by J. C. Fiske
“We are ahead of schedule. Quite impressive, Gisbo. You have found a steady rhythm after a shaky start. You have surpassed my expectations of you,” Foxblade said.
“Well, since I was crap in your eyes, I had nowhere to go but up, right?” Gisbo said.
“The first week is now over and you are still alive. Now comes the hard part,” Foxblade said. Gisbo shook his head.
“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. What did you just say?” Gisbo said.
“You heard me right. The hard part begins now,” Foxblade said.
“What the hell else could be more difficult? You mean to tell me that five times the normal gravity, going on a head trip, and getting stabbed repeatedly was the warm-up?” Gisbo asked, dumbfounded. Foxblade ignored his question.
“Rolce, Nina. I am going to need the two of you to turn your backs and close your eyes. Now,” Foxblade said. Nina and Rolce obeyed without question.
“What about me?” Gisbo asked.
“You? You are going to stay put right there, look forward, and don’t blink. Can you handle that?” Foxblade asked.
“Yeah, I think I can handle it,” Gisbo said sarcastically.
“Good,” was all Foxblade said. Without warning, Foxblade covered his own eyes with his bandana and raised both hands up, palms outward. Gisbo could not have prepared for what happened next. Light flashed before his eyes. It was as if a sun exploded in his face. He saw his vision go white, then orange, saw purple membranes and spots, and finally, everything was black. Gisbo wailed in pain and fell to his knees. He felt tears, or maybe it was blood, pouring from his eyes. He continued to wail with pain, his eyes feeling like two separate hearts, beating in different rhythms, throbbing in pain.
“I’m sorry I had to do that. You’ll thank me later,” Foxblade said.
“I . . . I can’t see a thing! I’m blind!” Gisbo said as he fluttered open his eyes to see nothing but blackness. “Why would you do that!?”
“Calm down. Your vision will return in a few days,” Foxblade said.
“A few days!? What a waste of time! How can I train with you if I can’t see anything?!” Gisbo said, rubbing at his pained eyes. Rolce stood with a white face and shook his head back and forth.
“How can one guy take so much punishment . . .” Rolce mumbled to himself.
“Because, Rolce. He must. If he is going to do anything practical with his life as the Man-Phoenix, he must be cut from iron, not plywood,” Foxblade said. “And plywood is all you are right now. We’ve trained your body, made it increasingly strong with the gravity in here. We’ve trained your fists, in case you lose your weapon. We’ve prepared your mind, to find the resolution to kill if need be, and we have prepared you to fight with weapons. Now, we are going to improve your senses, sharpen them, and give you an almost supernatural feel up to five feet around you. With your senses heightened, you will be one force to be reckoned with out on the battle field, Gisbo.”
“How the hell can I improve my senses when I can’t see a damned thing?!” Gisbo yelled. Rolce shuffled his feet.
“I’m sort of with him on this one,” Rolce stammered.
“You disappoint me, Rolce. Do you not remember your friend, Whip Miles?” Foxblade asked. Rolce thought for a moment, and suddenly it all clicked.
“Yes, I understand now. Whip had super senses because he was blind. When one loses a sense, the other four have to do overtime to increase your general perception of the world around you,” Rolce said.
“Huh?” Gisbo asked.
“In other words, Gisbo, remember when you punched Whip that time and he dodged it like it was nothing? You’re going to have skills just like him!” Rolce said.
“I’m gonna be able to be like Whip? Awesome!” Gisbo said, rising to his feet. “Alright, let’s get started!”
“We’re over here, Gisbo,” Foxblade said.
Gisbo turned around and faced them. “This might be harder than I thought,” Gisbo said.
“It will be. But soon your sense of smell, your hearing, sense of touch, and even taste will all be improved. You’ll be able to feel danger approaching even before it happens. Your body will just react accordingly,” Foxblade said.
“So you’re saying I’ll be able to dodge anything?” Gisbo asked.
“I’m saying that, when the time comes, you won’t need to,” Foxblade said with a grin. “But that time is not yet before us. Observe,” Foxblade said.
