DEAPECTRUMS
024. POOR BOYS

Dinner time arrived, after cleaning up, Cleve and I walked towards the dining hall. Cleve kept talking on the way, I didn't heed all his words because it seemed like the effect of Ian's words was still floating around in my mind so there was no spirit I felt.

In the middle of the hallway Ian suddenly appeared, he looked at me and I really don't want to see him for now. I walked as if I hadn't seen him. Cleve who was walking beside me greeted Ian in a friendly manner yet Ian paid no heed to him. After passing through it I can still feel that Ian's gaze is still on me.

“I'm sorry,” exclaimed Ian made Cleve who was beside me stop stepping. “Please forgive me.”

“You're not mute but who are you talking to?” Cleve asked, looking towards Ian.

“Bee, forgive my words earlier,” said an once more. This time he walked towards me. “You heard me, didn't you, Bee?” Ian pulled my arm.

“I'll be a killer so don't touch me if you don't want me to kill. Surely you don't want to talk to a killer anymore either, do you?” I looked angry at Ian. He immediately pulled his hand from my arm.

“Wait a minute what is this?” asked Cleve with a face filled with confusion. “So you can talk? Then what did you say to Bee that he looked so mad at you?”

“A—aku only to—”

“Have Cleve let's go and ignore him,” I beg to cut Ian's words and pull Cleve's arm.

“Can't be like this!” Cleve snapped his arm out of my hand. “What's your name? Did you call Bee a killer?”

“Bu—not like that, actually I just—”

I ran away from Cleve and Ian because I was really angry. I didn't think about what Ian would say to Cleve.

If you hear what he says I'm a murderer, it looks like my heart has been pierced by a knife. I didn't want to hate Ian, but all his words in the river really pierced my heart.

“Bee, don't be like that to her,” said Cleve who had just arrived in the hall for dinner.

Clave immediately sat to my left while currently Marchi was sitting opposite me.

“She's already apologized to you, so you have to forgive her.”

“Cleve, you know nothing,” I said as I ruffled the food on my plate with a spoon. I am currently not eating. “He calls us killers.”

“I know, Ian told me,” Cleve said. “Bee, listen to me,” Cleve holds my left shoulder, I look at him. “I think he said that out of annoyance, and again we're going to be killers. So what's wrong?”

I just stared at Cleve from the corner of my eye and thought about his words.

When the day was filled with darkness I still could not sleep. All the children were asleep including Cleve.

I walked out of the room while carrying the sword that Mother left me for training. I walked with almost inaudible steps, out of the gate that was about five meters high but the gate was almost never locked. Perhaps so that the slaves were easy to get into college.

Walking towards the place that would be my training ground with Mom behind the college not far from the kitchen. I want to practice for a while for two or three hours while waiting for drowsiness to strike me.

I took out the sword from its sheath and took a swing to start practicing. Swung the sword as Gumi taught me.

The sword was about a meter long. My small body was used to holding that long thing. I was also used to the weight of the sword.

I remembered that when I was training to be able to carry a sword, I had to lift a sword for hours and it was torturing me.

“Why not sleeping?” Suddenly someone's voice sounded, I stuck my sword out toward that person and saw Ian standing before the sword that was pointing at him.

I took down my sword and stopped practicing, put it back in its sheath.

Ian and I sat in a chair made of wood near the kitchen. I still don't want to talk to him, but what Cleve said is true.

I just bowed my face and saw the ground that looked golden due to the moonlight.

“Bee, forgive me—”

“No need to apologize,” as I. “I've killed people, I'm indeed a killer.”

“Be—really?” Ask Ian. “Actually, I have also killed.”

I turned my head after hearing his statement because of the shock I felt.

“Do not lie,” I said.

“I'm not lying,” this time Ian looked up at the sky. “Two years ago a plague attacked the slaves here. In order not to pass on the other slaves Madame Margaux told us to shoot anyone who got the disease.” Ian stopped talking.

“You mean Margaux's mistress... Mother?” I made sure and Ian nodded.

“He gave every slave family a gun to kill the family members affected by the plague that very day. He will have an inspection the next day and will finish off all the families if we don't kill the family members who are stricken with the plague,” said Ian still not taking his eyes off the night sky. “My father couldn't do it, he couldn't pull the trigger, so I did it. I killed my own mother.”

I was so surprised to hear the story. I can't believe at the age of seven I have to go through something like that. Pulling the trigger to kill his own mother must have been very difficult, but he did it because otherwise he and his father would have been killed as well. “Therefore you hate everyone in this college?” My toot.

“Actually since then I lost the desire to talk, until yesterday when I spoke to you, it was the first time I spoke again,” continued Ian. “Seeing you who came to this place made me hate you so much that I wanted to scream for you to leave college, but I knew that I was wrong because I knew nothing about you. But after you and your friends defended me back then I knew you were good kids. I want to be friends with you because that's why I'm talking to you for the first time.”

“Really?” I asked to look at him. “So now you're talking again? See even you keep talking.”

“Bee, what do kids like us do in a free country?” Ian looked at me.

His eyes look red, I know that Ian is holding back tears right now.

“I don't know, but they are lucky kids, unlike us,” I replied.

“Can humans be reborn? If I can I don't want to be born in this place anymore. Life here is like hell. I want a better life. I want to have a future that I alone determine.”

Life here is like hell. The words Ian spoke were very precise. Every day we have to think of ways to survive.

He also attended Gyeld Enn Chourius College. At first I assumed that living in this place would be fun. Every day there is no need to fear running out of food but more than that, I have to struggle to experience painful exercises.

Today we were asked to go to a room with a chair with wires wrapped around the chairs.

Seeing the presence of the medical team I can think that this time exercise is as dangerous as drinking poison.

Wendy just told us to sit in every chair and not ask anything. All the wires were attached to us and we were asked to press the green button on our seats if we were not strong.

Not long after, like a thousand ants I felt my body in pain like it was electrocuted. Right, this is electricity. We're in a stun right now and this chair is an electric chair.

“Pacify yourself and try not to feel your pain!” Wendy. “At the moment only 10 volts of electricity is being flowed to you, and I will add it every minute so if you do not press the green button so that I disconnect the electricity to your seat,” continued Wendy noticed us one by one from his place. “This exercise so that you have immunity from electric shock and with this electricity all your organs will be encouraged to work more optimally. This exercise will be done every three months. You who are able to withstand up to the highest volts to the tenth level will get a prize, but remember not to force yourself because you can die.”

I pressed the green button when it reached 110 volts. I felt not strong even the other girls pressed the green button before reaching 100 volts. Marchi stopped at 60 volts and Tiffany at 100 volts. Currently, only two children survive, Cleve and a black girl named Ninon.

Wendy told them to yell because yelling would reduce pain. I couldn't bear to see Cleve in so much pain but he still didn't want to press the green button. Finally Ninon gave up at 140 volts while Cleve pressed the green button at 150 volts, because no one was a competitor.

“I'll get that gift,” whispered Cleve with a smile to me as I swept her to the clinic because Cleve looked so weak.

...@racing_al.aska...