Looking out the window, I saw some good news, a forest. I pulled out my schedule sheet; there was still recess right after the first class. During this time, I could get far away from everyone. The bell rang, and I walked outside. The fresh air outside that hostile environment was euphoric. It’s funny how getting punched hurts less. I walked in the direction of the forest, passing by all the other kids. They cleared away for me, all except for one.
Babel leaned on an oak tree, “Hello kitty cat,” mocked Babel.
Talking to this kid exhausted me more than training.
“Hey Babel: why aren’t you crying to the teacher? Going to fight your own battles?” I taunted. I paused for a moment to stare him down, then stretched my right arm for a fight.
“Hang on a minute and let me practice my swing,” I smirked.
I moved my right fist back, and hit the tree beside Babel as hard as possible. It splintered, leaving a massive dent in the wood. Babel took a jumped out of fear. I seared him with a stare that I practiced in the mirror for bullies. Babel started running towards the on-duty teacher immediately, smiling. That’s precisely what he wanted, an excuse to take away my freedom again.
He ran to the teacher shouting, “Mr. Craig!”
I didn’t know how this teacher would react. Most Humans are selfish creatures who only want to talk about themselves. They’ll even socially construct a way for a conversation that isn’t about them to become about them. This Human, however, had different mannerisms; he seemed much calmer than most of his kind.
“Mr. Craig! Salan punched a hole in that tree!” Babel shouted, pointing to the dent in the tree.
“Did he injure you in any way Babel?” asked Mr. Craig.
“Well, no…” Babel’s voice drifted.
Waiting for an answer that wasn’t coming, Mr. Craig began again, “I saw him punch that tree.” Turning to me, he said, “Did you intend to punch that tree as hard as you did, Salan?”
“No. I kind of lost control. Sorry about that,” I replied, smiling.
“Don’t worry about it. You're an Abundan. They’ve been known to lose control of their abilities due to their immense power.”
I was almost in tears. This man stuck his neck out for me. Truly a man amongst men.
I shrugged my shoulders, “I’ll be sure to watch out next time. Sorry Babel.”
“Like I want an apology from an Abomination like you!” shouted Babel.
“Babel that’s not very kind you. You can get a detention for that,” said Mr. Craig calmly. “Why am I being punished? He’s an Abomination! Wait till my mom hears about this. She’s the superintendent!” shouted Babel.
“Babel, please be more respectful to others. Salan is a classmate; you should try to get along with him,” he ushered Babel inside to be reprimanded.
I had to contain my laughter as I walked away. Glancing back, I smiled at Babel, whose gills were flared out with anger. Babel took joy in ratting others out; he was a very insecure person. I continued to walk rapidly towards the woods.
Looking back, I saw Seraculus; she felt the pain of whispers by the school smoke pit. People avoided her like the plague, forming a circle of hate around her. That circle felt like hell, I’ve been through it.
I motioned for her to come with me. Seeing a friend amongst a crowd of hatred, she quickly began walking my way. She seemed very happy to be near me.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked.
“Because that slimy fish got what he deserved,” she grinned.
We both laughed as we walked closer to the woods. It had tall green trees and bushes as undergrowth. There was luscious green grass all around. In my experience, people are rarely as welcoming as nature. Nature takes no sides and doesn’t care how you look. We started down a hill towards the edge of the woods. There was a clearing into the trees that almost felt like a welcome mat. Seraculus glanced around as we entered. She thought the place was beautiful.
“This is amazing. So much more color than at home! Green trees and bushes. Just like my father said,” she said feeling the leaves in awe.
“You’re acting like you’ve never seen a forest before.”
“I come from Atral, otherwise known as the Black Forest. Almost everything is black: the leaves, the wood, the plants. That’s my Minyades side. Travelers have entered it, and some never come out. It’s a tough place to navigate. My father tells me that many Humans died during their exploration of my country due to the harsh environment. Part of their religion reflects the Minyades being the devil race. It’s because of our bat-like appearance. Even though my people guided their explorers out of the forest,” she explained.
“If you helped them, why did they give you such a bad reputation?” I asked.
“That’s a good question.”
“You know, I never knew that about the Minyades.”
“You probably would if you paid attention in history,” she grinned.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
“I’m just joking. So sensitive,” she mocked.
“I’m not sensitive. Are you calling me soft?”
“There’s no need to get defensive about it. Besides, you should see my dad. Fought off two Bastils during his days in the military,” she said with pride.
“What’s a Bastil?” I asked.
“It’s like a black panther, but with a pointed tail. They are twice as big when fully grown. They are feared among the Minyades people.”
I decided to change the subject, “Hey guess what?” I asked.
“What?”
I never had a close friend my age to do this with, so I decided to give it a try now.
“Tag! you're it!” I shouted.
I touched her shoulder then ran away. She smiled back and chased me through the woods. I started climbing one of the trees to the very top. At the top branch, I looked down at Seraculus. She was at the bottom trying to get up the tree.
Clasping my hands around my mouth, “Give up Seraculus. You can’t get me up here!”
“Oh really!” Seraculus replied.
