TUH

  There were no disagreements on what was said, we all heard it clearly this time. We marched off to find this well. We were happy that our luck may finally be changing and that was when we saw the well… with black water in it.

  “Is this considered… clean water?” Da Vinci touched his chin.

  “I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “Should we keep going?”

  “But it’s a dead end.” Einstein pointed ahead to an enormous wall blocking our path.

  “So, this is the well.” Da Vinci rubbed his hands. “Let’s jump in then.”

  “Wait!” I stopped him. “I’m not sure if we should. This is not what WHITE said.”

  “You want to turn back then?” Einstein asked. At this point, he was covered in sweat and looked like he was in pain from his earlier injuries.

  “I don’t know…”

  We were stuck again, but this time it was me that couldn’t make the decision. I didn’t want to jump in but I didn’t want to turn back either.

  “Hey! Look! The water is disappearing!” Da Vinci pointed into the well.

  “What should we do now?” I asked nervously.

  “Beanie, make a decision now.” Einstein said sternly. “Let’s just jump in, okay?”

  For a moment, the determination in his eyes almost convinced me to say yes, but then the longtime fear and doubts I had about myself crept in. I just didn’t trust myself with this kind of decision and before I could make up my mind the well went completely dry.

  As I stared into the empty well, my heart sank because I knew I made a mistake. I should have made a decision and now it was too late. Just then a strong gust of wind from inside the well knocked me to the ground, and I watched helplessly as the swirling wind turned into another Black.

  “Kids, you all know the rules by now, so who’s playing this time? I need two of you.” Black said.

  “What kind of game is it this time? Can you tell us first?” Einstein asked.

  “Sure. I’ll lock one of you in a tank and the other one will have exactly three Earth minutes to find and release him or her. When the countdown starts the tank will begin filling with water and yes, it will take exactly three minutes for the tank to be completely filled. If you lose, one of you will be locked in the punishment cage forever.”

  I gulped. All that came to mind at that moment was Nightingale’s terrified expression, frozen in that cage.

  “I think I should be the one that play this time.” Da Vinci turned to us. “You guys need your rest from the last game.”

  He was right, Einstein was badly injured from the last game and I was just exhausted.

  “You stay here, Beanie.” Einstein patted my shoulder gently. “I’ll go into the tank.”

  Game 3.

  Black dragged Einstein under its cloak and he immediately disappeared. It then instructed Da Vinci to jump into the well to start the game.

  Da Vinci landed on the muddy ground in an area that was dark and damp. Instead of panicking and fumbling around aimlessly, he used his senses to navigate and he was quite good at it. He could hear the sound of water dripping and he could smell the mildew. Da Vinci knew that he needed to listen carefully for the sounds of water falling or slashing. After a few left and right turns, he was able to find the tank, and by that time the water had already reached Einstein’s waist.

  “Good Job, Da Vinci! This was too easy for you!” Einstein softly tapped on the window while forcing a weak smile. Da Vinci could tell that Einstein was in bad shape; his face was pale as a ghost.

  “How do I open it?” Da Vinci banged on the tank with his fist.

  “Look out! There’s someone behind you. I think it’s holding the key!” Einstein shouted and pointed.

  Da Vinci quickly turned around and in the shadows he saw a dark figure with a shinning key in its right hand.

  “Hey you! Open this tank!” He yelled.

  “Sure.” It said. “Come and get the key.”

  Its voice made Da Vinci stop dead in his track.

  “Who are you? Do I know you?” He moved closer to the dark figure.

  It slowly raised the key which gradually illuminated its face…

  “Simon!!!????”

