Learning to fly

Chapter five

We part ways as we make it to the cafeteria. I see Eisele and Michael at a table and walk towards them. Eisele sees me and smiles brightly as I walk towards their table. "How are you so good at that?" She practically screams as I sit down. I flinch away from her not liking her tone. "I don't like your tone, and because I am good at everything young Eis." Michael glares at me for my answer. "What did big, dark and scary want?" My mouth drops open as I glare at him knowing exactly who he is talking about. "Not that it is any of your business, but he made me run laps because I apparently have an attitude problem." Eisele rolls her eyes as Michael shakes his head at me. "Honestly I don't know what he is talking about. I am pretty sure you don't know what an attitude is." The sarcasm is so apparent in her answer that you know she is joking; you don't even have to look at her to know. "I don't know what it is, and honestly it was just laps. It isn't like I am going to die from them; I probably need the exercise." With that we go back to eating. We eat quietly now. Maybe because we are looking back on how hard our day was. But that's not what I am thinking about. I am only thinking about how much harder it will get. Going to bed last night will more then likely be my last good night of sleep, and I wish I would have known that going to sleep. Maybe then I wouldn't have taken it for granted because from what Blaze told me earlier. Training only gets harder and that's what my nightmares are made of.

I see Blaze stand up and walk towards where me and my friends are sitting. "You three I am taking you down to your living space for the next couple of weeks. You can either follow me or be lost I don't care either way." I raise my head up and shake it. I know he has to act like this; especially because he was acting just like this earlier but it  doesn't mean I have to like it. We all get up and follow him quietly. As we are walking down the halls I start to look around. It's very dark down here almost like someone is trying to keep us a secret. Maybe someone is. I'm kind of curious on why we even have a place like this. I mean if the government is out to kill us wouldn't it be easier for them to kill us if we didn't have a hideout. Tori called it one of our hideouts meaning we have multiple, which probably means the government does know and we really are just in the calm before the storm. These thoughts will get me nowhere because they are just that. I zone back in as we walk down the steps. It's also very cold and getting colder as we go down the stairs. We make a left turn and continue straight and then we see two doors. It's a dorm that has ten bunkbeds.

"You will stay down here until we can decide if we trust you. If we decide we can't you'll end up dead faster than you can betray us." He says his last sentence staring at Michale. He looks down at the floor embarrassed that just because of his mom he might stay down here longer then me and Eis. In that moment I make a promise to myself that we'll either all go up together; or if one of us is a traitor we go up then and only then. "Trust us from what; We chose you. Does that mean nothing around here?" I see Blaze turn his cold stare to me; many people would find this action frightening, but I don't. I won't back down from him and I think I have already proven that. "Trust you not to betray us. Trust you not to pull something stupid on us. Just because you chose us doesn't mean you are actually loyal to us. You must prove your worth to us. Actions speak louder than words. When you prove your worth to us you'll move up not a moment earlier and not a moment later." Prove our loyalty was leaving our family not enough. Now we are stuck down here until we can 'prove ourselves' this doesn't seem fair.  ¨And what if we can't prove ourselves you just kill us. That hardly seems fair; what if we are loyal and you decide were not. What happens then you just kill us." He shakes his head at me; his eyes almost begging me to shut my mouth. "Then you better make sure that you can prove your loyalty little girl. We are your family know. You all chose a very hard life" I do not like this at all. I am going to have a hard enough time falling asleep tonight after everything Blaze has said. "Extra clothes are in the drawers under your beds. Good night." Blaze does not wait for us to say anything back; as he turns on his heels and goes back up the stairs.

I walk towards a bunk bed and sit down for a minute. My head was pounding. I could hear my ears ringing. This is a lot of information to take in. I put my head in my hands and give myself five seconds. One I could die just for choosing what was right for me. Two neither of my friends can know what we are training for. Three I can not show weakness. Four it is shoot or be shot. Five I have no idea what I got myself into. I shake my head and take in a slow deep breath. I stand up and open one of the drawers and pull out some clothing. I walk towards the shower. After I am done showering I walk towards the bunk bed that I had claimed earlier. I see Michael stand up and bend down to pick up clothes. "Girls take forever in the shower." He moans out as if he is in agony. "Or maybe boys do not take long enough." He sticks out his tongue at me as Eis walks in before he walks out.

"How are you feeling Eis?" She claims the bed across from me. And picks up a hairbrush. As she starts to brush her hair she answers my question. "I am really not sure Raven. I am scared. I do not know why we need to know any of this. It makes me nervous. You come to this all so easily. I am never going to be able to do this like you are. Maybe this was not the smartest decision for me." I look up as she finishes her sentence. I see a camera right at the edge of the door. "You can not say stuff like that Eis. I told you going into this it would be hard. And it is going to be but hopefully it will be worth it." She nods her head slowly at me. "Let me brush your hair." I nod at her and she jumps from her bed to mine. I relax back towards her. My mother was never very affectionate with me so I haven't had my hair brushed by someone since I was little. I let my thoughts trail off elsewhere as she starts at the bottom of my hair. She gets done just as Michael walks in. "Ooh ooh me next." Eisele and I laugh at the way he said it. "Well now I'm pretty sure you're gay but..." Michael snorts with laughter "not gay I just don't want to be left out." As Michael says that he pouts. He walks over to his bed which coincidentally is right next to ours. I wink at him and he smiles. "Well goodnight guys we have a lot to do tomorrow." Says Eis. We both say goodnight and get in bed.

Of course I can't fall asleep though. It's not my fault my brain just won't turn off. Every time I close my eyes everything Blaze says comes back. His words are like a broken record in my head. Repeating over and over again like it doesn't want me to forget. As if I could. My life has ultimately changed. I never thought choosing to leave would impact my life so much. It is a big difference out here. Here we are fighting for our life. I never thought I would have to fight if I wanted my next day. I just want to sleep. Our day is tough tomorrow and I'm going to need my rest but I'm scared if waking up with a nightmare. I can't have a nightmare. My friends would ask way too many questions. They don't even know that they are fighting for their life's now. They probably won't know for a while. That's the last thought that drifts across my mind as I slowly slip into unconscious.

I wake up early as I always do. I have never been one of those people that can just sleep the day away. To be completely honest I kind of wish I could. It is seven AM which means we have to be in training in a hour. I stretch my arms over my head and lean over towards Eisele's bed. "Hey Eis wake up we have training in a hour." She groans and turns over in her bed. I shake my head; I take it she isn't a morning person. "Eisele we have training this morning do not make me pour water on you." She sits straight up at the mere thought of it shrieking "You wouldn't." I laugh at that. Well at least now I know what will get her up in the mornings. I pick up my pillow and throw it at Michael. "I am already up. If you two weren't screaming I wouldn't be." I roll my eyes he has to be up anyways so it's not like it really matters. "You had to be up anyways lazy butt." He glares at me but doesn't argue with me because I am obviously right. We all look at eachother and smile. For the rest of the time getting ready we are quiet. I find myself liking these stolen quiet moments. Eisele walks up to me as I am trying to figure out what to do with my hair. She grabs my hands out of it and starts to braid it. I smile at her in the mirror. "Thank you." She smiles kindly at me. After she gets done I hop on my bed and tie my shoes.
We walk towards the training room.