thanks for reading and for all the lovely reviews. don't be afraid to be honest with me! apologies for any typos.

BLACK LION OF DAUNTLESS TIME.

Chapter 18

Natalie

We headed out of the apartment at half past ten that night. Amar and George gave us dark hoodies to wear to help us stay hidden. As we took the elevator down to the parking garage I looked over at TJ who's face is nearly obscured by the navy hood on his head. His nose and lips peek out the sides at me and he's breathing nervously. I reach and grab his hand making him jump and stare at me. I smile at him. He gives me a weak one in return. I want to reassure my brother that we will be okay, but I am in need of it myself.

Amar's police trucks is bulky and black. We sit in the back separated by a metal wire partition. I cannot see the streets as we drive, but the front windows are down and blowing a cool night breeze against my body. I am grateful for it. I hear George and Amar talk up front but I can't really hear them. I look at my brother who has his knees to his chest, feet on the seat, and arms locked across his chest. His dark blue eyes seem black and distant in the dimly lit backseats.

On the floor near the back doors are our bags. There's our black backpacks full of toiletries, snacks, and other items George packed us along with identical grey duffle bags full of our clothes, and two rolled squishy looking black sleeping bags They bounced and shifted as we traveled along the rugged streets of the city. I wasn't sure how we'd get into the old undergrad subway systems, but apparently Amar knew a way. I hope it didn't involve going through the sewer. I shuddered at the thought.

We rode for nearly forty-five minutes before we stopped. TJ must have fallen asleep because he sits up with a jolt. He relaxes a little when he realizes where he is, but he is still nervous. So am I.

The back doors come open and a flood of night air rushes inside. I hear the leaves rustle in the wind. I smell something musty and moist in the air as I jump out of the truck with Amar's help. His face is still slightly swollen on one side and now thick gauze wrap covered his knuckles. I'm not sure what exactly my brother and I are signing up for, nor do I think we have a choice.

TJ pulls his book bag on his back and holds his sleeping bag in one hand, the duffle in the adjacent one. I mirror him and take a few steps away from the truck to look around. Through the pitch black, I could tell we were in some kind of park. In the distance, about ten yards away I see small curved bridge over a body of water. It is wooden and also surrounded by rocks around the banks of the water. The water looks like black silk when it moves calmly against the breeze. There are tall, wild weeds shooting out of the liquid surface in patches.

"This used to be a well-known park here in Chicago. Jackson Park." George says coming next to me looking at the water. "It never recovered after the war. From what I've heard, it used to be beautiful. We're standing in the part known as "Japanese Garden"."

I turn to him and ask "What's a 'Japanese'?"

George grins and shrugs. He turns away from to go stand next to Amar who's looking around through the darkness. He then pulls a tall chrome flashlight out of seemingly nowhere, but I see he's wearing his police belt. There's a heavy looking pistol strapped to his right side and I notice George has one as well. Amar turns the flashlight on and a wide bright white beam illuminates the path ahead of him. He scans it carefully and then holds the light over his head. I see up ahead there's a grassy path that leads to a mass of tall, dark trees.

"It's this way, come on kids." He calls to us. TJ looks at me with dread in his eyes and I nod as I walk forward. He follows reluctantly behind me.

The grass crunches under the soles of my boots. They are new and black leather with thick laces and chrome around the eyelets. Amar got them for me and a similar pair for my brother. I felt a slight twinge of annoyance fill my cheeks. Did everything we have had to match in some way? We aren't five anymore when Mom thought it was cute to dress us identically. We weren't even identical twins.

Amar leads us deeper down the path and we pass strange remnants of sculptures made of stone. I feel I should be more interested in them, but I am more focused on the churning in my stomach. I look at TJ who's staring up at all of them. He is studying every detail and every mark. Typical.

As the four of us walk through a clearing of trees, we find another path full of dying grass and leaves. I'm not sure how long or far we have walked now, but I no longer see the Japanese Garden or hear the calm movement of the water. I look back and see nothing but darkness and shadow behind me. I gulp hard and find my throat uncomfortably dry. Then I feel the air get unusually warmer around me, making my palms sweat. I wipe them on the front of my jeans and look at TJ who's brow is glistening in the pale moonlight.

