Chapter 28: Lea

I wake up hungry.

I NEVER wake up hungry, but it's exactly what I did.

I could eat a whole continental breakfast bar right now.

Why am I so hungry? That's right; I didn't have anything to eat yesterday and then I threw up. My body must be completely deprived of resources.

I sit up, blinking in the morning light which streams through a gap in the curtains.

Raun rolls over in her bed, "Morning, feeling better?"

"Ya," I rub my head, "Much better."

She yawns, "Glad to hear it. You scared the crap out of me."

I kick off my covers and hop out of bed. Surprisingly, I feel fine. Better than fine. I throw two quick punches then a kick at the air, relishing the feeling of motion.

Raun raises an eyebrow, "Oh? What's this?"

"Sorry," I smile, "I don't know what came over me."

"Whatever," She rolls over.

I start pulling on clothes, getting ready.

The morning bell rings just as I emerge from the bathroom.

Raun is up, dressed in dark hues. She pushes past me to brush her teeth. I note the concerned glance she throws me and return it with a reassuring smile.

There's a knock at the door, which doesn't surprise me. I open it and, as expected, James is on the other side.

I glance towards the bathroom door. It's closed and I can hear Raun humming softly to herself.

I look back towards James, speaking quietly and quickly, "I know why you're here. Tell them I'm fine; I'm feeling better, and I'll be there after breakfast." I close the door.

I can just imagine the look on his face; almost like a fish.

Raun emerges from the bathroom.

"Is it time to eat yet?" I ask.

She glances at the her watch, "Just about."

"Great, I'm starving."

Cafeteria food isn't that good as a general rule, but The Academy's was genuinely good. Either that; or I'm just hungry enough to eat anything.

Whatever the case; I gulp down my food pretty fast, being careful not to overeat. Raun doesn't try to make conversation.

Surprisingly, neither does Slender.

He hasn't spoken to me since yesterday; right after the memory transfer. I know there was something weird blocking the communication in that time; I don't know what it was. It would have been nice to know he was around last night when I was sick, though. It's worrying he hasn't said anything about it since then.

"What's wrong?" Raun asks suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I can see something's bothering you."

"It's nothing," I get up from the table, "I've got to go. See you back at the dorm later."

Raun picks distastefully at a pancake, "Okay."

I feel her eyes on me as I leave the cafeteria.

I ignore David's voice calling after me, leave the building, walk across the spacious courtyard, and enter the white building.

James is seated in one of the waiting room chairs. He gets up as I enter, setting aside a novel. "You be happy The Inspector likes you, or you would be in trouble for skipping out like that."

I shrug, "I didn't eat at all yesterday; give me a break."

He nods, "You're right. Come on, let's see what you're made of."

He walks down the hallway, keys in his access code, and steps into the tunnel. Down, down, down the staircase. I start counting the steps. 300…301…302…

At 350, he steps off the stairs. I follow.

The room James stops in front of is labeled, "Weapons Locker 5." As I step inside, I see racks of weapons, all shapes and sizes. Everything capable of ending a life from Pocket Knives to semi-automatic rifles. Targets and dummies are arranged in the space not filled by shelves. This is gonna be fun.

"Take anything you want," James gestures at the racks.

I step forward, eyeing the weapons. I toy with the idea of a gun, then discard the notion. Guns are powerful. Guns are the best form of weaponry. I'm not fond of them. They're far too noticeable, and hiding them is difficult. Shooting them isn't exactly my strong suit either, so best to give it a miss.

I examine the knives. A beautiful stiletto catches my eye, along with a small dagger, a set of throwing knives, and what appears to be a thick wristband.

I pick up the stiletto, feeling the cold metal handle settle naturally into my palm. I like this knife. I slash the air. Nice balance; she's a keeper.

The three-inch dagger is made of a strange metal. It's painted with ribbons of silvery lines, running circles along the blade. I take it too.

The throwing knives I don't inspect, simply taking them off the shelf in their long sheath.

The wristband intrigues me. I set aside the other weapons and slip it onto my right wrist. I ball my hand into a fist and flex it backwards. A blade roughly five inches in length shnicks out of the metal.

I smile, no one wants to be on the receiving end of that punch.

"I'm set," I say.

"Good," James replies, "I'll get you a couple sheaths for the stiletto and dagger." He turns away.

I walk up to one of the dummies, holding the stiletto in my left hand. I slash its stomach, leaving a deep rent in the rubber. Next, I punch the mannequin, flexing my fist backwards at the last second. The hidden blade strikes what would have been a fatal blow, if my target was alive.

Perfect.

James clears his throat behind me. I turn around, and he hands me two sheaths along with a belt to hang them on.

I fit the belt two my waist and slide the two blades into place. The throwing knives I sling across my shoulder. The hidden blade remains on my wrist.

I nod approvingly.

"Interesting choices," James comments.

I shrug, "I'm not fond of guns, and swords are too noticeable."

"Oh, one other thing," He pulls a small black backpack from a cabinet, "a bag for extra equipment. Medical kit included; since you have the training for it."

I nod again, checking the contents of the bag. A white medical case is the only thing it contains.

"Cool, I'm all set. What now?"

"Now," Says The Inspector from the doorway, "You come along for your first assignment."

AN: Yay! Chapter 28! And over 4,000 views! That's quite a few, for a pretty obscure subject like this. Doubtless you're all confused right now. Very, very confused. You'll have to stay that way for a few more chapters, unfortunately. After that: you'll have different things to be confused about. Also, from this point on there are going to be a few different monsters introduced. If you wish to know more about these creatures; simply Google them. Unfortunately, I start school in a couple days, so updates will be less frequent. I hope to keep writing this though, even if I don't get the time too type stuff up.

See you all in the next chapter!