With a groan, I closed my eyes. This could not be happening. “They have a force field around this whole place that’s strong enough to crack someone’s ribs, and you think it’s to keep us safe? You are one messed-up kid.” My eyes snapped open to glower at him.
He didn’t looked fazed by my insult in the least. In fact, he seemed to be kind of amused. “Lily, of course it’s there to protect us. Why else would it be there?”
Not having the energy to argue, I simply shrugged my shoulders, and then winced from the sudden shock of pain. Now that I was more awake, a whole bunch of different aches and pains had started to become very evident.
“I want you to leave now,” I said through gritted teeth, trying and failing to hide the agony in my voice.
“Do you need me to call a nurse?” Dustin asked quietly, his amused expression turning into one of pity.
I shook my head. “Please, just go away.” I couldn’t stand him looking at me like that.
He nodded, starting to get up. “OK, if that’s what you want. Don’t worry. You’ll be out of here in no time.”
I simply stared up at the ceiling and continued to do so until he left. As I listened to the sound of his shoes smacking against the floor, I fought the urge to cry. Was I ever going to get out of this place?
The Other Girl
In addition to my two cracked ribs, my body was riddled with cuts and bruises. It took me several weeks to fully heal, but I was eventually released from the campus hospital. Almost immediately after my release, I was measured, weighed, and put through multiple fitness tests. I also took testing on school stuff like English, social studies, math, science, and decision-making. Some of the decision-making questions were weird, like “If you were stuck in a metal box, what would you do? Explain in full detail.”
After the testing, I had a brief meeting with each teacher, where they explained to me what the curriculum would be like for the semester. They all seemed nice enough, some more than others. Like Dustin had said, I was able to choose my curriculum. Since I’ve always loved a challenge, I chose just about everything that was available: home ec, the normal subjects, Japanese, Latin, dance, martial arts, as well as a few unusual classes, like Hand-to-Hand Combat and Poison 101.
I was enrolled right away. The students I met ranged from six to seventeen. To my surprise, many of them were happy with their current situation. Of course, not everyone was just fine and dandy. Some seemed bitter and angry and kept to themselves. You could see the hatred burning in their eyes every time they would walk past. I didn’t blame them, because that was exactly how I felt. Many of them looked at me with pity and hopelessness, like every new kid that came added to their despair. So not everyone had fallen for the trick. They knew something was very wrong.
There was one girl that I especially liked. She was kind of in the middle. She seemed to have come to terms with the fact that there was no escape and had decided to live day by day. She was totally cool. All the kids respected her and came to her for advice. Even the older ones. She would always sit and listen patiently, and all of her answers were wise and calm. It was fascinating just to watch her at work.
One day she approached me. I was sitting on a bench, finishing up an English assignment. Well, at least I was supposed to be. I had begun to draw dresses and outfits of my own creation in the margins. It was free period. She quietly sat down next to me. Up close, she looked surprisingly young. About thirteen or fourteen. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. She wore her hair in a loose ponytail.
“Hello,” she sang with a friendly smile.
I put up my hand in a greeting.
“You’re new here. Correct?”
I nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this.
“The word around here is you’re The Girl,” she told me, leaning in.
I stared at her. “What?”
She sighed. “The one that’s supposed to take over this whole place with Dustin. You know, and eventually marry him.”
I stared at her with my mouth hanging wide open. My heart flew right up into my throat. Gripping the chair, I stammered, “Did you say ‘m-marry’?”
She cocked her head. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew. He should have told you that.”
“But that can’t be. I’m only thirteen! I never even wanted to come here! This cannot be happening. When I find Dustin, he is so dead.”
She put her hands on my shoulders. “Whoa. Calm down there.” She studied me. “What’s your name?”
I told her my name, instantly relaxing. Wow. She really did have special calming powers.
“That’s a pretty name, and it’s probably partly why you were chosen,” she commented.
I looked at her in utter confusion. “What does my name have anything to do with it?”
“Well, you and Dustin’s mother share the same name. His dad never did get over her. When he saw your name on your school’s roster, it probably caught his attention immediately.”
I sat back, the wind knocked right out of me. This just kept getting better and better. “How do you know so much, anyway? Oh, and what’s your name?”
The strange girl took a second to collect her thoughts. “First, my name’s Cameron. Second, I know so much because I was supposed to be The Girl. You see, he led me away from my home when I was about nine years old. I was one of the first kids to come to this place. Dustin told me all about himself and his father. I met him about a year after I first arrived.”
Whoa. I did not see that one coming. “But if you’re supposed to be The Girl, then what the heck am I doing here?”
“Dustin and I weren’t really getting along. He’s adventurous and reckless, while I’m more of a mellow person. He liked me but not in the way he was supposed to. Once his father saw this, he moved on in a flash. I wasn’t mad in the least. Dustin was really very nice to me, but he’s not my type.”
This took a minute to fully register. So I hadn’t been the first girl. Dustin had lied to me again, and of course I had been stupid enough to believe him again. After everything that had happened, you’d think I’d have wised up by now. Apparently not.
Cameron tapped my shoulder. “Lily? Are you there?”