Amar stops abruptly and looks at George who nods. He takes his gun out of the holster and I recoil slightly as he raises it in front of him. I peer to see who he's aiming at, but there's nothing but dark space and trees ahead of us.

Amar turns to us and smiles slightly. He turns to the right and walks near a small cluster of wilting bushes. He bends down and moves the prickly looking foliage apart. TJ stands close to me and I can hear his breaths rattle in an out of his chest. I feel my own heartbeat throb in my fingertips and I shake them slightly to rid myself of the feeling. It does not help.

After a few moments, Amar moves the bushes to reveal small square vent cover on the ground. I feel my face drop. I was right. We were going into a sewer.

Amar must see the disgust and worry on my face because he laughs deeply. The sound reverberates around the trees and air.

"This is an old service entrance. It's not a sewer or anything. Apparently a very long time ago when the underground trains were running and after the first years of the war, these hatches were built for evacuating citizens. There's a few of them hidden around the city, but this one leads right down in the underground. I think it might even have some passages that lead into Millennium Station."

I watch Amar grunt and pry the hatch open with his strong hands. The vent cover is rusted and the gray paint on the grate is chipped. It looks older as I get a better look at it, but it also looks as if it's been fashioned for someone to enter again. I wondered if there were others living down below the city. Not just regular people, but people who were physically deformed or mutated. My mind drew a picture of a very tall thin man with two extra fingers on each hand. His mouth was a dark red maw and his eyes were high on his forehead. I can't help but to laugh at the image.

George turns a curious brow to me and I shake my head keeping the thought to myself. As Amar crouches down by the dark pit he raises his flashlight over it. The white glow illuminates metal latter rungs opposite of the side he was facing. TJ moved slowly closer to the hole and peered down slightly into the abyss.

"How far is it? Is the latter safe?" He asks curiously.

Amar shakes his head. A few strands of his beautiful dark locks fall over his face. He brushes them back with his fingers and moves closer to the latter.

"It's safe. I'll go first, you two follow after. George will come last."

I look at George who nods curtly at me. His hand is still tense around the heavy pistol and I know he will shoot anything that moves without hesitation.

Amar clips the flashlight to his waist and it's still alight when he does. He descends down the ladder, making the flashlight glow bounce and disappear the further he went. The metal rungs seemed sturdy enough but they still clattered with a small pang as Amar hit each one. It took him about a minute to reach the bottom and I hear his deep voice rise out of the hole.

"It's clear! Let's pick up the pace!"

His voice echoes around the trees and I look around at the shadowy leaves rustle in the wind. For some strange reason, I feel I won't be getting much fresh air any time soon. I breathe deeply and close my eyes. I guess a person never really appreciate things like seeing the trees, clouds in the night sky, and the evening air until they're gone.

TJ clears his throat and says softly "Well…I guess I'll go then."

My brother's eyes almost seem closed as he crouches down to meet the ladder. I see the corners of his mouth twitching nervously before he descends down. Now there's dim white light rising up out of the hole and I know Amar is holding his flashlight up at the ladder. TJ makes it down and then it's my turn. George gives me another nod, but this time with a warm smile. I try to smile back, but I'm not sure what expression I make.

I face backward and place my foot on the first rung. They are slightly slippery but then I realize my palms are sweating. I wipe each hand quickly on the front of my sweatshirt as I climb down the ladder, careful to make sure my footing is solid with each step. I feel the scent of the night air disappearing and now something like stale water fills my nose. I reach the bottom of the ladder and I feel Amar's hands help me down on the ground. His flashlight beam hits my face when I turn around and I cover my eyes. I see TJ's dark silhouette standing against curved wall to my left. I peer around me, but it is still too dark to get a good look at everything. Wherever we are, we are inside some kind of tunnel.

George makes it down the ladder a few moments after me. His dark hair and face are glistening with light sweat. Amar looks over him carefully and nods sharply. He walks in front of us with the flashlight illuminating our path ahead. I feel another light ignite behind me and I see George has pulled out his own flashlight now.

"Let's go. Stick together." Amar says turning to us. He walks forward and my brother and I pick up our duffle bags. As we walk down the narrow tunnel, I see it has been carved out, almost crudely, by hands and tools from long ago. On the walls there are patches of scrap metal and wooden boards. Everything is either weathered or rusted in some form or another. I see long gray pipes lining the walls between the patches of wood and metal. Some of them are dripping water down onto each other and I know what the stale wet smell is now.

