Page 23 of The Mentor
“Yes, I apologize,” I said politely. “But you drive me crazy.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but you were crazy way before you even came here.” He turned his back on me and walked away with a shaking head, muttering: “A fucking love circle.”
CHAPTER 8
Telling the Twins
Kya
Archer woke the kids up in the most brutal way. He and Marco simply walked into the sleeping dorms, turned on the light, and started shouting. The Nboys, who seemed used to the drill, got up, dressed, and gathered outside – all within a few minutes.
The children from the Motherlands, however, were confused, tired, and cranky at being dragged out of bed in such a rude manner. Victoria even started crying.
“Would you please stop shouting,” I told Marco in a firm voice.
Marco looked horrified at Victoria, as if he had never seen a girl cry before, which in all fairness he hadn’t.
“What happened?” A gruff voice from behind me asked. I turned to see Magni. “Why is she crying? Did you hurt her?” He scowled at Marco.
“Get out, all of you,” I instructed and squatted down next to Victoria. “What’s wrong, honey?” I asked in a soft voice.
“It scares me when people shout,” she managed to get out in between her crying.
“Is it because of what happened to you?” I caressed her hair. “I know about the tornado and how you lost your family, and I want you to know that you can talk to me about how you feel.”
Victoria opened up and told about the tragic day when her family unit had been swept away and she’d been the only one to survive. “It was early morning and I was still sleeping when my dad came yelling. I only survived because I hid behind the built-in.”
“The what?”
“It was my favorite hiding place when we played hide and seek, so when my dad shouted for us all to get to safety, I chose that spot.” She rubbed her eyes. “It was in the kitchen, under the built-in benches, just big enough for me to fit in. My brother once tried, but his shoulders got stuck, so it was my spot.”
“And no one else made it?” I asked.
She shook her head and looked down. “No, just me.”
I had known about this from her file. Victoria wasn’t the only student with a traumatic background, which was logical, since most of the kids didn’t have parents. They had been the easiest children to include in the experiment, since every normal parent in the Motherlands would refuse sending their children to the Northlands.
That’s why it had been such a triumph for Christina and me when Sheana Rene, one of the councilwomen from the Motherlands, had volunteered her two daughters. At least Rochelle and Shelly were healthy and not suffering from any major issues.
It took a while before Victoria was ready to go outside. But then I considered it a small victory that she had opened up and told about the trauma she had experienced only a few months ago. Dealing with emotional issues was something I was comfortable with, as it was connected to my work with children with special needs. I understood that even the best teacher in the world can’t teach a student anything if the child is worried, scared, or emotionally shut down in some way.
Victoria and I missed the running. Instead we sat soaking up the morning sun and waited for the others to come back. The first one to arrive was, predictably Solomon, followed by Storm and Hunter. Archer arrived with the tail end of the children from the Motherlands. The Nboys didn’t even look out of breath, and Nieall and some of the girls from the Motherlands looked to be in fine shape too.
“How far did you run?” I asked Archer.
“Just two miles,” he said. “It’s just to get the blood pumping; we’ll do longer runs soon. Tomorrow you’ll join us, right?”
I nodded.
“Okay, let’s get the breakfast going.” Archer clapped his hands. “If your name is on the list and you have breakfast duty, you will join Marco and Shelly in the kitchen; if not, head for the shower and get dressed – we’ll be eating in twenty minutes.”
“Run along,” I told Victoria with a smile and went to help with the breakfast.
Thirty minutes later, the children sat around the long dining table eating breakfast.
“Here, have a piece of bacon,” Nero offered Tommy, who happily snatched a piece from the plate.
“Ehhm, Tommy,” I said. “You don’t want to eat that, honey, it’s the real thing and not a substitute.”
