Induction, Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven: FOMO

Dr. Castillo deems me healthy, despite my cuts and bruises. No stitches required, but she gives me some mild painkillers, a bottle of antibiotic ointment, instructions on how to clean the wounds, and tells me to get plenty of rest.

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to achieve the latter request.

Now, I’m sitting in the burly man’s office. He introduces himself as Hogan, Nelly’s partner. He wastes no time having me call my boss. Long story short, I’m not fired for not showing up or neglecting to call out, but I have to work the opening shift tomorrow.

I should have said no, but did I? Cue laughter that turns to sobs. Nope, I’m going to work. The bike ride is going to be cold, long, and painful.

Shelves of framed pictures and trophies line the wall behind the circular desk, where Hogan sits, typing on his computer with rapid keystrokes. His eyes never leaving the screen.

I scan the pictures on the wall, finding one of Vic and his straight-toothed grin. He’s wearing his martial arts garb—loose pants and robe-like top—in the photo, and he stands next to Nelly. They’re both holding up a gold trophy. The same trophy from the picture sits next to it, polished and shiny.

My heart drops. He kept this from me. I stare at his stupid, perfect grin that took three years of braces to achieve. He’s in several photos, some with Nelly, some with other people I don’t recognize. I guess this is what FOMO feels like. Or would it more accurately be termed SIMO? Sad I Missed Out.

Freaking acronyms.

There are other pictures without Vic, of course. Some of Elizabeth—maybe some of her twin, unsure on that—Jacqulyn, Devon, Jonah, Adam, and people I don’t recognize. Each trophy has some sort of side-kicking martial arts figurine on top.

Nelly enters the room, and I hold the cell phone out to her. She shakes her head. The crow’s feet at the corner of her eyes crinkle as she smiles, and I notice a faint scar leading up from the side of her eye and disappearing under her hairline.

“Keep it for now,” she says. “We’ll need it to keep tabs on you.”

I rest my hands in my lap, smoothing my thumbs over the darkened screen. “That isn’t creepy at all.”

Hogan looks at me over the top of the computer monitor. He stops typing. “Yes, well, when you venture into the forest after a bloodthirsty animal, you need someone to keep tabs on you.”

“Touché.” I lower my gaze.

“Mika, what we do here…” Hogan starts to say, folding his hands on the desk. “You’ll need to keep an open mind. The kind of danger out there in the world that people don’t know about, and refuse to acknowledge. Danger that we train our students to deal with, in order to protect humanity.”

Students? Right. They are a school. A school of excellence. Sahara had said they don’t just recruit anybody. She didn’t believe I could be one of the ninjas, so she assumed I was a brain.

I pick at the edge of the phone case. This place is well out of my league.

“You’ve seen the giant cougar-like beasts,” Hogan continues, his expression stoic. “You don’t need convincing. But it goes deeper than that. Scarier. Supernatural.”

“So, like, vampires and werewolves are real?” I keep my voice even. I don’t know what their plans are for me, if they’ll “recruit” me, or send me on my way. But I get an itching feeling that I need to be here. I need to learn.

“To the extent of our knowledge, no. Vampires and werewolves don’t exist.” Hogan frowns before adding, “At least not how they’re portrayed in popular media.”

“The things out there…” Nelly shakes her head, a haunted expression crossing her face.

“I’m exposed,” I say, glancing at the phone in my hands. My reflection on the dark glass stares back at me. Eyes swollen and sad, yet lit with defiance. I won’t let them keep me in the dark. “I need to learn how to deal with it. All of it. Unless you wipe my mind, I’m going to keep looking until I die. If I don’t go insane from looking over my shoulder first.”

Like he said, I’ve seen the “giant cougar-like” beast. The cause of the accident that killed my brother. Not only do I have the physical proof they exist by the scratches on my arm, I’ve seen freaking ninjas fighting one.

And it's not just the crazy, oversized mountain lions. I’ve met Sahara. She’s disguised as human. She burned my neck and hurt her own sister—and killed one of her own men—with no hesitation or remorse.

The images of the other dungeon cells flash into my mind, the bloodstains on the floor. Who knows how many more she has hurt?

The couple looks at each other, sharing a silent conversation. I watch, pulse a rapid staccato in my ears. An argument forms in my mind. Nelly tilts her head to the side, smiling a little, and Hogan lets out a deep breath.

“It won’t be easy,” he says. The intensity in his eyes is unnerving, but I try to ignore it. “Sessions, both physical and mental, can be brutal.”

“I can do it,” I say.

“You’ll have to finish out your current semester with your school,” he says, gaze moving to the computer screen, eyes moving as he reads. “You’re enrolled in an online high school, right?”

A grin spreads across my face as I nod. I had no idea I wanted this so much until now. “Yes. Easier for both my parents to deal with.”

“Good. You can study here a couple days a week so we can start implementing our schooling. We’ll need permission from your parents as well.”

I slump in the chair, knowing full well that my parents will never agree to this.

Hogan’s stone face softens. “Don’t worry. This isn’t my first rodeo.”

I don’t find reassurance in those words.

A knock on the door interrupts the meeting; then the door opens with a soft swish. I glance over my shoulder, only to do a double take at Adam.