I sit down, numb from what I experienced during questioning. I’m seated with four others who appear to be my age. I look around the large cafeteria and notice we are one of three small round tables. The four others are sitting up extremely straight. I do my best to follow suit.

Plates are set in front of us, and it actually looks appetizing. I go to reach for my fork but stop when I’m slapped on my hand by one of the white suits. Instinct would be to beat the shit out of them, but I refrain from doing so. I simply place my hand softly back into my lap. I look around and notice no one else is eating either.

They finally announce that we can eat, and I begin devouring the food. Honestly, I’m shocked I even have an appetite after everything I’ve been through. The three others at my table begin talking to one another. I ignore their conversation and continue eating. They start whispering to each other as they stare at me. I keep my eyes on my food. The cafeteria is quiet besides forks hitting plates.

I look up when I hear doors shut. Plath walks past me, and all of a sudden, I’m no longer hungry. I instinctively feel my pocket for a knife. I tense at the realization that there isn’t one there. There hasn’t been one for the past… Well, for however long I’ve been here.

I don’t like the way Plath has his hands folded behind his back and his chest puffed out like he’s more important than all of us. I look around, and no one else seems bothered by his demeanor.

“I will see all of you in twenty minutes.” Plath avoids my eyes as he walks back out of the room.

I push my plate to the side and rest my head on my hand. I look at the girl sitting beside me, and she nervously shifts her eyes from me and then to her shoes. I think for several seconds on whether or not I should say hi. She speaks first.

“My name is Marah.”

“Orion.”

Her lips twitch like she’s going to smile, but it never happens. “To my left is Kyle, and to my right is Dex.” I nod at each of them.

“What is in twenty minutes?” I ask Marah.

She shakes her head too fast, and it makes me uncomfortable. “We… We don’t know. We never know.”

Okay? I look at Dex and then at Kyle. They both avoid looking at me. I cover my ears and scream when a loud noise fills the room. I feel my ears to make sure they aren’t bleeding from a busted eardrum. I look around, and no one else is fazed by the noise. Do they not hear it? Or do they, and they are just used to it? I grit my teeth to keep from screaming more. They all stand to their feet and make their way to the doors opposite from the ones I came in. I follow, still holding my hands over my ears.

We walk into a room that’s so small we all have to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. I squint my eyes as I look up. The florescent lights against all the white burns my eyes. I concentrate on a light bulb that is flickering. It finally goes out. I want to ask a million questions but can’t. No one speaks. They keep their eyes forward. I’m shorter than the ones standing in front of me so I can’t see what they’re looking at. I’m not sure I want to.

I would feel much better if I had a gun. Being this close to others I don’t know sets me on edge. I stand on my tiptoes to try to get a better look at what everyone is staring at. Before I see anything, I feel something wet under my feet and look down. What the hell? Blood?

No one moves or even acts shocked that blood is pooling beneath our feet. I feel like I’m going to throw up and have to cover my mouth with my hand. I want to run, but there’s no way out. Not with the way we are standing so close. They would notice and then… Well, then who knows what would happen if I tried to escape.

I do my best to look past the others in front of me. I see a man with silver hair step up onto a pedestal, glowering down at us. He speaks, and his voice is terrifying. You can tell it’s naturally that way, and he’s not doing it on purpose.

“Thank you all for coming.” I scoff at his words. Like we had a choice. “Concentrate on the blood! The blood of those who have fought against us, betrayed us!” Everyone begins to chant and yell screams of victory. This is insane. I feel a light tap on my back and look over my shoulder.

Marah avoids looking at me as she speaks. “You’re not blending in.” Her tone is cryptic enough to make me understand that me not doing what the others are doing isn’t okay. I nod and begin to yell with the others.

“Silence!” the man yells over us. “There is still more to be done and more of the fallen to find!”

The fallen?

“Now, as you stand in the blood of your victories, I want you to focus on each word that emerges from my lips.”

Focus? I feel sick again as I notice the blood is thickening beneath my feet.

“We are far from being finished! This task still has years to accomplish, and we need all of you! You will all receive assignments exactly two hours after leaving this room. I want you to meditate on them and prepare your minds.” He closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

I want to pull the collar of my shirt over my nose to weaken the scent of blood. I look down and am shocked when all of the blood is gone. My shoes are still stained, but it’s off the floor. My whole body begins to shake, and I can’t control it. I agreed to something bigger than I could have ever imagined, and it’s something awful.

