Twell and the Rebellion (6 page)

Shay knew, because it was her
job to know. I knew, because I’d illegally obtained the information
and then learned more from joining the army. But the rest of our
citizens were oblivious to how serious things actually were. They
believed no news was good news; the way they had always believed
the G.B. protected them. But I knew the withholding of information
was to retain calm. Without it, they would lose control and then
people might start to ask questions. Maybe, they might start to
rebel. That’s why they were kept in the dark.

“ATTENTION,
CADETS OF THE ARMY OF POWERS
!” a familiar
voice boomed out of nowhere, slicing into the atmosphere with such
an impressive commanding power that every cadet was silenced as
jaws dropped in awe. “You will now be separated into your living
quarters where you will settle in. Following this, you will receive
your training schedule before midday meal. Females will now move
east to the Ophenra barracks, while males are to report to the West
barracks of Omahane.”

I’d already known we’d be
separated by gender of course. Not just because we hadn’t reached
our official partnering ceremony yet, but also because they wanted
to reduce any ‘
distractions
.’ Even though I’d
never actually spent a night with Jonaz, I felt like he was the
closest thing I had to a family out here, and being separated from
him gave me a feeling of anxiety I didn’t want to admit to aloud.
As if he’d read my mind, Jonaz appeared in front of me and I saw
the same feelings reciprocated in his own eyes. He reached out and
stroked my cheek, the warmth of his fingers matching the heat of
his gaze. Because it wouldn’t do to get emotional and I’d promised
myself I wouldn’t allow him to worry about me, I lifted my chin and
tossed my hair, mustering my old spirit of indifference.

He smiled and shook his head.
“I’m sorry if I seemed a little…”

“
Aggressive?
Overprotective? Possessive?”

“
Untrusting,” Jonaz
replied firmly. I gazed into his troubled, dark eyes. Close up,
they were flecked with gold and framed by the darkest, longest
lashes a girl could dream for. Unfair.

“
Don’t let him get to
you.” I shrugged.

“It’s him getting to you
I’m concerned about.”

“
That’s not going to
happen,” I insisted. “I have a mind of my own.”

“
Which his powers can
manipulate,” Jonaz growled.

“I won’t let him do that.”
I fervently hoped I was right. Jonaz grunted in response and I
frowned. It was unusual of Jonaz to be rattled by another’s
behaviour and even more so to be so aggressive. Normally he was
easy going and confident. Maybe it was the war changing him,
changing us all to a more serious version of ourselves. Or maybe it
was just that he was jealous. That I got, what with him being
partnered with Miss Glamazon-Strike-A-Pose. Like most other females
on Como, Stelli already had some sort of history with Jonaz that I
didn’t wish to know, but all the G.B. cared about was combining the
DNA of Stelli’s hypnotic powers with Jonaz’s powers to evolve our
race for the better. The combination of hypnotism with the ability
to hurt someone by touch seemed a brilliant yet deadly combination.
Someone like that would be almost unstoppable, a walking weapon. I
understood logically why they’d been matched. But logic did nothing
for my heart.

“
I’ll find a way to see
you, I promise.” Jonaz dropped his head close to my ear, so only I
could hear. “I’ll find you at evening meal.”

I nodded but he was already
walking away, his back straight, his movement easy and confident.
He melted into the lines of young men who were just as determined
to appear composed in their new environment.

Taking a deep breath to collect
myself, I turned and fell into the row of female cadets. It
surprised me, the orderly way in which we moved, marching to our
destination. There was no nervous chatter, just the smack of our
boots hitting the landing as we moved forward, all lost in our own
anxiety. I stopped when I bumped into the girl in front of me,
smooshing my nose into her shoulder. She turned to scowl at me and
I realized it was Shanna. Seeing it was me she conjured up a look
that was both pitying and patronizing at the same time. For a
moment it made me feel ashamed, even though I had no clear idea
what it was I should be ashamed of. Then, finding my temper, I
glared back and stood straighter to emphasise that I was a tiny bit
taller than her.

