I awoke to a maid shaking my shoulder. It was still pitch black outside, and my pillow was damp from drooling all over it last night. Her curls were out of place, sticking out in all directions as I sat up on the couch, and her eyes were full of panic.

Only a few lights were on, making it very dark in here. Two guards stood by the front doors in the dimly lit hallway. I didn’t understand why she was waking me up when it was still nighttime.

“There you are!” she exclaimed. “I looked all over the building for you. Come on, let’s get you dressed.”

Everything felt groggy as she gently grabbed my hand and led me to back to my suite. I began to wrestle and pull away, causing her to jerk back.

“I’m tired,” I said. “Why do I have to be ready?”

The woman looked down at me. “I don’t know if anyone told you already, but Baldwin wants you to start your training session today. It begins at six, sir. It’s five thirty now, so you must hurry. He is waiting for you now, in his truck. It’s Monday, you see.”

Training?

This place was getting weird. I had so many questions that I didn’t know where to start. She opened the door and gently nudged me into the dark, cool hallway. I stood there for a moment, shivering. It was so cold and early, and the only thing that I wanted to do was run to my room and crawl into the bed.

I turned around. “Mwen pa vle fè se. Do I have to?”

She gave me a sympathetic look, but pointed to the bathroom before closing the door. I sighed and turned on the faucet in the sink.

* * * * * *

By the time I stumbled outside, my stomach feeling puffy from all the cereal I had consumed, the sun was beginning to rise, casting an orange glow across the pink and purple sky. Baldwin was sitting on the driver’s side of the car. Two more were parked behind him, full of more men who were dressed similar to him. When he saw me coming towards him through the front yard he sat up immediately and waved, a smile on his face.

“Adlai!” he called. “You’re right on time!”

I didn’t respond, just opened the passenger side and slid in, resting my head against the window. He pressed down on the accelerator, leaving dust behind in the road. We sped through town, him babbling most of the time anyways. It wasn’t until we reached a large green field next to a dense wooded area. In the distance, there was a some sort of a course lined with bright orange flags, ropes, nets, and mud pits, right near a building.

Hundred of men were lined in rows, doing push ups underneath the supervision of Red Mamba members. Baldwin pulled towards the side of the road and put the car in park before getting out. A short, stocky man was walking towards us, his face shielded underneath his hat from the rising morning sun, which matched his camaflouged uniform. He saluted Baldwin.

“Good morning, General.”

Baldwin gave him a tight smile. “Sergeant Davis.” Someone blew a whistle in the background, distracting him for a moment. “Here is our new recruit. I’m sure you have been informed.”

With a shaky hand, I fumbled with the handle of the passenger door before getting it opened and stepping out into the heat. Davis’ mouth dropped, and even behind his shades I could see his eyes widen with shock. For a moment, he gaped at me.

“Is there a problem, Sergeant?”

The man took off his hat, revealing his smooth, bald head. “I received your orders a couple of days ago, sir. But, as I know you’re sure of, the minimum age for a recruit is seventeen, and that comes with parental consent. But a child? Despite his gift, I don’t think—“

Baldwin took a couple of steps forward and jabbed his finger in his chest. “You are well aware of the fact that the mother gave consent. She signed the forms. I understand he cannot participate in certain drills yet, but you must start his training today. I wouldn’t underestimate the boy, if I were you. Tomorrow, we are going to the lab to test the limits of his ability.”

Davis looked at me for a moment before putting on his shades. “I will do my best sir. But because of how young he is, he will follow a different regimen compared to my other recruits. He is but a child.”

“That’s fine,” Baldwin said. “There will be plenty of time for that. In the meantime, just follow orders.” He got into the car and rolled down the window. “I will be back in a couple of hours. Adlai, you must do everything Sergeant Davis tells you to do. Do you understand?”

I wanted to drag him out the car and demand him to take Mommy and I home. Nobody was telling me anything, and I wish that Rufus didn’t have to take so long to develop his plan. He was wrong; a week definitely was forever. Baldwin pulled off into the road, followed by the other two cars that came down with us.

Davis approached me. “I want you to address me as drill sergeant. Nothing less, nothing more.”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, drill sergeant.”

“Can you run a mile, kid?”

