Red Academy

“Again!” Miss Madeleine’s voice rang out, her thick and indistinct accent echoing against the mirrors that lined the room, the only other sound that shared the space was that of the young girl’s breath as it came in jagged puffs as she tried to balance her wobbling leg once more to bend into Plier.

“Again!”

The tendons in her ankle felt like they were going to snap. The young girl had been practicing since the first break of dawn this morning and it would have been well into the afternoon. But Miss Madeleine was set on making sure she was perfect for the upcoming test. The girl’s stomach twisted just thinking about it, tomorrow she would have her final test, determining if she deserved to move on in the Red Academy, if not... well she rather not think of if not.

“Pay Attention!” Her teacher's voice was like a nail scratching their way painfully slow down a chalkboard.

Dancing seemed frivolous to her now, truly what did it matter in the whole scheme of things, but if it was to be necessary to be a part of the academy, then the girl had no choice but to keep pushing on even though it had been hours since her legs had turned to jelly.

“That’s enough Girl, have your water.” The teacher nodded her head to where a plastic water bottle had been left for the girl to drink.

Legs moved slowly and painful to the corner, using the horizontal pole for stabilization as the girl bent down to pick the bottle up. The bottle could not have weighed more than half a kilo, but it tired arms felt someone had wrapped a blue whale to her arm. The girl didn’t waste time gulping down nearly the bottle in its entirety, the sound echoing loudly as the water settled in a near-empty stomach.

“Good luck,” Miss Madeleine’s strong accent gave a heavy meaning to a phrase that others would throw around with ease.

The girl’s head felt sluggish, from exhaustion, but also quite possibly from the drugs she had just consumed by drinking the tainted water. Feelings in her arms were the first to go net her legs, then her neck, and with a final sigh she collapsed against the pole, trying in valiantly to lift herself even if it was just a few inches, but it did not matter for it was all in vain. It took less for a minute for the drugs to have its intended effect.

“Girl is sleep, you may begin,” The teacher's voice rang throughout the seemingly empty room, but it was heard, and the sound of a machine coming to life began.

“You can leave now.” A male voice carried off from the intercom speaker hidden neatly away in the corner of the glass room, a quick nod in response and Miss Madeleine was off, leaving the room with the drugged girl slouched in the corner.

Hours had past and when the girl finally came through no more light shone through the tiny window, it was dark out. A few groans but nothing that resembled speech came from the small girl’s mouth.

“You’re awake,” The man was practically hidden in the darkness. “Let’s begin.”

The man approached, his hand moving frantically through the air, making swooshing sounds as it cut through the quiet. An all familiar glint was barely visible in the man’s hand.

“A knife, he has a knife.” The weapon couldn’t have been more than two inches in length, but in the right hands it could be terrifyingly effective, the girl knew this from experience.

“I thought my test was tomorrow,” The girl’s voice croaked as she lifted her self from the ground, using the last of her strength to throw herself to the left of the man landing at his feet, but missing the would-be lethal swing that the advancing man had taken.

“Look outside Girl, it is now tomorrow.”

“This is unfair, you drugged me!”

“Life’s unfair Girl, maybe lesson has taught nothing?” The man’s English was rough, and so was his strikes, as he stomped the ground missing the girl’s palm that was resting on the floor, but the edge of his boot catching the tiny pinkie finger on the girl’s small hands and snapping the appendages underneath the grind of his shoe.

It took everything for the Girl not to cry out in pain, instead, she used her anger to whip her head and bite harshly down on the man’s calf, releasing her finger from his onslaught. Using this motion and praying that her bite was enough to unsteady his stance, she pouched, throwing her body against his as hard as she could, knocking the man on his back. Swinging her leg around the man’s waist, the Girl lined her head up with his and whacking it as strong as she could, headbutting the man’s nose, over and over until her face was covered in speckles of blood.

“Ha, ha-ha… ha,” The genuineness of the man’s laugh felt wrong in the situation that they found themselves, “Good Girl,” The man coughed, spraying the girl face with more bloody muck.

“Is it over?” The girl's hands halted, just above the man, the knife he had held previously had been knocked far into the center of the room away from the waring pair, but now the girl was unsure.

“No, you must show that you can finish.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t make any sense if all the sisters had to kill, then how on earth are you still here?”

“None have made it this far… and it's not over yet,” The man grunted out, yanking again against the girl battered and broken hand, and pulling the digit as hard as he could until there was an audible and sluggish pop as the bone dislocated from its socket.

This time the girl did cry. Cry until her breath turned to gags as she tried to hold back the urge to throw up what little bit she had left in her stomach. The man used this pause to shove his knee up from underneath the girl shunting her to the side. By the time the girl had managed to regain her sense the man had already reached the small blade and was now brandishing it in his hand.

“What is Girl going to do now?” The way the older man had said it sounded menacing, but the girl knew him well enough to know he was honestly asking. “What will I do now? What can I do? He’s the one with the weapon.”

Something crinkled against her back as she pushed herself closer to the wall and further away from the man. From the corner of her eye, she could see it was the plastic bottle that had held the water that had drugged her in the first place. “Huh.” An idea was in her head, and dangerous and possibly stupid idea, but it was something none the less. The man was only two paces away now and did not look as though he was willing to hold back any longer now.

Using the last of the man's momentum as he reached forward to grab at the small girl’s shoulders, the girl twisted grabbing the plastic container and slamming as hard as she could down the open throat of the attacking man. The man's eyes bulged as he collapsed from the force, giving the girl the chance to twist his arm and grab the blade, jamming it into his neck, piercing the skin and the plastic that was within.

The man took a few minutes to finishes bleeding out before a whirring sound above filled the air.

“Well done,” Miss Madeleine’s voice had come over the intercom. “You passed your test,” The teacher’s voice marked the beginning of the girl’s new life now she had finally passed the Red Academy. “You can choose your name once you have finished washing up, and we will give you your first assignment shortly, smile Girl, for now, you are an expert.”

A breath of relief, but a lingering thought. “I wish I wasn’t…”