Aloha everyone! Thank you so much taimukipa, AnetteRuby, that random guest person, and others for your suggestions! Everyone proposed their ideas, and I, the writer am in a small split in the road.
Most people asked for a soft romance between Rhea and an OC, but someone else offered Snake, and both ideas are good.
So, from the bottom of the hearts of the people who haven't already answered the question, please tell me if you'd rather have an OC or Snake.
PLEASE TELL ME!
Oh yeah, pls don't waste your time and mention a triangle. I am not writing a love triangle for Rhea. Her love life is not that important to the story (sorry Rhea, no offense)
Rhea: *creepy smile* None taken. But if you don't mind, just go fuck yourself and die in a hole.
Me: I AM YOUR CREATOR WOMAN! YOU WILL OBEY WHAT I WRITE YOU TO DO!
Rhea: *pulls out some surgical tools* You keep telling yourself that. I'd watch my back though if I were you.
Me: ….. *runs away in terror*
Chapter 12: Breathing but Not Alive Part 3
I woke up to the same room I fell asleep in. I first opened my eyes slowly, but gradually, I felt the panic of everything being just a dream, so I sat straight up, looked around, and then relaxed back onto my back. I look quickly at the electronic alarm clock sitting on the bed stand.
6:47.
I sighed and reluctantly sat up again. Dinner was in about ten minutes, so I shouldn't really try to fall back asleep. I was already told Angela didn't like people being tardy, and I had no wish to anger her.
I used my fingers to comb through my now clean and floral scented hair before realizing there was a comb next to the sink in the bathroom. My hair was still damp, so I took the blow dryer hanging nearby and turned it on.
I relished the feeling of my hair flying all over the place. It felt so free, like nothing was chaining it down. I continued this for about another five minutes before I turned the device off and saw myself with my own personalized mini afro.
I combed it back down and tied it neatly into a ponytail with a provided scrunchie. I heard a knock on the door and scurried over to answer it.
A girl, maybe ten years old, stood by my rather plain door. She wore tight exercise capris and a loose tank top with a visible sports bra beneath it.
Her straight black hair was pulled into a high bun and her dark chocolate almond eyes gave off a welcoming feeling. She smiled at me.
"I'm sure you know already, but I'm here to show you to dinner."
I nodded.
"My name's Laura, what's yours?"
I almost said Rhea, but clamped my mouth shut before I could answer. "I forget," I lied.
Laura looked at me with sympathetic eyes. It wasn't pity, but I still didn't like them. "Well, I'll call you `chibi` for now."
"`Chibi`?"
"It means small in Japanese."
I tilted my head. "Are you Japanese?"
Laura laughed. "Somewhere far back in the family timeline, yes, but I was born in Chicago. I just like reading manga."
I quietly nodded. Laura seemed nice, but I for some reason didn't want to like her. I silently followed her down to the dining hall. We walked through one of the mysterious doors from earlier and it lead to some sort of greenhouse. There were long tables with benches running along both sides of them. Already there were people sitting and shoving food down their faces. There was boisterous laughter erupting from all over the place, and I ever so slowly, covered my ears.
After a long time of just listening to tears and silence, this was a bit too big of a jump for me. Laura noticed this and patted my head. I tried no to flinch. "Don't worry, after a while, you'll get used to the noise."
I just read her lips and guessed what she said, but I nodded none the less. Not removing my hands, no matter how rude it was, I followed Laura to the buffet line in the back of the greenhouse.
It was a bit quieter here, so I lifted my hands and decided the noise here was tolerable.
"Here is the buffet line. Everyone comes here for the three main meals. I'll show you the room we use for afternoon tea and what not after dinner. There is no solid rule on who gets the food first, but usually the older kids get their food first. It goes on until the youngest gets their grub, and so far, you're the smallest and youngest here chibi,"
So there is some sort of hierarchy system here.
Okay, I can deal with that.
I shrugged. I never really had an appetite, so getting food last wasn't a problem for me. I tried to get a plate, but it wouldn't budge from the stack.
I heard a soft snicker from behind me, but when I turned around confused, Laura just looked at me before pretending something just dawned on her.
Ah, I get it now. I was right not to believe Laura was my friend. She was probably ordered or given something to show me around. She probably wanted to be anywhere but here. So, to make up for her annoyance of showing me around, she will humiliate me first.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention this. To eat, you need points. You get them if you do well at a mission or have a good training session. I hate to break it to you chibi, but you have no points to eat. You'll have to wait until tomorrow's practice to eat."
If you were truly sorry, you'd offer to share some of your food.
I simply shrugged again. It was a good idea I suppose. It motivated people to do well during their missions and practices. I stood there and watched Laura took a card stored in her sports bra and pressed it against a scanner. A plate easily came lose and she slowly picked the food from the serving plates to her own.
