moomixx101

[moomixx101]

!!! DISCLAIMER !!! This chapter contains descriptions of gore, please read at your own discretion.

Chapter Five; Murder in Metropolis

Reine's Perspective

The sun peaked over the horizon, slowly making its way up to mark not just the new day, not just the new week, not just the new month of November, but our new job, our new lives! I had made an effort to wake up at four instead of five to iron my uniform and neaten my hair, as this would be my first time outside of the Association! Not that I have ever wanted to leave but the thought of seeing what’s outside makes me a little giddy. My light green blouse and my dark green blazer without a crinkle in sight, my brown neck ribbon perfectly even, new black tights, shoes shined, and some brown leg warmers to make my legs look slimmer.

I was a little happy, I usually dress to suit what I’m doing, whether it be physical training or cleaning but we weren’t doing either of that today so I could afford to dress cute. The only issue was my face, I tried using some makeup to make myself a little more womanly but… all I see in the bathroom mirror is just colour poorly painted across my lips and eyelashes, they just look more pronounced. The overall fatness of my face and my obnoxious array of freckles weren’t helping, all good things are only gifted to us I suppose.

I picked up a wipe and began wiping my face, trying my best not to touch my hair as I hadn’t secured it with my bow yet and I had put a lot of effort into making sure it was tidy, which is hard to do with heat damage and in a place like this but it was really important that I looked at least okay for everybody outside. I honestly have a bit more respect for Alika now, being beautiful doesn’t just take a lot of time, it takes a lot of talent and sometimes you’re just born with it, or you grow into it. I hope I’ll grow up soon, I feel like I will, I’ll have clear, shiny skin like Alika, beautiful long hair like Miras, and I’ll have nice long legs like Hei-Ran. My personality will grow too, I’ll be smart and mysterious like Mesio, but also wise and kind like Caius, people will take me seriously, it wouldn’t even matter what my ability is!

Maybe as well as fighting somebody might fall in love with me! Though, I can’t begin to imagine it, none of the boys are really my type, maybe that comes with growing up too.

“Good morning, all. It is 5am, so it is time to wake up and prepare for the day. Special Investigative Division 8 please report to administration at six-thirty to receive details on your mission and your schedule. Division 7 will report to the hall with all other the graduates at six to receive further instructions. As for students’ business will proceed as usual. Thank you.”

The announcement morning announcement finished, with the sound of everybody’s alarms blaring over. Light switches flicking on from the bedrooms as everybody began to get ready for what I had already done. I threw my used wipe in the bin and slipped my brown bow onto my head before leaving the bathroom for everybody else to use.

Opposite to the bathroom and a little bit further down the hallway next to me and Alika’s room was Mesio and Miras’ room, I saw Mesio walking out from his room with some clothes and behind him a small shadow turned off the lights and shut the door.

“Good morning, Mesio!”

I smiled.

“Good morning. Are you done using the bathroom?”

Mesio asked, I continued to peak over Mesio’s shoulder to see if there was any light coming from his room.

“Yeah, I am. Is Miras getting changed in your room?”

“I don’t know, they haven’t gotten up yet.”

He shook his head before walking into the bathroom and closing the door behind him, locking it. As he walked pass, I walked over to the door, knocking twice on it.

“Miras?”

I asked.

“Yeah?”

They responded, light still turned off.

“Are you getting ready?”

I asked, my brows furrowed in scepticism. A long period of silence followed, no sound of movement, and no light luminating from under the door.

“Miras?”

I asked again.

“We don’t have to be there till six thirty.”

They whined from behind the door, I felt my entire body twitch with anger.

“Idiot! You have to wake up at five to get ready and have breakfast before going to admin.”

I said, lightly hitting the door as to not damage it.

“So?”

They muttered.

So?

So?!

“You wanted to be here! You’ve gotta do the work! Get moving or I’ll come in there and drag you there myself. You don’t wanna be late, trust me. Hurry up.”

I snapped, there was a moment of silence before there was a soft ‘click!’ and there was a soft yellow glow from underneath the door. I let out a relieved sigh and my body seemed to loosen a little.

“Thank you.”

I sighed, as I backed away from the door and made my way to the kitchen to see what I could make for everybody.

“MIRAS!”

Kievit screamed, before we could even step a single foot into the office. Her voice was so loud and high pitched I felt my heart rush as if somebody had just been murdered although the president was grinning from ear to ear, waving us over from beside Floros.

“I was fully expecting you to be late, haha! It’s good to see that your team has been treating you well! They didn’t try to sleep in, did they?”

She turned to the three of us, cupping her face, leaning on the edge of her seat in keen interest.

“Don’t even get me started.”

Mesio sighed, shaking his head softly, brows furrowed, and eyes closed.

“You’re seriously in on this too?”

Miras asked, side-eyeing Mesio.

“Ghastly!”

She gasped, covered the upper half of her face with the back of her hand and leaning back on her chair.

“I feel faint! You move far, far away, across the seas and yet your old habits follow you like a shadow! Perchance you just sought refuge from me?”

“Perchance I did.”

Miras replied, turning to the president

“You wound me, detective! How could you be so very cruel to your best friend! Your sister of blue blood! There is a knife in my chest that you just proceed to turn and turn! Mercy is foreign to you!”

She continued, hitting her left hand against her chest in a stabbing motion.

“Alright, everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your break, and I hope all of you are excited for your first mission.”

Floros spoke, interrupting Kievit before she could continue dragging out the conversation.

“Unfortunately, your supervisor appears to be running late for us to debrief what we know about the case. Whether it is because she is simply unprofessional or was given the wrong directions by somebody I don’t know, nor do I care, we do not have the time to waste so I am going to debrief the details now.”

Floros explained, grabbing the projector’s remote and switching it on. Kievit’s smile almost instantly dropped as Floros spoke, as she put her hands in her lap and looked to the screen.

“We have a supervisor?”

Alika whispered, nudging my shoulder.

“Yes, of course we do. All first-year divisions do.”

I replied, covering my mouth a little bit as to prevent Floros from seeing me speak.

“Well yeah, I know that, but I thought that Miras would be our supervisor.”

Alika elaborated, leaning into my ear a little bit more.

“No.”

I shook my head, turning to Alika.

“Miras is just finishing their contract here, they’re transferring, they aren’t even registered here from my understanding, and it wouldn’t even matter if they were because the supervisor has to be over eighteen, hence why Caius can supervise his division, and they didn’t have to send Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola off into a preexisting one.”

“Ohhh… I see, I see.”

Alika nodded, leaning away from my face now and standing upright.

“Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of us, girls?”

Floros asked, her hands behind her back and her cold, amber eyes piercing through me and Alika.

“Oh! No, no, nothing at all! Sorry ma’am!”

I apologised, the words tripping out of my mouth.

“I just asked her why we had a supervisor because I thought Rasulov was our supervisor. She was just answering my question. We were whispering as to not disturb you. I am sorry that we upset you, Miss.”

Alika responded, smile across her face and her voice soft as always but her energy almost as cold as Floros! I felt my heart begin to rush as I heard her explain herself so calmly, I wasn’t aware somebody could do something like that in the face of Floros of all people.

“I understand.”

Floros nodded, turning back to her projector to begin debriefing the mission after a short silence between her and Alika when she was cut off yet again with the elevator doors opening.

“Pardon for the tardiness! I got stopped by security.”

A young woman with short blonde hair, curly like an old movie star walked in. Her red heels tapping against the tiles, she had gorgeous legs and worse black tights and a long, tight, black skirt that flared outwards at the bottom and red blazer, but it wasn’t the same as mine, the collar of it was shaped to that somewhat of a heart and you could see some of her cleavage through it, which would be a dress code. She also wore a black beret and lots of jewellery, such as two pearl necklaces, one with a ruby charm on it, and two ruby earrings, one shaped like a heart and the other like droplets. She spoke with the same, if not more, expensive accent that Kievit did, and I immediately felt any former pride I had in my outfit leave my body as soon as I laid eyes on her.

Was this our supervisor?!

“Security? Did you show them your work ID?”

Floros asked, turning away from the screen and to the woman.

“Yes, I did, but they insisted on questioning me and running a lab test, it was rather bizarre.” 

The woman explained, standing beside me now, adjusting her satchel, I tried my best to not stare too intensely at her, looking to the floor as if my life was dependent on it.

“Oh, right. I wouldn’t worry about that; you should’ve just told them to call me or Kievit.”

Floros nodded, turning to the four of us now.

“This is your supervisor, detective Kasih Antara at The Supernatural Investigation Team. She has recently been promoted to this position.”

Floros explained, almost instinctively Antara turned to us and smiled I felt my heart begin to race again. Talking to beautiful women is always so intimidating for some reason.

“Oh? This is the division? They’re all so cute!”

 Antara grinned, softly waving at the four of us.

“Antara, this is Mesio, Alika, Miras, and Reine.”

Floros said, pointing us all out with each name, I felt my chest seize even more as Floros pointed me out and so now Antara has a name to the face of the girl who created such an abomination of an outfit.

“It’s pleasure to meet you all!”

She smiled, her red eyes squinting as she did so. I waited for somebody else to respond before I did so she wouldn’t look at me first, I thought the president only dressed like that because she was weird, I now know all outsiders parade around like it is a fashion show.

“It’s nice to meet you too! I love your hair.”

Alika smiled, waving back.

“Yeah, it’s really pretty!”

I nodded along, hoping that she would pay more attention to Alika’s comment, BUT SHE LOOKED AT ME FOR A SPILT SECOND!

“Aw, thank you!”

She smiled, before turning to Floros.

“Newly promoted, huh?”

Miras muttered aloud, left eyebrow furrowed slightly in what I couldn’t quite tell if it was in an amused confusion or straight confusion.

“Yes, I only started working as a detective here very recently. I was an intern beforehand.”

Antara explained, her eyes widened in curiosity as she looked over to Miras.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no. No problem at all, I’m just thinking out loud about something completely irrelevant.”

Miras explained, clearing their throat and relaxing their expression.

“Congratulations on your promotion.”

“Thanks!”

She smiled as Floros finally started the slideshow.

“Alright, so at five forty-five last week on the twenty eighth of October, a body was discovered in a dumpster at Northride Highschool.”

She explained, flicking the slide to one containing photos of the scene, I felt my skin run cold as I stared at the images and my throat tighten. I hadn’t seen a dead body before, or even been to a funeral, death had never really been something that overly concerned me but seeing this, it is uncomfortable to see how somebody’s life could end in such a way.

“The body has been identified as forty-two-year-old, TSIT officer, Glaw Pendry. Her body was found viciously contorted, with her right arm, both of her legs dislocated along with numerous fingers and toes, you will see more details in the case folder that Antara brought with her. She sustained no cuts, nor bruises, and even queerer, upon the autopsy it was discovered that her heart had exploded, which seems to be the cause of her death.”

I turned around to judge everybody else’s reaction to the photos and descriptions of the crime, I almost couldn’t believe it. The photo of the heart, blood and bits and pieces everywhere was right in front of me, but it was so disgusting, so unreal, something about it did not register it as something another human being could do to another.

Alika seemed to be looking at Floros with slightly shocked look on her face, Mesio was looking directly at the gore, his eyes wide in shock and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he didn’t seem to enjoy the sight, but he didn’t seem to be able to pull himself away, and the detective seemed grey, the detective was just staring at the photo of the obliterated heart, pale as a ghost. I was a little off guard by it, I mean, any sane person would be shaken by an image like that, but I didn’t quite expect a detective of all people to have such a physical repulsion to it. After short few moments they looked away from the photo and in my direction, making eye contact with me before we both immediately turned the other way.

“The heart… exploded?”

Mesio asked, finally drawing his eyes away from the image.

“Yes, this is without a doubt the work of an abnormality, and this is not the only victim.”

Floros shook her head, changing the slide to one with now two different corpses.

“Wanted abnormality, Rashmi Ganesan was found dumped in the Gurawell river under similar circumstances two days before the discovery of Pendry’s body, however, upon retrieving his body we suspect that he must’ve been dead for at least two months before the finding his body. And just last night, Felipe Paramo reported his wife, Adelita Paramo dead in their own house with only her legs dislocated and her cause of death being a gun shot would through the back of the head.”

“Wait… so he… sorry, the killer killed another abnormality?”

Alika asked, raising her hand slightly.

“Precisely, yes.”

Floros nodded.

“That’s weird.”

She muttered, picking at her bottom lip as if to subtly hold it shut to stop herself from continuing to speak.

“It’s not weird at all. Many abnormalities out there are like this, it is built in their DNA to use their abilities, it is a natural urge. Which is why it is important that we are here, we are educated and civil because we have taught you to live with your conditions in a way that benefits everybody and keeps the order of society. We are simply not like them and those who orchestrate such crimes are beyond our help.”

Floros explained, turning off the projector screen and turning to Miras who was still looking as if every essence of colour had been drained from them.

“I am sure Rasulov can certainly attest to that.”

My jaw almost dropped in shock with the President’s, the both of us turning to Miras who’s initially glazed over eyes narrowed.

“I…”

Miras’ brows furrowed as they cut themselves off, trying to collect the most civil words.

“I need to go to the bathroom.”

They said, treading backwards towards the door.

“I’ll come with! Make sure they don’t get lost.”

Kievit shot up to her feet, her pink pigtails bouncing as she did so and ran over to Miras.

“Alright, just meet us up at the train station then.”

Antara smiled, waving the duo off.

“Will do!”

Kievit smiled, waving back. As the two walked off I could’ve sworn I heard Miras mutter something like, ‘trust, I’m definitely not coming back’ under their breath.

“Are they okay?”

Alika asked.

“They’ll be fine.”

Floros nodded.

“Now, your mission is simple, with direction from Antara and Kievit, find the culprit for these murders by the end of this week.”

“Come again?”

Mesio blurted out, the loose, shocked expression on his face from before immediately tensing up.

“Your mission is to find the culprit for these murders by the end of this week.”

“Okay, and with all respect, how are we meant to do that?”

Mesio asked, her face tensing more.

“Well, I’d assume with an ensemble such as this one the five of you will have no issue working it out in no time. And I can’t have you getting distracted on the job, lives are at stake here.”

Floros explained, turning on the lights to her office and straightening her red tie.

“If there are no more questions, I suggest that the four of you meet up with Kievit and Rasulov now. The day isn’t getting any longer, and I am sure Kievit will contact me if there are any delays.”

“Understood, thank you ma’am.”

Mesio nodded, and as the four of us made our leave.

“Alright, so… looking at the files I think we should begin by questioning Felipe.”

Mesio said, handing the folder back to Antara as we made our way up the train station ramp.

“You suspect he’s guilty?”

I asked, brows furrowed. Why would a husband kill his own wife?

“I mean… getting killed in your own house.”

“I think Mesio has a very good point. Even if he doesn’t turn out to be the culprit it is definitely odd that she was killed in her own house, and it is best we go there to investigate. Whether or not it is a situation of breaking and entering or domestic violence.”

Antara explained, tucking the folder back into her bag.

“Off topic but Kasih, do you agree with what Korina said back there?”

Alika asked, looking off to the side. Antara paused for a moment, contemplating her answer.

“No, I don’t, why do you ask?”

“It’s just that, it’s The Supernatural Investigation Team, you know? So, I just figured that everybody would carry a similar mindset having made the choice to work in a place like that, even when we are the victims there’s no justice for us. And even by our own people, we’re hardly treated as such, as people…”

Alika explained, her eyes dim and her smile vacant as she looked off to the floor. Suddenly as if somebody had turned on a switch in her head she looked up and let out an airy laugh.

“Hahaha! Sorry, that was weird. I guess, what I mean is that being evil is just human and we’re all capable of doing it, no one is more susceptible than the other.”

“Exactly, and as you said, abnormalities are punished by the system when victimised. I know that Kievit is hoping to change that, I do believe it is cruel and unusual for Ruben to hand his position to her, but I am not supposed to speak on it.”

Antara nodded, reaching the end of the train station’s ramp.

“Hm… I am a little worried, I don’t think Miras will make it through…”

Alika muttered, turning to Mesio with a cold look.

“Keep an eye on them, won’t you?”

“Will do.”

Mesio nodded.

I couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy with the whole conversation, I feel like I should disagree, but I don’t, and it felt like Alika was acting like a completely different person today from how I had always seen and imagined her. It was a little bit frightening seeing somebody so warm turn so cold without much warning, even more frightening to see two of your favourite people quietly disagree with each other, the tension was suffocating.

“KAAASSSIIIIH!!”

Kievit screamed, waving us over from a bench down the end of the station. You need identification and an approval note to use the Association’s train station, and the entire place was gated off and guarded, I had never been here before, and thankfully, nobody else was here to hear the president except the guards. She ran over to us, big, red, platform heels tapping like hail against the concrete while Miras just waited at the bench.

“Kievit! Is Rasulov alright?”

Antara asked, walking over to the kid.

“Yeah, they’re fine, Korina was just being a dick, and they were getting frustrated. I think we’ll be alright though.”

The President nodded, placing her hand on her hip.

“Oh good, because Floros also gave us only one week to work everything out.”

Mesio said, folding his arms.

“One week?!”

Kievit gasped, her ruby eyes widened as if she genuinely had no idea about this.

“Alright, I’ll definitely talk to her about that. There is no way you can solve this case in that time.”

“That’s exactly what I tried to tell her.”

Mesio said, his voice raised, not in frustration with Kievit but in frustration with Floros.

“Yeah, she’s too hard on you guys. Anywho, I before I go, I want to add that Felipe’s son, Clemente, he went missing a while back and Korina dispatched Asahi to work on that case. Just avoid her if you run into her, I don’t know why she did that.”

“Understood.”

Antara nodded.

“Alright, well that’s all, I have important Government things to attend. Just flick me a call if you need any help with anything! Toodles!”

Kievit grinned, making her exit with a march as she waved us goodbye.

“Thank you miss President!”

I smiled, trying to wave back with as much energy she does.

“Just call me Rineke!”

“Okay, thank you Rineke!”

I said, correcting myself.

“No problem, Reine!”

She replied, continuing to wave as she departed the station.

“So do you guys think the missing kid is connected to the case?”

A sleepy voice came out from behind me.

“GAH!”

I screamed, my heart and soul launching themselves out of my body in shock.

“What the hell? How long have you been there for?!”

“Like a minute.”

Miras shrugged, pushing some of their ridiculously long hair off their shoulder.

“You scared the absolute shit out of me. You can’t just sneak up on girls like that!”

I shouted, clenching my chest, feeling my heart thump erratically from within it.

“Anyway, I think it’s worth looking into. If it’s a recent disappearance, which it seems to be seeing that Yamai has been dispatched to search for him, the chances are that the murders and his disappearance could be related.”

Antara replied, her index finger resting on her chin as she gave her reasoning. Miras seemed to physically deflate as Antara said the name ‘Yamai’, letting out an exasperated sigh.

“Good god…”

They muttered, before pulling themself back up with the arm and index finger outstretched in Mesio’s direction.

“You. Ask her about the kid.”

“I don’t even know who this woman is.”

Mesio replied, his eyebrows furrowed.

Miras sighed again and turned their finger to point in Antara’s direction.

“You. Talk to her.”

“You know our names you don’t have to point at us.”

Mesio scowled, his eyebrows furrowed in equal frustration and confusion.

“Men should be seen and not heard.”

Miras said, pointing back in Mesio’s direction.

“… What?”

Mesio asked.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Hey, I think I can hear the train.”

Alika said, looking over the tracks to see a vehicle riding across it, growing larger and larger as it got closer and closer with both Mesio and Miras turning around in unison.

“Why don’t me and Kasih talk to this Yamai and you two can go get a room?”

Alika smiled, almost biting her lip to try to contain her laughter.

“What?”

Mesio asked, the train coming to a halt and its doors opening to let the five of us in.

“That’s fine by me.”

Miras shrugged, stepping into the train behind Alika, with the rest of us following behind them.

“That’s fine by you?!”

Mesio gasped, his eyes almost popping out of his glasses as Alika burst into laughter.

“This is the house?”

I asked, standing in front of a tiny little building, like the ones I had seen on the television. It had a black, angular roof, with the blue-ish panels on them, brown, brick walls, and a grey pathway that led up to the tiny door and a larger black door that had a grey car parked in front of it. All the houses in the area looked like it, with the patches of green grass around it, it was like everybody had their own separate station, rather than a commune, I can’t exactly imagine how it would feel to live like that. The road came around in almost sphere shape, which was odd.

“Why doesn’t the road continue though those houses?”

“It’s a cul-de-sac.”

Miras answered.

“Okay but why though?”

I asked, I couldn’t help but find the idea of the road just ending there and building these little houses around it stupid.

“It just does.”

“Okay, well that’s stupid.”

I frowned, staring at the dead-end with my arms folded.

“Not really.”

Miras shook their head, hands in their pockets.

“If you want to keep moving, you’ll just have to turn the other way, look in a different direction.”

“But what if there’s only one way to get where you want?”

I asked, folding my arms.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of something like that happening ever in history of ever.”

Miras replied, pointing to the house.

“I think you need to look in a different direction right now, to the house on your left, so I can go to bed, and you can do whatever you do.

“I agree with Rasulov, we’re wasting time, people have died, we don’t have the time to be standing here talking about a cul-de-sac unless we wanna lose more lives.”

Mesio sighed, following Antara and Alika up the driveway and to the front doorstep, turning around to look at me, his coat waving behind him like a cape in the wind.

“Okay, sorry, I’ve just never been outside the Association before.”

I said, running up the driveway and behind the door, where everybody was standing.

“You don’t have to call me ‘Rasulov’, you know? We live together, I’m not like Korina or anything, I never even wanted to be a detective.”

Miras mumbled, looking to the floor with their arms still tucked away in the pockets of their jacket.

“Sorry, I was just trying to be respectful.”

Mesio replied, turning to Miras with a slightly gentler expression given that he typically looks confused or annoyed, he isn’t exactly good at keeping his thoughts off his face.

“I know that, I know, and I appreciate it but it’s just that there’re nothing…”

Miras abruptly cut themself off, moving their hands about in their pocket despite nothing seeming to be inside of it. They sighed and pushed some of their hair out of their face.

“Forget it, just forget it.”

They said, shaking their head and pressing the button for the doorbell which let out a light, ‘Ding!’ sound.

“Is something wrong?”

Antara asked, hovering her index finger over her chin.

“Is there anything that we can do to help at all?”

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

They shook their head.

“Can we just stop talking about this now? The guy’s about to open the door.”

“Alright, I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Antara nodded, straightening her posture.

“I can’t have you getting hurt is all.”

“Because Rineke would fire you?”

Miras asked, looking up at the blonde woman who towered over them.

“No, it’s because I care.”

Antara answered. Miras fell silent, body in this limp-freeze and eyes wide and still. They stared at Antara for a little while, lost for words, and then drifted their gaze to the front door of Mr. Paramo’s house as it clicked open to reveal a slightly chubby middle-aged man with short dark hair with grey strands, wearing rectangular glasses and a casual outfit of a white, short sleeved shirt, and jeans.

“Hello?”

He said with bloodshot eyes, opening the door by a jar to face us.

“Hello, this is Paramo residence, yes?”

Antara asked, a sharp smile across her face and her hands on the strap of her black bag.

“Yes.”

The man nodded.

“Fantastic.”

Antara nodded, pulling out her ID card from the inside of her bag and showing it to the man.

“My name is Kasih Antara, I am a detective working with The Supernatural Investigation Team. We suspect that the murder of your wife is apart of a series of killings within Adasall that we suspect to be a result of abnormal activity. Do you mind if we come in to ask you a few questions?”

“A few questions?”

The man asked, repeating what Antara has said back to her.

“Yes. We are terribly sorry for your loss.”

Antara explained, her hands rested in front of her.

“We also heard about your son’s disappearance; we suspect it may be related to this case and seek to gather more intel.”

“You’re awfully late. Your colleagues already cleared the scene and asked about both of those things.”

He sighed, looking off to the side for a spilt second.

“Besides, aren’t those kids behind you wearing the AANA uniform? Nothing against your folk but I just don’t understand why you would need to military to be here to do what you say you’re here to do.”

“Oh! Oh no, you’ve got it all wrong.”

Alika gasped, shaking her head profusely, her blonde coils bouncing with her head.

“This is a special arrangement, just to get Miras, they’re the little blue-haired one, away from the guys back at TSIT.”

Miras quietly pulled their phone out from the pockets of their black shorts and opened the phone case, pulling out their TSIT and AANA card and showing it to the man who examined it carefully.

“They’re only looking into this case because that cop just died, they don’t care about you.”

They said, looking the man dead in the eyes whose cautious expression lifted to a face of realisation as he looked at Miras’ Investigation Team ID and he opened the door wider.

“Thank you for coming.”

He smiled, as we all walked inside. The house was dimly lit yet rather comfortable, there was a young girl, no older than ten that was hiding behind a hallway, watching us walk inside with a toy car in her hand who then bolted in the opposite direction when I made eye contact with her. There were many family photos too, some photo frames smashed which I assume to be the aftermath of some kind of fight. Yet, the thing that caught me the most off guard was that there appeared to be no sign that somebody had broken inside, the windows were practically untouched for that matter which was baffling.

“Take a seat.”

He said, leading us to what must’ve been their family dining table. I whipped out my spiral notepad to take some notes of the main details of what he was about to say but I have to admit, this ‘normality’ lifestyle is rather small, and rather isolated. Everybody lives on their own, does their own thing, nobody is exactly telling them what to do and how to do it as Floros does. I kind of feel sorry for them, it must be really lonely.

“Thank you, sir.”

Antara nodded, seating herself down before continuing the conversation.

“I’m guessing you are…”

“Felipe Paramo.”

“Yes.”

Antara smiled.

“Now, can you recount the night of the murder?”

“Well, I was driving home from work, and I remember that my phone started blowing up with messages, but I couldn’t respond to them because I was driving—”

“You were driving home from work?”

Antara piped in, her big, cat-like eyes staring right through the man’s soul, it was intimidating even to watch.

“Yes.”

Felipe nodded.

“Where do you work?”

She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side like a curious animal of some kind.

“I’m a Project Manager at Cobalt Edge.”

He answered, Antara studying his frankly exhausted expression thoroughly, looking him up and down, unwrapping his brain with her eyes as he tried to maintain eye contact with her, but he looked as though he was in two places at once mentally speaking.

“I see, and when you got the messages, you were where?”

“Rowan Highway, at Marble Street a little further down I got a phone call from her, so I pulled over.”

He explained, pausing for a moment as if he was trying to recount on something that he had been told.

“She said that this strange man had brought Clemente back home after running away in the messages, but in the phone call something, something was wrong. I answered the phone to just hear this heavy breathing and this man barking orders about doing something now, and crying, just what I think was my son’s voice… I really don’t know anymore, but he was just crying about being sorry and so I started gunning it home, I didn’t want to hang up, I couldn’t but as soon as I hit Gilded Avenue a couple of blocks down, I heard this gunshot and this blood curdling scream, stuff of horror movies.”

Antara paused, her expression loosening a little as she studied Felipe’s expression, his dark eyes carried by heavy eyebags. She seemed, arguable more intimidating with such a gentle face and such an understanding demeanour. I don’t think I can quite understand anything like this to its fullest capacity, but it is rather frightening to hear it explained.

“Can we see the messages?”

Miras said, cutting through the silence like a knife. Felipe nodded, pulling his phone out from his pocket and logging into it before passing it to Miras who read through the texts with Mesio trying to get a sly look at the texts as well, screenshotting them and then doing… something with the phone that made their phone buzz.

I don’t know.

I would have no way of knowing.

We’re not even allowed phones.

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Antara said in a sombre, melancholic tone, hanging her head before continuing with her typical energy and pace.

“About your son and the strange man, can you tell us where your son last was before he had gone disappeared?”

“He went to his friend, Marcelle’s house after school to work on this group project for his history class.”

Felipe explained as Miras silently handed his phone back to him.

“Do you have a last name to go with that? Or the school they attend?”

“Northride College.”

Felipe said, I quickly jotted down the name in my notepad and turned to Antara to see if she was going to continue speaking or not, but instead (and to my surprise) she got up from her seat with a small smile.

“I believe that is all I have to ask, thank you for your cooperation, sir, we will be on our way, and we will be in contact if anything else arises.”

She smiled, adjusting her black bag over her shoulder as I stared at her probably making an expression equivalent to Mesio’s default one.

“It’s no problem. Thank you for working on this case.”

Felipe replied, returning the smile back to Antara.

“Please, it’s only my job.”

Antara shook her head as she walked over to the front door, the four of us following behind her like a lot of ducklings.

“Stay safe!”

She waved as Felipe opened the door for her.

“You too!”

Felipe smiled, and the door shut behind us.

I was speechless, beyond puzzled and beyond words. After that entire interrogation, my mind was itching with even more questions! Additionally, we didn’t ask the little girl anything.

abNORMALITY

Raised in the Allied Abnormality Association, an organisation that takes in those with abilities (abnormalities) and provides them housing and jobs, Reine wants nothing more than to repay her leader, Floros, for her kindness by becoming a soldier. However, with her less than conventional ability to create clay from her fingertips, Reine finds herself thrown into every job except the one that she wants, and two weeks before her graduation she is forced to work with the apathetic and lazy detective, Miras Rasulov to solve supernatural related crimes within the country of Adasall while Miras finishes their contract and revolution stirs on the streets.

Chapter One; I am...

Reine's Perspective

I frequently find myself asking again and again, ‘what makes a good follower?’

And I think it goes beyond simply following instructions, that life is a story, a play of sorts and to be a good follower you must act according to the role in which you were born into. It doesn’t matter what cards you were given or how much the leader benefits you, it is still your duty to follow them, and it is self-entitled to disobey authority considering that all leaders are actively looking out for your best interest.

If you can’t be a good follower, you cannot be a good person, your duties as a human being are to be diligent, motivated, honest, and above all, obedient.

Rebellion is the lowest of sins, those who are rebellious are entirely self-interested and only wish to see the destruction of society as the rules that we form as a collective do not matter to sinners.

That is what the Association’s soldiers are here for; to keep sinners in check and I am going to be a soldier.

At least, I hope so, I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, I think being pessimistic is the second worst thing to be, after being defiant. It’s just that I’m a sardine amongst a bunch of tuna in this in this place, I shouldn’t get too excited. But I can feel myself beginning to smile, and my arms begin to itch from the inside, getting restless from me holding them stoically at my sides.

I need to humble myself.

“What are you so smiley for?”

A tall girl asked, almost snarling as she did so with her hand on her hip. This was Nikola Novak, one of the Association’s highest-ranking members when it came to brute strength, at only eighteen! She is everything this organisation looks for.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I replied, the gears pulling the elevator up violently clanged, giving Nikola even more ammunition and more reason to believe that I shouldn’t be here as I felt myself shiver at the noise.

“Really? Because your whole dork-ish energy is stinking up the whole room, and I don’t see what for, you’ll be cleaning bathrooms in a minute, you’re just a free janitor, and as if janitor’s get paid much anyways.”

Nikola continued, bending down to my eyeline as she spoke. After a short pause Nikola stood up straight, right hand on her hip with some kind of demonic smile like she was about to unhinge her jaws like a monster and eat me whole.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you actually think you’re going to be in a military division with the rest of us?.”

She snickered.

I knew she was laughing at me, she typically would, but it’d be a betrayal to myself if I lied even if it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, I don’t really care what she has to say about me, she’s a training soldier, not a training spokeswoman.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ve been working hard, I don’t think Floros has any reason not to let me participate with the rest of you.”

I replied, my eyebrows tensing a little in frustration while a sly itch crawled up my spine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to hit me for saying that with even the slightest hint of aggression.

“I ranked third in our year’s agility assessment, and sure, third place is nothing to be proud of, but I’ve gotten stronger and quicker since! I’ve gotten nominated for a lot of value rewards too, and I also aced history!”

“You aced history?”

Nikola asked, quickly cutting me off with an uncharacteristically deadpan expression.

“Yes.”

I nodded, too confident and sure of my response. There was a spilt moment of quiet before Nikola’s mouth opened wide, and she let out an ear-splitting witch-ish laugh.

“And what’s that going to do for you on the battlefield?”

She spoke, a sharp, mocking grin wiped across her face, still laughing at me a bit, she was going to laugh again when I answered her.