The tunnel turns into an opening with a fork of three more paths ahead of us. Over the circular entrances there are small metal signs with words. I can't get a good look at them because it's so dark, but Amar turns to the tunnel on his far left and begins walking toward it. My brother and I follow silently behind him, only glances quickly and nervously at each other as we walk abreast. George is trailing behind us, his flashlight illuminating at our backs, and I can hear his breathing. It is calm and even. I don't if I'm breathing or if I even know how to anymore. My body feels heavy and mindless.

The tunnel we walk is shorter than the one we entered from, but the walls are still the same. Although I notice the walls are more earthy and comprised of mostly stone. Amar stopped suddenly and I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking so I slammed into the back of TJ. He jumped and glared at me, his eyes more scared than angry. Amar's flashlight found a heavy metal door with the words "Maintenance and Supply" on the front. I heard him sigh and he turned to us.

"Okay. Here we are." He said shining the light at our torsos. It painted strange and distorted shadows on the walls around us. I could see my stretched contour against the wall overhead and I studied it for a brief moment.

George look around and then said "Do we go in with them?"

"Please." TJ begged looking at both Amar and George. His short skinny body seemed weighed down by the dark clothes and boots he was wearing now in the light. I peer over at his neck and our father's tattoos are peeking up from the collar of his shirt.

Amar nodded slowly and said "Just to drop you off. We can't stay any longer than that. This is already immensely dangerous. The DGD could be watching us at anytime. I wouldn't want to compromise you both or worse—him."

I saw his dark face grow a little sallow in the limited light. By him, he must mean the Black Lion.

"Before we go in." Amar says sternly to my brother and me "Listen to me very carefully."

His words and tone grow darker now. Like he's speaking about something taboo or dangerous. I feel a chill drape around my shoulders as I listen to him.

"You must show absolute respect when dealing with him. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Follow every direction without question or rebellion. Most importantly, and this is for you especially Natalie, you need to control your temper. No back talk. No side glances or glares."

I scoff and fold my arms across my chest. "I'm perfectly capable of controlling myself thank you. Besides, I don't think following someone without ever questioning them is beneficial. It sounds like control, instead of learning."

I look over to my brother and expect him to nod or say something in agreement, but he glances nervously at me. He turns back to Amar who's shaking his head and scowling at me.

"You don't get it. This man is taking a chance by even allowing us this far in here. He could've killed us before we even made it down the ladder." Amar says coldly. "He will train you, but if you think for a second that he'll show you mercy just because you're a child and a girl—

"I am not a child!" I seethe through my teeth. "I'm not asking for anybody to show me some half-assed mercy, especially because I'm a girl."

I feel my blood begin to steam in my cheeks and my ears. George says calmly behind me "Calm down, Natalie. You have to listen."

Amar looks sharply at me and say "Trust me when I tell you, if you think getting mad and flying off your handle and slapping someone, like you did me the other night, will okay—-then we won't be seeing you after this night."

TJ looks at me fearfully and shakes his head. I roll my eyes at him and the other two.

"What's the worst he'll do? Make me do extra pushups?" I chuckle darkly.

But Amar looks piteously at me and purses his lips. He clears his throat and says "He'll kill you. Without second thought and with no remorse."

I want to laugh, but the sound that escapes my throat sounds like a weird whimper or gasp. Someone who's teaching us how to fight wouldn't kill me. But Amar is not blinking nor is he breaking his gaze on me. He is not lying.

I swallow hard.

Amar turns to the door and puts his hand on the long rusted handle. Before he opens the door he says "Or he'll snatch out your eyeball. If he's feeling generous."

TJ chokes "Wh-what?"

Amar laughs darkly and opens the door. He steps into a dimly lit corridor and turns right. We follow him slowly and I jump a little when George slams the door closed. The hallway we're in is narrow, the walls are covered in torn and peeling cream colored wallpaper. The only light come from the ones with glass half cylinder covers adorning the walls. As I look at the small bulbs I notice they aren't that old. Someone has definitely been maintaining this place for awhile. I notice the hallway is much nicer compared to tunnels we just came from.

