“I was sent here to look after his mental health,” said Watt.

“And I’m in charge of his physical,” stated Hellana.

Astrid eyed the pair. “Yeah, and I make sure he doesn't kill anyone. So what the fuck are you two getting on about?”

I sat in the corner in my bean bag, staring at the lines of books on the shelves. Why were they doing this in my room? They could argue about who was in charge of what, anywhere beside my room. These people understood nothing about personal space.

“From what I’ve determined, Eiko is not that dangerous,” said Watt. “I’ve been around dangerous destructives. He is not one of them.”

“What?” Her eyebrows scrunched together. “Would you two pull your heads out of your asses?” Astrid exclaimed. “That boy could flatten this building.” She pointed at me.

“Should you be saying that in front of him?” said Watt, concerned.

“Look, one thing Eiko is not is stupid,” said Astrid. “He knows exactly what kind of classification he is and has broken plenty of shit.”

“I wasn’t implying that he was stupid,” replied Watt. “But by saying that in front of him, you're enforcing the idea.”

“What the hell is this?” Astrid snapped. “You’re students.”

“I’ve mastered white tattoo manipulation,” stated Watt. “I lack black tattoo skills, but that’s your job. Not mine.”

I nearly snorted. He was brave. Watt had better be careful before Astrid covered him in tattoos.

“And I’m a high-level medic,” added Hellana. “I’ve served on the battlefield for years. I was merely sent here for mental health reasons. You can’t really consider us students when we’ve both been to war.”

“Yeah, and that makes you an expert in Onabis,” replied Astrid. “One mentally disturbed healer tending to an unstable destructive? I’m sure you know what is best. With that kind of thinking, no wonder we still haven't won this war.” She pointed between them. “Look, you two were brought here to learn, not be in charge of our most dangerous asset.”

“Human being,” said Hellana, lifting a finger.

“Fuck you,” Astrid snapped. “I’ve practically raised Eiko. He’s blown out more walls than I can count, and that was with my seals blocking most of his energy. I don’t know what he has done to convince you he’s this innocent, demure little thing that needs protecting, but you’re both fucking delusional. Is he scared of his own shadow? Yes, but that’s not a bad thing. I’d like to keep it that way. But he’s still a damn destructive with anxiety and anger issues. It’s the reason he can’t pass his training. You weren’t brought here to undo all his progress.”

Hellana’s face was bright red. I didn’t know someone’s face could turn colors like that. Watt was more calm.

“I went through his reports. He’s nineteen and been here twelve years,” said Watt. “Maybe it’s time to try something new since what you’re doing doesn’t seem to work.”

“I went through yours as well.” Astrid glared at him. “And you’re way too young to be giving me orders. I’ve worked my ass off for this institute. I’ve trained some of the best assets for our government. I designed the seals that protect us from asters like Eiko. I know what I’m doing.”

“Is that why all of your Onabis die?” asked Watt.

The room fell silent. Hellana was even looking a little unsure.

I wanted them to get out, but I also wanted to see how this ended. For once, Astrid would be venting her anger at someone else.

“They were females,” stated Astrid. “The Onabi energy isn’t for the faint of heart. The mental stress was too much. There have been numerous reports of other territories having the same problem. It’s why we were so protective of Eiko.”

“Southern Pagora has a female,” said Watt. “They believe she is almost ready to be used on the battlefield.”

“Hmm….” Astrid was shaking with anger. “Cocky little fuckers.” She reached for her cigar case. “So the generals decided to send me two idiots to tell me how to do my job. Fine, they can have it their way.” She lit one and took a deep breath. “Whatever, have at it. You think you can do better than try.” Blowing smoke toward the pair, she turned to leave while eyeing Watt. “But don’t you fucking dare remove another one of my seals, got it?”

I swallowed hard. I knew he’d get in trouble for doing that.

“I needed to examine his mental state, and it was in the way,” said Watt.

“Too young,” she said with a smirk, “way too young to be lying to me. I can’t do white tattoos—you have me there—but I studied them enough to know that’s a load of bullshit.” She threw open the door and slammed it behind her.

A few of my books fell onto the floor.

Letting out a deep breath, Watt rubbed the top of his head. “That went alright.”

“You were amazing!” She hugged Watt around the waist. “I totally bought it.”

I sat up straight, on high alert.

“I promise this will work. Pain only causes more pain, so we’ll try”—she waved her hands in the air—“positive reinforcement.”

“I get it,” said Watt. “I played along. I have no idea why I did that.” He sat on my bed and pointed at her. “If you mess this up, I could lose my ranking and end up locked in my own room.” He motioned around the space. “They don’t take disobedience lightly for our kind, and I have a feeling this is going to come back to bite me in the ass.”

“You think I don’t know that,” she snapped. “They chewed me out over books. Picture books, because god forbid, we look at pictures.”

“They have cameras,” I stated, rubbing my face.

They were giving me a headache. They could discuss this somewhere else. Hellana and Watt stopped talking and scanned the room.

“Did they hear us?” he asked.

She shook her head. “You have to turn the sound on. Eidy is friends with some of the guards, and she’s seen inside the security room. But we should still be careful. We pissed Astrid off, so she might try to listen in on us when we’re with Eiko.”

“Friends with guards?” said Watt, sounding skeptical.

She arched a brow. “Yes, friends. She’s also one of mine.”

Watt eyed her. “You two are nothing alike.”

Hellana scoffed. “Says someone who barely got here.”

“From what I’ve heard, you’ve barely been here longer than me.”

One argument had turned into another. I sighed and slumped over. Why couldn’t they leave?

“Get out,” I groaned.

“Are you hurt?” said Hellana.

“Just get the fuck out, and I’d be instantly better!” I flopped onto my side and faced the wall. A dull ache pulsed through my limbs. The bands were better than these fucking seals.

The two were whispering back and forth in harsh voices. What did they want now? Why wouldn’t they go away? I rolled onto my stomach and shoved my face in the beanbag. I could still hear them.

“Eiko, your back.” Hellana hurried over. “The tattoo.”

Watt grabbed her hand. “You better not— woah, the energy is amazing.”

“Get out,” I stated.

She shoved Watt off her. “Are you sick? Do you need something?” She touched my skin.

“Get the fuck out.” I glared at her over my shoulder.

Hellana leaned back. “Eiko,” she gasped. “Your eyes.”

“Leave! How many times do I have to say it?! Get out!”

Watt helped her up. “Come on,” he said, leading her to the door. “Get some rest, Eiko.”

I grabbed a book and threw it at the wall. The pages exploded from it. Watt watched them fly through the air while trying to keep Hellana in the hallway.

“Move!” she demanded.

“I think Eiko wants to be left alone.” He turned around and tossed the girl over his shoulder. “Have a good night.” He nodded and left with a kicking and yelling Hellana.

“I’m his medic!”

“You’re currently the source of his pain.” Watt shut the door, and the locks turned.

I fell over and closed my eyes. My body hurt, and I wanted it to go away. Some of the loose pages landed close to my feet.

“Shit.” I crawled around the floor to gather them up.

It was all of my horrible drawings. They were scattered everywhere. Someone was going to see them. My panicked state was making the seals react. It just hurt. I shoved the pages under the bed and dropped my head onto the mattress. The tears started to come, easing some of the tension in my body. I didn’t feel good. Staggering to my feet, I went to the bathroom. Holding back my hair, I threw up as my tattoos flickered. I turned on the bath faucet and stuck my head under the cold water. It was helping. Crawling into the tub, I changed it so the shower turned on. My skin was too hot even to be affected. But I hoped I could enjoy the feeling of being completely numb with time.