“You going to tell KArma about the founding of the association, the very thing they’re trying to destroy when they’re holding you at gunpoint? You’re a joke! God, I would be so happy if Floros let you graduate if it wasn’t going to embarrass the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I mean that my good reports tell her that I’m organised and good at following instructions! Of course I wouldn’t tell them that, I’d beat their asses!”

“Uh… huh… and with THAT ability? You’re going to make a little stop motion film for them with a song and dance telling them to stop bombing us because it’s illegal? As if your playdough ability is good for anything, you just cause mess wherever you go.”

Words fired out of Nikola’s mouth like a machine gun with foam for bullets, a lot of words, they didn’t hurt, but there was no end to it and that was the worst thing. I know responding to her is what she wants, I know she will just keep talking if I keep responding, but I feel like my mouth runs with her.

Besides, I have a right to be excited, my joy has never been at her expense, so I don’t see why she’s so angry about it, perhaps she’s just miserable, but that is the last of my problems. If she’s sad or angry she should keep that inside like the rest of us, like a normal person instead of purposefully inconveniencing everybody.

“Of course, the first thing your childish self mentions is playdough.”

A girl monotonously mumbled from behind Nikola, sitting on the cold floor with her back against the wall and twirling her long red hair in boredom, not even caring to spare Nikola a glance. This was Hei-Ran.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Nikola turned her attention to Hei-Ran, who seemed a lot less bothered than me by Nikola’s presence. I felt my face relax as Hei-Ran became the new victim of her focus.

“What's meant to mean what?”

Hei-Ran asked, turning to face Nikola now with her dark eyes forcibly widened and her voice notably softer, as if she was talking to a toddler.

“You said something, you said, ‘your childish self’, I want to know what you mean by that.”

Nikola responded, her sharp, thin eyebrows furrowed, less so in anger but more in confusion as her tone seemed to be a little softer than it was when she was speaking to me.

Maybe I should be taking notes.

“Are you sure it was me who said that? I didn’t say anything at all.”

“No, I��m sure, it was definitely you who said that.”

Nikola doubled down, turning to everybody else in the elevator, beginning to question herself now, she asked,

“She said something, right?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

A taller boy with short black hair, two white streaks in the front, thick eyebrows, and sharp black, void-ish eyes hidden behind rectangular glasses said. This tall, dark man was Mesio, he was almost as strong as Nikola, though, if knowledge is power, I’d say he’s much stronger than her.

“Me neither.”

Another boy spoke, shorter than Mesio with wavy, dark brown, chin length hair that was similar to mine, with a deep scar running down his right eye. The scarred boy’s name was Eneko. He must have a really good ability to succeed as a spy because physically speaking he isn’t much but every time I’ve asked about it, he’s shrugged me off… he’s shrugged me off whenever I’ve asked him about anything to be honest.

“Are you sure Reine didn’t say anything?”

Eneko asked, and almost instinctively as he said my name, directing Nikola’s attention back to me, my heart dropped like a ten-thousand-ton brick from the Eiffel tower.

“No! No! No! No! I didn’t say anything!”

I shouted, the pitch of my voice reaching frantic heights as I pushed my way out from behind Nikola so if she chose to snap at me, I wouldn’t be pinned against the wall.

“Well did you hear anything?”

Nikola asked, leaning down to my level once again.

“No, I heard nothing!”

“She didn’t hear anything because nobody said anything, right guys?”

Hei-Ran asked, eyeing all six of us in the elevator to ensure that everyone was on board with what she wanted us to respond with.

“No, none of us heard anything.”

A girl adjacent from Hei-Ran by the name of Alika responded, softly shaking her head from side to side, her curly blonde ponytail swaying with each motion of her head. She’s like the association’s princess.

“Yeah, nobody said anything.”

The youngest one out of all of us, Lixue, said, his white hair, snow-white skin, and his grey ski-jacket making him stand out immensely from the rest of us in our uniform. He always looked cold, no matter how sunny it was.

“Maybe you’re just going crazy? I do know that it’s common for veterans to hallucinate, matter of fact, I had a friend who did exactly that… What was his name again...”

Our year’s supervisor, Caius said, trialling off as he spoke. Unlike the rest of us who were lying, he was probably the only one of us who actually didn’t hear anything. Floros told us that Caius got caught up in some freak landmine accident with the rest of his division and suffered severe head trauma because of it. Bless his soul.

“I’m not a veteran! I still haven’t even graduated!”

Nikola shouted Caius down, her fists clenched in a tight ball as she did so.

“But aren’t we going to be assigned missions?”

Caius asked, his dark lazy eye making Nikola’s mannerisms a little funnier to watch as her gaze kept switching from one eye to the other.

“Yes, but it's more like work experience for us, we graduate in three weeks and that’s when we’ll be put in actual divisions and given real tasks like you used to.”

Alika explained.

“Ohhh, I see.”

Caius nodded in understanding.

“We’ve been doing this since forever, God, are you that demented?!”

Nikola shouted again, folding her arms and rolling her eyes as if the man with brain damage should’ve known better.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep up, I can’t see you putting in any effort to slow down.”

Caius said, his bushy eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Because when KArma comes, they won’t slow down for you, it’s not my fault you can’t keep up, it's not my fault you can’t keep to the standard.”

“The standard?”

Mesio asked, raising an eyebrow at what Nikola was implying.

“Yes, the standard. Face it, if we got every single abnormality and I mean it, every single one, then I might have to break a sweat because the bozos out there were smart enough to evade this place unlike all of you.”

Nikola boasted, flicking her hair as if she was doing something.

“You’re contradicting yourself.”

I blurted out. Again, I know it’s stupid to engage with her, but sometimes she says the oddest things that anybody with a working mouth and mind is obliged to turn around and correct her.

“What do you mean?”

Nikola asked, walking from the centre of the elevator back over to me.

“I mean what you said doesn’t make any sense, if you’re calling all of us stupid for being here doesn’t that make you stupid as well?”

I explained, folding my arms as I spoke to her. She looked taken aback by what I was saying despite the fact it was just common sense, her cheeks were a bright red and her thin eyebrows furrowed further and further into her skull. I began to fear that they would cut into her skin.

“No! You just don’t get it because you’re retarded, Reine!”

Nikola screamed, her ear-splitting voice breaking the sound barrier and bursting all of our eardrums like bloody pimples.

Everyone fell silent for a short while, not quite expecting her to suddenly scream like that, especially not me as it was right in my ear. I was so disoriented and dizzy from her volume that I didn’t even really notice was she said until Hei-Ran looked up and said,

“Are you seriously being ableist right now?”

And if Nikola’s face wasn’t red before, it was red now. Not that she cared about being ableist, no, but because as Hei-Ran said that everybody’s expressions immediately shifted, some to frustration but most from shock to this scheming little grin. She was not going to live this down, and she knew it.

“The eye slasher has made her new debut as the slur slinger! Wow!”

Eneko cheered, clapping his hands together to sarcastically applaud her with a big grin.

“Really, how old are you?”

Lixue scowled, shaking his head.

“Seventeen, but you know, I am slow so I could be very wrong.”

Caius crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, for all we know she might be seven.”

Lixue continued, a humoured smile on his face as he replied to Caius.

“It’s not a slur! Tell me literally where it says it is one!”

Nikola continued to scream rather than talk at a civil volume in the cramped space that we were trapped in.

“Look it up in a dictionary, it's a pejorative.”

Mesio explained, not shocked that somebody like Nikola wouldn’t know something like this.

“That’s not true! You’re lying!”

Nikola shouted, pointing accusationally at Mesio.

“Lying about it being a slur? Because I just saidー”

“No, lying about pre-jaw-ra-dives, that is a word you made up!”

Nikola cut Mesio off, her eyes darting frantically around the elevator.

“What? Why would I make up an entire word to mess with you?!”

“Because Hei-Ran would, and you pricks agree with her on everything! I know I heard her say something to me and you’re all gaslighting me!”

Nikola continued to rant, backing into the elevator’s door to yell at everybody.

“This is lies, manipulation, and slander! You guys are bullying me, you’re bullying me and then lying to my face to make me feel stupid!”

Suddenly the doors from behind Nikola opened, not that she seemed to take much notice, but she certainly would take a lot of care about it, as behind her, sitting at a shiny rosewood desk and dressed in a sharp, navy coat, was our saviour, the founder of the association, Korina Floros. The rest of us fell silent and began to wonder how long it would take for Nikola to realise the judging eyes on her.

“You know what? Screw you guys! Screw Reine, screw Mesio, and screw Hei-Ran especially! I hate her the most! And I am reporting this to HR because I have a right to feel safe in a work environment and you guys are persecuting me!”

Nikola shouted, backing into Floros’ desk.

“Is that so?”

Floros asked, her cold voice sending chills down Nikola’s spine as she slowly turned her head around to face her, face as white as a ghost.

“Ah, Floros, it’s always a pleasure to see you!”

Nikola stammered, cowardly walking further into her office, her steps slow and rigid as if there were heavy weights chained to her feet.

“And the same goes for you too.”

Floros nodded, before standing up from her large, back, chair to address all of us, picking up a small, white remote from her desk and turning on the large projector from behind her that contained all the association’s living graduates and seniors and what their allocated missions for the week were. However, there were so many names and jobs on the screen in such small fonts that I really couldn’t even figure out where to begin looking for my name.

“Same as per usual, I want everybody to continue with their usual jobs for the remaining three weeks before your graduation. Which means, Alika, you will continue to volunteer at our hospital. Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola, you will all continue with your usual schedule in preparation for a possible attack from KArma, Eneko, our schedule is clear, so I want you to tour and teach Mesio the ins and outs of your intelligence units.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eneko grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod with his response.

“And Reine,”

Floros said, turning directly to me.

“Yes?”

I felt my chest tighten with excitement to hear my own name.

“Your job is to clean the bathrooms. You’re all dismissed.”

WHAT?!

The tight feeling in my chest felt like it ripped open and was going to swallow me whole. Bathrooms? How?! AGAIN?! I’ve worked so hard, I’ve done the best I can, I’m never late, I’m always wearing my uniform right, and I’ve been banished to the bathrooms again

Nikola let out a snicker as everybody began to make their leave, but I wasn’t going to have it. Selfish as it is, I don’t care, I had to say something.

“Wait, can’t I join Caius and everybody just for today?”

I asked, my heart pounding in my ears in a frustrated fear.

“Why?”

Floros asked, her face stone cold. She had this effect on everybody during any direct confrontation. She could make the most heartless soldiers tuck their tails with one fatal glare. I had to choose my words carefully.

“Well… it's just that I think I’ve worked so hard that I deserve to have a more… rewarding job. I really want to be a part of our forces, and since I’m so close to graduation I think it only makes sense for meー”

“You think that the good hygiene of our community isn’t rewarding, Reine?”

Floros cut me off. I could practically feel Nikola’s mocking gaze burn through me as Floros continued to speak.

“If you know how hard our soldiers work then you would know that we cannot afford to have an outbreak of dysentery. Our hospitals are packed as it is, you can ask Alika about it, she’ll tell you. Do you really want to put more work, more stress, on your friends?”

“No ma’am.”

I stammered, shaking my head.

“Then you will do your part with a smile like the rest of us, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I nodded, my cheeks burning a faint pink in embarrassment.

“Good girl.”

Floros nodded, a faint, pleased smile resting on her cracked lips.

“Now, you’re dismissed, I have other meetings to attend to.”

She ordered, and without a second thought, me along with everybody else left her office through the large rosewood door opposite to the elevator.

“What did I say? What did I say, Reine?!”

Nikola laughed, running up to me as soon as the door closed from behind us, wrapping her arm around my neck. I think that gesture is meant to be friendly, but when it's done by Nikola it feels like a headlock and I can hardly breathe.

“Leave her alone. You’ve been at her all morning.”

Alika pouted, her arms folded in annoyance.

“Alright, alright!”

Nikola sighed, rolling her eyes and loosening her grip around my neck before making her way off with everybody else.

“But hey, I’ll be sure to tip you!”

She waved; her cackle echoing through the halls as she left my sight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

I let out a heavy sigh with my head hung in exhaustion. I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Are you okay?”

Alika asked, her fair eyebrows turned upwards in concern. My heart began to race again as she spoke, not that she’s a scary person, her voice is so soft, like an angel but just because I’m a skittish personー or so I’ve been told. I’m getting concerned about dying from a heart attack one day.

“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just a little ticked off. But I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

I spoke as though the words were racing out of my mouth to respond to her and assure her that I was alright. But I suppose that that level of panic is reasonable, if Floros knew I was really upset about this I doubt it would go down well, and I’m lucky to be here in the first place.

“Are you sure? I mean, it's almost every day that she picks on you, and being assigned as a janitor after all that training must be… humbling to say the least.”

“It’s beyond just humbling, its humiliating.”

Once again, my mouth ran without thinking of the possible consequences. I knew I was going to elaborate more on why it was embarrassing, Alika would’ve wanted me to or else she would’ve never asked and if I couldn’t express my feelings, it’d just give me an eternal itch in my head. Talking about it would relieve the itch and put a guilty pit in my chest, but if Alika was trustworthy the pit would disappear, and I would be right.

“I mean, like you just said, it's all that work for nothing. It’s not just the fact that I made sure I was presentable today to prove I cared or something stupid like that to her, the fact I straightened my hair, buttoned up my blazer, I covered my freckles, and I shined my shoes, it's the fact that my entire life, my entire meaning is to serve her and well technically I am it just… it just wasn’t meant to be like this.” 

It was physically painful to not scream and shout about how frustrated I was, but I knew I was too old for that behaviour and what I was saying, what I was feeling was already wrong. Floros knows what’s best for me.

Suddenly, Alika’s dark eyes widened with some kind of grand realisation,

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“What is?”

“You’re trying too hard to be somebody you’re not. You’re trying so hard to embody her expectations and other people that you’re not embracing your strengths. You just need to walk in there as yourself, as Reine, am I making sense?

Alika explained, tilting her head a little to the left.

 ‘No, no, you’re making sense but it’s just not that easy. You and Nikola were born into this stuff, all you have to do is just walk up, flash your powers and everybody fawns. What can I do? Stop motion?”

“Didn’t you just say you aced history and scored third on the agility test? Just because you’re not effortlessly skilled doesn’t mean that you can never become skilled, you’re quick and even quicker at learning, you’ll figure something out. Just use your head and work more on supporting yourself instead of changing. If you lock in this week then I don’t doubt that things will start looking up for you.”

“I see… so you think I should just be myself?”

I nodded, trying to clarify the information I was being told. I understand what she means, it's just that I’m very sceptical about how well her idea will work.

“Precisely, now I’ve got to go to the train station or else I’ll be late, but I’ll see you around, and good luck with your tasks!”

Alika waved, turning away to leave before she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face me.

“Oh, don’t straighten your hair again. It looks better the way it naturally is.”

I’m not a slacker, I’d be better off dead than slacking so I cleaned those bathrooms thoroughly and without a single break, not even for lunch. I mean, it only makes sense, right? In the trenches I wouldn’t be eating much anyways, so I should semi-prepare myself for that, I can’t let my stomach go soft on me and I can’t let myself forget what’s important, work. I am my work and my work makes me, I am happy like this, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling existence. Which is why Floros is my saviour, she gives me my work, and without my work I am nothing and I’m not going to lie, I reckon I’m everything right now. I ensured that those bathrooms were spotless, any ordinary man would walk in to do their business and they’d be brought to tears at the pure bright light basically radiating from the entire room.

It's light work.

Now all I must do is this every day for the next six days. If I do this well every time, then she will have no choice but to allow me to fight! My diligence and obedience are unmatched.

After signing myself off at attendance I went downstairs to grab a slice of toast from the canteen. I would’ve had jam with it but that would’ve been greedy, besides, kids will enjoy and need the food more than me because they need to grow healthy and strong to fight for us.

Plain toast is good enough anyway, it could’ve just been plain bread (which still is good).

But whether I taste sugar on my tongue right now isn’t necessarily my biggest concern, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to eat. Typically, I sit on my own as I eat because Nikola usually harasses me, or I’m cut in line by the entire organisation, and I miss out on breakfast altogether because there’s nothing left!

But not today, I’ve worked my ass off.

I quickly eye off Alika, Hei-Ran, and Mesio having a conversation in the far corner of the dining hall and I approach them.

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?”

I asked, a little embarrassed to be doing so, it felt super desperate.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hei-Ran nodded, shuffling her bag over to make room for me on the bench. I was always a little frightened by her tone, she seemed really hard-on and cold whenever I saw her talk to Nikola, but that moment she seemed kind of gentle. Did something change or have I always misread her?

Nonetheless, I sat myself next to her and put my plate of toast in front of me. I didn’t really feel like eating, not because I wasn’t hungry, I was, it’s just a little exposing to eat in front of others. Once Nikola caught me eating and then put me in a headlock so I’d choke, I know these people wouldn’t do that, but if I ate, I’d basically be telling them that they could do that.

“You didn’t straighten your hair today!”

Alika gasped, her dark eyes wide with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said it looked better natural and since you’re really pretty I felt like it just made sense for me to listen to you.”

I explained, feeling my cheeks and ears burn up as I did so.

“I like it, it looks super cute, and it suits you a lot, you look really pretty.”

Alika smiled.

All this woman does is make my heart do gymnastics and make me feel like I am about to die.

Alika, curly blonde hair slicked back into this neat bun, big, black, beautiful eyes, crystal clear skin, plum two-toned lips the bottom lip this adorable baby pink colour, long legs, mature figure, long, slender hands with the most stunning nails. She was beautiful without any effort, standing next to her I look like I’ve just graduated seventh grade.

Alika Ekubo, princess popular, literal angel on Earth, thinks that I’m pretty.

SHE THINKS I’M PRETTY?!

I’m giddy with shock, suffocated in surprise, but I’ve got to respond or else I’ll look like a fool. So I just look off to the side and let out a small,

“Thank you.”

And begin eating my toast, I feel safe doing so now.

“So, is the hospital as busy as it usually is?”

Hei-Ran asked Alika, resting her head on her hand in boredom.

“Oh, yeah, it’s hectic, but it's easy for me. Lots of broken bones from the kids and scouts, all I really need to do is flick my wrist and they’re good as new.”

Alika explained, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about how she described it. Not for her but for myself, I mean it’s common sense that Alika is impressive but it's difficult to be constantly supportive of the best as an underling when all they do is humble brag, rubbing it in that you were born shorthanded.

“Oh, sick. So, Reine, when you’re done scrubbing shit stains then you can go help out Alika at the hospital.”

Hei-Ran casually suggested, as if it wasn’t a bombshell of words that she just dropped on me.

“Is that allowed?”

I asked, my brows feeling tight with worry.

“Probably not, but I skip all the time, and nobody has ever caught me or said anything, so you’ll be fine.”

Hei-Ran’s words were tempting but I held my ground as she continued. I was not going to blow my chances at becoming a soldier by abandoning my station.

“I mean, if you wanna be sweeping the floors for the rest of your days that’s your choice, Korina’s view of you isn’t gonna shift no matter how hard you try to make it so you may as well do the little things that you wanna do.”

“Don’t tempt her, Hei-Ran, if she wants to skip, let her, if she doesn't, who cares?”

Mesio scolded Hei-Ran as if he was a teacher telling off a student.

“I’m not tempting her; I’m just telling her as it is. She can do whatever she wants, I’m just telling her that, isn’t that right, Reine?”

Hei-Ran turned to me, looking for my support.

“Yeah.”

I agreed, not really wanting to start an argument or feeling too passionately against or for wagging my mission. I mean, of course I’d stay, but I don’t think I would care if somebody wagged a mission unless I was working with them of course.

“Which is why I’m not gonna leave and do something else, it's my duty to stay here and do the work that Floros has assigned me. I can’t abandon it. Besides, if I want to become a soldier and she catches me not doing my work I can say goodbye to everything.”

“That’s a fair point…”

Hei-Ran uttered before shrugging her shoulders and sighing,

“Alright, suit yourself.”

I smiled back at her and nodded,

“Mhm, I will.”

And peacefully enjoyed what remained of the morning with the three of them. It's not often that I feel so at ease but around these people it's as easy as breathing. I feel kind of happy to be around them even though I know it’s wrong, I think, just right now, I don’t care about what’s wrong.

However, this feeling of peace was short lived, as after ten minutes of our conversation Eneko rushed in, heading over to me, half-done bandages falling off his thigh, and his knee-high brown boots, squeaking against the tiles of the hallway and the cafeteria.

“Reine!”

He cried out to me, tripping over his bandage as it finally came completely undone, resulting in a nasty cut forming on his right knee on the impact. He winced in pain as I immediately got up to help him.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked, jumping out of my seat to tend to Eneko’s bleeding knee.

“No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself.”

Eneko assured me, pulling his leg away from me as if he was trying to hide his leg.

“Uhm, Korina, she wants to see you.”

My eyes must’ve lit up at the mere mention of her name. Korina? Korina Floros?

Is this it?

Is this finally it?

“Floros?”

I repeated, trying my best not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yes, it's about the bathrooms, they’reー”

Eneko went to explain but was cut off by the piercingly loud screeches of the speakers.

“Contaminated abnormality 04082002, Reine, report to the admin's office immediately!”

A robotic voice bellowed throughout the hall, and with the mention of my name everybody’s gaze became fixed onto me. The eagerness bubbling inside me quickly deflated as I looked at Eneko’s almost pitiful expression, something was wrong.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

Eneko sighed, opening his hand for me to take it. I couldn’t even find the words to respond, my face had gone ice cold, and I could hardly think of anything at all, like my brain had given up on me. I just gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eneko nodded, picking himself up off the ground and walking to Floros’ office with me.

The trip to Floros’ was silent and slow, every second that passed the tension gradually got higher and higher. I was kind of wishing that Eneko would just say something, anything, to get the weight of the quiet off me. But he didn't, he just looked straight ahead with a cold face.

Eventually, we did arrive and as the elevator’s doors opened and to what they revealed, well, if I was scared before, I was petrified now. Behind that classy, rosewood desk was of course Floros, but seated in front of her with a smile that I can only describe as true evil was Nikola, using all her physical strength to keep her mouth shut to stop herself from laughing.

“Have a seat, Reine.”

Floros ordered.

I sat myself down on the set to the right of Nikola, feeling my breath lose its steady rhythm, becoming sharp and erratic. Floros simply smiled and turned her attention to Eneko.

“You’re excused.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He nodded, quickly scurrying off and out through the door. Once he had left Floros immediately turned her attention back to me, her sharp red-ish eyes piercing through all of my being.

“Reine, did you or did you not clog the bathrooms yesterday?”

“What? No?!”

I gasped, trying my best to calm myself down and not double down on the conclusions that were taunting the emotional part of my brain. Maybe it was just an error with the plumbing.

“Then why is there a flood pouring out from the girl’s bathrooms on the third floor? Why did we find two entire packs of tampons in the toilet?”

Floros continued. I stared blankly at her in disbelief, no clue how to even respond to what I was being accused of, it's not like anybody would believe me if I denied it. Whether I did do it or not there just needs to be somebody to blame, that is simply how our world works.

Still, I would never even think of doing something so gross in my life, and if honesty is a value here, if Alika thinks I need to be myself, then I will defend myself.

“I didn’t do it; I would never do something like that! You have to believe me, please, I would never lie to you, and you know how much the association means to me. I don’t want to ruin everything before it even starts, please, please listen to me.”

I pleaded, begged, for her trust in hopes that somewhere, somewhere deep inside of her that she could find it within the pits of her soul to be kind to me just this one moment.

“But weren’t you angry about being assigned as the janitor? You’re the only person who would have any reason to do such a thing.”

Nikola added, crossing her legs as if she was just completely unbothered by what I’m assuming that she’s trying to do to me. Again, not shocked by it, she’s never been kind to anybody, me in particular, I understand to an extent why she is that way, I’m way too confident in the little strength I have. But to try to sabotage my job, my life?

“I’m listening to you, Nikola.”

Floros nodded, my chest caved in even more at the sight of it and I shot up from my seat.

“No, no, no you don’t understand! I didn’t… I didn’t do anything at all, I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I spent the whole day cleaning the bathrooms and then I went to bed! And hell, if some elaborate accident did happen then I obviously didn’tー”

“There are no accidents here, accidents are reckless which is not a trait that I would ever want to see in my soldiers.”

Floros cut me off with words cutting even sharper.

“Reine, you will discontinue your tasks, and you are to not return here until further notice.”

“Butー”

I squeaked, trying to get a word in before Floros stood up, looking down at me as if she was some kind of angered and violent god.

“There is no ‘but’, this is an order, do you understand me?”

Her voice bellowed, firm and steady, shouting without any emotion.

I sheepishly nodded my head in response,

“Yes ma’am.”

Floros nodded her head, and with her hands behind her back her words stabbed at me again,

“Then leave, and don’t come back until I say so.”

Hello!

I still don't exactly know how to use this but one of my mutuals on tiktok suggested that I start posting the script here so let's hope this goes well! (≧∇≦)ﾉ

My name is Akira and I hope you all enjoyed reading the first chapter of the second draft of a little project I'm working on called abNORMALITY, I've been working on this for a little over a year now and I am very excited and hopeful that this reaches more people. Please enjoy it and stay for the rest of the story, thank you!!

If you liked this, you can read some of the other chapters on my ao3 or you can see some of my art and some other information and some of my art on my tiktok

[moomixx101]

!!! DISCLAIMER !!! This chapter contains topics and descriptions of suicide and self-harm, please read at your own discretion.

Chapter Four; Practical Possession (Part Two)

Mesio's Perspective

This is hardly an examination of skill or anything for that matter. Honestly, from my understanding, it is more so a judge of our characters for Miss Floros. To discover that she’s entertained by such a showdown would not come as a shock to me.

Which is why I’m finishing this exam alone. I don’t want to be hurt for the sake of her entertainment and non-existent competition. There is no need to throw others under the bus to succeed anyways, I have already obtained fourteen tags on my own, without encountering not even a single person, it was rather easy, I don’t understand how others may struggle or stress over an assignment such as this one.

Though, maybe that is the thing, that I don’t understand. Everybody seems to feel so strongly about things like these, win, lose, laugh, cry… There is the telepathic connection between them all, like they’re all family, and between me and the others’, between me and this culture, there is a wall that I cannot manage to break past.

I wonder that, if I were to purposefully fail, would it hurt?

If it hurt, would I then understand the rest of them?

No, I can’t let it hurt, I can’t fail.

What is important is to focus on is the objective, the objective to pass, Miss Floros, she holds me to an incredibly high esteem. She pulled me aside the other week, telling me about the intelligence units and told me that if I passed the exam then I would have access to the Investigation Team’s library, and further in the future, that I could be up there with her, as her advisor. Though I find this kind of pampering somewhat patronising, I do not understand why knowledge should be kept from the public, I am more than willing to do anything that is asked of me if it means obtaining said knowledge.

Even if it is as easy as this.

To get what I want I need to pass, and to pass I need more tags.

Fourteen seems far too little, that is only just under double over how many people are participating in this exam, there would have to be over eighty for everybody in the exam to collect ten each and considering there were twenty doors at the start there should at least be two hundred, which would mean I need twenty five to achieve the perfect average and pass as the majority will. A pleasant ending for me as I get what I want, and I do not become a target for competition.

“Mesio!”

A familiar voice rang out from behind me as I began to make my departure. I came to a halt and turned around to see none other than Alika Ekubo running towards me with a ghastly look on her face.

“Mesio, wait! This is really important!”

She cried, waving at me as she came to a stop.

“Did something happen?”

I asked.

“He… He got her! Reine…”

Alika gasped, I couldn’t quite tell if it was out of exhaustion from running or panic. Either way, I was immensely confused as to who ‘he’ was, it was my guess that Caius and Lixue would’ve been working together as I have never seen them apart when it comes to these kinds of assessments. And I hadn’t even seen Reine, so I was confused as to who would ‘get’ her and why.

“Who got her?”

I asked, my brows gently furrowed in confusion.

“He did, like he tried with Nikola way back in year nine...”

Suddenly a wave of clarity washed over me, and I felt my chest grow a little heavier as more questions began to buzz in my mind.

“Eneko? Why? How? ー”

I asked, my brows furrowed with concern as I briefly looked over Alika’s shoulder to see if he had followed.

“I don’t know, I tried to warn her, but how am I supposed to tell Reine about all of that when he’s only a few metres away?”

Alika explained, shaking her head before grabbing my shoulder and leaning into my ear, speaking in a low whisper as to prevent anybody even remotely nearby from hearing.

“I can’t save her myself; not with my ability anyway, I need you to get him out for me, okay? You’re perfect for it. And if you do, I’ll gift you something, anything.”

She continued, backing away from my face.

I paused for a moment in thought; however, nothing really came to mind. Nothing that she could do for me anyway.

“There is nothing I want.”

I replied, shaking my head.

“I don’t really think this is a favour, it’s a genuine emergency.”

“I know.”

She nodded, pausing briefly.

“I know, it’s just that I’m taking up your time. I know you’ve very particular about your scores on tests and things like that.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognise an issue when I see one. We’re being graded on teamwork anyway.”

I explained, taking a few steps in the direction Alika came running from.

“So, where is he?”

“Oh, right!”

She gasped, running front of me and pointing ahead.

“This way. Make sure to keep an eye out and your hands to yourself.”

She instructed, marching off with me following behind her.

“He was right here, in those ropes.”

Alika said, stopping in her tracks and pointing at the ceiling of the hallway. Half of the ropes that he must’ve been caught in had fallen to the ground, and another half were hanging down from the ceiling resembling that of vines more than a net.

“So, he must’ve freed himself while you were running away?”

I asked, crouching down to take a closer look at the collapsed ropes before a small shiny object caught my attention, a screw, I picked it up and looked around, trying to see where it could have come from.

“Precisely what I’m thinking as well.”

Alika agreed, as I looked up at her I found where the screw had come from, something behind her. The cover for the air vent was removed.

“Was that vent always open?”

I asked, pulling myself to my feet and pointing at the open vent. Alika quickly turned around and gasped, slapping herself in the mouth as if two worlds had come clashing together in her head.

“I didn’t see it before; it was covered by the ropes, and I really didn’t want him to see me. But there was another thing, there was a tag inside one of the vents earlier. I thought it was somewhat odd at the time but now I’m seeing this, I have a theory that he placed it there.”

Alika explained.

“He must’ve grabbed a tag at the start, triggered the trap over here, undid that vent with a knife or something, crawled through the vents and stuck the tag out as bait, and then waited for somebody to come grab it with his ear to the wall.”

“That’s incredibly elaborate. I believe it but how did he know somebody would come to save him? Placed too much faith in the right person happening to pass by.”

I added, picking up a couple of the fallen ropes.

“You think he’d use the knife against us?”

“I doubt it, but he is likely to use his ability on us so I think we should cover up as much as we can.”

Alika said, her attention drawing to the ropes in my hand.

“Are you thinking of using those to restrain him?”

“Yes. His ability takes a little while to take effect, right? Depending on how much time’s left over after all this and knowing he’s not exactly the type to forgive or give up, I think our safest option would be to handcuff him or something and then to simply make a run for it.”

“Are you sure Korina won’t flag that as sabotage?”

Alika asked, her expression softening slightly to that of concern of some kind.

“He’s possessing people, I think it’s fair.”

I explained, latching some of the loose ropes onto the strap of my vest.

“More importantly, and considering you know him more than I do, who do you think he’d be more likely to use his ability on between the two of us?”

I asked, fixing my gaze on her expression to judge how certain she was in her response, counting each second between my question and her answer. She paused for six seconds with a still expression on her face, considering the information, then for two more seconds she furrowed her eyebrows a little bit and looked off to the side.

“I think it would be you.”

She answered.

“Alright, then when we find his body, I need you to either hand it to me or if you have it, stay in front of him at all times, do not leave his eyeline.”

I instructed, walking a step or two forwards, as time was running short and turning back the way in which we came would most likely be a waste of time as we did not encounter him on the way here.

“Oh!”

Alika let out a short gasp, her eyes quickly trailing back to the floor and then back to me.

“Are you sure?”

She asked, the tip of her nail on her index finger subtly tugging her bottom lip in uncertainty.

“You don’t have to, I just don’t want to be seen so I don’t have a target on me later, and for your protection too. I have no doubts in my ability to conceal myself, but I do know if I make even the slightest mistake, he will immediately pick up on it, you were there with Reine, there is not a doubt that he didn’t notice you, and you have history with him. He undoubtedly has it out for you, and with his body, you could easily use it as a shield of sorts to prevent him from using his ability on you. Are you okay with that?”