My reaction seemed to please
rather than provoke her, because her mouth twisted at the corners
and she hissed, “Maybe there’s still hope for you.”

Before I could answer, she
turned away because a really bossy voice (yes, even bossier than
Mira’s) was interrupting. Standing before us on a raised platform
was a woman in uniform who captured my attention at once because
her body language defied me to do anything else. Darting, rust
coloured eyes scanned our faces as if daring anyone to interrupt
her. Her face was thin and sharp and her body slim yet sturdy. She
held herself as though an unbendable rod ran from her toes to the
crown of her head. Her ordinary brown hair was twisted into three
tight neat rolls at the nape of her neck and not even one measly
hair in any of those rolls was out of place.

I sneaked a peek over my
shoulder at Mira who had come up beside me. Not to my surprise, she
was staring at the woman as though she was a heavenly being. Order
and discipline were Mira’s best friends, so of course she’d be
impressed by the formidable female officer, while I was already
planning how many different ways I could avoid her.

“
I am Officer Maza. You
will report to me every day before morning meal and every evening
before sun-down.” Her voice was low, toneless, and as devoid of
emotion as her expression. If her demeanour was the example we were
supposed to follow, then I was seriously contemplating running
screaming into the desert already. There was no way I would or
could ever want to be that robotic.

“To your left are the
training arenas where you will undertake the last of your training
regimes,” she continued, gesturing with her right arm to three huge
domes looming up to the right behind her. They looked like enormous
beeval bug cocoons, sandy coloured to blend into the deserts around
them and criss-crossed with a darker skeleton of framework that
held the structures together.

“
To your right are the
female quarters, while the male quarters lie on the other side of
these domes. The meal hall is in the middle, as you can see.” She
pointed at a long rectangular building to the side of the domes.
“Ladies, you are forbidden to visit the male quarters, as are they
to yours. If we catch you fraternizing in this way, you will be
disciplined.”

I groaned aloud until
Sazika elbowed me hard in the ribs. I jumped extra high for not
knowing she’d been there. Darn her powers. Maza’s sharp narrow eyes
immediately swooped over the heads of each cadet until they came to
land on me, her eyes locked onto mine. I froze, both shocked she’d
pinpointed the sound to me and that no one else was voicing their
protest.
Did they not just
hear what she said?

“
We understand you are all
a few moons away from your official partnering ceremony and that
you have the right to spend time with your partners should they be
here.” Maza gazed at me so hard while she spoke, I barely realized
I was holding my breath.

“
You can spend meal times
with your partners, as well as free time in the evening. However,
we will be watching your behaviour, so I recommend you conduct
yourselves wisely during your interactions, unless you want them
restricted. We simply cannot afford the distraction of hormones at
a time like this.”

It was ironic that last
year I’d been hoping the threat of war would bring the partnering
to a standstill. In fact, I’d almost been prepared to run away at
one point rather than face my obligations. Now here I was, working
out the distance from the male quarters to ours and wondering how I
was going to get around the rules. The idea of not being
alone
with
Jonaz for another three moons seemed unbearable.

“
Please check your
organizers for your room number as well as your schedules,” Maza
clipped out to finish. “Make your way to your quarters now to
orientate yourselves and then report to the meal
quarters.”

I tapped into my wristband in
time with every other cadet and only then did the silence break, a
murmuring hum building up as everyone moved off to their assigned
rooms. My organizer told me I was in dormitory three, not far from
where I was now standing. The quarters were white dome shaped
buildings set in a U- shape, facing the meal and training area.
Each dome had a round glass roof for sunlight and I imagined that
from above, the way they curved might look like a giant
jawbone.

