phoenix.”

“Unbelievable,” I state as Theo laughs his head off. “Unbelievable.”

Max renters the training room dragging a chalkboard behind him. All the talking and laughing stops and the room goes silent. Max drags the chalkboard up to the front of the room with groups of people scampering to get out of the way. He stops in the front as he pushes a stack of crates out of the way.

“This is the ranking board,” Max says as he writes the words Rankings on the board in white chalk. “You’ll start fighting a week from now. Questions?”

“What’s the point of this anyways?” Mia asks raising her hand.

“The point of this is to prepare you for life. You’re all old enough to leave TID with one person accompanying you to explore the world outside of you. And if something were to happen then well you have the strength and the control so you’re captured by The Government like some very unlucky people,” Max explains eyeing each and every one of us. “So, does anyone else have any questions?”

The room is silent and Max nods. He goes back to writing on the board. Names appear by numbers and I’m in the middle.

“This is the order you’ll be fighting in. A circle next to your name and another person’s name indicates that you’re going to be fighting. Understand?” Max asks the crowd of people.

We nod. Acknowledging the fact that we somehow understand what he’s talking about.

“Good. Now, we’re going to resume punching. Go replace a punching bag,” Max states as we scramble to replace a punching bag once again.

I stand in front of the bag once again and I start attacking it. Nick stills looks like a maniac when he punches. There is no way that he’s going to make it through stage one. He’s either going to limp through it or he’s not going to make it.

Sweat beads my forehead as I hit the punching bag with all of my strength. My fists and arms are red and sting from the rough material when I look at them. I shake my head and exhale a breath as I resume. My shoulders and arms ache with fatigue as I push my body to the limit. My legs feel like mush. I feel the muscles in my legs burning as I shuffle around the punching bag and stand in ready position in case I have to move.

Max stands in the front of the room typing on his disc while Theo walks around the room surveying us all. I feel Theo’s eyes burn into the back of my neck. It’s nerve wracking. Theo’s footsteps echo throughout the room. as the hour drags by.

Two hours later, I’m drenched in sweat. My shirt is soaked all the way through and my long hair sticks to the back of my neck. My head feels as if someone’s placed a ton of bricks on it. That is how heavy my head feels right now.

My arms are red and irritated, my knuckles are red and cracked. Blood creeps out of the cracks. I smile. I made it through the first three hours of training and I have only two more hours to go. I got this.

Erika yells at Kayla as Kayla and Mia run around laughing like three-year old. Kayla’s black hair covers her face as she attempts to scare Mia.

“You’re acting like morons!” Erika exclaims as she stares at Kayla and Mia in disgust.

I can’t take it. Erika cannot tread on people like that! She hasn’t even been here for one full day and this is how she acts? Unbelievable! My temper flares and I march right up to Erika with my fists curled into balls at my sides.

“Why? What makes you think that you can treat people like this?” I ask.

Erika looks at me and rolls her eyes. “I can do whatever I want and I don’t need a babysitter telling me what I can and what I can’t do.”

Anger boils inside of me like water boiling on the stove. She’s the fire and I’m the water boiling. Nick comes over as if he’s the hero of the situation. That only makes my temper rise.

“Ladies, ladies, ladies let me handle this,” Nick says holding his arms out as if he’s breaking up the fight. “What happened?”

“None of your business,” I shoot.

Nick rolls his eyes and then he looks at Erika for answers. She doesn’t respond. Nick shrugs his shoulders and walk off. I turn around and out of the corner of my eye, Erika shoots me a death glare. She doesn’t know who she just messed with.

Ten minutes later, Max and Theo lead us outside and up onto the roof of TID. We climb fifteen flights of stairs and my legs burn from climbing. It could be worst. And I know it. It could be much, much worse. Even though Erika is all the way in the back, I can hear her complaining about how many stairs there are and that this is pointless.

“Come on,” Max complains, “I don’t have all day.”

Everyone begins to pick up the pace. Max is not happy with Nick and Lee. They started horsing around earlier in the training room and Max caught them. Max’s face is red with anger when he stops to look at us every so many minutes.