I paused for a moment, trying to see if she felt any particular way about this. I know that she’ll smile and say it’s okay, but what she really thinks is a complete enigma to me. Sure, there is no way to know if somebody is being truly honest or not, but what I know about Alika is that she is never honest with anybody with these things, sweet talk and smiles are her sharpest blades, and it takes careful dissection her face and her character to see past it. Though, perhaps that is simply because I lack the intelligence and understanding to tell truth from lie just from a glance as she does, it’s truly genius how she does so.

Right now, she isn’t even trying to conceal anything with a smile, she is completely straight faced, and her eyes are so incredibly glossy. Looking into them for too long I can’t find any warmth of emotion, it’s only this passive thoughtful stare.

There is no choice but to take her word, only hope that she sticks by it.

“No, I understand.”

She shook her head, cutting ahead of me.

“Let’s keep moving, we can’t waste our time.”

Alika spoke in a lower tone, uncharacteristic of her.

“Okay, but if you feel uncomfortable or the situation gets dangerous you don’t have to do this.”

I nodded.

“Yes, I know, but I doubt that he couldー”

Alika was quickly cut off with a loud screech from the speakers. I felt my heart jump with the sudden sound and the two of us immediately turned our gazes upwards to the speakers above us.

“Attention!”

A voice called out in a soft yell, not the voice of Korina or the president, no. There was a sleep-ish air to it with a boy-ish huff.

“There has been a gas leak in one of the far-left wards, please avoid that area as much as you can and calmly proceed back to where you entered. I repeat, gas leak, far-left ward! Do not turn back for anybody, we are sending our medics to take care of all of those who have been hurt and we cannot risk taking up more hospital beds then need-be, simply proceed back to the entrance! Once again, that is a gas leak in one of the far-left wards, proceed with cautionー Ah!’

They announced before the speaker buffered a bit as if the microphone used for it was being snatched from them.

“There is no gas leak. Please continue the exam as usual. You are all safe and there is nothing to worry about, I can assure you of that. Please carry on and do not listen to the detective.”

A mature voice interrupted, quickly shutting off the announcement, leaving Alika and I in a bewildered silence.

“Was that Rasulov? Is there really a gas leak?!”

Alika asked, the energy immediately returning to her voice as words raced out of her mouth in a breathy panic.

“Must’ve been, but I doubt that there is a gas leak, Floros wouldn’t lie about there not being one. She doesn’t want her soldiers dying, not when we’re under-staffed like this.”

I explained, turning to her with eyes as equally wide and startled as her’s.

“Then why would they lie?”

Alika asked, her fair brows furrowed in thought.

“I don’t know, but we should go find out ourselves.”

I said, walking forwards now. It was vital for me to find out what was going on.

“I agree, luckily we were heading in that direction anyways.”

Alika nodded, following along, looking around in case anybody had moved upon the announcement.

After racing through the labyrinth of grey halls the two of us walked turned into a small room, barren of anything, no air vent, no trap doors, nothing but a wall, and Eneko’s limb body seated at it, facing the two of us with closed eyes. He looked peaceful, like a doll or a sleeping baby, his body was so delicately placed and honestly, with features as gentle as Eneko, it’s difficult to look at him and not immediately think of a sickly child. But that was a meticulous choice of presentation, and the bliss of Eneko’s body in a lifeless rest was juxtaposed by the large slashes on his wrists and the gross amount of blood wiped across the scene, the jarring colour of red not bringing life to the grey scenery, but more-so, showing us what there once was.

The remains of life.

“Oh my god…”

Alika gasped, her hands quivering over her mouth. She took a small step backwards, her knees in-turned and half-frozen.

“We need to get a closer look.”

I said, trying to remain as composed and objective as possible, despite this sinking, cold feeling of dread and sickness in my chest just looking at the scene. The smell of blood, so sour, so metallic, it tests my endurance both mentally and sensually.

“Right… I’m a nurse, I’ll be able to do this. Just stay where you are, keep an eye out for Reineー Sorry, I meant him.”  

She stammered a little, nodding her head with a faint smile, a fake smile, and running over to Eneko’s body to check him over. Picking up his wrist and taking a careful look at the cut before placing her index finger and middle finger on his neck for a pulse. Her eyes seemed to light up as she turned back to me with a wide grin on her face.

“He’s alive, the cuts weren’t deep enough, and he cut the wrong way. I’ll patch him up before we give his body back.”

She said, pulling out a roll of bandages from the pockets of her pants that she had brought into the exam and gently began wrapping them around his wrists almost as a mother would.

“That’s good to hear, I’ll keep an eye out for him.”

I nodded, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders knowing that he was still alive. Technically, if Eneko was successful in his suicide attempt, he would have killed both himself and Reine, and then we would be forced to choose one life above the other. Retrospect, the decision is not a hard one to make, though the guilt would follow regardless.

But the relief was soon replaced with a sharp sense of panic as I heard a shoe softly ‘tap!’ the tiles from behind me. I whipped my head around and there she was, no, there he was, with black eyes uncharacteristically shiny with sadness, staring past me and straight at Alika.

“I suppose she told you everything.”

He sighed, coldly turning his gaze away from Alika and towards me, as though he didn’t want to see what she was doing, like it was painful.

“I was practicing my impressions for a while you know. I’m honestly pretty upset.”

He continued a faint smile on his lips, staring more at the floor than anything else, voice still low and cold in tone. It was odd to see him in Reine’s body, every time I had seen Reine, although not particularly close there was a soul inside of her, unmistakably this was Eneko simply wearing Reine’s skin, as there was not an ounce of any soul to be found.  

“Were you planning on living as Reine?”

I asked, my brows furrowed a little, trying to keep myself as composed as possible, confusion and shock mixed into this lingering feeling of unease.

Eneko paused for a little while longer, trying to hide his face behind Reine’s thick fringe as if he was struggling to control his expression. Almost instinctively, I concentrated my vision to his face and tried to figure out the expression he was making.

“I don’t know…”

He squeaked, his voice seizing up a little bit, was he crying?

“No, that wasn’t it…”

He sighed, hands covering the eyes as tiny droplets fell to the concrete from ‘his’ face, leaving small wet spots.

“Are you crying?”

I asked, perhaps it was deeply insensitive of me to do so but I needed to know, Eneko was a spy after all and given his ability, he could impersonate people easily, squeezing out some tears would be as easy for him. If he was, my biggest question regarding it, my biggest question regarding the entire situation and in fact the only thing I wanted to ask was, ‘why?’.

“Yeah, I don’t know why, I don’t feel sorry at all haha…”

He smiled, looking up at me and fanning his face, taking a deep exhale to steady his breath.

“Seriously, I don’t know why I did that, that was so pathetic! Haha! Hah… Smiling feels weird, doesn’t it?”

Any kind of honesty in his eyes seemed to flee as he looked up at me, leaving only a deep, black void of deception.

“Maybe because you’re forcing yourself to.”

“Hm… I guess that’s true.”

Eneko hummed, his smile widening a little bit.

“You’re smart as you are handsome, Mesio. I like you a lot.”

“Thank you…?”

I replied, not entirely certain about what he meant by that, I never really considered myself as handsome as I had never really captured the attention of women, so he could’ve very well been calling me stupid.

“It’s a compliment, I really mean it. Which is why you aren’t exactly my type, I don’t like it when people are smarter than me, and I think if we were closer then I would hate you. I can respect you though, you hide nothing from nobody, it’s a quality hard to come by here. Don’t take this the wrong way, if I were a woman I wouldn’t mind you fathering my children or being their teacher or something. You have good morals, strong morals, it’s quite admirable. You’re a good man, Mesio, an admirable man.”

He explained, extending his hand out in Alika’s direction, pointing at her.

“So, why you’re hanging around her?”

He asked, his blank eyes staring directly into mine, judging every essence of my character. I couldn’t help but feel shocked by the question, do I need a reason?

“Because she’s kind.”

I answered.

Eneko paused for a moment, then he smiled and turned to Alika who had finished bandaging his body up and was carrying him in her arms. Eneko’s face tightened, smile uncomfortable and forced, eyebrows furrowed as if he wanted to be angry, and eyes a little brighter as he stared at the girl, not bright in joy but bright as if he was about to cry again.

“Yes, I guess she is.”

He nodded, smile breaking into a grimace for a short second before he continued,

“You know, I used to fantasise about this when I was younger. Who’d mourn me, who’d save me, all of that. Seeing her smile to see I was still alive brought me back to that. But I’m wiser now. You were happy to see me alive because it meant that you could save Reine without being responsible for my death, right? It was about poor Reine? Always victimised by Nikola and always neglected by the wicked bitch of the West! She still has that stupid charm to her too! Kick her in the face and she’ll come kissing your feet. She can sit, beg, and stay!”

“Eneko, you know that’s not true, we do care, you’re just missing the point, we need to save Reine from you, nobody is more important than the other.”

Alika protested, tightening her grip on Eneko’s body.

“Then where were you every other time? Because I can count on all my limbs how many times you have all left me to struggle on my own, do you want to check for yourself, doctor?”

He grinned, but it was somewhat obvious that he didn’t find anything funny or joyous in the slightest, it was an empty, angry smile.

“Eneko, just give Reine her body back and be done with it.”

I spoke, folding my arms.

Eneko turned his gaze over to me, looking me up and down.

“I hope you forgive me, Mesio. I really do like you, but what you want simply can’t happen.”

He said, and before I could even blink, a thick, wet substance shot at me, onto my feet and up my pants, encasing my legs as Eneko bolted off. I looked down to see my feet engulfed in clay, the consistency slipping through the edges of my boots and in between my toes creating what I would argue, the most uncomfortable experience known to man. I yanked my feet out from the mixture as Alika ran over to me.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, we need to catch up with him though. We’re going to lose the bastard if we don’t hurry.”

I said, pointing in the direction he went running off in and breaking into my own sprint, Alika following.

After another long chase we followed Eneko into another dead end, somewhere in the far-right end of the floor. The only other way out without going through me and Alika was through an air vent which I had made an effort to stand directly under to assert control in a way. Eneko silently stared at the wall, his back to me and Alika, breath silent, thoughts and intentions far beyond my comprehension.

“I don’t know what you hope to achieve but you’ve already lost your chance, count your losses and give up or this situation won’t remain between the four of us.”

I said, bracing myself for whatever Eneko was going to throw at me with Reine’s ability. My initial plan to simply trick him and run was not even an option at this point. One of us would have to give up or things are going to get violent, the latter I am not looking forward to.

“You’ll tell who? Nikola? I’d love to see her beat your ass too, for that pejorative comment I reckon it’d cost an arm.”

He said, letting out an empty chuckle.

“I was thinking the President, she’ll have you issued to a hospital for the rest of your life, this isn’t normal behaviour. It doesn’t take a doctor to tell that you are ill.”

“But I won’t be here?”

He muttered, looking over his shoulder for a second before letting out a long sigh.

“… I’m disappointed, I should’ve died today, it’s Nikola’s fault. I thought it’d be easier if I couldn’t feel the pain of it happening, but it felt worse.”

He began rambling to himself, scratching his arm as he spoke in almost a whisper.

“I’m sorry if this sounds crass but are you having an episode?”

Alika asked, her eyebrows furrowed deeply in confusion.

Eneko turned around, covering his right eye with his fist for a few moments before opening his palm, still covering his eye and making a ‘pop!’ noise with his mouth, before tiredly lowering his arm and eyeing the both of us.

“I have nothing else to say, I’m not sorry, and I don’t want to stand here in silence with you two. If you want to get your way, you’re gonna have to force it, if not then I’ll be on my merry way.”

He spoke in a tone that I can only describe as dead, entirely vacant of energy, there was no soul behind those words.

“But if you’re going to force it, please, make it hurt, and don’t apologise. I don’t want to hear it.”

I looked at Alika for a moment and then back at Eneko, thankfully, with my ability, taking on Eneko without laying hands on him would be easy for me. I took a careful couple of steps forward, studying Eneko’s stance and demeanour before making my next move, he seemed almost serene, he was just staring at me blankly, head tilted slightly to the side, slightly urging me to hurry as I turned my gaze back to Alika.

“Go behind.”

I mouthed to Alika, darting me eyes between him and her to point. Alika gave a sharp nod in understanding and bolted behind Eneko, before he could react, I removed my glasses and as I imagined it, it was cast through my retinas and the room was soon swallowed in a thick grey mist.

“Are you serious?”

Eneko scowled, squinting his eyes as he crouched down to create a clay ring around himself, expanding a thin layer of it across the floor, I took a step forward trying to carefully tread over it, but it would quickly occur to me that was a major misstep on my part and as the moment I moved and my foot tapped on the concrete Eneko immediately turned to look in my direction and smiled. He moved his left hand behind his back and before I could even begin to contemplate or study his actions or expression a ball of clay hit my face causing me to stagger backwards, blinded by the texture of dirt and rock in my eyes and suffocated from it in my nose.

“He’s getting away!”

Alika cried, I quickly wiped the mess off my face and whipped head around, completely ready to chase after him again only to see Alika, with Eneko’s real body hung over her shoulder and her foot under Reine’s foot, tripping him over, face first. Although her efforts to stop him caused her to slip over herself, she used her free hand to grab Eneko by the collar to keep him in place, and with the military vests we were instructed to wear for the exam her grip was amplified.

Eneko squirmed around trying to claw Alika’s arm off like some kind of feral cat, whining and hissing at the containment, when clawing Alika’s arm did not work, he began clawing away at the floor trying to crawl awayー No, he wasn’t, he was trying to…

“Alika, watch out!”

I yelled as soon as I caught on to what Eneko was really trying at, but I was too late, Eneko had used Reine’s ability to spray clay straight into Alika’s face, forcing her to let go if she wanted to use any of her senses, coughing and spluttering up the chunks that got into her mouth as she tried to clear up her eyes with only one hand.

I wouldn’t consider myself a particularly competitive person, I live comfortably as I am. What I do take quite seriously is my intellect and truthfulness. If Eneko thinks that I am intelligent, more intelligent than he is, and morally correct, then I cannot let somebody like him who is a liar, and allegedly less intelligent than I am win.

I run over to Alika as she is coughing and spluttering and take Eneko’s body from her so she can retreat to clean herself up, and then, using my ability the room goes pitch black as Eneko begins to scurry away. Illusions are endless, and this ability is only an extension of my own mind, I can wish myself to be everywhere at once and so I will and surround Eneko.

“You still aren’t slick, Mesio. I can disperse these easily.”

He hissed, folding in on himself, back arched and cowering like a cat.

“Then try to.”

I said, having my imaginaries repeat the movements of my mouth as I spoke. Holding Eneko’s real body like a ragdoll in front of me, I cast an illusion of myself onto it. Eneko turned around with the sound of my voice from behind him, his eyes were like narrow dots, tracing around the room frantically, trying to spot the odd one out. After a little while of looking he put his hand behind his back and concentrated his gaze in one spotー Oh, I know this one.

He threw a ball of clay directly in front of him, to which I dodged and had all my ‘others’ repeat the motion, you should never pick up habits, people notice them and come to expect things. After missing he straightened his posture and looked head on, pausing for a moment.

“Alright, have it that way. One of you has to be real though, and if I can’t see who is, I’ll just have to feel.”

He said, closing in on himself again. I simply gave a nod in agreement.

“Yes, exactly.”

He took a careful few steps forwards, and then extended his foot out, treading on his own shoe. He then stopped and looked up, past the illusion and straight at me, a smile creeping on his face, reaching his hand out past the illusion I had cast on his real body and onto my shoulder, a chill immediately running down my spine.

“I’ll tell you what, you’re great at finding answers but terrible at finding solutions, Mesio. Really, not as bright as I thought you were. I think I like you more now.”

He muttered, his hand making its way down to my waist and slowly leaning into me. I felt my whole-body twitch with discomfort, not just at the touch but at his movement, at his words and immediately ripped myself out of his grasp as there was but one problem with Eneko’s approach to using his ability on me, I had his real body in front of me, he was leaning against himself.

His eyes widened as I moved out the way and he fell into his own body, but before he could pull himself away Alika came running from behind and lunged her elbow into his back, shoving him into himself. He let out a sharp cry before falling to the ground, seemingly unresponsive. I put my glasses back on and the illusion dispersed like fog, taking a few steps closer to Reine and Eneko to inspect the situation.

“Are they sleeping?”

I asked.

“I don’t know yet, it takes a while to happen.”

Alika said, crouching down to the floor and tapping Reine’s cheek for a response, to which, Reine seemed to stir a little, opening her eyes slightly.

“Reine?”

Alika asked, turning Reine’s face over in an attempt to position her off Eneko. Suddenly, with the touch of Alika’s skin on her face, her skin, a pale, porcelain colour turned to a bright red, and she swiftly sat upright. Reine was most certainly back.

“Alika! The tags! Where are they?! Do we still have them all?!”

She gasped, frantically scrambling through her vest, pulling out all her tags, counting them as she went.

“One, two, three, four… oh thank goodness… none of them were taken! Wait, how long was I out for?”

She asked, her expression relaxing a little to see all her tags were in tack, that expression would be short-lived.

“Roughly thirty minutes I’d say.”

I answered.

“THIRTY MINUTES?!”

She screamed, breaking sound barriers with her volume. She jumped to her feet, and pointed at Eneko, who was laying on the floor in defeat.

“You! The hell did you do?!”

She shouted, stomping over to him.

“I didn’t do anything.”

He replied, sitting up, eyebrows furrowed in either pain or annoyance. Reine’s fists clenched up at the bold-faced lie as she rammed her foot in between his legs.

“Agh!”

He winced.

“Bullcrap, I went to help you and the next thing I know you’re rubbing up on me like some perv and I’m unconscious! What did you do?!”

“He used his ability to take over your body, that’s why I told you to avoid touching him when you ran off to rescue him.”

Alika answered, twiddling her fingers awkwardly as Reine and Eneko stared at her. Reine’s eyes widened in shock, she stood there, completely bewildered for a good minute before she turned her attention back to Eneko who seemed unresponsive to what Alika said, he didn’t look proud of himself, he looked exhausted, not seeming to care about the morality of his actions and how he violated Reine at all.

“YOU CUNNING LITTLEー”

She shouted, cutting herself off from swearing at the boy before slamming her foot between his legs again, much hard than before, and proceeded to kick him in the crowned parts without break as she continued her rant, each time harder than the last.

“I WAS TRYING TO HELP YOU! I WAS TRYING TO HELP YOU AND YOU USED ME! AND NOW I’M GOING TO FAIL! I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS; I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU TRICKED ME!”

Eneko rolled onto his side to try to stop Reine from kicking him directly up the crotch, but it didn’t seem to be of any avail, if it wasn’t in the nuts, her foot was just going up his arse. He had nothing to do but to wince and whine in pain.

“Reine! Back up a little bit, he’s already hurt.”

Alika said, rushing over to Reine, gently pulling her away from him, grabbing hold of her arm. Reine continued to quietly glare at Eneko as he picked himself off the ground, hand wrapped around his stomach and legs trembling, he looked as if he was about to puke.

“I hope he is!”

She exclaimed; bushy eyebrows furrowed right into her sockets.

“I told you it wasn’t personal, and besides, everybody is out for themselves, you know that. It’s not my fault you trusted me.”

He explained as he stood up, stumbling over his feet.

“So, you’re saying it’s my fault that you did that, because I’m stupid?”

Reine asked, tensing up as if she was preparing to fully jump him, Alika tightening her grip around her arm in response.

“Again, it’s nothing personal, you’re very kind for what you did for me, Reine. You have some great friends too; they’ve taken great care of you. I’ll see you around.”

Eneko smiled, walking over to Reine, squeezing her cheek and petting her head as if she were a dog or a toddler who had just shown him a crayon picture of the rainbow with all the right colours.

“Yeah, and you’re not one of them.”

Reine scowled as Eneko walked away, scrubbing her cheek and hair as if she were to contract some kind of virus from Eneko’s touch.

“Reine, do you want to take my tags?”

I asked, taking out the fourteen I had from my pocket.

“No, no! It’s okay, how many do you have?”

She replied, frantically shaking her head as Alika let go of her arm.

“Fourteen, if I give you four, and assuming Alika has the same amount, if I give her four that’s eight, I’d still have six left.”

I explained, taking out eight of my tags to hand to the girls. Reine’s mouth agape at the offer.

“Are you sure?! You really don’t have to do this; I mean I’ve already caused so much trouble and Iー”

I cut Reine off before she could continue her rambling, extending out my hand with four tags in it for her to grab.

“Take it. I’m serious. You care about it more than anybody else.”

Reluctantly, she slipped the tags out from my hand and looked at them for a bit, her green eyes glittering with possibly the biggest smile I had ever seen.

“Thank you!”

She smiled, putting the tags away with the rest of the ones that she had.

“Good god, I actually owe you both my life after this! I don’t know how I’m supposed to make this up to you.”

“You don’t have to.”

Alika replied, softly shaking her head.

“Alika, do you want me to give you some tags?”

I asked, extending my hand out to Alika to offer the remaining four I had for her.

“Ah! No, it’s alright, I’ll just take two, I have more than Reine, anyway.”

She smiled as she took the two tags from my hand.

“No, you don’t.”

Reine muttered, turning to Alika with a confused pout on her lips.

“I picked up two more when you were possessed, I was going to give them to you!”

Alika explained, lying straight to Reine’s face but I’m not going to argue with her about it, there’s no point in doing so, just wasted energy.

“Oh, well thank you!”

Reine grinned, jumping forwards and grinning from ear to ear.

“Anyways, we don’t have a lot of time left so I think we should finish collecting as many tags as possible before the exam’s over! Mesio, do you wanna join me and Alika?”

She asked, looking directly at me. I paused for a moment, thinking the offer over, I never wanted to team with anybody purely because I didn’t want to compete or entertain Korina, but teaming with Reine and Alika wouldn’t do either of those things, and in retrospect, I had already been working with Alika for the past forty minutes.

So, I smiled and gave a small nod,

“Sure, why not?”

Once the exam had finished, we were ushered back into the office, where the tension in the air seemed to fall heavier than ever before. Not just because people were worried about passing or not, but because Miss Floros sat there, staring at us all in silence with these falcon eyes. She wasn’t happy, she never was, so she was either livid or in deep thought about a decision, neither of which are good.

The silence was broken by her sigh as she stood up from her desk, her hands on the table as she continued to eye everybody in the office with her as she spoke,

“In all my years of running this organisation, never has an exam gone so terribly. I am truly at a loss for words.”

She paused for another few seconds, the panic in the room rising with each moment of silence.

“Does this mean nothing to any of you? The future of your people, the security of your homes, your pride, your gratitude, does none of it matter to any of you? Is it simply a joke? Eneko and Nikola, I cannot even disqualify the both of you because if I did then there wouldn’t be enough for even one proper division. You two are scheduled for physical training during all your breaks this week. Is that understood?”

She asked, her eyes fixed on Eneko, and Nikola.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The two nodded, Caius nudging my arm as Korina’s lecture finished.

“The hell happened?”

He asked in a whisper, thick eyebrows slightly furrowed in an entertained yet concerned curiosity.

“Tell you later.”

I uttered, as Miss Floros seated herself back at her desk.

“Now, announcing the divisions, starting with division seven which will contain 28091999, Caius, 10092010, Hei-Ran Ryu, 31122003, Lixue, and 02112008, Nikola Novak. Congratulations on passing your exams and good luck on your future endeavours.”

She said, with everybody giving a slow, unenthusiastic applause for the new graduates, all except Caius, who had a wide smile on his face like it was his first time graduating again. Reine held her head down, hiding behind Alika as if she had already failed the exam and was trying to escape Nikola’s mockery before the announcement had even happened.

“As for the special investigative division with Rasulov, 31082013, Alika Ekubo, 21052001, 25122007, Mesio, 04082002, Reine will be working alongside the detective. Are there any further questions?”

She asked, eyeing the four of us like a hawk. Reine suddenly peaked out from behind Alika, her eyes wide with shock as switched her gaze from me, Alika, and Miras, awaiting our responses.

“Yes, I am fine with this selection.”

I nodded.

“So am I.”

Alika chimed in, a small smile on her face as we all seemed to turn our attention to Miras who gave a small shrug.

“I don’t think I would rather work with anybody else.”

They spoke.

“How about you, Reine?”

As soon as the room’s attention as on her Reine’s face burnt up and she began stumbling over her words, fidgeting with her hands, yet, despite her nervous disposition, there was an unmistakable and honest smile on her face, I had never seen anybody so happy in my life.

“Yes, yes! I more than happy about it!”

She stuttered, trying to focus her attention on Miss Floros and appear as stoic as possible, which was to no avail, her smile seemed to grow bigger the more she tried to repress it.

“Thank you, thank you so much, ma’am! I won’t disappoint you; I swear!”

She saluted, eyes bright with joy.

“I’m sure that won’t happen! You were amazing out there! I was bedazzled! I can’t wait to start working with the three of you next week! Oh, and… Miras too… I guess…”

The President laughed from beside Miss Floros who did not seem to be too impressed with the banter.

“I know I can wait.”

Miras sighed, grabbing their suitcase and walking out from behind the desk with two envelopes and passing one to Caius, who thanked Miras and immediately opened it upon being gifted it. The envelope Caius was gifted contained a map with directions to the new dorms and keycards to enter, he handed a keycard to each of his new division members with a wide smile across his face. I am under the assumption that the envelope Miras has yet to open contains the same.

“If there are no questions then all of you but Eneko are excused from my office, and may leave to set up your dorms, you will find your luggage already placed in there.”

Floros instructed, and in unison everybody nodded and left through the large door, opposite to her elevator and into a white hallway.

“Hold on, let me open the thing.”

Miras muttered, sitting their suitcase up and slicing the envelope open by simply sliding their long fingernail under the paper flap, removing the map and handing the envelope with now, only the keycards inside to Alika who passed a keycard to me and Reine while Miras studied the map.

“Reine!”

Lixue called out, running over to us with Caius and Hei-Ran watching in the distance.

“What happened during the exam?”

“Oh, yeah, but it’s all okay now, why?”

Reine smiled, I don’t understand how she can say it is okay now, especially when the bastard is still going to be living here, he’s going to hold a grudge.

“Well, it’s just… well, it’s just that when Miras made that announcement I panicked, and I felt kind of bad about things that I said last week and everything because when I went past the place with Caius a little while after I saw a bunch of blood and I uhm…”

Lixue paused for a moment, white cheeks pink, looking over his shoulder to see if Caius and Hei-Ran were still watching him.

“Look, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about anything I said to you. I didn’t mean anything I said, and I didn’t want to demean or belittle you or anything like that, I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I didn’t take it personally anyways! I’ve been told worse things.”

Reine grinned.

“Well, that’s good.”

Lixue nodded, taking a few steps back.

“Congratulations on being put in a division and everything, by the way.”

“Thanks, you did a good job too!”

Reine smiled.

“Thank you.”

Lixue nodded, giving Reine a small wave.

“I’ll see you later, Caius and Hei-Ran are waiting for me.”

He said, right before racing off and walking to his new dorm with the two of them.

“What was that about?”

Miras asked, watching Caius, Hei-Ran, and Lixue walk away.

“Oh, it’s nothing you need to worry about, we just had a small dispute a while ago and he’s apologising for that.”

Reine shrugged.

“Besides the point, what do you mean there was an announcement? And blood?”

“Ohhh right, you weren’t conscious. Eneko possessed you and then tried to slit his own wrists with your body, that’s why I made that announcement about the gas leak, that way people would panic and rush to intervene.”

Miras explained, completely deadpan as they did so.

“What?”

Reine grimaced, the bight-eyed, excited smile on her face disappearing almost instinctively upon Miras’ explanation.

“Yeah, but luckily Alika and Mesio saved you, and now he’s not gonna be put in a division ever so I reckon that everybody is safe, and nobody has to go through something like that.”

Miras concluded, grabbing their suitcase, straightening the map and clearing their throat.

“Anyways, we should start heading to our dorms now. I’m tired.”

“You didn’t even do anything.”

I added as we began to walk off.

“Tired from anaemia.”

Miras replied, turning to me with sharp, amber eyes, almost like that of a cat.

“And you people have me waking up earlier than I usually go to bed.”

“If you’re going to bed after 5am I think that is reflective of a much larger issue.”

I said, following behind the detective.

“Is that so?”

They muttered as we reached the end of the hallway. The dormitories for graduates, from my knowledge, were on the other side of the campus, so it would be a fairly long journey until we reached them, and yet, Alika and Reine were giggling with excitement about the thought of sharing a room with each other, apathetic to the distance of our destination.

“Alika, do you think when we move into our dorms, they’ll let us decorate them? Do you think they’ll have bunkbeds like they did in the old ones?”

Reine asked Alika, her voice quick and eager.

“I’m not sure, I’ve heard they change it up, personally, I’m fine with either.”

Alika smiled.

“Well, if they do have a room with bunkbeds, I want that one if that’s okay with Mesio and Miras.”

Reine said, turning to me and Miras as we walked.

“I’m fine with you two taking the bunkbeds.”

I replied.

“Me too.”

Miras nodded, head down in the map, not looking up for anything.

“So, I guess that means the two of us will be sharing a dorm. Are you alright with that?”

They asked me.

“I guess, why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason in particular, I just figured you might’ve heard something or whatever.”

Miras explained, looking up from the map very briefly and at me.

“I haven’t heard anything negative about you if that is what you are wondering, and if you’re talking about your ability, I don’t really care about that either. As long as we can finish our tasks without trouble.”

I explained to which Miras hummed; I think they must’ve been smiling under the face mask.

“I like that answer.”

abNORMALITY

Raised in the Allied Abnormality Association, an organisation that takes in those with abilities (abnormalities) and provides them housing and jobs, Reine wants nothing more than to repay her leader, Floros, for her kindness by becoming a soldier. However, with her less than conventional ability to create clay from her fingertips, Reine finds herself thrown into every job except the one that she wants, and two weeks before her graduation she is forced to work with the apathetic and lazy detective, Miras Rasulov to solve supernatural related crimes within the country of Adasall while Miras finishes their contract and revolution stirs on the streets.

Chapter One; I am...

Reine's Perspective

I frequently find myself asking again and again, ‘what makes a good follower?’

And I think it goes beyond simply following instructions, that life is a story, a play of sorts and to be a good follower you must act according to the role in which you were born into. It doesn’t matter what cards you were given or how much the leader benefits you, it is still your duty to follow them, and it is self-entitled to disobey authority considering that all leaders are actively looking out for your best interest.

If you can’t be a good follower, you cannot be a good person, your duties as a human being are to be diligent, motivated, honest, and above all, obedient.

Rebellion is the lowest of sins, those who are rebellious are entirely self-interested and only wish to see the destruction of society as the rules that we form as a collective do not matter to sinners.

That is what the Association’s soldiers are here for; to keep sinners in check and I am going to be a soldier.

At least, I hope so, I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, I think being pessimistic is the second worst thing to be, after being defiant. It’s just that I’m a sardine amongst a bunch of tuna in this in this place, I shouldn’t get too excited. But I can feel myself beginning to smile, and my arms begin to itch from the inside, getting restless from me holding them stoically at my sides.

I need to humble myself.

“What are you so smiley for?”

A tall girl asked, almost snarling as she did so with her hand on her hip. This was Nikola Novak, one of the Association’s highest-ranking members when it came to brute strength, at only eighteen! She is everything this organisation looks for.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I replied, the gears pulling the elevator up violently clanged, giving Nikola even more ammunition and more reason to believe that I shouldn’t be here as I felt myself shiver at the noise.

“Really? Because your whole dork-ish energy is stinking up the whole room, and I don’t see what for, you’ll be cleaning bathrooms in a minute, you’re just a free janitor, and as if janitor’s get paid much anyways.”

Nikola continued, bending down to my eyeline as she spoke. After a short pause Nikola stood up straight, right hand on her hip with some kind of demonic smile like she was about to unhinge her jaws like a monster and eat me whole.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you actually think you’re going to be in a military division with the rest of us?.”

She snickered.

I knew she was laughing at me, she typically would, but it’d be a betrayal to myself if I lied even if it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, I don’t really care what she has to say about me, she’s a training soldier, not a training spokeswoman.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ve been working hard, I don’t think Floros has any reason not to let me participate with the rest of you.”

