Chapter Two

Hair of Fire 

The girl woke again and she was once again in her bed chamber, it’s metal walls exceptionally cold as sweat clung to her skin. She had dreamt of the other person again. The girl flopped down into her mattress, it’s springs groaning at the pressure. She hated these dreams, but not for the same reason she had when they first started. She was once scared of the other person, but now as she awoke every day still in her bed chamber she was reminded of how alone she was. This person in her dreams was just that. She bit back the odd water in her eyes again as her throat thickened. 

The girl listened for the sound of boots on linoleum, but could hear nothing. It must be earlier than she thought. She turned over and closed her eyes again hoping if she fell back asleep she could see them again. She thought this person was probably her friend, even if they weren’t real. They always asked her questions and waited patiently for her to answer them. She wished she could go back to her blackness so she could sit with them in the dark. It was no use. She was too alert. Instead the girl stared at the metal above her, counting the paneling. There were only three. Then she’d begin again. Soon enough the sound of boots came and the whir of her door opening. 

The girl expected the guard, he always was the first to see her. He fed her and forced her to dress, taking her to her trainings. He didn’t like her, she knew that after receiving consequences from him.  She was surprised to see the master, his hair slicked back, his suit jet black. 

“Good morning number ninety-nine.” 

The girl just stared at him. She was scared of the master. 

“You will resume your outdoor training today. Is that going to be a problem?” 

The girl shook her head. She wanted the sun. 

The master smiled and touched her shoulder. “I have someone very special who is going to watch you today. So you’ll need to be on your best behavior. Can you do that?” 

“Yes,” she said quietly.

The master smiled and stared down at her. “I expect greatness from you, number ninety-nine. You’re special.” He turned and motioned for the guard to come in. “Get her dressed and fed, she’ll need to be in peak shape for our benefactor.” 

He was gone quickly then, replaced by the guard. 

“Who’s coming to see me?” The girl asked. 

“Don’t speak.” The guard said slamming down her oat mixture and her training clothes. 

The girl was led through the corridors and towards the door at the end of the hallway. She didn’t know why anyone wanted to come and watch her train, it was incredibly dull. She thought back to her imaginary friend again as the first set of locks were released. Their questions had gotten more and more interesting over the past week. They spent long periods of time in her blackness now, asking her questions about the outside. The girl told them everything she could, which wasn’t much. But she wanted to keep her friend interested so they would keep coming back. She had told them all about the small piece of Earth they allowed her to train on. She told them all about the deep basin of water and the tree and the rocks. Most of the rocks were small, but some were very big. She couldn’t lift those ones. She wasn’t powerful enough. She loved it the most when they let her train with water. She was good with the water. She told them about the perimeter and the very large metal walls. Her friend did not like that, but wouldn’t tell the girl why. 

“It’s just to keep me safe.” The girl tried reassuring. “They don’t want any bad people to try and get me, because I’m special.” 

Her friend didn’t seem to understand, but the girl didn’t try to push it. She just wanted their company. 

The guard shoved her forward when she didn’t automatically move. “Remember, behave yourself. Or there will be consequences.”

The girl swallowed and stepped into the next corridor as another string of locks began to click open. 

The girl could feel her skin crawl as the guard grabbed her by the back of the neck and pushed her forward. She felt distracted, which was not good. The master had been very specific with his desires for her to be perfect, and yet she kept feeling like she was forgetting something. 

She stepped into the sunlight and closed her eyes. It was warm on her skin. 

“Hello number ninety-nine.” The masters voice echoed from inside a glass room overlooking her piece of Earth. “We will be testing your limits today. Please go first to the tree.” 

The girl walked towards it, wishing he had started with the water. She tried focusing on removing all the leaves all at once, but she always missed a few. Today was no different. The leaves she did get flurried around her, almost lifting her off the ground. 

“Very good number ninety-nine. And to the rocks.” The girl obeyed. “Please lift the largest.” 

The girl hesitated, staring at the rock that was at least twice her size. She had never been able to lift that one. 

