Weeks had passed and Emryn was slowly adapting. Talking to people was still hard so she stuck close to the ones she had already met. All except for Malcolm. He still stared daggers at her every time their paths crossed. Emryn suspected he was plotting her murder but each passing day the paranoia would lessen.

Every now and then she’d visit Dede in the gardens. Emryn still wasn’t very good at making conversation but the old lady did a lot of talking. She’d teach her all about the different plants and tips on how to grow the best vegetation. Emryn made sure to listen so she would know how to keep the tigerlilly alive.

On days that she couldn’t see Dede or someone from Zaiden’s group, she’d stay in her room. Sometimes Braun and Maki wild pay her a visit. They visited her so much, Emryn had grown accustomed to their presence. However, there was one time when they started messing with her chakram. She couldn’t describe the fear she felt when Maki actually threw it. Emryn was lucky enough to see it and stop the blade mid air before any damage could be done. She remembered Braun’s wide eyes and Maki’s open mouth as they both stared at her. Shock had covered their features. They stood frozen as they watched the blue and gold mist surround the deadly blade. All things considered, they reacted well.

It had been the first time she used her ability in front of them. Expecting them to cower away, she was surprised to see them jump up and down, demanding her to do it again.

She kicked them out instead.

Emryn quickly grew tired of the kids’ attempts to get her to use her ability. Everyday they would stop by and throw different objects in the air. They’d stare at her with a gleam in their eyes. Waiting. The gleam would eventually burn out when they saw her glaring.

Despite all of it, she still liked their visits better than Zaiden’s. Every time she saw him her heart would beat faster and her hands would get sweaty. It was like she was allergic to him. She hated it.

Hated the way he would always, without fail, catch her eye. Hated how much she liked his annoyingly smug face. And most of all, she hated the way she felt when he talked to someone that wasn’t her.

There was definitely something wrong with her.

Footsteps sounded outside her door. “Knock knock, Emmy!” Maki. And wherever Maki went, Braun followed. They didn’t even wait for her to open the door, intrusive brats. Braun tried to walk in but was stopped by a muscular arm pulling him back.

“What did I say about privacy?” Zaiden chastised as he held the small boy above the ground with one hand. Braun’s shirt stretching from the weight.

“That it’s only sometimes necessary!” Braun cheered proudly. Zaiden flicked the boy’s nose.

“That it should always be given, you idiot,” Zaiden specified. He set Braun down and pushed Maki back. He finally managed to shoo the two away after threatening something about food, causing them both to sprint down the hall.

“Sorry about that,” he breathed. He was tenser than usual. “Simone is leading training today. She wanted to know if you could join us.”

“Just her?”

“No, not just her,” he laughed. “I’m sure Malcolm would love to have you there.” Emryn scrunched her face into a scowl.

“Right, I’m sure,” she groaned. If Malcolm was there, she didn’t want to be. He could go swallow a brick or something. Maybe then he wouldn’t talk so much. She liked him better when he didn’t.

“So,” Zaiden said. “Are you going to join us? It might help you get closer to some of the people here.”

“Even Malcolm?” she inquired. It would take a miracle for Malcolm to willingly be in her presence.

Zaiden shrugged. “It would be a good start, plus being friends with him might make things a little easier for you.” That was if he didn’t kill her first.

Maybe it would be smart to befriend Malcolm. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

Emryn glanced over Zaiden’s outfit. It covered most of his body with a few armored pieces around his vitals. The black and gray suit was tight around his arms and chest but was complemented by loose pants. She looked at the hoodie and sweats she was wearing. They weren’t exactly training attire.

“I’m not sure I have the right clothes,” she murmured.

“We’ll have extras,” Zaiden assured. “If you want, you don’t have to do any of the training. You can think of it as an observation lesson instead.” That did sound more appealing. If she were to fight the officers here it would only deepen their fear of her. Then living here would be even worse than conversation with Malcolm, if that was possible.

