Wrapped in warmth, shielded beneath the covers. Eden surrounded by pleasant dreams as she buried her nose into her furry friend. Suddenly the cold embraced her legs and her body hurled from the bed. She felt the icy chill of the floor tough her skin, her eyes still tired and the room dark. A figure stood before her, a shadow towering over her. Though she couldn't see him, she knew who stood before her.
"Morning Mr. Feitan" She groaned, rubbing her tired eyes.
"We're heading out" He stated, disappearing into the darkness. Eden leapt up onto her feet quickly following after him. Feitan opened the doorway, turning back waiting for Eden. She stopped strapping shoes on her feet, most likely previously belonging to the boy she killed last night. He led her outside walking out of the neighborhood, it was morning despite the sun still down.
"Mr. Feitan where are we going" Eden inquired jogging to keep up with the fast paced man.
"To begin your training" Feitan answered, stopping Eden in her tracks.
"Really" She pressed as Feitan continued walking ahead.
"Its what I just said, don't make me repeat myself" He scolded irately. Eden remained motionless, but a smile quickly spread across her cheeks. With a squeal she ran up beside Feitan and ran circles around him, much to his irritation.
"Yay, Yay, Oh thank you Mr. Feitan. I'm so excited" She screeched repeatedly running around the man, oblivious to his frustration. His hand shot out, grasping her forehead ceasing her fooling around.
"If you don't stop that we'll turn right back around" He threatened, tightening his grip on her temples.
"Of course, Mr. Feitan" Eden replied sheepishly, her grin still wide. His hand dropped from her head and continued walking forward with Eden closely behind. The town soon disappeared from their vision, returning to a desert setting. Unlike their first journey, Eden was managing to keep up with Feitan. In so short a time she'd already toughen up a bit.
They walked about another hour or so, the sun now peaking over the horizon. The night's chill lingered in the dessert, but not for much longer. Eventually in their path stood a massive chasm, so deep the bottom was shrouded by darkness. A long wooden bridge connected the sides of the chasm, its appearance was old though also sturdy. Crossing the bridge, with each step creaking the wood echoing through the chasm. Feitan stopped dead center of the bridge, stomping out a couple of the wooden planks.
"This is you're first training session, two hundred and fifty pull ups from the breaks in the bridge" Eden starred into the abyss that lingered beneath them, her palms sweaty in anticipation. She was afraid, but she couldn't give up over such a task. Eden crouched down, and sat on the bridge allowing her legs to sway in the holes. Feitan sat across her, watching her every move. "And should you be moving to slow I'll make you do more…hurry up" He commanded, and with a gulp Eden pushed herself off the bridge.
Her hands shot up to grab the wooden planks as her body continued to slip into the abyss. Tiny hands scrambling across the wood, nails scrapping to hold her grip. She released a breath, relieved to maintain her grip. Eden urged herself not to look below, but her eyes deified her and glanced into the darkness as she heard the howling of the chasm.
"You're hesitating, now its two hundred and fifty five" Eden stiffened at his voice, she knew what she had to do. Her eyes ripped themselves from the dark abyss to look upward, towards the sky. With shaking arms she pulled her body back up, her chin grazing the wooden plank.
"One" Feitan counted as she dropped back down, and with a weak breath pulled herself back up.
"Two" He added, continuously as she rose herself back up each time. Once she reached forty, she was out of breath. Then she got five more added to her quota, two hundred and sixty.
Illuminating stars shown from the night as a cool breeze blew cross the chasm. A thick sheen of sweat dripped from her skin. Eden couldn't hear Feitan count, listening to the heaviness of her own breath. The agonizing ache of her arms never dulled. She felt light, her vision hazy as her sense of time vanished. She couldn't even feel her grip loosen. Her body dropped, but then it was caught. Thrown back onto the bridge.
"Two hundred sixty, congratulations" Feitan announced, watching her heave to catch her breath. Her clothes glued to her body by sweat and her arms felt as though they'd been torn off.