“The largest one, number ninety-nine.” The master’s voice was short. She knew she had to try. She closed her eyes and widened her stance, holding her arms low as she tried imaging the rock being pulled up. She was sweating, and liquid was leaking from her nose. 

She stopped panting, and looked towards the glass room. The master was glaring down, and another man with white hair was beside him. He was writing something down. He seemed to nod and whisper something to her master. 

“Go to the water, number ninety-nine.” The master said. 

The girl took a step and then stopped. She remembered very suddenly what her friend had whispered to her the night before, in her blackness. 

“Be ready. I’m getting you out. I’m coming for you.” 

“Number ninety-nine, is there a problem?” The master called. 

The girl walked towards the basin slowly, ignoring everything else. She had to prove herself. She didn’t want to receive a consequence,or worse a treatment. 

The girl closed her eyes and could feel her body give in to the urge to carry the water. She could ignore everything else usually, but there was very suddenly a lot of sound around her, not the rushing of the water. It sounded different. It sounded like something very large and heavy being torn in half. And a lot of yelling. The girl opened her eyes as the water fell around her, drenching everyone. There were a lot of guards all of the sudden. They were racing towards her. She must have done something wrong. 

She closed her eyes. She would most likely get a consequence if she was lucky. She watched the guards racing towards her, screaming at one another before in an instant they all were propelled through the air, hitting the opposite wall. 

The girl screamed as she watched their bodies fall, leaving pools of red liquid surrounding them. The girl looked around, but her vision was blurring with the water again. More guards went flying through the air, and she thought she could hear the master yelling something to her, but she couldn’t see anymore. 

Very suddenly a hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her up. When she had fallen to the ground, she wasn’t sure. The hand yanked her further. 

“Run!” The voice ordered. It didn’t sound like the master or the guard, but they were pulling hard on her wrist and she had no choice but to follow their lead. 

The girl couldn’t see where she was running, but she could tell that she was not headed back into the facility or towards her bed chamber. 

“We’re going the wrong way,” she cried helplessly. She tried blinking away the water so she could see properly again. But it was no use, instead all she saw was a watery figure racing next to her, their arm extended out, gripping her own, their hair the color of fire. 

“Fuck there’s more.” Someone yelled. “We have to get through to the van. Can you take th—shit!” The girl was shoved to the ground. 

“Don’t shoot at them you idiots!” She heard someone yell from behind her. She looked back to see the white haired man and the master both outside now. “Get them back!” 

There were more guards running towards them, before they too went flying through the air, soaring over top of the girl. She screamed again, but was being yanked forward. 

“Almost there!” She heard someone yell. “Grab her!” 

Someone’s arms were very suddenly around her and the girl screamed again and as a large metal van screeched into view. She was being flung now, she was sure she would die and end up in a pool of red liquid too, but just as fast another pair of arms caught her. 

“Hurry!” She heard a new voice yell. “Take my hand!” 

The door slammed shut and they were moving. Fast. She was not meant to be here. She knew that much for certain now. 

“What’s happening?” She tried asking, but was ignored. 

“Five cars behind us! Marco!” A voice commanded. There was a loud guttural yell and an even louder crashing of metal behind them. 

“Please let me go!” The girl screamed. 

“It’s okay, you’re okay…” someone was saying her. But she was still leaking water, even harder now. 

“Shit there’s more.” A female’s voice said. 

“I… I don’t think I can.” Someone panted. “You two could.” 

There was silence, the only thing the girl could hear was the engine of the van and her own frantic sobs. 

“There’s no one around to take from.” The female said. 

“Take from us.” 

“I can’t. I could kill you.” The female voice said. 

“Then don’t kill us! But if they catch us we’re all fucked. Just do it!” The voice commanded. The voice was familiar to the girl, but she couldn’t place it.

“Syd…” 

“Do it! Now!” 

And very suddenly the girl felt extremely weak, weaker than she’d ever felt in all her life all at once. She was going to pass out, she knew it was coming. But it didn’t feel like the hazy sleep she was put in from the needles. It was like her ability to be awake was being taken from her quickly. The last thing the girl saw before her eyes closed were surges of bright blue electricity in every direction.