I looked at him, confused.

Davis pulled out a stopwatch. “You see that dirt path here? The one that leads into the woods? It’s around a mile and a half for one lap and circles the training grounds. Our guys usually run forty laps, but I want you to run one. To see how long it takes for you.”

My throat tightened up as he gestured for me to stand in the dirt road. Already, I was sweating through my T-shirt and shorts. He blew his whistle, and I took off up the hill, making my way into the trees. There were many roots and rocks jutting in the soil, but the shade was amazing. Yet, I was struggling to breathe as I made my way through the field. The men didn’t even look at me, and the other drill sergeants were screaming orders at them.

It took forever to get through the woods. My legs were killing me, and I tripped and fell three times on the way. I began to regret eating breakfast, since my stomach was lurching, and I had to stop several times to catch my breath. When I finally reached the dirt road where Davis was standing, an unimpressed look appeared on his face as he pressed the stopwatch. I stumbled and fell on my knees, wheezing.

“Thirty five minutes,” he murmured. “Don’t worry, there is a lot of room for improvement. Not bad for your very first time. When you’re a little older, you’re going to have to learn how to run with heavier equipment—“

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, because I instantly vomited all over the ground. Quickly, he ran to my side and handed me a water bottle as I hacked my lungs out. Davis started to pound my back. I was so weak he had to pop open the lid and make me sit up to drink the water, which I spilled all over my puke stained shirt. It was refreshingly cold.

“It’ll wear off,” he said. “Why don’t you sit in the shade for a while? When you’re feeling better, I want you to do a couple of sit ups and pushups for me.”

* * * * * * * *

Every morning that week except for Tuesday and Thursday, I came to the training grounds, usually spending the whole day there. I preferred the laboratory, because it was in a nice, cool building compared to being outside in the heat. The people there wore white lab coats and had me in a separate room with wires attached to my arms and head. There was a glass display in a computer room, where Baldwin stood with several nurses and a doctor.

In front of me was an inflatable kiddie pool full of water. The doctor’s voice came through a speaker in the top right corner of the room.

“Can you hear me?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, Adlai, I want you to move the water for me. It doesn’t have to be much. Do it for as long as you can.”

His words echoed in my mind as I held my right hand out to the pool. I felt the familiar wave of energy wash over me as a large blob appeared over the transparent surface, forming a long stream that rose in the air. My head began to throb, as I curled my hand, making the liquid come towards me. Scientists began to frantically type on their computers, which were starting to beep. Everyone else just stared in awe, murmuring to themselves.

In the corner of my eye, Baldwin grinned.

The pain was becoming too much so I lowered my hand, causing the water to slosh all over me. The doctor opened the door and approached me with a towel, which he handed to me to dry off.

“Are you alright? What happened?”

I rubbed my forehead. “My head hurts, sir.”

He knelt down to my level. “Does it always hurt when you do that with water? When does it start to get unbearable so that you have to stop?”

“I don’t know, sir,” I said, looking up. “I just get a bad headache when I do it for too long. That’s why Mommy didn’t like for me to do it all the time. It’s not so bad with less water, though.” I paused. “It’s easier.”

The doctor looked intrigued. “And what about ice?”

“Ice?”

“Baldwin mentioned that you made ice fall one time back at the government building. You must have frozen the water molecules in the air. Do you think that it is possible for you to do the same here?”

He pointed to the kiddie pool. I walked over to it, going as far as the wires would allow me to. The remaining water was still there. I placed the towel on the ground and held my hand out over it, focusing. There was a loud crunchy sound, and soon I could see my reflection.

I rapped one fist on the cold surface.

The doctor’s jaw dropped, and there was commotion in the room. Baldwin slapped his knee and started shouting and he went into the testing area, where the nurses were removing the wires from me. It was hard to make out what everyone was saying, but he grabbed my arm and started to lead me out the laboratory, where the guards were waiting for us.

“I need these results by tomorrow!” he shouted at the lab people. “Tomorrow, I need everything.”

I hated this, but I knew it was for the best. Baldwin’s face was pink with pride as he took me back to the government building, handed me a lollipop, and told me that I earned the afternoon off from the dreadful geography lessons I usually took with him. He also said that he ordered the cook to make something special for dinner tonight, plus my favorite dessert. When I stepped out on the front door, I could hear him talking excitedly on the phone in his office.