Ahead of us is a wide metal staircase that lead to heavy looking double doors made of some kind of steel. They are plain and brushed black, but above them on the post reads "Emergency Shelter Facilities: Authorized Persons Only"

The four of us move toward the staircase and walk up to the door. On the right of the doors is a glass booth built into the wall. It's labeled "Check-In and Security". The glass is cracked and caked with something dark on the inside. I immediately thought of blood and felt my stomach drop.

Amar pauses in front of the doors and raises his curled hand in a fist. Before he knocks he turns to us again and says "I know this is scary and you don't know what to expect. Neither do I. But he's the only one who can tell you what's going on with you and help you. Don't think of what he does as punishment or torture, although at times it may feel that way. Think of what you're learning, think of how it will help keep you alive. How it will help your parents."

I nod slowly and the image of Mom floods into my mind. I think of where I would be right now if none of this happened. She'd be sitting on the couch humming and going over papers for work. Dad would be sitting next to her shuffling through his own pile. Or they might be cuddled close together. Sitting in silence. Looking like two teenagers in love. Like they always look.

I feel my face grow warm and my eyes begin to water. I force the image away and look over at my brother who's face is still full of nerves, but now focused. His eyebrows were furrowed and his cheeks were stiff. He looked so much like Dad it hurt.

No matter what would happen to us. I had to look after him as much as I could.

Amar knocked loudly against the metal three times, then two times, then seven. I counted. Was it a code?

There was a pause then something buzzed and clicked. The doors swung open and light flooded my eyes. It was warm and dazzling almost. As my vision adjusted I walked in and found myself in a circular foyer. The floors were dark red wood and looked glossy. Surrounding us were faded posters, empty picture frames, and a directory. I looked at it and there were about twelve slots with arrows and room numbers on the side. The titles were made of white letters, some of them were missing and others were rearranged to spell different words. Some of them were vulgar and I couldn't help but laugh behind my hand.

Amar looks at me and I immediately stop. He smiles and chortles "Enjoy the laughs while you can, kid. Come on, he's this way."

We walk down a hallway with identical doors on each side, but they had no titles or room numbers.

"These use to be conference rooms" Amar says walking forward "There was a small resistance during the war that met and planned here. A lot of the refugees that came through wanted to be soldiers. They didn't get much accomplished."

I nod as we get closer to another set of double doors. Before we enter them I hear something coming from behind them. It sounds like small, quick bangs almost like someone is using a hammer against stone. But there's a rhythm and pattern to the noise. TJ must notice it too because I see his face trying to recognize and understand what it is.

I also notice the air has gotten thicker and warmer as we stand near the doors. It is stifling slightly and I tug at the collar of my sweatshirt.

Amar opens the doors and we walk inside a large space that is bright and warm. It smells of sandalwood, sweat, and wax. The floor is square and covered in the same dark red wood from the foyer. The only difference it is scuffed and scratched in various places. Above us are metal railings forming and connecting around an upper level. I see more blank doors and hallways up there.

But my eyes focus back on the space and sound in front of me. On the floor on the right of the room is a slightly elevated floor mat made of some kind of nylon and rubber. The banging sound heard before we entered is loud and reverberates around the room and in my ears. It is coming from a tall figure hitting a crudely made dummy of metal with long prongs protruding from different areas on the body. His arms, palms, elbows, knees, and legs hit each prong with a sharp blow and loud pang. I noticed there was a pattern to how his body moved and hit each part of the dummy. I also noticed that he was going unusually slow.

I looked at TJ who gripped his duffle bag straps so tight, his knuckles went white. I forgot all about the bags I had with me. I felt like I was floating somewhere that didn't exist in this world.

Amar chuckled silently and called out "You don't stop do you, Leon?"

I looked at him and then at the man who stopped hitting the dummy. So Leon was his real name.

Leon turned slowly around to us, his chestnut skin smooth and sculpted with muscle. He wore a black sleeveless shirt and black sweats. He wore no shoes and even his feet had muscles. His toes looked long and slightly scarred. On his left arm there were dark tattoos inking down his biceps and wrapping around his elbow leading toward his wrist. I couldn't make out what the image was. But his arms, were covered in scars that even a tattoo couldn't hide. Clearly he was someone who was used to fighting.

