⭐️ Alessia's P.O.V.⭐️

I trained extremely hard for the rest of the week, only taking off Sunday. I got stronger, Kai got more bold, and best of all, we got to know each other more. Likes, dislikes, pet peeves, favorite things, growing up, all sorts of stuff. When the morning finally came to do the simulation test, I felt more than ready. We took the elevator up to the 3rd floor of the Lab and found Blaire waiting for us.

"Right this way." She waved her hand over towards a door. The door said 'Simulation'. That made me nervous. It was all getting real. Kai squeezed my hand as if he knew how I was feeling about this. Once we stepped into the room, I saw a huge control station of some sort, a screen on the wall, and a marker in the middle of the room on the floor. I swallowed. Hard. I suddenly felt like some sort of experiment. A fake. Why do I always have to feel so fake?

"Okay, Alessia. You're going to stand on that marker right over there." Blaire pointed her finger to the middle of the floor. I nodded and Kai kissed my forehead before letting go and taking his side beside Blaire at her control panel. Blaire handed me a pair of funky goggles. I had never seen anything like them. They were black and jutted out really far as if there was something inside. There were three black straps to hold the goggles onto my head.

"Alessia, there is nothing to be afraid of here. What these goggles will do is help you in your training. Instead of having to punch a real person in the face, breaking a nose, you can virtually fight. You will fight with virtual people. They can feel virtual pain and so will you. You will just get a warning every time you are virtually hit or injured. I do have one warning though," Oh, crap here it comes.

"The people you will be fighting are automatically programmed to be people you hate in life. People that are your enemies or people that have hurt you in some way. The machine is programmed to search your memories for those kinds of things." Okay, okay. Better to do this out of anger for that person, huh? "So, I just wanted to warn you about that. We have no idea who your enemies are and I was just hoping you're comfortable with us seeing them because we will be able to do just that with this screen." She pointed to the wall. Again, I nodded my head. The only person I was afraid of them seeing was Amos, my ex. I was just hoping he wasn't in the sim for Kai's sake.

I tried to push those thoughts from my head as I put on the goggles, adjusting them to my head size.

"Everything will seem very real, so I hope it really helps you. We will be able to see what you see on this screen and we can lead you through it. The people you will be fighting will talk to you as well." Now I started to feel really uneasy. I didn't even want to know who would appear. Everything got really quiet and Blaire turned the simulation on. I looked in awe at my surroundings.

There were broken down buildings and burning cars everywhere. The sky was a bloody red and I saw bodies everywhere. Last night's memories came back to me. No, I can't think like that. This is only a simulation. Only a simulation. I started to walk around, but I was afraid I would run into something in the room.

"It's okay," I heard Blaire call out as if knowing what I was thinking. "This is a really big room. Wander around. We'll let you know if you're about to run into something." I did as I was told and I found myself moving in the simulation as well as in real life. I looked down at myself and saw a huge knife strapped to my thigh and a belt of ammo around my waist. In my hand was a gun. Okayy, I can get used to this body.

I kept walking forward and a girl jumped out of nowhere. A girl I knew very well. It was the girl Amos had cheated on me with. She hated my guts and was all in for having my boyfriend break my heart. She sneered at me.

"So, we're forced to see each other again, huh? You saw what I can do, and I loved every second of it. I loved cheating on my boyfriend just so yours could cheat on you. You were so trusting to think he wasn't the player he really was. Spending late nights in unknown places, stopped making time for you, I mean, you had to wonder. And besides, it was fun humiliating you in front of everyone." Anger rose inside of me suddenly and I lashed out at her, striking her jaw.

"Don't make me mad, Eva." She looked stunned as she rotated her jaw back and forth a few times. Then she had the most devilish grin I had ever seen.

"Oh, yeah? That's all you got, princess? Or should I say you ugly bit-!" I struck her again in the jaw before she could finish. Now she struck at me, barely grazing my shoulder as she missed. She was frustrated, I could tell. But she was making me more frustrated by the minute. I pounded Eva's face again, this time causing blood to flow from her nose. I kneed her in the stomach causing her to double over, just as Kai had said. Then I gave her one swift blow to the head and she was out. It was so strange how I could actually feel her as I made contact with her body. She slowly disappeared, so I decided to keep walking.

"That was just too easy."

Next, I saw a boy coming out of a dilapidated building. A boy I had wished I wasn't seeing right now. This was a boy from 8th grade. It was one of the worst years of my life. My puberty years. This boy had bullied me so badly. In the simulation, he was still a little boy from 8th grade. I couldn't hit him!

"Blaire, I can't hit a young boy." But it wasn't her voice who replied.

"Oh, sure you can. It's not like you haven't before." I gritted my teeth.

"You didn't give me much choice when you were trying to touch me!" I heard someone mumble someone outside of the simulator. Oh, Kai... I didn't even want to know what he was thinking at this point. I decided I would just try to get this over with. I pelted his face with my hand and gave a mighty swing kick to the head. He was out in seconds. I let out a deep breath and moved on.

It only got harder. Next, appeared the one and only Amos. I told him I'd kill him if I ever saw him again. Even though it was only a simulator, I would gladly do it. I wasn't usually so violent, but Amos was different. I stopped dead in my tracks. No, no, no. I'm turning into them! Chase's words came back to me 'I know this will be a fun rescue mission. It's going to be big... It's just more idiots to kill off.' No. I will not do this out of pleasure like Chase. I will do it because I have no choice. I sucked in a deep breath.

