Surprisingly enough, most of the building was underground, the floor level was comprised mostly of the mess hall, visitation, and the dorms. Or at least that’s what we were told, the underground area where our tour guide (Marc, with a c I asked) took us was much more complex. After exiting the elevator, we went through the prep rooms, which lead to the control rooms (as they called it) where the “treatment” would begin. He then led us down another dimly lit hallway that was surrounded by concrete on all sides except the ground which was tile. A minute later of walking he led us through some steel-enforced cells much like the control rooms earlier and stopped in one.

“These rooms are what you’ll be spending most of your time after you receive your abilities. They’re what we call the Classrooms. Here is where you’ll be trained in controlling your abilities and what they may include.” He paused for a moment then went on.

“You may be grouped together with others with the same or similar abilities since you can compare what worked and didn’t work with others. An example of grouping would be if we had two strong men and a shifter with properties of high density and strength. They would be paired together in the more general control classrooms, but they would have different specialized classes for their unique needs.”

“But that’ll all be explained more thoroughly later” he added as he saw some of the blank faces of the idiots in the crowd.

With a dramatic flourish of his arm, he marched forward to the next designation of our tour.

While we walked I struck up a conversation with the guy next to me. He was much shorter than I was but broad-chested, with combed to the side hair and a simple shirt and jeans he looked friendly enough.

“I’m Chase” I struck out my hand to him. Which he accepted

“Julian” he responded nonchalantly.

“So, Julian, are you gonna enroll into Greensdale after this?” I questioned as we rounded another corner.”

“Well I gotta get through the program first, but yeah that’s what I’m thinking. You?” He glanced inquisitively at me.

“Basically, the same here, I’m just hoping if I get an ability it isn’t something useless.” I paused.

“Like turning fresh food rotten.” I joked.

My voice echoed throughout the crowded hallway, my voice apparently carries much more than I anticipated. A few girls in front of me looked back at me like I just insulted their mother.

I glanced back to Julian who was now chuckling at my expense.

Oh well.

Near the end of our tour, we reached the labs, Marc specifically told us not to go near or touch any of the things in the lab as they were extremely dangerous. Even though it was bolted shut, the way he looked at us as if we were mastermind terrorists. As if he didn’t trust a group of sixteen-year old’s with explosives or bio-weapons.

After the labs, he stopped in front of another batch of elevators. We all crowded around him, the perfume of the girls around me crept up to me. Suffocating me, trying not to gag as I tried to listen to Marc.

“And that concludes our tour” Marc exclaimed as he flashed a smile at us as if we were the most beautiful things in the world. He checked his watch.

“Head over to the elevators than to the mess hall where you’ll eat, then await further instruction” He commanded to our group which mumbled in reply.

“Then farewell mere mortals!” he yelled dramatically while raising his arm to the ceiling.

“For I am gone” he concluded in a dramatic tone while flourishing his hands upwards than down. Suddenly, in a shimmer of light, he was gone.

A beat passed.

“Damn” My voice rung out once again.

This time, no one really cared.

Later

After dinner, all of us headed down to our dorms where we’ll be staying for the rest of the summer. The dorms were split into two wings the left were the girls and the right were the boys, which were separated by a sort of large commons area. The commons area had couches chairs and a flat screen mounted on the wall which I thought was pretty luxurious. A few girls hung around in the commons but I went straight to my dorm.

The dorm was basically two rooms with bunk beds on each side, with a bathroom to one side. I headed to my room and stepped inside. And behold, coincidentally Julian sat on the lower bunk unpacking his things.

“Whats up bro” I greeted him as I dropped my bag on my floor.

He grunted in response as he rifled through his suitcase looking for something.

As I unzipped my suitcase I started to think about tomorrow. I probably didn’t understand what was coming the next day. What I’d experience, could, in fact, kill me. Physically or mentally, really to me, it didn’t matter. Anything short of death wouldn’t stop me, I owed it to Andre, to myself. I glanced back at Julian who was still rummaging through his bag.

I quickly threw my bag to the unoccupied top bunk and grabbed my clothes and toothbrush and headed to the bathroom, which was thankfully open. I had to be ready for whatever they threw my way.

As the saying went.

No pain no gain.

Meanwhile, in a dark, damp, and dire place.

It’s been a while since I’ve had hope. Or any kind of emotion for that matter, other than anger. There are two types of anger. Hot anger and cold anger. One type lashes out at others around you, quick as a whip, faster than shattered glass. Anger that comes and goes in an instant, it’s powerful but short-lived.

Then there’s cold anger. One that slowly fills up inside of you, feeding from itself and thriving under pain. A snake slowly coiling itself waiting to strike, it’s venom becoming exponentially more powerful as time goes on, no. As the pain goes on, festering in me. Waiting. To strike.

He used to watch the discovery channel, how animals fought for control of their territory. How they fought to survive for themselves and their family. He thought he understood what those animals were doing. Their savagery was something born with, something that was instinct. He used to watch the news, how serial killers murdered one after the other. He felt sick, how could someone do that to others. He thought those were just the few that were sick because humans went like that. They didn’t have the savagery that animals possessed. He knew better now, all humans had it that instinct. Buried deep inside ready to be released.

He was ready to be released, both from his physical, and metaphysical prison.

He could remember when he felt untouchable. Nothing in the world could affect him. That was a false ideology. Though now, now he felt different. Not quite as… Innocent you could say. Something in him had snapped. He no longer struggled, he enjoyed it. He experienced. the way he felt his body pulse and tense. Throbbing pain writhing throughout, he used to hate pain. To fear it. What it could bring, what it can destroy. And what can be born from its ashes.

His mind, no his soul you could say, was touched. Touched not by what he used to believe was God. No, he stopped believing long ago. What he believed, knew, what he was given. Something sharp. Something powerful. Something to be feared. Something cold.

As the saying went.

No pain, no gain.