Gifted

11

Kazi woke Erin and the other recruits with a hail of threats and insults. The children scrambled out of bed and got dressed before heading into the mess hall for breakfast.

It was a new day and Erin was determined to not let the previous evening's humiliation be continued. She needed to change the other recruit's view of her.

Erin hung back from the rest of the group so that she was the last to collect her food. The other kids were already seated, divided up between the tables depending on what clique each recruit belonged to. The loudest and busiest table was the one nearest the door, and at the centre of its focus was Igor. He was clearly the alpha of the group, and if Erin's experiences with street gangs was anything to go by, he is likely respected for his strength and brutality.

Erin swallowed hard and squared her shoulders before strutting confidently over to Igor's table and sitting down at it. The babble of conversation died as the group stared in amusement at the new arrival. Erin ignored their focus and began wolfing down her bowl of porridge.

"Sleep well, Erin?" Igor asked, his mouth curling into a cruel smirk.

The other recruits around the table snickered knowingly.

"Yep," Erin replied cheerily, not bothering to look up from her bowl.

Igor's smirk faded as he waited for a show of weakness that never came.

"I hope your bruises weren't too painful, I'd hate to think that I hurt you badly," he said more viciously, probing Erin for a reaction.

"Nah, they were fine. I've had much worse," she said carelessly, still not looking at him.

Igor was scowling now. The other recruits looked at him expectantly.

"Well I can give much worse," Igor boasted. "Next time you won't be able to walk, bitch."

The other recruits snickered again, enjoying the humiliation of another. Erin knew that groups of kids are fickle and are loyal only to strength, so she needed to fight back if she was going to gain their support.

"And how many of you will there be next time?" she asked, finally looking up from her meal and into Igor's eyes. "Three? Five? The way I see it, you're just too much of a pussy to fight me one-on-one. I've beaten guys way bigger than you and I en't scared of you."

The watching crowd whooped and howled around them. Igor's cheeks burned red as the sting of humiliation was turned on him.

"I beat your arse into the ground yesterday and I'll do it again," he snarled, spit flying from his mouth. "No one is better than me."

The crowd was clamouring around the table, feeding off the hostile energy in the air. Erin knew what they wanted, so she'd give it to them. She erupted out of her seat and threw her bowl of porridge across the table into Igor's chest.

"Come on then!" she screamed. "Fight me now if you're so great. Fight me with your fists and we'll see who's better. I'll make you cry for your fucking mother!"

The door burst open and Kazi waded into the fray.

"Silence! The next maggot to talk is on half rations for a week."

The whooping and shouting ceased at once. Kazi stared down the recruits, daring them to defy his rule. Erin stared back but stayed silent.

"Right," he said, crossing his thick arms over his chest, "today we're going to see what you've got magically. You'll have the pleasure of being instructed by my sister, Uma. Those of you who already know her will likely know that she is far from a pushover, so if you're going to try your luck with her, be prepared to suffer the consequences," he said with a devious smile. "I expect you all to push yourselves to your absolute limits today. Our magic is what gives us an edge against the evil and the cruel, so it is of the highest importance that you give your magical training everything you have. It's what separates us from the Watchmen, the Sentinels and all the other supposed law-keepers in the City. It's what makes us great. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Kazi," the recruits chorused.

"Good," he nodded. "I want you all ready in the training hall in two minutes. And Igor?"

"Yes, sir?"

"If you're having trouble getting your food from your bowl to your mouth, maybe you should wear a bib."

The recruits stifled giggles and Igor's ears went pink.

"Yes, sir," he said stiffly.

Kazi left and the recruits jumped into action, clearing away bowls and cutlery and tying up boots in preparation for the day's training. Erin hastened away from Igor and his table before any retribution could be taken. Her heat was pumping hard and her face was flushed with the exhilaration of her success. She had humiliated Igor in front of the other recruits and shown her fearlessness in the process. She had a way to go before she won over the recruits completely, but she knew she had taken a step in the right direction. She also knew that her actions wouldn't go unpunished. She knew that Igor would be looking for a chance to reassert his dominance and that put Erin in serious danger. She was still on her own and she was still scared of how vulnerable she was.

"I'm glad you did that," said a small voice behind Erin. "Igor needed taking down a peg."

Erin turned around. The source of the voice was a small boy of about Erin's height and stature, with straw-coloured hair and knowing eyes. Erin hesitated then nodded in thanks, unsure of how to react.

"I'm Toby," the boy said, sticking his hand out towards her.

"Erin," she replied, shaking his hand firmly.

"You should be careful though. He'll want revenge. The only reason he hasn't been expelled from the House for misconduct is because he's such a good recruit. You should watch your back."

"Thanks for the advice. I will. I've met boys like him before and they're all the same."

Toby nodded. "Just be careful. Kazi is pretty lax with him, but I guess you worked that out during training yesterday."

"Yeah. Something tells me Kazi doesn't like me either," Erin joked.

"No, I don't think he does," Toby smiled. "I'm guessing what he said yesterday about you being a fake isn't true?"

"I'm not sure really," Erin blushed. "Before yesterday, I barely knew the House existed. I mean I've only ever done magic once, and that was by accident. I got myself into some trouble then this man called Isaiah basically rescued me and I ended up here. I haven't prepared for the Crucible like the rest of you and I know nothing about magic. Maybe I am a fake."

"Hold on, you were rescued by someone called Isaiah?" Toby said with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Isaiah James. He brought me in yesterday when you were all balancing with buckets on your heads," she smirked.

Toby's jaw dropped. "That is so cool. What's he like?"

"Uh, he's nice I guess?"

"He's nice? Is that it? Erin, Isaiah James is a legend. He's the best Inquisitor the House has ever had. The things he's done..." Toby said.

"Hmm. Well he's good in a fight, that's for sure. These two men followed us on the way here and Isaiah made them pay. They didn't have a chance," she said proudly.

"You got to see him fight?" Toby said incredulously. "I'm so jealous. You know, every recruit dreams of being claimed by Isaiah James as an apprentice, but apparently he's only ever had two. And you got to rescued by him!"

"Yeah well it wasn't really a big deal," she said carelessly, secretly pleased at Toby's disbelief. "He wanted me to come with him and I didn't have anything better to do, so I said yes."

Toby looked around and realised they were the only two left in the mess hall. His wonder turned to worry.

"Come on, we'd better get to the training hall. Uma's can be worse than Kazi sometimes. Let's go."

Erin followed Toby out of the mess hall and smiled to herself. She had made a friend.