"Hello, again, Amos." I gave him my sickly, sweet voice. It was as thick and sweet, sounding as honey, but it held resentment. "Miss me, huh? You just had to come back to see me." I batted my eyelashes at him, even though I wanted to gag. I wonder how stupid I look to the people watching me right now. Amos sported the same devilish smile Eva had.

"Oh, yeah? I couldn't get enough of you, so I had to get myself someone else." Amos still had his gorgeous green eyes and super muscular body, but I wasn't interested in the least bit anymore. I was disgusted. He was right about only one thing in our relationship. He couldn't get enough of me. Ever since we started dating, he wanted more and more of me until he started going too far. He almost had me, but I wouldn't let him. I glared at him.

"You never respected me in the least bit, always wanting to sleep with me. I'm glad you cheated on me or I would probably still be with you, jerk off." My anger was rising so much. I decided I was just going to get rid of him before he could say anymore. But I didn't do it in time.

"Really now? I only wanted you anyways for the same reason I wanted all of the other girls. I wanted them for sex only." I was so disgusted I could throw up in real life this time. I screamed as I threw myself at him. I jerked his arm behind his back, twisting it.

"Which is why I never gave myself to you." I hissed in his ear before throwing him to the ground. I pounded his head until he disappeared, venting my anger at him. I had expected all of these people. The people I resented most in life, but nothing could've prepared me for the woman that came next. I saw a flash of bright blue eyes and a wave of blond hair. It was the woman from my dreams.

"So, we meet again, do we, Alessia?" Indira Daeva. The woman who claimed to be my 'mother'.

"I guess so. Seeming how you know me so well. I still find it disturbing that you know who I am." I arched my eyebrows at her. I stood probably five feet away from Indira. Too close if you ask me. I threw my gun over my shoulder on it's strap and crossed my arms as looked at her skeptically.

"Well, I am your-"

"No!" I screamed at her. "You are not my mother yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I don't believe you." I jumped at her, hoping she would be easy to destroy just like all of the others. But she dodged my attack. I spun around just in time to see her take a blow to my jaw. I felt it, which I thought was the strangest sensation I've ever had. Seems how Blaire said I wouldn't really be able to feel anything.

I went at her again, my fist making contact with her stomach. She groaned as I wound up for another blow. But she beat me to it. I dodged her blow aimed at my nose, but instead she hit my shoulder. I groaned. I could actually feel the pain. If this wasn't a simulation I know I would've had a bruise. I rammed my head into her stomach which knocked her off her feet. She landed on her back and I straddled her waist weighing her down. I aimed my gun at her temple.

"Tell me the truth. Tell me that Brea is my mother!" But Indira just laughed the evilest laugh I had ever heard. The hair stood up on my arms as she answered.

"I am your mother, Alessia!" If this hadn't been such a panicked moment I would've thought of that one scene with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, 'I am your father.' But, since I was panicking so bad, I didn't think of that.

"No!" I screamed at her one last time as my gun went off.

🌊 Kai's P.O.V.🌊

I saw Alessia screaming at some woman claiming to be her mother. The one from her dream... But how can she hate her if she's never even met her? If she wasn't a real person?

"Blaire, you have to shut it off now!"

"But she's doing so well. This is also getting very interesting." Confusement furrowed Blaire's forehead.

With more anger than I meant to have in my voice, I said, "Turn it off, now. She needs to get out of there, now!" Blaire didn't take time to argue. She instantly started flipping off switches.

Now I saw Alessia, kneeling on the floor. She was shaking and I quickly went over to her. I took off her goggles and her arms flew around me. I kneeled down on the floor with her. Wiping away her tears.

"It's okay. It's over." I tried to give her my most soothing voice. I rubbed her back and held her close to me. I could hear her heart hammering in her chest and I could feel her chest rise and fall as she silently cried. I tried to soothe her as best as I could, but for once I didn't know how. So, I just decided to hold her close until she finally pulled away to look up at me. Those gorgeous blue eyes... Her voice snapped me back to attention.

"You saw her didn't you? You saw Indira?" I nodded and saw her gulp. I wiped away a tear with my thumb.

"I saw everything, Alessia." I'm not sure if I just made her feel better or worse at that. I remembered the previous three people she had fought and remembered what they had done and said to her. I felt extreme anger towards those people. Who could do those things to such an incredible person like Alessia? She was sweet, caring, fun, and smart. I didn't know what there was to not like about her. Her ex didn't know what he was missing, but I sure was glad about that. And that boy who tried to touch her... I would kill him if I ever saw him in person. I tried to push all of that from my head as I hugged her tighter. I heard footsteps coming towards us.

"Is everything okay? The only thing I found strange about anything was that last woman." I felt Alessia's body tense against me at the mention of that woman. She sniffed as she lifted her head and looked at Blaire.

"The problem was that woman." That was one of the scariest tones I have ever heard Alessia use. She was never mean with anyone here, especially Blaire. I couldn't believe it. We both stood up and faced Blaire.

"Alessia, do you know who that woman is?" Blaire looked at her expectantly.

"Only that she's Indira Daeva. And she claims to be my mother. That's it." Blaire nodded her head.

"She is indeed Indira Daeva. She's the leader of the K.A.I. She is the one we fear most. I don't know why she claims to be your mother, but you must have some memory of her that you do not like since she was in your simulator. Only people you dislike are in your sim, Alessia." Alessia paled at this and I didn't know what to do. She looked as if she may pass out and I put my arm around her shoulders to give her support. I just knew that Alessia may be seeing Indira Daeva in real life if she did go on the rescue mission to save her father. This wasn't going to end well. All of a sudden, I decided that I just wanted to get me and Alessia out of here.