Strains

Back in my room I reopen the handbook and begin studying. If Hercules is going to quiz us during class and deal out deadly punishments, I’d better brush up on this crap. I go to the first section of rules.

Rule 1: It is the duty of every facilitator to assist students in becoming true heroes reflective of all pillars of the academy.

There it is. What exactly would that look like and what purpose would it serve anyway. There aren’t heroes to be made at this academy with classes like Korma’s or Crowe’s, even if I did have a strain. What was Matthew thinking? He basically took me on as an impossible task.

No, that’s not right, he had told me that he saved me.

There are three knocks on the door before it opens.

“Hi, Teacher.”

He shuts the door behind him and strolls to my desk chair. He hasn’t even looked at me. I cover my face behind the student handbook.

“So,” he says slowly, his voice heavy. “What did you say to Hercules to get him to spare you?”

“Well,” I gulp, “he said he’d ask us questions on the academy handbook as our last chance to save ourselves. I just asked him to ask me one.”

“And the question was…?”

“I…I kinda didn’t let him finish asking.”

He goes silent. After a minute passes I peek above the book. Just how upset is he? Mr. Kane called my stunt pathetic, now that Matthew knows the extent of it, is he thinking the same thing too? I guess it was a dirty trick, but there was no way I was going to be able to answer whatever he asked.

Then, he laughs. It isn’t a chuckle, he’s doubled over, clutching his stomach and his face is growing red.

“I can’t believe he fell for that!” He says, wiping away a stray tear.

The book falls from my grasp. “You-“ my breath catches. “You aren’t upset?”

“I’m pissed, but not because of your hail mary. I told you not to go to Hercules’ class until next week.”

“I couldn’t help it, he forced me and I didn’t know what to say.”

Matthew sighs. “No excuses. If I tell you to do something, there’s a reason for it. The councilman isn’t a fan of yours, so I’d like to keep you out of his sight.”

Maybe if he would’ve said something…

“I am your facilitator and not required to explain anything to you. You obviously have more reading to do.”

Typical Legacy Academy crap. No explanations and even the handbook is confusing.

“Which part has you befuddled this time?”

I flip to the first rule and show it to him. He leans back in his chair.

“You skipped the introduction, didn’t you?”

I shake my head. “I read it, I just don’t see how I fit into any of it.”

“That’s because you don’t.”

I sit back and fold my arms. That was worse than what the councilman said. Graduation is my one chance to go back and find someplace I really belong.

“Elizabeth, if any of us could go back, then we would be getting more students, and you wouldn’t be an abnormality, would you?”

My shoulder slump. “I guess not.”

“Still, if your goal is to graduate, you would need to meet the same requirements as everyone else.”

I groan and roll away from him. “Have you taken classes here? They’re impossible.”

“Enough moping, it’s dinnertime. Get your uniform on and let’s go.”

I grab a fresh uniform from my closet and go to the restroom to change. My hair is still disheveled from class today. I brush it down and twist it into a braid. It’ll make doing the dishes later a little easier.

I stare at myself in the mirror. What am I even doing here? If there was a chance I could leave, go back, and pick up where I left off. I could graduate college, get a job, find someone amazing and, if I ever had the courage, have a family. Even if I died the moment I got back, at least I could go somewhere else, maybe an afterlife I deserved. To be trapped in a place I so obviously didn’t belong, it feels like such a waste.

The bathroom door creaks open.

“We have to go.”

I look at Matthew in the reflection of the mirror. Did he hear me? I can’t tell. He doesn’t say anything while we walk the short distance to the dining hall.

***

Dinner proceeds as it usually does. Amazing food for everyone, with mine being the lesser version. Today I miss the glossy gravy pooling in everyone’s plates. Fortunately, Chef Floy is skilled in what he does, so I actually don’t miss it, just wonder what it tastes like.

Hercules gets drunk and leaves before dessert. He actually had slid the plate in front of me as he was leaving. It was a very attractive picture perfect fruit tart. Matthew, as can be expected, pulls the plate away as I’m about to pierce the thing with my fork. A good portion of it was fruit, but Matthew said he didn’t want to encourage bad habits.

As if I were his child, or more like his dog.

Anyway, everyone ditched me at the conclusion of dinner and left me to handle the dishes.