“Observe what?” Gisbo said, barely getting out the last syllable to his sentence when he felt a blow connect solidly to the back of his skull, sending him to the floor.
“Ouch . . .” Gisbo said, slowly getting back up. “This is gonna be a long few days . . .”
Chapter Twenty: Blinding Power
For the next few days, Gisbo wandered in darkness. Just taking a step forward was troublesome at first. He knew the barrier protected him from falling off the edge of the cave to his death, but he had to take everything with faith. Every movement had to have confidence behind it. Maybe that was part of this training, as well. Foxblade had both Rolce and Nina spar with Gisbo, but they lacked any motivation to harm him in his blinded state, so once again, Foxblade stepped in and let Gisbo have it.
For a whole day, Gisbo just moved randomly, doing his best to dodge punches and get lucky. By the time the day was over, his head felt like a pressure cooker, throbbing and bloated from being hit countless times. Nina used her healing abilities to help with the swelling, and it did wonders. Foxblade decided Gisbo had earned himself a period of rest and Gisbo took it thankfully. Plopping himself on the cold stone floor, he was asleep in no time.
When Gisbo awoke, he had no way of knowing if it was light or dark, but heard heavy breathing coming from Foxblade and loud snores from Rolce. He thought at first it was Rolce’s snoring that had awoken him, but he was used to it after spending nearly a year in the same bunk. Then he felt something press against him.
“Shhh, it’s just me,” Nina whispered.
“Jeesh, had me worried for a second. I can’t see a damn thing. Are you okay?” Gisbo asked.
“Yeah, I just can’t sleep with Rolce’s snoring . . .” Nina said.
“That’s not something you get used to quickly, believe me,” Gisbo said. He instinctively felt himself grab Nina in his arms and hold her close. She sighed pleasantly and, through the noise, Gisbo could tell she was smiling.
“I don’t mean to be forceful. I just get lonely at night. I don’t like the dark,” Nina said as she snuggled up closer to him. She reached out with a hand and took his and began to massage it. Even now, Gisbo could still feel the indents of her scars as they scraped across his bare skin.
“You don’t see me complaining.” Gisbo said.
“Hah, somehow I knew you’d say that,” Nina said. They were quiet for a long while as they embraced each other. Gisbo felt at peace and warm with this girl beside him. Having his arms around her made him feel like he served a purpose, even if it was just keeping her warm. Feelings he didn’t quite understand, nor did he believe he was ready for, seemed to creep into him from all sides like a wolf pack ready to attack.
“You are getting really strong, Gisbo. It’s not easy, what you’ve been doing,” Nina said. Gisbo felt her hand rub at his chin and scrape across his stubble.
“You need a shave,” Nina said.
“Yeah, that won’t happen for a while,” Gisbo said.
“I’m only joking. I actually like it. Very manly,” Nina said as she continued to rub his face. Gisbo’s heart beat faster upon her touch and his hand seemed to move on his own accord as it ran down the sides of her body, sloping down her curvy, hourglass figure and long legs. Before he knew it, he was going higher up her flat, yet firm stomach and toward her chest when he felt a fierce slap to his hand.
“Ouch!” Gisbo yelped, shaking his pained hand.
“SHH! Hey! Watch yourself, boy. Don’t you get too ahead of yourself. Just hold me,” Nina said playfully.
“You’re the
boss,” Gisbo said, even though he cursed himself in his mind being so close to second base.
“This is just something like a dream for me, Gisbo,” Nina said.
“What is?” Gisbo asked.
“This, us. I don’t want to do anything to rush things. That’s all. I’ve been down that road and it only hurts,” Nina said.
“Oh, I . . .” Gisbo said.
