Violet Path (2 page)

Matthew continued, “Starting this afternoon, those five students will be tested, and those interested who are not on the list are welcomed to join them. Simply sign up and speak with your teachers. Thank you. May Tamizeh only grow stronger.” Matthew finished and stepped away, but I could swear that he found me among the crowd. We stared at each other for a moment, my heart wrenching.

As the place cleared, I remained seated. I didn’t want to go to war. I hated the War. Had I known that my grades were going to be released and used to recruit me, I would have failed as many subjects as possible. My heart had dropped to my stomach and kept me glued to my chair. Not only did I stand out because of my physical traits, but Matthew had called me “Alexia” in front of the entire school. I didn’t have a last name. I didn’t know my parents and had been living with my foster family, Lyli and her parents, for about five years. Maybe I didn’t even have a last name.

“Congrats! I’m really proud of you!” Lyli said as she approached. “I’ll see you after your examination. I have a history test. Good luck.” She tapped me on the shoulder and ran off.

After a few minutes, I was the only person left in the auditorium. Mr. Mal startled me when he yelled across the stage, ordering me to go to the gym before I insulted Matthew and disgraced his school. I jumped to my feet and sprinted across campus.

A massive crowd had formed. I had to fight my way in, pushing people’s shoulders and getting rammed into the walls. An announcement shouted over everyone’s racket: “Alexia has two minutes to get to the ring or is disqualified. Alexia has two minutes to get to the ring or is disqualified . . .” the statement repeated.

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into an open space. “You were at the top of the list! Get in there now!” one of the teachers scolded as she drove me through the wild throng, then pushed me onto a mat.

Miles stood at the other side of the mat. He was the second tallest guy at our school, very built, and had a strong, threatening presence. He had changed into his martial arts uniform, while I was still in my jeans and t-shirt.

“Take off your shoes, belt, and any jewelry that could harm your opponent,” one of the teachers said. I placed my belongings on the side of the mat, then made my way to the center, mirroring Miles. A bell rang, and the fight started.

I hated violence, but I was trained in martial arts and knew very well that if I didn’t defend myself or win, Miles would pulverize me. At first, I considered losing on purpose, but I couldn’t let him hurt me, and if I lost everyone would tease me. I decided to do my best and figure out how to avoid the recruitment afterward. Besides, those who lost could still be recruited depending on how the rest of the potential soldiers did. I’d rather be recruited and win than recruited and lose.

Without the slightest hint of hesitation, Miles side-kicked my temple, but I bent my knees and just barely avoided it. I spun around and threw a spinning kick to take out his legs, but he jumped over it. I rolled away from him and got back onto my feet. He was throwing combination strikes at the speed of light. I blocked a few, took another punch to the abdomen, then launched one fist to his head. He had to back away to catch his breath.

Miles threw a kick, but I caught his foot and slammed him to the ground. I pinned him down and held my fist by his head to indicate that the fight was over. The bell rang again, and I let him go.

“I’m sorry, Miles,” I said as I offered a hand to help him up and apologized for any injuries. I felt like a monster. He had never done anything to me, and I had just released my fury onto him.

“Alexia continues to the following round. Miles will take a seat for now . . .” The announcement started up the clamor again, and I felt my cheeks blush. I could never stand being the center of attention.

Similar fights continued until late that evening. By the time I was released, I hadn’t lost to a single opponent and only had a few mild bruises, but I wasn’t tired. To be honest, I was never tired. Mr. Mal congratulated me on my way out. I nodded at his compliments, but I really didn’t appreciate the admiration for fighting.

I walked alone on the sidewalk to Lyli’s family—my host family. For the past five years, I have been living with Lyli and her parents. No matter how many times I asked about my parents, they would all just stare at me with empty glares, even Lyli. At least she would listen to my complaints and comfort me when I was alone.

