A Different World

IV: Lucky Ones

She watched as his eyes grew wide and the scleras became pitch black holes. She knew that would happen, she also knew that a dense black liquid would begin to exude from his eyes, yet when she saw it actually happen, she jumped away. His eyes haunted her, everything about him haunted her, even as he disintegrated and all the was left was a pile of charcoal black dust, he haunted her.

How was she to do her job when every time she put a blade through one of them, everything inside of her went cold? It didn't feel right yet she shoved all her feelings aside and walked away, not sure of where she was heading.

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The room disappeared around her, the moon no longer shone brightly in the sky, lighting her path through the woods, the trees no longer stood in her way and instead of damp soil and moss lining the bottom of her shoes, there was only cold, hard concrete. Everything around her was a simulation and now it was all gone and all that was left was a brightly lit room with no signs of life besides her.

She turned around expecting to see the pile of black ash still sitting where she had left it but that was gone as well. She was stuck in a box with no exit.

Maybe she had failed at that's why they were keeping her in that room for so long. Her pulse began to pick up and her breathing became ragged. Every breath she took was an excruciatingly formidable battle for air.

No one knew what the institute did with the trainees that failed to pass their test but it was not difficult to imagine. You simply get rid of the things that do not work.

Had she really trained for almost twenty years so she could be thrown out at her first fail? She had always been at the top of her class, she exceeded everyone in every sense, she was extraordinary whilst everyone else was left to be ordinary. She was special and now she was a goner.

She ran over every detail of her exam, over everything she could have done differently. She could not cope with the fact that she had let that demon get into her mind and destroy all the control she had over her emotions. He destroyed everything.

She closed her eyes and calmed herself, paying close attention to every breath she took until, finally, her pulse had settled and her lungs were no longer screaming for air. She was okay, she would be okay.

"M38IL."

Her eyes flew open and scavenged the room for the source of the sound. She was completely alone.

"Congratulations" A door appeared in front of her. "You may join the others now."

M38IL did not wait to be told twice, she rushed towards the door and pushed it open.

She had done it, she had passed and the magnitude of her realization almost became too overbearing as she stood surrounded by a flock of hunters just like her.

Everyone around her adorned a bright smile as they retold their story over and over again, trying to impress one another. They were the lucky ones.

She bumped shoulders with everyone as she tried to look around for familiar faces. MC28F, a beautiful blond, tall, confident, strong with dazzling green eyes; P56NM, a young looking man, shorter than MC28F but taller than her, brown eyes, charismatic but no matter how many times she went around the room looking for those two very familiar faces she could not seem to find them.

It took her less than a fraction of a second to realize why. The two people she had grown closest to, that she trusted more than anyone, were gone.

MC28F and P56NM were no more.

She stopped circling the room and stood in the corner observing everyone else around her interact with one another. They would soon become great friends and when they were out in the field the people they interacted with today would be the people they would call for backup if they ever needed help while she was left alone.

She knew she didn't need anyone, she was one of the best in her class but if there was one thing she hated, it was feeling lonely and that's exactly how she felt as she watched everyone else interacting with one another.

She wondered if anyone noticed her and in that moment, a redhead shorter than her came sauntering towards her. She did not recognize the girl but knew she had to be from her class just like everyone else in that room, despite her baby features. The girl smiled at stopped right in front of her.

"Hey, M38IL!" She cheerfully greeted, throwing M38IL off guard. She did not recognize the redhead yet the redhead knew exactly who she was.

She shook her surprise away and smiled. "I'm sorry, I believe you have me at a disadvantage. Do I know you?"

"Not formally. We have had some training sessions together over the years. You're quite good." She praised.

"Thank you though I believe I still have a lot to learn. Your name is?" Perhaps getting to learn new people would not be as terrible as she thought.

"I'd prefer to tell you my integration name."

"What shall I call you until then?"

"Two."

"Two?"

"Yes."

"Okay, Two." She desperately wanted to ask her why she called herself two though it was not her place to ask. It also did no matter. Within a couple of minutes, the group would be split up between the five kingdoms and within the smaller groups, they would be split up between the major cities in that kingdom.

The probability of her ending up in the same place as Two were so scarce, it did not matter what the redhead's name was now or what it would be once she was integrated.

The double doors across the room from her flew open bringing a hush among the crowd. It almost seemed as if everyone was holding their breath, too afraid of making even the slightest of sound.

The person standing in the doorway spoke.

"We will begin integration, now."

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