Emryn agreed and Zaiden led her down to the packed training rooms. Simone hadn’t shown her this area while giving the tour so Emryn did her best to memorize the route. When they got inside, she was surprised to see giant windows that showed they were at ground level. People were paired off and practicing drills with various weapons, all similar to Simone’s ax. On each blade there was a section that was a slightly different color, no doubt the part that heated itself.

No one made any moves to activate the heated portions. Safety regulations, Emryn thought. She never really had those growing up. If she got injured the scientists expected her to heal on her own. Some nights the dried blood acted as a blanket, only it never served to help her sleep.

Simone was shouting orders at everyone, critiquing their form or in her words their stupidity. They all looked exhausted. Sweaty and tired never made a good combination in Emryn’s opinion. Too tired to clean up but too gross to fall asleep.

“Come on, vermin! Get a move on!” Simone shouted. The crowd of soldiers moved quickly throughout the room to line up in front of her. Some looked scared out of their minds. Simone was like a different person when she was training people.

Emryn leaned closer to Zaiden. “Who’s Vermin?” She didn’t remember anyone by that name being mentioned before but Simone had yelled it out five times already.

He grinned slightly. “It’s just Simone’s nickname for the group of soldiers she trains, though she usually only uses it when she’s frustrated.”

While lined up, the soldiers’ eyes would trail over to her and Zaiden. Since they weren’t with the rest of the group, it was clear that they didn’t belong. That she didn’t belong. Even Simone’s yelling couldn’t maintain everyone’s attention when the resident freak was in the room.

Emryn tried to discreetly hide behind Zaiden’s form but he quickly took notice. “Are you okay?” he asked, sounding worried. “We can go somewhere else.” His concern only made her feel like a burden.

“I’m fine.” Fine. She was a terrible liar but she hoped it was convincing enough.

In the distance, the constant chatter of weapons clashing and guards dueling echoed through Emryn’s head. The sounds flooded the room entirely. She expected Zaiden to interrupt the noise. To say something to put her mind at ease like he always tried to do. She was, however, unprepared for what he chose to say.

“They have no reason to fear you and neither do you,” he promised. “You shouldn’t cower away from who you are.”

“How can you say that so confidently?” she argued. He’s known her for what? A month? He couldn’t have possibly seen enough of her to know what she truly was. Monster. She knew what she was. He clearly did not.

“I’m a monster,” Emryn added, voice low and quiet. She hadn’t meant to say it aloud but now that it was out there she couldn’t take it back. “They’re smart to be afraid of me.” She watched the men and women in the room spar with each other. If she wanted to, she could kill them all in the blink of an eye. Crush them. That wasn’t normal. She wasn’t normal. She wasn’t human anymore.

“You’re not a monster simply because you can do things that others can’t,” Zaiden asserted. He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. The look in his eyes was unlike anything she’d seen before. It was unwavering, determined and sorrowful. “Real monsters choose to blend into a crowd only because they want to stab you in the back. They hurt you with a smile on their face, reveling from your pain. Monsters lie and cheat. Monsters aren’t loyal. They aren’t kind. They aren’t-” He sighed. “They aren’t you.” Zaiden said it with so much conviction. In his mind there was no room for argument, and he spoke as though those words had been festering in his heart for years.

Emryn was stunned. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, echoing through her ears. She wanted to cry. Zaiden saw her as human. He didn’t see a freak or a weapon when he looked at her and it made her want to cry.

For a moment it looked as though he was going to hug her but his attention was pulled away by a nearby guard. “Commander,” the woman called out. “Care to spar? I could really use a partner.”

Zaiden looked from the guard and then to Emryn. “One second,” he called back. His hands, still on her shoulders, felt like they’d burn through her. “Will you be okay?” Soft brown eyes stared at her, waiting for an answer. She did her best to muster up a smile. “I’ll be okay.”

Once alone, Emryn could better take in the sight. The people fighting were skilled and she could tell they practiced often. Their movements were precise and with purpose. Although she did find them predictable. She could beat them. Emryn wanted to slap herself for thinking about something like that. She shook those thoughts away and focused on the girl Zaiden was sparring with instead.

