𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧

Chapter 20: Violet

The Leader, commanding an entire army of soldiers. Me, standing by his side, powerful and tall. I wielded a high-tech blade, its blue diamonds lighting up the sky. It sliced into our enemies, making a satisfying swish. I was on cloud nine; bold, strong and fearless. I could conquer the world. 

The blue sword turned into a stick and the scene changed around me. Alan and I stood opposite each other, gripping a stick. We were both still in School and had all the time in the world. We would practice our battle moves for hours in the garden outside our house when we were kids. I did self-defence classes at School, but Alan didn't. Our parents couldn't afford to send him too, so I taught him in my spare time. 

"It's dinnertime!" My mother shouted from the kitchen. 

"Coming!" My brother and I yelled back.

In the moment of distraction, I knocked his stick away and had him in a headlock. He submitted and I let go, smiling.

"That wasn't fair!" Alan complained. 

"I know."

We both kicked the sticks aside and headed inside for dinner. As I closed the door of our house, Alan whispered in my ear. "Good job, Violet."

The world swirled and we went back in time. I recognised the memory from Junior School. 

One of Alan's eyes had already turned purple. Blood dripped from his nose, staining his white school shirt.

The boys laughed, shoving my brother against the brick wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, a tear escaping. "Loser! Who's gonna save you now?"

"M-my s-sister," he whispered.

"What? Did you guys hear something?" The loudest boy said, a hand on his ear. I huffed to myself. Typical bully. "Was that the wind-"

He was too slow. Too late. He was down on the ground in an instant, struggling to breathe as I tightened my grip on his neck. Although he was twice my size and years older than me, I was top of my self-defence class at School. He was just a bully who liked preying on people who never fought back. Like my brother.

I kicked him in the spot, significantly reducing his chances of having children in the future. It would probably be best for our society anyway. The boy screeched, rolling over. I laughed in his face, drinking in his pain. It fuelled me. 

"Help," he coughed, his face full of pain.

His friends backed away, their eyes widening as they saw the dangerous glint in my eyes. Yes, that's right. Run away. 

"Please, help me," he begged.

"Did you guys hear something?" I asked. "Say it louder."

The boy shook his head, all the fight in him gone. He gasped for breath as soon as I let go of him.

Standing up, I glared at the boys. "Touch my brother again and you'll face the same fate. You get that?"

Looking at their feet, they murmured a collective "yes". The boy I'd taken down had to be carried by one of his friends. Oops, I must've accidentally hurt him. I'd worry about getting into trouble, but I knew that he'd never ever admit that he'd been beaten up by a girl from Junior School.

"Good," I replied. "Now get lost."

Once the boys had run off to another street, I sighed. I held a hand out to my brother. "You okay?"

Alan took my hand. "Thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"You knew I would save you, though."

"Mhmm. You seem to enjoy bullying bullies too much." 

I rolled my eyes, smiling. 

It was quickly replaced by a rush of anger towards everyone. Why did people have to be so mean to people who didn't fight back? 

Realisation dawned on me. The only solution was to fight back. Be bold, strong and fearless. 

*************************************************

Breathing heavily, my eyes snapped open. My pillow was wet with tears and I rolled over, my knuckles white.

I quickly wiped the tears away. Dreaming about my family just made me miss them more. they were my rock, and they were gone forever. When we were all together, I had taken it for granted.  Before our parents were taken, we lived as a happy family in a house. We were pretty good, living in a small house in the West Quarter beside the river. It was quite near to where Maggie the magpie was now, actually. 

A beep sounded next to me, scaring me out of my mind. I craned my neck, trying to see what it was. Then I realised.

I was lying in a bed in a whitewashed room, machinery all around me. A needle stuck into my arm, feeding a clear substance into my bloodstream. Shocked, I yanked the needle out. I winced at the sudden pain. 

What happened to me? I tried to remember as much as I could. 

I saw my brother at the containment centre, then I got shot, then I was brought here... and then there was the Guard with the phoenix tattoo. It made me seethe with rage to even think about him. How dare he. 

And now, here I was, in a room with only a bed, a desk and a chair. I tried to sit up, but someone had tied me down. Damn it. And it wasn't just ordinary rope; it was some advanced mechanism that needed a fingerprint to unlock it. I tried mine, feeling stupid. Of course, it didn't work. 

How was I going to get out of there? I weighed my chances. 

I had nothing. No weapons, no leverage. Oh...wait.

My powers! I had forgotten about them. I'd know what other people were thinking and could project something into their minds if I wanted to. I made a mental note to try and stay hidden for now and to just read minds first. 

There was a knock at the door. Okay, here was an opportunity. "Come in," I whispered, my voice husky. I tensed, bracing myself for seeing the Guard again. To hell, he'd go, after what he did to me. I'd hear every one of his disgusting thoughts. 

The door swung open in slow motion. 

The Leader stood in the doorway, his stare piercing through me.