The next few weeks went by in a blur. Jasha was quickly becoming the worst person to live with, but not because of typical roommate issues. It was because each week they paired her against me in the ring; and each week, I won. I had to. Training was all I did now. My first day had been a rollercoaster; a day of various emotional states. But it taught me that I had to take this seriously if I wanted to get out. I had initially taken things too lightly, too emotionally. Everything was too close to the heart, then. Now, I was slowly learning to be less emotional.

"Which blade today?" Chase asked as he weighed out his own options. He, along with all my other new 'friends' here, had learned to treat me more... well they now treated me as a viable ally rather than a friend. Which is what I needed. I couldn't make emotional attachments.

"Give me the Katana," I said after some thought.

I gave myself some space as I studied my contender. Chase was a terrific swordsmen, and now my coach. Today he had paired me with Glenn. Another volunteer who actually had to grow up here. Though he'd trained all this time, his brown eyes only showed fear and unsteadiness as he looked me on.

Well, guess I'll make the first move. No sooner had I jumped forward, had Chase stopped me. "Never make the first move," he whispered as he led me back to my starting stance, "it makes you vulnerable." I'd repeated that last part with him in my head, I'd heard it so much before.

I shook my shoulders as I re-steadied myself. Just in time, Glenn was waving his sword, preparing for a move. I watched carefully on his footwork, as I'd learned this would be an indication of where he would go. I was clearly still learning though as Glenn came lunging at me.

Instinctively, I threw my own sword up. Making my own countermove before he'd even made his initial swing, I met my sword to his. Aggressively I then pushed it into his torso, forcing him backwards. He reacted with his own strength and threw me away.

Taking a quick recovery breath, I jumped backwards before he had a chance to do swing. My sword came down on his shoulder just as his swung horizontally. I was narrowly able to avoid this hit as I quickly shot back. Giving him no time to breathe, I again came at him, this time from the other side, sweeping my sword from my left to the right. He deflected this hit and backed up again. I kept on him. He threw his up as I threw mine over me to deflect the hit. After a successful defense, he was vulnerable. I then swung my sword down from my shoulder to his hip and stepped back as I watched him kneel over in pain.

Brady, his own trainer, ran to his aide as I proudly put my weapon away. Another victory, I was getting better at this.

"Well, you won but you still have some room for improvement."

"Won't I always?" I responded.

"I guess so, but-" Chase began.

"But I still have a long way to go from being ready for the field," I interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah I know."

"And you have to work on your footwork and swings before you can beat Ross..."

Ohh Chase knew how to get me fired up. "Fine. Tell me what I'm doing wrong then."

We moved on after Chase spent some time showing me once again how to use footwork to my advantage. Now at knife throwing, I mentally prepared myself to be humble. This was the one station I was showing very little improvement on. Due to my success in boxing, I spent very little time there and more elsewhere. As I was told, I had to improve my weaknesses before I could perfect my strengths.

With sword fighting, I was able to incorporate some boxing knowledge in the movements, and had gotten better. Even the other types of target practice stations, Archery and shooting, I was able to improve. But this knife throwing really got me.

Tyler and Chase agree it's because, unlike the others, which use a machine to propel the weapon, knife throwing uses my own arm. I lack the momentum in my throw to make the knife move fast enough and have more chances of being on target. My problem is, I purposely don't use all my strength in the throw because I think it will make me go more off target.

Maybe I'll try to throw harder today. "Ok, tell me again how I am supposed to stand." I look at Chase.

"Legs apart," he looks at me to copy him. "Hips up, and feet open, both of them. And loosen up your torso."

As I repeat his stance, he uses his hands to position my waist properly. I look up at him, realizing how close he was.

"Loosen up, Al," he says softly.

"Thanks," I frown, focusing on the target. His hands left a burning sensation on my hips as I try to take aim. I attempted a throw that barely hit the edge of the target. Damn.

"You can do it, focus," he tells me.

But I couldn't focus that well. Not after he had touched me. I hadn't been held, hugged, or merely even touched, in weeks, and I couldn't believe it was affecting me so much. His hands had left a lingering mark, my hips still warm from his touch.

"Just try again," he encourages me once more.

"Ok," I breathe. I move my gaze from the ground to the target ahead of me, examining its center. Taking my step forward, and swinging my hips forward I release the knife. It hits the second ring of the target. Yes. I turn around to Chase, smiling wide.

"Nice!" A new voice announces from behind us.

I turn around to see a mocking smirk on Tyler's face as he slowly claps and steps toward us. My heart drops when I see him for some reason. He was attractive, and I hadn't seen him in a while. But that wasn't why, I don't think.

Maybe it was because I associated him with this place. Him and Ross. Maybe having not seen him in a while allowed me to focus better. And to be with Chase so much lately...