I think she was trying to make me hungry, but I felt nothing. I have gone for days without eating something. I'll manage.
Just as I was following Laura out of the buffet, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. I looked up to see Angela standing there, smiling.
Laura noticed I wasn't following her, so she turned around and stood in shock when she saw Angela.
She immediately put her plate down and kneeled
"M-M-Ms. Angela, what brings you here?"
I looked back at Laura and tilted my head confused. Clive hadn't acted this surprised when he saw Angela.
The silver haired woman smiled down at me. "Well, you looked much better than I expected my little lamb. I knew there was a beauty behind all of that dirt and grime." She stroked my head, and I relaxed a little bit.
It wasn't like I trusted Angela, but since she got me out of the dark hellhole, I felt like I owed her something. I owed her my loyalty.
"Laura, how cruel of you. To not give a sweet child like herself something to eat."
The said girl flinched. Her face got sweaty and her hands closed into fists. "I apologize, I will give something to ea-"
"There's no need anymore." Angela cut her off before she could even finish her sentence. I looked at Angela. Right now, she gave off a slightly cold and menacing aura, but I didn't care. I wasn't surprised. If you work or live in a place like this, some sort of command is needed and the person in charge needs to be able to enforce it while being taken seriously.
The woman looked back at me, and her aura went soft and warm instantaneously. She pulled out a card from her jacket pocket and handed it to me.
It looked like a credit card, except there was no name and no expiration date. In fact, where the expiration date should be, there was a caption that read: # of points.
In fancy cursive, it read "Meal Card". I flipped it, and it was blank aside from the thick black line running near the base of the card and a signature box.
"This is yours my little lamb. This is the card you use if you want to get something to eat. One meal is five points. For tea time, it is three points for a teapot full of tea of your choice and a plate of biscuits. Currently, you have two hundred points on your card." She tapped my card with her finger and 200 appeared in the caption with #of points.
I heard a cough from Laura, and I looked at her disbelieving eyes. "T-two hundred points!?" she exclaimed. "Why on earth does she get that many-"
"Silence."
Laura shut her mouth and looked down at the ground, but I could feel the disbelief turn into anger.
Okay Rhea, what have you learned throughout this whole scene?
You need points to eat
Aside from the adults, the older kids get their foods first and younger ones get their food last
People don't want to be seen with the youngest member of the whole thingy
Angela is an important and feared person
Two hundred points are a lot
Laura has now labeled me as an enemy
Angela seems to be overly nice to me
If I'm not careful, I'm screwed
Angela allowed her glare to linger on Laura before looking back at me. She crouched down to my level and caressed my cheek. "Whenever you want to tell me what your name is or wish to tell me a fake name, just ask one of the adults. You can't see them now, but you'll see them milling around later. Tell them "The Lord created both the lion and the lamb", and they'll lead you to me. Okay?"
She smiled softly at me and I quickly nodded. "Also, if one of the big kids is being mean to you, just come tell me as well."
Instead of earnestly bobbing my head up and down, I just gave her a curt nod. I'm not stupid. Although Angela was the one to suggest it, I knew it wouldn't be wise to tattle. It would just say I was spoiled and weak.
"Okay then, I shall take my leave. Laura, I expect you to take good care of our little lamb, understood?"
Laura snapped to her feet and saluted. "Of course ma'am."
Angela chuckled and waved me good bye. "Until next time little lamb." I watched her turn around and walk back and stared at where she used to be as she eased past a corner.
Laura glared at me, her demeanor now completely changing. "Well, you got it made here." I spared her a glance before looking at my meal card. I suppose it would look like that to anyone. I shrugged and put my card into a pocket in my sweats.
"What, aren't you gonna get something to eat?" I shook my head.
"Not hungry," I mumbled.
"So she speaks! Fine, just follow me then." I nodded and followed Laura back to the tables. Covering my ears, I was still able to see Laura's mouth moving and could guess what enough of the words were to say that she was cursing about me.
She explained to me by using her fingers how the tables are divided by ages. The first one was age's six to nine. The second were to ten to twelve, and so on and so forth all the way up to thirty
Laura went to the table of ten, eleven and twelve year olds and I slowly walked to the table with the youngest. Nobody noticed me, and I was perfectly fine with that. I sat at the end, empty of any people. Apparently there weren't too many youngsters. I sat by myself, my ears covered and without any food.
I wondered what type of place this was. There were many weapons everywhere, and all of the training rooms I've seen so far seem to train everyone on how to fight. It wasn't a fighting school, otherwise why would it be hidden beneath the manor belonging to Angela Blanc and Ash Landers, her twin brother, second CEO of A&A Railways?
