14
Brokk
Slipping the worn book into his bag, he tightened the straps on his backpack. Donning his jacket, he whispered, “Ready?”
Memphis nodded once. They wore practically matching outfits, which was their training gear. Lightweight and water resistant, the jacket and pants were a matte, black material. Perfect to blend in with the night.
Nodding, he took in a deep breath before slamming his fist into his bedroom wall. Call it paranoia—he didn’t care. In the recent years, he had secretly constructed his way out. Emory had led on how complex the Academy was, and he had tapped into its hidden passageways. He covered his mouth, muffling his cough as drywall dust floated up to him. The broken bones in his hands healed within moments. A dark spiraling tunnel splayed before them, diving down into the darkness. Cool air rushed up to meet them, filled with the lingering smell of damp earth and rain. Memphis raised a pale eyebrow at him as he grinned.
Shrugging, Brokk ducked into the wall. “You know, you can tell me once and a while that I am right.”
He chuckled. “Oh, is that so?”
They started their walk, the dampness and darkness overtaking everything. Slowly the room faded away, along with the Academy. Brokk’s fingers trailed the walls, the weathered planks supporting the roof and the sides from caving in. It had been a semi-formed tunnel, one that he had spent endless sleepless nights carving out. Working through his frustrations, his fears, his dreams. Ones that he could never fully express, for years that he held close and heavy to his heart. That the dreams and ambitions of the men around then were controlled by one factor. Greed.
His voice was absorbed into the density of the tunnel, just barely a whisper. “Have you ever seen the rest of Kiero?”
Memphis tensed behind him as they walked. “No. Not since I came here.”
“Do you ever wonder why? That we are trapped here?” Footfalls thudded behind him damply. A beat passed. And then another. “Sometimes I wonder if being trapped is an illusion. We could leave any day, but out there, in the world, I think in some aspects of it we would always be trapped. Trapped in judgements and preconceived ideas of what happens here. Of who we are. Because when are we showing that we are protecting the world when in a second our capital was destroyed?”
Memphis chewed his lower lip. “But that wasn’t our fault.”
“No? If the Academy didn’t exist, where would we be now?”
He snarled softly. “That sounds like a declaration of someone who is giving up. I’m not saying that the foundation is wrong. I’m saying that it’s up to us to find out exactly what the intentions are now. I’m not giving up.”
Smiling softly in the night, he replied, “There’s my stubborn friend.” They continued their climb, the moldy tunnel twisting softly and gradually. He shifted his pack, his mind wandering with the possibilities.
Memphis whispered, “I remember the sea.”
Stumbling, he didn’t say anything. They didn’t talk about their past much.
“I remember the smell and the salt crusting on my skin. How the waves looked during a storm. How they looked when the sea was still, like glass. My dad and my mom ran a small bakery on the outskirts of our town. I remember walking along the shoreline and thinking that there was nowhere else that I ever wanted to be. Even though I was young, I understood that much.” He gulped down a shaky breath. “I feel like every word they threw at me that day is true. That I am a monster. That we are all monsters. That this school is just breeding madness to be a sharpened weapon, and now, it’s unleashed upon the world.”
He stopped, turning. “We are not the monsters. Cesan, and his beliefs, he is the one proving your parents’ accusations true. But he doesn’t define us.”
Memphis started walking, and brushed by him, scoffing. “What, we are suddenly the renegades? The dashing underdogs?”
Rolling his eyes, Brokk followed. “No, you prat. We are just utilizing our free will of investigation. To find out what exactly is worth fighting for now.”
That got a true chuckle from Memphis, “I hope you’re right about this.”
He purred. “That’s the beauty of life, my friend, you will never know if it’s right until you try.” The ground started to elevate, coming to a small opening. Grinning, he slid ahead of Memphis, finding the worn handholds. Using his upper arms, he lifted himself up, scaling the rickety ladder with ease. One final lift and he pushed his shoulder through a rotting door. Moonlight greeted them. Spilling out onto the grass, he helped Memphis up, and they were consumed. The cool night breeze whisked against their skin, and he took in the forest surrounding them.
During the day, the forest was ordinary, bustling with life. But in these moments
