Galdoni (4 page)

I longed for a book, though my eyesight was
still blurred to the point that reading was impossible. I smoothed
the pillow, and noted how soft the pillowcase was. Nothing was soft
at the Academy. I bent gingerly toward the small table beside the
bed and picked up the clean pair of clothes Brie had set there for
me. The fabric was also soft and supple, quite different from the
coarse pants at the Academy.

Footsteps came to the door and I tensed.

“
Kale?” The door opened to
reveal Nikko’s brown hair and slender build. He came in when he saw
I was awake. “You hungry?”

My stomach growled at the strong scent of
food that wafted in after him and he laughed. “Good enough. Why
don't you come out and eat with us? Brie and Jayce’s dad had to
work late again, so they’re here.”

The thought was surprisingly inviting, but I
shook my head. “Dr. Ray-”

“
He's not here,” Nikko
replied firmly. “Dad teaches during the day, and when he’s not
teaching, he’s at the emergency room. The odds of him catching us
are slim.”

Before I could protest, he swung my arm over
his shoulder and helped me to my feet. “You've gotta be ready to
get out of this room anyhow, and we've run out of Galdoni rumors to
chew up. It'd be nice to have a little fact to even out the
fiction.” He helped me slip the shirt over my head. Brie had cut
two slits up the back that fit around my wings; the fabric settled
comfortably against my skin.

We made our way out the door and into the
small living room. The couches had been pushed aside and a card
table and folding chairs made up the dining table. Brie pulled out
a chair so I could take a seat. Nikko helped me ease down onto the
chair, then left to the kitchen.

“
You should be starving,”
Brie pointed out. She handed me a roll before following
Nikko.

I held the bread in my hands. I wanted to
tear into it, to shove it into my mouth and devour it completely.
But in the house setting, that felt wrong. It took more
self-control than I wanted to admit to take a small bite.

The fresh taste of bread filled my mouth
with more flavor than I thought possible. I closed my eyes and
savored the sweet tang of cooked flour and sugar. I rolled the
bread around my mouth for a moment before swallowing it. The
lightest hint of honey lingered on my tongue.

I opened my eyes and took another bite just
as the Nikko and Brie entered the room with bowls of mashed
potatoes and gravy and a salad along with a pitcher of juice. Jayce
followed closely behind carrying a roast in a pan. My stomach
growled again at the smell and Nikko laughed.

“
Hurry and feed this boy
before he starves to death!” He proceeded to plunk a generous
helping of potatoes drowned in gravy onto my plate. The others
served me and then themselves, ignoring my protests that I had
plenty of food. I finally gave in and sat back to watch them dish
food onto their own plates in far less amounts than mine. After
dishing up, they looked at each other.

A slight discomfort seemed to pass between
them. “What?” I asked.

Nikko cleared his throat. “We generally
bless the food before we eat.”

I nodded.

Jayce glanced at me before he bowed his head
and said a prayer.

I watched the three lowered heads and fought
back a strange wave of longing. It felt surreal, sitting at a
normal table with a home-cooked meal in a comfortable home. It was
something I had read about in books and longed for when I was
younger; I had accepted my lot long ago only to find myself in the
same situation.

“
Amen,” Jayce said. He
looked across the table at me and though I couldn't see his
expression, I heard the caution in his voice. “I didn't take you
guys for the praying type.”

I shrugged and pretended to be more
interested in my potatoes. “We don't as a whole, but I've read
about it. I always found the idea of God to be an interesting
one.”

“
Not one you believe in?”
Brie asked.

I glanced at her and shook my head. “It was
never hidden from us that we were created by humans, definitely not
God; though it fits the description of playing God.” I’d had more
time than I wanted in the last three days to think over what Brie
had told me about the televised Arena broadcasts. The knowledge
took the honor that we as Galdoni had been taught our entire lives
and thrown it down the drain. I fought to keep the anger from my
voice. “I'm a little skeptical at the thought of an all-knowing
Being who sees what we go through in our lives but lets injustice
carry on anyway.”

