Powerful

Chapter 5: The Meeting

 The moment I entered my cell, the glass swooshed shut behind me, and the world was eerily silent. I stared at the revolting breakfast, which was obviously a failed attempt at eggs and bacon.

It resembled vomit.

The smell was a combination of burning rubber and, obviously, rotten eggs. Steam rose up in hot, suffocating tendrils. Suddenly very woozy, I clutched my stomach, but it only growled hungrily. I was ravenous; I could eat anything. Again, I glanced at the plate. Maybe not anything. But then my stomach growled again, along with a sharp pain of hunger, and I moaned along with it. Starvation was (unfortunately) not an option.

After a long hesitance, I took the plastic spork between my fingers and plugged my nose, hoping to avoid the horrendous taste the food would likely bring. Slowly, I brought the spoonful of food to my lips.

The food was an array of textures, hard in some places, and squishy in others. The simple spoonful of suspicious slop was piping hot, burning my insides, scorching my throat as it passed my uvula. Yet I kept shoveling more into my mouth, my weak body desperate for nutrients. When the plate was empty, I tossed my utensil aside and, still holding my nose, licked the plate until there was nothing left, my stomach still not completely full. I slumped against the wall, ashamed at what I'd been reduced to. Then I released my nose.

The aftertaste of the meal hit me so forcefully, I felt my gag reflex triggered. I felt as if I had swallowed a rubber tire, the taste was so overwhelmingly nauseating. Hand over mouth, I darted to the bathroom (which had mysteriously reappeared), and keeled over the toilet, waiting. What came up would most likely look similar to what I'd put in.

But nothing happened. Surprisingly, I kept my stomach from emptying. Pulling myself up from the floor, I stumbled to the sink and poured myself a cup of water. It still tasted like metal.

Afterwards, I lay on my cot, staring at the blank ceiling. Instantly, I was flooded with images of home. I thought of my bedroom ceiling, glow-in-the-dark stickers of the stars and planets glued to it. My father had helped me place them there, before he abruptly left. Tears dotted my eyes, but I blinked them away. There was no need to dwell on my old life, because I knew I would never, ever return to it.

I hardly noticed nor cared when the door opened, and the same two guards from before entered, both clutching one of those metal cubes. I put up a small struggle, punching the guards and making myself hover several feet in the air. But then I noticed the others being led out of their own cells, many with the same cubes on their hands. Some, like Jason, simply had guards steering them roughly by their shoulders. For others, however, more severe precautions had been taken. Dani had what looked very much like duct tape over her mouth, while a boy with curly black hair and dark skin had a pair of odd goggles strapped over his eyes.

So my fellow prisoners an I, along with the army of guards, marched down the hallway, headed to the familiar pair of doubled doors. It was unnerving how a room full of people could be so silent, like the world had been turned on mute. I tried to find Lucas - er, Luke- in the throng of people, but it was impossible to search over all the guards' tall heads.

The double doors opened, and we entered, like criminals being led to the guillotine. I glanced at the others. Their faces were blank, expressionless. The faces of people who had been beaten down so hard, they could no longer care about anything.

The guards assembled us in a large circle, and in the center, like the sun being surrounded by all the vulnerable planets, were Gary and Walsh. They had their usual smug looks upon them, but Walsh's eyes looked tired, and Gary kept glancing every which way, afraid of some unknown foe. I found Luke's eyes across the circle, and he shrugged. Even he had no idea what was happening. Apparently group meetings like this weren't common. But at least seeing Gary and Walsh so stressed was a plus.

"Okay," Gary announced suddenly, clapping his hands together loudly. Several people jumped. "We've gathered you all here because we've finally reached our target goal." His eyes wandered to me, and several others followed his gaze.

"So," Gary continued, his voice rising to be heard. "That means we will begin your training, so you can control your abilities... to our advantage."

"But because of .... technical difficulties, we will not begin your training until tomorrow," Walsh interrupted. It seemed he and Gary were constantly battling for speaking roles, like squabbling children. If not for the circumstances, it would be rather amusing.

"But that doesn't mean you're off the hook," Gary continued, obviously angry the spotlight had been temporarily taken from him. "After lunch, you'll have another chance to socialize, but tomorrow... that's when the real fun begins." A sadistic grin ravaged his features. "Now go".

The guards nodded silently, and led their charges away. Gary and Walsh immediately began speaking in hurried whispers. They were nervous. But what about? My answer came several seconds later, as we were being led to our respective cells.

"Hey," Malcolm whispered loudly to Dani. He was one of the few lucky ones who didn't have pieces of metal strapped to their body. "They're afraid. Of us, and them." Though her mouth was covered, the corners of Dani's eyes crinkled into a smile. The guard holding Malcolm smacked his head to silence him, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. And I had heard everything.

After, I sat in my cell, thinking about Malcolm's few critical words. I didn't know who "them" were, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that Gary and Walsh were scared of us, which meant my secret fears had been proven false. If they were scared of us, that meant they were human. Vulnerable. They weren't harboring any secret abilities, like I'd silently feared.

Slowly, an idea began to form in my head. So small, it was more like the thought of an idea, actually. But with time, it could be so much more. It could mean freedom. Escape. But first, I would need to know everyone's powers. Suddenly, my next meeting with Luke couldn't come fast enough.

I smiled. Game on, Gary. Game on.