But his face is what interested me the most. He was stunningly handsome, but in a strange way. His nose was wide and his lips were a little too small for his face. Leon's eyes were low, cold, and toffee colored. His eyebrows were thick and bushy but arched evenly on his brow. I noticed his dark curly hair was graying in patches and so was his scruffy beard that stretched down his neck.

Before I could blink he was standing in front of the four of us. I felt my body tense up and there was something in me that wanted to run. My feet felt like they were glued to the floor.

Leon scanned everyone quickly, but then kept his focus on my brother and me. He was taller than I imagined. He easily towered over Amar who was quite tall himself already.

Leon's body seemed to radiate an unusual heat and the air seemed thinner as he stood near us. It was strange, daunting, and curious all at once.

He bounced a little on the balls of his bare feet and narrowed his eyes.

"So. These are the Resurgent children." He says his voice slow and deep. His tone seemed calm, but it also seemed bored or uninterested as well.

Amar nods and says "Yes. You know how to best help them Leon. We can't keep them safe up there if they don't know how to control themselves."

I glare at him irritably a little and roll my eyes. When I look up I see Leon's gaze burn into me, his jaw his stiff and lips pressed together. I feel sweat gather on my brow and I have to look away or I feel his eyes will burn me alive. I look at TJ who's stern-faced and flexing his fingers nervously at his sides. He is terrified.

Leon breaks his gaze from my face and looks at Amar again. "Yes I am. I will take them. You may leave now."

Amar nods and turns around with George. I see my brother's eyes widen a little when they motion toward the door. He reaches out for Amar's arm and stops him. Amar tries to give him a smile, but it's not enough for TJ.

"How will we know our parents won't die while we're down here? How long will be down here? When we see you again? How do we find you if something happens?" He sputters out breathlessly.

George puts a hand on his shoulder and says "Your parents will be fine. We told you, what the DGD wants, they wouldn't dare put them in any real harm—yet. But you must try to focus on the now, TJ. Train and learn how to use your abilities. Amar and I will send updates, to uh…is it okay if I call you Leon or do you go by Black Lion?"

Leon smiles softly and says "Leon is fine. Black Lion isn't a name I chose for myself anyway."

Amar chuckles and says "But it's a name well-deserved, wouldn't you say?"

Leon looks at his nails and says blankly "I wouldn't."

I look at Amar who just grins and shakes his head. He and George walk back toward he entrance doors and TJ moves closer to me. George reaches the doors, but Amar stops and turns back toward us.

He moves back in front of us and says in a low voice "I promised Four a long time ago that if something ever happened to him and Tris, that I would do my best to look after you both. This is the best thing I can think of. I know it doesn't seem like it. But trust me. Trust Leon. More importantly trust each other and yourselves. You're strong kids, it's in your genes, literally."

"Why because we're mutant freaks?" I say coldly crossing my arms looking at the dark wood floor. I feel TJ stare at me but he says nothing. Amar shakes his head and says "Look, I don't know too much about the Resurgent gene or anything like that, but I know it's real. The DGD wants as many people with it as they can have. I don't know what they want with it but it cannot be good. Better you learn how to defend yourself when we go knocking on their front doors. We'll need your skills."

He glances over at Leon who's standing still peering into space. His eyes are piercing and unreadable as I look over my shoulder.

George clears his throat and Amar turns to nod at him.

"Well this is where we leave. Leon will let us know when you're done. Trust me, if you're anything like he is, you won't be here for long. He's an unusually fast learner. You'll see for yourself. Listen to him, follow his directions, adapt, be aware of your limits, and for God sake, don't let your mouths get you in trouble. It will be the end of you. Literally."

He looks directly at me and I fight the urge to roll my eyes and retort. Amar gives us a smile and quick nod. He walks back to George and then they walk out the doors with a small slam. I listen for them as they leave until I cannot hear anymore.

I turn to my brother who looks at me carefully, then he turns to Leon. I turn around to see him still staring into space blankly. I study his tall, strong body and face. He's the same age as Amar or at least a year older.

I scan the space quickly and see a row of three long grey punching bags toward the left of the room. They are bulbous at the top and at the bottom. Behind us on right is a rack full of strange looking weapons. Some of them are long, wooden sticks with sharp blades at the top and others are plain. There's also long swords in the rack as well, their blades either long and straight or curved. I didn't think such weapons existed anymore or they were really rare. I had read stories growing up about heroes wielding swords, shooting flaming arrows from bows, but also harnessing some kind of weird magic in their palms.

