Aptum

Chapter Two

"Faster, Harven!" Zachariah shouts at me. I quicken my movements, jabbing and thrusting at the punching bag. Sweat makes the stray hairs that escaped my ponytail cling to my forehead. Upon arriving, my hair, which previously reached down to my lower back, was cut into a long bob, ending just above my shoulders. I kick as high as I can, almost losing my balance. I punch the bag, but my fist glances off the side and the force throws me forward, off balance. I've been at HQ for nearly two weeks now, training each day, 8-6 with an hour lunch break at noon. We work on teleportation, mind reading, telekinesis, and hand-to-hand combat. I'm still pretty far behind the two other Aptum my age. One is still unidentified, but they're looking. I sigh and face my punching bag again, resuming my practice. Finally, the buzzer sounds.

"That's all for today, go eat dinner," Zachariah orders. "But take a shower first."

"Yes, sir," I mutter, along with Elijah and Selena. Selena is the third Aptum in our generation with the Rebellion. She came just a few weeks after Elijah. We all pull off our gear, setting them in our bins. Selena and Elijah walk off together, talking quietly. I start to follow, but Zachariah grabs my arm before I get very far.

"Ciara. Can I speak with you for a minute?" Zachariah's expression is grim and a rock settles in the pit of my stomach. I swallow hard and nod nervously.

"I know I'm still behind, but I'm working really hard. I'm even logging in extra hours at night; I don't think it'll take me too much longer to catch up," I ramble.

"Ciara, you're doing fine in your training. I'm even organizing some late night sessions for you with a friend of mine. But that's not what I need to talk to you about," he intercedes. "It's... it's about your mother." My heart jumps into my throat.

"My- my mom?" I stutter.

"I'm sorry, Ciara," he says, looking down.

"No. No, no, no, no. No!" My chest tightens. "No! They were supposed to save her! She was supposed to come here and join me!"

"The Feds got to her before we could. I'm sorry," he whispers.

"But... that's not... they promised me. They promised," I mutter, closing my eyes. Tears brim my eyes, about to flow over. Zachariah gently lays a hand on my shoulder. "Don't touch me!" I spin and rush out of the room, ignoring Zachariah's calls. Once I'm alone, I stop, leaning against the wall, tears slipping down my face. I slide down the wall, pulling my knees to my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, sobs wracking my body.

Ten minutes later, I stand up, sigh deeply and brush the tears from my eyes. Wallowing won't do any good. I walk back the way I came, heading for the Initiate Dorms.

***

Turns out, hot water doesn't loosen a knot in your stomach as well as it does a knot in your shoulder. After ten minutes of standing in the steamy shower, I still feel just as sick to my stomach as I did the second I found out. I sigh and turn off the shower, stepping out and grabbing a towel from the hook. The facilities at HQ are decent, but nothing special. Aquar Rebels make sure that we don't run out of water, but showers aren't supposed to last any longer than fifteen minutes. The beds are like the ones you see in old pictures of sleep-away camps; cot-like bunk beds. They make sure to restock toiletries every week.

Avieas Rebs do their best to keep the lights on, but according to Cameron, who left on a new assignment a week after I got here, they have at least one blackout per month. Hasn't happened so far, but the water did shut off last week for a couple hours. Somewhere there must be a farm, hydroponic or above ground, because we always have fresh veggies and meat for meals. About once a week, we'll get a special treat. Tonight, it's apparently cake. Last week, we had chocolate chip cookies and milk.