"Well she's not improving because of you," Chase says flippantly as he steps around me.

I roll my eyes at Chase, "Thanks for coming out to see me Tyler."

"Mmm," he barely acknowledges my thanks as he cocks his head to the side, "what's with you lately anyways?"

"What do you mean?" I blink, un-phased.

"Well, I don't know, I guess I got a different vibe from you on your first day..." He paused and looked at Chase before looking back at me, "but ever since you haven't been like that. You used to have this fire." He looked sad almost.

I snort at him, why did he care anyways? "I don't know what you're getting at Tyler. But, I don't know, I guess after my first day I realized what this place actually meant, and-"

Chase interrupted me before I could continue, "No, Tyler's right. You seemed happier and more alive then. Spunky, even. These past few weeks though..."

"Oh my god, why do you guys even care?! I was taken here to train, and that's what I'm doing. Right? Or is there a better way it can be done?" When they didn't respond I continued my rant, "Because if there is, please, enlighten me, I'm curious if there would be a faster ticket out of here."

"Ticket? You don't get it, do you?" Tyler steps up to me, "There is no ticket out of here. You only become strong enough, fast enough, and talented enough to survive out there on your own." He's so close to me now, our faces are almost touching, "Once you get in, you don't just get out. There is no way out."

I take a deep breath and step away from him, my chest touching his as I do so. "No way out..." his sentence repeating in my head was practically slicing through my heart, burying me in their own ominous words.

If he was right, and there really was no way out then I was going about this all wrong. I had friends but I was keeping them at a distance. Maybe I could use them to get out...

"That can't be true," I say, more to myself than to him.

"How can you really not ever be out?" I say more loudly, "I mean if anyone were to ever escape, or if they're chosen to be taken out into the field... then they're out."

"Well, first of all, no one has ever escaped, and no one ever will," Tyler responds. "And second of all, if one were chosen to be taken into the field, do you think they're out? That they're free?"

He didn't give me chance to respond. Instead he holds his finger up to stop me, "that was a rhetorical question. No, if you're in the field, you're on a mission. Which means you are never free."

"Well, I think there is a way."

Whether he had been serious before or not, he was definitely serious now. His eyebrows furrowed even deeper and he crossed his arms as he stepped forward and towered over me. "What exactly are you saying, Alexis?"

Realizing I had been too definitive in my vocalization of finding an escape route, I stumbled on my own words trying to think of a response. "I um, well I-"

"Why don't we go for a little walk here Alexis..." Tyler says as he wraps an arm around my waist leading me away from Chase. I turn my head looking at Chase's somber expression as he watches me walk away.

We had been walking for a while now and Tyler hadn't said another word to me. It was beginning to scare me. Finally he slowed down and let go of my waist as he instead placed his hands on either of my shoulders and took hold of my gaze.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What?" I blink at him.

"What exactly are you planning, huh? I mean you can't talk about stuff like that with me. It's my fathers' facility."

"I'm not trying to get myself killed." I say as the words he'd asked me finally sank in. "I just think that once I get out into the field, I can do my mission and it will allow me to be out of here," I use my hands to encompass the place around us.

He laughed, taking his hands from my shoulders, "I know when you're lying Alex. You were talking about escaping before, and that's what I'm asking about now."

"Escaping? You think that's what I'm talking about?" I couldn't react to his annoyingly accurate accusation.

"C'mon, just tell me. You know I'm not going to hurt you or anything."

"Do I?"

He grabbed my hands and held them, raising his eyebrows as he looked at me. "You can trust me." His blue eyes bore into mine, dazzling me.

I frowned at him. He was being really caring, thoughtful even, holding my hands and talking to me like this. He even noticed how my mannerisms had changed since my first day here. Did he really pay that much attention to me? How much did he care, really? This could be a trap, but no. I don't think he would do that to me. He had been flirty with me since the beginning, but this wasn't flirty, this was just caring, genuine, and nice.

"Tyler," I let out a breath, squeezing his hands. "I just feel so alone here. I miss my family so much. And in the beginning, I didn't want to do any of this. I wasn't taking it seriously, until I realized that was the only way I could get out." I look into his eyes and see only warmth, inviting me, enticing me to admit even more, open up more of my heart to him. "I just want to go home. Not to feel so alone anymore."

"Alex," he shakes his head at me, "you're not alone, not if you don't want to be." He pulls my hands forward and wraps his around me, pulling me into a hug. Then I'm in the security of his warm embrace, breathing in the smell of him. And for the first time in a long time, I hugged someone.

But I quickly snapped out of it, realizing who I was holding, and pulled back. Surprisingly, his expression still held the same worry for me, and he wasn't exactly letting go either. We stood there in silence for a little while longer before he motioned for us to walk back. When we made it back to the training grounds, I nodded at him and stepped away.

