Step 2: The Aptitude Trials

There were many nights spent at Garrenbuck wide awake and terribly paranoid. My dreams were haunted by the cold, lifeless eyes of those who had died and plagued by the images of barren, wastelands infested with monsters and scarred by the words spoken to me in the infirmary.

"She's watching you, waiting for you."

The nurses claimed the witch suffered from a serious fever and I wanted to believe them as the excuse sounded perfectly normal. But my paranoia held me prisoner. It was just like when I was a kid and Adam told me that there was a monster hiding beneath my bed. I knew he was just trying to get a rise out of me but just in case, just on the off chance he was telling the truth, I checked beneath my bed every night. No one ever got hurt by playing it safe.

So, I remained wide awake as my mind slowly became my worst enemy.

Ana was also awake. There wasn't a single person in Garrenbuck, except maybe the Doctors, who managed to get a full night of sleep. I couldn't see her. The complex was so incredibly dark at night- I couldn't even see my own hand. However, on this particular night when Ana and I were held captive by our fears, I could almost feel her presence with me.

To keep me occupied I wondered what she was thinking about.

She had been in Garrenbuck longer than anyone I had met- eleven months. That was longer than most of the guards lasted. I spent a fraction of that time in Garrenbuck and I was already losing my mind. But Ana was like a steel vault, nothing could get to her. She suffered through countless tests, her body being battered and bruised until it grew numb to pain. It almost seemed like the same thing happened to her heart.

Wounds far beyond healing had been inflicted over the course of her imprisonment and rather than wallowing in the pain, she grew numb to feeling anything at all. At least- I think that's what she wanted everyone to think of her. But I had seen first hand that there was a soft spot in her stone heart which only belonged to Paxton Cortez.

It was with the thought of Paxton Cortez's emerald eyes shimmering in my mind, did I finally manage to fall asleep.

I knew it was a dream immediately because I was no longer submerged in darkness, rather my body was now bathed in the gentle light of a gaslamp. I was standing in the middle of a massive tent, the sort of tent used in circuses but there were no balancing acts or prancing clowns to be seen, instead there was a series of wooden tables covered with an assortment of scrolls and leather bound books. Men and women alike were bent over those tables, talking animatedly amongst themselves as they scavenged through the mess. They were draped in long black cloaks, masking their true identities, their faces were reduced to shadows, like the grim reaper.

Dumbfounded by the intricacies of my imagination I stood still. It looked like a war room, I thought to myself, remembering the documentaries I had watched with my father on the War between Monsters and Men. The others used enchanted tents, ones that couldn't be seen by human eyes. It was only after the war ended did the humans even learn of their existence. The Others would set up these special tents, massive in size, with a series of tables methodically positioned on the floor. Each table dedicated to a different general or magical specialist- one table dedicated to maps, one dedicated to strategizing, and one table was dedicated kept track of the deaths. Each magical race had its own table as well. Then at the very front of every tent there would be a round table, with five seats, four dedicated to an ambassador for each race and the fifth for the commanding officer of that platoon.

The tent in my dream had a round table as well but there was only one chair, for the commanding officer and the seat was abandoned. I looked among the cloaked figures, trying to distinguish the commanding officer from the others but they all looked the same.

"Looking for me?" A low, sultry voice called from behind.

Any attempt I might have made to turn around was immediately squashed when I felt someone touch my shoulder. Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I stared at a tanned, feminine hand with nails sharpened into daggers and painted red- blood red. Even though I knew this was just a dream, I could feel the pressure of the hand weighing on my shoulder, her touch was chilling to the bone. Like the touch of death. Slowly, as if not spook me, the woman attached to the hand walked around my frozen body. The light clack of her heels against the dirt floor echoed in my ears. Unlike the her soldiers she didn't wear a cloak, rather opting to wear a short black dress that was stretched taught over her generous curves.

I refused to look anywhere but the ground, not wanting my fears to be confirmed.

"Well, I've been looking for you," she purred. Her manicured fingers wrapped around my chin. She pulled at my chin and forced me to look into her coal black eyes.

"Lilith!" I gasped.

———-

I awoke to the ugly mug of my guard. His finger inched towards his gun with every second I wasted. Shuffling to my feet, I allowed the brute to slap the cuffs onto my wrists and pull me into the crowded hall. I watched as Ana's guards pulled her from her cell. She glanced back at me and furrowed her brows when she saw the ashen look on my face. I tilted my head to the side as if to say that 'everything was fine' but nothing could have been further from the truth. My heart was trying to escape from my chest like a caged bull. I refused to close my eyes, even to blink, afraid that if I did I would see her again.

Like everyday, the guards led us into a single file line. Our footsteps marching to a perfect rhythm. Whereas their armed suits were equipped with hand warmers and insulation, our vinyl uniforms did little to protect us from the winter wind. Biting the inside of my cheek, I tried to hold back the chattering of my teeth. I once saw a boy thrown to the ground and beaten by a guard because his teeth chattering was too loud for the likes of the guards. Not wanting a repeat, I remained silent. I didn't even comment when the guards led us past our usual stop, the rec hall. I guess breakfast wasn't on the agenda for today.

In a matter of seconds, I realized they were taking us to the Grand Hall. Many of the complexes on the Garrenbuck lot were used for tests or barracks or labs but the large building near the gate, with the metal vaulted door was used solely for special events- at least that's what Ana told me. I had been in there only once during my first real day at Garrenbuck and since then I managed to avoid it like the plague.

