Symbiote 0259: Special Recruit (2/2)My instincts drove , completely taking over my actions. I didn’t think before acting, sohow knowing that if I didn’t take this plunge, I would be in too much trouble. I couldn’t feel the presence of the previous lady whom I had talked to, but I had an idea of whom I had to talk to. I moved through the crowd surrounding the recruitnt platform where girls who were all younger than were being evaluated.
Despite feeling like my tears had permanently clouded my vision, I easily moved through the crowd and found myself in front of a different beautiful lady.
“Hello …” I found the courage within myself to greet her.
“Who are you, little girl?” The beautiful lady knelt before and asked. I looked at her, but couldn’t particularly identify any of her features.
“I’m Irene. Irene Adler,” I spoke to her as she nodded.
“Do you want to join the protectors of the Sanctuary?” She asked .
“I do!” I said excitedly. “I want to beco stronger so that the monsters can’t do anything to anymore.”
“What about your parents?” She asked as I felt my heart lurch to my stomach. I wouldn’t be allowed to join if I told them about my mom.
“I-I lost them both … To–to those monsters,” I choked out as I recalled my father. Back then mom used to care about as well.
“I’m sorry for bringing up a difficult mory, Irene,” The lady put her hand on my head and used so kind of magic to calm down. Maybe it was just that her hand felt so gentle on my head that I felt that it was magical. “Stand in the line behind your fellow candidates. Once your na is called, walk up to my companion who will ask you a few questions and perform a few tests on you, okay?”
“C-can I go first?” I asked, feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach that told that my mother would be here at any mont and interrupt .
“Why is that?” The lady asked .
“I just have a feeling that it would be better for to go first …” I said, looking around despite not particularly seeing anything clearly. The lady didn’t say anything for a few seconds. I felt that she was listening to soone.
“Okay,” She patted on the head, “Go on to the front of the line. You will be called into the interview room next.” I tried to focus on her neck, where I felt so kind of presence that I couldn’t quite identify, yet it felt familiar to . I listened to her words and walked up to the front of the line where another beautiful lady allowed to cut into the front of the line. I brought my hand to my throat, trying to feel the foreign presence on that had appeared again, but I couldn’t tell what was going on.
Slowly, my vision started clearing up as the seconds passed and my heart’s thumping got milder and cald down. That was when the panic of my current situation settled in. My eyes darted around, looking at the crowd that was gathered all around , I couldn’t help but start to huff in panic. I felt suffocated as if so kind of an invisible wall was closing in on .
“Irene,” The calling of my na from inside the room, broke out of my trance as I huffed loudly and looked apprehensively at the door. “Irene Adler.” I was called once again and the beautiful lady who allowed to cut in line placed her hand on my head, calming down.
“Don’t worry, child. She won’t hurt you. All she’s going to do is to ask you a few questions. Go on, now,” Her words gave the courage to hesitantly nod and shuffle toward the door. It took quite a bit of effort to push it open before I could finally enter. My eyes focused on a beautiful woman with blonde hair, who smiled at .
“Co here, Irene. Sit,” She told to sit on the chair that was opposite her with a desk in the middle.
“H-hello, ma’am.”
“I hear you want to beco one of the Sanctuary’s Defenders,” The woman spoke as my eyes were attracted to the lines around the neckline of her uniform. I rember the woman who allowed in had three lines on her neckline while this one has four.
“I-I do …” I spoke timidly, feeling jitters in my stomach and all over my body.
“Are you an orphan?” She asked , making freeze.
“I … n—yes. I-I’m an orphan,” I stuttered out. She didn’t say anything, frowning at my words. My breathing quickened as I felt that she was about to throw out of the room.
“Why do you want to beco a widow, Irene?” The beautiful woman asked . I couldn’t tell if she caught my lie or not.
“I want to protect myself … I want to be safe from the bad monsters outside,” This ti I told her the truth.
“You don’t want to defend your fellow people? Your friends?” She asked , making feel that I had given her the wrong answer.
