Redemption

Chapter Twenty-One: The Price of Protection

Micah hesitated for several seconds before letting out a deep sigh. He put his shirt on and leaned back against the truck before saying, "There's a lot I haven't told you about the protectors, Alexis. You remember how I said we're chosen very young and only after an intense survival challenge?"

I nodded, thinking back to that time in the forest when he explained what protectors were. It felt like a year ago.

"Well, I left out what happens afterward. Once a child is chosen to be a protector, they must endure years of grueling 'training'. Basically... they have the crap beaten out of them on a regular basis," he said bluntly.

My eyes widened in shock, taken aback.

"The Council are responsible for creating strong protectors for the next generation of witches, and their methods are... unorthodox, to say the least," he continued. "They beat the humanity and emotions out of the children to make perfect little soldiers. The purpose is to make them strong, both physically and mentally, because the stronger we are, the less likely that we will fail.

"Protectors are trained, even as young children, to endure pain without complaint. We are taught to fight to the death in battle, and to persevere through all forms of torture if captured. From whippings and waterboarding, to solitary confinement and verbal ridicule, you name it, and odds are that each protector has experienced it," he said.

"Protectors are trained for the worst case scenario. We're told not to give our capturers the pleasure of hearing our screams, and they most certainly will never get information from us," he said, squaring his shoulders proudly. "The children are put through all forms of tests until they are able to bear the pain without blinking an eye."

"So, this is where your scars came from? Your 'trainings'?" I asked in a soft, disgusted voice.

"Yes. And I remember each and every one of them. This mark, for example, is from a blade," he explained, pointing to a long pink scar on his right ribcage. "They were starving us to teach us what true hunger felt like. I hadn't had a bite of food in five days. Several of the other boys had already passed out, but they wouldn't relent. I was so hungry. To this day, I still remember the gnawing feeling in my stomach, the empty hole that felt like it would never be filled.

"Eventually, I couldn't bear it anymore. Late one night, when everyone else was asleep, I snuck out of my bunk, and stole a biscuit from the cafeteria trashcan. It seemed harmless at the time- just one biscuit from that morning's breakfast was nothing. I didn't think they would even notice, but they knew. I hadn't even been able to take the first bite before they were on me.

"The Council took me into the Alium, which is what we call the building where they do the punishments. They tied me up against a wall and forced me to stand there for hours. That was the most excruciating part, waiting and wondering what punishment they were going to sentence me to.

"In the end, they decided that a knife would do the trick. They cut me across my ribs with an iron-hot sword, the blade ripping my skin slowly and painfully. I was kept in the Alium for several days as they reopened the wound continuously to prolong the healing process," Micah said.

My mouth dropped open in shock. I felt as if I might be sick. I pictured this in my mind and felt as though I might faint. These were children that were bearing such horrendous punishments, kids who should be playing and having fun, not succumbing to the pains of starvation and abuse. What kind of place allowed this treatment for their youth?

"I remember that the pain was so bad that I couldn't even muster a scream. In the end, it worked out for me. The Council took this as a sign of bravado, and decided to shorten my sentence because I seemed more precocious than my peers. In reality, I was just paralyzed from hunger and fear. But I'm thankful they didn't know that or the agony would have been much worse.