My body went rigid, and I felt as if I had been forcibly transported to the deepest, darkest corner of my mind. The strength, the adrenaline, all vanished. Just as if sucked up by the craziest, twisted whirlpool. Dizzy, spinning, I felt my mind on the edge of shattering.

I couldn't do anything but watch. That was the only thing my body seemed to let me do. It was a sunny, calm day. That horrible, unforgettable sunny day. I knew exactly what was going to happen.

Mom and Dad were setting up a trap for the drones. It was what they used to do. The drones were like living spy crows, always surveilling The Other Side. They tracked everything, especially anyone who didn't attend The Call or those suspected of being part of the Phoenix Group, the rebels. So, my parents, who never crossed the wall, built traps for them. Dangerous work really, but they always said it made them feel like they mattered. Like they were fighting back.

Young Michael and I walked through the woods to pick apples from the community fields. It was another thing Mom and Dad made us do whenever we were causing too much trouble. Sending us to collect apples was their way of saying, "Give us a break, kids." Especially since they knew it would take us ages to stumble upon a good one finally, most of them were half-rotten.

Michael jumped around the bushes, happily humming a song, wearing an old brown sweater and overalls he'd inherited from me. He looked like an adorable baby deer, really.

Then we heard a sound.

A drone sound.

But not the usual one. It was more like a malfunctioning noise. A few minutes later, they spotted a drone flying unusually low.

I watched the scene unfold frozen, not knowing what to do.

My younger self proposed catching the drone to bring it to our parents.

"No! Just let it go!" I screamed, but they couldn't hear me.

Before I could even blink, young Grace and Michael were throwing stones at the drone. One, two, three, four... They laughed. They were having fun. They felt safe.

And then... My stone hit the drone. A perfect clean shoot.

"Yes!" Young Grace exclaimed, and she high-fived Michael.

But instead of falling, the drone began to fly better, as if its previous appearance of being damaged had been a trap. Suddenly, it rushed toward them.

They ran away terrified.

The images passed quickly before my eyes and everything inside me screamed.

"Don't go back to the house, you idiots!" I yelled full of anger.

But, of course, they did.

My parents heard the screams and came to help. My mom said she would distract the drone, while my father opened the bunker door on the floor and ushered them inside. He said they would join us as soon as they had dealt with it.

He sealed the door.

Silence.

Darkness.

Young Grace and Michael hugged each other.

No, no, please, no.

A massive explosion. I covered my ears. Young Grace did the same.

Then, a moment I would never forget. They opened the door. Smoke rushed in, like the prelude to a show, a horrible, grim show. Fire crackled. Ashes swirled in the wind. On the floor, amidst the ruin, two lifeless figures. My parents.

The world stood still. No sounds. No feelings. No air coming in and out of my lungs.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Michael yelled behind young Grace, but she pushed him back.

Suddenly, Mom moved. She opened her eyes and looked at the bunker door. She was still alive, barely, but alive. Young Grace saw her.

"Grace. Help me." She mumbled.

Flames surrounded her and Dad who was next to her, not moving, her head covered in blood. Young Grace wasn't moving either.

"No. Please, go help her." I said.

But she didn't.

"Grace. Help." Mom's voice again.

Still didn't move.

"Please go." I yelled to the paralyzed little girl.

The rooftop of the house collapsed. Mom disappeared under it.

A sharp, searing wound cracked into my chest, like the gnashing teeth of a monster tearing through my skin.

Then, an echo reached me from far away. But it wasn't far. No. It was close. Very close.

"Why did you do it, Grace?!" Michael's cries. He pushed me, wrinkling my shirt with force.

"Why?!" He yelled. "Why did you have to hit that drone?!"

He slapped young Grace.

He never fights. Never.

Young Grace looked at him. Michael's eyelashes were full of dust. Her cheek burned but she didn't feel anything.

Michael slapped young Grace once more.

"Answer!" He sobbed.

He raised his hand again. Young Grace clenched his wrist stopping him.

"You never fight." She said.

Michael pulled away violently and ran out.

Heartbreaking screams followed. While young Grace just stood still. Heartless. Feelingless. Just the vast, raw emptiness inside her little body.

Then a thought came to her: I guess that's how dying might feel like.

Tears blurred my vision. Some slipped down my cheeks without a sound.

"Okay, that's enough!" Kate's voice reached me with a soft echo.

In an instant, the gray-burning house vanished, taking my parents and Michael with it. Everything crumbled, and I found myself back in the training field, surrounded by my concerned and fearful colleagues. A heavy silence settled over while Kate joined the field and positioned herself in front of me.

"Ready? Let's go for the final combat!"

I stared at her, my eyes blazing with anger.

"No."

Her jaw tightened. "No? Are you giving up?"