She watched as the woman threw a kick up high, aiming to land near Zaiden’s neck before he blocked it. I could have landed that, she thought. Emryn slapped her forehead. Was fighting so engraved into her being that she had to constantly think about doing it?

“Need a partner?” Elias asked as he appeared next to her, sweating from all the training he had already done. Fighting probably wasn’t a good idea but she didn’t want him to think she was pathetic. “Sure,” she trailed off.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

People watched as the two moved to one of the sparring mats. Everyone was interested to see if the rumors were true. They wanted to see what Emryn could do. It would be fine as long as she kept her strength in check.

“You should probably take the sweatshirt off,” Elias reasoned. “You’re gonna get pretty hot.” Emryn didn’t like the grin he wore as he said that. Scanning the room again, she saw everyone wearing similar things to Zaiden. No one was wearing a sweatshirt. Was she not supposed to wear one? She didn’t want to take it off. The long sleeves covered her scars. If she took it off…

More people were watching them now, Malcolm being one of them. If she didn’t take off the stupid sweatshirt, they’d know she was hiding something. A few people were gathering. Elias was waiting. He held a staff in his hands, using it to lean on. He was bored. She was boring him. “Are you going to fight in that?” he asked.

Emryn took a deep breath, released the air and wished that that would take away her insecurities. Grudgingly, she retreated her arms inside the sweatshirt and began to take it off. Malcolm moved in front of her, blocking her from view. He said nothing as he held out some long arm bands. She had noticed a few others were also wearing them.

“They’re compression sleeves,” he whispered. “People wear them to keep their muscles tight. No one will suspect anything.” He spoke quietly so only she could hear. Malcolm didn’t wait for her verbal approval. He grabbed her hands, still under her sweatshirt, and pulled the compression sleeves on. Their skin barely brushed. Emryn let him secure them, too surprised he was helping her to move. Once they were fully on, their eyes met for a brief moment. “Don’t be so stiff and knock that meathead down,” were his parting words before he rejoined the small crowd.

“Ready?” Elais was an impatient person, she had learned that by watching him play card games. He would always make it seem like he was planning something when in reality, he only reacted to what others did. She knew enough about him to beat him. Emryn had seen him sparring earlier. He fought like he played. Defensive.

Emryn threw the sweatshirt off and grabbed another training staff nearby. The metal was cheap and the rod was hollow. “Ready.” Elais began to circle her and she followed suit. His steps were heavy. He wasn’t light on his feet which meant he was less of a speed based fighter and more of a strength based one. He wouldn’t be the one to make the first move. He was trying to bait her. That was fine.

Emryn lunged at him, not caring if she was playing into his hand. Elias raised his staff like he was going to attack but rolled out of her way at the last second. He was still close. Emryn swung. Their staffs struck against each other. The sound echoed through the room. She didn’t give him any time and swung again. They were matching each other blow for blow.

Emryn stepped forward with every thrust. She was backing him into a corner. He would be forced to either go on the offensive if he didn’t want to be backed off the mat. Though not her usual choice of weapon, the metal staff felt good in her hands. Bringing it up, she prepared to attack once more but in that split second Elias swung out.

Good. She was waiting for this.

Elias’s hits were powerful, but slow. Easy to anticipate. Holding the bow staff with both hands, Emryn made sure each of Elias’s blows were hitting the same point. She made sure each attack landed directly in the middle.

Blow after blow. His attacks were getting frantic. Her staff was starting to dent. With each powerful hit he brought her way, she’d step back. Elias looked confident.

Just a little more.

She was nearing the edge of the mat now. She needed to wrap this up. When Elias swung at her this time, she didn’t step back. Emryn stood. Unwavering. With their weapons pressed against each other, battling for dominance, Elias could see something had changed. He pushed his staff further down, adding weight to hers, but she didn’t move.

He was strong, but she was stronger. The sallice in her veins made sure of it. Emryn started to add more pressure, pushing him back. She could feel the eyes of people watching but she didn’t care. She wanted to win.

Elias relented, pulling his staff back and jumping away. Emryn came at him again. He held his weapon up to block but she rounded hers around it, hitting his legs. Elias staggered back. He swung again, movements less precise than before. Emryn used his swing against him.

