The Energy Crusades (11 page)

"No, Professor. There is no problem. I was simply enjoying their company. They were sharing stories from their childhood." The lie rolled off his tongue easily and he seemed unruffled by her scolding.

Did Ajax tell him the two of us had been childhood friends or did someone else? I burned with curiosity and reached my mind toward Malik
'
s, hoping to get a sense of what he was feeling and how much he knew about me. His mind, however, was closed. He exuded only a sense of calm, but stole a quick glance at me, as if he felt my intrusion. Curious, very curious. I hadn
'
t asked him enough questions.

"Get on with it then. Both of you know better than to question her."

"Question me about what?" I wanted to know.

Professor Baal looked at me. Her blue eyes reflected the black of her hair, casting shadows in them and making it impossible to read her expression. "About anything," she answered. "All of you must obey me first and ask questions later." She took my chin in one hand and with her other she traced over the cut, then briefly examined the wound on my arm, which now looked no bigger than a scratch. Satisfied, she stepped away and said nothing for several moments, then gestured to Malik to continue, and left us as swiftly as she had approached.

Malik stepped in front of me and examined my face. He held up a mirror so I could view the cut myself. There was a deep gouge on my left cheek, just below my eye. My insides recoiled at the sight of the large gash. The rock must have flown across my face in a slicing motion, and even if the cut closed up some, it still looked scary. I handed back the mirror and Malik placed a hand under my chin and gently raised my head. His warm hands felt a little rough on my skin.

He reached back to the cart, and found a needle and thread, the thread nearly invisible in his hands. My insides roiled at the idea of the needle going into my face.

"Here we go, Kaia. Just relax, I
'
ll be gentle." I closed my eyes and tilted my head up, acutely aware of the smell of lavender and the feeling of Malik
'
s breath on my face. He began to hum along with the music in the background, and my stomach started to relax. As the sound enveloped me, the tension in my body evaporated while my thoughts became happy and serene. Malik worked with a deft hand, drawing the needle in and out of my face. I drifted away from the present, feeling as if I was under a spell, floating with the sound of his voice. "All finished," he whispered while he dabbed a perfecting cream over the dissolved stitches. I opened my eyes. Our faces were almost touching. He held mine as he studied his handiwork, and with our proximity I noticed a small scar across his left eyebrow. It was the only flaw I could find on his chiseled features.

"See?" he said, "No more ugly." He handed me a mirror and flashed a perfect smile. Sure enough, there wasn
'
t a blemish in sight, just the spray of freckles across my nose and cheeks. I handed back the mirror.

"Thank you," I dipped my head, showing my respect.

"Let me see," Ajax spoke up. His soft tone kept his words from being a command. I pivoted my head in his direction.

"Tell her how pretty she looks," Malik prompted Ajax, a bit of mischief in his tone. I choked back a laugh. No way would Ajax say such a thing. Malik must have known how Ajax felt about my presence at the University and his resentment of me.

"Am I free to go?" I asked, before Ajax could say anything. I started to get up, not waiting for an answer, but Ajax stopped me.

"You need to wait for me," Ajax replied, and Malik put his hand on my shoulder and gently coaxed me back down, then folded his arms across his chest while Ajax removed his shirt. Malik proceeded to heal his shoulder without further comment.
He
didn
'
t hum as he had with me, but simply worked quickly and efficiently until Ajax
'
s shoulder was flawless once again. Ajax
'
s skin was luminescent against the starkness of his black hair. I liked the way it looked and had to force my attention away so I wouldn
'
t focus on the broadness of his shoulders and the muscles defining his back. When Ajax was near, he stirred up all sorts of feelings inside of me, many of which I did not understand.

"How did you get your scar?" I traced a finger across my eyebrow as I asked the question, refocusing my attention from Ajax to Malik. It was odd the scar was allowed to remain when it could have been easily healed.

"No questions," Ajax spoke up. "We need to get out of here." He was right. I didn
'
t want to anger our Professor any further. We helped Malik tidy up and he dismissed the two of us into the crisp night air. It was late and I was tired.

We walked silently across campus to the dorms and up to our rooms. I didn
'
t bother to say anything to him, or to wait at my bedroom door and hope he would say something to me. Without a backward glance, I stepped inside and let the door fall closed between us. Once on the other side, I leaned against the door and tried to reign in all of my emotions. Ajax remained where I left him; I could feel his presence through the barrier. Neither of us moved for what seemed like a long time and I started to fall asleep as I slumped against the door. I thought briefly of laying down right there and sleeping on the floor next to him, the door in between us, just to feel what it was like to sleep again, as I had when he was next to me after the footpath. Instead, I tore myself away and did all the things I needed to do to before crawling into bed and into another sleepless night.

Trouble

I woke up the next morning bleary-eyed and unsure if I
'
d even slept two hours straight. My sleep was fitful, as usual, and the white
-
haired woman hovered in my dreams, more substantial than a shadow, but elusive nonetheless. Outside my window, the sun had risen over the campus, but only just.

"There
'
s a message for us on the monitor," Tory tiptoed to my side of the room. It was unusual for me to be in bed later than her, but I
'
d barely fallen asleep before dawn struck. The glow from the monitor illuminated the room and I nodded for her to pull up the message.

