Chapter Two- Aidan
"Ace of spades" Andrea slammed down her card on the metal table. The clang rang around the white walls. Everyone was either asleep on the bunk beds or sitting in uncomfortable metal chairs around metal tables chatting. I had gone with the second option. sat around a table. I sat around a table with my free best friends. Nathan, Andrea and Ray. We were playing cards.
Andrea tied her blonde curls into a tight pony tail. Her green eyes sparkled mischievously. "Snap!" she grabbed the cards. "Not again. You always win" Ray groaned. "But you love me anyway" she smirked, kissing his cheek. Ray's hazel eyes found her green ones. "I don't have a choice!" he whined. "Get a life!" she laughed, reaching up to ruffle his red spikes of hair. "I am so bored" Nathan complained. He shook his head, brown messy curls flailing everywhere. His green eyes were filled with boredom.
"Who did it?!" The shout came from across the room. From a 19 year old. Benjamin. His dark eyes were alive with anger. His blonde hair falling carelessly down his face. Benjamin was one guy you did not want to make angry. Andrea's face paled. Eyes widening. She suddenly became alive with fear. It reminded me of someone. Except they had that look on their face all the time. Except when she laughed. Oh when she laughed. She had the most beautiful laugh. Beth. Bethany Angel. Her last name suited her. She was an angel. She used to be my best friend. My best friend who narrowly escaped coming to this hell.
"Someone stole my duvet!" he raged. Oh god. There were 29 of us and three rest went cold. They did none give us warm clothes either, Everyone wore the same. No matter what gender. White T-shirt. Blue jeans. They switched off the lights when we were meant to go to sleep and on to wake up. They gave us one meal a day. Always the same, glass of water and oatmeal. By 'they'. I mean the ASC. Against Savants Community.
"Who did it!?"Benjamin roared. I saw Andrea shrink into Ray. Was it you? I asked her telepathically. We all could. We were all savants. We could also move things with our mind as well as having our own unique powers. Mine was that I could turn invisible and I also had night vision. No one messed with Benjamin because his power was dangerous. We all called him 'the repellent'. When he touched you and his power was switched on you would get a static shock. If he gripped you hard enough he would kill you.
"Calm down" Zoe soothed her soulfinder, Benjamin. Her long red curls in a ponytail and narrow glasses balancing on the bridge of her nose. Every savant had a soulfinder (soulmate). It was the savant other half. The only person they could ever truly lover. They fall apart without them. Their birthdays are quite close only soulfinder couples in this room were, Benjamin and Zoe. Andrea and Ray.
Benjamin took deep breaths. Seething through his teeth. Wow this guy had anger issues.I was cold.Was Andrea's answer. I gave her a pitying look. You could have asked me. I was given a duvet because these people trusted me. They made me their leader. I knew I had to stop this. I was the peace keeper after all.
I stood up, sending the metal chair scraping across the white tile. It made an awful screeching sound which drew everyone's attention towards me as I stood up. Andrea shot me a smile and a grateful look. "Listen up!" I broke the silence. Benjamin glared at me. I glared back. Even though I felt a tinge of anxiety that he could fry me to a crisp. Oh get a grip. Stop being such a Beth. I could beat him any day.
"Benjamin" I drew his attention to me. "What?" he sighed, slightly more calm. "Lay it off a bit, you know how cold it can get" but he wasn't going to be persuaded. "That's it!" he spat. Breathe Aidan. Breathe. He began to move towards me. Here goes nothing. I made myself invisible. Somehow I had to get the best of him. He may have had the muscles but he wasn't the brightest tool in the box. "Aidan!" he roared as I began to weave throughout people in the room.
Wait. Of course. I flicked off my invisibility. "There you are!" he chuckled. Time to test my acting skills. I ran towards the wall. Benjamin lunged to grab me. I flicked on my invisibility before diving out of the way. He smashed into the wall with a loud thud. making the whole room shudder. He was one big guy. Even with the poor amount of food he ate. I made myself visible again.
Cheers erupted around the room. Andrea jumped up and hugged me. I smiled and hugged her back. Best friend ever. She looked so grateful. "I would have died if it weren't for you" she whispered. I zoned out as people came up and slapped me on the back and gave me bro hugs. Zoe ran over to comfort Benjamin who was slumped against the wall. Slightly dazed.
I thought about what Beth would have done in that situation. I guessed she was a savant because otherwise the ASC wouldn't have tried to take her. I still had her horrified face imprinted in my mind. After 10 years I still hadn't forgotten her beautiful face.I hoped she still thought of me. I wondered what she was doing now. What she was like. Was she still the same timid girl who was afraid of everything?
"Earth to Aidan!" Nathan waved his hand in front of my face. I smiled as people started shouting my name. I realized I was happy here. When they weren't running those awful tests of course. Every test at least one of us died. They brought in a new person. Another clueless savant to replace the other one. Every time I was both afraid and hoping to see those beautiful blue eyes meet mine. In some situations I needed my best friend/
An announcement from the speakers in each corner of the room shocked us all into silence. "Alright freaks" an instructing female voice began. My blood boiled at the mention of their nickname for us. "Time to start today's tests. In a few seconds the door will open. Armed guards will keep you in place and escort you to your destination" Thank you. It made a beeping sound before turning off.
My heart pounded. Adrenalin running through every vein in my body. What was it going to be today. Who was going to be eliminated? The white door slid open with a swishing sound. Revealing menacing men in familiar uniforms. Holding guns. I inhaled deeply before doing my warm up exercise. Yes I had a warm up exercise. For my mind anyway. It calmed my mind. Nothing could prepare me for what actually happened in the tests. No one could predict that. I began the ritual. I closed my eyes and played out the scene of what Beth would do in this situation. Yes that was my ritual. Stop judging me.
She would be shivering, eyes alive with fear and long brown hair covering her face. I would put my arm around her and whisper that everything was goi-
"Get a move on boy!" One guard shouted, pushing the gun but into my back. I stumbled forward from the sudden jolt. I fell in line with Andrea. "Stop daydreaming" she laughed. "Just get you killed" she winked at me. Reluctantly I moved where they wanted me to go. here goes nothing.