In the space between the first
and last room, a miniature wetland had been created. Stone water
features in intricate patterns kept the water flowing gently around
the pond, while three narrow boardwalks met in the middle where a
covered gazebo stood. I assumed they’d put it there to help with
homesickness. Water was not only a life source for Comian people,
but also a symbol of tranquillity and healing. The sound of gently
moving water always calmed me when I felt troubled and our cities
were designed with many water features for people to go and
meditate or reflect.

As I grew up in Caran, a city
surrounded by vast wetlands and lakes, I appreciated the gesture
they’d made in the middle of the desert. It settled my mind to see
the mossy green algae and plants that ringed the water and to hear
the swish of small pannaray’s tails as they broke the surface of
the pond now and then. The Abwarzians had no appreciation for its
beauty and meaning. It was simply life or death to them, a vital
element for survival.

Presently I found myself
at the open door of the room where I would sleep. As I stepped in I
kinda wished Sazika was with me, or maybe even Mira…nah, I wasn’t
that nervous. Four beds, two on each side, took up most of the
space in the small, round room. Taking up a little more space, were
three unfamiliar faces. Wait, make that two unfamiliar faces, one
was grinning at me in a way I could only describe as
disturbing.

“Well, well, it’s Twell,
Twell!” Shanna sang. Crossing her arms, she surveyed me
sceptically. “How
will
you survive without that boy you let the G.B.
decide you have to spend the rest of your life with…whazhisname?
Avas or something?”

“
Ooooh, Hanna isn’t it?” I
shot back. “Lucky me to get you as a roomie. I just know we’re
going to be best of friends!”

“
Hmmm!” Shanna mused.
“More spirit than I thought. That confuses me…”

“
Must be confused quite
often,” I retorted, slamming the door shut behind me.

“
Not really. So what’s
your story? You actually like that guy?” she continued, unperturbed
by my scowling face. “I dunno, he already seems a little possessive
of you if you ask me.”

“
Which I didn’t,” I
snapped, not even sure if she was referring to Jonaz or Avin. I
stalked past her to the bed at the rear of the room, opposite her.
My possessions were already on the bed, which irritated me even
more because I would have chosen a bed closer to the door. Much
easier for sneaking out.

“
Um...hello?” one of the
girls I had momentarily ignored thanks to Shanna cleared their
throat. Ashamed of my bad manners, I turned around to face
them.

“
Hey, I’m
Twell.”

“
I’m Kina,” said the
closer girl. She wore her dead-straight, brown hair tucked behind
her ears and pulled her mouth into a prim pucker as she regarded
me. It was an expression that suggested she was determined to be
courteous, no matter how feral she thought I was.

“I’m Laveen, but everyone
calls me Lavi,” the other girl said, bounding towards me. She had a
mass of curly, blonde hair stuffed into a bundle on top of her
head. Brilliant blue eyes regarded me curiously, and her smile was
wide and friendly, seemingly unfazed by anything that had just
transpired between Shanna and myself. I liked her
immediately.

“
Do you two know each
other?” Kina’s gaze swivelled between Shanna and myself, and her
hands landed on her hips, clearly trying to assess whether there
was going to be trouble.

“
Not at all,” I assured
her as I began unpacking.

Shanna chuckled loudly and
plopped down onto the end of her bed facing Kina. “We met on the
journey here and I discovered she doesn’t quite share my level of
objection to mandatory partnering.”

Kina and Lavi both stopped
unpacking at the same time, spinning to face her. Lavi gasped, her
mouth forming a cute little ‘
o’
.

But Kina’s eyes narrowed to
ominous slits, as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you
telling me you’re against our leaders’ best interests for our
people?” Her tone was of such quiet horror I had to hide a smile.
Rebellious this one wasn’t.

“Oh, noooo,” Shanna
groaned as she flung herself onto her bed. “You’re brainwashed,
too? That’s so sad for you!”

“
I most certainly am not!”
Kina snapped. “I support their laws because it’s the smartest
design for future generations and I accept the partner they chose
for me as my best genetic match.”