"Greetings Students of University, Orion Grid," the voice of President Ross filled the room. He was the head of the University, a human, and a highly accomplished Astro-Physicist. "I trust you are all settled in at the University by this time. You
'
ve been working hard, studying, and training for your Crusades. As a reward for all of this hard work, the University will host a Social in your honor on the evening of the next full moon."

His voice continued on, but I stopped listening, my blood going cold in my veins. A Social? As a reward for hard work?
The thought of yet another luxury for the Students burned as I began to wonder, where were the privileges for Athletes?
My mind immediately flew to Atticus, wondering if he had heard this message yet. There
'
d never been any Social given at an Athlete Academy, and I wanted to throw something at the monitor to silence the voice promising food, music, and relaxation for these Students, but Tory
'
s face was aglow with anticipation of
the
event. It was sweet news to her, and I didn
'
t have the heart to dampen her cheery thoughts. Instead I shut myself in the bathroom, determined to hide my anger while I readied for my day.

It wasn
'
t as easy to shut myself off from the rest of the Students. I couldn
'
t avoid the happy chatter trailing me all around the campus, especially from my fellow Crusaders. The University was abuzz with the news, and the Students babbled excitedly wherever I went. Only Ajax, my resentful yet constant companion, did not join in the merriment. He ran with me, ate breakfast with me, played tennis with me, led me through some complicated mazes along with Caden, and stuck by my side throughout the day, never mentioning the Social. Perhaps he sensed my feelings on the subject, or perhaps he just wanted to hide his own. I couldn
'
t be sure, but it was nice having someone as glum as he to temper the joy of the other Students. For once, Ajax
'
s bad mood was like a breath of fresh air, and most welcome on such a day. Atticus, on the one day I actually sought out his company, was nowhere to be found.

It wasn
'
t until the evening, as I sat miserable in the cafeteria with Ajax, Tory, Caden, and Balor, picking at my food and growing angrier by the minute, when Atticus showed his face. I
'
d had enough of all the talk and I was rather put out by Atticus
'
s absence just when I wanted someone to share in my misery. I felt his approach before I saw him, a hush falling over the cafeteria as he sauntered to our table. There was no light in his eyes; instead they were flat with rage and sadder than I
'
d expected. We stared at each other, understanding passing between us.

"I need to speak with you," his voice was quiet but tense, his jaw clenched tightly as he waited.

"Whatever you have to say to her, you can say it here," Ajax informed him. His voice carried throughout the hushed cafeteria.

"Is that what you want?" Atticus
'
eyes nev
er left my face. "Would you like me to say what I have to say right here? Shout it out perhaps? In front of these
Students whom you regard so highly?" He said the word
'
Students
'
with disdain, not bothering to disguise it, even for my sake.

It wasn
'
t what I wanted. I wanted to be away from the Students too, away from their eyes and their happy feelings. Atticus and I were alone in this, alone in feeling an injustice over the upcoming Social, and I didn
'
t think my fellow Crusaders could understand.

"No," I started to stand, but Ajax put his hand on my arm as a sort of restraint. I would have shaken him off had his touch not sent waves of calm and understanding through my body. His touch was soothing, familiar, and I hesitated a moment. "Let me go," I pleaded, and he removed his hand but his eyes turned a deep gray. A bit of his own anger leaked from his skin, but he reeled it in as quickly as he let it slip and made no further move to stop me. I stood, and followed Atticus. His feelings were not nearly as tightly bound as Ajax
'
s and anger spilled from him freely.

"Calm down," I begged, as he dragged me through the cafeteria, but he would not be calmed. The Students kept silent and watched us curiously as we passed.

Finally, Atticus reached his limit. "What are you staring at?" he screamed, at a table full of staring Students. He let his fury explode, reaching out an arm and sweeping all of their dishes to the floor. They crashed noisily around us, spraying food and liquid on all close by, including ourselves. Atticus stepped deftly around the mess, and we made our way outside leaving behind a wake of shocked silence.

I followed him swiftly to the last dormitory building. He paused only to smash his fist against a tree in anger and I had to pull him away before he could destroy his hand completely. As it was, he left a mark in the white bark of a birch tree, but his hand got the worst of it.

We went to his room, upstairs and at the end of the hall. He closed the door behind us, and I found myself alone with him.

"How could you sit there with them?" Atticus began pacing around the room. "How can you sit there with those Students and—"

"Knock it off, Atticus," I cut him off immediately. "I
'
m not here to answer to you, okay? Where are your healing supplies?"

He gestured toward the bathroom where I found a small bag with the needed supplies. His room was a mess. The bed was unmade, his clothing and football gear was strewn all over the floor, and dirty dishes cluttered his desk.

"An organized space helps with an organized mind," I reminded him. He sat on his unkempt bed while I took the chair by the desk, moving it so I sat across from him, our knees almost touching. I took his hand in mine and began to heal it.

"Don
'
t start in with that Athlete
garbage
, Kaia. We
'
re not at any Athlete Academy. We
'
re at this horrible University."

