Chapter 381 - Clutching the Knife (Checks and Christina Bg, can skip)

While he was still in the car of the strange man, he still did not let go of the knife. The man did not make any attempts of getting it from him so he clutched it to the point that his fingers were already hurting from being clenched.

The man had asked him about his basic information. He answered everything vaguely.

"Where are you from?"

"Just outside of this town." This town was a center and was surrounded by four big cities on either side.

"How long have you been gone from home?"

"A few months." Seven months.

"Are your parents looking for you?"

"I think they are," he said with a casual shrug. Maybe they were. But who knows?

"Are you fine never coming home?"

"I don't want to go back there."

"You have to understand that there's no turning back when you come with me."

He nodded. He didn't want to get back to his retched house. He was tired of everything and everyone there.

It was not even that long when the car slowed down and they came into a halt. Before that, he had seen an arc of a gated property. The lawn stretched all the way to the stone walls. There was much room to run around and hide.

The wind bit on his skin the moment that they got out of the car. His clothes had gone thin and he shivered once more, wrapping his arms around himself. There was a huge house that loomed in front of him and there was a woman who was waiting for them just by the door.

"Good evening," said the man. "This is Checks. He's our new recruit."

Recruit, Checks mind echoed. He liked the sound of that. He wasn't some charity case. He was a recruit.

"Hello," said the woman with a practiced sweetness. "We have great things waiting for you."

The man knelt down and Checks got a good look at his bearded face. He looked intently into the man's eyes, checking if he was going to be in danger if he came with the woman. There was not a single indication of that. 

"Are you really sure that you want to stay here?" the man asked him. "You're going to be tied for life with me. You're going to work for me. But in exchange, I will give you money and everything else that you could possibly want."

It was like having a new parent. You do some good deed then you would get a prize. It was not a bad deal. In fact it was the greatest deal in Check's perspective. He nodded once more.

"Alright," the man said, tapping him on the shoulder. "You come with her. I'll see you tomorrow with the rest of the kids. Sleep well.

"Come along now," said the woman. She didn't make an effort to reach for him or hold his hand. He appreciated that. He didn't want to be touched. There was also the fact that the knife was still in his hands.

He was given a warm bath and fresh clothes. He had never felt so clean in his entire life. The woman helped him cut his nails and his hair, cleaned his ears, and showed him the bed that he would be sleeping on.

The room was dark and long. There were bunkbeds. Most of the beds were occupied. There were children of all ages, peacefully sleeping in all their white pajamas.

"You can pick any bed that you want," said the woman in a quiet voice. "Have a good night sleep, you would have to wake up early for tomorrow's activities."

"What are we going to do tomorrow?"

The woman smiled at him. "Good night, Checks." Then she was out of the door.

Checks got the bed two away from the last occupied one. The bed wasn't particularly that soft but it beats the hard sidewalk. There was a pillow and blanket. He didn't have to shield himself away from the rain and the cold with a cardboard box because there was a roof above his head.

But even then, Checks was not convinced that he was already in safety. He didn't sleep. He didn't even lay down. He sat on the bed, knees bent, and hands clutching the knife. It was so quiet that he could hear the other kids' breathing.

He tried very hard to keep himself from falling asleep yet his body gave up. Eventually, his head started lolling then his body slid down.

The next thing that he knew, there was someone shaking him awake. When he opened his eyes, two very blue wide ones stared back at him. He scrambled away in surprise then the glinting knife winked at him. He fumbled until he had it in his hand. "What do you want?"

The girl laughed at him. She looked really pale. "Save that for the training. Let's go have breakfast."

"Training?"

"Yes," the woman smiled at him. "You better fuel up. It's going to be a long day."

Despite the girl's warning, Checks didn't get much of his fill. It was like his stomach was getting used to being fed again. It was aching after just a serving.

The moment breakfast was over the man from last night showed up wearing a loose pair of gym clothes. "Time to change. We have to get moving."

Everyone else scrambled out of the dining room and the man spotted Checks. "Did you sleep well, boy?"

Checks shook his head.

"Of course you did not. It'll get better," the man sighed. "Go back to your room and change clothes. You shouldn't be late for training. It's your first day. You have a lot to catch up on."

Checks need not to be told twice. He got out of the dining area and followed everyone as they changed and went out to the endless lawn. They were all lined up with straight postures and a serious look on their faces.

"Just try to follow along," said the girl from the bedroom. "It's fairly easy. I'll teach you later if you'll have a hard time. I'm Christina, by the way."

"Hm," said he. He wanted to focus on what was happening in his surroundings. "I don't care."

Christina laughed. "You don't have to act so tough. This is a safe place."

"Is this a cult? Is he going to eat us after tenderizing our meat with workouts?"

Christina laughed again. "I wish it was something like that. It would take out the boring out of the days here."

"What are we exactly training for?"

When Christina's lips stretched again to a smile, Checks suddenly felt scared. "Didn't Jaws tell you? This is a school for future assassins."