Hitting that exact spot she wanted, Elias’s blow snapped her staff in two. She quickly caught the other end before it hit the floor and jumped back. Emryn threw one of the halves. Elias barely had enough time to hit it away. But it had already served its purpose.

She was up close again. His block was too slow. Using the half remaining, she wacked the side of his head. Elais staggered back. He tried to use his staff but she grabbed it with her free hand. She took it out of his grip. Twirling it around her wrist to readjust, she whacked him again. The half slipped out of her hand. Elais was unarmed. He attempted to lunge for the half but Emryn was already using his weapon to sweep his feet out from under him.

Elais fell to the floor, groaning. The soldier eyed the staff, pointed at his head and raised his hands in surrender. She had won.

“Why are you all watching?” Simone called out. “You’re supposed to be training, Sewer Rats!” The crowd dispersed but she still didn’t look pleased. Simone walked up to the pair, looking like she could snap at any moment. Elias was still on the ground, hand over his eyes. With his face covered he couldn’t see the glare Simone sent their way, but Emryn could. She was angry. They broke the staff. In Emryn’s experience, that added up to a night full of wounds.

“Get off the ground Elias, I don’t have time for tantrums.”

Elias looked up at her. “Sorry, Major. I just wanted to take a nap.”

“I’ll remember that when you're dying on the battlefield. Now get up.”

Elias finally got off the floor, wobbling slightly. Maybe Emryn hit him too hard. “So glad to know you care,” he mocked, moving to pick up the broken staff still lying on the ground.

Simone rolled her eyes then directed her attention to Emryn. “You gonna stand there all day or are you going to go back to training?” Simone smirked. Emryn thought that she was mad at her for breaking one of their weapons but it didn’t seem like Simone cared.

“You’re not gonna yell at me?” she wondered aloud.

“Why would I yell at you? We’re friends. I don’t yell at my friends.” Simone smiled at her. It was warm and light. Malcolm scoffed nearby, clearly disagreeing with her. Simone’s eyes narrowed as she turned to him. “Got something to add, General?”

Malcolm was digging through a duffle bag near a bench. He didn’t acknowledge Simone. Too preoccupied with whatever he was looking for.

“Whatever,” Simone grumbled, glaring at Malcolm’s back. “Find another person to spar against. I’m sure a lot of people here want to try their hand at besting you.” Her words caused Emryn to perk up. People wanted to train with her? Her aggressive display against Elias did the opposite of what she thought it would.

Simone left Emryn to go and train some of the others, and sure enough once she was alone, people approached her offering to be her partner. It felt… nice. They weren’t cowering away. Even after she beat them, more would ask to spar.

Hours passed but she never got tired. Once training was over, Emryn wanted to keep going but no one else had the energy to keep up. People filed out, ready to fill their stomachs and go to sleep. She tried not to look disappointed.

The only people left were her, Zaiden, Malcolm, and Simone. She threw on her sweatshirt and trailed over to where Zaiden and Simone were conversing. She didn’t get a chance to join them because a certain blonde blocked her path.

“You wanna fight?” Emryn asked, genuinely curious. Malcolm seemed to read her offer like a threat.

“Training’s over,” he criticsized. “There’s no need to fight right now.” His bag was slung over his shoulder and his body was gleaming with sweat. The blond hair on his head was disheveled and he had some red marks that would most likely turn to bruises. She didn’t like the way the marks looked on him. They made him seem fragile and he was anything but.

“If you don’t want to fight, why’d you stop me?”

“Is that really the only possibility you could come up with?” he questioned in disbelief. She shrugged, ready to end the conversation. Malcolm bit the inside of his cheek and looked away. Emryn followed his eyes to Simone and Zaiden. Before she could question him, Malcolm was up close, a roll of athletic tape in hand.