I snapped out of it. “Yeah, unfortunately I am here. Anyway, thanks for telling me all this.”
She grinned. “No problem.”
A sudden thought came to mind. “Hey, have you ever considered breaking out of this place?”
To my surprise, she didn’t stare at me like I was crazy or ask me why in the world she would want to do that. Her face took on a distant look. “Yes, more than once. What I wouldn’t give to see my big brother Walter again. He must be in college by now.” She came back to earth. “But it’s not possible.”
To prove her point, she glanced in the direction of the force field surrounding the place. I shuddered, fingering my now-mended ribs. There had to be a way to get out without running into it.
I shook my head, refusing to accept this. “No, there has to be a way out. There always is. I will help you see your brother again.”
“You and Dustin are so alike. No wonder he picked you,” she answered with a strange smile.
I started to object, but was interrupted by the bell. Cameron stood up and hurried away with a cheerful “Goodbye.” I picked up my books in frustration. This whole thing was getting really weird. And lucky me; I was smack in the middle of it all. As I hurried off to class, my mind whirled with the new information. I couldn’t wait to give that boy a piece of my mind.
Soon it was the end of the day and there was only one class left. Ironically, the class was beginner’s training. Who was my teacher, you may ask? That’s right. Dustin. I got dressed in my training suit and headed off to room A109.
He was sitting cross-legged on a mat, with his eyes closed and his hands resting on his knees. I quietly tiptoed toward him. I slowly waved my hand in front of his face. In one rapid movement his hand shot out, taking a hold of my wrist. His eyes flew open, a triump
hant smile spreading across his face.
“Nice reflexes,” I muttered.
Dustin just studied my face, not letting go of my wrist. We stared at each other for a while, neither of us moving.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, letting me go.
I rubbed my wrist, taking a seat next to him. “So, when were you going to tell me about Cameron?” I purposely kept my voice nonchalant and cool.
Dustin sat up stock straight. “Who told you about her?” I couldn’t help but enjoy the panic in his voice.
“What does it matter?” I snapped, the coolness gone. “All that matters is that you lied to me. Again.”
He shook his head. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want to freak you out or anything. I didn’t want you to think that I would just dump you like that, because I wouldn’t.”
Crossing my arms, I said, “That still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me that my name is the same as your mom’s and that I’m supposed to marry you. And FYI, we’re not even dating! What part of ‘stay away from me’ did you not get?”
He gawked at me. “You’ve been talking to Cameron, haven’t you?”
I didn’t answer, continuing to glare at him with one eyebrow raised.
“Like I said,” he finally choked out, “I didn’t want to freak you out. Thought it was better if I just didn’t tell you. Sorry.”
“You should be,” I grumbled.
Dustin stood up, holding his hand out for me. “We need to forget about this for right now and start class.”
I frowned at his hand. “What if I don’t want to?”
“Please?” he coaxed. “In this class, you get to hit me.”
That did it. I was suddenly more than happy to participate. Though I didn’t let him help me up. I was more than capable of getting up by myself.
We stood facing each other in fighting stances. According to Dustin, it was best that he find out what I already knew before he taught me anything. So we bowed to each other once and then ran at each other.
It was kind of like a dance routine. Punch, punch, kick. Upper cut, upper cut, round house. Spin, back kick, jab. Front kick, backwards spin, cartwheel, smack. (That was my idea.) Back flip, jump kick, bow.
Hands on my hips, I called Dustin a show-off. He smiled slyly and teased that I was just jealous of his awesome skills. As if. With that, we went at it again. This time, I managed to flip Dustin clear over my shoulder. Don’t ask how I did it, because to this day I’m still not exactly sure. It just happened.
“Whoa. You’re stronger than I thought,” he panted.
I shrugged like it was no big deal and helped him up. We had another go.
By the end of training, sweat was rolling down our faces like crazy. The room was silent except for our heavy breathing.
“Nice job,” he praised. “I thought I’d have to start with the basics, but you’re way more advanced than I expected. Have you ever taken any form of martial arts before?”
“Took some when I was about nine or ten. I liked bowling better, though,” I answered.
“Bowling’s cool.”
I nodded, remembering a certain time I had gone to the local bowling alley with my friends. For some crazy reason, Louis bought six cans of soda and drank every single one down to the last drop. Boy, was he hyper. He was literally bouncing off the walls. Luckily, Mal had her camera phone.
My teacher clapped his hands together. I jumped, coming back to the present.
“Class dismissed,” he announced proudly. He enjoyed saying that a little too much. “See you tomorrow. Same time. Same place.”
Giving a quick nod, I started for the door. He blocked my way. Looking me straight in the eyes, he apologized for lying and vowed to never do it again.
We were both silent for a minute. He was looking at me in that pleading way again. It was seriously starting to get on my nerves. Suddenly I just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. I seriously needed to get to my room and start on the big load of homework I had waiting.
“That’s a bunch of bull crap,” I scoffed.
Before he could answer, I stepped around him, and hurried down the hall without looking back.