Nothing changed in a month. The podium and microphone remained in the middle of the raised platform as the four flags representing the Others hung on the back wall. Those flags served as a taunting reminder of our inevitable fate. The commander stood off to the side, not acknowledging the crowd for quite some time as he quietly conversed with a group of doctors. They were paging through a series of manila folders and gesturing to the papers as if to make some point.

I hated being near the man. There was just something about him that made my stomach recoil. Perhaps it was the fake smile permanently carved onto his face or the way he stood with his cocked hip or perhaps it was the dead look in his eyes. Or maybe I didn't need to hate the man who held me prisoner.

Ana and I stood beside each other. Her face remained a blank canvas whereas mine looked like a toddlers finger painting, messy and completely uncontrolled. The back of her hand nudged mine, a subtle cue to stop fidgeting. The commander left his counsel and took three strides over to the podium. In seconds, he was facing us as he prepared to make another speech that would undoubtedly bring more bad news into my life.

"In one month your time on this Earth will come to an end," the Commander began.

"During your temporary stay here we have remained dedicated to the promise made to your people. On the first day of New Year, the portal between Earth and the Otherworld will open, allowing for you all to safely cross over. But before you do, we must surely conclude your true identities before your arrival per their request. Our tests have gathered a significant amount of information but now it is time for the Aptitude Trials to commence."

My stomach dropped. Did he mean the last month of abuse I just endured was simply a prelude to the real the Aptitude Trials? A nervous murmur broke out amongst the crowd. Out the corner of my eye, I watched as Ana balled her hands into fists.

The Commander held up a hand and immediately a hush fell over the masses. He continued, "These 'trials' are a custom of your own kind, not ours. For these next three trials are the only way to truly conclude your most unnatural, unholy abilities."

Just when I convinced myself that life couldn't possibly get worse, fate decided to sucker punch me in the gut. The tests were torture enough: getting jabbed at and pelted with strange objects, running through the worst of weather, and sparring until near death. It was only by pure luck I survived thus far. But these tests, I realized, were all just a form of practice. Maybe the OSCF wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. There was a purpose behind the pain they inflicted. They wanted to harden us, to prepare us to face a series of trials that only the most barbaric of creatures could survive.

"The first of the three trials shall commence at the end of this week."

Without giving any additional information, the Commander gestured to his ranking G.S. Officials and stepped away from the podium. A rumble quickly arose from the crowd. The guards yelled for silence but their words were drowned out by the now hysterical cries of my fellow prisoners. Ana grabbed my hand just before all hell broke loose.

"Murderers!" A girl screamed.

The guards did not hesitate as they pointed their assault rifles at her head. In a moment of crazed passion, the girl charged towards them. She managed to dodge the first ten bullets fired in her direction and then just before she could reach the closest guard a bullet shattered her skull. It was an action the guards would soon regret as thousands of teenagers screamed in agony for the loss of their fellow prisoner. A martyr had been created.

"Get on the floor," said Ana.

We fell onto our stomachs as the guards opened fire onto the frenzied crowd.

"What do we do?" Bodies were dropping around us like flies. There would be no mercy. The Commander made that clear from our very first day- we were to listen to their rules or else...

"Phe," She said, "if you move they will shoot you. Stay down."

I wanted to scream. How could I just lie down and do nothing when they were murdering children? And yet there was no possible way I could stop the guards from doing anything. They had guns, years of combat training and I only had a mulberry colored wristband. A thud sounded as another body fell to the floor. I closed my eyes and begged for the carnage to end or, at the very least, I begged for one of the bullets to pierce my own heart- swiftly ending the torture.

"Phe stop it." Vaguely, I could hear Ana calling out to me.

Stop what?

I could only focus on the strange buzzing that had erupted in my head. The floor seemed to vanish beneath me as every nerve in my body lit as if suddenly struck by a match. The ceiling groaned above our heads as a row of spotlights disengaged from their fastenings and swung across the room, nearly beheading more than one unsuspecting guard. Disconnected and swinging freely, the lights began to flicker and then one by one the bulbs shattered, raining glass and debris upon our heads.

Then, everything went black.

**I am so so sorry for the late update but due to the holiday yesterday, I spent a majority of the day with my family and was unable to edit this chapter. We are now in the midst of the second step of becoming an Other. The Aptitude Trials consist of three isolated trials which originated from old supernatural folklore. Only 1/3 of those who participate in the Aptitude Trials actually survive due to the supernatural nature of the trials- all those who compete must show an aptitude for magic and things of that sort. With that said, I understand that many of you might be confused like Phe and the rest of the prisoners. Phe thought the tests administered at the OSCF were the Aptitude Trials but in reality the government was simply using their tests to gather more information on the prisoners and their abilities while preparing them for the upcoming Aptitude Trials. The skills gathered from the tests was imperative to gain in order to survive the trials. As of now, the readers and the characters purposely have little understanding of what these trials will consist of or what the stakes are.

If you have any questions about this or anything else please do not be afraid to ask me. When world-building everything might seem to make sense to me because I've spent so much time making this world in my head but I forget that things aren't so explicit to you guys. However, if someone asks a question about the story that is purposely vague- meaning the characters and the reader are not supposed to understand that part yet, I will not answer the question. I don't want to spoil any mysteries for anyone.

I hope you guys are enjoying the story! I loved all the comments on the last chapter.

XOXO,

Ro.**