She took off her shoes and began to climb the tree. She made it to the top with her nails. They dug into the bark but were still underdeveloped. I was shocked to find out how good she was at climbing. To get away, I jumped into the adjacent tree. To regain control, I used my claws by digging into the bark. There were 10 meters between us.
“That’s cheating!” Seraculus exclaimed with a smile.
“So now what will you do, Seraculus?” I asked mockingly.
“Don’t underestimate the Minyades; we’re pretty cunning, you know!” She jumped. My heart skipped a beat. Her wings were too small. What if she got hurt because of me?
“Don’t do it!” I screamed.
She used her small wings to glide over to the tree I was in and tagged me while I was still stunned. I felt like a moron.
“Ha! I got you! You were adorable. ‘Don’t do it!’ Hahaha,” She said grabbing her sides.
I was embarrassed. I felt my face go a bit red. I realized she was still looking at me.
“You’re adorable,” she said.
“I’m not adorable,” I retorted.
I got this enough from my mother; I don’t need this from her. The bell rang, and we weren’t even close to the line-up.
“I’ll beat you to the line!” I screamed. I jumped down and started running at a breakneck pace. She followed behind when we came onto school grounds. My Abundan speed was fast. I made it to the line-up. I turned around, seeing Seraculus catch up.
“I win,” I smiled.
The rest of the kids looked at me with hate, but I still smiled at Seraculus. It was weird to smile so openly in public. Seraculus caught up, out of breath. Looking down, I noticed she was still barefoot. In the heat of the moment, she must have forgotten her shoes back in the woods. Crap, I thought. I glanced back at Mr. Craig to see if I could start running. He was discussing something with another teacher and still hadn’t noticed the situation. I could hear
Mr. Craig utter her name, Ms. Wong. Ms. Wong seemed to have a very Human way of communicating.
“Seraculus, stay here!” I bolted into the woods knowing they’d see me, but better me than Seraculus.
“Get back here right now!” Ms. Wong shouted.
I kept running until I got the shoes at the base of the tree. Turning around, I bolted back. I handed them to Seraculus as discreetly as possible. Ms. Wong caught up to me out of breath and grabbed me by the ear. I’m glad the swelling from Mr. Lox’s wrist wounds had subsided. Seraculus didn’t know what to do; I gave her a wink. Ms. Wong took me into the hallway as everyone entered. She led me into her office. Babel smiled the entire time this was happening.
“Goodbye Abomination,” uttered Babel.
2- Denial
“A coach should never be afraid to ask questions of anyone he could learn from.”
― Bobby Knight
“You wait till your mother hears about this!” shouted Ms. Wong as she led me into her office.
She was a Hymer and could change color whenever she wanted to. Her appearance was mostly Human except that she could choose her pigmentation. Her skin was also covered in small scales. From a distance it looked like Human flesh, you wouldn’t notice the scales unless you got up close. In Faslow, Hymers had two banned skin colors. Those colors were red and blue. The colors were associated with gangs, and gang-related colors were prohibited in schools. She kept clinging to my ears as she led me into her office. She picked up a small laced whip.
She was already pissed off and decided to start beating me. She whipped about every part of my body except my face. The whipping wasn’t severe enough to make me bleed, but my body was covered in welts. All those wounds would heal by the end of the day. I was late to my Abundan training because of the ten minutes wasted here. I knew my coach would soon become get me. My coach, Mr. Finch, had transferred here from my elementary school to help me train. As I expected, my coach walked into the room.
“That will be enough, Ms. Wong; Salan needs the rest of his school time to train with me.”
Ms. Wong glared at me, “You got off easy this time, Salan. Have you learned your lesson?”
“Yes Ms. Wong,” I replied in a monotone.
“Let’s go, Salan,” ushered Mr. Finch.
I had known Mr. Finch since I was four-years-old. He was a kind and logical man. Mr. Finch was a Caltron. His hair was pure white, and his eyes were blue. He was a tall man, and many people had high respect for him. Like me, he was an Abundan. Mr. Finch was muscular, with massive white wings on his back. He led me out to the martial arts training area, away from the free weights. The mat could give to avoid injury. This was used to train regular soldiers as well as Abundans. A group of students were leaving as we approached, they were older and had outdoor breaks differently.
“I can’t believe we can’t use the dojo for another period because of this pussy yarn chaser,” said one of the older kids.
“How about you fight me in the dojo then, or are you a coward?” I retorted.
Everyone knew I was much stronger than him.
“Whatever,” he replied.
“Pussy,” I added.
The older kid tried going for a punch, but Mr. Finch blocked it and got in between us.
“That’s enough Phil,” instructed Mr. Finch.
He left with his crew of older kids, and we both went inside. The dojo was a new addition to the school intended to teach the youth to defend themselves.
“Set up the 300-pound bag Salan. I’ll set up the other equipment,” ordered Mr. Finch.
