Second Chance

Two

Destiny's POV
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"T- tabley", The word sounded odd. I confirmed that I had pronounced it incorrectly when the reading instructor gave me a pointed look and shook her head

"Try again"

'T-A-B-L-E', how else could it be pronounced?

Not knowing what to do, I looked up at the instructor who let out a heavy sigh, a sign of frustration.

"Tabel, it's pronounced tabel. The 'e' at the end is silent. I nod and she pulls out another flash card from the pile she had laid on the wooden surface of the desk.

"Let's try another one", she flipped over the card, and I was faced with another group of letters ending with 'e'

'N-O-T-E', I thought hard before reading this one.

"N... Noet?", I guessed.

"Excellent", she beamed as a small smile took over her stern face. "Let's try a harder one now', she pulled out another flash card with yet another group of words, this time not ending with 'e'

'C-H-E-M-I-S-T-R-Y', I looked hard at the word, trying to remember the rule that applied to 'CH'

"Shemistry", I say confidently, earning a look from the instructor

"Destiny, it's kemistry"

I tried to hide the wave of confusion that took over me. I remember the exact words I was told yesterday 'When 'C' is followed by 'H', it's pronounced 'Tsh'

"But yesterday you said th-"

"Destiny, you must know that there are rules that apply to the letters", she says, interrupting me. She begins to explain a whole lesson on the letters 'CH', and I try my best to stay focused.

I look around the room, four other girls about my age are sitting next to an instructor, a set of flash cards in front of them. They seemed to be doing much better than I was.

"So that's why...", she drifts off when she realizes that I'm not paying attention

"Destiny", she says, snapping me back to reality. She lets out another sigh, only longer.

"Sweetie, you should know that once you leave the center and enter the outside world, every sixteen-year-old will be able to read fluently". I nod and bring my attention back to her for the rest of the hour

<<<<<>>>>>

"Congratulations Destiny, you have successfully succeeded in level one, you may now move to level two, physical challenges"

"Thank you", I say, not knowing what else to say. The past week has been extremely difficult. It was all a blur, full of letters and words. I was grateful to be moving to a level where they were not needed

"Be at the gym tomorrow morning, 7am sharp" she says sternly. I nod and walk back to my room.

I make my way through the long hallway, having been here several times throughout the course of the week. I knew exactly where I was going

I open the door and enter. But something has changed- my bed has been moved to the right, and the sink was located in the left corner. But what caught my attention, was the girl sitting in the corner. Her knees were pressed against her chest, and she had a frightened look on her face. I remembered myself when the large man first came and led me out of the room.

I look at the door, expecting to see the numbers 4 and 7. But instead, I see the numbers 4 and 8. I gulp, and my face instantly turns red

"Oh- I'm sorry, wrong room", I turn on my heels to leave, but the girl stops me

"Wait!". I turn to look at her and see that she's getting up. I stand in my place, debating on whether I should stay or go back to my room

"Please. I want to know!"

I was horrified, the girl grabbed my arm with a sudden force and looked deep into my eyes

"Want to know what?!", I ask nervously, squirming out of her tight grip. Before she answers, I rip my arm away from hers and make a run for the door. But something stops me- this was me when I first awoke, confused and scared. I turn around to face her

"What do you want to know?", I repeat

"Where am I? What am I doing here? What is going to happen to me?". I realize that these were all questions that I couldn't answer, because I was also rather confused with the whole situation

"I-I'm sorry. I really don't know". She pleads me with her large blue eyes, and I force myself to turn around and go back to my room.

I stand before my door, checking to see the numbers first. I place my trembling hand on the hard metal, and push it open. I go to my bed and lie down, tossing and turning until I found the right position. I pulled the thin covers over me and shut my eyes, trying to summon sleep

"Number forty-eight", I hear from across the hall and I instantly know that the girl is about to find out the answers to her questions

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