I straightened his fingers and began rubbing a mending balm into his hands.

"I
'
m upset too, Atticus. I don
'
t like this
'
Social
'
thing any more than you do. But did you have to get us in trouble? You need to keep your temper in check. Blaming the Students doesn
'
t help any."

"Why should they be rewarded for anything? They
'
re going to be allowed to wear regular clothes for a whole day? Have you ever spent a single day out of your energy suit? As a reward for all of your hard work, or for any reason at all?"

I hadn
'
t, not even one.

"Why do you stick up for them? They have no love for us!" His agitation continued to grow.

"And why should they? You just screamed at them and knocked their dinners to the floor."

"This is wrong, Kaia, and you know it!" he pulled his hands away roughly. "Why do you side with them when you should be siding with me? Why do you align yourself with that Unviable? Your place is with me!" His eyes flashed with anger.

"I
'
m not siding with anyone. I
'
m trying to fit in, to make friends and learn to trust my Crusaders. Don
'
t you need to do the same?" I took his hand again and he let me. I began to wrap it in strips of cloth to keep it as immobile as possible while the bones mended. By tomorrow, his hand would be as good as new.

"It
'
s not as easy for me as it is for you," he answered, setting his hand down gingerly.

"Nothing is easy for me, Atticus. Not even trying to be friends with you."

He smiled then, and his face truly was handsome. His dark eyes were full of sadness, and his features could be hard with resentment, but when he smiled, he was nice to look at. I knew a little about his life. He had a younger sister, also an Athlete. She played football for the Eridanus Grid, their home Grid in the south, near a great river. We had similar lives, the two of us, but our attitudes were worlds apart.

"They don
'
t love me like they love you." He was calmer now.

"I don
'
t think they love either of us at this point."

"You know what the real truth is?" he whispered, eyes filled with pain. "There is no benefit to being an Athlete. We
'
ve had no privileges. These Students have. We
'
ve done nothing but play our sport, always being fed it was something special, but you know what? If I could do it all over again, I
'
d have stayed home. We have nothing, we don
'
t even have real friends like they do." He said the words quietly but the weight of them pressed against us.

He reached out and pulled off my glasses, setting them next to him on the bed. "They love the girl with the purple eyes," he said softly, caressing my cheek with his uninjured hand. When he leaned in to kiss me, I turned my head away and his forehead came to rest on my cheek. We stayed connected a few moments before he lifted his head, his emotions a tangled mess all around him. He couldn
'
t understand why I didn
'
t want him.

"Just because we
'
re both Athletes doesn
'
t mean we
'
ll automatically fall in love," I told him gently.

"Maybe if I had a triangle on the back of my neck you would love me better," he answered bitterly. "Don
'
t think I
'
ll stand by and watch you take up with an Unviable. It isn
'
t right. You belong with an Athlete."

"I
'
m not
'
taking up
'
with anybody, Atticus. Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because he has everything — even an Athlete. It should be me."

"He doesn
'
t have anything! How can you say that? He
'
s marked forever for something that isn
'
t his fault and his family has known loss beyond anything we can imagine. You have everything, Atticus. You should be happier."

"Are you happy?" he shot back. I wasn
'
t, no, far from it. Especially when he made his comment about
'
the girl with the purple eyes
'
. I was also marked by something beyond my control and wore glasses to stave off whispers about strange eyes. Our conversation came to a halt as a loud banging sounded at the door.

"Hold on!" Atticus called, not missing a beat. "We need to put our clothes on!"

I shook my head at him and walked to the door, opening it to find Ajax on the other side. His eyes traveled over me as if checking the validity of Atticus
'
s words.

"Can we help you, Student?" Atticus casually placed his arm around my shoulder as he came to the door.

"As a matter of fact you can," Ajax answered coolly. "You can get down to the cafeteria and clean it up, or you can go see Professor Baal."

We chose the first one. Ajax walked away, and we headed back to the cafeteria, dark and deserted at the late hour, and ever so messy. There were dirty dishes everywhere there
'
d been a Student and all of it was left for us, including where Atticus had swept the dishes to the floor. Only one table was completely clean, without a speck of dirt.

"This is for you." Atticus pointed out. The only spotless table was the one where my fellow crusaders had sat. My heart did a little flip flop at the gesture.

I looked around in dismay. It was going to take us hours to clean up the mess, and Atticus only had the use of one hand, which meant I would have to do the bulk of the work, though he was the one who
'
d lost control.

"Did I remember to thank you for coming to get me tonight?" I teased him.

He chuckled a little and gave me a playful shove. "Let
'
s do this," he answered, picking up a dish and dropping it into one of the busing trays left out for us.

Two hours later we had the tables cleared and wiped clean, and the entire floor swept and mopped to a sparkling shine. What remained was an enormous pile of dirty dishes still needing to be washed, dried, and put away. We stood regarding them dejectedly, and in those moments of silence I could feel pain radiating off of Atticus. His hand throbbed and he
'
d already used it beyond all reasonable limits when it should have remained immobile.

"I
'
ll do the rest, Atticus. Go take care of your hand."

He stared at me silently, fighting his emotions. "I can
'
t leave you here," he had a pained look on his face.