We are dismissed, and everyone forms a large line as we wait to leave the room. I’m being shoved and moved around as others cut in front of me. I would normally stand my ground and take back my spot in line, but I’m scared. I finally make it back into the large cafeteria and look around for Marah. I see her waiting near the door that leads to the hallway. I hurry over to her and pull her to a corner.

“What the hell was that?”

“Not here, not ever, Orion. This conversation can’t happen. Got it?” She walks away from me.

I lean my head against the wall and close my eyes. Maybe I can make a run for it. I look around for a way out. I used to be so good at this. I’m about to run for a door on the other side of the room when I’m grabbed by the arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I clench my jaw as I look in the eyes of the one who betrayed me.

I knee him in the groin. He falls to his knees and holds his breath as he tries to cope with the pain. “They can hang me for all I care. You were right, I should’ve chosen death.”

He glares up at me. “They won’t hang you. You will be tortured, Orion. You accepted becoming their puppet. You are now forever bonded to that. Death isn’t a way out, and they won’t let that be an option. Not now.” He stands up and grabs my arm again. I start to jerk away, but he grips harder. “I’m taking you to your room, and I suggest you follow my lead.”

We walk to a hallway that is labeled Vesper Hall. He brings me to a door with the number five on it. “You will now be referred to as Vesper Number 5. This is your room. I’m going to treat you like shit so be prepared.”

I scoff. “Be prepared? I wouldn’t expect anything different from you. You’re-”

“This conversation is over.” He opens my door and pushes me in, closing the door behind me. I hear a loud click and instinctively try to turn the door handle. It’s locked from the outside! I’m on the verge of hyperventilating and have to sit down to keep from falling on my face. I pull my knees to my chest and bury my face in my hands. I take deep breaths to try to calm myself down.

“ORION!”

I peek through a hole in the wall when I hear Sage screaming for me on the other side of it. I kick the wall and scream her name back. I hear heavy footsteps and metal scraping against the concrete wall. It’s getting closer and closer. I hold my breath and close my eyes as I try to think of a way out of here. Tears fall down my face, and I know this is probably the end for us. I want to tell her to be brave, but I have to stay quiet.

I use the little bit of light that is shining through a crack in the wall as a guide for a way out. I feel the wall for a door, but there’s nothing. As I walk, I feel something being pushed by my feet. I do my best to stay quiet as I squat down to feel for it. A chain. As the footsteps get closer, I pull the chain to see where it leads. To hell with staying quiet! I pull faster. When the chain pulls tight, I pull back all the slack and feel slightly relieved when I realize I have enough to use this to my advantage. I back into a corner and wait.

I hear the heavy, labored breaths of the Hunter. He’s inches from me. The sun through the crack shines slightly on his nose. I ready the chain, which makes a rattling noise, giving away that I’m right in front of him. He growls, and I feel a sting. Then I feel an intense pain in my right shoulder. The son of a bitch stabbed me! I scream through the pain and pull the chain above my head and around his neck.

I wrap it as tightly as I can. My arm burns and throbs. I can feel the blood spilling from it and becoming heavier as I pull the chain tighter. When his body falls to the floor, I know I’ve killed him. But just to be sure, I feel for the knife as I cry out in pain. I retrieve the knife and feel his chest to determine where his heart is. I stab him as hard as I can and twist the knife just to be sure.

I OPEN MY eyes and gasp for air. I quickly sit up from the cold concrete floor and scoot my back against the wall. I rub my eyes and look around. I’m in my room in Vesper Hall. I tuck my hair behind my ears and wipe my sweaty palms on my pants. I take a few deep breaths as I try to wrap my mind around what I just saw in my dream. That Hunter’s life was the fourth life I took in our first year on Earth. That wasn’t just a dream. It was a flashback.

I stand up on shaky legs and feel for a light switch. I flip it on and squint as the fluorescent lights flicker on one by one. A bed, a closet, and a bathroom. That’s it. I walk over to the closet and look inside. Nothing but a few sets of the same white uniform I’m already wearing with Vesper 5 placed boldly in black on the back of each shirt.

I close the door and walk to the bathroom. I walk up to the mirror and almost look away. My face is pale; my hair is all the way down to the middle of my back, and I look frail like I could shatter into a million pieces any second. I turn and look at the bed. There is a folder with my number on it. I walk over and open it. I sit down on the hard mattress as I read:

 

Vesper 5,

At this time, your duty remains confidential. The tools you will need will be given to you in exactly 2 hours with further instructions. Thank you for your service.

The Constable

 

I close the folder and stare at it for a few moments. Tools? Instructions? My duty? What service? I let it fall to the floor and lay back on the bed.