Aldorriha's Prodigies

The whole forest seemed to be shedding tears. Snow melted like a weeping child, unable to elude the powerful warmth of the sun, running down the rough faces of nearby oaks and birch. The forest mourns as well, I think. The songs of birds fill my ears. Their melodies celebrate winter's end, but even their notes leave some sadness. Spring is not a happy time where I come from. This season was meant for rejoicing. Where new life should be born and fresh beginnings made. For me, this is a time to grieve. Not for the past, but for the future. Where death replaces life, and fear replaces joy. Our leaders call it "The Coming Home."

Six children, ages ranging from 14-17, will be chosen from our village to become warriors of the Metropolis. However, only one will come out of training alive. Only the best will suffice. I live in one out of five villages residing in the country of Aldorriha. Every year they rotate centers, as not to completely drain one of suitable choices. This year it's my village's turn, and my last year being old enough to enter the running. Tomorrow I will leave with my family and join the rest of the eligible boys and girls—most of them eager to be called, entering the day with hopes of being chosen.

I can not imagine that feeling, let alone experience it. To me, it's stealing. It's no honor to fight for the so-called glory of our country. To be treated like a mindless soldier. The "honorable" Coming Home. My mother thinks that way, so does my father and most families in my center. Unlike them, I am not blinded by simple words. My spirit tastes the lies our leaders of Aldorriha feed us. I know I am worthy of being chosen. My parents made sure of that. Making me work hours of hard labor that toned my muscles and mind—keeping my beauty preserved as no "ugly" girl gets picked for The Coming Home. Even though I was blessed to be born with thick brown hair and a chiseled face, my only fault is my eyes. They are two different colors, seen as an impurity by my people. Because of this, I consider my eyes to be my greatest weapon. I don't hesitate to show my intellect and emotions through them freely. They are my only hope of surviving The Coming Home.  

                                                                   ***

I wipe sweat from my hands. Careful to wait until my mother is distracted by joining the crowd's cheers, so she does not scold me for "spoiling my dress." My whole getup is ridiculous. Beautiful, but stupid. Forced by my country's customs to appear in the most elegant garments, dresses for the girls and tuxedos for the boys. I had been given a silver gown. The sleeves hung loosely from my shoulders; tiny pink flowers dotted the hems. My long wavy hair had been piled high on my head. A complicated maze of braids and pins with little pearls kept them in place. I subtly lick the gloss from my lips. Then brace myself as the crowd develops into a complete uproar. People are screaming and jumping as if they were little children being handed candy. I fix my gaze loathingly at the stage. A tall, muscular, stunningly handsome man calls for quiet. His smile and silky sweet voice only causing more of a frenzy. So this was Cree Hendrix. I roll my eyes. General Hendrix, the pride of our village. A favorite of Aldorriha. He had been one of the six chosen at the previous Coming Home, five years ago. Now he stood before his old community as a hero, preparing to call up the next lucky six. I glare. He knew exactly what group of kids would be accompanying him back to Aldorriha's Metropolis that afternoon. The crowd finally calms as Cree pulls out an envelope. He opens it slowly, milking the anticipation. I clench my jaw as he reads out the names. "Brianna Mildon, 16. Drew Hale, 17. Aziel Prince, 15. Andrea Dagon, 14..." I could barely hold still as he announced the last two names. "Barron White, 16." He paused. I bit my lip as he announced the name I prayed wouldn't come out of his lips. "Lastly... Thalia Finch, 17." 

                                                                   ***

If only I had been born one year earlier, I think for the hundredth time. Then my name would have never been called. I sit cross-legged in my new Aldorriha living quarters. Thinking about the days ahead as I chew my fingernails. "That's disgusting." My roommate Andrea wrinkles her nose. She comes over and pulls my fingers from my mouth. "I'm younger than you, and I don't even do that." Her attention then goes to my eyes. "How in the world did they choose YOU. One of your eyes is messed up." I glare at her evenly. "Which one? The brown or the blue?" That shut her up. We both jump as a speaker on our wall informs us it's time to meet up with Cree and the others. Andrea flips her blond hair and walks quickly out of the room. I groan. Time to meet my fellow warriors and the people who will probably kill me. My muscles tighten as I enter what looks like a very large hospital room.

I spot Cree Hendrix flirting with one of Metropolis's new prodigies. Brianna, I believe her name is. Quite the act she's putting on herself. Pathetic, I think. I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around. "Hello, Drew," I say, avoiding his gaze. Drew Hale, well built, intense blue eyes, dark brown hair, real eye candy, and he knows it. He makes me sick. "Pleasure to see you here, Thalia." He brushes a strand of hair from my face. I nearly throw up. "The pleasure is not reciprocated," I say, flicking away his hand. He gives me a dramatic sigh before heading over to his next victim. My attention goes to the six hospital beds in the room. Tables with various tubes and serums line the sides of each one. What could those be for? 