Boot Camp
The weeks passed by surprisingly quickly. Training became harder and more painful. Now that he knew how good I was, Dustin made it his job to torment me and push me harder than any karate teacher ever would have. He had become more like a teacher than a friend, and a strict one at that. The friendship between Cameron and me grew, but I mostly felt myself turning into a work machine. Every day was the same routine: school, training, homework, and sleep.
There was only one part of the day where I could be myself and relax a little bit, and that was free period, when I talked to Cameron, or sat under a tree and read a book. Sometimes I’d play with the smaller kids and show them some easy combat moves. I think they were beginning to love me almost the same way they loved her.
One particularly tiring day, I had just finished all of my homework and was ready for bed. I quickly changed into my pajamas and rested my head on the pillow. Right when I started to nod off, there was a knock on the door. Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed and answered the door.
“What is it?” I yawned.
“Sorry to bother you,” Dustin apologized. “I just wanted to tell you that you’ve earned this.” He handed me a black belt with a golden embroidered lining.
I gingerly traced it with my fingers, fully awake now. A smile tugged at my lips.
He continued to speak. “There’s no need for me to train you anymore. You’re ready for boot camp. Be dressed and ready to leave by six o’ clock. I’ll be coming to get you then. Good night.” Then he turned to leave.
I grabbed his arm. “Wait a minute. Slow down. Is it really time for me to go already?”
When he saw the worry and confusion on my face, he flashed me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine. I’ll tell you more about it in the morning. See you soon.”
With that, he bowed and left. I stood in the doorway for a while. The mere thought of going to boot camp made me nervous. There were so many questions I had to ask. I decided to just go back to bed. After all, I had been told that I was to be dressed and ready by six in the morning.
I forced myself to get up at five to pack clothing, toiletries, and books. Then I rushed to brush my teeth, take a shower, and put on fresh clothes before Dustin arrived.
At exactly six o’clock, before he could even knock, I opened the door. He stood there with his hand in a fist poised to knock.
I laughed. “What? Did you think I wouldn’t be ready?”
He tried to cover up his surprise. “No, not at all.”
Then he offered to carry my bag for me. Defiantly I refused, assuring him that I could carry my own bag, thank you very much. Dustin grinned and backed off. He didn’t ask me again.
Unfortunately, the luggage turned out to be extremely heavy, especially since we were walking the whole way there. I had too much pride to admit this, though. While we trudged toward camp, his eyes were on me. I could sense his amusement watching me plow along without a complaint. How very typical.
Just when I thought my knees were about to buckle, there it stood. It looked like a lodge. The words Boot Camp glittered in big letters on a sign posted by the front entrance. How original. My former teacher led me to the door. Standing there was the fat-headed bald man that I had seen yelling at those kids when I’d first arrived. He introduced himself as Sergeant Buck. Something told me that this wasn’t his real name at all. The sergeant took my bag without even asking and went inside, evidently expecting me to follow.
I turned to Dustin. He shrugged. “Guess this is where we say goodbye for now.”
“How long am I supposed to stay here, anyway?” I asked, trying not to panic.
“Oh, just a month or two,” he assured me.
I took in a sharp breath. That wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to hear. The thought of s
taying there for a month was downright scary. My face must have given away my fear, because Dustin scrambled to assure me that it wasn’t so bad.
According to him, the food was great and the bunks were squeaky clean. All I had to do was stay on the sergeant’s good side, do what I was told, and I’d be fine. I wasn’t so sure.
With a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach, I hurried inside before my legs decided to run the other direction. Then I took one last look behind me through the glass double doors. Dustin had already started to trudge back down the hill. With shoulders slumped, hands in his pockets, and head down, he looked kind of…I don’t know, sad. How could that be, though? He had nothing to be sad about. He finally had me out of his hair for a while. No, he must have been sorry that he didn’t have anyone to teach how to fight anymore. I could see how much he loved doing it. His father should have given him that job instead of having him recruit people.
The lobby was wide and spacious. There was a desk and a few chairs. Honestly, I didn’t really see a reason for a lobby in a boot camp. Army green was the color theme. Of course. Everything seemed to blend into each other.
Sergeant Buck popped his head in. He told me to stop dawdling and get my sorry fanny moving. I jumped to follow him. Dustin had been right. I really did not want to get on his bad side.
The sergeant led me to a small room that had eight bunk beds. Most of the bunks were already occupied. I picked a lower one by the window.
“Be in the gym at 0800 hours. One of your fellow bunkers will tell you where to go,” he shouted in my ear before he left. Really. I don’t see why all these sergeants like to shout so much. We’re standing right there. Seriously.
Five sets of eyes burned a hole through my back as I unpacked my stuff. When they least expected it, I whirled around to see if they really were staring at me or if I was just being paranoid. They all hurried to go back to what they’d been doing.
Reading seemed to be just about the only thing I could do at the moment, so I sat back on the bunk bed and got started. Turns out that books are good for both reading and spying. The girl across from me had long curly blonde hair. She absentmindedly twirled her hair with her finger and stared into space. The girl in the bunk behind her listened to her iPod. The two top bunkers chatted away. Both had frizzy red hair and freckles. All of them wore a set of a sweatshirt, T-shirt, and shorts with the C.I.A.T. logo.
Wacko Academy Page 6
