I laid on the floor, bleeding from my forehead and half naked due to my shirt ripping. The wound on my head didn't cause any difference in my mental state, I was used to blows against my head.
'He really did it! He is fucked'
The realization made me excited. My predictions were all turning out to be right.
'I just have to act a bit more..'
"Oh my god!! He is bleeding! Quick, call an ambulance!" A girl yelled.
This yell caused a chain-reaction in my class. Heff was tackled to the ground by a classmate and was pinned down, one girl dialed the emergency phone number, the class representative ran out of the classroom to get a teacher and the rest were standing around me, watching 2 boys who were tending my surface wounds.
I acted dazed, barely hanging onto consciousness and ignoring the boys's attempts to get my attention. I only had time to act this way until the paramedics or even the school nurse showed up, if they watched me faking, they would immediately be able to tell.
The teacher from the classroom next-door arrived and quickly asked for more information on the situation.
"Why are you holding Mr. Heff down?!"
"He assaulted Niam. He slammed his head against the wall and ripped up his shirt."
The teacher wanted to question the class representative's words but remembering what kind of person Mr. Heff was, he believed every word the student said.
Eventually, the paramedics arrived and I had to react normally. They checked if my pupils dilated and if I was hurt anywhere else. The police arrived shortly after too, but I was already being loaded onto the ambulance.
***
"Thank you, doctor..."
My mother finally made it to the hospital after I was treated. It took her a few hours to arrive, I guessed she wasn't worried after hearing from the principle or whoever called her.
"Son." She said expectantly.
"Mom?" I responded, unsure of her intentions.
"You have seen worse."
"I did."
"Want to explain?"
"I found something I can do outside of training."
The previous expression disappeared and was replaced with a proud smile.
'What is she smiling about?' I wondered.
"Do you want to sue?" She asked.
"Not right now."
"I see, mhmhmh." She chuckled.
"Can we go now? I'm sick of the smell and atmosphere here."
"The doc gave us the green light. He even gave me some pain-medications. But you won't need them, right?"
"Of course not." I answered, although my head felt like it was splitting apart.
"Well, your classmate that came with you on the ambulance wants to come see you. Want me to let him in?"
'A classmate was on the ambulance with me? Did he sit in the front?'
"Sure, let him in."
My mother went out and entered with my classmate I recognized to be the class representative.
"How are you feeling, bro?" He asked with a smile.
His smile revealed his braced teeth. He was the same height as me, had short, black hair, a thick nose and a split chin.
"Good." I responded.
"Have you lost your memory?"
"Doesn't seem like it."
"Well, what's my name then?" He asked.
I didn't know what his name was. It hasn't been long since the school-year started and the classes were mixed.
"Uhhh.."
"It's Omar Yelan."
"Ohhhh! Yes. Of course, I knew that."
"Hahahah!" He laughed.
I laughed too. He was funny, he didn't seem to be so stupid like the other students.
"I heard that you came with me, is that true?" I asked.
"Sure is. I'm responsible for my people."
'His people...'
"You can tell me if you just wanted to skip class." I assured him.
As if caught doing something illegal, Omar froze up and his eyes widened.
"I would've done the same, hahaha. Let's go, my mother will drive you home."
He laughed and nodded.
***
That day changed everything. On that day, I was sure of what kind of person I was. A person with great judgement, great acting and lying skills, manipulation skills and controlling abilities. It was also the day I befriended Omar.
All this happened 7 years ago. Since that day, I changed. Even when I was irritated by people around me, I learned to read and control them.
I decided to not sue Mr. Heff, and instead confessed that I fell by accident. Though, that caused a change in Mr. Heff too.
"I will tell them you were threatening me with more harm if I told them that it wasn't an accident. That means that you will never act the same way you did before. Do you understand me?"
He nodded impatiently. He wanted to exit the police-station at all cost.
He never treated anyone unfairly after that. I even got to enjoy special privileges at school, like the attention of a few girls.
***
["Beer."] I said and knocked on the table.
The waitress had seen and heard me after I sat down.
I picked a few things up before I sat down. The things being: What the drunk men would say to the waitress and the method they used to pay with.
They used grey gemstones to pay. The most common type of gem I had on me.
I sat at the table that was at the right corner of the Inn. From there, I was able to have a clear view of the whole entry area.
["Here you go, that would make 1 credit."]
I only understood "one" and "credit". 'Were they calling the grey gems credits?' Credits were the international currency used before the impact. 'Did they adopt the name again?'
I paid for the beer.
There were many soldiers and travelers around me. They conversed, drank and ate to the fullest. I didn't understand anything as it wasn't a language I had heard before.
[„Have you heard? The Emperor was assassinated."]
[„Yes, I heard. Do you believe it? Due to the long-range communication being lost after the impact, it got harder to believe what people say. We are so used to prove, and now that we don't have it…"]
The conversations in the Inn were interrupted when another person, dressed in black, entered the Inn. It was a woman and her face was covered. Just like they did to me, they stared at the woman with suspicious gazes. The woman looked around, seemingly scanning the room for something.
‚This must be a joke, right?' I asked myself after I saw the woman walking to my table.
She sat down in front of me.
[„A beer for me, please."] She ordered from the waitress.
„Mixed blood sitting in an Inn close to Siran Bridge, nothing suspicious about that." She stated.
„It may look suspicious, but I have every right to be here. I'm a citizen after all." I explained.
The waitress brought her beer and wanted the credits for it.
„You'll cover it for me, right?" She asked.
„Only if you tell me more about yourself." I offered.
„Deal."
After paying what was owed, we continued our strange conversation.
„So, you are from Central Superio?" She guessed.
„Ever been there?"
„A couple of times actually."
„Alone?"
„Alone."
„Are you a soldier or a fugitive?" I asked her, guessing.
„Might be one now actually."
„Which one?"
„Both."
After her statement, there was a minute of silence, a minute that we used to take a few sips from our beer.
„I'm guessing you can't speak the local language."
„You guessed right."
„Then you mustn't have heard about what went on in the capital."
„I haven't and I don't care. My goal doesn't have anything to do with the development in the capital."
„I guess you're right."
She paused for a moment. This wasn't the first time someone made weird smalltalk with me, thinking it was enough to break the ice between two strangers. ‚Either she asks me something a lot more private or she wants to ask me for a favor.'
„Say, do you have a brother?"