Chapter Sixteen
Nala, Charlie and I are crammed into a cable cart with the rest of the students in our taming class.
There aren’t many of us. I mentally count all the people in the cart and land on eleven, including myself.
Trina and Elijah from combat are here, and the rest are students I have seen around but don’t know personally.
Trina gives me a nod as I make eye contact.
I shoot her a quick smile and then look back at Nala and Charlie, who are looking out of the window and giggling at something.
My stomach turns as the cable cart gains on the taming quadrant.
I feel a warm hand grip mine, distracting me from my thoughts.
My eyes focus on Nala, who tightens her grip and gives it a squeeze. She must know I am nervous.
“It’ll be okay,” she reassures. I give her a smile to ease her worries.
It’s now or never. The cable cart steadies, and the class hurries off.
Our teacher is standing by the first set of doors, welcoming us in.
He has short brown hair and tanned skin.
He looks young for a teacher. He is wearing a black tank top and black cargo trousers.
His arms are folded as he stands guard before the door to the taming quadrant.
He is covered from head to toe in tattoos. Nala looks over at me.
“Wow, is that our teacher?”
I give her a nudge. “Your boyfriend is over there,” I say, gesturing to Charlie.
“I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a handsome man when I see one.” She laughs, making me giggle as well. He is rather gorgeous.
“Hello everyone, my name is Mr Knight. Congratulations, you are all the bravest in your year!” He unfolds his arms. “Here you will learn how to be the best of the best… but it won’t come without its challenges. Look around at your classmates.”
I turn to look at Nala and Elijah on either side of me.
“They may mean something to you out there,” he gestures to Sun Sovereign in the distance, “but up here, they are nothing but your competition. The end-of-year assault course will test you all.” He looks at us all, one by one. “Providing you make it that far.”
The class falls silent. Wow. He’s brutal.
He Influences the doors to open and marches into the written room expecting us to follow.
We each take a seat on the crescent-shaped benches and align our views towards Mr Knight.
He is not overly muscular, but his presence is strong, like he could lead an army just with his voice.
In the corner of the room, Veronica is staring intensely at me.
I break eye contact. I feel her eyes burning holes through me.
I remember her talking to Miss Worthington about me, which makes me shuffle in my seat.
“What is the first rule of taming?” Mr Knight bellows as he glances around the room, his arms folded again. “Anyone?”
Nala’s hand shoots up beside me. She is definitely going to be the star pupil here. He gives her a nod, and she stands up, holding her books to her chest with one arm.
“Masking, Sir,” she states and then sits back down.
“Very good. Does anyone know how it’s done?” he questions.
No one raises their hands this time. Nala knows, but maybe she wants to give someone else a chance.
“That’s okay; that’s why you are here… To learn.
” He lifts an eyebrow and raises the corners of his mouth in a smirk.
“Masking is the ability to block one’s emotions.
In this case, blocking out fear. An Elion associates fear with danger, so we must be fearless.
The incident that occurred last week, Tobias…
Gods rest his soul, occurred because he lost control of his mask. ”
He pauses for a moment as if to let that sink in. “Some of you may think that masking is easy, but it is the maintaining that is most difficult. Remaining neutral even in the most terrifying situations. This could be the difference between life and death.”
He paces at the front of the class. “The truth is, there is no correct way to mask, it is, in fact, unique to each individual.” His hand strokes his chin in a downward motion. “You just have to find what works for you.”
His head pivots around the room, pausing on each of us briefly. His pearly white teeth show as he smiles.
“Right.” Conviction carries his voice, making us all jump a little. “Everybody, stand up.”
I hear the fumbling of people quickly getting to their feet.
“Now, I want you all to look down at the ground.”
I look down at my black boots that are not quite worn in yet, pinching my toes slightly.
There is no uniform for taming, but they recommend you wear black leather or sweats; nothing that can restrict your movement in any way.
Elions are confused by bright colours and sometimes see them as targets, so we are all in black.
“Now take your shoes off.”
