Night of the Alphas

Chapter 29

"So this is what the world's most savage fighters eat on a daily basis?" Joshua muttered, poking at his mushy food with a fork.

"Apparently." Summer tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

"Human meat," Zaria said, taking a sip of water.

"Zaria!" We all shouted, looking at her.

"That's disgusting!" Alex gagged. "Are you serious?!"

"No, you goob."

I picked at my meat. It smelled kind of nasty, so I skipped over it and took a bite of my bread roll instead. "So, how's training been for you?" I asked everyone.

"Some kid got slapped in my group," Joshua said, his mouth full of food. "All because he was too weak to do his forms properly."

"Really?" Abel said, forking a spoonful of mushy meat into his mouth. "That's a bit harsh."

"Actually, it's pretty normal here," I told him.

"Lesson learned: Don't screw up, or else you'll get beat up." Summer dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. Once she was finished, she picked up her tray, which still had a good amount of food on it. "Should I bring some food to our little, ahem, friend?"

Up until that point, I had completely forgotten that Jay was counting on us for food. "Oh, yeah," I said quietly.

"I'll come with you," Abel sighed.

The two of them started towards our room, but were stopped almost immediately by a guard. "Where are you going?" He asked sharply.

"We're going, erm..." Abel paused. "To the bathroom."

"Together?"

"Yep." Sweat beads began to form on Abel's forehead.

"With a tray of food?"

"Yeah." Summer's eyes darted around the room. "We always like to eat while we, um... Use the facilities."

The guard's eyes narrowed. "Well, you're going the wrong way." He pointed behind him. "The restrooms are that way."

"Actually, there's one that way that we like much better," Summer said carefully.

The guard tilted his head, and for a second I thought we were busted. But instead of telling them off, he just shook his head and rubbed his temple. "Fine. Whatever works for you. Just don't make a mess." He walked away, looking like he wanted to die. Summer gave us an awkward thumbs-up, and Abel just buried his face in his hands. Honestly, I was pretty surprised that their excuse worked. But hey, I'm not complaining. The two of them left with their half-filled lunch tray, leaving the rest of us back at the table.

Alex sighed and rested his head on his fist. "I really don't like it here," He mumbled. "It's making my mind feel all fuzzy and numb."

"And you miss your girlfriend," Joshua said.

"And I miss Miranda." He closed his eyes longingly.

"Wait a second," I said abruptly. "What do you mean it makes your mind feel fuzzy?"

Alex's eyes opened. "Well, something about this place makes me forget things. Really random things. Like, once I forgot how old I was for a second. Nothing too major, but it still makes me feel weird."