The strawberry flavor of the candy in my mouth was comforting as I laid on my back in the soft grass in front yard, looking up at the clouds in the sky. I wondered what Mommy was doing right now, if they had let her out of the hotel already. It was so tempting to ask Baldwin about her, but I knew I couldn’t. It would jack up all the work Rufus was doing.

The citizens of Jova were doing their normal thing, shopping and walking and eating and playing. I did not understand why I had to stay here, when they could go wherever they pleased without supervision. I hated them, and I hated the guards at the gate. I wish I could stick them all into a giant ice block. This place sucked.

I closed my eyes.

Two more days.

* * * * * *

Blue and pink fireworks illuminated the dark sky, causing shadows to form in my room. I had stuffed as much clothing that could hold in a tiny backpack, along with an interesting game of playing cards I found in the closet. The sandwich that the maid had left for me on the desk had ants crawling all over it. Loud music was playing, so I knew that there was no way for me to sleep even if I was staying here.

I tied my bedsheets to make a rope and slid down the side of the building, landing awkwardly on the ground. There was so much shouting and chaos, and crowds of Jovans were dancing and laughing in the streets. I sprinted across the dark yard, found the hole in the corner of the gate, and crawled through, feeling the weight of the backpack crush my back. I had just made my way in the sidewalk when a pair of headlights flashed.

I blinked. “Rufus, you’re here!”

The young man came out of the car and rushed towards me, looking both ways on the street. His eyes looked a little watery, and he grabbed my hand and started pulling me away. I struggled to keep up with his pace, since he was walking so fast.

“We don’t have much time,” he whispered as he opened the passenger side of his car. “Quickly.”

I crawled in the leather seat, making sure to throw the bag on the ground. He got in the driver’s side, fumbling with his keys as he turned the engine on. His forehead was glistening with sweat as his fingers tightly clenched the steering wheel. I notice a small dark spot embedded in his neck.

A pit rose in my stomach as I leaned forward in the seat, digging my fingers into the palm of my hand as we arrived at the hotel. Mommy, surprisingly, was already waiting for us there. I was surprised that there were no guards there, but she was sprinting towards the car, her red hair blowing in the wind. She wore the same clothes I had seen her last time, but I threw off the seatbelt and climbed into the backseat.

Mommy flung open the door. “Adlai!”

I rushed into her arms, and she held me tightly as she climbed in. She smelled like vanilla, almost. Rufus glanced at us in the rear view mirror, before he hit the gas. For a moment, we held onto each other, and she placed a kiss on my cheek as we drove through the city.

“Thank you,” Mommy said. “Thank you so much.”

Rufus didn’t say anything, although his breathing was getting heavier and heavier. I began to wonder if he was sick, as we merged into traffic. He kept trying to grab at his neck, like something was biting him. The guards at the city gate, who were distracted by all the people dancing and singinglet us through, and we started down the dark two way street. It wasn’t until we approached a bridge did we see bright headlights in the distance.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Mommy straightened up in her seat, a frightened expression on her face. Rufus sat still in the driver’s seat, before getting out the car, which was still running. She and I slid out, standing on the dark road. Her hand held on tightly to mine. The headlights were started to get bigger and bigger. Mommy began to squint her eyes.

Tears were streaming down Rufus’ face as he knelt down to my level and placed both hands on my shoulders. He was sobbing, gasping for air.

“Trust me,” he cried. “Please trust me. I...I hope you know I care deeply about you. I’m hoping you will forgive me for this one day. Please. I’m so sorry, so sorry.”

His hand slowly reached down towards the waistband on his jeans, something black. I stared at him, trying to understand as he raised the object towards Mommy, who was staring at the approaching lights. My heart skipped at beat as he pressed down on it.

Rufus turned his head away and closed his eyes.

There was a loud clicking sound as a dark red dot appeared on Mommy’s forehead. Her eyes rolled backwards, and she collapsed on the ground. He sank to his knees, shaking. Something dark and red traveled from her face onto her sweater, dripping from her temples.

I screamed.