EVEN AFTER Gram’s death and Gabi’s stint at the Care Center over the weekend, there was no getting out of Training Period. Every student at the high school was expected to show up, though not everyone at Alder High would be given a chance to be a Witness. That was a matter for the councilmembers and entrance examiners to decide, but the recruiters sometimes looked in on high school Training Periods to make their lists for who would be invited to take the exam. For those unsuited to the rigors of Witnessing, the benefits of exercise and discipline were their own reward, or so Trainer Helmsgerth liked to say when she wasn’t quoting doctrine or blasting praise music to motivate them during calisthenics. Gabi considered skipping, but if she got suspended, she would lose access to the school library. The only other library in Alder, located at the temple complex, was for consecrated fellows only.
Rather than risk being cut off from books, Gabi endured Helmsgerth’s snide comments as she flopped and flailed on the exercise mats, shuffled the gym floor far behind her sprinting classmates, and got chosen last for every team. Trainer Helmsgerth didn’t even look at her anymore, just yelled her name whenever the urge to pass out forced Gabi to lean against a wall or collapse on the floor. Helmsgerth had eyes in the back of her head.
Gabi had already consumed her entire water ration for the day in an attempt to flush the insidious drug from her bloodstream, so before the first whistle of Training Period blew, she had to excuse herself to go to the bathroom. Not only did the new medicine make her sluggish and restrict her breathing, but her ability to pick up cues from her environment suffered as well. Sensing the emotional states of others was the only real defense she had, but the extrastrong medicine muffled her sensitivity. Not having to manage the input was less overwhelming, but she felt like she was walking around blindfolded, waiting for the first blow to fall.
The big blue tablets rattled in the plastic bottle tucked into her backpack. Her father had insisted on watching her pack the medicine after she’d successfully mimed taking her morning dose at breakfast. Despite the pill’s coating, it left a bitter imprint under her tongue where she’d hidden it. By the time she was able to get to the bathroom to spit it out, the underside of her tongue was on fire.
The locker room was another obstacle course for Gabi when the girls were all getting dressed for training or filing into the showers to clean up afterward. Gabi’s female bullies were less physical in their assaults than Bradley and his gang, though they did enjoy bumping her hard and pretending they hadn’t seen her. During Training Period, though, the locker room was a peaceful place, cool and quiet in contrast to the boggy stench of the Training Room. When she reentered the gym, all the students had been paired up. All but one. Bradley Fiske stood grinning at her from across the scuffed floor. This couldn’t be right. Bradley always partnered with Noel or Geoff.
“Lowell, you’re with Fiske,” Helmsgerth bellowed from under the basketball hoop. “We’re doing holds and takedowns like we watched in the training video last Friday. Pick a mat, you two.” Everyone was staring at Gabi. Maybe she could just fade back into the locker room? Bradley was going to kill her for sure. “Now!” Helmsgerth boomed, and Gabi moved to join Bradley on the mat he’d chosen. It was in the corner farthest from Helmsgerth, partially concealed by the goal nets they used for indoor soccer. She felt like a trapped fly about to meet a hungry spider.
“Come on, reject,” Bradley sneered. “We don’t have all day.” His face was burgundy from exertion, and sweat made the sparse hairs he cultivated on his chin glisten. As dulled as Gabi’s senses were, his scent still made her gag. He grabbed her arm as soon as she stepped onto the mat and yanked her over his foot to send her sprawling. “Oh, man, this is going to be fun,” he crowed, dragging her back to her feet with a sharp tug at the collar of her uniform. “I mean, it won’t really help me improve, but I’m already Witness material, so let’s have some fun, shall we?” His hand darted out, grabbed the front of her uniform and wrenched her toward him. Just as she was about to collide into his chest, he sidestepped and held his arm out straight so it caught the front of her neck and knocked her onto her back. The air whooshed out of Gabi’s lungs, and she floated up toward the high ceiling for a few heavenly seconds.
“Nicely done, Fiske,” she heard Helmsgerth bark, “but you need to work on your defense. Witnesses never strike first. We’re trying to save these people and return them to the flock, not cripple them so we have to be their nursemaids for the rest of their lives.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bradley grumbled, grabbing Gabi’s wrist and jerking upward so that she swayed on her feet. Her vision cleared just in time to see Helmsgerth disappear around one of the goal posts. Gabi opened her mouth to call for help, but the pitiful squeak that emerged never reached Helmsgerth’s ears.
“C’mon, reject,
