The Fence

Chapter 12: Darkness

I find myself staring up at my ceiling hours later, still groggy from falling asleep. I groan when I realize how off my sleeping schedule will be now. If only I hadn't had such a bad headache earlier, and maybe I wouldn't have felt the need to take such a long nap. I guess I really was irresponsible last night.

I slowly let my head fall to my side, peering at the clock sitting on my nightstand. The red numbers are clearly there, but they don't quite register the time until I sit up.

Training had started a minute ago.

Trying to ignore the fact that it's 5:01 PM and that early is considered late here, I grab Sutikka and fly out the door. I rush down the wide but short hall, pondering quickly whether I should take the slow-as-molasses elevator or just stumble my way up the stairs.

After I partially run, partially pull myself up 6 flights of stairs, I make it to Floor 11 where the Main Arena is. If only we'd had training in the room right at the end of the hall, and maybe I wouldn't be this out of breath and late.

I burst in through the door, and then into the Main Arena. I cough and bend over to catch my breath.

"Marcus, I was wondering when you were going to show."

I close my eyes in embarrassment when I realize who that voice belongs to. I blink up at Grey, giving him a weak smile. "Sorry. The elevator was slow."

"Right," he mutters. "I don't need your excuses. Find your squad." He promptly turns his back to me, continuing to chat with the other mentors I didn't even realize were here.

After discerning the fact, I suddenly feel every single recruits' eyes on me. I let out an embarrassed laugh, swiveling to get a true idea of the number of people on the floor. I find Neveah through the crowd, rushing from the door and over to his tall form.

"Jeez, Kirbena," Neveah murmurs. "You look like you just woke up."

"That's because I did," I hiss back.

A low chuckle echoes from the center of the Arena. "Is she one of yours, Grey?" the voice asks.

"Yeah. Unfortunately," Grey quips back, shooting a look in my direction.

A jolt goes through my stomach, causing me to further hide behind Neveah. He shakes his head and chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest.

My eyes drift from Grey to Axel standing behind him, his dark eyes taking each of us in when he begins talking. "We gathered you here because we want to see the extent of your skills!" Axel yells.

"I'm sure you all remember when we tested the bond with your weapon!" Ayumi calls out. "This is quite like that, but for your physical strength and ability to assess situations." She rests her arms on the top of one of her scythe's ends, leaning her weight on it. "To do this, we will be putting you up against each other. You all have different skills and no weapon in here is the same as the other."

"You will fight until your mentor tells you not to," Axel continues. "However, depending on the situation, if you keep fighting even when you can't take anymore, extra points will be added to your score."

"That doesn't make much sense," Ky whispers to me, leaning down. "It should be the opposite. They should be teaching us to be respectful of our mentors."

"Or, perhaps they want us to become our own individual," Merida adds, shrugging.

I nod. "I agree with Merida. They want to test our resolve. We aren't always going to be around our mentors, and they want to see if we'll act on our own, even without orders."

Axel speaks again, a sneer finding his face. "The rules are simple. If you can't get it through your thick skulls, you shouldn't be here. Mentors, any volunteers to go first?"