I opened the box and was disappointed by the contents as I took them out one by one. Books, plain, old, boring books, most were educational. I hated reading anything like that. I didn’t spend all that time struggling to learn how to read to get stuck reading about war and history. Taking the books out one by one, I sighed. I hoped I’d never be sent to where the fighting was taking place. Everyone said I was meant to be a weapon, and it wasn’t like they were wrong. Even if they were enemies of Northern Pagora, I didn’t want to hurt people.

Opening one, I frowned at the solid pages of words. I checked others. They were all the same. Beyond the cover, not one of them had a picture. At the bottom of the box was some paper and things to draw with. That was what I wanted. Astrid would have better luck keeping me out of trouble if she filled the whole box with this kind of stuff.

The stack of paper was small, but it added to the few pages I had left. Taking the package of markers, I opened the history book. I started to draw on the page as I struggled to remember what some animals looked like. I had a basic idea, but it rarely turned into a good drawing. None of my drawings turned out great, to be honest, simply because I didn’t know how to draw. I drew shapes across the next page and colored them in using different patterns.

The rain was pounding on the glass.

Stifled voices came from Hellana’s room. Putting the book to the side, I snuck over to the wall where I had moved my plastic-covered bean bag chair. I sunk into it and rested my head against the wall.

“He’s scared of his own shadow.”

I jerked back. “What?”

I was not. She better not be talking about me.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he stared at me like I was going to attack him. I don’t know. For a destructive, Eiko seems so gentle.”

“He’s a destructive,” said the other voice.

I wanted to know what this other girl looked like. She didn’t seem like a nice person, but from their conversation, her aster type was the same as Astrid, so that might have something to do with it.

“Everyone says that when I mention Eiko. I hear it in all of my classes. Be careful; their kind tends to have short fuses. At the same time, even if Eiko gets mad, his body is covered in tattoos. They have, like, ten restraint bands on him that react to extreme emotion,” she mocked. “What can he do to me? Even today, Astrid had me go alone. She knows he’s gentle at heart, and when Eiko starts to get overwhelmed, he’ll ask me to leave. It’s as simple as that. He’s not some wild animal in a cage. If anything, I think it’s cruel how they treat him.”

“I’m still worried about you. You’ve only been here a little over a month. Eiko has had plenty of moments over the years. It’s why this entire wing is practically empty except for you and two other rooms at the far end of the hall. Eiko has been living in the corner of the institute all by himself for a reason.”

“Alone for years? No wonder he’s so scared,” said Hellanna. “That’s so sad. The only time someone visits him is when they want something.” Her voice trailed off. “Would you like to meet him?”

“Hell no.”

I frowned at the wall. I didn’t want to meet her either.

“Oh well, you’re meeting him.”

I heard their footsteps on the other side of the wall. They were actually coming! I clambered to my desk and sat down. Why were they coming to see me? I didn’t meet people. Hellana could be lying. She wouldn’t bring a stranger into my room. No one came to my room just for fun or a visit. This wasn’t happening. The bands squeezed my arms. There was a knock on the door, and my heart rate shot up. I jumped from my chair and stood by the wall with my hands behind my back. This insane girl was visiting me.

“Eiko? It’s me.” The locks turned, and the door opened slightly.

“The door doesn’t lock?” said the other girl.

“Shh…” Hellana eyed her. “It’ll unlock for me. A possessor had to give me access. They told me Eiko couldn’t pass through unless Astrid was with him. It’ll slam shut if he even gets close.”

I was physically shaking. People were coming into my room for no reason. They shouldn't be here. Astrid would get mad, and she’d punish me. For some reason, everything was my fault.

“Eiko.” Hellana entered and smiled at me. “I knocked. I tried not to startle you this time. This is Eidy.” She pulled a tall, skinny girl into the room. Her hair was red, though near her head it was a light brown. How could someone have two colors of hair?

“She’s a manipulator—black tattoos.”

Eidy lifted her hand. “Hi.” She tugged on Hellana’s arm. “Let’s go. Astrid will kill us for being here.”

“Why? She is constantly talking about mental health and being left alone all day every day isn’t very healthy.”

I thought it was perfectly healthy. I loved it, actually.

“So, this was what was in the box. I saw it earlier.” Hellana went to the bed and picked up the book I was drawing in. “You colored in it?” She seemed confused and closed it.

I could feel the tingling in my hands as the bands cut into my skin.

“Oh, I see. Much better use of them. This is what they give you to read?” She scanned the covers. “How boring.”

The tension eased. She wasn’t going to— I frowned. People only judged me. I expect her to be mad that I draw in the book. Why wasn't Hellanna telling me I should be reading them or that I should be thankful to have been given the books? That was what everyone else said.

“I could get you something more interesting than this.” She set it on top of the others. “What would you like? Romance”—she thought for a moment—“probably not, maybe an adventure.” She looked through the others. “I know this good fantasy novel about a village by the sea.”

“Pictures,” I muttered.

“Picture books?” said Eidy. “You draw in them because you can’t read, is that it?”

My breathing grew heavy, and I stared at my feet. I knew how to read. I was good at it. I knew how to read all the words in those books—I just didn’t want to….

“Knock it off.”

I lifted my head slightly.

“Don’t be rude,” stated Hellanna.

“I know—” I swallowed hard. “I know how.” I wiped my forehead. “I can’t go outside.”

“Oh my god,” exclaimed Hellana. Her head snapped to the other girl. “Apologize.”

My mouth opened, but I realized she wasn't talking to me.

“Now, that was so rude,” she said to Eidy. “We weren’t raised in the institute. We had somewhat of a normal childhood. Eiko, he—” she turned to me. “When did they bring you here?”

“Seven.”

“Seven!” Hellana’s eyes grew wide. “What a mess these wars have left us in? I thought fifteen was bad.”

“I was ten,” said Eidy. “They caught me putting butterfly tattoos on my friends. They didn’t do anything, but their parents were mad, and they turned me in.”

“I…” I cleared my throat. “I burned the grass—on the playground.”

“I’m sorry, Eiko,” said Eidy. “The fact that you can read, given your circumstances, shows you must have worked hard to learn.”

It had been a lot of hard work, but there wasn't much to do when I was stuck in my room.

“If you want, I can get you some books with pictures,” said Hellana. “What do you like? Animals, places?”

“Both.”

She smiled. “Great.” She noticed the tray of food. “You haven’t eaten yet. Even with my healing abilities, your body still needs food to recover properly.”

“I will… Eat.”

“Sorry for bugging you. I’ve been telling Eidy all about you, and I wanted you to meet her.”

I didn’t move.

“Bye, Eiko.” Hellana waved, as did the other girl before they left the room. “See, I told you. He's super sweet.”

“And scared of his own shadow,” Eidy chuckled.

The door clicked shut, and I dropped to the floor, taking deep breaths. That was way more intense than my annual review. I never thought two girls could be so intimidating. Maybe it had something to do with not knowing exactly what they wanted. Astrid, I always knew. She’d scream at me if I didn’t do what she wanted. But Hellana and this Eidy girl—they were so unpredictable.

Grabbing the food tray, I went to my corner and took a second to process. I hoped they wouldn’t make visiting a regular thing. However, if they really brought me the books, meeting Eidy might have been worth it.