Vitrian Secrets by Dele Andersen (book club reads txt) 📕

“Petter told me you were all over him yesterday,” Becky said. “Follow me.” Becky made sure Wanda had no time to object. She walked toward the door of the hall.

A bitter taste welled up in Wanda's mouth as she followed. She couldn't imagine being used and played like a piece on a board game. She disliked Becky as jealousy erupted furiously in her. She had made a mistake telling Becky she was not going to allow Becky to have fun while ruining Wanda’s day.

She recalled her brief cozy moment the day before with Petter, how she had wanted him to touch her, or hold her, but she didn't really have any deep emotions toward him. And now knowing that he could be close to Becky made her—resentful.

Wanda took a step back in surprise the moment she entered the massive hall. It was like an open warehouse, with a proper structural roof and wooden walls. The walls of the hospital and other houses in the fortress were designed with wood and transparent glass, making it possible for people to see outside in sections.

“Why is this called the Praying Hall?” Wanda asked without looking at Becky.

Becky smiled. “You were expecting to see people kneeling or folding their legs together and sitting like monks, weren't you?”

“Well, not really, but at least something of that nature, I would have thought.”

“When you pray in your house, prayers are done discretely.” Becky chewed hard on her gum. “Here, we train for battle. Everyone should have spent adequate time praying on their own, in their rooms and homes.”

“So, it's a training hall.”

“Yes, more or less,” Becky answered. “But again, it’s also a chatting-and-getting-together hall, as I term it to be.”

Wanda didn't have to ask what that meant; she could see people chatting in groups of three or more. The groups were in different sections throughout the hall. Wanda counted at least twelve sections very quickly. The people were in their exercise outfits doing different forms of exercise. Some were stretching their backs or feet. Some were working on gymnastics bars, lifting weights, or practicing how to jump. But what caught Wanda's attention the most were those training with objects, throwing them at target points a distance in front of them.

The objects were like the ones she had seen in her father's box and with Eric.

The thought of Eric saddened her. She could picture him here at the training hall throwing objects and practicing, but Bathe had said he could not remember any such person among the Vitrians. She wanted to ask Becky. She watched Becky strut in front of her, her hips and backside swaying from side to side. Wanda knew that asking about Eric was throwing her goods out to someone who cared less, even if she dropped dead during training this morning.

As soon as they got to a group of Becky's friends, Becky made sure everyone knew she was the tutor and not the tutee. This gave Wanda the understanding that, usually, the young ones were trained by adults.

“This is Wanda,” Becky said. “I’m training her today.” She spent her time chatting with one of the girls in the group, making Wanda wait while people stared at her.

Wanda could hear the murmurings, people talking about The Chosen, and passing comments as they stole glimpses at her.

The moment Becky finished chatting, Wanda stepped up to her.

“I know you don't like me,” she said. “But can we get to the point of my training now? You can chat later.”

“I'm not going to let you have fun while you ruin the day for me.” Becky echoed Wanda’s words back at her.

Wanda said nothing. She had goofed, thinking she could challenge Becky on her own turf.

Becky chewed her gum and shrugged.

“What?” she said when she caught Wanda staring at her.

“Please, can we get started with the training?” Wanda said meekly. “People are staring and whispering.”

“Let them! Assert your position and who you are.” Becky shook her head. “C'mon, let's go.”

They walked another fifteen steps into the hall, and then Becky pointed. “We're training up there. It's a special place for the elders to train, and Alexis wants you there.”

“Okay,” Wanda said, not knowing what to think about the elders having a special place to train. She followed Becky toward a metallic staircase with black steps. The beautiful light brown wood railings had been well-polished. Between the polished wood and the black metallic steps on each side of the staircase were four inches of glass. They covered the space and prevented anyone on the steps from falling.

“Now, let's change your clothes to training clothing so you can enjoy your silly training before demons tear you apart later today,” Becky said as she walked into a room filled with lockers. She paused and looked around. “Here are the spare lockers. This one is for you. Use the clothes in there to change and then meet me on the other side.”

A moment later Wanda was dressed in the same training clothes everyone wore with her hair packed behind in a ponytail.

“So what do you know about the Vitrian weapons?” Becky asked, waving her hands over sets of different weapons in the training areas.

“I know those pegs can be—”

“First things first. Stop calling them pegs.” Becky pointed to the silver object Wanda had seen before with Eric. “They are called Necatus. They are meant to kill demons. They can kill small and weak demons easily.”

Though irritated, Wanda stared at Becky and said nothing, knowing whatever she said would be used against her. She was in Becky's world, and she had to play by her rules and how Becky wanted.

∞∞∞

Petter stood in front of the House first thing in the morning the next day. His fingers were twitching, which signified how edgy he was as he proceeded to walk through the main entrance. He turned to the staircase and went up to the penthouse while his heart palpitated rapidly, pondering why Alexis had summoned him.

Petter got to the door and said to the man in front of the penthouse, “Alexis summoned me.”