I replied, my eyebrows tensing a little in frustration while a sly itch crawled up my spine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to hit me for saying that with even the slightest hint of aggression.

“I ranked third in our year’s agility assessment, and sure, third place is nothing to be proud of, but I’ve gotten stronger and quicker since! I’ve gotten nominated for a lot of value rewards too, and I also aced history!”

“You aced history?”

Nikola asked, quickly cutting me off with an uncharacteristically deadpan expression.

“Yes.”

I nodded, too confident and sure of my response. There was a spilt moment of quiet before Nikola’s mouth opened wide, and she let out an ear-splitting witch-ish laugh.

“And what’s that going to do for you on the battlefield?”

She spoke, a sharp, mocking grin wiped across her face, still laughing at me a bit, she was going to laugh again when I answered her.

“You going to tell KArma about the founding of the association, the very thing they’re trying to destroy when they’re holding you at gunpoint? You’re a joke! God, I would be so happy if Floros let you graduate if it wasn’t going to embarrass the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I mean that my good reports tell her that I’m organised and good at following instructions! Of course I wouldn’t tell them that, I’d beat their asses!”

“Uh… huh… and with THAT ability? You’re going to make a little stop motion film for them with a song and dance telling them to stop bombing us because it’s illegal? As if your playdough ability is good for anything, you just cause mess wherever you go.”

Words fired out of Nikola’s mouth like a machine gun with foam for bullets, a lot of words, they didn’t hurt, but there was no end to it and that was the worst thing. I know responding to her is what she wants, I know she will just keep talking if I keep responding, but I feel like my mouth runs with her.

Besides, I have a right to be excited, my joy has never been at her expense, so I don’t see why she’s so angry about it, perhaps she’s just miserable, but that is the last of my problems. If she’s sad or angry she should keep that inside like the rest of us, like a normal person instead of purposefully inconveniencing everybody.

“Of course, the first thing your childish self mentions is playdough.”

A girl monotonously mumbled from behind Nikola, sitting on the cold floor with her back against the wall and twirling her long red hair in boredom, not even caring to spare Nikola a glance. This was Hei-Ran.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Nikola turned her attention to Hei-Ran, who seemed a lot less bothered than me by Nikola’s presence. I felt my face relax as Hei-Ran became the new victim of her focus.

“What's meant to mean what?”

Hei-Ran asked, turning to face Nikola now with her dark eyes forcibly widened and her voice notably softer, as if she was talking to a toddler.

“You said something, you said, ‘your childish self’, I want to know what you mean by that.”

Nikola responded, her sharp, thin eyebrows furrowed, less so in anger but more in confusion as her tone seemed to be a little softer than it was when she was speaking to me.

Maybe I should be taking notes.

“Are you sure it was me who said that? I didn’t say anything at all.”

“No, I’m sure, it was definitely you who said that.”

Nikola doubled down, turning to everybody else in the elevator, beginning to question herself now, she asked,

“She said something, right?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

A taller boy with short black hair, two white streaks in the front, thick eyebrows, and sharp black, void-ish eyes hidden behind rectangular glasses said. This tall, dark man was Mesio, he was almost as strong as Nikola, though, if knowledge is power, I’d say he’s much stronger than her.

“Me neither.”

Another boy spoke, shorter than Mesio with wavy, dark brown, chin length hair that was similar to mine, with a deep scar running down his right eye. The scarred boy’s name was Eneko. He must have a really good ability to succeed as a spy because physically speaking he isn’t much but every time I’ve asked about it, he’s shrugged me off… he’s shrugged me off whenever I’ve asked him about anything to be honest.

“Are you sure Reine didn’t say anything?”

Eneko asked, and almost instinctively as he said my name, directing Nikola’s attention back to me, my heart dropped like a ten-thousand-ton brick from the Eiffel tower.

“No! No! No! No! I didn’t say anything!”

I shouted, the pitch of my voice reaching frantic heights as I pushed my way out from behind Nikola so if she chose to snap at me, I wouldn’t be pinned against the wall.

“Well did you hear anything?”

Nikola asked, leaning down to my level once again.

“No, I heard nothing!”

“She didn’t hear anything because nobody said anything, right guys?”

Hei-Ran asked, eyeing all six of us in the elevator to ensure that everyone was on board with what she wanted us to respond with.

“No, none of us heard anything.”

A girl adjacent from Hei-Ran by the name of Alika responded, softly shaking her head from side to side, her curly blonde ponytail swaying with each motion of her head. She’s like the association’s princess.

“Yeah, nobody said anything.”

The youngest one out of all of us, Lixue, said, his white hair, snow-white skin, and his grey ski-jacket making him stand out immensely from the rest of us in our uniform. He always looked cold, no matter how sunny it was.

“Maybe you’re just going crazy? I do know that it’s common for veterans to hallucinate, matter of fact, I had a friend who did exactly that… What was his name again...”

Our year’s supervisor, Caius said, trialling off as he spoke. Unlike the rest of us who were lying, he was probably the only one of us who actually didn’t hear anything. Floros told us that Caius got caught up in some freak landmine accident with the rest of his division and suffered severe head trauma because of it. Bless his soul.

“I’m not a veteran! I still haven’t even graduated!”

Nikola shouted Caius down, her fists clenched in a tight ball as she did so.

“But aren’t we going to be assigned missions?”

Caius asked, his dark lazy eye making Nikola’s mannerisms a little funnier to watch as her gaze kept switching from one eye to the other.

“Yes, but it's more like work experience for us, we graduate in three weeks and that’s when we’ll be put in actual divisions and given real tasks like you used to.”

Alika explained.

“Ohhh, I see.”

Caius nodded in understanding.

“We’ve been doing this since forever, God, are you that demented?!”

Nikola shouted again, folding her arms and rolling her eyes as if the man with brain damage should’ve known better.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep up, I can’t see you putting in any effort to slow down.”

Caius said, his bushy eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Because when KArma comes, they won’t slow down for you, it’s not my fault you can’t keep up, it's not my fault you can’t keep to the standard.”

“The standard?”

Mesio asked, raising an eyebrow at what Nikola was implying.

“Yes, the standard. Face it, if we got every single abnormality and I mean it, every single one, then I might have to break a sweat because the bozos out there were smart enough to evade this place unlike all of you.”

Nikola boasted, flicking her hair as if she was doing something.

“You’re contradicting yourself.”

I blurted out. Again, I know it’s stupid to engage with her, but sometimes she says the oddest things that anybody with a working mouth and mind is obliged to turn around and correct her.

“What do you mean?”

Nikola asked, walking from the centre of the elevator back over to me.

“I mean what you said doesn’t make any sense, if you’re calling all of us stupid for being here doesn’t that make you stupid as well?”

I explained, folding my arms as I spoke to her. She looked taken aback by what I was saying despite the fact it was just common sense, her cheeks were a bright red and her thin eyebrows furrowed further and further into her skull. I began to fear that they would cut into her skin.

“No! You just don’t get it because you’re retarded, Reine!”

Nikola screamed, her ear-splitting voice breaking the sound barrier and bursting all of our eardrums like bloody pimples.

Everyone fell silent for a short while, not quite expecting her to suddenly scream like that, especially not me as it was right in my ear. I was so disoriented and dizzy from her volume that I didn’t even really notice was she said until Hei-Ran looked up and said,

“Are you seriously being ableist right now?”

And if Nikola’s face wasn’t red before, it was red now. Not that she cared about being ableist, no, but because as Hei-Ran said that everybody’s expressions immediately shifted, some to frustration but most from shock to this scheming little grin. She was not going to live this down, and she knew it.

“The eye slasher has made her new debut as the slur slinger! Wow!”

Eneko cheered, clapping his hands together to sarcastically applaud her with a big grin.

“Really, how old are you?”

Lixue scowled, shaking his head.

“Seventeen, but you know, I am slow so I could be very wrong.”

Caius crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, for all we know she might be seven.”

Lixue continued, a humoured smile on his face as he replied to Caius.

“It’s not a slur! Tell me literally where it says it is one!”

Nikola continued to scream rather than talk at a civil volume in the cramped space that we were trapped in.

“Look it up in a dictionary, it's a pejorative.”

Mesio explained, not shocked that somebody like Nikola wouldn’t know something like this.

“That’s not true! You’re lying!”

Nikola shouted, pointing accusationally at Mesio.

“Lying about it being a slur? Because I just saidー”

“No, lying about pre-jaw-ra-dives, that is a word you made up!”

Nikola cut Mesio off, her eyes darting frantically around the elevator.

“What? Why would I make up an entire word to mess with you?!”

“Because Hei-Ran would, and you pricks agree with her on everything! I know I heard her say something to me and you’re all gaslighting me!”

Nikola continued to rant, backing into the elevator’s door to yell at everybody.

“This is lies, manipulation, and slander! You guys are bullying me, you’re bullying me and then lying to my face to make me feel stupid!”

Suddenly the doors from behind Nikola opened, not that she seemed to take much notice, but she certainly would take a lot of care about it, as behind her, sitting at a shiny rosewood desk and dressed in a sharp, navy coat, was our saviour, the founder of the association, Korina Floros. The rest of us fell silent and began to wonder how long it would take for Nikola to realise the judging eyes on her.

“You know what? Screw you guys! Screw Reine, screw Mesio, and screw Hei-Ran especially! I hate her the most! And I am reporting this to HR because I have a right to feel safe in a work environment and you guys are persecuting me!”

Nikola shouted, backing into Floros’ desk.

“Is that so?”

Floros asked, her cold voice sending chills down Nikola’s spine as she slowly turned her head around to face her, face as white as a ghost.

“Ah, Floros, it’s always a pleasure to see you!”

Nikola stammered, cowardly walking further into her office, her steps slow and rigid as if there were heavy weights chained to her feet.

“And the same goes for you too.”

Floros nodded, before standing up from her large, back, chair to address all of us, picking up a small, white remote from her desk and turning on the large projector from behind her that contained all the association’s living graduates and seniors and what their allocated missions for the week were. However, there were so many names and jobs on the screen in such small fonts that I really couldn’t even figure out where to begin looking for my name.

“Same as per usual, I want everybody to continue with their usual jobs for the remaining three weeks before your graduation. Which means, Alika, you will continue to volunteer at our hospital. Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola, you will all continue with your usual schedule in preparation for a possible attack from KArma, Eneko, our schedule is clear, so I want you to tour and teach Mesio the ins and outs of your intelligence units.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eneko grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod with his response.

“And Reine,”

Floros said, turning directly to me.

“Yes?”

I felt my chest tighten with excitement to hear my own name.

“Your job is to clean the bathrooms. You’re all dismissed.”

WHAT?!

The tight feeling in my chest felt like it ripped open and was going to swallow me whole. Bathrooms? How?! AGAIN?! I’ve worked so hard, I’ve done the best I can, I’m never late, I’m always wearing my uniform right, and I’ve been banished to the bathrooms again

Nikola let out a snicker as everybody began to make their leave, but I wasn’t going to have it. Selfish as it is, I don’t care, I had to say something.

“Wait, can’t I join Caius and everybody just for today?”

I asked, my heart pounding in my ears in a frustrated fear.

“Why?”

Floros asked, her face stone cold. She had this effect on everybody during any direct confrontation. She could make the most heartless soldiers tuck their tails with one fatal glare. I had to choose my words carefully.

“Well… it's just that I think I’ve worked so hard that I deserve to have a more… rewarding job. I really want to be a part of our forces, and since I’m so close to graduation I think it only makes sense for meー”

“You think that the good hygiene of our community isn’t rewarding, Reine?”

Floros cut me off. I could practically feel Nikola’s mocking gaze burn through me as Floros continued to speak.

“If you know how hard our soldiers work then you would know that we cannot afford to have an outbreak of dysentery. Our hospitals are packed as it is, you can ask Alika about it, she’ll tell you. Do you really want to put more work, more stress, on your friends?”

“No ma’am.”

I stammered, shaking my head.

“Then you will do your part with a smile like the rest of us, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I nodded, my cheeks burning a faint pink in embarrassment.

“Good girl.”

Floros nodded, a faint, pleased smile resting on her cracked lips.

“Now, you’re dismissed, I have other meetings to attend to.”

She ordered, and without a second thought, me along with everybody else left her office through the large rosewood door opposite to the elevator.

“What did I say? What did I say, Reine?!”

Nikola laughed, running up to me as soon as the door closed from behind us, wrapping her arm around my neck. I think that gesture is meant to be friendly, but when it's done by Nikola it feels like a headlock and I can hardly breathe.

“Leave her alone. You’ve been at her all morning.”

Alika pouted, her arms folded in annoyance.

“Alright, alright!”

Nikola sighed, rolling her eyes and loosening her grip around my neck before making her way off with everybody else.

“But hey, I’ll be sure to tip you!”

She waved; her cackle echoing through the halls as she left my sight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

I let out a heavy sigh with my head hung in exhaustion. I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Are you okay?”

Alika asked, her fair eyebrows turned upwards in concern. My heart began to race again as she spoke, not that she’s a scary person, her voice is so soft, like an angel but just because I’m a skittish personー or so I’ve been told. I’m getting concerned about dying from a heart attack one day.

“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just a little ticked off. But I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

I spoke as though the words were racing out of my mouth to respond to her and assure her that I was alright. But I suppose that that level of panic is reasonable, if Floros knew I was really upset about this I doubt it would go down well, and I’m lucky to be here in the first place.

“Are you sure? I mean, it's almost every day that she picks on you, and being assigned as a janitor after all that training must be… humbling to say the least.”

“It’s beyond just humbling, its humiliating.”

Once again, my mouth ran without thinking of the possible consequences. I knew I was going to elaborate more on why it was embarrassing, Alika would’ve wanted me to or else she would’ve never asked and if I couldn’t express my feelings, it’d just give me an eternal itch in my head. Talking about it would relieve the itch and put a guilty pit in my chest, but if Alika was trustworthy the pit would disappear, and I would be right.

“I mean, like you just said, it's all that work for nothing. It’s not just the fact that I made sure I was presentable today to prove I cared or something stupid like that to her, the fact I straightened my hair, buttoned up my blazer, I covered my freckles, and I shined my shoes, it's the fact that my entire life, my entire meaning is to serve her and well technically I am it just… it just wasn’t meant to be like this.” 

It was physically painful to not scream and shout about how frustrated I was, but I knew I was too old for that behaviour and what I was saying, what I was feeling was already wrong. Floros knows what’s best for me.

Suddenly, Alika’s dark eyes widened with some kind of grand realisation,

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“What is?”

“You’re trying too hard to be somebody you’re not. You’re trying so hard to embody her expectations and other people that you’re not embracing your strengths. You just need to walk in there as yourself, as Reine, am I making sense?

Alika explained, tilting her head a little to the left.

 ‘No, no, you’re making sense but it’s just not that easy. You and Nikola were born into this stuff, all you have to do is just walk up, flash your powers and everybody fawns. What can I do? Stop motion?”

“Didn’t you just say you aced history and scored third on the agility test? Just because you’re not effortlessly skilled doesn’t mean that you can never become skilled, you’re quick and even quicker at learning, you’ll figure something out. Just use your head and work more on supporting yourself instead of changing. If you lock in this week then I don’t doubt that things will start looking up for you.”

“I see… so you think I should just be myself?”

I nodded, trying to clarify the information I was being told. I understand what she means, it's just that I’m very sceptical about how well her idea will work.

“Precisely, now I’ve got to go to the train station or else I’ll be late, but I’ll see you around, and good luck with your tasks!”

Alika waved, turning away to leave before she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face me.

“Oh, don’t straighten your hair again. It looks better the way it naturally is.”

I’m not a slacker, I’d be better off dead than slacking so I cleaned those bathrooms thoroughly and without a single break, not even for lunch. I mean, it only makes sense, right? In the trenches I wouldn’t be eating much anyways, so I should semi-prepare myself for that, I can’t let my stomach go soft on me and I can’t let myself forget what’s important, work. I am my work and my work makes me, I am happy like this, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling existence. Which is why Floros is my saviour, she gives me my work, and without my work I am nothing and I’m not going to lie, I reckon I’m everything right now. I ensured that those bathrooms were spotless, any ordinary man would walk in to do their business and they’d be brought to tears at the pure bright light basically radiating from the entire room.

It's light work.

Now all I must do is this every day for the next six days. If I do this well every time, then she will have no choice but to allow me to fight! My diligence and obedience are unmatched.

After signing myself off at attendance I went downstairs to grab a slice of toast from the canteen. I would’ve had jam with it but that would’ve been greedy, besides, kids will enjoy and need the food more than me because they need to grow healthy and strong to fight for us.

Plain toast is good enough anyway, it could’ve just been plain bread (which still is good).

But whether I taste sugar on my tongue right now isn’t necessarily my biggest concern, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to eat. Typically, I sit on my own as I eat because Nikola usually harasses me, or I’m cut in line by the entire organisation, and I miss out on breakfast altogether because there’s nothing left!

But not today, I’ve worked my ass off.

I quickly eye off Alika, Hei-Ran, and Mesio having a conversation in the far corner of the dining hall and I approach them.

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?”

I asked, a little embarrassed to be doing so, it felt super desperate.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hei-Ran nodded, shuffling her bag over to make room for me on the bench. I was always a little frightened by her tone, she seemed really hard-on and cold whenever I saw her talk to Nikola, but that moment she seemed kind of gentle. Did something change or have I always misread her?

Nonetheless, I sat myself next to her and put my plate of toast in front of me. I didn’t really feel like eating, not because I wasn’t hungry, I was, it’s just a little exposing to eat in front of others. Once Nikola caught me eating and then put me in a headlock so I’d choke, I know these people wouldn’t do that, but if I ate, I’d basically be telling them that they could do that.

“You didn’t straighten your hair today!”

Alika gasped, her dark eyes wide with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said it looked better natural and since you’re really pretty I felt like it just made sense for me to listen to you.”

I explained, feeling my cheeks and ears burn up as I did so.

“I like it, it looks super cute, and it suits you a lot, you look really pretty.”

Alika smiled.

All this woman does is make my heart do gymnastics and make me feel like I am about to die.

Alika, curly blonde hair slicked back into this neat bun, big, black, beautiful eyes, crystal clear skin, plum two-toned lips the bottom lip this adorable baby pink colour, long legs, mature figure, long, slender hands with the most stunning nails. She was beautiful without any effort, standing next to her I look like I’ve just graduated seventh grade.

Alika Ekubo, princess popular, literal angel on Earth, thinks that I’m pretty.

SHE THINKS I’M PRETTY?!

I’m giddy with shock, suffocated in surprise, but I’ve got to respond or else I’ll look like a fool. So I just look off to the side and let out a small,

“Thank you.”

And begin eating my toast, I feel safe doing so now.

“So, is the hospital as busy as it usually is?”

Hei-Ran asked Alika, resting her head on her hand in boredom.

“Oh, yeah, it’s hectic, but it's easy for me. Lots of broken bones from the kids and scouts, all I really need to do is flick my wrist and they’re good as new.”

Alika explained, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about how she described it. Not for her but for myself, I mean it’s common sense that Alika is impressive but it's difficult to be constantly supportive of the best as an underling when all they do is humble brag, rubbing it in that you were born shorthanded.

“Oh, sick. So, Reine, when you’re done scrubbing shit stains then you can go help out Alika at the hospital.”

Hei-Ran casually suggested, as if it wasn’t a bombshell of words that she just dropped on me.

“Is that allowed?”

I asked, my brows feeling tight with worry.

“Probably not, but I skip all the time, and nobody has ever caught me or said anything, so you’ll be fine.”

Hei-Ran’s words were tempting but I held my ground as she continued. I was not going to blow my chances at becoming a soldier by abandoning my station.

“I mean, if you wanna be sweeping the floors for the rest of your days that’s your choice, Korina’s view of you isn’t gonna shift no matter how hard you try to make it so you may as well do the little things that you wanna do.”

“Don’t tempt her, Hei-Ran, if she wants to skip, let her, if she doesn't, who cares?”

Mesio scolded Hei-Ran as if he was a teacher telling off a student.

“I’m not tempting her; I’m just telling her as it is. She can do whatever she wants, I’m just telling her that, isn’t that right, Reine?”

Hei-Ran turned to me, looking for my support.

“Yeah.”

I agreed, not really wanting to start an argument or feeling too passionately against or for wagging my mission. I mean, of course I’d stay, but I don’t think I would care if somebody wagged a mission unless I was working with them of course.

“Which is why I’m not gonna leave and do something else, it's my duty to stay here and do the work that Floros has assigned me. I can’t abandon it. Besides, if I want to become a soldier and she catches me not doing my work I can say goodbye to everything.”

“That’s a fair point…”

Hei-Ran uttered before shrugging her shoulders and sighing,

“Alright, suit yourself.”

I smiled back at her and nodded,

“Mhm, I will.”

And peacefully enjoyed what remained of the morning with the three of them. It's not often that I feel so at ease but around these people it's as easy as breathing. I feel kind of happy to be around them even though I know it’s wrong, I think, just right now, I don’t care about what’s wrong.

However, this feeling of peace was short lived, as after ten minutes of our conversation Eneko rushed in, heading over to me, half-done bandages falling off his thigh, and his knee-high brown boots, squeaking against the tiles of the hallway and the cafeteria.

“Reine!”

He cried out to me, tripping over his bandage as it finally came completely undone, resulting in a nasty cut forming on his right knee on the impact. He winced in pain as I immediately got up to help him.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked, jumping out of my seat to tend to Eneko’s bleeding knee.

“No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself.”

Eneko assured me, pulling his leg away from me as if he was trying to hide his leg.

“Uhm, Korina, she wants to see you.”

My eyes must’ve lit up at the mere mention of her name. Korina? Korina Floros?

Is this it?

Is this finally it?

“Floros?”

I repeated, trying my best not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yes, it's about the bathrooms, they’reー”

Eneko went to explain but was cut off by the piercingly loud screeches of the speakers.

“Contaminated abnormality 04082002, Reine, report to the admin's office immediately!”

A robotic voice bellowed throughout the hall, and with the mention of my name everybody’s gaze became fixed onto me. The eagerness bubbling inside me quickly deflated as I looked at Eneko’s almost pitiful expression, something was wrong.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

Eneko sighed, opening his hand for me to take it. I couldn’t even find the words to respond, my face had gone ice cold, and I could hardly think of anything at all, like my brain had given up on me. I just gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eneko nodded, picking himself up off the ground and walking to Floros’ office with me.

The trip to Floros’ was silent and slow, every second that passed the tension gradually got higher and higher. I was kind of wishing that Eneko would just say something, anything, to get the weight of the quiet off me. But he didn't, he just looked straight ahead with a cold face.

Eventually, we did arrive and as the elevator’s doors opened and to what they revealed, well, if I was scared before, I was petrified now. Behind that classy, rosewood desk was of course Floros, but seated in front of her with a smile that I can only describe as true evil was Nikola, using all her physical strength to keep her mouth shut to stop herself from laughing.

“Have a seat, Reine.”

Floros ordered.

I sat myself down on the set to the right of Nikola, feeling my breath lose its steady rhythm, becoming sharp and erratic. Floros simply smiled and turned her attention to Eneko.

“You’re excused.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He nodded, quickly scurrying off and out through the door. Once he had left Floros immediately turned her attention back to me, her sharp red-ish eyes piercing through all of my being.

“Reine, did you or did you not clog the bathrooms yesterday?”

“What? No?!”

I gasped, trying my best to calm myself down and not double down on the conclusions that were taunting the emotional part of my brain. Maybe it was just an error with the plumbing.

“Then why is there a flood pouring out from the girl’s bathrooms on the third floor? Why did we find two entire packs of tampons in the toilet?”

Floros continued. I stared blankly at her in disbelief, no clue how to even respond to what I was being accused of, it's not like anybody would believe me if I denied it. Whether I did do it or not there just needs to be somebody to blame, that is simply how our world works.

Still, I would never even think of doing something so gross in my life, and if honesty is a value here, if Alika thinks I need to be myself, then I will defend myself.

“I didn’t do it; I would never do something like that! You have to believe me, please, I would never lie to you, and you know how much the association means to me. I don’t want to ruin everything before it even starts, please, please listen to me.”

I pleaded, begged, for her trust in hopes that somewhere, somewhere deep inside of her that she could find it within the pits of her soul to be kind to me just this one moment.

“But weren’t you angry about being assigned as the janitor? You’re the only person who would have any reason to do such a thing.”

Nikola added, crossing her legs as if she was just completely unbothered by what I’m assuming that she’s trying to do to me. Again, not shocked by it, she’s never been kind to anybody, me in particular, I understand to an extent why she is that way, I’m way too confident in the little strength I have. But to try to sabotage my job, my life?

“I’m listening to you, Nikola.”

Floros nodded, my chest caved in even more at the sight of it and I shot up from my seat.

“No, no, no you don’t understand! I didn’t… I didn’t do anything at all, I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I spent the whole day cleaning the bathrooms and then I went to bed! And hell, if some elaborate accident did happen then I obviously didn’tー”

“There are no accidents here, accidents are reckless which is not a trait that I would ever want to see in my soldiers.”

Floros cut me off with words cutting even sharper.

“Reine, you will discontinue your tasks, and you are to not return here until further notice.”

“Butー”

I squeaked, trying to get a word in before Floros stood up, looking down at me as if she was some kind of angered and violent god.

“There is no ‘but’, this is an order, do you understand me?”

Her voice bellowed, firm and steady, shouting without any emotion.

I sheepishly nodded my head in response,

“Yes ma’am.”

Floros nodded her head, and with her hands behind her back her words stabbed at me again,

“Then leave, and don’t come back until I say so.”

Hello!

I still don't exactly know how to use this but one of my mutuals on tiktok suggested that I start posting the script here so let's hope this goes well! (≧∇≦)ﾉ

My name is Akira and I hope you all enjoyed reading the first chapter of the second draft of a little project I'm working on called abNORMALITY, I've been working on this for a little over a year now and I am very excited and hopeful that this reaches more people. Please enjoy it and stay for the rest of the story, thank you!!

If you liked this, you can read some of the other chapters on my ao3 or you can see some of my art and some other information and some of my art on my tiktok

[moomixx101]

Chapter Three; Practical Possession (Part One)

Reine's Perspective

“Attention all contaminated abnormalities!”

A familiar youthful voice rung through the speakers.

“Good morning and good day! It is 5am, so it’s time to wake up and get prepared for the day! Remember for our graduating grade that exams are at 7am today, so please head up to administration as soon as you finish your breakfast! Your prideful president wishes you the best of luck. Toodles!”

I opened my eyes and slipped out of bed as the announcements finished, grabbing my clothes that I had tucked away in a little box underneath my bed, trying to pick what to wear for the day.

“They’re at seven? Are we going to be continuing with our regular tasks afterwards?”

Alika asked, turning to Hei-Ran who was walking over towards the wall to which on the dorm’s light switch.

“I hope not.”

Hei-Ran replied.

“I’m actually going to collapse if I have to work for the rest of the day afterwards.”

Alika sighed, rubbing her forehead with her uniform in hand.

“I was working until 1am in the hospital, I honestly don’t care if I get put in a division or not, I just want to go back to sleep.”

She forced out a laugh, backing into the bathroom door.

“I’m sure it wouldn’t matter if you passed or not anyway, you’re going into nursing, right? They have another program for that I’m guessing.”

“That’s what I’m thinking as well, I mean, I was kind of coerced into the whole military thing, but I don’t think she’d be too against me fully pursuing nursing if I did fail. I mean, she wouldn’t really have any other choice, right?”

Alika said, her hand brushing the bathroom door.

“Oh, by the way, do you guys’ mind if I use the bathroom first?”

“No, not at all. I don’t think anybody has a problem.”

Hei-Ran answered, looking around the room to get a gaze on me and Nikola’s expressions regarding the matter.

“No, I have no issue with it.”

I shook my head.

“I certainly don’t either.”

Nikola said, crawling into the bunk underneath her and hiding behind a large mattress cover that she had hung from her top bunk to stop people from looking into the bottom while she changed.

“You should know better than to ask me, it’s common knowledge that I don’t care anymore, considering that you assholes always take forever.”

“Alright, looks like you’re free to go.”

Hei-Ran nodded.

“Okay, thanks!”

Alika smiled, opening the bathroom door and then closing it behind her with a soft ‘click!’. And me and Hei-Ran began to preoccupy ourselves by packing away our other belongings as we were most likely never going to be sleeping in these dorms again.

“Hey, Reine.”

Hei-Ran uttered after a few seconds of silence.

“Yeah?”

“Did Miras leave already?”

She asked, looking at the bed where they once slept completely empty, and luggage gone.

“I assume so, if I remember correctly, they’re not taking the exam.”

I replied, side-eyeing the empty bed with her.

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing, I was just curious. They might’ve gotten sick of this place and decided to run while they still could.”

She continued, I let out of sharp gasp in offence to Hei-Ran’s comment, my jaw dropping in disbelief before she backtracked with,

“I’m joking. But no, I was going to suggest that the two of you team-up if they were taking the exam, they’re weak but they’re getting in despite that, you probably have some of the most stamina out of all of us, so I reckon it’d work in your favour.”

I paused for half a second in thought of her suggestion before letting out a scoff.

“Pfft, as if. I mean, I understand protecting the weak and stuff, and I’m not against doing that but having the weakest links work together is practically a set up for failure.”

“Alright, I’m just saying that if you do this alone it probably won’t work well for you, you should consider who you think is trustworthy and who’s cooperative that way you can increase your odds of passing because Korina will not be ranking your on your individual skill and abilities but rather your ability to be resourceful and work in a team.”

Hei-Ran explained, turning her gaze to me.

“I understand, thank you.”

After getting dressed and having breakfast we made our way to administration in complete silence, it was unusual silence, uncomfortable silence. Typically, Nikola would try picking on somebody and starting a fight, or Alika and Hei-Ran would chatter amongst themselves, or Caius would begin asking everybody how they were, but there was none of that. It appears everybody was in complete understanding that as soon as we started that exam that everybody would have their own agendas, and not everyone would be so merciful about them, and we were all trying to gage would want what and how they were going to get it.

Hei-Ran’s advice continued to linger in the back of my mind as the elevator brought us up, it was a certainty, there was really no way I could pass on my own. At the very least, I wouldn’t achieve anything and slip behind everybody, very worst, Nikola would try to sabotage me.

So, who’s my friend here?

Nikola is out of the question. Lixue is probably really stressed out right now, so I think it’s best to leave him be, he’ll probably team up with Caius anyway. Hei-Ran wouldn’t be against it, Eneko is somewhat on the same level as me and he’s always been kind so I think if anybody would agree to team up it’d be him. I almost forgot about Mesio, I think he’d be fine to work with too, but he isn’t the first person to come to my mind as a partner.

There is one person that I do particularly want to work alongside.

I want to work with Alika.

Alika’s ability is strong, she’s smart, she’s kind and helpful too, she’s everything you’d ever want in a colleague and everything I wanna be. Which is why I want to work with her.

Perhaps if I spend enough time with her, I might become more like her.

Suddenly the elevator came to a sharp halt, and its doors slowly opened in an almost painful way, my impatience had me in a chokehold.

“Good moooorning, everybody!”

Kievit grinned, waving at everybody walking in, making sure not to leave a single soul out.

“Hey, Miras, which one did you say you had a crush on again?”

She smiled even wider, turning her attention to Miras who was seated on Floros’ far right.

“None of them?... What?”

Miras replied, more so confused by the President’s taunting then embarrassed.

“No, don’t tell me Floros is teaching you her boring ways too! I can’t lose you, Miras! Who are you without your spunk? They’ll take your sparkle!”

Kievit whined, her fists clenched in a ball and drumming the air softly.

“I am right here.”

Floros scowled, glaring at the President.

“Yeah, and I think a lot of people's 'sparkle' was taken away a long time ago by somebody I believe you're quite familiar with.”

Miras sighed, their arms folded at Kievit’s theatrics.

“Alas, my heritage does catch up to me! I allow you to go on without me but know that my heart will forever chase after you when you are gone, I shall know no rest!”

Kievit continued the act, letting out an exasperated sigh and covering her eyes with the back of her hands as if she had fainted.

“Okay, you’re doing too much now.”

Miras said, giving Kievit a stink look.

“I agree, there is a time and a place Rineke, and this is not it.”

Floros sighed, not even looking at Kievit and directing her attention straight ahead. Almost instantly as Floros said so, Kievit’s entire energy and confidence deflated, and she shrunk in on herself.

