The Red Ignorance Academy building stood tall, watching over the developing streets of (insert city name here) 'It's my last chance to prove myself. You can't fail. Not today.' The young girl thought to herself, looking down and breathing unevenly.
Tall brown doors were surrounded by the facility's prestigious windows and castle-like pillars, neatly trimmed hedges buzzed with ladybugs and butterflies. "Oh, guys, look, it's Hapless Alice. Isn't she nervous? It's finals, and she's failed every exam so far." "I don't know, but she'll for sure mess this one up." A group gives Alice her usual greeting of sly remarks and giggling. She pays no mind to it, as she enters and continues down the flight of stairs that mark the halfway point of the massive academy.
Chatter filled the venue as groups of students scattered themselves. The room was silenced by the arrival of the coach, "ORDER!" he yells.
The students rally into military-fashioned lines, and the coach walks to the front of his platoon of young men and women. "Alright!... I hope you are all excited. Because today is your final examination. Today you will show me, and the lieutenants above me, why we should even consider permitting you to train at the Red Ignorance Academy, in hopes of serving this country as Mercenaries." His digital clipboard sounds an ethereal tune and turns on.
"Now, this examination will be a near replica of the previous days'. As you've been made aware from the beginning, we are analyzing your zen stats. This examination, though, is broken down into 5 sequential stages: 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40 and finally 41 -50." The clipboard lights up and projects the explained levels. "Failure to meet the passing requirement of 11 will lead to immediate expulsion and you will report to the principal's office. Questions." The hall remained silent in fear of speaking out of turn.
"Excellent. Proceeding in the Academy routine we will begin at the letter z, Gideon Zatar, come forward."
"Just be grateful that I will grace you with being the presence of the greatness that is the Zatar family." Gusto in his step, a short figure makes its way to the front of the hall. We panel into Alice's mind, 'T-transmission reading? But I can't release my zen, I'm only able to enhance it. I mean, if they at least pick up my zen, it should work r-right? No. C'mon Alice, think, think, think…' Alice glimpses at Gideon whose reading was exceptional.
"Well done, Zatar, you are growing to live up to your name's legacy,"
"Of course I'd expect nothing less from myself" A mixture of judgemental and inspired chatter grew quietly.
" Mm, back of the class. The rest of you, silence."
'It's no good, I'll just have to give it a shot… This is so terrifying. My dream is on the line here, so I can't fail, right? (Deep breath) just breathe… that's all you need to do… brea–' Sudden excited whispers snap Alice back into the hall. She missed the name of who was next, as the student elegantly approached the front of the hall, purposefully taking her time. Her hair, like golden white silk, was draped neatly behind her. Blonde eyelashes perch out of two slits that gate the golden irises, they sit on a pale white, gorgeously sculpted face. Each student she passes is almost entranced by her beauty. For a few moments the hall was still, but this wasn't zen, rather her aura which commanded reverence. She disinterestedly sat down on the examination seat and placed her hands on the orbs at the end of the chair's arms. The orbs glew a bright ruby red as it started to pick up Lelia's zen. "It keeps going up, the numbers, they aren't stopping."
"Ya it doesn't seem to be slowing down." A loud whisper passes through the crowd of students. '75' that was the reading it eventually halted on. Gideon Zatar scoffs.
The crowd grew into a large applause and a loud cheer. "75?!", "How is anyone capable of doing that?!", "She really is a star!", 'Lelia! Lelia! Lelia! Lelia!' She nonchalantly strode back in line. Once again, Alice sunk heavily into thought, 'Lelia Dragomir, she's just so talented. There's no way I'd even get half the reading she got… sh-she's just so much better than me…' Her thoughts were so deeply entrancing she was completely detached from reality and time. During this, students flew by, until eventually, "Alice Brandes! You're up." The room stood still once more, but this time was not out of awe. A cloud of disgust and judgment enveloped the crowd. "Hey, look, it's the freak's turn.", "What? Happles
Alice? Pfft! Haa-ha."
Lelia's posey of followers began, "Don't even waste your time watching that 'thing' is talentless." Lelia ignored them and impatiently looked on.
Alice's attempts to regain composure were fruitless as she unconfidently swam through the crowd toward the chair. Her hands filled with zen, the orbs glew, 'Beep-Beep!', it read… 0. Alice was in shock, and fear curled in knots within her chest, her dream and any belief of it being realized crushed in a second. It felt like hours on that chair as she tried to process what had happened when the silence was broken by, "Miss Brandes, you're out. Hand in your badge to the principal, now." She didn't respond and stayed seated head-down. Only tears, that was the only function her body had control over. She snapped out of it when an angry Lelia said, "Did you actually think you'd make it?" she walked up to Alice, her voice piercing through Alice as she lifted her chin with a cold finger. "That's actually so pathetic it's almost funny. Scram, Brandes, you're done, or should I move you myself?"