I didn't answer.

"Do you know what happens if you give up out there?" She pressed.

"I don't care."

I turned and walked away. Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd like an electric current. Kate stormed after me, grabbing me from behind. We tumbled to the ground in a messy heap.

"Let your anger out." She pressed.

Her arms locked me with amazing strength. I could barely breathe.

"Overcome the situation." Kate said to my ear.

I closed my eyes, and all thoes horrible memories rushed back like daggers aimed at my heart. My mom running, my dad locking the bunker door, the explosion sound, Michael's cries, all of it.

Screw Kate. Screw the drones. Screw the wall.

I yanked my arm free and kicked her in the stomach. She let out a painful groan and stumbled back.

"Finally." She said.

"I'm not doing it, Kat– " But before I could finish she jumped over me, delivering a flurry of lightning-speed punches. I managed to avoid them all except one, which landed squarely on my left cheek.

Whoa. That hurt.

My insides twisted. How could they do this to me? Drag me through that nightmare and still expect me to fight?

I tried to hit back a quick punch, but she grabbed my arm and twisted it. A sharp pain shot through me, and I shouted so loud I was sure it echoed beyond the wall. I couldn't even tell anymore if the scream came from the pain, the fury, or the heartbreak. Maybe all three.

I attempted to pull off a leg kick, but she slickly dodged it.

"Is that all you've got?" Kate said. "I expected more from you."

Mark and Laura's voices erupted in a chorus of screams and cheers, trying to lift my spirits. But my mind was far away from all that commotion. All I could feel was the searing anger in my chest, like a wildfire raging uncontrollably.

Kate came at me again, fists raised. I managed to block a kick, but before I could react, she jumped on me and tried to lock me again. God, when was this going to end? I was dead tired, couldn't take it anymore. I felt at the edge of losing control at any second.

I tried hard to resist. I couldn't let Kate take me to the ground again or I'd be finished. My gaze flicked to the crowd, and a pair of turquoise eyes caught me. Heather had shifted her place and now was closer.

Suddenly, I remembered the trick she'd taught me that night on the Narval House rooftop. Kate was pulling off the exact move she described. I took a deep breath, then, I pivoted on my left foot, snagged her right arm, and yanked her down hard. She crashed to the floor.

Cheers and shouts of excitement whipped through the air.

But something was off. A tempest of rage swept over me. Before I knew it, my fists were flying, delivering a relentless barrage of punches to Kate's face. My knuckles stung, but that didn't stop me, not at all.

The cheers died fast as they witnessed my spiraling loss of control. The alarm blared. The combat was over. But to me, that was just a distant echo amidst my fury.

"Grace, stop!" Someone pleaded from the crowd.

I didn't even blink. Kate lay sprawled beneath me, and I kept going, and going and going, consumed by something darker than anger. It took a pair of strong arms to wrench me away from her. Only then did I realize what I had done.

Damn it.

"Are you out of your mind?" Lea's voice yelled as she rushed to Kate's side.

Her face was purple. Lip open. Bloody teeth. An eyebrow sliced.

Fuck.

Everybody stared at me with troubled expressions and concerned eyes. I couldn't take it, I just bolted away. My footsteps echoed like the ticking of a time bomb. My vision blurred with tears. My mind was in chaos.

"Grace, stop for a moment!" Heather's voice called from behind.

I walked faster.

She sprinted.

I circled the Narval House to get away from the penetrating eyes of my colleagues. But Heather followed me close.

"Grace. Wait." Her tone turned angry now.

She blocked my way.

"Move." I said.

"No."

"If you don't move, I'll kick you, just like I kicked Kate."

"You won't." She took a step forward.

"Don't underestimate me." I locked eyes with hers.

She stood still.

"Okay then." She said opening her hands to me. "Kick me."

Fuck, Heather. Just leave.

My tears kept falling. My hands trembled, every muscle contracted. The fire still burned inside me, or maybe it devastated it. Yeah, that suited the feeling better.

I raised my right fist, ready to strike. Was I really going to do that? Apparently, I was. I might become a legend after that: The crazy girl who punched two leads on the same day.

But right when my arm moved, she caught it. Her warm hand wrapped around mine, strong yet not aggressive. I was the one being aggressive. What the hell was happening to me?

Then, my muscles relaxed and I broke. She caught me in her arms.

"Let's find a quiet place to talk." She whispered.

Author's Note: 

Hey! After editing this chapter, I decided to split it into two parts because I felt it was a bit long. That's why you'll see "1/2" in the title of the chapter. :)

If you read the previous version, I encourage you to check out this new version as it aligns better with the writing style I'm aiming for, and I also found the interactions between the characters are better developed. However, the content itself is exactly the same!

Thank you!! 

Ava 💫