United Regnum

Eva 4

When we arrive at the Fortitudo initiation HQ, Allec and I get separated. The trainers hudle for a brief meeting and the initiates all crowd together. I am once again found with Teagan.

"So how was the ride up?" She teases. I roll my eyes. 

"How does this work?" I ask anxiously.  

"What- initiation or a relationship?" She giggles.  

"Funny...initiation." I smirk.  

"I don't know," she gets tired of poking fun. "It changes every year. I just know that it's the most rigorous of the three."

I let out my breath with a huff. What a relief.

"Alright, Alright." Allec starts speaking again, his deep voice commanding. "Glad you all made it. Let me break this down for you. There are five trainers. We all graduated at the top last year. You also will be ranked at the end of initiation. 1, being the best, will be offered the best job, and so on. Ranking depends on how well you perform. We've broken initiation down into four parts: courage, confidence, physical strength, and improvising. Each of these is key in Fortitudo, but I'm not gonna be the one to lecture you on them. Also, to make this less personal you will be sharing sleeping quarters. The boys will still have separate showers from the girls, however. As for eating- three meals a day. As much as you want." That gets a roar of approval from the guys. 

"Who's ready to get started?" Everyone screams.  

Another trainer comes forward.

"That's Gage." Teagan whispers in my ear. "He was only a half point behind Cross, and Cross finished first, of course. They totally hate each other."  

"Everyone, follow me." Gage yells at the crowd. There's something in his voice- anger. Suppressed anger and fury. The crowd of initiates moves behind him as we enter the building. The other trainers get in an elevator, but he leads us to a garage sized door.

"This building may look nice, but this is where the hospitality ends. Every other floor is designed to be a torcher chamber for you." The door behind him raises and there's nothing but pitch black. "Who will enter first?"

A boy's hand in front of me shoots up.  

"Pete." Gage smiles devilishly. Pete goes up to Gage and bumps knuckles. Pete pivots on his heel and flips is the bird before walking confidently into the blackness. His snow like skin fades away.

"Next." Gage says as his smile fades. Steele steps forward. Then the couple goes at the same time. Then Teagan.

I don't want to be left alone, so I find the courage to go next. I need to do something different, something to get noticed. I enter the darkness, taking minuet steps. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, te-. There is no tenth step. They want us to jump. Into what? A net? Nothing? Maybe, it's just a big step.  

Well, the others have gone... 

I turn backwards and trust fall.

I count the seconds I fall. One, two, three, four. I hit a net material and bounce back up. I hit and bounce again, this time I'm giggling. I bounce once more, then a light comes on.  

I see the trainers gather as I stop bouncing. Allec stands above me, smiling. I grab his hand and he pulls me off.  

"I was wondering when you were gonna jump." Allec smiles at me. God, this man has a beautiful smile.  

"Go down that path. Just hold onto the railing."  

I look at the thin and narrow path and latch onto the rope just before the lights go down. I can't see anything and once again have to trust myself.  

I scoot along the path until I reach another door. I open to find the other jumpers all gathered in the room. I'm surprised to find the leaders of Fortitudo Ruth, Caleb, Mark, Michael, and Jennifer, all in the room too. We introduce ourselves, and they all know me because of my father. Councilwoman Ruth comes to my side.  

"I was wondering why you chose to transfer." She whispers. 

Should I tell her about my father? About the arrangement? As much as I know I should trust our leaders, I can't bring myself to tell her. 

"I just didn't fit the mold." I say. 

She grins, "The mold... You're angry about you mother, aren't you? Your biological mother." Her words take me by surprise. I didn't think she would address such a scandal so publicly.  

"I voted against it. Caleb, and I. We all thought it was wrong." She puts a hand on my shoulder, but drops it quickly and walks back to the group. Once there are ten jumpers in the room we are escorted through a different door.  

"This is where you will stay. Boys wash on the right, girls on the left. Straight back are your sleeping quarters." Ruth bursts through the double doors that lead to our sleeping quarters. There are simple rows of beds that lead all the way back. No windows. Only a ventilation shaft and dim lights above.  

"Hope you aren't afraid of the dark. Now pick your beds. Also, if you are caught out of this room past curfew you will be punished. Same goes for leaving the compound unsupervised and fighting without permission. I'll see you all at the end of initiation, maybe sooner." She leaves with the other council people and we're all silent for a while.  

Teagan nudges me, "Bunk with me. I call bottom. Unless you'd rather sleep in your lover's arms at night." She makes kissing and slurping noises that remind me of George. I can't help but to laugh. 

"Cross is not my lover. He's a friend." I decide its best to use Allec only when we're alone. It's an intimate name, meant for intimate times. I pick a bunk in the corner and climb ontop. 

We have to wait until everyone is convinced to jump- or until Gage pushes them. By that time, dinner is ready. The cafeteria is in the next floor down. The first thing you see when you enter is a wall-to-wall row filled with food. The guys cheer to all heaven. Everyone lines up and goes down the line. I sit with Teagan, and apparently our table is popular because it is very crowded. While Teagan, Steele, and I all have room, thirteen others crowd around the circle. We eat and laugh with each other until Allec once again climbs ontop of something to give a speech.