Mr. Finch flew over to the other side of the dojo and began to set up the equipment. I practiced advanced kicking methods that included a mixture of Taekwondo and Muay Thai. It also included Felis acrobatics, which involves orientating your body to be more unpredictable. Like a cat, you stay low and move upwards to attack. This stance makes it easier to approach an opponent. My stance incorporated Muay Thai techniques, which makes use of knees and elbows. My retractable claws can do more damage with my hands if needed. Unfortunately, my other school prohibited me from using my claws anymore because I tore my last punching bag in half. My attention turned to the 1,000-pound bag; I hope I would soon be strong enough to use that kind of weight. Abundans can get incredibly strong, and I was still going through puberty. My strength was far from reaching its peak.
“Again Salan! I told you to focus on your form. You have to reserve yourself; act as though that bag is your opponent. Hit and be ready to block or counter! When you're on the battlefield, you need to be able to pace yourself. Remember that as soon as that battery wears out, you’re mortal,” said Mr. Finch.
“Sorry, Mr. Finch.”
“Don’t worry about it. At least you show a lot of promise as an Abundan. One of the strongest I’ve had the privilege of training. Class 1 Abundans are really something else. One day you might be able to beat me.”
“I have a feeling that day might be today!” I replied.
“I look forward to the day you do; a teacher should want their students to surpass them. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you. Warm up for another ten minutes, and I’ll do the same across the dojo.”
I warmed up to go all out. I felt that I had the determination of a son trying to surpass his father. Beating Mr. Finch had been my primary goal for years.
After ten minutes, we both stood at the center of the room. The floor was padded for combat. Gloves were not necessary; we’d both heal from injuries anyway. That ability included head trauma like concussions. We both stared at each other.
“So, you think you can beat me? What is this? The 450th time we fought? And how many wins? Oh, zero, right?”
“The 400th time, actually,” I corrected.
I readied myself. Considering Mr. Finch ‘s wings, he was faster than I could be. He started the attack by launching himself, using his wings to throw a jab. I went on my toes and moved my arms up, dodging, and countering with an elbow on the inside. I caught him off guard and staggered him. He stepped back out of my reach and stuck to the outside, working a jab or using his wings to throw me off. When your opponent has longer range, the only way to win was to work on the inside. Absorbing a hit from a wing, I slid underneath the following jab. Quickly, I tucked myself, getting underneath, and behind him. Setting him up for a Suplex. I thought for sure that I had him. Bad idea. He popped his wings out and threw me back hard, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor.
“The Suplex would be a good move for a Human enemy, but not for an opponent with wings. Be more observant of the type of enemy you're dealing with.”
I gritted my teeth and got back up immediately, charging him with a flying knee. He smacked me with the side of his wing as if I were no more than an annoying fly. In the heat of the moment, I grabbed onto the wing and planted my feet using my Jiu Jitsu training. The maneuver used his own force against him. Then, I flung him down, giving me the opportunity to put his wing into an armbar. I knew he had escaped my armbars before, but this time I was more determined. A Caltron’s wing bones are like the bones in a Human arm. His wing was almost straightened already. I kept applying pressure while he pounded my ribs like a drum. Even when I heard one rib crack, I didn’t let up. There was no way I would stop now that I had the advantage. His face was beat red, and I felt a searing pain from my ribs. An instant before his wing bone reached the breaking point; he tapped out.
I jumped to my feet, thrusting both fists above my head, “I won! I won! Yes, I did it!” My voice echoed throughout the gym. After 400 attempts, finally a victory! The hardest achievements are always the sweetest.
Mr. Finch got up slowly, rubbing his wing. “I taught you well. And it has been a privilege to see you surpass me.”
Mr. Finch’s eyes started to well up, and he turned around. I knew he was crying.
“You OK Mr. Finch?”
Still facing away from me, Mr. Finch replied, “Why would I care about an Abomination like yo
u? Fucking pussy…” he drifted.
When he faced me, tears were streaming down his face. I now had no choice but to acknowledge his tears.
“Then why are you crying, idiot?”
We both smiled at each other.
“You know Mr. Finch; you’re not like the other Caltrons I’ve met,” I changed the subject.
“How so?”
“You don’t boast often enough, for one thing.”
“It’s unfortunate, but the races that were part of the Axis Alliance in the Great War have developed superiority complexes. Humans, Caltrons, and Cyclops share this trait. It’s a side effect of the dehumanization of war. My family is no exception; they’re a bunch of snobs who can’t stop admiring themselves in the mirror.”
“Why do people only care for themselves to that degree?” I asked.
“That is a question that even I cannot answer, Salan. Part of growing up is seeing things for what they are. A lot of parents try to preserve their kid’s innocence at a sacrifice to their intelligence. They lie and try to protect them, but this hurts them more in the end, especially during the holidays. Then they wonder why their kids don’t trust them. It causes a divide between people. They take what they have for granted. People will only fight for a cause that works in their favor, even if it’s against a progressive way of thinking,” said Mr. Finch.
I always enjoyed listening to Mr. Finch talk. This man taught me more about life than any school textbook or teacher I’ve had. He didn’t focus on pointless academic structures, but more about how to read people and choose when to pick your battles. This man was the closest thing I had to a father. Mine was never around anyway.
“Do you have any kids, Mr. Finch?” I questioned.
“I deal with enough worthless brats like you. I don’t need any kids,” he answered.
Untold Deception Page 2