  Da Vinci’s mom was a beautiful and talented singer and dancer. When she was 18 she fell in love with her stage manager, a married man. The stage manager’s wife found out about them when she became pregnant with Da Vinci. She was fired and blacklisted from any future employment opportunities. She gave birth to Da Vinci when she was living on the streets, and that was why some his earliest childhood memories were of standing the in street corner, begging for money. The tough life had an effect on her mental wellbeing as well, because while she adored him she would also treat him in a cruel manner whenever it suited her. He knew that if he ever said no to her, he would be punished severely. This one time, his mom asked him to steal money form a nearly blind man who was kind enough to offer to buy him an ice cream cone. When Da Vinci refused, he was locked in a small dog cage lined with newspaper for nearly a week. Despite how hard he cried and begged she would not let him out and even denied him food and water for a few days. That was how brutal she could be and that was why Da Vinci never said no to anything. He was conditioned to believe that saying no will only bring pain and sadness.

  When Da Vinci was seven, his mom met a wealthy old man who was sympathetic to their situation. Out of the kindness of his heart, he invited Da Vinci and his mom to come stay with him. The old man was a widower and the only family he had was a grandson named Simon. He and Da Vinci quickly became the best of friends and they treated each other like the brothers they never had. This was the happiest time in Da Vinci’s life.

  However, after a few months, the old man became very ill and bedridden. The doctors told him that he didn’t have much time left. Da Vinci’s mom began to panic, fearing that they would be thrown out on the streets again. She begged the old man to adopt Da Vinci, but he refused, so when the end was near she made a horrific decision. Da Vinci watched his mom dripped something into Simon’s favorite ice cream, she then handed it to Da Vinci to give Simon. He wanted to say no so badly but could only tremble as his mom glared at him.

  He walked into Simon’s room and found him folding this huge paper airplane that he promised to give Da Vinci as a birthday present.

  “Hey! Check it out!” Simon handed the paper airplane to Da Vinci while taking the ice cream from his hand.

  “Do you like this plane!?”

  First bite, Simon giggled. Da Vinci nodded.

  “Let’s go try it later?”

  Second bite, Simon smiled. Da Vinci lowered his head.

  “Happy birthday, bro...”

  Third bite, silence.

  Then, bang!

  Da Vinci just stood there crying.

  Da Vinci’s mom thought by getting rid of Simon, she could convince everyone that Da Vinci was the old man’s grandson and therefore entitled to all his fortune. The plan failed and she was sent to prison where she committed suicide. Da Vinci bounced around a few foster homes before he ended up at the Laketuh House.

  “Simon!? I thought you were…”

  “Dead?”

  Da Vinci didn’t respond, still rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

  “No. I wasn’t. And I’m not going to.”

  “DA VINCI!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!???” Einstein anxiously shouted. The water was already up to his neck and due to his injuries he was struggling to stay above the water.

  “Open it first Simon and let’s talk afterwards.” Da Vinci begged.

  “I can’t, once it opens, you two will leave here and you’ll never see me again.”

  Da Vinci quickly turned around to see where the water was at; it was already up to Einstein’s nose. He needed to make a decision quickly.

  “FINE, OPEN IT NOW, BUT I’M GOING TO COME BACK!”

  Da Vinci and Einstein suddenly appeared out of nowhere, sitting next to me on the ground. Einstein looked so weak
and ill while Da Vinci just looked very depressed. I knew something had happened down there.

  “I need to go back there!” Da Vinci said to Black.

  “You don’t want to help your friends get out of here? The past is past.” Black let out sinister laugh.

  “Da Vinci, stay with us! We need you!” I yelled anxiously.

  Da Vinci didn’t answer. He just looked down, tightened both fists and bit his bottom lips.

  “Beanie, let him go.” Einstein said while pulling on my arm. “He has to say no this time.”

  Now, it was down to Einstein and me.

  Einstein was in such bad shape that he could barely walk anymore. His face was pale, there were bruises all over his body, his feet were swollen, he had a broken ankle and blood was dripping out of his nose. I had to carry him on my back so we could push forward.

  “Beanie, stop, please put me down.” He said. I lay him on the ground and placed his head on my leg.

  “I can’t do it anymore. You have to go on by yourself.” He forced a winked. I shook my head.