Silence followed my words.

Jayce chuckled, breaking the stillness. “Why
don't you tell us how you really feel?”

I rubbed the bandage on my forehead. “Sorry.
I'm not usually this blunt. My head must have been hit harder than
I thought.”

This time Nikko was the one to laugh. “Hey,
at least you're honest. Most people don't have a clue what they
believe or don't believe. It's kind-of refreshing.”

“
In a knife through your
heart sort of way,” Jayce concluded. He held up his cup of juice.
“Here's to brutal honesty.”

I laughed and held up my own. When the
glasses chinked together, I realized it had been years since I had
truly laughed; I had also smiled more in the last few days than the
rest of my life combined. A voice in the back of my mind told me
not to get used to it. I tried to shrug it off, but the pain that
laced through my wings when I moved reminded me of what had brought
me there. I took another swallow of juice to chase down the
bitterness that rose in my throat.

***

“
How does that
feel?”

“
Better,” I replied and
tried not to wince as the doctor tightened the bandages around my
wings. He bound them to my back, immobilizing the joints to allow
the bones to heal.

“
You have a high tolerance
for pain,” he noted.

“
One of the benefits of the
Academy,” I replied quietly.

Dr. Ray gave me a careful look as he tore
the end of the bandage and smoothed it down. “Well, I can’t
guarantee anything, but it should hold for now.” A rare hint of
humor touched his voice, “Must say, I never thought I’d be
bandaging up a Galdoni.”

“
That makes two of us,” I
said with a wry smile. At his pause, I clarified, “I never thought
I’d have to be bandaged by a human.”

A chuckle escaped his lips as he turned away
to tuck the rest of his equipment into his bag. The shadows were
lighter and colors sharper; faces were still mostly a blur though.
I rubbed my eyes. My head ached, but less than it had when I first
awoke.

He must have been watching me. “Your
eyesight should come back. You’ve already made good progress.” He
paused, then continued as though testing the water, “You haven't
asked about your wings.”

I looked at him, but didn't reply.

He finally shrugged. “Well, it's probably
for the best. I won't know until those bandages come off, and until
then, it's a guessing game for both of us.” His tone became ironic.
“You know, there's one reason I became a doctor instead of a
vet.”

“
Why's that?”

“
Because it's easier when
the patients can tell you what's wrong with them. But,” and I could
hear the smile in his voice, “You never say.”

“
Habit, I
guess.”

Brie opened the door and we both turned.
“Hello gentlemen; don't mind me. I just brought the invalid some
water.”

I snorted at the term invalid, but accepted
the cup she held out.

“
I'll see you tomorrow.”
Dr. Ray picked up his bag and made his way to the door. “Have a
good night, Brie.” He paused before turning back with a slight
frown in his voice. “You too, Kale.”

The doctor left before I could get over my
surprise enough to wish him the same.

Brie laughed and sat on the corner of the
bed. “I think you’re breaking him down. You’re definitely not the
‘maddened beast of mass destruction’ they tout on TV to get you
guys back to the Academy.”

“
You don’t think so? I’m
pretty terrifying.”

“
Yeah, to a mouse maybe, or
a gerbil. I’d say a guinea pig, but I hear those things can fight
for themselves.”

I chuckled. The movement shot pain through
my ribs; I leaned back against the wall. “How was school?”

“
Splendidly boring, as
usual.” She let out a sigh. “You’re lucky you don’t have to
go.”

“
I’ll trade you, Academy
for high school.”

“
Done. I can learn to fight
and have wings, and you can sit in a hard chair learning about
things you’ll never use in life.”

“
At least the goal is for
you to have a life when you’re done. Imagine finding out that they
taught you everything just to have you use it to die for the
enjoyment and monetary interest of impassive viewers.”