With a smirk that made Petter feel like he was in trouble, the man stepped away and let him in.

“I’m surprised you got Wanda to come over to the House yesterday,” Alexis said the moment Petter stepped into his office in the House.

“I didn't have to do much. She was bent on coming herself.”

“You did well staying with her; you're the only friend she has around here, you know.”

His words did not put Petter at ease. He knew there was a reason why Alexis called for him, and a wrong answer would not be good for him.

“I know.” Petter's response was cool and cautious.

“And we need to take care of her and protect her. She is The Chosen, after all,” Alexis said, but Petter kept quiet. “Did she tell you anything about another Vitrian she met at your school?”

“Vitrian?” Petter raised his head and looked at Alexis. “No,” he said, hoping it was the right answer.

“Are you sure there's no one in the school sent by the rebels?” Alexis asked.

“Yes, I’m sure. I checked everyone in the class and in the school. I am the only Vitrian there.”

“You've failed at your task.” Alexis adjusted his body and sat up straight.

The words sank deep into Petter's soul, and his heart flickered in desperation. He had been an orphan since he was two. Children like him were pushed around in the fortress and used for unscrupulous jobs.

“There is definitely one other Vitrian at the school,” Alexis said. “I haven't been able to figure out who the person is. I will investigate further.”

“If I've failed, I'll make up for it,” Petter said, his hands shaking slightly. “I can still get you the information you need from the school. I know a lot of people and have their data.”

“No!” Alexis stared down at Petter. “The rebels are trying to play us, and we need to be careful here . . . even Bathe is unaware of who the person could be. I'll give you another chance.” Alexis' voice sounded pained. “You have to protect Wanda, make sure she gets the Healing Méndez and comes home safely with it.”

“I will, sir,” Petter said earnestly.

He was about to step out when Alexis called his name.

“Petter—so many lives and families depend on that Healing Méndez.”

“I know,” Petter answered.

“Including yours.” Alexis stressed the word to drive the point home further.

Petter nodded as he stepped out. He took a deep breath as soon as he got out of Alexis’ office. He knew he needed to prove himself because he was an orphan. Though he had no family that needed the Healing Méndez, life would be tough for him if Alexis cut him off. He had no parent or family to depend on.

∞∞∞

The elders' training area was a sealed, elevated section at one of the corners of the massive training hall. It was surrounded by thick glass so Wanda could see people down in the training hall.

Wanda wore the training outfit she had found in one of the closets. Becky took her through the weapons: arrows and bows, large knives, machetes, the Necatus, and the Praying Méndez.

They had spent the entire morning going through the weapons. Wanda tried the arrows, but she could hardly get a hold of them. The knives and machetes were too big. She worked on them for about two hours but could not handle them properly or swing hard enough because her heart was heavy, and she was disturbed. Becky thought the knives and machetes were also too dangerous, so after their short lunch break, they settled on training with only the Necatus.

Becky laughed at Wanda after several failed attempts to throw a Necatus straight and with precision. The laughter did nothing but invigorate Wanda.

Becky walked up to Wanda and adjusted her arms and elbow.

“You need to hold tight.” She squeezed Wanda's hand, tightening it and wrapping it around the Necatus.

Becky was about two inches taller than Wanda. Wanda kept quiet, though anger welled up in her. The more Wanda failed to throw straight, the more Becky laughed, and the more she hated the rebels. More and more, she wished for revenge, just to inflict on them a tiny fraction of the pain they had caused her.

“You adjust your elbow.” Becky repositioned Wanda's hand. “Then you take a brazing position—never attack a demon in a rush—and then you throw.”

With Becky holding on, Wanda tried what she said. The Necatus left her hand and buried itself into the target, though it missed the actual marked point.

“Well, you are getting there.” Becky nodded in approval. “Keep trying.” She let go of Wanda's hand. “I still think the demons will make a good meal of you today.”

“How do I shrink this and make it expand once I throw it?” Wanda asked, ignoring Becky's remark. She remembered what Eric had done at school. She picked another Necatus and studied the marks on the silver item. They were all the same, showing the Greek symbol with two snakes. She turned to ask about the mark when she realized Becky was staring at her.

“What?” Wanda asked.

“For starters, I hate it when my comments are ignored.”

Wanda was about to respond when Becky continued, shaking her head and waving her finger.

“Anyway. Anyway! I thought you didn’t have any training.”

“Yeah.” Wanda wondered why Becky had such a piercing look on her face.

“How did you know the Vitrian weapons can shrink and extend?”

Wanda forced a smile. She didn't want to create a discussion about Eric and how she had seen him use it. “I've heard people say a lot of things in the last two days.”

Becky continued to stare for a moment, then looked down at a Necatus strapped on her waist. She pulled it off the strap and showed it to Wanda. She focused on the object, and suddenly the piece, smaller than her palm, became long. As it extended, Becky threw it toward the target.

“To shrink a weapon or your Méndez, you only