The class looks around at each other as if assessing whether to take this demand seriously. Nala slips her boots off first, and the rest of us follow.
“Great. Now, I want you all to wiggle your toes.”
We do as we’re told, and Nala looks at me and giggles.
“Focus on the sensation of the floor, your toes scraping the surface.”
The wood scratches against the bottoms of my feet.
“Now I want you to imagine your feet are stuck to the ground with superglue. They cannot be lifted; they are one with the wood.”
He walks around the room, observing each of us as if he were taking notes on our forms. “Feel as your weight shifts to the soles of your feet.”
He nods at me as if I have his approval. I must be doing something right.
“This is called grounding. It is the first step in masking. Hold on to that feeling. Now, think of a memory. It has to be a strong memory, one strong enough to overcome fear but also weak enough to still your mind. Maybe it’s the moment you got your first pet or fell in love for the first time.
I don’t care what it may be.” He pauses for a moment as if he’s letting us figure out our chosen memory.
I struggle to think of a memory prominent enough to black out fear.
I think about my father and all our special moments, like when he took me to the beach for the first time or when he taught me how to play poker, but these memories now feel tainted with lies and deceit.
What used to be happy memories now fill my mind with chaos and too many unanswered questions.
I need to find my calm. My eyes drift slowly around the room looking for hints that other people are finding this as hard as I am.
The students are quiet, most deep in concentration with their eyes closed.
However, some people are fidgeting a little and scanning the room like I am, which eases my mind a little.
I close my eyes again and mentally flick through more memories, hoping to find one secure enough to hold on to and keep me afloat, but in each one, I find a new hole that fear could seep through.
“CLAP”
Mr Knight smashes his palms together, making a loud clapping sound, causing all the students to jump and open their eyes.
“An elion would smell your fear in that moment; you should be unfazed by what is going on around you. Try again.” His voice snaps through us like a rubber band as we try to regain composure and step away from the edge he has us on.
My old memories are not working. I can’t even think of my father without thinking about the secrets he kept from me, and all I feel is worry when I think about the village I grew up in, how close my dad is to the Moon people going missing in Briverna.
And thinking about my mother usually only floods my mind with guilt about how I killed her just by existing, but now it is also mixed with how confused and angry I feel about the supposed kidnapping and Luca Thorncroft.
“AGGGGHHHHH.”
Mr Knight shouts loudly, catching me off guard again.
I open my eyes in frustration. Masking is harder than I thought.
Nala didn’t even budge at Mr Knight’s distraction; she really is a natural.
She looks so peaceful, like she is sleeping standing up.
I wonder what she is thinking about. I think Mr Knight can tell I am struggling because he makes his way over to me.
“Asha…The girl who faced an elion and didn’t back down,” a proud whisper eludes from his lips. “I have high hopes for you.”
He smiles gently and acknowledges my frustration with this task.
He looks at me but projects his voice loudly as if this is also a teaching moment.
“If the memories you are choosing are not working, search for a feeling instead, one that overpowers everything else. A feeling so intense it dissipates everything else around you.”
I nod at him and concentrate again. I shift my weight to my feet and close my eyes, searching for an intense feeling.
I think about the force that keeps bringing me back to Ryder; it has to be stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before, strong enough to rip me from my subconscious and into his presence.
I imagine the whoosh of butterflies in my stomach when he is near me.
How my hair stands up, one by one, when his hot breath tickles over my skin.
I fight the urge to bite my lip as I remember the feeling of his mouth, warm on my neck.
The contrast of his harsh stubble caressing my soft skin.
His body pressed up against mine. His whispers feel like silk as I shiver and arch towards his touch.
I imagine his strong arms wrapped around me, my head resting against his chest, the hard ridges of his body pressed up against mine.
I feel safe. My body begins to rock slightly and I realise I am being shaken.
I open my eyes and see Mr Knight standing in front of me.
The rest of the class has returned to the crescent benches.
“Excellent work, Asha. Whatever you were thinking about clearly worked. You remained still despite my efforts to startle you.”