She let out a breath. “Okay, you win.”

I smiled. “Hey, if it wasn’t for you, I’d
probably still be there, or dead.”

“
Probably dead,” she
replied flippantly; I could see the slight outline of her grin.
“Now you have to put up with all my whining about school. You’d
probably rather I left you there.”

I tipped my head as though considering it
and she slapped my good knee. I smiled. “No, I’m really more
grateful for you than I could ever express. I just can’t wait until
I get out of here. Something has to be done.”

“
Like what?”

I shrugged because that was as far as I
always got. Something had to be done, but where to start? I
scratched at the bandages on my forehead. The deep gash Dr. Ray had
stitched there itched. “Something; I don’t know what, but I’ll
figure it out.”

“
You'll know what to do.”
Doubt colored her voice.

“
You don't think I should
go back.” The revelation surprised me.

“
To what?” She sat up
straight and her tone became passionate. “You have a chance to
start a new life. I think you should take it and never look
back.”

“
And leave the other
Galdoni to whatever fate the Academy has for them?” I shook my
head. “I can't let them continue to spread lies about us and let
people believe that we don't feel or care. I need to stop them from
killing the Galdoni I grew up with.”

They weren't friends. Galdoni were forbidden
to have friends. If such a relationship was discovered, the two
offenders were beaten and then separated for the rest of their time
at the Academy. But I had grown up beside them, trained against
them, and at the barest of it all, survived with them. I couldn't
let them suffer for things that should have been stopped long ago,
and the fact that Galdoni were being returned to the Academy by
every defense unit available meant there was a plan to put them to
use again.

“
You're right,” Brie
replied quietly.

My wings ached and I longed to stretch them.
I shifted against the pillow, but couldn't find a comfortable
position. I finally gave up.

Brie guessed my thoughts. “You want to
fly?”

“
More than words can
describe.” I glanced at her. “You know, I've never flown outside
the Arena. None of us had until they shut it down, and then I was
scared.”

We stared at each other, both surprised at
my admission. I grimaced. “Now I'll be lucky if I even can. Last
time I look before I leap.”

“
I'll bet you'll be able to
fly,” Brie said reassuringly. “And if not, there's more out
there.”

“
Like what?” I asked
skeptically.

She was close enough that I could see her
mischievous grin. “Nikko thinks you should go to school with
us.”

“
High school?” The thought
made me laugh. “They'd arrest me on sight.”

“
He thinks we can hide your
wings, and Nikko is a whiz at computers. He can make you a transfer
transcript that'll get you in.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “You've got to
be kidding. It wouldn't work, and it'd be dangerous for everyone if
I’m caught.”

“
Well, it's just a
thought,” she said casually.

I shook my head. “I won't be here that long.
There's too much to do.”

She nodded. “And research to be done. You
can't rush into this, Kale. You've got to know your enemy.”

I didn't answer. It was too absurd to even
consider. Nevertheless, sleep was a long time coming after she
left.

Chapter Four

When I made my way to the table the next
night with the use of a crutch Nikko found, I was surprised to see
Dr. Ray waiting patiently on an extra chair pulled up to one of the
corners. He nodded at me and resumed his conversation with
Jayce.

Brie's brother glanced at me with a slight
shrug and a concerned expression. He brushed away the blond hair
that was always in his eyes and turned back to the doctor. I took
the seat next to him as nonchalantly as possible. Brie and Nikko
followed from the kitchen a few minutes later. They both looked
stressed at the doctor's presence.

Brie said a brief prayer and I caught the
doctor's glance after she finished. “Nikko mentioned your views on
religion,” he said, dishing a generous heap of stuffing onto his
plate.

I glanced at Nikko but he kept his eyes
down.

“
The only religion taught
at the Academy is the art of combat,” I replied
carefully.

Dr. Ray nodded. “Interesting. You know, the
ancient Samurai's battle training was closely entwined in their
religious views.”