“There was another boy before you. A slave boy. I, I don’t know if I ever loved him. He, he had so many problems. It was more pity than love I think, but, try as I might, he was just so distant and in the end I thought that maybe if I offered myself to him, it would keep him around longer, and possibly help his troubled mind. But, it was hopeless. He was too damaged. He was a slave since he was just a child, unlike me. I became a slave later in life. I got beyond the hate by clinging to memories of a better life. He had none. I dunno, maybe I was more afraid of being alone then, waiting for the right one to come along. I was stupid. I should have been patient for you!” Nina said with a sniffle.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind. Better a girl have experience, right?” Gisbo said.
“No, I don’t think you understand, Gisbo. It’s not okay. I should have waited for you. I began to doubt you existed, and now I feel torn within,” Nina said.
“You say this like . . . you could have known the future,” Gisbo said. “Do you?”
Nina was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. “Please, don’t think me weird, but for some reason, I have been dreaming of you my entire life, Gisbo. When I closed my eyes, I saw your face. I’ve seen your whole life play out before my eyes like a story. I know absolutely everything about you and I could never understand why until I found out what I was these past few days with Rolce. For some reason, I see your future, but that’s all, just yours, nobody else’s, and I feel it’s because of what you are, the Man-Phoenix. I knew I would eventually be with you, I knew we would be lovers, but I began to doubt. I was so weak,” Nina said in a small voice.
“This is so weird,” Gisbo stammered.
“I know, forget I said it. I feel like a psycho, but I can’t control this,” Nina said.
“What exactly do you know about me?” Gisbo asked.
“Everything,” Nina said.
“Like what?” Gisbo asked.
“I’ve seen a rainy night in my dreams and a boy wrapped in a red blanket brought before Warlord Karm. I’ve seen him placed in a shack not even fit for livestock, and I’ve seen a man in blue embrace you and leave with vivid tears in his eyes; not even the rain could disguise them,” Nina said.
“I . . . don’t remember that, but yes, that shack was my home for most of my life,” Gisbo said.
“I’ve seen your triumphs and your failures. I know your feelings and your thoughts. I probably know you better than you know yourself. But all of that pales in comparison to what I saw that day . . .” Nina said.
“What day?” Gisbo asked.
“The day before you came to Oak County. The reason why you had to leave Heaven’s Shelter,” Nina said.
“Why do you say it like that? All Renegade kids have to leave. It’s their rite of passage,” Gisbo said. Nina shook their head.
“The choice is up to the parents. And your parents decided they didn’t want you to go. They were forced to send you away,” Nina said.
“Forced? Nina, what are you saying?” Gisbo asked.
“I’m saying, I know the reason for the darkness in your heart and the fury and coldness that comes from it. I know what’s behind that door,” Nina said.
“I . . .” Gisbo mumbled.
“Please, Gisbo. Promise me. No matter how curious you are, please, don’t ever, ever open that door. It will forever change you,” Nina said. “But that’s what I’m here for. As long as you have me by your side, I can comfort you. I can set you at peace and be your beacon through any storm. You don’t have to bear this darkness alone. I will raise you up,” Nina said.
Gisbo lay in silence.
“It’s okay . . . you can trust me, Gisbo, I’m here now,” Nina said as she wrapped her legs and arms around him and held his head against her chest. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
A sense of peace came over Gisbo like no other. It felt as if everything were right in the world, that he could do anything he set his mind to. Was this the power a girl had over a man’s soul? It was as if he were in his innerworld with Fao.
“I’ve known you my whole life, Gisbo. I’ve been with you from the beginning, but you never noticed me,” Nina said.
“What do you mean?” Gisbo asked.
“I grew up in Oak County, too. You were in my class. Unlike you, I was placed in a foster home with a good family. I don’t blame you for not noticing me then, it was understandable, and, frankly, I never wanted to be noticed. Especially with my . . . condition,” Nina said. She seemed to force back a sob saying her last word.
“I can’t believe you were with me in Oak County. Why didn’t I ever know?” Gisbo asked.