I didn’t know much about the adoption, and Lyli’s parents wouldn’t talk about it either. In fact, they practically never spoke to me. We just didn’t understand each other, and I think they were embarrassed to be associated with my black hair and violet eyes. In the beginning, I tried so hard to talk to them, but they would only nod and avoid eye contact. I gave up after a while. Sure, I yearned for a loving family, but I couldn’t make them love me, so what was the point of trying? I spent the majority of my time alone in my room or talking with Lyli.

As I thought about all the fighting, I started to feel infuriated. Not only had I hurt so many students, but they wanted to be soldiers and I didn’t. I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t lost the fights on purpose, but there was something that had driven me to win. The cool wind whipped at my cheeks as I walked home in shame.

“So how was it? I heard you did well,” Lyli said as she walked into my room and sat on my bed.

“Some people like to exaggerate,” I responded.

“Dinner will be ready soon. Come down in five minutes, okay?” She shut the door on her way out.

I lay on my bed with all my limbs spread out, trying to relax and not touch any fresh bruises. The plump, purple bruise on my left shin looked like a ripe blackberry. It was really sensitive to the touch, but I had had numerous injuries before, and I knew it would almost be healed in the next twenty-four hours.

I slowly lugged myself down the stairs. We were one of the few houses that didn’t have elevators, but I didn’t mind. When I walked into the kitchen, Lyli motioned for me to sit at the dinner table. Her mom brought a warm, fragrant dish to the table while her father carried a pitcher of water. He dropped a small pellet into the pitcher to purify the liquid. Because of the War, the Community could no longer afford running, clean water to individual houses, so we all relied on filtering pills and used dry-cleansing showers. We ate in utter silence, like we usually did. As soon as I finished the casserole, I placed my plate in the instant dishwasher, turned it on, took it back out, and placed it back in the cupboard with the clean dishes. I then joined the family and waited to be dismissed to my room.

Lyli’s parents called my name from time to time, but that was always the extent of our conversing. On the other hand, Lyli spent hours with them, sharing her stories of what had happened at school that day. I preferred my personal space, but I longed for some sense of belonging. To her parents, I practically didn’t exist. For my whole life, all fifteen years of it, I didn’t really exist to anyone.

Chapter 2

I gripped the sink, trying to cut off the students’ voices echoing in my head. I stared at my reflection in the mirror in the girl’s light-blue locker room, where, like all teenagers, I was exposed to every kind of abuse and threat possible, both physically and psychologically.

I passed my hand in front of the faucet sensor and let the cold, clear flow envelop my fingers. It was soothing as it rinsed away my anger. Ana had told the headmaster that I had cheated on the math test, which was a pure lie. Lyli had been kind enough to warn me, so I quickly left history class to catch my breath before confronting him. There was nothing I could do about it. He would fail me. Not only did Ana have brown hair, which gave her the advantage of fitting in and being accepted, but she had also won the principal’s support against me. She ruled the corridors. Skipping three grades when I was twelve had not helped me to be popular in any way. I had taken placement exams and had simply done better than average.

“Alexia?” Lyli called from outside the door.

I didn’t want to see anyone, but I couldn’t ignore her, especially since she was my only ally. Lyli and I had an odd friendship, one of trust and care, but not one of love and devotion. We were there for each other during the hard times, but we fit in with different crowds, so we usually kept our distances and allowed her social circles to grow. She was toward the top of the school social ladder, while I faded at the bottom. But despite it all, she had always been there for me and looked out for me. She was the one person who never laughed at me.

When I was eleven years old, I had asked her why her parents adopted me. She just looked at me with large, doe eyes. “What do you mean? Don’t you remember?” she had asked.

“No,” I had replied. “I don’t remember anything from before the age of ten. I only remember you waking me up one morning. It was as if my life started then,” I had answered.

“Aw, I’m your first memory,” she had said with a smile. She had then told me that the government had asked her parents to take me in after my mother died. My father was unknown. Supposedly, I had been in some kind of accident and had lost my memory. I had asked if my parents had black hair and violet eyes, but no one ever had answers. I didn’t even know my parents’ names. It was as if they had never even existed. I wanted to know everything about my mother, but I was angry with my dad. What had happened to him? Did he leave my mother to die? Did he know that I’d survived? All these years, Lyli had been the one to listen to my distress, but her concern never seemed genuine. It was as if she was just there for me because I lived with her. That was it and nothing more.