“Sorry…”

Kievit muttered, shuffling in her seat.

“Ahem… Congratulations to the eight of you for making it this far, you should all be very proud of yourselves for your accomplishments thus far, and may you have the best of luck in the future with your careers.”

Floros cleared her throat, standing up from her seat, and grabbing a remote from the table to turn on the projector. The subtle flickering of the projector increasing the nervous atmosphere of the entire room.

“Now, onto the exam. Your objective is simple, collect as many tags that are hidden around the facility as possible, you will also be assessed on your cooperation, resourcefulness, agility, and strength. However, there will be challenges, as this is a simulation of KArma’s base, there will be trip wires that can and will trigger trapdoors, and smoke bombs, so be sure to watch your step. You may also take tags from your peers, but you are forbidden from directly attacking them, is that understood?”

“Yes, Floros.”

The eight of us nodded in unison.

“Good, you all have 120 minutes to complete the exam, I wish you all the best of luck. Please proceed to your left and follow Caius’ lead to the exam room.”

Floros then bid us farewell as we followed her instructions and took the left exit from her office. The silence proceeded to linger, and nerves grew as we then made our way down a stairwell under Caius’ lead, because he had previously taken the exam. And with each step I prayers that I would catch Alika before Nikola caught me got progressively louder and louder.

May God, if there is one, please be on my side now, just this once.

The stairwell led us down to the second basement level, which was a draining thirty-minute walk considering that nobody spoke throughout the time travelling. I am curious as to how Floros doesn’t get bored waiting for everybody to make their way down each year. She was most definitely keeping an eye on us, as the surveillance cameras seemed to meticulously follow us and every step we took making our way down, and even now, in this dark section of the basement, seemingly closed off from the rest of it with a simple wall with twenty, equally as colourful doors blocking off the rest of the basement where the exam would probably commence.

“Thank you for making you way down to the examination room in a civil and orderly manner. Now, please when I call out your ID numbers, enter the doors that I assign you to.”

Floros ordered from one of the microphones, there was a moment of silence before she continued with,

“31082013, Alika Ekubo please enter the first door.”

Alika did as she was told and stepped in front of the first door, as she stood it slid open on its own and before she stepped inside, she turned to the rest of us with a small smile, not one of genuine happiness, her expression felt weirdly sombre, with a tired look behind her eyes.

“Good luck everybody, let’s hope we all make it.”

She said, and before anybody could respond she walked forwards, and the door shut behind her.

Perhaps it was intentional that she walked through before anybody could respond, because there was no possible way that we could all pass and she was aware of the fact.

“28091999, Caius, please enter the fourth door.”

She called, Caius stepping forward now, his metal, prosthetic leg squeaking slightly as he walked.

Caius turned around to face us as Alika did, his smile wide, bearing all his teeth as if he was proud of us for some odd reason, he spoke with his green eye white with light,

“Don’t be so tense guys, I’ve done this before, it really isn’t as hard as you think it is. And if you struggle don’t be afraid to ask for help, I’m your mentor after all, I can take care of it.”

He spoke to reassure everybody, but, in all honesty, I could only feel my spirit deplete more. Caius had horrific burn scars on the right side of his body, had a lazy eye, couldn’t hear well, and was missing a leg, yet he still felt responsible for the rest of us because he’s older than us. Nineteen is not old.

“Just worry about yourself, goldilocks.”

Hei-Ran replied, her arms folded, and her expression bored and dull as it usually was.

“I’ll try to.”

Caius laughed a little before walking through the door in silence.

“21052001, Eneko, please proceed through door seven.”

Floros ordered, and it seemed to appear that the pre-exam pep-talks would cease here as she continued to call out the other names and more people walked through their assigned doors.

“10092010, Hei-Ran Ryu, please proceed through door ten, 31122003, Lixue, please proceed through door thirteen, 25122007, Mesio, please proceed through door sixteen, 02112008, Nikola Novak please proceed through door nineteen, and lastly, 04082002, Reine, please proceed through door twenty.”

A slight chill ran down my spine as I walked through my door, Alika was further way than I thought she’d be, and Nikola was much closer, it was slightly uncomfortable, but just because she was nearby didn’t necessarily mean that we would interact. I had to maintain hope.

On the other side of the door was a small circular room with another door opposite to the one in which I entered through, which I assume must be the entrance to the actual exam, and a wall full of weapons such as guns, knives, axes, grenades, and more. There was also spare military uniform hanging from the wall, I was already wearing my uniform, so I did not need to worry too much about it. But that was not what can’t my attention, see, after noticing the uniform my eyes darted up to the ceiling and a blaring realisation occurred to me there were no cameras inside the room. I picked up a single grenade, just lifting it a little bit above it’s placeholder to ensure that there wasn’t some kind of scale weighing everything.

One, two, three, four…

Nothing, removing the grenade triggered absolutely nothing. I looked around the small room again, just to ensure that cameras didn’t detect anything, and after I was certain I quickly pocketed the grenade and picked up two more.

“Inside your rooms there will be spare uniform you may get changes into if you have forgotten yours’. Weapons on the wall are only to be used under very specific circumstances and the guns are not to be used at all. Please press the green button beside the door when you are ready to begin.”

Floros instructed as I slide a small knife into my vest as soon as she gave the go-ahead and pressed the green button waiting for everybody else to do the same, my heart racing in anticipation. After a good minute the door in front of me opened to reveal a narrow hallway and the speakers started up again,

“Alright, the exam will start now.”

Floros spoke, and I broke into a sprint, feeling wind in my hair despite the indoor environment, my legs were carrying me faster than my thoughts could formulate, but even then, that wasn’t fast enough! I ripped off my glove and leaned forward, the tips of my fingers being shaved off by my speed and the hard concrete as I created a wave of clay from beneath my fingers to ride on.

I kept my eyes wide and open for any bright coloured flags to collect and for Nikola so I could avoid her as best as I could.

And alas, I found one of those things.

Behind a wooden crate towards the end of the hallway I could see a small orange triangle peek out from behind it, stuck to the wall. My eyes locked in at the sight of it and I began to lean further in as a slid towards it, muttering its description under my breath,

“Bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange, bright orange.”

It was almost in arm’s reach now; I stood up a little and prepared to stop to avoid colliding into the crate. However, perhaps it would’ve been better to collide into the crate. As something slammed into my side twice as I made my approach to the tag, once in my abdomen and another pain, a sharper one, in my lower hip, knocking me up against the wall, banging my head against it. I fell to the cold floor and immediately tried to pull myself to my knees to evaluate the situation, the back of my head throbbing slightly from the impact.

And it took not even a minute for me to realise who I smashed into.

Nikola,

Of course.

She was standing in front of me ripping the tag from the wall with a small hole torn into the elbow of her military blouse and a couple of specs of blood on it. My heart instantly sank as I looked down to my pants to see a small puncture wound in my lower left thigh. My heart began the pound even heavier as I pulled myself to my feet and walked towards her, pinches of pain in my hip as I did so.

“Hey! Can you…!”

I called out to her, my voice strained and rattled with my knees giving way from beneath me and half-hearted words only leaving my mouth half-heartedly. Nikola turned to me, her expression stern as she rolled her eyes as I tried to finish my sentence.

“Can you give me the tag?”

“…”

Nikola looked me up and down, almost disgusted by my state.

“Are you serious?”

“Please!”

I begged, making what I could of a run up to Nikola to try to take the tag from her, my voice near scream as tears teased my eyes.

“Please, I need this! Please! You pushed me into the damn wall, I had that tag!”

“Fucking look at yourself!”

Nikola shouted, pulling the tag out of reach and over my head, giving herself a full look of my face, my hideous face.

“Look at yourself, Reine! You’re disgusting, you’re weak, you’re bleeding all over everything! You seem to need a lot of things, but do you even think that anybody needs you? Look at what you do, look at who you are!”

She said, I couldn’t even look at her in that moment, I didn’t want to face it. I hid my face in my hair and held my breath to try to stop myself from crying too much, my vision blurring with the cold sting.

“Ugh.”

Nikola scoffed, even though I had my eyes covered I could hear her feet tread a couple of steps away.

“I have no time for this.”

She sighed, taking some more steps ahead.

“Wait!”

I called out, chasing after her, I’m not sure exactly what I wanted her to wait for, I suppose I just really wanted the tag. But as soon as I caught up and she turned around instead of saying anything her open palm just came plummeting towards my cheek.

“AH!”

I screamed, covering my head with my hands as I instinctively ducked to the ground to only hear the clap of her hand hitting something afterwards. I looked up to see her hands clasped as if she had just clapped them together, because she had.

“…”

Nikola and I stared at each other in silence for a short while, my hands still brace over my head and her eyes sinking into my soul.

“Don’t get back up.”

She ordered before she walked off and ahead of me.

I sat still for a while, waiting for her to get far enough away from me so it’d be safe for me to go. During the wait time, I couldn’t help but imagine what Floros was thinking of me for reacting so desperately to the situation. Nikola is right, Floros doesn’t need me, and she’ll never have any reason to be proud of me.

The runt of the association is static, she cannot grow no matter how much she wants to.  

I felt another twist in my heart as the realisation that I had literally nothing going for me dawn even more. Perhaps most people would simply cry it out, but what is there normal about me? Nobody is coming to comfort me, to make sure that I’m okay, no matter how much I want it to happen. Besides, if Floros saw me just give up and lie in my sorrows what good would that do me? It’s already probable that I’m failing, do I want to ensure it?

I have to get up, I have to keep moving.

So, I pulled myself back to my feet and began slowly walking ahead. The puncture wound was not a big concern of mine, as there wasn’t a mass amount of blood, at least for one of Nikola’s wounds. It really didn’t hurt much at all, I could walk, maybe even run, to get at least one tag. Passing was out of the question, but getting just one tag would show Floros somewhat of something. I didn’t have to work with Alika or anybody, I just needed a tag.

At least, so I thought for a little while, as not even a minute after I got back up a soft voice called out from behind me.

“Reine!”

I turned around to see Alika, waving at me as she chased after me. My heart fluttered a little bit, I was praying that I would have the opportunity to work with her during this exam but now, the situation is pretty unfortunate, I don’t think either of us will pass.

“Alika?”

I squeaked, my eyes wide with surprise yet, I couldn’t seem to bring a smile to my face.

“Shouldn’t you be ahead with the others?”

“I could ask you the same question!”

She giggled, grabbing a couple of tags from her vest and showcasing them to me with open palms, to which I could only stare blankly in bewilderment.

“No, it’s just because there’s a couple of tags at the end of each tunnel and since doors two and three had nobody inside of them, I went to go have a look to make sure there was. You can take them if you want, you can take them all.”

Alika explained, pushing the tags further into my face.

��No, no, there’s no way! They’re yours’, you rightfully earned them! I can’t take them.”

I refused, feeling myself panic a little bit at the offer as I frantically shook my head.

Surely Floros would be even angrier if she saw me take up the tags like this.

“Are you sure? What if we share them?”

Alika asked, bright white smile still wide.

“You mean we should team up?”

I asked, in a bit of disbelief regarding what she was implying. Though I had nothing to prove it, I found it hard to believe that she liked me enough to want to work with me and that there must be some kind of ulterior motive.

“Yes, exactly.”

Alika grinned, basically exorcising any of my doubts.

“We can share the tags, so between the both of us we can take one each and then the third can go to whoever wants it or needs it the most.”

She said, placing two tags in my hands and pocketing only one for herself.

“Hey, you don’t need to give me two! I just told you; you got them, you should keep the most!”

I snapped, handing her back the spare tag with my eyebrows furrowed into my skull.

“Yes, well, you’ve got it now. So, I think that you should keep it.”

“No way! I only got it from you!”

I exclaimed, stamping my foot down in anger before quickly softening more tone and composure as I continued to speak.

“Seriously, take it back. You’re better for this place anyway.”

“Maybe so but I don’t care about this place as much as you do so I really insist that you keep it.”

Alika said, her voice still soft and a smile still painted on her lips as she gently closed my palm. I stared at her for a little while in bliss, I couldn’t help but feel so grateful that I could die but at the same time I couldn’t help but disagree with her. Just because I care doesn’t mean anything.

But instead of complaining some more I looked up at her, happy, but unable to smile, like my sad, tearful expression from earlier was still tattooed to my face.

“Are you really sure?”

“Certain.”

She said, giving a firm nod. I immediately felt my chest cave in even more as I looked back down at the tags in my hand.

“Okay…”

I muttered, sniffling a little as I did the same as Alika and pocketed the tags in my vest. I then let out a small laugh and looked back up at Alika.

“I’m sorry, I look sad but I’m really not, I’m really happy I’m just not sure what to think. But thank you.”

“It’s no problem!”

Alika said, her smile still beaming.

“I think we should probably get going though, we’re going to either run out of tags or all the others are going to get to them first!”

She suggested, taking a skip ahead of me.

“Oh, right! Yeah, let’s go.”

Forty-five minutes had passed since I had teamed up with Alika, and things had been running considerably smooth. We have gone from three tags between the two of us to seven, with me still having the majority of them, which made me all the more determined to collect more that way we could end on an even number. I know that Alika will refuse to have anymore than me, and I can’t exactly say no to her. So, the only way to finish the exam would be to end it evenly.

“Hey, look, there’s another tag up there!”

Alika cried out, pointing to a bright orange tag that was half hanging out from one of the vent flaps.

“What? How the hell did it get up in there?”

I replied, my brows furrowed in confusion as I stared at the thing. It really didn’t seem like a spot Floros would put it; it was too inconvenient. Somebody must’ve tampered with it, but if that’s the case, why didn’t they just take it?

“Good eye though.”

“Thanks, do you need help getting up to grab it?”

Alika asked.

“No thanks, I’ve got it.”

I shook my head, taking a quick look at my right hand to make sure that the cuts I got from it earlier weren’t bad enough for me to not use my ability and created a little platform for myself beneath my feet to boost myself up and quickly snatch the tag. As I made my descent Alika gave me a short applause.

“Wow, I thought you couldn’t do anything with your ability.”

She laughed, midway through her applause. I immediately began to feel my ears burn up at her comment.

“Well… I can’t do much more than that.”

I said, passing her the tag with my eyes glued to the floor.

“Well, I still think that was pretty cool. The most I could do to help with my ability is probably stretch your bones to make you taller.”

She suggested, gently taking the tag from my hands and tucking it away in her vest.

“You can what?!”

I gasped, my calves cramping a little in imagination of what it would feel like to experience something like that. Instead, Alika laughed a little at my reaction and continued walking forward.

“Come on, we should keep going. I think together we at least overー”

“HELP!”

A bloodcurdling scream from a couple of halls away echoed throughout the entire floor, cutting Alika off mid-sentence. We paused for a short moment, eyes wide in worry, trying to figure out who’s scream that could’ve been.

“Twenty…”

Alika finished, looking over to me with her friendly smile wiped completely off her face.

“Reine, I don’t think we shouldー Reine!”

Before she could finish her sentence, I had already began walking ahead to see what the scream was about and down a hallway to the left I found out as trapped to the ceiling in a web of ropes was a panicked Eneko.

“Eneko?”

I called, walking out from behind the wall, pulling the knife I took out.

“Reine!”

Eneko grinned, looking down at me with big dark eyes.

“Could you help me out? I accidentally triggered one of the traps and now I’m stuck.”

He explained, squirming in the ropes a little as if to show how little he could move.

“Sure, let me get up there first!”

I nodded, in the motion of taking a step forward before Alika grabbed my wrist. I turned around to look at her, almost shocked by the gesture, not because she made physical contact with me, but because it seemed like she was trying to stop me from helping him.

She’s a nurse, isn’t she?

“Reine, before you go just… just make sure it’s an accident.”

She advised, her voice dropping to a soft whisper, and her eyes blaring into mine.

“And make sure not to touch him.”

I paused for a moment; I didn’t know what she meant or what she could possibly mean. But considering it’s Alika she must mean it, no matter how confusing or vague it is. I gave her a short nod and she let go of my wrist, allowing me to walk over and free Eneko.

“Stay where you are, okay? Don’t move! I might accidentally cut you or something.”

I said, putting my hand to the side of the wall to create a small slope of clay to lift myself up and begin climbing on the ropes to cut them open and free him.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that, haha.”

Eneko laughed, going limp as I began sawing my way through the rope.

It took me a little while to process what he said, probably due to the uncomfortable position I was in, I had tucked my legs into the ropes to prevent myself from falling and I was holding onto them with my open hand for dear life. But when it suddenly clocked, I was simply confused by it.

“Huh?”

I said, eyebrows furrowed.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

“You’ll find out, and you’ll forgive me.”

He said, dropping, yet another, vague ass comment that increased the feeling in my gut that I was not safe right now and in fact, in great danger of something.

“The hell am I forgiving you for?”

I asked, raising my voice a little in frustration. But before I could even get an answer, I felt his legs lock over mine and my heart began to race again, not in the floaty, giddy kind that Alika makes it go, my stomach began to churn, and my breath began to cut shorter and shorter as his grip around me tightened.

“What are you doing?!”

I gasped, trying to claw away with just my hands before he grabbed my face with both his hands.

“Don’t let go of the ropes, Reine. You’ll kill yourself.”

He ordered, I looked inside his eyes to try to read some kind of intention behind them, but there was nothing. There was no light, no humanity, not even sorrow, I was looking into a void. I felt a cold chill run down my spine as I gripped onto the ropes tighter, not like there was anything else for me to do, he already had hold of me.

“Close your eyes.”

He instructed, and I did as he told. My sense of touch and hearing heightened in case he was going to do what I feared he would or if Alika would come running out from the corner and save me, but I didn’t hear nothing except Eneko’s breath, and I didn’t feel anything change physically. My confusion began to grow as the static state continued, yet I knew that asking any questions would be futile.

Gradually, my thoughts began to slow down along with my breath and heart rate, I felt myself slipping away, not into sleep but out of my body.

It quickly occurred to me that the answer to my question is something that I would not be conscious to find out.

abNORMALITY

Raised in the Allied Abnormality Association, an organisation that takes in those with abilities (abnormalities) and provides them housing and jobs, Reine wants nothing more than to repay her leader, Floros, for her kindness by becoming a soldier. However, with her less than conventional ability to create clay from her fingertips, Reine finds herself thrown into every job except the one that she wants, and two weeks before her graduation she is forced to work with the apathetic and lazy detective, Miras Rasulov to solve supernatural related crimes within the country of Adasall while Miras finishes their contract and revolution stirs on the streets.

Chapter One; I am...

Reine's Perspective

I frequently find myself asking again and again, ‘what makes a good follower?’

And I think it goes beyond simply following instructions, that life is a story, a play of sorts and to be a good follower you must act according to the role in which you were born into. It doesn’t matter what cards you were given or how much the leader benefits you, it is still your duty to follow them, and it is self-entitled to disobey authority considering that all leaders are actively looking out for your best interest.

If you can’t be a good follower, you cannot be a good person, your duties as a human being are to be diligent, motivated, honest, and above all, obedient.

Rebellion is the lowest of sins, those who are rebellious are entirely self-interested and only wish to see the destruction of society as the rules that we form as a collective do not matter to sinners.

That is what the Association’s soldiers are here for; to keep sinners in check and I am going to be a soldier.

At least, I hope so, I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, I think being pessimistic is the second worst thing to be, after being defiant. It’s just that I’m a sardine amongst a bunch of tuna in this in this place, I shouldn’t get too excited. But I can feel myself beginning to smile, and my arms begin to itch from the inside, getting restless from me holding them stoically at my sides.

I need to humble myself.

“What are you so smiley for?”

A tall girl asked, almost snarling as she did so with her hand on her hip. This was Nikola Novak, one of the Association’s highest-ranking members when it came to brute strength, at only eighteen! She is everything this organisation looks for.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I replied, the gears pulling the elevator up violently clanged, giving Nikola even more ammunition and more reason to believe that I shouldn’t be here as I felt myself shiver at the noise.

“Really? Because your whole dork-ish energy is stinking up the whole room, and I don’t see what for, you’ll be cleaning bathrooms in a minute, you’re just a free janitor, and as if janitor’s get paid much anyways.”

Nikola continued, bending down to my eyeline as she spoke. After a short pause Nikola stood up straight, right hand on her hip with some kind of demonic smile like she was about to unhinge her jaws like a monster and eat me whole.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you actually think you’re going to be in a military division with the rest of us?.”

She snickered.

I knew she was laughing at me, she typically would, but it’d be a betrayal to myself if I lied even if it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, I don’t really care what she has to say about me, she’s a training soldier, not a training spokeswoman.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ve been working hard, I don’t think Floros has any reason not to let me participate with the rest of you.”

I replied, my eyebrows tensing a little in frustration while a sly itch crawled up my spine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to hit me for saying that with even the slightest hint of aggression.

“I ranked third in our year’s agility assessment, and sure, third place is nothing to be proud of, but I’ve gotten stronger and quicker since! I’ve gotten nominated for a lot of value rewards too, and I also aced history!”

“You aced history?”

Nikola asked, quickly cutting me off with an uncharacteristically deadpan expression.

“Yes.”

I nodded, too confident and sure of my response. There was a spilt moment of quiet before Nikola’s mouth opened wide, and she let out an ear-splitting witch-ish laugh.

“And what’s that going to do for you on the battlefield?”

She spoke, a sharp, mocking grin wiped across her face, still laughing at me a bit, she was going to laugh again when I answered her.

“You going to tell KArma about the founding of the association, the very thing they’re trying to destroy when they’re holding you at gunpoint? You’re a joke! God, I would be so happy if Floros let you graduate if it wasn’t going to embarrass the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I mean that my good reports tell her that I’m organised and good at following instructions! Of course I wouldn’t tell them that, I’d beat their asses!”

“Uh… huh… and with THAT ability? You’re going to make a little stop motion film for them with a song and dance telling them to stop bombing us because it’s illegal? As if your playdough ability is good for anything, you just cause mess wherever you go.”

Words fired out of Nikola’s mouth like a machine gun with foam for bullets, a lot of words, they didn’t hurt, but there was no end to it and that was the worst thing. I know responding to her is what she wants, I know she will just keep talking if I keep responding, but I feel like my mouth runs with her.

Besides, I have a right to be excited, my joy has never been at her expense, so I don’t see why she’s so angry about it, perhaps she’s just miserable, but that is the last of my problems. If she’s sad or angry she should keep that inside like the rest of us, like a normal person instead of purposefully inconveniencing everybody.

“Of course, the first thing your childish self mentions is playdough.”

A girl monotonously mumbled from behind Nikola, sitting on the cold floor with her back against the wall and twirling her long red hair in boredom, not even caring to spare Nikola a glance. This was Hei-Ran.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Nikola turned her attention to Hei-Ran, who seemed a lot less bothered than me by Nikola’s presence. I felt my face relax as Hei-Ran became the new victim of her focus.

“What's meant to mean what?”

Hei-Ran asked, turning to face Nikola now with her dark eyes forcibly widened and her voice notably softer, as if she was talking to a toddler.

“You said something, you said, ‘your childish self’, I want to know what you mean by that.”

Nikola responded, her sharp, thin eyebrows furrowed, less so in anger but more in confusion as her tone seemed to be a little softer than it was when she was speaking to me.

Maybe I should be taking notes.

“Are you sure it was me who said that? I didn’t say anything at all.”

“No, I’m sure, it was definitely you who said that.”

Nikola doubled down, turning to everybody else in the elevator, beginning to question herself now, she asked,

“She said something, right?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

A taller boy with short black hair, two white streaks in the front, thick eyebrows, and sharp black, void-ish eyes hidden behind rectangular glasses said. This tall, dark man was Mesio, he was almost as strong as Nikola, though, if knowledge is power, I’d say he’s much stronger than her.

“Me neither.”

Another boy spoke, shorter than Mesio with wavy, dark brown, chin length hair that was similar to mine, with a deep scar running down his right eye. The scarred boy’s name was Eneko. He must have a really good ability to succeed as a spy because physically speaking he isn’t much but every time I’ve asked about it, he’s shrugged me off… he’s shrugged me off whenever I’ve asked him about anything to be honest.

“Are you sure Reine didn’t say anything?”

Eneko asked, and almost instinctively as he said my name, directing Nikola’s attention back to me, my heart dropped like a ten-thousand-ton brick from the Eiffel tower.

“No! No! No! No! I didn’t say anything!”

I shouted, the pitch of my voice reaching frantic heights as I pushed my way out from behind Nikola so if she chose to snap at me, I wouldn’t be pinned against the wall.

“Well did you hear anything?”

Nikola asked, leaning down to my level once again.

“No, I heard nothing!”

“She didn’t hear anything because nobody said anything, right guys?”

Hei-Ran asked, eyeing all six of us in the elevator to ensure that everyone was on board with what she wanted us to respond with.

“No, none of us heard anything.”

A girl adjacent from Hei-Ran by the name of Alika responded, softly shaking her head from side to side, her curly blonde ponytail swaying with each motion of her head. She’s like the association’s princess.

“Yeah, nobody said anything.”

The youngest one out of all of us, Lixue, said, his white hair, snow-white skin, and his grey ski-jacket making him stand out immensely from the rest of us in our uniform. He always looked cold, no matter how sunny it was.

“Maybe you’re just going crazy? I do know that it’s common for veterans to hallucinate, matter of fact, I had a friend who did exactly that… What was his name again...”

Our year’s supervisor, Caius said, trialling off as he spoke. Unlike the rest of us who were lying, he was probably the only one of us who actually didn’t hear anything. Floros told us that Caius got caught up in some freak landmine accident with the rest of his division and suffered severe head trauma because of it. Bless his soul.

“I’m not a veteran! I still haven’t even graduated!”

Nikola shouted Caius down, her fists clenched in a tight ball as she did so.

“But aren’t we going to be assigned missions?”

Caius asked, his dark lazy eye making Nikola’s mannerisms a little funnier to watch as her gaze kept switching from one eye to the other.

“Yes, but it's more like work experience for us, we graduate in three weeks and that’s when we’ll be put in actual divisions and given real tasks like you used to.”

Alika explained.

“Ohhh, I see.”

Caius nodded in understanding.

“We’ve been doing this since forever, God, are you that demented?!”

Nikola shouted again, folding her arms and rolling her eyes as if the man with brain damage should’ve known better.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep up, I can’t see you putting in any effort to slow down.”

Caius said, his bushy eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Because when KArma comes, they won’t slow down for you, it’s not my fault you can’t keep up, it's not my fault you can’t keep to the standard.”

“The standard?”

Mesio asked, raising an eyebrow at what Nikola was implying.

“Yes, the standard. Face it, if we got every single abnormality and I mean it, every single one, then I might have to break a sweat because the bozos out there were smart enough to evade this place unlike all of you.”

Nikola boasted, flicking her hair as if she was doing something.

“You’re contradicting yourself.”

I blurted out. Again, I know it’s stupid to engage with her, but sometimes she says the oddest things that anybody with a working mouth and mind is obliged to turn around and correct her.

“What do you mean?”

Nikola asked, walking from the centre of the elevator back over to me.

“I mean what you said doesn’t make any sense, if you’re calling all of us stupid for being here doesn’t that make you stupid as well?”

I explained, folding my arms as I spoke to her. She looked taken aback by what I was saying despite the fact it was just common sense, her cheeks were a bright red and her thin eyebrows furrowed further and further into her skull. I began to fear that they would cut into her skin.

“No! You just don’t get it because you’re retarded, Reine!”

Nikola screamed, her ear-splitting voice breaking the sound barrier and bursting all of our eardrums like bloody pimples.

Everyone fell silent for a short while, not quite expecting her to suddenly scream like that, especially not me as it was right in my ear. I was so disoriented and dizzy from her volume that I didn’t even really notice was she said until Hei-Ran looked up and said,

“Are you seriously being ableist right now?”

And if Nikola’s face wasn’t red before, it was red now. Not that she cared about being ableist, no, but because as Hei-Ran said that everybody’s expressions immediately shifted, some to frustration but most from shock to this scheming little grin. She was not going to live this down, and she knew it.

“The eye slasher has made her new debut as the slur slinger! Wow!”

Eneko cheered, clapping his hands together to sarcastically applaud her with a big grin.

“Really, how old are you?”

Lixue scowled, shaking his head.

“Seventeen, but you know, I am slow so I could be very wrong.”

Caius crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, for all we know she might be seven.”

Lixue continued, a humoured smile on his face as he replied to Caius.

“It’s not a slur! Tell me literally where it says it is one!”

Nikola continued to scream rather than talk at a civil volume in the cramped space that we were trapped in.

“Look it up in a dictionary, it's a pejorative.”

Mesio explained, not shocked that somebody like Nikola wouldn’t know something like this.

“That’s not true! You’re lying!”

Nikola shouted, pointing accusationally at Mesio.

“Lying about it being a slur? Because I just saidー”

“No, lying about pre-jaw-ra-dives, that is a word you made up!”

Nikola cut Mesio off, her eyes darting frantically around the elevator.

“What? Why would I make up an entire word to mess with you?!”

“Because Hei-Ran would, and you pricks agree with her on everything! I know I heard her say something to me and you’re all gaslighting me!”

Nikola continued to rant, backing into the elevator’s door to yell at everybody.

“This is lies, manipulation, and slander! You guys are bullying me, you’re bullying me and then lying to my face to make me feel stupid!”

Suddenly the doors from behind Nikola opened, not that she seemed to take much notice, but she certainly would take a lot of care about it, as behind her, sitting at a shiny rosewood desk and dressed in a sharp, navy coat, was our saviour, the founder of the association, Korina Floros. The rest of us fell silent and began to wonder how long it would take for Nikola to realise the judging eyes on her.

“You know what? Screw you guys! Screw Reine, screw Mesio, and screw Hei-Ran especially! I hate her the most! And I am reporting this to HR because I have a right to feel safe in a work environment and you guys are persecuting me!”

Nikola shouted, backing into Floros’ desk.

“Is that so?”

Floros asked, her cold voice sending chills down Nikola’s spine as she slowly turned her head around to face her, face as white as a ghost.

“Ah, Floros, it’s always a pleasure to see you!”

Nikola stammered, cowardly walking further into her office, her steps slow and rigid as if there were heavy weights chained to her feet.

“And the same goes for you too.”

Floros nodded, before standing up from her large, back, chair to address all of us, picking up a small, white remote from her desk and turning on the large projector from behind her that contained all the association’s living graduates and seniors and what their allocated missions for the week were. However, there were so many names and jobs on the screen in such small fonts that I really couldn’t even figure out where to begin looking for my name.

“Same as per usual, I want everybody to continue with their usual jobs for the remaining three weeks before your graduation. Which means, Alika, you will continue to volunteer at our hospital. Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola, you will all continue with your usual schedule in preparation for a possible attack from KArma, Eneko, our schedule is clear, so I want you to tour and teach Mesio the ins and outs of your intelligence units.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eneko grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod with his response.

“And Reine,”

Floros said, turning directly to me.

“Yes?”

I felt my chest tighten with excitement to hear my own name.

“Your job is to clean the bathrooms. You’re all dismissed.”

WHAT?!

The tight feeling in my chest felt like it ripped open and was going to swallow me whole. Bathrooms? How?! AGAIN?! I’ve worked so hard, I’ve done the best I can, I’m never late, I’m always wearing my uniform right, and I’ve been banished to the bathrooms again

Nikola let out a snicker as everybody began to make their leave, but I wasn’t going to have it. Selfish as it is, I don’t care, I had to say something.

“Wait, can’t I join Caius and everybody just for today?”

I asked, my heart pounding in my ears in a frustrated fear.

“Why?”

Floros asked, her face stone cold. She had this effect on everybody during any direct confrontation. She could make the most heartless soldiers tuck their tails with one fatal glare. I had to choose my words carefully.

“Well… it's just that I think I’ve worked so hard that I deserve to have a more… rewarding job. I really want to be a part of our forces, and since I’m so close to graduation I think it only makes sense for meー”

“You think that the good hygiene of our community isn’t rewarding, Reine?”

Floros cut me off. I could practically feel Nikola’s mocking gaze burn through me as Floros continued to speak.

“If you know how hard our soldiers work then you would know that we cannot afford to have an outbreak of dysentery. Our hospitals are packed as it is, you can ask Alika about it, she’ll tell you. Do you really want to put more work, more stress, on your friends?”

“No ma’am.”

I stammered, shaking my head.

“Then you will do your part with a smile like the rest of us, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I nodded, my cheeks burning a faint pink in embarrassment.

