DIVERSITY

DIVERSITY- Chapter 22

With the complement of Task two, the burden of the third and final task weighed down heavily on my shoulders as yet another night slipped away, the time between now and the test dissolving. My eyes slowly opened, cautious of the soldier who had entered my cell, intent on disturbing my slumber the next morning. Tomorrow, the day of testing will commence, and I will either pass, and live a life of cruelty and destruction as a War Squad Soldier, or I am to be banished from the city, and die.

My eyes flickered open, I tried to hold in the groan that grumbled to be heard within, maintaining a pointless act to remain calm. I dreaded ever being shifted from my cell the same way as the morning before. The unexpected occurred within the next few seconds as I witnessed the soldier place a pile of what seemed to be a clean, new uniform on the edge of the bench. A sense of relief rushed through my mind at the fantasy of finally being able to remove these sticky, sweaty, dirt smitten clothes from my skin. Another fantasy dawned on me, as I wished that I could cleanse away the grime traces lining my skin, from lack of hygiene. There were only a few showers present within the female bathroom, but very rarely were we given the chance to access them.

Instantly I clambered my half-awake body toward the clothes, grabbing them and holding them tightly to my chest as if they were going to be taken from me at any minute. Still clutching the precious fabrics protectively, I arched away from the soldier, waiting for him to exit the cell before I attempted to replace my old clothes with the given new ones. The soldier slowly retreated, closing the heavy door behind them, but not concluding with a lock. Laying the clothes out on the bench, I swung my feet over the edge of the hard cement, stabilising myself on the tiles below. My hands worked quickly to remove the black shirt from my upper body, then moving to unfastening the leather belt that looped through the pants that hugged my legs tightly. The cold air of the morning prickled my skin, creating shivers that provoked my arms to wrap warmly around my waist. I stood shivering in nothing but my undergarments, suddenly becoming self-concious of the gap between my cell and Damon's. I peered Into the gap, exhaling with relief to see he had deserted his cell. I ran my fingers through the new clothing, pulling out a fresh, folded, black, sleeveless shirt. Stretching it over my head, and finally over my stomach, I gasped at how most of the fabric ruffled at the bottom. Pressing one hand against my back and the other placed over my stomach, I questioned my sudden weight-loss. I knew that I was being fed here, but even with the raw vegetables and occasional edible foods, were they enough to satisfy my hunger? Obviously those foods did not suffice and I was losing weight at an unhealthy rate.

For now, I decided on dismissing the matter, pulling the clean, grey leggings over my goose-bump covered legs, refastening the fabric with another leather belt, that was placed atop of the pile. Lastly, I glided my arms through the sleeves of a black, leather jacket. Hurriedly, I smoothed my fingers through the knotted areas of my hair, letting the burgundy curls cascade down my back. I straightened when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps and the creaking of my cell door being opened, quickly scooping all of my old clothing into a pile. The soldier stepped forth, hand outstretched, and I placed the clothing into their hand, before departing my cell for the day.

*

Caden paced on the narrow ledge that represented the edge of the testing building rooftop. The concrete appearing very aged, did not falter as the entire group stood chattering amongst each other, whispering questions such as 'Why are we here?', 'Is he seriously forcing us to train on the roof of the building?'. Caden abruptly stopped pacing, addressing the group by loudly clearing his throat. The commotion dissolved immediately.

"In the previous task, you were undergoing easy practices to control your abilities. In this, the third and final task before the real testing begins, I will be examining each one of your fears, loyalties, and motivations. I will be examining your will to help those you care about, and how strong your abilities really are." His gaze surveyed the ground of the roof underneath us, the entire group twisting their heads in sync to follow his stare.