A rare, tranquil calm settled over Force 1's living quarters. Outside, the great manor's constant mechanical hum was a distant sound. Inside, the six children of Force 1 were scattered, indulging in something they had rarely known: inaction.
Felix lay sprawled across a plush velvet sofa, staring at the ceiling. In a nearby armchair,
Beatrice sat with a book, her eyes glued to its pages.
Rhys lay on the floor, taking a nap.
Briar sat cross-legged on the floor, combing her hair with a silver comb.
Emmett stood by a window, watching the patrols of the Baron's men on their patrol. Corbin was the only one with any true purpose, lost in the pages of a huge book on clockwork mechanics.
"This is the life,"
Felix sighed, a sound of pure contentment.
"A whole week of nothing. Just us, a big couch, and no Baron breathing down our necks."
Corbin didn't look up from his book.
"Don't be too relaxed, Felix. There's still Charolette. And the twins. And the Baron's men patrolling the grounds."
Felix waved a dismissive hand.
"Charolette doesn't care what we do as long as we're not a nuisance. She's a taskmaster, not a babysitter. And the twins? Please. They said they weren't in the mood to train us. Besides,"
he added with a confident grin,
"we have the Calvanite now. The Baron's men shouldn't stand a chance."
Beatrice looked up from her book, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Speaking of the Calvanite… has anyone had any weird experiences? Any signs of it working?"
Emmett finally moved from the window, his movements precise and economical.
"No. I haven't felt stronger, or faster, or… anything."
Corbin flipped a page, his fingers tracing a diagram.
"The same. My mind feels no sharper than it was before."
"Me neither,"
Felix said.
"I was hoping I'd get super speed or something cool, but nope. Just… me."
All eyes turned to Briar, who had a faint, puzzled expression.
"I've just been having… little tingling feelings. On the spot of my Mark."
Corbin looked up, his blue eyes locking onto Briar.
"By the way, have you been able to use your power since the bear fight?"
Briar shook her head, her red hair swaying.
"No. I don't know how. I don't know how I did it that day. It was… just instinct."
"A fluke, then,"
Corbin concluded, disappointment in his voice. He returned his gaze to his book.
"I suppose we'll all learn how to use our powers later. As the Baron said, the serum's effects are complex."
"Later,"
Felix agreed, leaning his head back.
"For now, we enjoy our free time."
He didn't finish the thought. The heavy, ornate door to their quarters creaked open. Everyone's gaze snapped to it. Standing in the doorway were Eta and Theta.
"Free time is over,"
Eta said, her voice flat.
"We're in the mood."
The easygoing atmosphere in the room soured instantly, replaced by a heavy tension. Felix's carefree expression dissapeared instantly, his mouth opening in protest.
"But… you said…"
"We changed our minds,"
Theta said.
"The Baron is not around to bother us with his schedule. Now we can do things our way."
Rhys, whose nap was interrupted by the twin's entrance, looked at Eta, his expression wary.
"Where do you want us to train? In the training room? The courtyard?"
Eta's gaze swept over their quarters, a small, knowing smirk on her lips.
"Here. Your training starts here."
The children's confusion was palpable. Beatrice looked genuinely shocked.
"Here? What training?"
"A simple game,"
Theta said, her lips barely moving.
"A very simple game of hide-and-seek. We will count to ten. You will hide. If you are not found within twenty minutes, you win. We lose."
A collective sigh of relief washed over the children, but it was cut short by Eta's next words.
"Whoever is caught,"
she said, her voice as smooth,
"will be beaten black and blue. Until they can't stand."
The air went out of the room. The children tensed, their faces pale with shock. Felix spoke, his voice cracking with desperation.
"That's… that's a death sentence! You can't do that!"
Theta's gaze was unblinking.
"The Calvanite in your bodies should prevent death, hopefully. You should survive."
She gestured with a graceful hand.
"Go. Hide."
The twins started a count to 30, and the children scattered, their relaxed attitudes gone. They instinctively moved toward the kitchen, the only room large enough to offer any kind of cover at the moment. They squeezed into the small space behind the large, metal counter, their bodies pressed together.
"Anyone have any ideas for survival?"
Briar whispered urgently.
Emmett's voice was calm, cutting through their rising panic.
"I do."
He met Corbin's eyes.
"We push him out."
Corbin's jaw dropped.
"Absolutely not,"
he said, his voice a furious whisper.
"That is not an option. That is an illogical, suicidal suggestion!"
"It is our best shot at survival,"
Emmett countered, his eyes holding Corbin's.
"There's five of us who are weak, and then there's you who, for some reason, the other side seems to have a soft spot for."
Felix's face lit up with a mix of fear and wicked amusement.
"He has a point! Eta likes you, Corbin! Maybe you can get her to stop!"
"I am not going out there!"
Corbin insisted.
"My physical abilities are not as well-developed as yours. That would be the end of me! This is not logical!"
" You should be able to stand your ground, Corbin."
Emmett said with a mocking tone.
"Afterall, you have Calvanite flowing in your blood."
Before Corbin could protest further, the five of them pushed him out from behind the counter. He landed on all fours just as the twins finished their count.
"30! Ready or not, here we come!"
they chimed. Eta's violet eyes, which had been closed a moment before, snapped open and locked onto the sight of Corbin, sprawled and helpless on the floor.
He barely had time to get a single word out.
"Eta, I can explain…"
She moved with intense speed, landing a single, perfectly placed blow to his chest that sent him flying backward, past the children hiding behind the counter and straight into the wall behind them. The impact was violent and bone-shattering. He slid down the polished surface, out cold.
The children, still hiding behind the counter, watched in horrified awe.
"That didn't work out as I expected"
Felix said, staring at Corbin who had already passed out.
"It worked out just fine"
Enmett said, a faint amused smile on his face, a stark contrast to his personality.
Eta's gaze swept over the room, settling on their hiding spot.
"One down,"
she said, her voice a chilling whisper.
"Five to go."