All characters belong to Stephanie Meyers.
When we got back from Italy, I found out what J meant when he mentioned getting started on the foundation. He had created a training program, called the Foundation, that was designed to make a person lethal. The Hapkido training I had at school came in really handy. It began with me going to the dentist and getting a GPS sensor under a back tooth. Then began the intense training.
Viki was absolutely brutal. I should sic her on Mr. Hunter. But if I did, she might keep him around for much longer than I would be comfortable with, so the idea was nixed pretty quickly.
She showed me the intricacies of life and death. What the human body was capable of achieving at different stages during mortality. How to control my breathing and sleep deprivation. I imagined her being three times worse than a drill sergeant.
It was difficult, but it really took over my sense of accomplishment. What I thought I deserved was taken away. I had to take the first month off of work, just to earn the ability to wear anything other than the uniform. I had to prove I was capable of detecting danger before I was allowed to leave the facility. She wouldn't even teach me how to get out of there until I had done the first full month with her alone.
I meditated to keep my focus sharp and not allow my primal side to take over from Rose. She taught me the fine art of honing all of my senses using deprivation.
I learned several languages in the five months of this program from Vera and their history. She went over how language had progressed throughout time. I could read and comprehend some languages but was fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and the English the people of England speak. She said we'd go more into dialects when I mastered more languages.
J and I were separated for that first month. As much as this was necessary, I missed him terribly. Whenever I was in pain from Viki cracking a rib or two, I focused on his love and could feel it, if that made sense. We were two halves of a whole, as cheesy as that sounded. Somehow, I knew he was always close. Even if I couldn't see him, I knew he was there.
Duke taught me a lot about science. He had me create concoctions that scared me. They were capable of danger and destruction, depending on how they were used. However, I learned how to make the pill, should anything happen to any of the team. That thought made me shiver. I was getting to know everyone and they really were a great group. They felt like family to me, too.
Mae introduced me to cooking. I learned how to make everything from simple grilled cheese to elegant escargot. I learned table settings, mannerisms, and poisons. Hopefully, I wouldn't ever have to use the latter but it was good to know. It was like charm school with a twist. Boarding school didn't even come close.
Ellis focused on appearance. He was constantly trying new products the lab made to conceal their appearance. There was a makeup blend they created that stayed on for a week! I supposed they could've made one that lasted longer, but the idea was to constantly change their appearance.
Emmett specialized in body sculpting. As brutal as Viki's torture was, Emmett showed me which muscles to work on to keep myself physically fit and toned. He designed some of the equipment in the gym especially for this purpose. I could get faster results in 20 reps versus 200 with his inventions.
Lil and Felix loved to play sports the most. They improved the existing games, as well as made really fun new ones. The pogo polo looked incredibly dangerous, though, for a mere mortal like me.
Seph taught me anger management, ironically. The boy got mad at so much, yet controlled his temper and showed me how to channel my emotions in everything I did. I was able to use the torture from Viki and allow the peace I felt during my meditation keep me calm and collected. I could direct my calm to others, I found, in my speech and actions.
Mae taught me the art of hypnotism and psychological strengthening. This was far more dangerous than what Viki did to me. She put me in a deep sleep and showed me how I was able to do things better or differently, just because she told me to. However, she also showed me how to not be hypnotized in the first place after she made me cluck like a chicken for half a day. It took a lot of practice to get out of it, once I was under it, too. I'd get her back for that.
Lastly, J taught me love. I knew I loved him beyond comprehension, but he showed me how to display affection wordlessly. Somehow, I was able to communicate things to him without even needing words. It was like we had a telepathic link. I'd never felt anything like it. Ever. I loved him more than I loved anybody in my entire life, even my parents and Alice.
Five months of this and I was done with the beginning stages. I didn't know how I was going to survive any more.
After the first wave of the Foundation program, J decided I deserved a vacation. I agreed wholeheartedly. I had never felt so drained of energy. I could've used the techniques they showed me on how to overcome my mental and physical fatigue, but I decided sleep would be justified.
J got our bags packed and organized the trip for just the two of us. We definitely deserved alone time. We chose Miami, since it had a fun seaquarium yet a dangerous amount of violence. I was determined to prove my new skills and put them to good use. J wanted me to take it easy, but this was important for me to prove to myself that I wouldn't have to depend on anyone for my safety.
I agreed that J could be close enough to see from a binocular distance. He was not to intervene then or later. I found out he used city camera feeds to hunt down my assailant so many months ago during the month we were separated. He took his frustration out on that guy, who used my $35 for illegal drugs.
J never told me what he did with him, nor did I ask. I was sure I didn't want to know.
I did, however, find out what J meant about the guns part of his mob. It turned out, his mob was, literally, a target's worst nightmare. They used a variety of ways to terminate someone, but J always made sure that person did something terribly wrong before agreeing and the best part was that they would terminate the person right before donating their body for science or organ donation. He only assigned his team to assassinate murderers, rapists..etc. Anyone that harmed a child was done for free, with proof. Otherwise, their fees were quite high and they were never even on law enforcement's radar, simply because J and his team didn't exist. They stayed in the shadows or hid in plain sight. They were always changing their appearance and the pill covered their fingertips from leaving any prints.
It was genius, really. Although I found it hard to condone murder, I found their method of choice to be better than if they just took money and killed anyone. That was where J was the most uncompromising and everyone agreed wholeheartedly. It was a life they chose and a life they were willing to live, no matter what.