Minutes past and her breathing calmed to a steady rhythm, but remained paralyzed. A cool touch grazed her ankle, her hazy vision caught sight of her teacher strapping something to her legs. He got up and stepped over her body, proceeding to walk off the bridge.
"That's enough rest, lets get going" Eden resisted the urge to groan, but nether the less pulled her body into an upright position. Nausa, and the need to vomit overcame her form. Leaning over the side off the bridge she emptied the contents of her belly. "Knock it off and hurry up, I refuse to wait for a pathetic child" She heard him walk away as she wiped away the filth on her cheek.
Her arms numb and useless, remained at her sides as she got on her feet. Exhausted, Eden wanted desperately to collapse on the ground, but the desire to stay beside Feitan was far superior.
With wobbly legs she sprinted after the man, her legs much heavier than before regardless of the bridge exercise. With a glance she saw, anklets attached to her and registered that they were weighing her down. For the moment they didn't impede her as much as her exhaustion, but she knew it was only temporary. Eden eventually caught up to Feitan, followed him in pace.
The sun returned to the sky, accompanied by scorching heat. No breeze nor cloud present to alleviate the heat. Her legs dragged against dust of the earth. She could barely make out the figure leading her as her teacher, she simply saw a black figure. Parched mouth and skin drying up as the land she walked on. She moved without will as she dipped in and out of unconsciousness, her sight vanished and replaced by darkness. She crumbled to the ground, though relief filled her aching limbs, detest and disgust moved her hands to claw at the ground to move her body.
"N-not…yet" Eden moaned fighting to withstand the involuntary rest her body gave into. Her eyes closed as she inevitably relaxed, falling asleep. Coldness overcame her body, smothering her. Her body jerked at the damp sensation covering her. Eden's eyes opened trying to adjust to the darkness around her.
"Drink" A bottle shoved into her mouth, pouring water down her throat. Warm and dirty, but Eden sighed as she gulped down all that it offered her. Once the bottle ripped from her mouth and she coughed to catch her breath.
"Where are we Mr. Feitan" she asked, trying to find him through the darkness.
"The basement of an old house, you collapsed at the doorstep remember. You've done well today, but now…this will be the most agonizing part of my training that you'll have to endure" Eden noticed her wrist bounded together behind the chair she sat on, her ankles each tied to a leg of the chair.
"I happen to be master in dealing with the subject of interrogation and torture, and as my assistant you must be as well. This lesson will teach you both methods of torture and a tolerance for pain" His cold hands rubbed the base of her neck. "After I begin, your life will never be the same". Eden listened and allowed his words to sink in, but then a random thought came to mind.
"Say Mr. Feitan, how bout we make a deal…"
"Oh, and what's that" He asked, curious to her suggestion.
"For every time I don't scream during this lesson you can read me something from you're book" She offered, perking up at the thought.
"Mh an interesting proposal, I suppose I'll agree. In the duration of two minutes should you restrain the urge to scream then I shall read you a passage from my book…" His hands drifted down to her belly, "but, on this night you'll never succeed"
In an instant his finger buried themselves in her stomach, wrapping themselves around her intestines. First came shock to her, then he tugged and pinched her insides. She couldn't repress the scream that fled her lips, while his other hand cupped her hand. He freed one hand and brought it to his lips, his teeth biting down on her nail…then tearing it off.
Another scream.
And another.
That night he conducted a symphony of agony and wails. And while the pain she endured was torment, Eden marveled at the talent and ability he possessed. She couldn't stop screaming long enough to get him to read for her, though for nearly thirty seconds she remained silent as shattered her ribs. It was the first of many evenings they spent inflicting pain, where she learned to tolerate it and was taught to inflict it.
*So Hey, finally getting back to this story.
Sorry for the wait and I know this chapter might have been a little boring but the next takes place three years later with the Kurta massacre.
But I'm back and hope to be doing more frequent updates, and that you guys continue to enjoy them.