Curiosity gnawed away my mind but I didn't ask Laura or anybody. I would figure out soon enough. No need to rush into things. Once dinner was done, I found out that dessert was worth another point, and I also noticed some people only ate desert, as if they didn't have enough points to get.
I see. This helped point out who was smart with their points and who couldn't afford food. It appeared though that water was free. I got up and poured myself a glass. I sat back down, enjoying my cool drink with a straw when I felt someone poke one of my hands covering my ears. I turned around to see the boy Clive grinning at me along with a few of what I assumed to be his buddies.
I sighed. "What do you want?"
He elbowed the person closest to him. "See, I told you she talks! You all owe me two points!"
Some of his group groaned, but none the less, they tapped their cards against Clive's, and slowly by two, his number grew until it read: 49
I glared at him. "If that's all, them would you all be dears and leave me alone?" Much to my dismay, Clive sat down right next to me and continued to grin. "Not getting dessert?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Waste of points." I nodded. So he had some sort of brain. Good to know.
"So noob, how old are you?"
I looked back at him. Shrugging I answered. "Four."
Someone in his group spat out their drink on the person next to him. The two started to argue, but it just melted in the noise. Clive ignored them.
"Wow, you're pretty young. You don't strike me as a regular four year old though,"
"What are you, eight?" Clive nodded. "Well, to be fair you don't strike me as a typical eight year old and this isn't exactly what you'd think a normal place is.
Clive shrugged in agreement. "I suppose. So, do feel like telling me your name yet?"
I shook my head. "Keep trying, and I might consider it."
Clive snorted. "You sound more like an adult and not an innocent young toddler."
I turned back to sipping my water. Who ever said I was innocent?
I turned my head, surprised Clive hadn't left yet when he poked my hand again.
"I have a question for you," he said. "What is the answer to this expression?" He pulled a piece of paper and pen out from a pocket in the hoodie he was currently wearing. He wrote a very simple expression. Very easy. I didn't even need to think about it. It read:
3(2x + 1) - (x - 2) = 2(x + 4)
"The answer's x=1."
Clive didn't even have time to hit the start button on the timer.
I stood up and didn't even turn around to see Clive's expression. Keeping my hands over my ears was becoming very annoying. I walked over to Laura's table and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around and her expression went sour. "What do you want?"
"Can give me the rest of the tour now?"
One of her friends hooted. "Oi, Laura. When'd you become a babysitter?"
Laura told them to shut up and glared at me. I shrugged. "I'll give you the rest of the tour tomorrow morning, like what the schedule says." She was turning back around when I kicked her in the back. "OW! Shit, what the fuck was that for!?"
"Language," I said, my voice monotone. "Remember, you're supposed to take good care of me, right? You're not eating and you can talk to your friends later. My tour can't wait till tomorrow."
Laura growled at my use of Angela's words and then remembered I could report her to yours truly. Cursing, she got up and put her plates away before giving me a tour of the place.
Just as we were about to go back to the dorms, I asked what was on my mind. "What type of place is this? Since it's underground and hidden and only revolves around fighting, I'm curious."
Laura raised her eyebrow at me. "You mean you haven't figured it out already?"
I shook my head. The older girl snickered before returning to her regular composure. "At this school, you are taught how to handle all types of violent situations, whether it is political, physical, or mental. You are taught how to fight different styles and how to use a large range of weapons. Once you've got the basics down, you're allowed to choose a weapon to specialize in."
"What weapon do you specialize in?"
"I specialize in the spear. As I was saying, once you choose your weapon, they group you with other people who have chosen to specialize with the same weapon. Of course you still practice other weapons, but you must master your specialized weapon. To master a weapon is very hard work though. It takes decades for most, but in this school, the best student we've ever gotten mastered a weapon in only ten years. But even then, since he spent so much time only on his specialized weapon, he couldn't use anything else. He couldn't even fire a gun properly."
"Okay, but you didn't answer my question."
The two of us reached my door. I opened my plain and undecorated door and stepped inside. I turned around expectant for an answer.
She smiled at me. A really evil and creepy smile, like she just caught tonight's dinner in a make shift trap.
"Welcome to Timoria, the School of Assassins."
Wow! I published this chapter rather quickly, and because I hate checking my work, there are probably going to be more than one spelling or grammar mistake in this thing even though English is my first language.
Whatever.
Anyways, only one more chapter to come about Rhea's past and then we will go back to the present day!
PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION FROM THE AUTHOR'S BOX AT THE BEGINNING IN A REVIEW OR PM ME!
AND RRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWW
(It spells `review' in case you couldn't read it. Don't worry, I typed it and it took me a few seconds to realize what the hell it said)
-BrokenWings66