“The next time you’re challenged to a match, you should know you don’t have to uncover your arms,” he whispered, taking her hands in his. He rolled the sleeves of her sweatshirt up and gently started pulling the arm bands off. He was so close to her, she could feel the heat coming off of his body. He looked up when her scars started to show and maintained eye contact. Malcolm pulled on the roll of tape with his teeth while his hands were busy pulling the sleeves off. Emryn peered over his shoulder. Zaiden and Simone hadn’t noticed. Malcolm’s body would have blocked anyone’s view.

“You’re lucky I was nearby,” he mused, wrapping her arms. Emryn remained silent. She watched his hands closely as they moved around her arms. He was still looking at her eyes. He’d already seen her scars but he still gave her a little bit of privacy. Emryn didn’t notice he was finished until he pulled her sleeves back down and put the rest of the wrappings in her hands.

“You could have beaten him a lot sooner,” Malcolm accused. “Why didn’t you?” His tone didn’t hold the normal condescending attitude it normally did. He was genuinely curious.

“If Elias lasted longer, people wouldn’t see me as much of a threat. It could show them that I was,” she thought hard, “approachable,” she offered.

Malcolm kneaded his brows but didn’t say anything. Emryn didn’t really want him to. She wouldn’t expect someone like him to understand.

“We’re heading out to eat, you joining us?” Simone asked as her and Zaiden walked by.

“We’re coming,” Malcolm responded for both of them. His eyes lingered on Emryn before heading to the dining hall. She watched him go, still in denial about what just happened. He was acting weirder than usual.

“Coming?” Zaiden stood by the entrance waiting for her. She nodded her head and joined the rest of them.

They met up with Alex on their way and the five of them were now patiently waiting in line for food. Zaiden and Malcolm were in front of Emryn, a bright screen in their hands. They were busy talking about strategies and discussing the documentations on the tablet. Emryn could see over Zaiden’s shoulder every now and then but could decipher what the words meant. It was frustrating. She felt like if she He to ask about it, Malcolm would make sure she never got the full truth. He’d make sure she stayed in the dark.

Behind her, Simone and Alex were arguing about the food. Something about Alex not wanting to try one of the dishes and Simone calling him a coward. “I don’t understand why you won’t even give it a chance. It’s good food!” Simone reasoned.

“It has eyes!” Alex argued, throwing his hands up in the air.

“So do pineapples!” Simone shot back, shoving one of the nearby fruits in his face.

Alex scrunched his nose. “You know I don’t like pineapples.” He pushed the plate away, adding a different fruit to his tray.

The two continued to argue about mundane things Emryn didn’t understand. If that was what having a lover meant, she didn’t know if she wanted one. Her eyes drifted forward. Malcolm and Zaiden still had the tablet. She then looked at the signs labeled over the different foods. She couldn’t read any of it. Over the past month she just got whatever the person in front of her grabbed. It had worked out fine so far but she wanted to know the names of what her new favorite food was going to be. She felt stupid asking questions everyone else knew the answers to.

Alex’s voice was fading into her mind. It gave her an idea. He was smart, right? She remembered a few others saying he was.

Emryn abruptly snapped around to face the couple. Simone almost dropped her food from the sudden movement. “Easy there-”

“Alex,” Emryn spoke, cutting Simone off. “You know how to read.” It wasn’t a question. She hoped that he’d pick up the pieces himself.

He didn’t.

“Yeah…” he dragged on, confused.

“Can you teach me?” Emryn whispered. Grip tightening on her tray mindlessly, she grew anxious for his response. She didn’t know if they knew she couldn’t read. The only person she had told was Zaiden.

“That’s a great idea,” Simone exclaimed. “Alex is a great teacher. I’m sure he can help you.” Simone looked at Alex as if to say he didn’t have a choice. His eyes darted from his girlfriend to Emryn, who was going to snap her tray in half if he didn’t answer soon. She pleaded with her eyes. He had to say yes. He had to.

Alex shrugged. “Whenever I have time off, I’ll happily teach you.” He patted her shoulder before walking away.

Emryn released a breath. It was like a weight had been lifted. She didn’t have anything to worry about. Alex was a nice guy. He was going to teach her an important life skill. Emryn would be able to read and write in no time. With a new found joy, she beamed. She knew exactly what she wanted to write.