To my left, Nick has a black eye and dried blood forms on his chin. Idiot. Sweat rolls down my neck as we climb up the stairs. I push the sleeves of my shirt up to relive the sweat rolling down my arms. The heat increases with all the bodies and stairs. My breathing quickens as I attempt to slow it down. My head begins to spin from my fast breathing.

I shift over to the side and hold the rail for a moment. I take a deep, shuddering breath in and let it out. My head stops spinning once I focus on my feet. You got this. Control it. You can’t slip up, I think as my thoughts become clearer with each breath I take.

A comforting hand appears on my shoulder. I look up and see kind, ocean blue eyes staring into mine. Theo looks at me. His eyes aren’t hard like they were earlier during training; they’re kinder and filled with compassion.

“You okay?” he asks, his hand still holds my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I say. “I’m fine.”

Theo nods and releases my shoulder from his grip. I shake my head. That was stupid. I cannot slip up like that ever again. Ever.

I’m not weak nor strong. I’m not a child nor an adult. I can either be stupid and naive or I can be strong and make it through training. Which one? Which one will I be? I have to be strong. Both mentally and physically.

Max opens the door and we rush to get a view of the city. The train rattles on the rails as buses pass through the city on the bumpy and uneven road. Government cars appear on the streets every few minutes. They’re either blue and silver or polished black.

Everyone stares down at the city before us in awe. Whispers about how beautiful the city is go through the crowd as everyone rushes to get a glimpse of city. I look down at the ground and what I see it horrific.

A Government Official gets out of the car and attacks a nearby pedestrian. He or she has sparks of lightning coming out from her hands. Another Government Official climbs out of the car to assist the other Government Official. Two men tackle a woman into the back of the car in handcuffs.

“That is what could happen to any of you. And that is why we’re training you now,” Max says gesturing down to the pavement where blood splatters the ground. “Now let’s go back down stairs and we’re going to talk about protecting the face.”

No one says a word. We’re all silent as we descend down the flights of stairs. It’s easier to go down than it is to go up. Cool air rushes past me as we jog slowly down the stairs. Max and Theo lead us from the front and you can tell that everyone in the unit is terrified to say anything at all.

We re-enter the training room and Max beckons for Theo to help him demonstrate how to protect the face. They stand there in the front of the room circling each other as if they’re wild animals battling for food. Max throws a punch at Theo but Theo shields his face with his radius bone; then he punches Max in the stomach. Max throws another punch at Theo’s face. But once again, Theo uses his radius bone to block and then he hits Max square in the jaw.

It wasn’t a hard punch. It was more of a ‘watch what you do and pay attention’ kind of punch.

Max and Theo number us off and have us practice in pairs. I get stuck with Nick. I’m going to kick this guy’s butt. I can’t wait.

Nick’s brown hair covers his emerald green eyes as he gets to fight and defend himself. Pathetic. My radius bone protects my face as he throws a punch at my face. Weak.

Nick and I circle around each other for a moment until I hit him in the ribcage. Nick stumbles back. I just knocked the air out of him. Good. Nick’s fist collides with my stomach and I feel the wind get pushed out of me like a brick hitting the water. I stifle back a grunt and take a deep breath in.

Nick smiles with glee when he sees the state I’m in. Max surveys the room as we beat each other up. Theo walks around occasionally giving tips to the others and practicing with them.

I feel Max’s eyes burn into the back of my neck as Nick and I beat each other up. I throw a punch at his face but this time he blocks it. Nick’s wrists crossed when he blocks me. I exhale a heavy breath and Nick’s fist hits me in the ribs.

“That’s not what we’re doing,” I wheeze.

Nick rolls his eyes. “Yeah, so?”

“We’re working on protecting the face idiot,” I state.

Nick rolls his eyes again and he holds his arms out in front of him. I sweep my leg from his and knock Nick down. I throw a punch at his face. This time he wasn’t alert.

“How are you two doing?” Theo asks.

Nick scrambles to stand up. Blood trickles down from his nose. Theo examines Nick’s face and the mine.

“You weren’t alert, Nick,” Theo states. “You didn’t protect your face.”

Nick nods his head and Theo looks at me. He smiles.

“Nice job, Abhaya,” he says.

Theo walks off and I’m left with Nick. Nick scowls at me. I’ve just made an enemy.