I looked at my own palms that were clammy and moist. Was this all a fairytale? A simulation? Would I wake up and hear my mother's voice call for me?

I blink and I know it's futile.

There's a strange silence in the air, only filled with the hum of the lights overhead and an odd warm breeze blowing through. Where could it be coming from?

TJ looked nervously at Leon and opened his mouth, but then closed it. I didn't know if he was afraid to speak or if he just didn't know what to say. Probably both.

Leon looked at us both then began to pace up and down silently. He kept his arms folded behind his strong back as his light brown eyes pierced through us. I saw TJ shift his eyes down slightly and he stepped back a little as Leon came closer. I could smell him now. He smelled of sweat, something spicy and musky. It was overpowering, but oddly comforting.

"So." He said flatly "You two are Resurgent?"

I looked at my brother and he looked back at me. Leon's voice grew a tinge louder and sharper.

"I asked you a question." He said.

I nodded along with my brother. I'm still not exactly sure what a Resurgent is and what that means for us.

Leon sighed deeply and said "I see. I see. You all seem to have activated early. Usually it doesn't happen till you're at least a few years older. How old are you both anyway?"

TJ sputters and clears his throat. "We're fourteen, sir."

His voice is still shaky but I can tell he's trying to keep calm. Leon nods and says "You both had an episode where your abilities began to manifest a few days ago, correct?"

My brother nods and says "Yes sir."

Leon stops pacing and strokes his chin softly. He turns and faces the line of punching bags on the left. His movements are careful and it almost seems like he glides when he steps.

"Is your father also Resurgent?" Leon asks. His voice seems a little more curious now.

I shake my head and raise my eyebrows. How the hell would we know?

"Not that we know of, sir." TJ says a little more sternly.

Leon mutters "Then it must have skipped him and activated in you both."

"Okay, do you mind telling us what exactly all this Resurgent crap means? We don't even know what's happening to us." I interject irritably between them both. TJ rounds on me, eyes wide and angry. I ignore him and watch Leon stiffen. He turns to us and looks me directly in my face.

"Resurgence is a special genetic code that lives in certain people in the world. It happened to appear after the great war of long ago. Humans begin shifting, adapting, and evolving. They found they could do certain things that others could not." Leon says as he paces in front of us again.

He keeps his gaze now on the ceiling as he speaks.

"But you will learn about who you are once we begin training. It can be shown better than taught." He says deeply.

"Sir, may I ask what our training will consist of?" TJ asks softly.

Leon stops pacing again and says dully "You will find out soon enough."

Something in his voice irritates me. It feels as if he is completely uninterested in what's going on. As if we are nothing standing in front of him.

TJ gulps slowly and nods. I watch him and feel a pang of irritation with him too. He so petrified with some irrational fear of someone who doesn't even mean anything.

"You seem to be bothered by something, girl." Leon's blank voice says cutting through my thoughts.

My brother side-eyes me carefully and I roll my eyes and chuckle. I regret it the moment it escapes my lips.

"Something funny?" Leon asks slowly. I feel the unusual heat radiating from his body engulf me again and I feel sweat trickle down my neck. His eyes are burning me alive again, but I cannot look away. It would be cowardice.

"No." I say as sternly as possible. My throat is dry. "I'm just wondering why we've been sent to learn how to fight by a complete stranger when we should be figuring out how to get our parents back."

I know my tone is wrong, but I cannot stop myself. TJ's face is drained completely now, but he doesn't look at me. He keeps his gaze focused on Leon who's unreadable eyes are staring deeper into my own.

Leon sighs and crosses his strong and scarred arms across his chest. The ornate tattoo shines a little in the overhead lights. I can see now the lines are jagged and curved all at once.

"You don't even know who you are and you call me a stranger?" He says glancing me up and down with his lips curled with slight disgust. I felt my face grow hot with anger.

"You don't even know that whatever is happening is bigger than you or even your dear parents. Do you?" He says with a slight sneer.

I curl my hands at my sides and chew the inside of my cheek.

"I asked you a question, girl." Leon's voice says now sharper and cold.

"No. Why don't you tell me?" I say through my gritted teeth.