Of course, the family disagreed like all families do. But there were rules that were non-negotiable. For example, all disagreements would be out in the open and the people arguing had to sort it out immediately and not allow it to stew into something worse. Everyone took turns cooking and cleaning. No one was above or below in rank, besides J. It was fascinating how well run this family was. I came to not think of them as a mob, even though, by definition, they were. Ruthless, cunning, and exact. They were an organization with a violent tendency toward anyone on the outside. The family did not allow outsiders, besides me, and that was because J had always warned them he was expecting to meet his mate. I was, however, the last person to join the group. There would be no other.
The scientists in the lab worked there until their death. They never left the facility, since they dedicated their lives in the name of science. They passed on their knowledge by documenting every test and every finding. They found solace in each other, as well, but were quite separate from my family. It was a little sad, but I understood that scientists would never fully understand our lifestyle. They were kept out of any knowledge of what the mob did or how they functioned. The scientists began their life like normal people, but when they get to a certain level of achievement, they are offered the chance to join our team. If they declined, they were sprayed and all knowledge of the past 24 hours was erased.
It wasn't often, but some scientists had families within the confines of the lab environment. They were given a choice to let the child go out into the world, never to return with their time of upbringing fully erased, or to stay and do something valuable at the facility. If they left, they were put into a good foster family and had a parental trust they were given as soon as they turned 21. If they stayed, as children, they were tested, unknowingly, for their strengths and deemed to go into a career path. It sounded harsher than it was, but the system never failed. Rose was not allowed into the scientists' home areas, especially where the children were. I wondered why.
"Do you want to go for a swim or relax in the hotel room's tub?" He wagged his mischievous eyebrows, but I knew he wasn't expecting anything. He and I had a lot of fun together, in many aspects. We never made each other uncomfortable and I couldn't remember any major disagreements between each other. I certainly fought with the others, but it was about petty things and it all worked out within minutes, regardless.
I smiled at him, loving him more and more with each day. "Let's go to the beach. Can you even tan?" I burned. I turned red. Really, really red.
He shook his head. "The pill puts the layer on our skin, so nothing from the outside can hurt us. Granted, I don't need the pill, but I want you to know what will happen when you decide to be like us."
We had previously agreed that, if he could save me with medication, he had the distinct approval to give me an immortal pill, solidifying our forever together. It was our version of a living will. However, it had to be a life or death situation.
We headed down to the beach, holding hands and finding freedom from all responsibility magnificent.
As we were walking down the stairs, the hair on the back of my neck signalled danger. I knew J felt the same when he stopped and tensed. We turned to each other, silently agreeing I would take care of this. Even though I didn't have bullet proof cover on my skin, I was still very well versed in protecting myself and J.
J silently moved into the pitch black shadows, concealing himself entirely. A man and a woman were holding hands, laughing and talking about which movie to see tonight. I moved out of their way, smiling at the happy couple with their endearing love. I thought my sense of danger was wrong, but then the man let go of her hand and used his arm to push my neck against the wall. It wasn't in a choke hold, since I could still breathe, but it was strong enough to not let me move. I could feel J's anxiety grow by the second and I knew I had to diffuse this immediately.
"You don't want to do this." I looked into his eyes, trying to persuade him hypnotically. It was for naught, since his eyes were dilated and I realized he was high on some drug. The woman was cackling, cheering him on to take what he wants. I was confused. She wanted him to wrong me, even though I was innocent?
"You just stand there like a good girl. It won't be long." He slurred his words, misunderstanding the terror on my face. If I didn't get this under control, J would go nuts on the guy.
I used my calming technique and focused my anger on channeling it toward a massive amount of energy.I was able to move him away from me by holding on to his shoulders and kicking him in his stomach, to the point of him bending over in pain. The woman stayed back, this time from J holding her steady with his hand on her mouth and the other arm keeping her from attacking me unfairly.
"You little bitch!" He found his footing, after nearly slipping on the stairs, and charged toward me. By then, my focus became crystal sharp and I made sure my movements were swift and calm. I sidestepped him at the last second, tripping him and causing him to fall all the way down. It wasn't too much, only about twenty steps. But, it was enough to take the wind out of him and make him pass out.
J came out of the shadows, still holding the now screaming banshee. She was hysterical, trying to kick him, anything to get out of his hold. When she saw what I did to her man, whatever he was to her, her eyes widened in fright and I knew she was scared the same would happen to her.
I pointed to the stairwell camera. "See that? We're going to call the authorities and have them come question you both." J pinched her jugular, making her fall into an unconscious state and laid her next to him at the bottom of the stairs. We left and I placed an anonymous call from the tracfone we bought and we hid in the shadows, ensuring they took the both of them away. Of course, we had been wearing disguises, so the description they gave was nowhere near the new ones we were wearing a few minutes later. The tracfone was burning in an outside garbage can with other garbage.
We ended up enjoying our time at the beach. The hot sand made it difficult to walk on, but our sandals proved helpful. J growled at anyone daring to stare at me longer than the one second he thought was too long. I thought he was being dramatic, but found myself doing the same with anyone that stared at him.
We went to a French-Cambodian restaurant for dinner without any drama and enjoyed the romantic ambiance of the restaurant. They had a live orchestra, catering us with songs that dared a composer to put words to. It was wonderful. The decor was so beautiful with all of the mini elephant statues that just seemed to belong there.
Overall, it was a good first day of vacation.
The French-Cambodian restaurant does exist, but it's in Boston. I knew the family that owned it.
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