“I was only there ‘til I was ten or so. I always watched you from afar, Gisbo. There was something about you that wasn’t like any of the other boys. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but whatever it was . . . listen to me trying to cover it up with fancy phrases. I had a crush on you, okay? A girlhood crush, but mostly because of the dreams I had. The dreams came even before I saw you for the first time. Every night, I would see you, your future self, your past self, your triumphs, your losses. Some beautiful, some horrible. I never knew what it would be when I closed my eyes. Some things I would forget upon awaking, others would stick with me forever. Stop me if I’m sounding too crazy . . .” Nina said.
“You’re not crazy. Trust me, I’ve seen what dreams can do in this past year. I’m a big believer in them. You are a Sybil, after all,” Gisbo said.
“When Rolce told me that, everything made sense, and my hibernating abilities awoke, just like that. It didn’t take long to put them to use. But back to what I was saying. There was a strength and difference in you unlike anyone I’ve seen before. Every other boy had the pack mentality. You led your own life, stood on your own feet, and there was something very attractive about that rebellious nature in you. But now I know it was more than that, you weren’t just a rebel. You were a Renegade, plain and simple. I could have told you when and where you would be picked up by Falcon. I saw it in my dreams,” Nina said.
“I wish you would have told me. Man, to think how my life could have been different, looking forward to that day. At least knowing I could have been happy,” Gisbo said.
“But the you back then wouldn’t have trusted me. You probably would have laughed, and I didn’t want to interfere with your life . . . okay, well, the truth is, I was deathly shy. I didn’t used to be that way, it was . . . the condition,” Nina said, again pausing before she said the word.
“What condition? Why do you keep saying that?” Gisbo asked. Nina was quiet for a moment before continuing.
“I had alopecia,” Nina said.
“Alopecia? The hell is that?” Gisbo asked.
“For a girl, that’s just what it is: hell,” Nina said, sniffling a little.
“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Gisbo said.
“No, I’m fine, I need to. There’s just a lot of pain. You never really forget how people treat you. Especially the people you once called friends,” Nina said.
“So, what is this condition?” Gisbo asked.
“Alopecia is a rare condition where you lose all of your hair. There are forms where you only lose patches, and only the rarest lose it all. I got the rarest. I . . . I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and began brushing my hair, only to have it coming out in clumps. I was horrified. I wore hats at first, but then it eventually all fell out, even my eyebrows. I got . . . teased like you wouldn’t believe. Not just by the girls, but the boys, too . . .” Nina said. Full-on tears were streaming down her face now, and Gisbo felt the dampness on his
chest. The last sentence was almost unrecognizeable through the sniffling. Gisbo instinctively held her against him. She sobbed into his chest and held him tight.
“I know what’s like to be outcast, Nina, more then you could ever know,” Gisbo said. “It’s okay, just let it out.”
“I know you were. I knew. I slept every time I could so I could dream of you! You were the only one who brought any comfort to me. I . . . I remember one day I tried drawing eyebrows on my face and wore a wig to try out for the Clash cheer squad. The coach outright laughed at me, ripped my wig off my head, and called me a boy and to get lost. The pain that I felt inside . . . I just couldn’t take it. It wouldn’t go away. If you weren’t there, in my dreams, to comfort me, I may have even killed myself.”
“I feel many youths do that when things get hard. They believe they will be in school forever. I just wish I could tell them it can and will get better, that school will end, and you can move beyond it all! I wish I had known, Nina, I wish you had talked to me. We both didn’t have to be alone,” Gisbo said.
“You still helped me, even though you didn’t know it. I am alive today most likely because of you. After a year or so, my hair began to grow back, but do you think the kids would ever let me forget? Never, they teased me even harder. Those memories just never seem to fade. I can still picture their faces in my mind, laughing, prying, they just never stop,” Nina said.
“So, how did you end up coming here?” Gisbo asked.
“I was taken back by my mother. Just like you, people came for me, but instead of going from worse to better, I went from worse to worser. My step parents were wonderful. They gave me the correct moral upbringing that is so lost among kids nowadays. They taught me hard work and, and they were killed, trying to protect me from the men working for my mother,” Nina said. Gisbo just shook his head. He felt a rage brimming in his gut that he hadn’t felt for quite a long time.