Luckily, I am left alone to do my task. I do notice the red head, Piper working to wash dishes while the blond boy who Hercules had stabbed earlier sits in a chair drying them. It’s a kindness I haven’t seen from any of the other houses.

The slowest Sock students, weakest Meats and powerless Sparks all do the dishes while the others leave out the back door. Not the Aqua’s though. Their entire house is here, working side by side. They even clean the pots and pans left by Chef Floy.

Piper catches my stare and I jump back to cleaning my dishes. Enough with the jealousy, I have to get my dishes done or I’ll get the Cesar Treatment. I still don’t know what that is, but considering class today and the violence Hercules gets away with every day, I do not want to find out.

I’ve done more dishes here than my entire adult life. Considering we’re all dead, I don’t understand why we don’t opt for paper plates. Can’t hurt the environment from out here.

It feels like all I do in this place is complain. Maybe this is what Matthew was talking about when he said I have yet to accept my fate.

The Aqua house leaves through the back door, leaving me completely alone.

Did they really accept it? Did everyone here? How long would it take? A decade, a century? How long did it take Matthew? Why couldn’t I have come here with someone else? Someone to pick me up from this funk I’m in like Piper did.

She probably didn’t have problems like this, wonder about things like this. She has a family in all of the Aquas. Me, I’m alone.

I guess I have Matthew. Sometimes.

I grab a dry towel and begin the process of wiping the plates and glasses. I need something else to think about. A distraction of some kind. In life, that would usually be a book to get lost in.

I nearly drop the glass I’m polishing. I completely forgot about the library. That’s it, that’s where I’ll go. Even without a house, or friends, books, with a colorful cast of characters could always fill the void.

I could pick up books on dead languages, ancient art, maybe find some cliff notes for the academy handbook. What I would give to just get a piece of fiction though. To read through a novel and wrinkle the binding.

These thought fill me just enough to get me through the dishes. I toss my towel on the rack. Another army’s worth of dishes done, with just enough time to make it back before curfew.

I open the door and welcome the night air. An unexpected gust tickles my nose and triggers a sneeze. When I open my eyes a millisecond later, I’m not alone.

“Lookie who’s still here,” a voice says from my left. Damnit why can’t this be easy. I turn to see a trio of red collared girls emerging from the woods along the path. They all look alike, they might as well be the same person.

“Actually, I was just leaving,” I say, trying to descend the steps and move out of the doorway. They draw closer.

“We heard you had the key to the cellar, fork it over.” The one in the middle says.

If I were alive, I’d hand it over without hesitation. I’m not one for conflict, especially when it could be hazardous to my health. The thing is, I was given this cursed key to deliver goods to Hercules. I doubt he’d appreciate going a day sober, and somehow I imagine the punishment from him would be way worse.

“Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Cut the crap! Everyone knows how cozy you are with the higher ups.”

The one on the left steps forward. “And don’t forget how she begged Hercules during class and he actually let her get away.”

The one on the right nods. She has a bandage around her neck. So she was the one in my class. Oof, this is looking progressively worse and it’s getting dangerously close to 10:30pm.

“Look, it’s getting late, maybe we could talk about this some other time.” Like you know, never.

“Or you give us what we want and we’ll do what Hercules should’ve done earlier.”

That sounds like I’m going to lose either way. I try and take off, trying to get past the bandaged girl. It’s no good, I’m surrounded. The ringleader steps in front of me only inches away and delivers a punch to my stomach. All of the air is instantly gone from my body and I double over on the ground.

“Heads up!” The girl to my left yells before kicking me into the air and straight into the last girl’s kick. I land on the steps leading up into the kitchen. Damn pseudo-humans. The metallic taste of my own blood covers my tongue.

“Get up, we’re not done with you.”

I get your message already, leave me alone.

A bush rustles nearby and a scream pierces the night air. I look up, one of the Meats just got tackled to the ground by a dark figure. Her body goes limp, and I watch as the figure pulls out a glistening knife from her back. Oh, so that’s the Cesar treatment. Makes perfect sense.

The other two girls are still reeling from their friend falling to the floor. They look like they’re going to fight, that’s nice. I use their foolishness to gather my bearings and scramble to get off the ground and run to my room.

The run back to my room is short, only about two minutes. Even so, I’m exhausted and the three pushes to get my door to open nearly make me collapse.