"Now that I have all my carefully selected prodigies together." Cree starts with a smile. "Before we begin the first day of training, please everyone take a seat on a separate bed." After we comply, he continues. "I have a question for you." He stares us all down, lingering a bit when he catches my gaze. "Do any of you know what true power is like?" My chest constricts; it feels like a giant python has wrapped around it. This can't be good. Everyone shakes their head in confusion. Suddenly a cold cuff grabs my torso, forcing me to lie down as two more of the metal traps enclose my arms. I try to move but am immobilized by the straps. My head buzzes with fear. What is happening?! 

"Now, this is a secret." Cree continues. "Within each of you is untold potential. Abilities only known in your subconscious that simply need an invitation to come out and play. Doesn't that sound fun?" I'm barely able to turn my head to the side and see the rest of my peers locked onto their beds. A sharp pain shoots up my arm. I tilt my head around to see a long needle burrow into my flesh. Somebody screams. My vision blurs, and I barely catch Cree's last words before my mind is enveloped by darkness. "Welcome home, my little warriors. Let your inner powers be revealed." 

                                                                    ***  

I try opening my eyes. They feel like someone glued them shut. I begin to panic. A voice whispers in my ear, "Don't struggle. We've been given strict orders to work longer on your eyes. Go back to sleep."

I silently scream at my useless body, urging it to fight the drugs' effects, with no result. I drift back into unconsciousness.  

                                                                   ***

Someone's tapping my cheek. My eyes roll uncomfortably around in their sockets as I remember waking up and not being able to open them. "It's okay. You can look now." I feel my lids being carefully pried open. The bright light immediately makes them water. I squint until I can make out an old woman leaning over me. She's dressed in nurse attire. Her face looks like a dried-up grape; she smiles a gum less smile. I try sitting up, forgetting I was still bound to the table. "I have a bit of bad news." The old woman squeaks. "Your hidden abilities developed wonderfully! However, we were not able to fix your eyes. Perhaps it's because your powers are connected to them. I have no idea, but you must hurry and get ready. General Hendrix and the others are waiting." I feel the chilly grip of the straps release from my skin. I sit up and blink in surprise. "Excuse me, ma'am... where are my clothes?!" Thankfully my undergarments are still present. She shakes her head in amusement. "Here you go, dear. Put these on." I slide on a dark green bodysuit. I can't help feeling self-conscious in the form-fitting outfit. The nurse leads me outside to an open arena. Equipment and different obstacles scatter the grounds. A tall electric fence encircles the area, robotic figures stand at attention along the barrier, projecting a dangerous presence. 

"There's our sleepy head!" Cree mocks. This guy is really starting to push my buttons; I line up next to Andrea. Cree then begins to tell us precisely what our purposes were in this arena. "Listen up," He walks over to the weight-station. My jaw drops as he begins tossing around a 300lb weight as though it was a baseball. "You, my students. Are going to be training with powers today." He smiles. "Each one of you has been injected and physically stabilized to operate your hidden abilities. Every human has one. You just need the right tools to dig 'em up." My stomach churns. This is it. This is the hidden reason every person in the country is so eager to be brought "Home." Being one of the chosen comes with its perks. If you live long enough to keep them… my mind drifts as I hear Andrea squeal beside me. "Eeee! I didn't know we had powers! Tell us what we got!" I shift anxiously back and forth. Powers are going to make staying alive a lot more challenging. Wait, do I even want to win? Do I want to be some glorified mutant serving Aldorriha for the rest of my life? I shiver from the thought. "Those are for you to find out. You have three months to discover and train with your powers." Cree grins as he catches me fidgeting. "Then we will see who our new champion will be."  

                                                                     ***

The tall grass whistles in the breeze. Clouds somersault as one temporarily blocks out the sun. I crouch low in the dirt, allowing the cover of the towering green blades to mask my presence completely. I don't dare move, scared of what I might find if I leave the field. It was the day of Coming Home. The past few months proved to be terrifying yet triumphant. I had discovered my hidden power to be shapeshifting. A useful ability, although I quickly learned there were limits to my power. Objects too big or too small were out of my shifting range. To morph, I would have to touch an object first, and as long as it was close to my physical dimensions, I could shift. 

