While Claire debated with the loopholes in between Derek's wanting to walk into the information desk and saying they needed to retreat hands down and Xen's dying to make a run for it, they froze as a uniform appeared right out of their far left corner. The hall resonated each of his steps as the ground winced under his mountain of a body.

The three frantically looked at each other. They're completely out of their wit. They lowered their head in the hope that he'd brush past them but each step was proving them wrong.

The man stopped in front of them folding his hands, face stoic. No one had to tell them why.

" Aren't you suppose to be on the track by now?" his voice grumbled as he looked at Xen.

" Yeah... yeah...I was just seeing them off since I had some times at hand, " the words somehow dribbled through his mouth bobbing his adam's apple along the process. He searched Xen's face for something. Seeing no action on his part, Xen took a complete U-turn and started walking towards the entrance after giving them a thumbs up and mouthing a help. Claire scoffed.

Yeah, would love to see who you bring that from!

Now that it was the two of them and the man showed no signs of moving that buffed-up ripped body of his, they already knew they're going to have a bad day. A very very bad day. He gave them a sharp curt and motioned them to follow him.

Five minutes into their little voyage with the walking mountain, karma proved that they weren't wrong at all.

Thanks, you sweet little bish

Claire cursed under her breath as they were standing in the middle of a vast well-groomed football field with their hands on the air. Claire hanged her head down.

I'm not gonna cry. I'm so. Not. Gonna. Cry

She kept chanting to herself as her eyes started stinging already. She could see cadets passing by the field or clustering up by the border with a look of mockery on their faces. It's not like she's never punished for being late. She was, on multiple occasions. But those were inside her classroom, in front of her classmates only who didn't care enough or remember enough in the first place because one day or the other, they're riders of the same boat. But standing here, in a completely unknown place in front of complete strangers like that, that also on the first day seemed too much at the moment. She very much wished the earth would crack wide open and swallow her whole. But answering none of her prayers after her last session of verbal assault, nothing of such sort happened. So she just stood there gritting her teeth cursing karma again.

Despite having no doubt that they're being watched and absolutely no clue about how far they'd take it if she twisted her posture, she looked at Derek. He was standing in the same way beside her without a shred of annoyance on his face like he dressed up every day to bask under the sun here in this pose. His emotionless expression was getting on her nerves.

"How Derek? How?" Claire hissed whispering, looking down.

"What can't be helped shan't be yelped," he said shrugging.

"How can you quote our teacher at a time like this?"

" Look," Derek smiled looking sidewise," this could have been much much worse. We could have been shot dead the night we were discovered. They could have starved us to death, physically tortured us, hell! even disposed us off without a care in the world. Standing like this is nothing compared to that."

Claire scoffed. She couldn't believe it was Derek who was saying that. "Since when is being alive the only meaning your life has to offer?! And how long do you think it will take them to know all about us and dispose us off?"

" I think they already know what's there to know," Derek said motioning towards the field. As if to prove Derek right, just then Xen walked into the field at the far end. He was with a whole team of football players in a black jersey. There was no mistaking his characteristic middle-parted flowing blonde hair like the blonde Backstreet Boys member that she couldn't recall at the moment. If nothing, his weird enough three-lettered name with a big X could be made out even from there.

Derek looked at Claire.

See?

She was partly relieved and partly surprised. Derek was in fact a sports major in the International Kallier University back in the states. He was scouted at the national team for his skills which earned him a full free scholarship.

They know enough to have his jersey ready?

Claire's anger got spiraled further. " If they know all about us, they should know it better than us that we had no part whatsoever in this whole incident of appearing here. If anything we're the victim here."

Derek flashed her his brightest smile. " Claire. We. Appeared inside the heart of the most secured facility in the world. Out of thin air. Just like that. Would you believe what we're saying if you were in their shoes? That you have absolutely no idea about this big a stunt that you're part of?"

Claire grunted, "But it is the truth."

"And how do you prove that exactly?"

Why do we need to -

Claire knew how stupid that would sound.

But that doesn't mean they get the license to do whatever the shit they desired.

"The least they could do is tell us what they plan to do with us dressed like clowns. I have exams coming in less than a week and I gotta revise and God! When will I get to get out of here!" she whispered placing her hands higher as she noticed the same man from half an hour back staring at them.

"Well, they did. It was all written in the brochu - "

" Derek Daveson. One more word. One more word you utter empathizing them, I swear to God! I'll start singing the longest song I know for as long as we stand like this," Claire announced, glaring sideways at him.

Derek's lips formed a straight line giving in, "One torture is enough for now."

"Hmm. Remember it," Claire hissed nodding, fighting internally over if she should feel delighted or upset over the fact that Derek seemed genuinely terrified of the threat.

I can't sing that bad

Claire sighed. She was upset. She knew everything Derek said was true and they're more than lucky to be even standing on their own now. But seeing Xen playing afar like he'd always been a part of this field and Derek standing beside her, unwavering with his one bad knee, it felt like she's the only one who found the situation completely abnormal.

Claire couldn't add up any of the pieces she had. She chewed her lower lip. Derek was right on one thing. The Nixs were indeed going easy on them. If they were so much on their bad side, shouldn't the Nix be like torturing them or something? Not this kindergarten torture but the horrible ones.

They're the master in this field.

It's like one moment they're owning them and the next moment they're tossing them in trash cans. But they're known not to even lift a finger without any purpose.

Then what's with this bipolar hospitality?

Claire let out a heavy sigh. The sun was almost overhead now. She felt as if the sun was trying to outrun the Nix in boasting. Her inside felt like they're boiling making her wonder if choosing a black uniform was part of their training.

Sadistic jerks!

She felt completely empty inside. She shook her arms vaguely to wake them up and longed for her previous life as the minutes gradually passed by.