Page 63 of The Commons

“Clearly, I should have joined group five.” She sighs and turns away, annoyed.

I’m not sure why she has this idea that I’m supposed to win at everything.

I head inside, toward the Nature Hallway, for my third day of self-defense practice. I need to show signs of failure early on before the test. So, I plan on being late.

I cannot run in The Commons, or the motion sensor floors will incriminate me somehow. So, of course—I run. I look down to see small flashing white and red lights shining in my eye. I assume that my iris was just scanned to ensure I’m reprimanded in some way. This is good for my plan of getting sent to The Seventh Zone.

I continue running and arrive at the locker room to change into my self-defense clothes. After changing, I instinctively hold my hair to put it up, but I catch myself. I stop, then let it down. I need to stick out as “uncommon property.”

I run toward the training ground for my self-defense class. It is a stadium with an abstract white roof of seemingly never-ending lines and fake green grass. In the distance, there is a sand field with rocks surrounding the area. My class is right beside the water glass stadium, which is encircled by white glass covering an Atlantis-blue waterfall thundering into a circular pool.

Making it through the doors just before they shut behind me, I look at the congregation of students and join them. Everyone is looking at Shay, the self-defense instructor. All the students turn my way with crinkled noses and creased brows. Some shake their head in disbelief, sneering at me in indiscernible whispers.

I strut toward Shay who is speaking. He talks with a high-pitched howl and conniving tone. It is the most irritating, egotistical, self-indulgent voice I have ever heard, and as such, I know that feigning disinterest will irritate him. So I turn away from him as though paying him no attention; I stare at the field and begin to yawn overtly.

He turns my way and lifts his chin, angered. “You all had homework to complete. Three simple techniques: Slide, kick, and jab. Now I will watch a few unlucky people demonstrate them. First up, the late freshman girl! Draw a straw,” Shay says.

Everyone looks at me as though I am entering a Roman colosseum to fight to my death. I ignore them. Nothing will stop me from purposefully embarrassing myself.

I prance up with undivided focus and draw a straw. “Heads,” I articulate.

“Heads up, who’s fighting Shantavia. How about you, Quan?” Shay screams, pointing to the red-haired boy I met at the Cognitive pod, Lerod Quan. I look to the right to see Quan come out of the corner of a pillar behind Shay. Everyone gasps in shock.

“Whoa, a student against our class Lerod. She’s so done,” I hear a student whisper in the corner.

I think I know where this is going. Shay selected Lerod Quan to teach me a lesson. Quan picks a straw. The crowd roars. Quan brandishes his fist with smug confidence, and I stare at him in a defiant glare.

“Shantavia, a Fresh Crispy Crab and Quan, Junior and Lerod. Let the fight begin,” Shay pronounces.

The students laugh. Okay, I meant to embarrass myself, but this, this is a little annoying. A part of me wants to fight hard and show them that I can take down a Lerod. But I can’t. I have to lose.

Anything but slide, kick, and jab.

We face each other. A claw tattoo is inscribed on his wrist. It is symbolic of being a star Lerod in The Commons... I think. I look away. Before I can get into position, Quan aggressively dives in for the punch. I dodge, then fall thereafter. He slide kicks. I fall. The crowd shouts.

I look to see Shay watching with pleasure-filled eyes. I know he wants to see me lose woefully. Good thing our plans align well. Before I can turn to focus on defending myself, Quan curls his hand into a fist. Revengeful, he punches me in the stomach and jabs my face with his other hand. I am thrown back. He charges at me and punches me again, jabbing his hands right through my stomach again. I feel my intestines turn. The crowd exclaims in shock. Okay, that hurt. A lot. Really bad, actually. I wasn’t paying enough attention to flex my abs on that one.

I fall to the ground, dragging my feet in pain. I don’t know if I can keep on doing this. Before I can stand up, Quan jabs me on the neck.

That’s it.

Change of plans. I can’t let this guy kill me. I have been fighting so common, so calm, not even trying, but this Quan is trying to hurt me, like he has something against me, and I barely even know the guy. I am no longer going to let him hurt me completely. I have to fight him, but without the rules. So, I take a deep breath.

I know Quan’s weakness. He thinks I cannot fight. So he will be taken unawares. Secondly, he fights with the rules. So here goes my advantage. I jump up and turn to Quan, who is about to release a last strong jab: I catch it, twisting his arms and pushing him forward. The crowd flares up. I guess they didn’t think I could fight.

I waste no time; I want to finish this. I punch him, and he flies to the floor. He stands up to kick me, but I perform a flip in the air.

Using my legs to knock him off, he falls instantly, struggling on the floor.

I look to the right, and I see Shay with an unbecoming face.

For some indiscernible reason, he is delighting in Quan’s pain. An amused smile drifts across his lips. Then he screams in a manipulative, cunning voice, “Well, finish it, Shantavia!”

“I thought this was just meant to show if we practiced. I thought it was just homework,” I respond, confused.

“Homework that you will fail unless you finish what you started, Shavia!”

Fantastic.