"Are you asking me a question?" Leon says raising an eyebrow toward me. "What makes you think you can question me?"

TJ shakes his head and opens his mouth to say "Forgive my sister, sir. She's—

"Was I speaking to you, boy?" Leon says icily without looking at my brother.

"No sir." TJ says. I watch him press his lips tightly and for a moment I wonder if he's going to cry.

Leon leans his curly head toward me and waits. He still wants me to answer his question.

"No, I suppose I cannot." I say in a low growl. My face is flushed now and my body is tenser than I ever could have imagined it could be.

"You suppose?" Leon says picking at his nails.

"No. I cannot question you." I say slowly. I want nothing more than to punch him in his face.

"If you want to hit me, then let's see you try." Leon says darkly. I feel my eyes grow wide and I recoil a little. How did he know what I was thinking?

He steps back and opens more space between us. He raises his left hand and extends his fingers toward me.

"I'll assume you have experience fighting, then?" He asks his voice stern and still slightly dull in tone.

TJ looks at me and shake his head in fear. His eyes are pleading with me to back down from whatever is happening. But something washes over me that feels white-hot. It fills my lungs and muscles.

I shake my head and say "No I do not."

"Do you still want to hit me?" Leon says still standing still six feet away from me.

"Yes." I growl.

"Then I urge you to try." Leon says evenly. "Let's wager this. If you get one hit on me, no matter how strong or weak, I will get on my knees and call you 'Master'."

I look at my brother who's trembling now. His eyes are glossy and he breathes hard. I shake my head at him and then I look at Leon who's still piercing through me.

"What's the point?" I scathe. "You know I can't hit you, why embarrass me?"

He chuckles mockingly at me and says "I do know that you can't hit me. But I wonder has it occurred to you that you don't really know if you can hit me or not."

I stare at him and confusion racks my brain along with the anger filling my veins. I didn't know what he meant, nor did I care to figure it out.

He stands sternly in front of me with his hand outstretched and I think about backing down and apologizing. I think about getting on my knees and begging for forgiveness. But whatever is surging through me is erasing that thought. It is telling me that I can do anything.

As I walk forward I hear TJ gasp, but I ignore him. He can be afraid if wants to. My parents aren't the type to back down and neither am I. Even though I've never fought, Dad gave me a few tips growing up and I've seen him hit his punching bag in the garage enough times.

I feel Leon's heat surge over me and mix with fire under my skin. I crouch in a battle stance and put my hands up in fists to my face.

"Your form is already wrong, girl." He mocks rolling his eyes slightly. I notice his body weight shift and relax and I see my chance. He's underestimating me. Too bad for him.

I lunge out with my right fist toward his face, but I hit nothing but empty air. I see nothing but the glossy wooden floors in front of me and the blank doors ahead. I spin on my heel and prepare to protect my body but the only person behind me is TJ who is gasping for breaths. I look to the right of me and find nothing. Then I turn left and there is nothing.

"You know, if you always go for the obvious strike, you'll probably die right then." Comes a dull and deep voice in front of me. I spin and Leon is standing with his hands in the pockets of his sweats.

He is bouncing on the balls of his feet and alternates his weight on his toes. I feel the liquid heat pour over me again and I rush him with a scream. I plant my elbow in his stomach, but his palms find me and stop me effortlessly. I glare into his turgid and pretentious eyes and raise my leg to meet his groin. But before I can raise my heel off the ground, he takes a single palm and thrusts me lightly away. The push didn't feel that strong but suddenly an immense and heavy pressure hits my body and I'm soaring through the air. My muscles are on fire and I feel myself yell in pain as I hit the hard ground. TJ calls out to me but he doesn't move.

I don't want his help anyway.

I allow the air to find my lungs again before I sit up slowly and then struggle to stand. My vision seems a little blurry. I shake my head and blink my eyes rapidly to clear the haze. It helps a little. Leon is standing with a smirk on his face and I raise my fists again.

