Slave Side Effects (On Hiatus)

Chapter 3

   Michael felt himself do something that he had only experienced a few times in those years before he became a slave, and never done since. The sensation was almost as foreign to him as a snowman was to Death Valley. It filled him with a feeling that had been forced from his childhood just as he was forced from his mother's arms. He... Smiled.

As the seconds ticked by, the laughter continued, growing louder and more prominent against the silence of the sleeping corridors. But just then, there were loud footsteps near the entrance to the training area. This seemed to jolt the four out of this moment of pure joy, as fear started creeping in of the stowaway being found out. Quickly, the boys got into a formation that covered up Michael as best as they could as the strange figure appears in the doorway. Sweat trickled down all of their foreheads and Michael stood still, shaking from the fear of meeting yet another person that may punish him, for he did sneak onto a ship of theirs and hide amongst them. As the figure stepped closer, the light seemed to bounce off their figure, catching shapes and the shine of hair that could only belong to the opposite gender.

Soon, there was a woman standing before them. Ritchie narrowed his eyes, Austin sucked in his breath, Michael continued to shake, and Mario just simply stood still. The woman seemed to have long, peachy pink hair tied up in ponytails, light blue eyes the color of sky, mechanical goggles tied around her head, and the same outfit as the boys. The light bounced off of her hair, causing it to look like a waterfall right at sunset, leaving the water-like hair to cascade down her shoulders, casting a shadow upon her neck. A silent elegance filled all of her features in a stunning way that seemed too innocent for someone in the army.

"What do you guys think you're DOING!!?" The beautiful grace in which she had held was quickly shattered as she spoke with annoyance and anger in her voice. "It is the MIDDLE of the NIGHT!!!" Michael shrank back even further, afraid of the tone of voice he knew all too well as the one that came before a punishment. Mario seemed to notice the irregular breathing that started to come from the cowering man, so he stepped forward. But as he opened his mouth to speak, the orange-haired kid beat him to it.

"Why not? It is always good to be ready for any threat at any time." Ritchie nudged Austin, trying to get him out of the daydream he had seemed to slip into.

"Huh? O-oh yeah! Training is the best time to pass away!" Panda didn't seem to realize what he said until Ritchie stared at him. "I mean.. I'm gonna die from your hottn- I Mean! TRAINING IS THE BEST WAY TO PASS TIME!!! yUp!" Austin stumbled quickly over his words, flustered, to say the least.

The woman did not seem amused. The scowl she had held since she walked in grew deeper, the shadows growing across her forehead. "Well, sorry!" She sighed a sigh that gave much sadness. All of her features suddenly fell into that of someone defeated, beaten- abused even. "I had a very tough day today, so I'm sorry... just you woke me up and I was not in the mood."

"H-hard d-day?" Michael tried to stay low key, but his voice still shook as violently as his body and his breathing was rigid, and this caused the woman to turn to him. Upon seeing the nervous man, she looked down and sighed once again.

"This is my first day here and everyone is giving me bull. Just because I'm a girl! They don't seem to realize that I'm stronger than everyone here!" Anger started to replace the misery that had held her figure merely seconds before. The three former students looked at each other with a small smirk hinting at the corner of their mouths.

"Oh? How so?" Ritchie sneaked out slyly. Humored yet curious, the older males leaned in towards her.

"Well..." she looked hesitant at first but then shot out proudly, "I am the first girl to ever graduate the extra exam at the space academy. The fourth person in all of history. And the first person to ever graduate alone." The boys all widened their eyes, including Michael, who only knew how dangerous the exam was because his brother was one of the many who never came back... alive. Memories started to swirl through his head, causing his vision to blur. His footing started to go and he ended up sitting on the ground, clutching his head, and being supported by the hands of Richard and Panda. All of the others were crouched down around the timid man, their voices tense as they tried speaking to him. Minutes came and went and by the time Michael was able to focus on what they were saying, the others seemed to have been speaking for awhile. Slowly, his rasping breath dwindled into a soft whisper of wind escaping his lips.

Once he was finally calm, the strange girl started to speak. "Sooo.... First off, what was that about, and second, what are y'all's names?" She did not seem to care if Michael was ok, or she just didn't show it, and Ritchie seemed to visibly get angered by this. While he started to threaten the woman, Panda joined in and Mario stayed with Michael to make sure that he was alright. A few minutes passed, yet it seemed like hours to Michael as he waited for Richard to stop arguing with the pink haired girl. Finally, there was a "Fine!" and the woman introduced herself.

"Hello. My name is Bri, and I just got here today so it is all very overwhelming."

Mario stepped forward to acknowledge her greeting and present his friends' names. "Well it is nice to meet you, Bri. I'm Mario, the dude with the hat is Austin, that fiery redhead over there is Ritchie, and my 'look alike' here is Michael. Actually, we-"

"I'm sorry, but do I know you from somewhere?" Bri cut off Mario with her sharp and calculating gaze boring into Michael.

1052 words!