“Good girl.”

Floros nodded, a faint, pleased smile resting on her cracked lips.

“Now, you’re dismissed, I have other meetings to attend to.”

She ordered, and without a second thought, me along with everybody else left her office through the large rosewood door opposite to the elevator.

“What did I say? What did I say, Reine?!”

Nikola laughed, running up to me as soon as the door closed from behind us, wrapping her arm around my neck. I think that gesture is meant to be friendly, but when it's done by Nikola it feels like a headlock and I can hardly breathe.

“Leave her alone. You’ve been at her all morning.”

Alika pouted, her arms folded in annoyance.

“Alright, alright!”

Nikola sighed, rolling her eyes and loosening her grip around my neck before making her way off with everybody else.

“But hey, I’ll be sure to tip you!”

She waved; her cackle echoing through the halls as she left my sight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

I let out a heavy sigh with my head hung in exhaustion. I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Are you okay?”

Alika asked, her fair eyebrows turned upwards in concern. My heart began to race again as she spoke, not that she’s a scary person, her voice is so soft, like an angel but just because I’m a skittish personー or so I’ve been told. I’m getting concerned about dying from a heart attack one day.

“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just a little ticked off. But I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

I spoke as though the words were racing out of my mouth to respond to her and assure her that I was alright. But I suppose that that level of panic is reasonable, if Floros knew I was really upset about this I doubt it would go down well, and I’m lucky to be here in the first place.

“Are you sure? I mean, it's almost every day that she picks on you, and being assigned as a janitor after all that training must be… humbling to say the least.”

“It’s beyond just humbling, its humiliating.”

Once again, my mouth ran without thinking of the possible consequences. I knew I was going to elaborate more on why it was embarrassing, Alika would’ve wanted me to or else she would’ve never asked and if I couldn’t express my feelings, it’d just give me an eternal itch in my head. Talking about it would relieve the itch and put a guilty pit in my chest, but if Alika was trustworthy the pit would disappear, and I would be right.

“I mean, like you just said, it's all that work for nothing. It’s not just the fact that I made sure I was presentable today to prove I cared or something stupid like that to her, the fact I straightened my hair, buttoned up my blazer, I covered my freckles, and I shined my shoes, it's the fact that my entire life, my entire meaning is to serve her and well technically I am it just… it just wasn’t meant to be like this.” 

It was physically painful to not scream and shout about how frustrated I was, but I knew I was too old for that behaviour and what I was saying, what I was feeling was already wrong. Floros knows what’s best for me.

Suddenly, Alika’s dark eyes widened with some kind of grand realisation,

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“What is?”

“You’re trying too hard to be somebody you’re not. You’re trying so hard to embody her expectations and other people that you’re not embracing your strengths. You just need to walk in there as yourself, as Reine, am I making sense?

Alika explained, tilting her head a little to the left.

 ‘No, no, you’re making sense but it’s just not that easy. You and Nikola were born into this stuff, all you have to do is just walk up, flash your powers and everybody fawns. What can I do? Stop motion?”

“Didn’t you just say you aced history and scored third on the agility test? Just because you’re not effortlessly skilled doesn’t mean that you can never become skilled, you’re quick and even quicker at learning, you’ll figure something out. Just use your head and work more on supporting yourself instead of changing. If you lock in this week then I don’t doubt that things will start looking up for you.”

“I see… so you think I should just be myself?”

I nodded, trying to clarify the information I was being told. I understand what she means, it's just that I’m very sceptical about how well her idea will work.

“Precisely, now I’ve got to go to the train station or else I’ll be late, but I’ll see you around, and good luck with your tasks!”

Alika waved, turning away to leave before she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face me.

“Oh, don’t straighten your hair again. It looks better the way it naturally is.”

I’m not a slacker, I’d be better off dead than slacking so I cleaned those bathrooms thoroughly and without a single break, not even for lunch. I mean, it only makes sense, right? In the trenches I wouldn’t be eating much anyways, so I should semi-prepare myself for that, I can’t let my stomach go soft on me and I can’t let myself forget what’s important, work. I am my work and my work makes me, I am happy like this, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling existence. Which is why Floros is my saviour, she gives me my work, and without my work I am nothing and I’m not going to lie, I reckon I’m everything right now. I ensured that those bathrooms were spotless, any ordinary man would walk in to do their business and they’d be brought to tears at the pure bright light basically radiating from the entire room.

It's light work.

Now all I must do is this every day for the next six days. If I do this well every time, then she will have no choice but to allow me to fight! My diligence and obedience are unmatched.

After signing myself off at attendance I went downstairs to grab a slice of toast from the canteen. I would’ve had jam with it but that would’ve been greedy, besides, kids will enjoy and need the food more than me because they need to grow healthy and strong to fight for us.

Plain toast is good enough anyway, it could’ve just been plain bread (which still is good).

But whether I taste sugar on my tongue right now isn’t necessarily my biggest concern, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to eat. Typically, I sit on my own as I eat because Nikola usually harasses me, or I’m cut in line by the entire organisation, and I miss out on breakfast altogether because there’s nothing left!

But not today, I’ve worked my ass off.

I quickly eye off Alika, Hei-Ran, and Mesio having a conversation in the far corner of the dining hall and I approach them.

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?”

I asked, a little embarrassed to be doing so, it felt super desperate.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hei-Ran nodded, shuffling her bag over to make room for me on the bench. I was always a little frightened by her tone, she seemed really hard-on and cold whenever I saw her talk to Nikola, but that moment she seemed kind of gentle. Did something change or have I always misread her?

Nonetheless, I sat myself next to her and put my plate of toast in front of me. I didn’t really feel like eating, not because I wasn’t hungry, I was, it’s just a little exposing to eat in front of others. Once Nikola caught me eating and then put me in a headlock so I’d choke, I know these people wouldn’t do that, but if I ate, I’d basically be telling them that they could do that.

“You didn’t straighten your hair today!”

Alika gasped, her dark eyes wide with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said it looked better natural and since you’re really pretty I felt like it just made sense for me to listen to you.”

I explained, feeling my cheeks and ears burn up as I did so.

“I like it, it looks super cute, and it suits you a lot, you look really pretty.”

Alika smiled.

All this woman does is make my heart do gymnastics and make me feel like I am about to die.

Alika, curly blonde hair slicked back into this neat bun, big, black, beautiful eyes, crystal clear skin, plum two-toned lips the bottom lip this adorable baby pink colour, long legs, mature figure, long, slender hands with the most stunning nails. She was beautiful without any effort, standing next to her I look like I’ve just graduated seventh grade.

Alika Ekubo, princess popular, literal angel on Earth, thinks that I’m pretty.

SHE THINKS I’M PRETTY?!

I’m giddy with shock, suffocated in surprise, but I’ve got to respond or else I’ll look like a fool. So I just look off to the side and let out a small,

“Thank you.”

And begin eating my toast, I feel safe doing so now.

“So, is the hospital as busy as it usually is?”

Hei-Ran asked Alika, resting her head on her hand in boredom.

“Oh, yeah, it’s hectic, but it's easy for me. Lots of broken bones from the kids and scouts, all I really need to do is flick my wrist and they’re good as new.”

Alika explained, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about how she described it. Not for her but for myself, I mean it’s common sense that Alika is impressive but it's difficult to be constantly supportive of the best as an underling when all they do is humble brag, rubbing it in that you were born shorthanded.

“Oh, sick. So, Reine, when you’re done scrubbing shit stains then you can go help out Alika at the hospital.”

Hei-Ran casually suggested, as if it wasn’t a bombshell of words that she just dropped on me.

“Is that allowed?”

I asked, my brows feeling tight with worry.

“Probably not, but I skip all the time, and nobody has ever caught me or said anything, so you’ll be fine.”

Hei-Ran’s words were tempting but I held my ground as she continued. I was not going to blow my chances at becoming a soldier by abandoning my station.

“I mean, if you wanna be sweeping the floors for the rest of your days that’s your choice, Korina’s view of you isn’t gonna shift no matter how hard you try to make it so you may as well do the little things that you wanna do.”

“Don’t tempt her, Hei-Ran, if she wants to skip, let her, if she doesn't, who cares?”

Mesio scolded Hei-Ran as if he was a teacher telling off a student.

“I’m not tempting her; I’m just telling her as it is. She can do whatever she wants, I’m just telling her that, isn’t that right, Reine?”

Hei-Ran turned to me, looking for my support.

“Yeah.”

I agreed, not really wanting to start an argument or feeling too passionately against or for wagging my mission. I mean, of course I’d stay, but I don’t think I would care if somebody wagged a mission unless I was working with them of course.

“Which is why I’m not gonna leave and do something else, it's my duty to stay here and do the work that Floros has assigned me. I can’t abandon it. Besides, if I want to become a soldier and she catches me not doing my work I can say goodbye to everything.”

“That’s a fair point…”

Hei-Ran uttered before shrugging her shoulders and sighing,

“Alright, suit yourself.”

I smiled back at her and nodded,

“Mhm, I will.”

And peacefully enjoyed what remained of the morning with the three of them. It's not often that I feel so at ease but around these people it's as easy as breathing. I feel kind of happy to be around them even though I know it’s wrong, I think, just right now, I don’t care about what’s wrong.

However, this feeling of peace was short lived, as after ten minutes of our conversation Eneko rushed in, heading over to me, half-done bandages falling off his thigh, and his knee-high brown boots, squeaking against the tiles of the hallway and the cafeteria.

“Reine!”

He cried out to me, tripping over his bandage as it finally came completely undone, resulting in a nasty cut forming on his right knee on the impact. He winced in pain as I immediately got up to help him.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked, jumping out of my seat to tend to Eneko’s bleeding knee.

“No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself.”

Eneko assured me, pulling his leg away from me as if he was trying to hide his leg.

“Uhm, Korina, she wants to see you.”

My eyes must’ve lit up at the mere mention of her name. Korina? Korina Floros?

Is this it?

Is this finally it?

“Floros?”

I repeated, trying my best not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yes, it's about the bathrooms, they’reー”

Eneko went to explain but was cut off by the piercingly loud screeches of the speakers.

“Contaminated abnormality 04082002, Reine, report to the admin's office immediately!”

A robotic voice bellowed throughout the hall, and with the mention of my name everybody’s gaze became fixed onto me. The eagerness bubbling inside me quickly deflated as I looked at Eneko’s almost pitiful expression, something was wrong.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

Eneko sighed, opening his hand for me to take it. I couldn’t even find the words to respond, my face had gone ice cold, and I could hardly think of anything at all, like my brain had given up on me. I just gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eneko nodded, picking himself up off the ground and walking to Floros’ office with me.

The trip to Floros’ was silent and slow, every second that passed the tension gradually got higher and higher. I was kind of wishing that Eneko would just say something, anything, to get the weight of the quiet off me. But he didn't, he just looked straight ahead with a cold face.

Eventually, we did arrive and as the elevator’s doors opened and to what they revealed, well, if I was scared before, I was petrified now. Behind that classy, rosewood desk was of course Floros, but seated in front of her with a smile that I can only describe as true evil was Nikola, using all her physical strength to keep her mouth shut to stop herself from laughing.

“Have a seat, Reine.”

Floros ordered.

I sat myself down on the set to the right of Nikola, feeling my breath lose its steady rhythm, becoming sharp and erratic. Floros simply smiled and turned her attention to Eneko.

“You’re excused.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He nodded, quickly scurrying off and out through the door. Once he had left Floros immediately turned her attention back to me, her sharp red-ish eyes piercing through all of my being.

“Reine, did you or did you not clog the bathrooms yesterday?”

“What? No?!”

I gasped, trying my best to calm myself down and not double down on the conclusions that were taunting the emotional part of my brain. Maybe it was just an error with the plumbing.

“Then why is there a flood pouring out from the girl’s bathrooms on the third floor? Why did we find two entire packs of tampons in the toilet?”

Floros continued. I stared blankly at her in disbelief, no clue how to even respond to what I was being accused of, it's not like anybody would believe me if I denied it. Whether I did do it or not there just needs to be somebody to blame, that is simply how our world works.

Still, I would never even think of doing something so gross in my life, and if honesty is a value here, if Alika thinks I need to be myself, then I will defend myself.

“I didn’t do it; I would never do something like that! You have to believe me, please, I would never lie to you, and you know how much the association means to me. I don’t want to ruin everything before it even starts, please, please listen to me.”

I pleaded, begged, for her trust in hopes that somewhere, somewhere deep inside of her that she could find it within the pits of her soul to be kind to me just this one moment.

“But weren’t you angry about being assigned as the janitor? You’re the only person who would have any reason to do such a thing.”

Nikola added, crossing her legs as if she was just completely unbothered by what I’m assuming that she’s trying to do to me. Again, not shocked by it, she’s never been kind to anybody, me in particular, I understand to an extent why she is that way, I’m way too confident in the little strength I have. But to try to sabotage my job, my life?

“I’m listening to you, Nikola.”

Floros nodded, my chest caved in even more at the sight of it and I shot up from my seat.

“No, no, no you don’t understand! I didn’t… I didn’t do anything at all, I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I spent the whole day cleaning the bathrooms and then I went to bed! And hell, if some elaborate accident did happen then I obviously didn’tー”

“There are no accidents here, accidents are reckless which is not a trait that I would ever want to see in my soldiers.”

Floros cut me off with words cutting even sharper.

“Reine, you will discontinue your tasks, and you are to not return here until further notice.”

“Butー”

I squeaked, trying to get a word in before Floros stood up, looking down at me as if she was some kind of angered and violent god.

“There is no ‘but’, this is an order, do you understand me?”

Her voice bellowed, firm and steady, shouting without any emotion.

I sheepishly nodded my head in response,

“Yes ma’am.”

Floros nodded her head, and with her hands behind her back her words stabbed at me again,

“Then leave, and don’t come back until I say so.”

Hello!

I still don't exactly know how to use this but one of my mutuals on tiktok suggested that I start posting the script here so let's hope this goes well! (≧∇≦)ﾉ

My name is Akira and I hope you all enjoyed reading the first chapter of the second draft of a little project I'm working on called abNORMALITY, I've been working on this for a little over a year now and I am very excited and hopeful that this reaches more people. Please enjoy it and stay for the rest of the story, thank you!!

If you liked this, you can read some of the other chapters on my ao3 or you can see some of my art and some other information and some of my art on my tiktok

[moomixx101]

Chapter Two; Pity the People Eater...

Reine's Perspective

I don’t think I’m ever going to hear back from Floros and receive another task.

And if these concerns I have right now are correct then I’m worried about what I will do with the rest of my life. I mean, it's not that I don’t have hobbies, without Floros I really have nothing to do. The television runs from 5pm to 8pm which is our curfew, but it's not like there is anything interesting on the television, just news about KArma’s attacks and Floros’ developments to the association. Even if there was anything interesting on the television then I have roughly twelve hours to kill before turning it on. My colleagues are all busy doing their missions, I can’t hang out with them, it’ll be bothersome. I could always go to the library but with all the books there being about history reading them for about the tenth thousandth time over is really boring.

I’m starting to wonder if there is any point to living if Floros isn’t involved in my life. I don’t want to die but if I have no reason to live, if there’s nothing I can do with my life, aren’t I just dead weight?

Usually at this time I’d be eating breakfast with everybody else, but I can’t bring myself to walk in there and take the food that Floros has been so generous to give us and eat it when I’ve done nothing to earn it, I don’t have that kind of audacity.

Instead, I’ve been sitting in the library since six, not doing anything. I think the average person would probably cry if they felt like this, I weirdly want to but Floros hates crying so I refuse it. Nothing is louder than silence anyways.

As I sat behind a bookshelf, lost in the trance of self-pity, eyes dull and dry, the timeless silence was interrupted by a familiar ‘ding dong!’.

People were going to be called into Floros’ office to receive their missions.

Perhaps it was a force of habit, but despite knowing that Floros obviously wanted nothing to do with me anymore I tuned in anyways in some kind of desperate delusion. My heart beating slow and heavy like a bass drum in anticipation.

“May the following contaminated abnormalities report to the administration office to receive their weekly tasks, 31082013, Alika Ekubo, 28091999, Caius, 21052001, Eneko, 10092010, Hei-Ran Ryu, 31122003, Lixue, 25122007, Mesio, 02112008, Nikola Novak…”

My entire body stopped as I waited for the announcement to either finish with my name or to tell them to go to the office.

“And 04082002, Reine. Please and thank you.”

YES!

I let out a sharp gasp and jumped to my feet, of course I wasn’t smiling yet because I had no clue whether Floros wanted to see me for something else or not, but any news is good news, and I couldn’t leave her waiting. How deflated I felt before meant nothing now, I have direction again.

I broke into a sprint, racing to the nearest elevator and practically punching the button in hopes that it would go faster if I made it clear that I was in a rush, even though I knew very well that it wouldn’t. However, on the upside, I was so quick that there was nobody else on the elevator when I got on, which was super convenient because the library is on the third floor of the association’s headquarters, with Floros’ office being on the ninth floor. I was almost halfway there when I got on! Which Is important because it shows Floros that I am readily available and prepared to give up on anything at any minute at her demand.

As the elevator’s doors opened, I overheard conversation between Floros and an adamant young girl, probably no older than fifteen at most, certainly not old enough to be behind that desk with Floros, with possibly the most old-timey, extravagant, frilled, black and red dress I had ever seen.

“No, no, I am telling you! You have too much money and you don’t do enough with it, if you wanna stop people from running away or killing themselves give them something to do, some kind of entertainment!”

The girl argued, sitting on her chair with her knees, almost entirely oblivious or apathetic to the fact I was even there. She spoke in this expensive accent, the sound of old money, she was definitely from Adasall but what I mean is that she wasn’t from here, the association.

“I’m not asking for you to call your whole business off anymore, hell, I’m not even asking you to manage the theatre or the ensemble, I’ll do the hard work, I like that kind of stuff! You can’t keep this place like this, you gotta make it humane, you gotta get some colour in here! I mean look at your stinking uniform, it's so… blegh…”

“Rineke, I will discuss this with you privately at a later date, but it is still not happening.”

Floros scowled, rolling her eyes at the young girl.

“Snore.”

The tiny girl muttered, moving her legs out from underneath her and sitting on the chair as any person ought to.

“Miss Floros, you said you wanted to see me?”

I squeaked, walking a little closer to the front desk.

“Yes, I did.”

Floros stoically nodded, welcoming me to take a step or two towards her.

“Is this about the bathrooms? Because if it is I feel like I should tell you because I forgot to tell you before, but I am, and I really mean it, I am dreadfully sorry! I promise that something like that will not happen again, and I will be more cautious and protective of the bathrooms and what people might do in them.”

I spoke, the words essentially racing out of my mouth to reach for Floros’ forgiveness. She paused for a moment, her expression cold and still as per usual, impossible to read. The young girl sitting next to her stared at me in an uncomfortable shock, and as soon as she clocked that I noticed she was staring she immediately turned her gaze to the corner of the wall and began playing with her curly, dusty pink hair.

“You are forgiven but that is not what I’ve called you here for.”

Floros sighed, shaking her head.

“Reine, this is President Kievit of The Supernatural Investigation Team.”

Kievit turned her attention back to me with the mention of her name, giving an awkward, cheesy grin and a shy wave.

“The Supernatural Investigation Team?”

I muttered, trying to verbalise what I was being told so it was easier to process.

“Yes, and beside her is detective Miras Rasulov.”

Floros explained, gesturing over to a concerningly thin boy-ish looking girl or girl-ish looking boy with impossibly long blue hair and a black face mask. Honestly, I would’ve never guessed they were a detective if she didn’t say so because their attire was so loose and casual.

“Reine, your job is to help Miras to adjust to life under the association as they are finishing the remaining three years of their contract here. Is that understood?”

“Yes. I understand.”

I said, softly nodding my head.

“So, is Miras going to be put in a division with the rest of us?”

“Mhm!”

Kievit excitably nodded.

“It’ll be a collaboration, a joint effort between the investigation team and the association to solve abnormal crimes within Adasall!”

I couldn’t help but be sort of wowed by the concept of it. Of course, I had no shot being a part of that division, and I have my heart set on being a soldier, but I wouldn’t be mad if, and for whatever strange reason I was chosen to be a part of that division. 

“Oh! If it's an investigative division then Mesio would fit right in! He’s super smart!”

I gasped, turning my attention to Miras in excitement.

“Do you want me to introduce you to him?”

“I don’t really care. You can if you want.”

Miras spoke in a sleepy, unemotive voice, pulling a piece of gum from their pocket and slipping through their black face mask and into their mouth.

“They’ll be coming soon anyways, right? I’ll be introduced to them then and then it's over and done with.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true, it’s just that there’s some people that just aren’t all that friendly.”

I uttered to pass a hint of some kind to Miras about Nikola without angering Floros. Though, I don’t really take it that Miras is the kind to care all that much about actual friendliness, I hoped that Miras picked up on the implications I was leaving and would opt to leave now.

“I really don’t care or mind. If it stops this entire meeting people thing from dragging out longer than it has to then I’m more than happy to meet anybody here. I’m too tired to go out of my way with this, not like I’m gonna be here for long anyways.”

Miras explained, their expression still apathetic as I was when I entered, and when they first spoke. I’d be a liar if I didn’t say it was kind of annoying how little they cared for the association.

“Oh, alright.”

I sheepishly nodded along. I mean it's not as though I have any choice but to go along with what Miras wants right now, they’re essentially our guest, our customer in a way, it's my job to welcome and promote this place to them, no matter if I like their attitude or not. Besides, attitudes can be changed.

A few seconds after Miras’ declaration of staying here the elevator’s doors opened with the rest of my year level walking out. As soon as I saw Nikola adjust her dark brown puffer jacket, I instinctively turned my attention to the floor, hoping that if I couldn’t see her, she couldn’t see me, and I would disappear but, to my misfortune, I immediately caught her attention and with her raspy voice she let out a loud cry and pointed at me.

“Reine?! What are you doing here?!”

I refused to respond, I didn’t know how, I was just again hoping that Hei-Ran or somebody would say something so I wouldn’t have to say anything, it's not like she was happy to even see me here, she’d be even more mad to hear me.

“Reine? Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since last week!”

Alika cried, walking over to me with a shameless wave.

“Oh, I was just decommissioned because I messed up on my job, it's not a big deal.”

I explained, still intimidated after not seeing her for a little while.

“So, you couldn’t hang around with any of us? I was getting worried that something bad happened, or I did something wrong.”

She pouted, her big black eyes shooting arrows through my entire soul as she spoke.

“No, no, that could never happen!”

I almost screamed in terror at even the suggestion of me hating her, feeling my ears burn up again. However, and annoyingly so, amid my panic, she smiled and let out a small laugh, I knew it was at my expense, that she found my reaction funny, but that’s not what frustrated me, no, it was the fact that I found myself endeared by her smile at that exact moment. 

“Relax, I’m just kidding!”

She reassured me, voice smooth and sweet like honey and her bright smile still written across her face.

“But seriously, it's good to see you back.”

“Thank you.”

I returned the smile, the initial light-speed pace of my heartbeat relaxing into the lighter, euphoric feeling as I heard the words leave her mouth. Whether she was being genuine or not, there’s ultimately no way I’ll be able to tell for certain, it was still nice to hear something like that.

“Alright, Reine, Alika, stop talking and let me start the meeting, it's rude and you’re both old enough to know better.”

Floros interrupted, raising her voice just loud enough so she wasn’t shouting but still intimidating enough for me and Alika to immediately pull our hands to our sides and shut our lips.

“Thank you, it's disappointing that I even have to tell you to do that. Anyways, yes, Reine is back into commission, welcome back. She will be touring our newest member, Miras Rasulov from T.S.I.T, The Supernatural Investigation Team.”

Floros explained, gesturing to the enigmatic blue haired character to her left who simply just raised their hand as a half-hearted wave when she announced their name.

“Everybody please be welcoming and on your best behaviour around them, I do not want to sit through six hours of meetings if they file a harassment or assault complaint, understood?”

Floros elaborated, eyeing us for a few moments after asking if we understood, making sure we were all nodding in understanding, once she was satisfied, she gave a small nod herself.

“Good, now, as I was just discussing with Reine, it will be her job to tour Miras around the building. As for the rest of you, Alika will report to the Association’s hospital as per usual, Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, Nikola, and Mesio will be doing exam prep for next week, and Eneko…”

“Yes?”

Eneko asked.

“You have a mission at five tonight, so I want you to prepare, no schedule doesn’t mean no working.”

“Ugh.”

Eneko groaned, his cheerful demeanour doing a complete one-eighty as soon as the word ‘mission’ left her mouth.

“You are all excused.”

Floros said, and as she finished her sentence everybody began to make their way out the door while I patiently stood by and waited for Miras to pick up their bags. Seeing Miras on their own two feet really settled in how unsuspecting they were, detective at T.S.I.T who only stands at roughly 150 centimetres give or take. Perhaps its force of habit but I couldn’t help but fantasise about what kind of ability they must have to land themselves such a powerful position and why’d they wanna quit.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Miras said, walking out from behind the desk with a small backpack hanging from their shoulders and a suitcase dragging behind them.

“Miras, wait!”

Kievit cried, grabbing a box from the desk and doing a little run over to Miras, her red heels clicking against the wooden tiles.

“You forgot your iron tablets.”

She said, handing Miras the box. Seeing Miras stand up to be as short as they were already giving me enough whiplash but seeing Rineke stand up beside Miras almost made them look tall, she was like a living doll!

“Ah… thanks. I’ll see you around.”

Miras said, pocketing the tablets in their blue hoodie before turning to leave again, almost eager to do so.

“Remember to answer your phone!”

Kievit waved as Miras opened the door to leave, me following behind them.

“I will.”

The scrawny character nodded, finally leaving the room.

We walked down the hallway in silence for a few seconds, it didn’t seem that they had much to talk about for themselves, they were either waiting for me to start a conversation or hoping that I wouldn’t talk at all. However, as their guide it is almost an obligation for me to give them as warm a welcome as possible. So, I asked them,

“Are you and Kievit friends?”

“Oh, yeah, you could say that.”

Miras just sort of agreed without thinking too much of the question or how to continue the conversation.

“That’s nice, I wish I was as close with Floros.”

I smiled, trying to coast some more conversation out of the detective.

“So, and if it's not too personal, why’d you choose to move? I mean, I do love it here but it's really nothing compared to the investigation team.”

Miras paused for a moment in consideration, before lowering their black face mask and speaking, their set of sharp, shark-like teeth exposed.

“It’s because my ability helps solve cases, I wanted to get away from it all.”

They said, looking a little off to the side as if they were ashamed of what they were saying. But in all honesty, I wasn’t even paying all that much attention to what they were insinuating, I was almost entirely fixated on their face, it was nothing I had ever quite seen before. Such a sharp jawline, with these plump lips, at least three beauty marks dashed across their upper cheek to their lower lip. They could easily become a model if they put in the effort to be a little more meticulous with their appearance.

“Oh, I guess that’s fair.”

I nodded, making a poor attempt at trying to look like I was focused on what they were saying and not how interesting their face was.

“You’re staring.”

Miras said, stoically looking me up and down.

“Sorry, you just have a really interesting face, and I mean that in a good way. If you tried, and if you were taller, I reckon you’d be able to make it as a model or something.”

I said, and perhaps I said a little bit too much as for a split second I saw Miras’ cheeks flush a faint red before they quickly pulled their face mask back up.

“So, where are you taking me?”

They asked, switching the topic in embarrassment, eyes glued to the floor.

“I was thinking of taking you to the dormitories, which is the next building over and then touring you around the headquarters, starting from the bottom and making our way up.”

I explained before an issue quickly occurred to me, what dorm would Miras even go in?!

My eyes ran to their legs for a quick second, as that was the only part of their body that wasn’t covered by incredibly baggy clothing to try and figure something out, but it was futile as there was no shape to their legs, they were just made of bone!

“Uh, what dorm will you be staying in?”

“Whichever is cleanest. Boy, girl, I couldn’t care less, it's whatever’s more convenient.”

They shrugged. Weirdly enough, I couldn’t disagree with the answer, it was smart, it made sense. I’ve never thought about gender being like that, I’ve never thought of gender too much in general.

“Alright, well you can just put your stuff with mine for the time being because I can’t show you the boy’s dorms, and then we’ll start the tour!”

I cheered, trying to get Miras a little more enthusiastic about the situation but only receiving a nod and an ‘okay’, in response.

Miras quietly stood over me as I shoved their suitcase and backpack under my small, bunk bed that I had in the back corner of the room. I don’t share it with anybody anymore, matter of fact it's just me, Hei-Ran, Alika, Nikola, and this serious looking black-haired girl who’s always doing solo missions who none of us know much about because she’s hardly ever here and she hardly ever says anything. There are ten bunks in the entire room, and only a quarter of that are being used because most of the girls decided to pursue manufacturing and moved far out west. So it’d be nice if Miras did move in, fill in some empty space.

“I might stay here if it's easier, it’s pretty neat. Something smells sweet though, it's kind of giving me a headache.”

They muttered, throwing their gum away in the little bin we had.

“Oh, that’s probably Alika's, everything she has is scented, she’s so cool.”

I said, trying to position Miras’ bag under my bed as gently as possible because I kept hearing things rattle in there.

“Is that the girl who you were blushing over?”

Miras asked, their arm wrapped around their stomach as if they were in pain but still somehow maintaining an even composure as if to convince me that they weren’t.

“I’m sorry?”

“Sorry, I mean the friendly girl, the tall blonde one.”

They corrected themselves, their skin kind of grey now.

“Oh, yes, that’s her.”

I stood up.

“Are you alright? Do you need water or anything? You don’t look well.”

I asked them, walking a little bit closer to them to support them if they fainted or something.

“Yeah, I’m just feeling lightheaded from the smell…”

They said, lightly rubbing their forehead as they stumbled over their own feet. I almost dove in to catch them before they managed to barely catch themselves.

“Alright, you go sit on the bench outside, I’ll go get you some water or something.”

I said, reaching my hand out to place it on their back for them to swiftly dodge the contact.

“Okay.”

They barely nodded, walking out the dorm while I ran to the fridge and rummaged through it to find a bottle of water and a leftover smoothie popsicle thing Alika had made for everybody from about a week and a bit ago to give to Miras who was sitting with their feet on the bench, blue jacket and face mask off, and their head between their knees. I had the sneaking suspicion that they weren’t sick from Alika’s stuff, but they were sick because they weren’t taking care of themselves.

“Here.”

I said, the water bottle in my right hand and popsicle in my left. They reached their hand out and grabbed the water bottle from me, taking a drink from it before hiding their face back in their knees.

“You didn’t have to get the other thing, you know?”

They mumbled; face still hidden behind their knees.

“It’s only made of mashed up berries and stuff, better for you than what you were eating earlier. You were grabbing your stomach earlier too, you were either nauseous or hungry, this will help with both.”

Miras lifted their head ever so slightly and carefully stared at the popsicle in my hand for a good minute, studying it intently before extending out their hand and grabbing it.

“Thank you.”

They muttered, gently sucking on the tip of the popsicle almost apprehensive to eat it as I sat beside them.

“Alika made those for everybody in our year but because the other girl in the dorm said she didn’t want it we just had an extra one.”

I said, awkwardly tapping my feet against the tiles.

“You talk more about her than you do yourself.”

Miras mumbled, turning to face me.

“Well, yeah, that’s because there just… isn’t much about me to talk about. I mean, my ability is dumb, like really dumb.”

I explained, looking off to the side in embarrassment about it. Hoping that again, if I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see me.

“What is it?”

They asked. I paused for a moment to try to judge how they'd take the information if I answered, they didn’t seem to care, but it's still a little frightening. I mean, I have already apologised to Floros in front of them and I don’t have any missions, so I guess my ability would justify that but it’s still really bad.

I looked to the floor and began fiddling with my hands as I answered, still feeling their sharp amber eyes burning through me.

“Clay manipulation…”

“Oh…”

They shrugged, sounding almost even more deflated than before.

“That’s not that bad.”

“It is that bad! Like Alika can manipulate bones, Caius can like do this freaky thing where he produces this anaesthesia pheromone thing, Hei-Ran can manipulate plants, Lixue can freeze any liquid, Mesio can do these sick ass illusions, Nikola can basically turn her limbs into blades, what can I do?!”

I found myself angrily rambling again, unable to stop, words departed from my mouth without verification from my brain.