She knocked on the principal's door. A few seconds passed "Ah, come in." rumbles from inside the room. She opened the door and saw mountainous shoulders rounding the creaseless veteran's top of the old man, the muscle of his arms suffocating in the sleeves. A military jacket hung neatly, displaying the innumerable accolades collected over his lifetime that now decorate the collars. "Take a seat." Slowly she sat in reluctance. "You've failed. And yet it is not surprising, considering someone of your 'kind.' You're a freak, Alice, and that isn't what disgusts me the most, it's your refusal to speak.
No disorder. No condition. You're not even mute. You're just f***ing retarded!" She had walked into the office with her head down in silent sniffles, and this did not change in the slightest. A thunderous bang shook the desk, "Speak, damn it! You Futanari piece of sh**!" After his thick calloused hand crashed into the desk, a bolt of fear traveled down her spine as she jumped in her seat.
"Y'know, it makes no sense to me: that they would ever give wastes of space like you the chance to become a mercenary." He pressed one of his steel bar-like fingers against the top of the desk, viens writhing up his forearms. "Put down your badge… and get out." Empty, she placed her badge slowly on the desk where his finger had just charred it. He picked it up and, in front of her eyes, reduced it to ash. No smoke… No fire… just ash. He hadn't broken eye contact with her, "NOW GET OUT!", the man repeats. Alice stumbled hurriedly out, in fear of a harsher punishment than expulsion.
After what felt like days of running through the academy's large corridors, she arrives at the entrance. Feeling a slight release from the pain, she slid open the door. Alice was tripped and grabbed by a small group of delinquents, they took her to an alley filled with refuse. Her dragging knees spoke to her lost will to fight. Her eyes were devoid of life. They dropped her at, what looked like, someone's feet. She slowly raised her head to glance at Lelia's right-hand woman, Kazumi. Stark-faced, Kazumi's eyes pierce through Alice's soul. "You have some nerve staying here, freak. Didn't Lady Lelia tell you to get lost? Should've listened, hapless trash. Lady Lelia, may you start us off." Lelia looked up, appalled at the sight of Alice, as she slowly made her way to her and said, "Kazumi, have its head held high." small vampiric fangs grazed the back of her bottom lip when she spoke. Doing as the commanded Kazumi brings Alice onto her knees. Her head up facing Lelia's at the expense of her locks being pulled. As soon as Lelia got closer to Alice she planted a firm heel kick on poor Alice's, now broken, nose. Lelia scoffed, displeased that she dirtied her shoes with such a creature's blood. "She is beneath me and my time. Finish that thing off and clean this up." Her voice was uncaring and as she waved them off. Moments after Lelia turned around to walk away the gang wasted no time brutally staining Alice's clothes with her blood, bruising her without pause.
The girls had decided to spectate the work of the prideful youngmen.
Slowly, Alice used the last of consciousness to fight back tears. Every instance of doubt in her ability as a future Mercenary was reinforced by this beating. Helpless and empty, she surrendered, closing her eyes in hopes to find release from the pain of consciousness
Thunder crashed down on a field only streets down. It was dark. Her clothes clung damply onto her battered limbs. The pace of rhythmic pitter patter on the streets grew violent as the leaves of the trees hummed breathily. Her eyes opened in pain. Her body denied any effort to get up from the water, she was tattered with bruises and fractures. Pain submitted her once more and she laid back down in a weak acceptance of the situation.
Pain… Isolation… Self-hatred… Hopelessness. This darkness was all Alice knew wouldn't change. She knew it would hurt her the same, the next time it visited and so she developed a disgusting fondness for its predictability. The rain fell unforgivingly on her face as she stared into the sky.
"SHE'S OVER HERE ROSLYN!" A voice roared. The figure was vague but familiar in its pale skin and blonde hair. "KID STAY WITH ME!" The voice was drowning in the rain and wind. Another figure quickly tried to regroup with Alice and the blond, its coat a stark black and its hair blended in with the night's sky. Alice felt herself rise from the floor.
She was confused and completely vulnerable, and yet she felt protected. "ALICE!... ALICE, I'M HERE!" the dark coated figure approached. Her eyes were wearing out, the cold of the bright black of unconsciousness pulling her back in.
"Aunt…. R-Ro… sy?"