“I-I do ...” I spoke up hurriedly, “But I can only protect my friends if I can protect myself. W-when my father died to protect us from those abominations …” I felt tears cloud my eyes as the recollection of that horrible day ate at .
“Wipe your eyes, honey,” The woman spoke ever gently. “Those monsters can’t do anything bad to you here. You don’t need to worry,” I nodded at her words, wiping my eyes as my vision cleared once again. She then asked , “What about training? You have to know that the kind of strength that a widow needs isn’t acquired with half-hearted training. You will be trained extensively in all sorts of combat and put through what will effectively feel like torture. Are you willing to train like that?”
“W-will I be given sufficient food? I don’t want to stay hungry …” I said, my voice choking a little. The woman frowned.
“Do you not get enough food? The Sanctuary works very hard to make sure that all pre-adults are given an allowance that will keep them fed very well.”
“I-I do …” I realized that I had made a mistake in my words. “I do get enough food. I was referring to before I ca to the settlent.”
“I see …” I couldn’t tell if the woman believed or not. “Yes, you will be given ample nutrition. While the training will be rigorous and harsh, the benefits that you receive will be equivalent in nature. The best food, anities, and living standards. You get to live in the Sanctuary’s Flying Fortress. And trust , after the first few months, you are going to love every second of training.” I couldn’t quite understand what the woman ant, but I felt that she was trustworthy.
“I-I’m willing … I will train as hard as I need to. I won’t even complain. Promise.” The woman smiled and was about to say sothing before the door burst open and I heard a familiar shrill voice.
“Irene!” My mother scread at , fury shining on her features. “Please forgive my foolish daughter, madam. I don’t know what got into her, causing her to run away from ho and co here. I’m afraid that she doesn’t match the criteria of an orphan twelve-year-old since I’m still alive.”
“No!” My mother grabbed my arm tight enough to make squeal in pain. “I don’t want to live with you! I want to beco a Protector!” I scread, resisting with all my might. A sharp pain shot up my arm before I heard sothing crack. A pained groan escaped my lips as the pain in my arm beca almost unbearable. My mother was looking at furiously.
“Stop making a scene here, Irene,” She spoke with a asured voice, hiding her fury. I could tell. She’d just dislocated my arm in her anger after all. “Co ho with your mother. We still haven’t discussed —”
“Stop,” The beautiful woman interrupted my mother’s words, making the painful grip she had on my arm tighten even further. “Irene. Do you wish to go with your mother?”
“No!” I shook my head. Since I was already so deep into the situation, I had to take a leap. I don’t want to be on the receiving end of the thrashing my mother would give once I got ho. “I want to beco one of you!”
“What if your mother died today?” The woman asked a question that I didn’t quite know the answer to.
“W-what?” My voice cracked.
“Let phrase it in a better way,” The woman said. “What if your mother completely and permanently disappeared from your life right at this mont? What would you do in that case?” She asked .
I couldn’t help but pause. Sohow, I felt like the pain that I was feeling had lessened sowhat. My mother’s grip was as tight as ever, but the pain seed to have been dulled. “I don’t mind. I … I don’t care if I never see her again. She died the day I lost my father.” I gave her a hateful look as I recalled the events that transpired rely a day after my father died.
“Irene! How dare you?!” My mother was outraged, twisting my arm as I cried out again. The pain was back and it hurt horribly, but I couldn’t hold back.
“You sold yourself to another man the day my father died. You would’ve done the sa to as well if it wasn’t for Uncle!” I scread, letting out all my frustrations at her. I don’t know what happened or when it happened, but the next thing I rember is being escorted by the beautiful won and a few other new recruits who were all close to my age. Everyone flew to the heaven-like paradise that was The Sanctuary.
I didn’t see her, but my mother was also one of the people who were brought up, just that she was restrained in handcuffs and a gag, and she wasn’t the only one. There were a few more won who were taken up to the Sanctuary in a similarly restrained manner. Then again, I wouldn’t be seeing her ever again, so what did it matter?
[Hello, Irene Adler. Or should I say, Mada Destiny?] I heard a man’s deep yet comforting voice in my head that startled into screaming.
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