“Not even that there is anything else I’m good at either! I only get good grades because I work for it, I’m not naturally intelligent! I’m not charming, I always get so caught up in how much better everyone else is to me that I can’t talk to anybody! I’m not pretty, I’m short, I’ve got a fat face, cankles, no muscle, no figure, no nothing. It's so easy for some people to have at least one of those things, a good ability, intelligence, a good personality, and good looks. Some people here have all of that, I have nothing like that on my own, I have to work my ass off being someone I know I’m not just to fail over and over again.”

Miras stared at me a little longer, quietly eating their popsicle with that same deadpan expression, I knew they wouldn’t care but I still couldn’t help but feel the embarrassment of spilling so much out to a stranger stir in my gut.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

I uttered, looking to the floor with a cringed grimace on my face.

“I don’t mind. I think it's better to be honest anyways, especially with these things.”

Miras explained, tone same as always but with a message that was gentler than any I had been told before.

“I think you have a cool ability, because people won’t have as much of a reason to exploit you for it. I think the only reason you hate it is because you’re not comfortable in your own selfishness, you haven’t learnt to live for or by yourself. The moment you stop looking for yourself in others is the moment that you’ll be happy.”

The world almost stopped for a minute as Miras said that, I mean, it's not that Miras seemed particularly happy, they were so sickly and frail. But they seemed so self-assured too so perhaps they did have a point, it's just a confronting idea.

“If that makes sense though… I don’t know you very well so I’m just saying words.”

They backtracked, returning their focus back to the popsicle.

“No, no, it makes sense. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem.”

Miras nodded, digging through their jacket pockets to get out their packet of gum and pass it to me, with roughly five sticks left.

“Do you want one?”

“No thanks.”

“Okay.”

 They replied, pocketing the gum back away.

“So… are you up for continuing the tour?”

I asked, tilting my head a little.

“Sure, let’s go.”

Miras hummed, standing up from the bench with their jacket tied around their waist.

After a long day of venturing around the campus and getting to know Miras a little, I think today was successful, perhaps even successful enough for me to consider them a friend of sorts.

Honestly, it felt very self-fulfilling to look after somebody like that, especially since everybody is always burdened with looking after me. I felt like this cool big sister of sorts, and I do hope Miras sees me as such. And I hope Miras enjoys meeting everybody else, I’ve dragged them over to have dinner with us, partially to make sure that they eat because their body being as frail as it is genuinely scaring me, I fear that if I grab their wrist that it might just snap. But also, to make sure they meet everybody else. Though, they haven’t gotten up to get anything from the desk, and they aren’t even looking up from their phone for anybody or anything, we aren’t even allowed to have personal devices in the building.

“So, is the new guyー Sorry, Miras, gonna be in a division with us?”

Lixue asked from behind me, softly shoving me ahead a little.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, they will be!”

I nodded, walking forwards into the empty spaces that I left in front of me in negligence of the flow of the line.

“How’s that going to work?”

Lixue asked, his voice raised in slight concern.

“What do you mean?”

I asked, picking up a roll of bread from the table.

“I just mean they’re kind of… fragile looking. I don’t know whether they’ll be able to make it through the exam, let alone daily work. I had to go through years of surgeries examinations and I’m still barely making it, and you’re perfectly healthy and you still can’t make it. I’m not trying to sound demeaning, but the standards are high.”

Lixue explained, dropping his voice to a mutter as if he didn’t want anybody else to hear.

“It also just feels… I dunno… spoiled? To me at least because now somebody who probably really wants this, who really cares, and has been working hard might not make it and be sent to the manufacturing department to father a family of four at twenty all because some friend of a nepo baby said so.”

I said, putting another bread roll on my plate for Miras since they weren’t coming up themselves.

“It’s only three years with them around and it's an investigative thing anyways, they’ll be doing detective work and stuff. It’s easier for you anyways, because if you fail this you can just ask to be moved down a year and retake it since you’re younger than us, you’re like, what? Sixteen? You have plenty of time to grow up and get better.”

“Fifteen. And I don’t want to move down a year because I will be lumbered with a bunch of idiots who won’t take this as seriously, and then I’ll be given responsibility over all of them.”

Lixue spoke, trying to maintain his composure as to not create a scene and maintain his mature, level-headed persona, however I could see it in his narrowed pale blue eyes that I had touched a nerve of some kind.

“I’ve grown up as much as I need to, that’s why I’m here, this is the best I will be, there’s only down from here. And if this is the best Miras will be then I don’t want to work with that or give up my job for that, especially considering that they don’t seem to care all too much about it.”

Lixue continued, putting not even a quarter of the mashed potato that was being offered on his plate and backing away from the kitchen as if to say he was done with the conversation and was fine going hungry if it meant to end the discussion.

“I really think you’re overthinking this, Miras is only finishing off the second half of their contract here, which is roughly three years. That would be roughly the same amount of time you would spend here training anyways if you didn’t move up a few grades.”

I continued to try to reason with the young boy.

“I’m not overthinking anything, Reine. But if you want to believe that we can all hold hands and sing then you do you. But the rest of us know that we’re all competition right now, and if you think that making friends right now will protect you against Nikola when she goes to slash your cheek open again then that’s your choice. I’ll see you in the bathrooms.” 

He snapped before angrily walking off to the table to just sit and stare at his food in anger. I remained silent as he stormed off, not in frustration or anything, I find it hard to be mad at kids.

After getting my food and processing the interaction I walked over to the table where everybody was sitting, I skipped over to the bench and sat next to Miras who was sitting pensively, playing some kind of game on their phone with almost an eyesore of colours.

“Hey, Miras, I got you a bread roll!”

I shouted, picking up the bread and the little container of butter and passing it to Miras.

“Oh, thanks.”

Miras said, taking the bread and butter from my hand, pocketing the butter and picking pieces off from the bread to eat it.

“You can have some more of my food if you wanna. There’s potatoes, peas, and meat stuff.”

I offered, showing Miras my plate in case there was anything of their liking on it.

“Oh, no, it's okay. I can’t eat meat.”

Miras muttered, shaking their head.

“Are you vegetarian? Because you can’t exactly be fussy about diet hereー”

Lixue began to scold before immediately being cut off.

“It’s not a diet, I can’t control it.”

Miras said, completely straight in expression. Not in the relaxed, unbothered way they usually were, a sense of seriousness lingered in the air.

“It’s my ability, I can gain the memories of whatever I eat.”

abNORMALITY

Raised in the Allied Abnormality Association, an organisation that takes in those with abilities (abnormalities) and provides them housing and jobs, Reine wants nothing more than to repay her leader, Floros, for her kindness by becoming a soldier. However, with her less than conventional ability to create clay from her fingertips, Reine finds herself thrown into every job except the one that she wants, and two weeks before her graduation she is forced to work with the apathetic and lazy detective, Miras Rasulov to solve supernatural related crimes within the country of Adasall while Miras finishes their contract and revolution stirs on the streets.

Chapter One; I am...

Reine's Perspective

I frequently find myself asking again and again, ‘what makes a good follower?’

And I think it goes beyond simply following instructions, that life is a story, a play of sorts and to be a good follower you must act according to the role in which you were born into. It doesn’t matter what cards you were given or how much the leader benefits you, it is still your duty to follow them, and it is self-entitled to disobey authority considering that all leaders are actively looking out for your best interest.

If you can’t be a good follower, you cannot be a good person, your duties as a human being are to be diligent, motivated, honest, and above all, obedient.

Rebellion is the lowest of sins, those who are rebellious are entirely self-interested and only wish to see the destruction of society as the rules that we form as a collective do not matter to sinners.

That is what the Association’s soldiers are here for; to keep sinners in check and I am going to be a soldier.

At least, I hope so, I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, I think being pessimistic is the second worst thing to be, after being defiant. It’s just that I’m a sardine amongst a bunch of tuna in this in this place, I shouldn’t get too excited. But I can feel myself beginning to smile, and my arms begin to itch from the inside, getting restless from me holding them stoically at my sides.

I need to humble myself.

“What are you so smiley for?”

A tall girl asked, almost snarling as she did so with her hand on her hip. This was Nikola Novak, one of the Association’s highest-ranking members when it came to brute strength, at only eighteen! She is everything this organisation looks for.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I replied, the gears pulling the elevator up violently clanged, giving Nikola even more ammunition and more reason to believe that I shouldn’t be here as I felt myself shiver at the noise.

“Really? Because your whole dork-ish energy is stinking up the whole room, and I don’t see what for, you’ll be cleaning bathrooms in a minute, you’re just a free janitor, and as if janitor’s get paid much anyways.”

Nikola continued, bending down to my eyeline as she spoke. After a short pause Nikola stood up straight, right hand on her hip with some kind of demonic smile like she was about to unhinge her jaws like a monster and eat me whole.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you actually think you’re going to be in a military division with the rest of us?.”

She snickered.

I knew she was laughing at me, she typically would, but it’d be a betrayal to myself if I lied even if it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, I don’t really care what she has to say about me, she’s a training soldier, not a training spokeswoman.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ve been working hard, I don’t think Floros has any reason not to let me participate with the rest of you.”

I replied, my eyebrows tensing a little in frustration while a sly itch crawled up my spine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to hit me for saying that with even the slightest hint of aggression.

“I ranked third in our year’s agility assessment, and sure, third place is nothing to be proud of, but I’ve gotten stronger and quicker since! I’ve gotten nominated for a lot of value rewards too, and I also aced history!”

“You aced history?”

Nikola asked, quickly cutting me off with an uncharacteristically deadpan expression.

“Yes.”

I nodded, too confident and sure of my response. There was a spilt moment of quiet before Nikola’s mouth opened wide, and she let out an ear-splitting witch-ish laugh.

“And what’s that going to do for you on the battlefield?”

She spoke, a sharp, mocking grin wiped across her face, still laughing at me a bit, she was going to laugh again when I answered her.

“You going to tell KArma about the founding of the association, the very thing they’re trying to destroy when they’re holding you at gunpoint? You’re a joke! God, I would be so happy if Floros let you graduate if it wasn’t going to embarrass the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I mean that my good reports tell her that I’m organised and good at following instructions! Of course I wouldn’t tell them that, I’d beat their asses!”

“Uh… huh… and with THAT ability? You’re going to make a little stop motion film for them with a song and dance telling them to stop bombing us because it’s illegal? As if your playdough ability is good for anything, you just cause mess wherever you go.”

Words fired out of Nikola’s mouth like a machine gun with foam for bullets, a lot of words, they didn’t hurt, but there was no end to it and that was the worst thing. I know responding to her is what she wants, I know she will just keep talking if I keep responding, but I feel like my mouth runs with her.

Besides, I have a right to be excited, my joy has never been at her expense, so I don’t see why she’s so angry about it, perhaps she’s just miserable, but that is the last of my problems. If she’s sad or angry she should keep that inside like the rest of us, like a normal person instead of purposefully inconveniencing everybody.

“Of course, the first thing your childish self mentions is playdough.”

A girl monotonously mumbled from behind Nikola, sitting on the cold floor with her back against the wall and twirling her long red hair in boredom, not even caring to spare Nikola a glance. This was Hei-Ran.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Nikola turned her attention to Hei-Ran, who seemed a lot less bothered than me by Nikola’s presence. I felt my face relax as Hei-Ran became the new victim of her focus.

“What's meant to mean what?”

Hei-Ran asked, turning to face Nikola now with her dark eyes forcibly widened and her voice notably softer, as if she was talking to a toddler.

“You said something, you said, ‘your childish self’, I want to know what you mean by that.”

Nikola responded, her sharp, thin eyebrows furrowed, less so in anger but more in confusion as her tone seemed to be a little softer than it was when she was speaking to me.

Maybe I should be taking notes.

“Are you sure it was me who said that? I didn’t say anything at all.”

“No, I’m sure, it was definitely you who said that.”

Nikola doubled down, turning to everybody else in the elevator, beginning to question herself now, she asked,

“She said something, right?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

A taller boy with short black hair, two white streaks in the front, thick eyebrows, and sharp black, void-ish eyes hidden behind rectangular glasses said. This tall, dark man was Mesio, he was almost as strong as Nikola, though, if knowledge is power, I’d say he’s much stronger than her.

“Me neither.”

Another boy spoke, shorter than Mesio with wavy, dark brown, chin length hair that was similar to mine, with a deep scar running down his right eye. The scarred boy’s name was Eneko. He must have a really good ability to succeed as a spy because physically speaking he isn’t much but every time I’ve asked about it, he’s shrugged me off… he’s shrugged me off whenever I’ve asked him about anything to be honest.

“Are you sure Reine didn’t say anything?”

Eneko asked, and almost instinctively as he said my name, directing Nikola’s attention back to me, my heart dropped like a ten-thousand-ton brick from the Eiffel tower.

“No! No! No! No! I didn’t say anything!”

I shouted, the pitch of my voice reaching frantic heights as I pushed my way out from behind Nikola so if she chose to snap at me, I wouldn’t be pinned against the wall.

“Well did you hear anything?”

Nikola asked, leaning down to my level once again.

“No, I heard nothing!”

“She didn’t hear anything because nobody said anything, right guys?”

Hei-Ran asked, eyeing all six of us in the elevator to ensure that everyone was on board with what she wanted us to respond with.

“No, none of us heard anything.”

A girl adjacent from Hei-Ran by the name of Alika responded, softly shaking her head from side to side, her curly blonde ponytail swaying with each motion of her head. She’s like the association’s princess.

“Yeah, nobody said anything.”

The youngest one out of all of us, Lixue, said, his white hair, snow-white skin, and his grey ski-jacket making him stand out immensely from the rest of us in our uniform. He always looked cold, no matter how sunny it was.

“Maybe you’re just going crazy? I do know that it’s common for veterans to hallucinate, matter of fact, I had a friend who did exactly that… What was his name again...”

Our year’s supervisor, Caius said, trialling off as he spoke. Unlike the rest of us who were lying, he was probably the only one of us who actually didn’t hear anything. Floros told us that Caius got caught up in some freak landmine accident with the rest of his division and suffered severe head trauma because of it. Bless his soul.

“I’m not a veteran! I still haven’t even graduated!”

Nikola shouted Caius down, her fists clenched in a tight ball as she did so.

“But aren’t we going to be assigned missions?”

Caius asked, his dark lazy eye making Nikola’s mannerisms a little funnier to watch as her gaze kept switching from one eye to the other.

“Yes, but it's more like work experience for us, we graduate in three weeks and that’s when we’ll be put in actual divisions and given real tasks like you used to.”

Alika explained.

“Ohhh, I see.”

Caius nodded in understanding.

“We’ve been doing this since forever, God, are you that demented?!”

Nikola shouted again, folding her arms and rolling her eyes as if the man with brain damage should’ve known better.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep up, I can’t see you putting in any effort to slow down.”

Caius said, his bushy eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Because when KArma comes, they won’t slow down for you, it’s not my fault you can’t keep up, it's not my fault you can’t keep to the standard.”

“The standard?”

Mesio asked, raising an eyebrow at what Nikola was implying.

“Yes, the standard. Face it, if we got every single abnormality and I mean it, every single one, then I might have to break a sweat because the bozos out there were smart enough to evade this place unlike all of you.”

Nikola boasted, flicking her hair as if she was doing something.

“You’re contradicting yourself.”

I blurted out. Again, I know it’s stupid to engage with her, but sometimes she says the oddest things that anybody with a working mouth and mind is obliged to turn around and correct her.

“What do you mean?”

Nikola asked, walking from the centre of the elevator back over to me.

“I mean what you said doesn’t make any sense, if you’re calling all of us stupid for being here doesn’t that make you stupid as well?”

I explained, folding my arms as I spoke to her. She looked taken aback by what I was saying despite the fact it was just common sense, her cheeks were a bright red and her thin eyebrows furrowed further and further into her skull. I began to fear that they would cut into her skin.

“No! You just don’t get it because you’re retarded, Reine!”

Nikola screamed, her ear-splitting voice breaking the sound barrier and bursting all of our eardrums like bloody pimples.

Everyone fell silent for a short while, not quite expecting her to suddenly scream like that, especially not me as it was right in my ear. I was so disoriented and dizzy from her volume that I didn’t even really notice was she said until Hei-Ran looked up and said,

“Are you seriously being ableist right now?”

And if Nikola’s face wasn’t red before, it was red now. Not that she cared about being ableist, no, but because as Hei-Ran said that everybody’s expressions immediately shifted, some to frustration but most from shock to this scheming little grin. She was not going to live this down, and she knew it.

“The eye slasher has made her new debut as the slur slinger! Wow!”

Eneko cheered, clapping his hands together to sarcastically applaud her with a big grin.

“Really, how old are you?”

Lixue scowled, shaking his head.

“Seventeen, but you know, I am slow so I could be very wrong.”

Caius crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, for all we know she might be seven.”

Lixue continued, a humoured smile on his face as he replied to Caius.

“It’s not a slur! Tell me literally where it says it is one!”

Nikola continued to scream rather than talk at a civil volume in the cramped space that we were trapped in.

“Look it up in a dictionary, it's a pejorative.”

Mesio explained, not shocked that somebody like Nikola wouldn’t know something like this.

“That’s not true! You’re lying!”

Nikola shouted, pointing accusationally at Mesio.

“Lying about it being a slur? Because I just saidー”

“No, lying about pre-jaw-ra-dives, that is a word you made up!”

Nikola cut Mesio off, her eyes darting frantically around the elevator.

“What? Why would I make up an entire word to mess with you?!”

“Because Hei-Ran would, and you pricks agree with her on everything! I know I heard her say something to me and you’re all gaslighting me!”

Nikola continued to rant, backing into the elevator’s door to yell at everybody.

“This is lies, manipulation, and slander! You guys are bullying me, you’re bullying me and then lying to my face to make me feel stupid!”

Suddenly the doors from behind Nikola opened, not that she seemed to take much notice, but she certainly would take a lot of care about it, as behind her, sitting at a shiny rosewood desk and dressed in a sharp, navy coat, was our saviour, the founder of the association, Korina Floros. The rest of us fell silent and began to wonder how long it would take for Nikola to realise the judging eyes on her.

“You know what? Screw you guys! Screw Reine, screw Mesio, and screw Hei-Ran especially! I hate her the most! And I am reporting this to HR because I have a right to feel safe in a work environment and you guys are persecuting me!”

Nikola shouted, backing into Floros’ desk.

“Is that so?”

Floros asked, her cold voice sending chills down Nikola’s spine as she slowly turned her head around to face her, face as white as a ghost.

“Ah, Floros, it’s always a pleasure to see you!”

Nikola stammered, cowardly walking further into her office, her steps slow and rigid as if there were heavy weights chained to her feet.

“And the same goes for you too.”

Floros nodded, before standing up from her large, back, chair to address all of us, picking up a small, white remote from her desk and turning on the large projector from behind her that contained all the association’s living graduates and seniors and what their allocated missions for the week were. However, there were so many names and jobs on the screen in such small fonts that I really couldn’t even figure out where to begin looking for my name.

“Same as per usual, I want everybody to continue with their usual jobs for the remaining three weeks before your graduation. Which means, Alika, you will continue to volunteer at our hospital. Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola, you will all continue with your usual schedule in preparation for a possible attack from KArma, Eneko, our schedule is clear, so I want you to tour and teach Mesio the ins and outs of your intelligence units.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eneko grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod with his response.

“And Reine,”

Floros said, turning directly to me.

“Yes?”

I felt my chest tighten with excitement to hear my own name.

“Your job is to clean the bathrooms. You’re all dismissed.”

WHAT?!

The tight feeling in my chest felt like it ripped open and was going to swallow me whole. Bathrooms? How?! AGAIN?! I’ve worked so hard, I’ve done the best I can, I’m never late, I’m always wearing my uniform right, and I’ve been banished to the bathrooms again

Nikola let out a snicker as everybody began to make their leave, but I wasn’t going to have it. Selfish as it is, I don’t care, I had to say something.

“Wait, can’t I join Caius and everybody just for today?”

I asked, my heart pounding in my ears in a frustrated fear.

“Why?”

Floros asked, her face stone cold. She had this effect on everybody during any direct confrontation. She could make the most heartless soldiers tuck their tails with one fatal glare. I had to choose my words carefully.

“Well… it's just that I think I’ve worked so hard that I deserve to have a more… rewarding job. I really want to be a part of our forces, and since I’m so close to graduation I think it only makes sense for meー”

“You think that the good hygiene of our community isn’t rewarding, Reine?”

Floros cut me off. I could practically feel Nikola’s mocking gaze burn through me as Floros continued to speak.

“If you know how hard our soldiers work then you would know that we cannot afford to have an outbreak of dysentery. Our hospitals are packed as it is, you can ask Alika about it, she’ll tell you. Do you really want to put more work, more stress, on your friends?”

“No ma’am.”

I stammered, shaking my head.

“Then you will do your part with a smile like the rest of us, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I nodded, my cheeks burning a faint pink in embarrassment.

“Good girl.”

Floros nodded, a faint, pleased smile resting on her cracked lips.

“Now, you’re dismissed, I have other meetings to attend to.”

She ordered, and without a second thought, me along with everybody else left her office through the large rosewood door opposite to the elevator.

“What did I say? What did I say, Reine?!”

Nikola laughed, running up to me as soon as the door closed from behind us, wrapping her arm around my neck. I think that gesture is meant to be friendly, but when it's done by Nikola it feels like a headlock and I can hardly breathe.

“Leave her alone. You’ve been at her all morning.”

Alika pouted, her arms folded in annoyance.

“Alright, alright!”

Nikola sighed, rolling her eyes and loosening her grip around my neck before making her way off with everybody else.

“But hey, I’ll be sure to tip you!”

She waved; her cackle echoing through the halls as she left my sight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

I let out a heavy sigh with my head hung in exhaustion. I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Are you okay?”

Alika asked, her fair eyebrows turned upwards in concern. My heart began to race again as she spoke, not that she’s a scary person, her voice is so soft, like an angel but just because I’m a skittish personー or so I’ve been told. I’m getting concerned about dying from a heart attack one day.

“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just a little ticked off. But I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

I spoke as though the words were racing out of my mouth to respond to her and assure her that I was alright. But I suppose that that level of panic is reasonable, if Floros knew I was really upset about this I doubt it would go down well, and I’m lucky to be here in the first place.

“Are you sure? I mean, it's almost every day that she picks on you, and being assigned as a janitor after all that training must be… humbling to say the least.”

“It’s beyond just humbling, its humiliating.”

Once again, my mouth ran without thinking of the possible consequences. I knew I was going to elaborate more on why it was embarrassing, Alika would’ve wanted me to or else she would’ve never asked and if I couldn’t express my feelings, it’d just give me an eternal itch in my head. Talking about it would relieve the itch and put a guilty pit in my chest, but if Alika was trustworthy the pit would disappear, and I would be right.

“I mean, like you just said, it's all that work for nothing. It’s not just the fact that I made sure I was presentable today to prove I cared or something stupid like that to her, the fact I straightened my hair, buttoned up my blazer, I covered my freckles, and I shined my shoes, it's the fact that my entire life, my entire meaning is to serve her and well technically I am it just… it just wasn’t meant to be like this.” 

It was physically painful to not scream and shout about how frustrated I was, but I knew I was too old for that behaviour and what I was saying, what I was feeling was already wrong. Floros knows what’s best for me.

Suddenly, Alika’s dark eyes widened with some kind of grand realisation,

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“What is?”

“You’re trying too hard to be somebody you’re not. You’re trying so hard to embody her expectations and other people that you’re not embracing your strengths. You just need to walk in there as yourself, as Reine, am I making sense?

Alika explained, tilting her head a little to the left.

 ‘No, no, you’re making sense but it’s just not that easy. You and Nikola were born into this stuff, all you have to do is just walk up, flash your powers and everybody fawns. What can I do? Stop motion?”

“Didn’t you just say you aced history and scored third on the agility test? Just because you’re not effortlessly skilled doesn’t mean that you can never become skilled, you’re quick and even quicker at learning, you’ll figure something out. Just use your head and work more on supporting yourself instead of changing. If you lock in this week then I don’t doubt that things will start looking up for you.”

“I see… so you think I should just be myself?”

I nodded, trying to clarify the information I was being told. I understand what she means, it's just that I’m very sceptical about how well her idea will work.

“Precisely, now I’ve got to go to the train station or else I’ll be late, but I’ll see you around, and good luck with your tasks!”

Alika waved, turning away to leave before she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face me.

“Oh, don’t straighten your hair again. It looks better the way it naturally is.”

I’m not a slacker, I’d be better off dead than slacking so I cleaned those bathrooms thoroughly and without a single break, not even for lunch. I mean, it only makes sense, right? In the trenches I wouldn’t be eating much anyways, so I should semi-prepare myself for that, I can’t let my stomach go soft on me and I can’t let myself forget what’s important, work. I am my work and my work makes me, I am happy like this, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling existence. Which is why Floros is my saviour, she gives me my work, and without my work I am nothing and I’m not going to lie, I reckon I’m everything right now. I ensured that those bathrooms were spotless, any ordinary man would walk in to do their business and they’d be brought to tears at the pure bright light basically radiating from the entire room.

It's light work.

Now all I must do is this every day for the next six days. If I do this well every time, then she will have no choice but to allow me to fight! My diligence and obedience are unmatched.

After signing myself off at attendance I went downstairs to grab a slice of toast from the canteen. I would’ve had jam with it but that would’ve been greedy, besides, kids will enjoy and need the food more than me because they need to grow healthy and strong to fight for us.

Plain toast is good enough anyway, it could’ve just been plain bread (which still is good).

But whether I taste sugar on my tongue right now isn’t necessarily my biggest concern, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to eat. Typically, I sit on my own as I eat because Nikola usually harasses me, or I’m cut in line by the entire organisation, and I miss out on breakfast altogether because there’s nothing left!

But not today, I’ve worked my ass off.

I quickly eye off Alika, Hei-Ran, and Mesio having a conversation in the far corner of the dining hall and I approach them.

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?”

I asked, a little embarrassed to be doing so, it felt super desperate.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hei-Ran nodded, shuffling her bag over to make room for me on the bench. I was always a little frightened by her tone, she seemed really hard-on and cold whenever I saw her talk to Nikola, but that moment she seemed kind of gentle. Did something change or have I always misread her?

Nonetheless, I sat myself next to her and put my plate of toast in front of me. I didn’t really feel like eating, not because I wasn’t hungry, I was, it’s just a little exposing to eat in front of others. Once Nikola caught me eating and then put me in a headlock so I’d choke, I know these people wouldn’t do that, but if I ate, I’d basically be telling them that they could do that.

“You didn’t straighten your hair today!”

Alika gasped, her dark eyes wide with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said it looked better natural and since you’re really pretty I felt like it just made sense for me to listen to you.”

I explained, feeling my cheeks and ears burn up as I did so.

“I like it, it looks super cute, and it suits you a lot, you look really pretty.”

Alika smiled.

All this woman does is make my heart do gymnastics and make me feel like I am about to die.

Alika, curly blonde hair slicked back into this neat bun, big, black, beautiful eyes, crystal clear skin, plum two-toned lips the bottom lip this adorable baby pink colour, long legs, mature figure, long, slender hands with the most stunning nails. She was beautiful without any effort, standing next to her I look like I’ve just graduated seventh grade.

Alika Ekubo, princess popular, literal angel on Earth, thinks that I’m pretty.

SHE THINKS I’M PRETTY?!

I’m giddy with shock, suffocated in surprise, but I’ve got to respond or else I’ll look like a fool. So I just look off to the side and let out a small,

“Thank you.”

And begin eating my toast, I feel safe doing so now.

“So, is the hospital as busy as it usually is?”

Hei-Ran asked Alika, resting her head on her hand in boredom.

“Oh, yeah, it’s hectic, but it's easy for me. Lots of broken bones from the kids and scouts, all I really need to do is flick my wrist and they’re good as new.”

Alika explained, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about how she described it. Not for her but for myself, I mean it’s common sense that Alika is impressive but it's difficult to be constantly supportive of the best as an underling when all they do is humble brag, rubbing it in that you were born shorthanded.

“Oh, sick. So, Reine, when you’re done scrubbing shit stains then you can go help out Alika at the hospital.”

Hei-Ran casually suggested, as if it wasn’t a bombshell of words that she just dropped on me.

“Is that allowed?”

I asked, my brows feeling tight with worry.

“Probably not, but I skip all the time, and nobody has ever caught me or said anything, so you’ll be fine.”

Hei-Ran’s words were tempting but I held my ground as she continued. I was not going to blow my chances at becoming a soldier by abandoning my station.

“I mean, if you wanna be sweeping the floors for the rest of your days that’s your choice, Korina’s view of you isn’t gonna shift no matter how hard you try to make it so you may as well do the little things that you wanna do.”

“Don’t tempt her, Hei-Ran, if she wants to skip, let her, if she doesn't, who cares?”

Mesio scolded Hei-Ran as if he was a teacher telling off a student.

“I’m not tempting her; I’m just telling her as it is. She can do whatever she wants, I’m just telling her that, isn’t that right, Reine?”

Hei-Ran turned to me, looking for my support.

“Yeah.”

I agreed, not really wanting to start an argument or feeling too passionately against or for wagging my mission. I mean, of course I’d stay, but I don’t think I would care if somebody wagged a mission unless I was working with them of course.

“Which is why I’m not gonna leave and do something else, it's my duty to stay here and do the work that Floros has assigned me. I can’t abandon it. Besides, if I want to become a soldier and she catches me not doing my work I can say goodbye to everything.”

“That’s a fair point…”

Hei-Ran uttered before shrugging her shoulders and sighing,

“Alright, suit yourself.”

I smiled back at her and nodded,

“Mhm, I will.”

And peacefully enjoyed what remained of the morning with the three of them. It's not often that I feel so at ease but around these people it's as easy as breathing. I feel kind of happy to be around them even though I know it’s wrong, I think, just right now, I don’t care about what’s wrong.

However, this feeling of peace was short lived, as after ten minutes of our conversation Eneko rushed in, heading over to me, half-done bandages falling off his thigh, and his knee-high brown boots, squeaking against the tiles of the hallway and the cafeteria.

“Reine!”

He cried out to me, tripping over his bandage as it finally came completely undone, resulting in a nasty cut forming on his right knee on the impact. He winced in pain as I immediately got up to help him.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked, jumping out of my seat to tend to Eneko’s bleeding knee.

“No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself.”

Eneko assured me, pulling his leg away from me as if he was trying to hide his leg.

“Uhm, Korina, she wants to see you.”

My eyes must’ve lit up at the mere mention of her name. Korina? Korina Floros?

Is this it?

Is this finally it?

“Floros?”

I repeated, trying my best not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yes, it's about the bathrooms, they’reー”

Eneko went to explain but was cut off by the piercingly loud screeches of the speakers.

“Contaminated abnormality 04082002, Reine, report to the admin's office immediately!”

A robotic voice bellowed throughout the hall, and with the mention of my name everybody’s gaze became fixed onto me. The eagerness bubbling inside me quickly deflated as I looked at Eneko’s almost pitiful expression, something was wrong.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

Eneko sighed, opening his hand for me to take it. I couldn’t even find the words to respond, my face had gone ice cold, and I could hardly think of anything at all, like my brain had given up on me. I just gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eneko nodded, picking himself up off the ground and walking to Floros’ office with me.

The trip to Floros’ was silent and slow, every second that passed the tension gradually got higher and higher. I was kind of wishing that Eneko would just say something, anything, to get the weight of the quiet off me. But he didn't, he just looked straight ahead with a cold face.

Eventually, we did arrive and as the elevator’s doors opened and to what they revealed, well, if I was scared before, I was petrified now. Behind that classy, rosewood desk was of course Floros, but seated in front of her with a smile that I can only describe as true evil was Nikola, using all her physical strength to keep her mouth shut to stop herself from laughing.

“Have a seat, Reine.”

Floros ordered.

I sat myself down on the set to the right of Nikola, feeling my breath lose its steady rhythm, becoming sharp and erratic. Floros simply smiled and turned her attention to Eneko.

“You’re excused.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He nodded, quickly scurrying off and out through the door. Once he had left Floros immediately turned her attention back to me, her sharp red-ish eyes piercing through all of my being.

“Reine, did you or did you not clog the bathrooms yesterday?”

“What? No?!”

I gasped, trying my best to calm myself down and not double down on the conclusions that were taunting the emotional part of my brain. Maybe it was just an error with the plumbing.