"Perhaps if you—-

But I don't let him finish. I rush him and toss punch after punch near his jaw, stomach, and nose. None of them connect and Leon barely moves an inch. I try to knee him, sweep his ankles, and grab him, but nothing works. The heat under my skin still burns brightly and I think I begin to see red. I imagine seeing my Dad toss a sharp right hook in the punching bag in our garage, but suddenly Leon twists in the air and lands behind me. I turn, but Leon sweeps my ankles with his legs and I fall hard on the ground. My mouth hits the wood and I must have cracked my jaw the way it cries out in pain. I taste coppery blood on tongue when I gasp for air

Leon turns his back to me and sighs tiredly. I look through my sweaty hair that's fallen over my face and see TJ standing there frozen. His face is shock white and he's crying. I felt something sick bubble in my stomach at the sight of his tears.

"You can stop now." Leon says not looking at me. "You have all that strength and power inside you that you don't know how to use and you call me a stranger?"

I breathe deep and angrily on the ground. I want to move, but my body feels heavy and drunk with something debilitating. It is anger, it is hate.

I watch Leon's back hunch and move. He stretches and yawns.

"We have a long way to go with you two. You both have no skill or any muscle. But it is there. It just must be cultivated. As you are right now, you would be good as dead within a day. You'd be no use to your parents this way."

Something bubbles over me again. I find every ounce of strength and energy to raise myself off the ground. I slip off my heavy boot and pull it into my hand. I don't think, I rush at Leon's relaxed and arrogant head with a yell.

But he moves in a surreal blur behind me. His strong hands clasp around my wrist and he squeezes. My boot crumples to the floor and then he yanks my arm behind my back at an unnatural angle.

Excruciating pain beyond anything I've ever felt shoots through my body. I fall to my knees again and scream.

"I said that's enough." Leon's voice comes in a cold drawl.

I cannot speak. He is still pulling my arm and I feel myself scream again. My eyes feel like they'll fall out of their sockets and my tears are streaming out hard. I am slobbering on the glossy floor, choking on my own saliva and breaths.

"A boot? Really?" Leon says amused. I am certain at this rate, he will dislocate my arm or break it.

TJ's voice shoots through the air pleadingly.

"Please, please stop it. Please let my sister go. She's sorry. Please, sir. Please."

Leon looks at him lazily and says "I'm not sure."

He pulls harder and I cry out "Please! I'm sorry. I'm sorry, please forgive me!"

Leon looks down at me coldly and I feel my heart pound through my chest. I will surely die on this floor. If not from Leon's iron grip, but from a heart attack.

TJ is sobbing now. "Please. Please."

Leon looks at him and says "Give me your arm instead, boy."

TJ stiffens and I watch him. My brother looks down at me through his tears. I feel the pain shoot through my teeth as I grit them.

I watch TJ move forward slowly and I call out to him. "No TJ, no!"

"Quiet." Leon says squeezing my arm tighter. I scream. My bones are surely dust now.

TJ halts in the middle of the floor and looks down at me with a gasp and sob. He walks in front of Leon and I stare at his boots. His legs are shaking as I look up to see him extend his right arm to Leon.

Leon looks down at it and pauses. He looks down at me and then he releases me. He turns away from both of us. I grab my wrist and arm with my left hand and gasp for air. I choke hard and cough on the floor. My eyes are still streaming and they are burning. TJ crouches next to me and his hands hover over my body. He is wiping his own tears quickly and watching me.

Leon turns his head toward us and says icily "You'd mind your attitude, girl. To me and your brother. You don't deserve his arm."

TJ looks curiously through glossy, puffy, red eyes at him and then at me curiously. I avoid his gaze and stare at the tall white ceiling above me.

He's right. TJ was going to trade places with me and I didn't deserve it.

"Your bodies don't belong to you while you're here. Not until you learn to understand them and harness their abilities." Leon's voice cuts through my fading sobs. "Until you can own them, I will own them. We will begin your training first thing in the morning. I suggest you find a place to sleep now."

He walks through a metal door on the front and disappears down what looks to be a white hallway. I catch a glimpse of identical doors adorning the walls and I wonder where they lead.

TJ helps me sit up and he breathes "Are you alright, Natalie?"

I wipe my tears with my arm and nod silently.

We stand and go gather our bags near the entrance door. TJ looks gingerly at me and says "There must be rooms beyond that door where he went. C'mon."

I follow him silently and watch my distorted reflection in the glossy wooden floor. If I were to see a mirror now, I don't even think I would know the face staring back at me.

Leon's words burn in my chest and in my head.

I do not know myself.

TILL NEXT CHAPTER.