The Night School [GxG] [First Draft Edition]

Chapter Six : Tonight We Are Free (Heart of Stone Part Two)

I walked out of the locker room, now changed into my gray tee shirt and black training pants, with my hair pulled back in a braided crown, which collected into a high bun as per regulation. Today is mainly co-ed physical training. The last quad of today's session is interrigatory preparation- basically we're trained to resist torture, to fight our fears, deny information under the worst circumstances. It's something we go through weekly here. It keeps us ready, and it keeps the school in perfect control of our minds. They know everything we are afraid of them knowing, and we're even taught to counter it, but they still break us easily, proving again and again that they can.

"Hazel!" A cheery orange-haired woman called from behind me. "I was just on the phone with Meg and you're missing your favorite quad today. You're welcome" she caught up to me.

"Thanks, Riley, but it isn't a problem. Megan is just concerned that my outburst this morning being caused by a.... an infatuituion. I assure you that is not the case" I turned my head to face the woman, finding her flame-orange hair as definingly brilliant as ever. She and I are complety different. My kind only exist in shades of black hair and dark colored, pure eyes. Her kind are more human. They have very different mental structures, but their physical appearences have the same range and build as human-kind. They originate from the general Egyptian area, but that's been bred out of their looks and accent, leaving them with the generic- whatever, you'll learn more about the Riley-kind and my kind later. All you really need to know is that we're both of the few species optimized for service of the Night School and Academy.

"Oh, you have a crush! Tell me all about it!" Riley jumped in front of me and started walking backwards. My first reaction was to scold myself. How the hell did I forget her eye color? Duh. They're the same electric green as her energy.

"Riley, I don't have a crush. Megan was refering to one of the witnesses to the incident this morning. The witness, as far as I am concerned, is an intolerable child"

"You think everyone is irritating and immature. Just a few weeks ago you were thoroughly convinced that I was a waste of space"

"And I was also Alexa's pet. I have seen the reality of her cruelty and I have seen proof of your maturity, though I have no clue as to why you are so dedicated to hiding it. Grace has nothing to prove to me. She is Alexa without my blood"

"Hazel, I'm going to tell something to you and you're going to listen. No one is ever what they seem. You know as well as I do that only the Academy can create something like Alexa. Whoever the fuck you end up taking interest in, and I'm not implying that there is any such person now, but they won't be Alexa. Screw anything the school tells you. No one is without humanity. You and I are not exceptions, neither is the one Megan was talking about" Riley was suddenly serious. She took on her authority and I had no option but to try to make sense of her words.

"Did Alexa ever get in trouble for what she did?" I muttered against my character.

"None. Death after death and she never gets punished. And I may be above the N.S. but the Academy can and will use force to silence any complaints against them. For you and the others, she has no remorse" I grit my teeth, the muscles of my back were aching again from the strain of not trembling.

"Are you really up for the games today?" Riley stopped, and I stopped before I walked into her. "If you're not I will not make you go. The aftermath of their so-called operation is supposed to last for year at least... It's only been a few months, Hazel..." I turned away again. I didn't say anything, so Riley just rolled her eyes and started pulling my hand gently, leading me to the tech lab.

"I'm fine, Riley" I insisted weakly, very aware that she'd ignore the complaint anyway.

"'I'm fine, Riley' she says... You remind me of a friend of mine... She ended up gay too" Riley purred "she also had a twin sister... "

"I'm not gay" I sighed deeply. It's not like I care, but it is irritating that she tells me that I am when I know I'm not.

"Hazel, you're either gay or the whole deal with Alexa was just some friendly concern and if I know you at all, you are neither friendly nor concerned with whatever the hell people do with themselves"

"She told me what she was doing, it was my obligation to make sure no one got hurt" I hissed. Look how that turned out, my concious sneered to my aggrivation.

"Like you told Megan when Alexa was going to get her removed" Riley put up quotes with her fingers when the last work came.

"If it wasn't for Megan being removed, I would not have tried at all. I'd have never understood what the Academy did to people. I'd still be Alexa's tool" my tone was thoroughly bitter. "Why are we talking about this?" I closed the subject before Riley could jump in with one of her enfuriatingly true statments.

"Okay, fine. Lets talk about why you attacked those two earlier today. Before you start your whining, I do need to get you to tell me at some point before the mid-quarter break" again the red-head's tone flipped and she was my mentor once again.

"I lost control. You know my position" my reply was quiet. Like the whole school didn't already know about my position. Its the first thing you know here.

"Yeah, I really, really do know how your issues get people sent to the medical wing. And let's not even mention how much it irritates me. But you haven't had an outburst like that in a long time. What's up?" her eyes were harder than usual, but they were also more sympathetic, which just made it all worse.

"She got too close to the injuries, I guess" of course, Riley wasn't done with me. I started to come up with as many excuses as I could.

"Who got too close?"

"Grace's pet" I didn't remember her name... I think it started with a B... Barley? No that is a different list.... Bailey? No.... Also on Megan's shopping list... Maybe it was Carly...

"Why was she that close to you? No one gets that close to you unless they're me, Megan, or in the ring with you"

"I was trying to leave and she tackled me. My instinct took over and I didn't think. What's done is done. No use badgering me about it now. I know where I need to improve, I'm working on it"

"Hazel..."

"Grace was giving me grief, and the other was shouting about not screwing around with people" I was getting bored with this.

"You and I have got to work on your pride. Anger is not the issue right now. If you'd just stop thinking they're toys or tools like you were, this whole thing never would have happened!" she was more exasperated than she was irrate.

"It's not my fault they're insuferable" I stated.

"Hazel, Hazel, Hazel... What the hell am I supposed to do with something as stubborn as you? Take a fucking day off tomorrow. Megan will fill in" we were finally at the glass doors of the computer room, so she could finally start nagging me about something I don't already know.

"Megan is going to be a failure" I sighed as I seated myself at one of the many desks and pressed the computer's on buttons.

"She will be humane and she'll get me what I need"

"Don't you-"

"Hazel. Word is going to spread and one way or another she is going to be a weak point for you"

"But you never- you don't need-"

"Hazel! Stop it! Megan is going to make sure she visits before the end of the week. Push comes to shove you have no choice but to accept that this is what is going to happen. Now shut your damn mouth and deal with it"

"Sometimes I really hate you"

"And those the times you really need me to do what I have to" Riley shook her head with an unfamiliar look in her eyes. Unlike her usual bubbly self, she was regarding me with a sort of apprehension or exasperation. She wanted me to be serious she was about this. I tried. I really did try to think of it the way she did. But my growing hatred for Grace was something I could not deny; nor could I ever exclude her from my thoughts, actions, or anything else that would warrant her invading my mind.

And now she was invading my world. And it falls onto me to make sure she doesn't know exactly what she's dealing with. Well, my life just got that much more fun. And I think Megan's sarcasm is finally rubbing off on me.