Sweat mixed with blood seeps down my temple. I quickly found out that my fellow prodigies were not the only things after me in this arena. I brush my hand up my face, wiping away the blood and slicking back my hair with the sticky liquid. Having the top of my head braided tight, leaving the rest of my hair in a high ponytail, had served me well. Now the only thing obscuring my vision was the blood. I adjusted the armor plating across my chest. The shiny silver resting on top of my gold jumpsuit did not make blending in any easier. I slowly peek over the swaying grass. Scanning the forest edge for any sign of movement, I hear a dull thud nearby. Please don't be that creep coming to find me, my mind pleads. A screech pierces my ears. Suddenly I'm knocked to the ground as a boy comes flying through the grass, ramming into me full force. "Shhhhhh…" He grabs my face, holding a hand to my mouth. We both listen. The rustling of the grass makes it more difficult to pinpoint other sounds. When the coast seems clear, he releases me and breathes a sigh of relief. However, I'm back on top of him in a second, pulling my knife from its sheath. I grit my teeth in hesitation—wrong decision.

My dagger flies out of my hand, yanked by an invisible force. Metal-control? Telekinesis? I wonder. The boy smiles and flips me onto my back. "We can be on the same team, Thalia." I struggle against the weight, but his muscly arms hold me firmly in place. "What do you mean?!" He sounds confident. Does he know something I don't? "Thought you'd at least recognize me since we go...well... went to the same school. I'm Barron. " He slowly releases me. "Listen, I think I'm putting something together." I glare at him, rubbing dirt off my uniform. 

"Do you have any idea what or who these other creatures are?" I ask suddenly. Barron raises an eyebrow, he whispers. "When they put us asleep in that hospital chamber back when we first arrived here. I woke up to Cree talking to some other guy. He was asking if the "Mistling" soldiers were prepared for the arena. Since I've been here, I've seen two. One killed Aziel…It was able to somehow blend into its surroundings. Not entirely invisible, but very hard to see. If I had known what was happening, I would have tried to help..." Barron rubbed his jaw. "I was being chased by a different one when I ran into you. What if we aren't the only "prodigies" in this arena. What if those armored, alien beings are part of something bigger." 

"What are you saying? That these 'Mistling' creatures are using us as training? That they're part of this competition as much as we are?!"

"Thalia. I think one was assigned to each of us before we even got here. Wouldn't that explain how no more than one prodigy comes out alive?! These Mistlings are incredibly skilled and completely unexpected! Cree didn't even tell us we'd be facing them too! If we had known, we could have teamed up sooner, and all made it out alive!"

"But we don't know that for sure." I shake my head in bewilderment. What if Barron is right? What if we were never meant to fight each other...     

"Do you smell that?" 

We jump as an eerie scream fills the air. I choke on my saliva in surprise as Andrea comes barreling toward us. Fire suddenly eating up our grassy cover, "RUN!" she screams, blindly pointing her palms behind her and delivering blasts of heat. Now it is me who screams. A tall, lean, muscular armored beast rips through the flames. It opens its mouth, spraying a cold ice, extinguishing the blaze. "I can't stop it! HELP ME!" Andrea shrieks, now standing a couple of feet away from Barron and me, her back facing us. The creature launches itself, mouth gaping, black tongue wriggling like a worm. Barron and I hold our hands above our heads as if that would stop the creature's assault. Then I look up. The alien freezes in midair, suspended, and suddenly goes rocketing backward through the sky. I stare at my hands. They're buzzing… 

"Holy crap! I've never done that before! I just sent that creep flying!" Barron laughs in disbelief. I shake off my confusion as I kneel down next to a now passed out Andrea. "I think she's hurt. We need to find better cover. She practically destroyed the whole field." 

                                                                 ***

I crouch down by the pile of sticks Barron collected. We had carried Andrea only a short distance before spotting a small cave entrance near the edge of the forest. It had taken the rest of that day to pile small trees and brush to camouflage the opening. Now it was dark, and the air had turned crisp. I sit there, struggling to start a fire. The exhaustion and stress of the day did not help. "Start you stupid pile of…" I whisper angrily. My fingers suddenly begin to tingle. I glance behind me and see Barron kneeling over Andrea, nursing a gash on her thigh. "Ouch!" I look back at my pile of sticks... at my fire. It just started? I didn't even... what's happening to me?!

                                                                   *** 

"That confirms it, sir." 

"I know what I see, General. You don't have to inform me." Draven Umbra, supreme leader of Aldorriha, stares intently at his screen. One of the prodigies is a power absorber... Draven sets his eyes on Thalia Finch. He rubs his chin, a mindless gesture. I should be the only one, he turns toward the soldier, "Where is Cree Hendrix? I'd like to have a word with him." Draven catches the reflection of his eyes on the monitor. His irises shine blue and brown. There can only be one ...