“Alexia?” Lyli repeated.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Matthew is here, and he wants to talk to you.” Her voice was hesitant and distant.

“Matthew?” I asked. I didn’t know of any Matthews in any of my classes.

“Our leader.”

I had never met Matthew before, but after what had happened yesterday, I dreaded the thought of having to face him. I would never tell anyone, not even Lyli, that I despised the man. The glimmer in his eyes reflected his lies. Self-interest seemed to rule his hand, and no conscience lived behind his mirror eyes.

Whenever he spoke of the ongoing war, it sounded as if his soldiers were nothing but discarded pawns. Age didn’t matter when it came to his men; he just wanted numbers and didn’t care if the hands carrying the guns were those of an adult or a child. He plucked his soldiers from their families without warning, and the majority never returned or were completely forgotten. When someone turned twenty-five, they would just vanish. Every couple of months, Matthew announced the soldiers who didn’t return, and he was grateful for their loyalty and sacrifice in serving the Community. But no one had ever asked those men and women whether they wanted to hold arms or not. They had just been taken because Matthew needed the extra manpower.

Those soldiers who did return acted as if nothing had ever happened and never shared any stories. We also never saw any images of the war and didn’t have memorials or military cemeteries. I really felt like I was the only one who noticed his hypocrisy. But I knew better . . . I couldn’t share my opinions, knowing that there would be dire consequences for treason or for challenging the law.

“Alexia?” Lyli asked again.

My heart stopped and fell to my knees. My thoughts scrambled in my head and I could hardly think straight. I didn’t understand. Why did the leader of our Community want to see me?

“Alexia?” Matthew said in a soft tone. “First of all, happy birthday. You’re fifteen now, right?”

I froze for a second to try to slow down my heart rate. Out of all the people in Tamizeh, why and how did he know it was my birthday? I never celebrated my birthday. Lyli was the only other person who knew about my birthday, and that was because hers was only a week after mine.

I knew I couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever, so I opened the door, slightly fearing what was about to happen.

He stood before me, a middle-aged man with brown hair and blue eyes. Four men dressed in black suits stood behind him. Lyli was standing by his side, smiling. This was the Matthew, the one at the head of the government, the leader of Tamizeh. This man’s pictures hung everywhere in our school, his smiling face flashing in our hallways.

“What’s going on?” I asked. I tried not to look Matthew in the eye; he was a hypocritical, heartless, control freak who was obsessed with war. Lyli just stood there emotionless.

“I have a few questions for you, Alexia. If you don’t mind, you will have to come with us. We have already talked to your teachers and Lyli’s parents, so they won’t worry about your absence.” He talked slowly, as if I were a toddler without a brain.

“Yes, sir,” I said tentatively, knowing that I owed him a lot of respect. From our brief encounter, I already didn’t like him. He always seemed to be hiding something from us, his people. He had a grin that shouted insanity as his eyes glimmered with malicious intent.

“Good. Lyli, you can go now, thank you. Alexia will be home in a few hours.” Matthew hurriedly pushed her away. Then he briskly walked down the hallway with his men shadowing him. I hurried to catch up, not knowing what else to do.

“Is this about yesterday afternoon?” I dared to ask.

“A bit, but it’s bigger than that. But to be clear, I ask the questions. All right?”

I nodded.

“Hungry? We can grab a bite before getting down to business.” He had a shallow, almost superficial smile that contrasted his friendly tone. I just nodded, although I had just eaten lunch an hour ago. “The cafeteria’s this way, right?”

I shook my head. “It’s on the west side of the campus.”

“How far away?”

“A five-and-a-half minute walk if we don’t cross the field.”

“And if we do?”

“Two.”

“Then we cross.”

He bolted off again with his strong, long gait, while I did my best to keep up beside him. There were guns lined up at the end of every hall in case of an attack, and although every student and teacher had been taught how to use them, they had never been used.