He held me back once more, "Alex, you can make friends here, you don't have to feel so alone. Trust me, this place isn't as cold as it seems."

"Yeah, thanks Tyler." Even though I did appreciate his genuine warmth to me, I still was uncomfortable about who it was coming from. He was right, his dad controlled this place.

I continued away from him to Chase, who seemed dejected and serious as well. "Hey, c'mon, I wasn't gone that long. I'm back!" I jog up to him and lightly hit his shoulder.

He shakes his head and laughs too. "Well, I was only worried that you would lose focus. Let's get back to your footwork."

I pay attention to his feet for a few minutes, truly trying to focus. But when I look back up again and make eye contact with Tyler, I lose it. He was watching me, but for what reason I wasn't sure.

We continued training until darkness fell and my stomach roared with hunger. Once Tyler left, I was able to focus better and really got in some better throws. I never hit the target but I was continually hitting the second ring and I hoped to only get better. Chase was excited for me, but as we walked back it seemed like he was deep in thought over something again.

"So, what are you thinking about that has you so serious again?" I really was feeling more like myself again. I think I needed to admit to someone about my feelings, get them off my chest. It had felt good.

He didn't answer me right away, but when he did I was pissed. "You're lonely?"

"I'm... what?" I had stopped dead in my tracks.

"I, well I overheard you and Tyler... He said something about you feeling like you were alone," he said to me.

"Yes, Chase, I did tell Tyler that. Not you. Why would you think it's OK to listen in on that?" I was furious.

"I never thought it was OK necessarily, but I did hear you both..."

I couldn't believe he had heard us. But he couldn't have overheard it all. Not when I had opened up, Tyler and I had walked so far away from everyone. It had to be just the second part of our conversation. But oh he was not supposed to hear any of that! He was my trainer and would think I was weak if he knew that. Ugh.

"Look don't get upset Alexis, I only say it because," he interrupted my thoughts. "Well because I don't think you need to feel so alone either."

Looking at him, and listening to what he was telling me, I suddenly realized I had more to be worried about than him listening in on me earlier. He was taking my hands in his and pulling me into a hug. I'd had too much of this for one day, my god just stop.

Luckily we were in an empty hallway otherwise I would've felt even more awkward. Chase was a friend to me, although I did respect him that's all it was.

He pulled away and held my waist, looking at me with a concerned expression. "Tyler's right, Alexis. You don't have to feel alone. People here, we all care about each other. You're no different." He paused to look away and took a deep breath before continuing, "I care about you Alex."

"Care... about, me?" I repeated his words like an idiot.

He smiled genuinely at me, laughing, "yes Alexis, you." Pulling away from me, he began using his hands to emphasize his emotions, "you're so strong Alex, and so full of life. You have all these emotions; you care, even though I know you don't like to think you do. I know you better than you think, we've been spending a lot of time together now." He shrugged his shoulders, smiling sheepishly at me now, "I'd like to think were at least friends."

Jeez, he really has gotten to know me better than I thought. But how do I respond to this. Was he saying that he liked me, more than friends, or as friends? What am I supposed to say? Chase was a really good emotional support since I'd gotten here. I'd probably say my one good support, my rock. I spent most of my time with him since most of my time was consumed by training. And we did have some good talks but for the most part I just concentrated on the work.

I chose an easy way out, "Thanks Chase, I appreciate that you care about me. But I just haven't been able to think about much else than training. I guess I'm so engrossed on getting better that I haven't really thought about much else. Including the people here, and how I feel about them..." I trailed off, realizing that still may not be the best response.

He frowned but nodded his head, "No, I understand. It's not just me, its everyone." He barked a laugh, "Hah, I should've known, you've isolated yourself from everyone, why would I think I'm an exception? All those times I thought you had opened up to me, you-"

"No no Chase, you really have been a good friend here, better than anyone I think but I think I'm just mentally blocked. Being here stops me from actually making a connection with anyone. The fact that I was taken-"

He interrupts me as well, "Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot how much you hate this place so much. How it just disgusts you that people can heal so fast or that someone would actually volunteer to be here or that two people would actually be able to make a connection in this hellhole." He spat at me before turning swiftly on his heels and marching away from me.

Well, I do feel a little bad. But wow, he hadn't even let me finish. I was going to try to tell him how I liked that he was the one I spent the most time with. But I guess since he wouldn't let me finish anyways.

We had two immensely different views about this place, and because of that, I could never trust him. He didn't understand how or why I could hate this place so much. Like really? Is it that hard to grasp? I was taken from my family, ripped from my life that I had. Then catapulted into this ridiculous world where physical skills were more important than knowledge. Where impossible beings were suddenly real. Or I guess always have been...

And then for the first time in weeks, I sank to my knees and released hundreds of emotions resulting from one incomprehensible moment; when I was taken.