“Then why is there a flood pouring out from the girl’s bathrooms on the third floor? Why did we find two entire packs of tampons in the toilet?”

Floros continued. I stared blankly at her in disbelief, no clue how to even respond to what I was being accused of, it's not like anybody would believe me if I denied it. Whether I did do it or not there just needs to be somebody to blame, that is simply how our world works.

Still, I would never even think of doing something so gross in my life, and if honesty is a value here, if Alika thinks I need to be myself, then I will defend myself.

“I didn’t do it; I would never do something like that! You have to believe me, please, I would never lie to you, and you know how much the association means to me. I don’t want to ruin everything before it even starts, please, please listen to me.”

I pleaded, begged, for her trust in hopes that somewhere, somewhere deep inside of her that she could find it within the pits of her soul to be kind to me just this one moment.

“But weren’t you angry about being assigned as the janitor? You’re the only person who would have any reason to do such a thing.”

Nikola added, crossing her legs as if she was just completely unbothered by what I’m assuming that she’s trying to do to me. Again, not shocked by it, she’s never been kind to anybody, me in particular, I understand to an extent why she is that way, I’m way too confident in the little strength I have. But to try to sabotage my job, my life?

“I’m listening to you, Nikola.”

Floros nodded, my chest caved in even more at the sight of it and I shot up from my seat.

“No, no, no you don’t understand! I didn’t… I didn’t do anything at all, I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I spent the whole day cleaning the bathrooms and then I went to bed! And hell, if some elaborate accident did happen then I obviously didn’tー”

“There are no accidents here, accidents are reckless which is not a trait that I would ever want to see in my soldiers.”

Floros cut me off with words cutting even sharper.

“Reine, you will discontinue your tasks, and you are to not return here until further notice.”

“Butー”

I squeaked, trying to get a word in before Floros stood up, looking down at me as if she was some kind of angered and violent god.

“There is no ‘but’, this is an order, do you understand me?”

Her voice bellowed, firm and steady, shouting without any emotion.

I sheepishly nodded my head in response,

“Yes ma’am.”

Floros nodded her head, and with her hands behind her back her words stabbed at me again,

“Then leave, and don’t come back until I say so.”

Hello!

I still don't exactly know how to use this but one of my mutuals on tiktok suggested that I start posting the script here so let's hope this goes well! (≧∇≦)ﾉ

My name is Akira and I hope you all enjoyed reading the first chapter of the second draft of a little project I'm working on called abNORMALITY, I've been working on this for a little over a year now and I am very excited and hopeful that this reaches more people. Please enjoy it and stay for the rest of the story, thank you!!

If you liked this, you can read some of the other chapters on my ao3 or you can see some of my art and some other information and some of my art on my tiktok

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abNORMALITY

Raised in the Allied Abnormality Association, an organisation that takes in those with abilities (abnormalities) and provides them housing and jobs, Reine wants nothing more than to repay her leader, Floros, for her kindness by becoming a soldier. However, with her less than conventional ability to create clay from her fingertips, Reine finds herself thrown into every job except the one that she wants, and two weeks before her graduation she is forced to work with the apathetic and lazy detective, Miras Rasulov to solve supernatural related crimes within the country of Adasall while Miras finishes their contract and revolution stirs on the streets.

Chapter One; I am...

Reine's Perspective

I frequently find myself asking again and again, ‘what makes a good follower?’

And I think it goes beyond simply following instructions, that life is a story, a play of sorts and to be a good follower you must act according to the role in which you were born into. It doesn’t matter what cards you were given or how much the leader benefits you, it is still your duty to follow them, and it is self-entitled to disobey authority considering that all leaders are actively looking out for your best interest.

If you can’t be a good follower, you cannot be a good person, your duties as a human being are to be diligent, motivated, honest, and above all, obedient.

Rebellion is the lowest of sins, those who are rebellious are entirely self-interested and only wish to see the destruction of society as the rules that we form as a collective do not matter to sinners.

That is what the Association’s soldiers are here for; to keep sinners in check and I am going to be a soldier.

At least, I hope so, I don’t mean that to be pessimistic, I think being pessimistic is the second worst thing to be, after being defiant. It’s just that I’m a sardine amongst a bunch of tuna in this in this place, I shouldn’t get too excited. But I can feel myself beginning to smile, and my arms begin to itch from the inside, getting restless from me holding them stoically at my sides.

I need to humble myself.

“What are you so smiley for?”

A tall girl asked, almost snarling as she did so with her hand on her hip. This was Nikola Novak, one of the Association’s highest-ranking members when it came to brute strength, at only eighteen! She is everything this organisation looks for.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

I replied, the gears pulling the elevator up violently clanged, giving Nikola even more ammunition and more reason to believe that I shouldn’t be here as I felt myself shiver at the noise.

“Really? Because your whole dork-ish energy is stinking up the whole room, and I don’t see what for, you’ll be cleaning bathrooms in a minute, you’re just a free janitor, and as if janitor’s get paid much anyways.”

Nikola continued, bending down to my eyeline as she spoke. After a short pause Nikola stood up straight, right hand on her hip with some kind of demonic smile like she was about to unhinge her jaws like a monster and eat me whole.

“Wait a minute, don’t tell me you actually think you’re going to be in a military division with the rest of us?.”

She snickered.

I knew she was laughing at me, she typically would, but it’d be a betrayal to myself if I lied even if it was the smartest thing to do. Plus, I don’t really care what she has to say about me, she’s a training soldier, not a training spokeswoman.

“Well, yes, of course. I’ve been working hard, I don’t think Floros has any reason not to let me participate with the rest of you.”

I replied, my eyebrows tensing a little in frustration while a sly itch crawled up my spine, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was going to hit me for saying that with even the slightest hint of aggression.

“I ranked third in our year’s agility assessment, and sure, third place is nothing to be proud of, but I’ve gotten stronger and quicker since! I’ve gotten nominated for a lot of value rewards too, and I also aced history!”

“You aced history?”

Nikola asked, quickly cutting me off with an uncharacteristically deadpan expression.

“Yes.”

I nodded, too confident and sure of my response. There was a spilt moment of quiet before Nikola’s mouth opened wide, and she let out an ear-splitting witch-ish laugh.

“And what’s that going to do for you on the battlefield?”

She spoke, a sharp, mocking grin wiped across her face, still laughing at me a bit, she was going to laugh again when I answered her.

“You going to tell KArma about the founding of the association, the very thing they’re trying to destroy when they’re holding you at gunpoint? You’re a joke! God, I would be so happy if Floros let you graduate if it wasn’t going to embarrass the rest of us.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it! I mean that my good reports tell her that I’m organised and good at following instructions! Of course I wouldn’t tell them that, I’d beat their asses!”

“Uh… huh… and with THAT ability? You’re going to make a little stop motion film for them with a song and dance telling them to stop bombing us because it’s illegal? As if your playdough ability is good for anything, you just cause mess wherever you go.”

Words fired out of Nikola’s mouth like a machine gun with foam for bullets, a lot of words, they didn’t hurt, but there was no end to it and that was the worst thing. I know responding to her is what she wants, I know she will just keep talking if I keep responding, but I feel like my mouth runs with her.

Besides, I have a right to be excited, my joy has never been at her expense, so I don’t see why she’s so angry about it, perhaps she’s just miserable, but that is the last of my problems. If she’s sad or angry she should keep that inside like the rest of us, like a normal person instead of purposefully inconveniencing everybody.

“Of course, the first thing your childish self mentions is playdough.”

A girl monotonously mumbled from behind Nikola, sitting on the cold floor with her back against the wall and twirling her long red hair in boredom, not even caring to spare Nikola a glance. This was Hei-Ran.

“What’s that meant to mean?”

Nikola turned her attention to Hei-Ran, who seemed a lot less bothered than me by Nikola’s presence. I felt my face relax as Hei-Ran became the new victim of her focus.

“What's meant to mean what?”

Hei-Ran asked, turning to face Nikola now with her dark eyes forcibly widened and her voice notably softer, as if she was talking to a toddler.

“You said something, you said, ‘your childish self’, I want to know what you mean by that.”

Nikola responded, her sharp, thin eyebrows furrowed, less so in anger but more in confusion as her tone seemed to be a little softer than it was when she was speaking to me.

Maybe I should be taking notes.

“Are you sure it was me who said that? I didn’t say anything at all.”

“No, I’m sure, it was definitely you who said that.”

Nikola doubled down, turning to everybody else in the elevator, beginning to question herself now, she asked,

“She said something, right?”

“I didn’t hear anything.”

A taller boy with short black hair, two white streaks in the front, thick eyebrows, and sharp black, void-ish eyes hidden behind rectangular glasses said. This tall, dark man was Mesio, he was almost as strong as Nikola, though, if knowledge is power, I’d say he’s much stronger than her.

“Me neither.”

Another boy spoke, shorter than Mesio with wavy, dark brown, chin length hair that was similar to mine, with a deep scar running down his right eye. The scarred boy’s name was Eneko. He must have a really good ability to succeed as a spy because physically speaking he isn’t much but every time I’ve asked about it, he’s shrugged me off… he’s shrugged me off whenever I’ve asked him about anything to be honest.

“Are you sure Reine didn’t say anything?”

Eneko asked, and almost instinctively as he said my name, directing Nikola’s attention back to me, my heart dropped like a ten-thousand-ton brick from the Eiffel tower.

“No! No! No! No! I didn’t say anything!”

I shouted, the pitch of my voice reaching frantic heights as I pushed my way out from behind Nikola so if she chose to snap at me, I wouldn’t be pinned against the wall.

“Well did you hear anything?”

Nikola asked, leaning down to my level once again.

“No, I heard nothing!”

“She didn’t hear anything because nobody said anything, right guys?”

Hei-Ran asked, eyeing all six of us in the elevator to ensure that everyone was on board with what she wanted us to respond with.

“No, none of us heard anything.”

A girl adjacent from Hei-Ran by the name of Alika responded, softly shaking her head from side to side, her curly blonde ponytail swaying with each motion of her head. She’s like the association’s princess.

“Yeah, nobody said anything.”

The youngest one out of all of us, Lixue, said, his white hair, snow-white skin, and his grey ski-jacket making him stand out immensely from the rest of us in our uniform. He always looked cold, no matter how sunny it was.

“Maybe you’re just going crazy? I do know that it’s common for veterans to hallucinate, matter of fact, I had a friend who did exactly that… What was his name again...”

Our year’s supervisor, Caius said, trialling off as he spoke. Unlike the rest of us who were lying, he was probably the only one of us who actually didn’t hear anything. Floros told us that Caius got caught up in some freak landmine accident with the rest of his division and suffered severe head trauma because of it. Bless his soul.

“I’m not a veteran! I still haven’t even graduated!”

Nikola shouted Caius down, her fists clenched in a tight ball as she did so.

“But aren’t we going to be assigned missions?”

Caius asked, his dark lazy eye making Nikola’s mannerisms a little funnier to watch as her gaze kept switching from one eye to the other.

“Yes, but it's more like work experience for us, we graduate in three weeks and that’s when we’ll be put in actual divisions and given real tasks like you used to.”

Alika explained.

“Ohhh, I see.”

Caius nodded in understanding.

“We’ve been doing this since forever, God, are you that demented?!”

Nikola shouted again, folding her arms and rolling her eyes as if the man with brain damage should’ve known better.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to keep up, I can’t see you putting in any effort to slow down.”

Caius said, his bushy eyebrows slightly furrowed.

“Because when KArma comes, they won’t slow down for you, it’s not my fault you can’t keep up, it's not my fault you can’t keep to the standard.”

“The standard?”

Mesio asked, raising an eyebrow at what Nikola was implying.

“Yes, the standard. Face it, if we got every single abnormality and I mean it, every single one, then I might have to break a sweat because the bozos out there were smart enough to evade this place unlike all of you.”

Nikola boasted, flicking her hair as if she was doing something.

“You’re contradicting yourself.”

I blurted out. Again, I know it’s stupid to engage with her, but sometimes she says the oddest things that anybody with a working mouth and mind is obliged to turn around and correct her.

“What do you mean?”

Nikola asked, walking from the centre of the elevator back over to me.

“I mean what you said doesn’t make any sense, if you’re calling all of us stupid for being here doesn’t that make you stupid as well?”

I explained, folding my arms as I spoke to her. She looked taken aback by what I was saying despite the fact it was just common sense, her cheeks were a bright red and her thin eyebrows furrowed further and further into her skull. I began to fear that they would cut into her skin.

“No! You just don’t get it because you’re retarded, Reine!”

Nikola screamed, her ear-splitting voice breaking the sound barrier and bursting all of our eardrums like bloody pimples.

Everyone fell silent for a short while, not quite expecting her to suddenly scream like that, especially not me as it was right in my ear. I was so disoriented and dizzy from her volume that I didn’t even really notice was she said until Hei-Ran looked up and said,

“Are you seriously being ableist right now?”

And if Nikola’s face wasn’t red before, it was red now. Not that she cared about being ableist, no, but because as Hei-Ran said that everybody’s expressions immediately shifted, some to frustration but most from shock to this scheming little grin. She was not going to live this down, and she knew it.

“The eye slasher has made her new debut as the slur slinger! Wow!”

Eneko cheered, clapping his hands together to sarcastically applaud her with a big grin.

“Really, how old are you?”

Lixue scowled, shaking his head.

“Seventeen, but you know, I am slow so I could be very wrong.”

Caius crossed his arms.

“Yeah, I mean, for all we know she might be seven.”

Lixue continued, a humoured smile on his face as he replied to Caius.

“It’s not a slur! Tell me literally where it says it is one!”

Nikola continued to scream rather than talk at a civil volume in the cramped space that we were trapped in.

“Look it up in a dictionary, it's a pejorative.”

Mesio explained, not shocked that somebody like Nikola wouldn’t know something like this.

“That’s not true! You’re lying!”

Nikola shouted, pointing accusationally at Mesio.

“Lying about it being a slur? Because I just saidー”

“No, lying about pre-jaw-ra-dives, that is a word you made up!”

Nikola cut Mesio off, her eyes darting frantically around the elevator.

“What? Why would I make up an entire word to mess with you?!”

“Because Hei-Ran would, and you pricks agree with her on everything! I know I heard her say something to me and you’re all gaslighting me!”

Nikola continued to rant, backing into the elevator’s door to yell at everybody.

“This is lies, manipulation, and slander! You guys are bullying me, you’re bullying me and then lying to my face to make me feel stupid!”

Suddenly the doors from behind Nikola opened, not that she seemed to take much notice, but she certainly would take a lot of care about it, as behind her, sitting at a shiny rosewood desk and dressed in a sharp, navy coat, was our saviour, the founder of the association, Korina Floros. The rest of us fell silent and began to wonder how long it would take for Nikola to realise the judging eyes on her.

“You know what? Screw you guys! Screw Reine, screw Mesio, and screw Hei-Ran especially! I hate her the most! And I am reporting this to HR because I have a right to feel safe in a work environment and you guys are persecuting me!”

Nikola shouted, backing into Floros’ desk.

“Is that so?”

Floros asked, her cold voice sending chills down Nikola’s spine as she slowly turned her head around to face her, face as white as a ghost.

“Ah, Floros, it’s always a pleasure to see you!”

Nikola stammered, cowardly walking further into her office, her steps slow and rigid as if there were heavy weights chained to her feet.

“And the same goes for you too.”

Floros nodded, before standing up from her large, back, chair to address all of us, picking up a small, white remote from her desk and turning on the large projector from behind her that contained all the association’s living graduates and seniors and what their allocated missions for the week were. However, there were so many names and jobs on the screen in such small fonts that I really couldn’t even figure out where to begin looking for my name.

“Same as per usual, I want everybody to continue with their usual jobs for the remaining three weeks before your graduation. Which means, Alika, you will continue to volunteer at our hospital. Caius, Hei-Ran, Lixue, and Nikola, you will all continue with your usual schedule in preparation for a possible attack from KArma, Eneko, your schedule is clear, so I want you to tour and teach Mesio the ins and outs of our intelligence units.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eneko grinned, giving an enthusiastic nod with his response.

“And Reine,”

Floros said, turning directly to me.

“Yes?”

I felt my chest tighten with excitement to hear my own name.

“Your job is to clean the bathrooms. You’re all dismissed.”

WHAT?!

The tight feeling in my chest felt like it ripped open and was going to swallow me whole. Bathrooms? How?! AGAIN?! I’ve worked so hard, I’ve done the best I can, I’m never late, I’m always wearing my uniform right, and I’ve been banished to the bathrooms again

Nikola let out a snicker as everybody began to make their leave, but I wasn’t going to have it. Selfish as it is, I don’t care, I had to say something.

“Wait, can’t I join Caius and everybody just for today?”

I asked, my heart pounding in my ears in a frustrated fear.

“Why?”

Floros asked, her face stone cold. She had this effect on everybody during any direct confrontation. She could make the most heartless soldiers tuck their tails with one fatal glare. I had to choose my words carefully.

“Well… it's just that I think I’ve worked so hard that I deserve to have a more… rewarding job. I really want to be a part of our forces, and since I’m so close to graduation I think it only makes sense for meー”

“You think that the good hygiene of our community isn’t rewarding, Reine?”

Floros cut me off. I could practically feel Nikola’s mocking gaze burn through me as Floros continued to speak.

“If you know how hard our soldiers work then you would know that we cannot afford to have an outbreak of dysentery. Our hospitals are packed as it is, you can ask Alika about it, she’ll tell you. Do you really want to put more work, more stress, on your friends?”

“No ma’am.”

I stammered, shaking my head.

“Then you will do your part with a smile like the rest of us, is that understood?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I nodded, my cheeks burning a faint pink in embarrassment.

“Good girl.”

Floros nodded, a faint, pleased smile resting on her cracked lips.

“Now, you’re dismissed, I have other meetings to attend to.”

She ordered, and without a second thought, me along with everybody else left her office through the large rosewood door opposite to the elevator.

“What did I say? What did I say, Reine?!”

Nikola laughed, running up to me as soon as the door closed from behind us, wrapping her arm around my neck. I think that gesture is meant to be friendly, but when it's done by Nikola it feels like a headlock and I can hardly breathe.

“Leave her alone. You’ve been at her all morning.”

Alika pouted, her arms folded in annoyance.

“Alright, alright!”

Nikola sighed, rolling her eyes and loosening her grip around my neck before making her way off with everybody else.

“But hey, I’ll be sure to tip you!”

She waved; her cackle echoing through the halls as she left my sight.

“Yeah, whatever…”

I let out a heavy sigh with my head hung in exhaustion. I really don’t know what her deal is.

“Are you okay?”

Alika asked, her fair eyebrows turned upwards in concern. My heart began to race again as she spoke, not that she’s a scary person, her voice is so soft, like an angel but just because I’m a skittish personー or so I’ve been told. I’m getting concerned about dying from a heart attack one day.

“Oh, yes! Yeah, I’m alright, I’m just a little ticked off. But I’ll be fine, I’ll be fine.”

I spoke as though the words were racing out of my mouth to respond to her and assure her that I was alright. But I suppose that that level of panic is reasonable, if Floros knew I was really upset about this I doubt it would go down well, and I’m lucky to be here in the first place.

“Are you sure? I mean, it's almost every day that she picks on you, and being assigned as a janitor after all that training must be… humbling to say the least.”

“It’s beyond just humbling, its humiliating.”

Once again, my mouth ran without thinking of the possible consequences. I knew I was going to elaborate more on why it was embarrassing, Alika would’ve wanted me to or else she would’ve never asked and if I couldn’t express my feelings, it’d just give me an eternal itch in my head. Talking about it would relieve the itch and put a guilty pit in my chest, but if Alika was trustworthy the pit would disappear, and I would be right.

“I mean, like you just said, it's all that work for nothing. It’s not just the fact that I made sure I was presentable today to prove I cared or something stupid like that to her, the fact I straightened my hair, buttoned up my blazer, I covered my freckles, and I shined my shoes, it's the fact that my entire life, my entire meaning is to serve her and well technically I am it just… it just wasn’t meant to be like this.” 

It was physically painful to not scream and shout about how frustrated I was, but I knew I was too old for that behaviour and what I was saying, what I was feeling was already wrong. Floros knows what’s best for me.

Suddenly, Alika’s dark eyes widened with some kind of grand realisation,

“Maybe that’s the problem.”

“What is?”

“You’re trying too hard to be somebody you’re not. You’re trying so hard to embody her expectations and other people that you’re not embracing your strengths. You just need to walk in there as yourself, as Reine, am I making sense?

Alika explained, tilting her head a little to the left.

 ‘No, no, you’re making sense but it’s just not that easy. You and Nikola were born into this stuff, all you have to do is just walk up, flash your powers and everybody fawns. What can I do? Stop motion?”

“Didn’t you just say you aced history and scored third on the agility test? Just because you’re not effortlessly skilled doesn’t mean that you can never become skilled, you’re quick and even quicker at learning, you’ll figure something out. Just use your head and work more on supporting yourself instead of changing. If you lock in this week then I don’t doubt that things will start looking up for you.”

“I see… so you think I should just be myself?”

I nodded, trying to clarify the information I was being told. I understand what she means, it's just that I’m very sceptical about how well her idea will work.

“Precisely, now I’ve got to go to the train station or else I’ll be late, but I’ll see you around, and good luck with your tasks!”

Alika waved, turning away to leave before she stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face me.

“Oh, don’t straighten your hair again. It looks better the way it naturally is.”

I’m not a slacker, I’d be better off dead than slacking so I cleaned those bathrooms thoroughly and without a single break, not even for lunch. I mean, it only makes sense, right? In the trenches I wouldn’t be eating much anyways, so I should semi-prepare myself for that, I can’t let my stomach go soft on me and I can’t let myself forget what’s important, work. I am my work and my work makes me, I am happy like this, I can’t imagine a more fulfilling existence. Which is why Floros is my saviour, she gives me my work, and without my work I am nothing and I’m not going to lie, I reckon I’m everything right now. I ensured that those bathrooms were spotless, any ordinary man would walk in to do their business and they’d be brought to tears at the pure bright light basically radiating from the entire room.

It's light work.

Now all I must do is this every day for the next six days. If I do this well every time, then she will have no choice but to allow me to fight! My diligence and obedience are unmatched.

After signing myself off at attendance I went downstairs to grab a slice of toast from the canteen. I would’ve had jam with it but that would’ve been greedy, besides, kids will enjoy and need the food more than me because they need to grow healthy and strong to fight for us.

Plain toast is good enough anyway, it could’ve just been plain bread (which still is good).

But whether I taste sugar on my tongue right now isn’t necessarily my biggest concern, my biggest concern is finding somewhere to eat. Typically, I sit on my own as I eat because Nikola usually harasses me, or I’m cut in line by the entire organisation, and I miss out on breakfast altogether because there’s nothing left!

But not today, I’ve worked my ass off.

I quickly eye off Alika, Hei-Ran, and Mesio having a conversation in the far corner of the dining hall and I approach them.

“Hey, can I sit with you guys?”

I asked, a little embarrassed to be doing so, it felt super desperate.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hei-Ran nodded, shuffling her bag over to make room for me on the bench. I was always a little frightened by her tone, she seemed really hard-on and cold whenever I saw her talk to Nikola, but that moment she seemed kind of gentle. Did something change or have I always misread her?

Nonetheless, I sat myself next to her and put my plate of toast in front of me. I didn’t really feel like eating, not because I wasn’t hungry, I was, it’s just a little exposing to eat in front of others. Once Nikola caught me eating and then put me in a headlock so I’d choke, I know these people wouldn’t do that, but if I ate, I’d basically be telling them that they could do that.

“You didn’t straighten your hair today!”

Alika gasped, her dark eyes wide with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, you said it looked better natural and since you’re really pretty I felt like it just made sense for me to listen to you.”

I explained, feeling my cheeks and ears burn up as I did so.

“I like it, it looks super cute, and it suits you a lot, you look really pretty.”

Alika smiled.

All this woman does is make my heart do gymnastics and make me feel like I am about to die.

Alika, curly blonde hair slicked back into this neat bun, big, black, beautiful eyes, crystal clear skin, plum two-toned lips the bottom lip this adorable baby pink colour, long legs, mature figure, long, slender hands with the most stunning nails. She was beautiful without any effort, standing next to her I look like I’ve just graduated seventh grade.

Alika Ekubo, princess popular, literal angel on Earth, thinks that I’m pretty.

SHE THINKS I’M PRETTY?!

I’m giddy with shock, suffocated in surprise, but I’ve got to respond or else I’ll look like a fool. So I just look off to the side and let out a small,

“Thank you.”

And begin eating my toast, I feel safe doing so now.

“So, is the hospital as busy as it usually is?”

Hei-Ran asked Alika, resting her head on her hand in boredom.

“Oh, yeah, it’s hectic, but it's easy for me. Lots of broken bones from the kids and scouts, all I really need to do is flick my wrist and they’re good as new.”

Alika explained, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about how she described it. Not for her but for myself, I mean it’s common sense that Alika is impressive but it's difficult to be constantly supportive of the best as an underling when all they do is humble brag, rubbing it in that you were born shorthanded.

“Oh, sick. So, Reine, when you’re done scrubbing shit stains then you can go help out Alika at the hospital.”

Hei-Ran casually suggested, as if it wasn’t a bombshell of words that she just dropped on me.

“Is that allowed?”

I asked, my brows feeling tight with worry.

“Probably not, but I skip all the time, and nobody has ever caught me or said anything, so you’ll be fine.”

Hei-Ran’s words were tempting but I held my ground as she continued. I was not going to blow my chances at becoming a soldier by abandoning my station.

“I mean, if you wanna be sweeping the floors for the rest of your days that’s your choice, Korina’s view of you isn’t gonna shift no matter how hard you try to make it so you may as well do the little things that you wanna do.”

“Don’t tempt her, Hei-Ran, if she wants to skip, let her, if she doesn't, who cares?”

Mesio scolded Hei-Ran as if he was a teacher telling off a student.

“I’m not tempting her; I’m just telling her as it is. She can do whatever she wants, I’m just telling her that, isn’t that right, Reine?”

Hei-Ran turned to me, looking for my support.

“Yeah.”

I agreed, not really wanting to start an argument or feeling too passionately against or for wagging my mission. I mean, of course I’d stay, but I don’t think I would care if somebody wagged a mission unless I was working with them of course.

“Which is why I’m not gonna leave and do something else, it's my duty to stay here and do the work that Floros has assigned me. I can’t abandon it. Besides, if I want to become a soldier and she catches me not doing my work I can say goodbye to everything.”

“That’s a fair point…”

Hei-Ran uttered before shrugging her shoulders and sighing,

“Alright, suit yourself.”

I smiled back at her and nodded,

“Mhm, I will.”

And peacefully enjoyed what remained of the morning with the three of them. It's not often that I feel so at ease but around these people it's as easy as breathing. I feel kind of happy to be around them even though I know it’s wrong, I think, just right now, I don’t care about what’s wrong.

However, this feeling of peace was short lived, as after ten minutes of our conversation Eneko rushed in, heading over to me, half-done bandages falling off his thigh, and his knee-high brown boots, squeaking against the tiles of the hallway and the cafeteria.

“Reine!”

He cried out to me, tripping over his bandage as it finally came completely undone, resulting in a nasty cut forming on his right knee on the impact. He winced in pain as I immediately got up to help him.

“Are you okay? What happened?”

I asked, jumping out of my seat to tend to Eneko’s bleeding knee.

“No, no, I’m fine, I can do it myself.”

Eneko assured me, pulling his leg away from me as if he was trying to hide his leg.

“Uhm, Korina, she wants to see you.”

My eyes must’ve lit up at the mere mention of her name. Korina? Korina Floros?

Is this it?

Is this finally it?

“Floros?”

I repeated, trying my best not to grin from ear to ear.

“Yes, it's about the bathrooms, they’reー”

Eneko went to explain but was cut off by the piercingly loud screeches of the speakers.

“Contaminated abnormality 04082002, Reine, report to the admin's office immediately!”

A robotic voice bellowed throughout the hall, and with the mention of my name everybody’s gaze became fixed onto me. The eagerness bubbling inside me quickly deflated as I looked at Eneko’s almost pitiful expression, something was wrong.

“Do you want me to walk you there?”

Eneko sighed, opening his hand for me to take it. I couldn’t even find the words to respond, my face had gone ice cold, and I could hardly think of anything at all, like my brain had given up on me. I just gave a small nod and placed my hand in his.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Eneko nodded, picking himself up off the ground and walking to Floros’ office with me.

The trip to Floros’ was silent and slow, every second that passed the tension gradually got higher and higher. I was kind of wishing that Eneko would just say something, anything, to get the weight of the quiet off me. But he didn't, he just looked straight ahead with a cold face.

Eventually, we did arrive and as the elevator’s doors opened and to what they revealed, well, if I was scared before, I was petrified now. Behind that classy, rosewood desk was of course Floros, but seated in front of her with a smile that I can only describe as true evil was Nikola, using all her physical strength to keep her mouth shut to stop herself from laughing.

“Have a seat, Reine.”

Floros ordered.

I sat myself down on the set to the right of Nikola, feeling my breath lose its steady rhythm, becoming sharp and erratic. Floros simply smiled and turned her attention to Eneko.

“You’re excused.”

“Yes ma’am.”

He nodded, quickly scurrying off and out through the door. Once he had left Floros immediately turned her attention back to me, her sharp red-ish eyes piercing through all of my being.

“Reine, did you or did you not clog the bathrooms yesterday?”

“What? No?!”

I gasped, trying my best to calm myself down and not double down on the conclusions that were taunting the emotional part of my brain. Maybe it was just an error with the plumbing.

“Then why is there a flood pouring out from the girl’s bathrooms on the third floor? Why did we find two entire packs of tampons in the toilet?”

Floros continued. I stared blankly at her in disbelief, no clue how to even respond to what I was being accused of, it's not like anybody would believe me if I denied it. Whether I did do it or not there just needs to be somebody to blame, that is simply how our world works.

Still, I would never even think of doing something so gross in my life, and if honesty is a value here, if Alika thinks I need to be myself, then I will defend myself.

“I didn’t do it; I would never do something like that! You have to believe me, please, I would never lie to you, and you know how much the association means to me. I don’t want to ruin everything before it even starts, please, please listen to me.”

I pleaded, begged, for her trust in hopes that somewhere, somewhere deep inside of her that she could find it within the pits of her soul to be kind to me just this one moment.

“But weren’t you angry about being assigned as the janitor? You’re the only person who would have any reason to do such a thing.”

Nikola added, crossing her legs as if she was just completely unbothered by what I’m assuming that she’s trying to do to me. Again, not shocked by it, she’s never been kind to anybody, me in particular, I understand to an extent why she is that way, I’m way too confident in the little strength I have. But to try to sabotage my job, my life?

“I’m listening to you, Nikola.”

Floros nodded, my chest caved in even more at the sight of it and I shot up from my seat.

“No, no, no you don’t understand! I didn’t… I didn’t do anything at all, I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I spent the whole day cleaning the bathrooms and then I went to bed! And hell, if some elaborate accident did happen then I obviously didn’tー”

“There are no accidents here, accidents are reckless which is not a trait that I would ever want to see in my soldiers.”

Floros cut me off with words cutting even sharper.

“Reine, you will discontinue your tasks, and you are to not return here until further notice.”

“Butー”

I squeaked, trying to get a word in before Floros stood up, looking down at me as if she was some kind of angered and violent god.

“There is no ‘but’, this is an order, do you understand me?”

Her voice bellowed, firm and steady, shouting without any emotion.

I sheepishly nodded my head in response,

“Yes ma’am.”

Floros nodded her head, and with her hands behind her back her words stabbed at me again,

“Then leave, and don’t come back until I say so.”

Hello!

I still don't exactly know how to use this but one of my mutuals on tiktok suggested that I start posting the script here so let's hope this goes well! (≧∇≦)ﾉ

My name is Akira and I hope you all enjoyed reading the first chapter of the second draft of a little project I'm working on called abNORMALITY, I've been working on this for a little over a year now and I am very excited and hopeful that this reaches more people. Please enjoy it and stay for the rest of the story, thank you!!

If you liked this, you can read some of the other chapters on my ao3 or you can see some of my art and some other information and some of my art on my tiktok

[moomixx101]

Some oc ref sheets and some information about my characters and the current project I’m working on and have been for about a year now!! I hope they’re interesting!! This is one of four parts!! 💪💪