  “Listen to me. Don't be afraid. It might be the School of Battle but I’m starting to think that it’s a school that teaches its students how to fight their own fear and weaknesses. Fairy has never been here so he wouldn’t know.”

  “I don’t understand.” I said.

  “Tell me what happened with Nightingale. She didn’t really lose, right?”

  “How did you know?” I exclaimed. “Black tricked her. She was competing against Moon, although we couldn’t be sure if it was the real her. Nightingale didn’t have it in her to put Moon in the cage, she couldn’t take that chance…so…”

  “I see. That’s what I thought. Listen, Nightingale’s weakness was that she always had to win because she thought it was the only way to make people care about her. Now she’s learning to lose for love and friendship. Da Vinci’s weakness was that he never says no to anything, so he had to learn to do it this time. As for me, I’ve been by myself for as long as I can remember. No one ever noticed me and sometimes it felt like I didn’t even exist at all. Being alone for so long really wears on you and that’s why I act the way I do. I brag, complain, yell and scream to get as much attention as possible. For you see that’s my weakness, I’m scared to be alone.”

  “You teacher D was very clever. He already saw the weaknesses in each of our hearts. He knew what we would be facing in here, that was why he told us to focus on what we believe and not what we thought was right or wrong. That was the mistake Nightingale made when she choose the door with the triangle.”

  “He then said that the bad were our creation as well, but we could always make it right. That was for Da Vinci, he had to face the mistake that had been haunting him most of his life, he needed to finally say no, he needed closure.”

  “For me, D told us not to be afraid to be alone. Beanie, I’m scared to be left alone here but I must face my fear. You have to move on without me. This is a battle that you and I must face alone. But I kind of like it, knowing that I’m fighting for myself. Beanie, I don’t need anyone to see me, I need to learn see myself first. That’s the lesson I must learn on my own.”

  Einstein used all his strength to finish these words. He then started to cough uncontrollably. I used my sleeves and gently wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth.

  “And to you, Beanie, believe in yourself. For once you have to let go of all the fear and doubts”

  I nodded.

  “Now go. GO face your fear and beat Black.” He coughed again.

  “But… I can’t just leave you here.” I cried.

  “Go, Beanie.” He used all his strength to push my arms away. “Don’t waste time on me, just like you I have to face my fear and I must do it alone. NOW GO.” He closed his eyes and his breathing became shallow.

  I sniffed, then carefully placed his head on the ground and kissed softly him on the cheek.

  “Now don't ever complain that you never gotten a kiss from a girl, okay?” I forced a smile. Einstein’s eyes were still closed but his lips curled up as if he was smiling and saying thank you.

  My heart was broken, but all I could do was push forward without looking back. The alarm rang again; I was running out of time.

  In my path was a castle and as I entered I noticed that it was pretty much empty expect for an elevator. Not knowing where to go next I entered the elevator and saw that there were 11 floors. I swept my finger up and down the 11 buttons but couldn’t make up my mind which floor to go to. Before I could make my decision, the elevator began to move on its own. When it stopped the door slowly opened and through the gap I could see a swirling tornado covered in black fog. Panicked, I tried pushing a button for another floor but it was useless, the door continued to open and eventually vanished completely. There was nowhere to hide. This was something I must do.

  I walked out of the elevator into an empty field surrounded by a maroon sky, ready to face Black.

  Game 4.

  “So, Key Holder, you’re the only one left.” Black sniggered delightfully.

  I nervously rubbed my hands.

  “I’ll make this easy for you. I know you’re running out of time. Just remember, if you lose all of you will remain in the punishment cage forever. However, if you win I’ll release everyone including the student you were looking for.”

  I nodded.

  “This final game will be simple and quick. No more running, sports or searching.”

  I felt a little bit relief after hearing that.

  Black made a sweeping motion with its arm and 11 glossy playing cards appears in front of us.

  “The cards are numbered from 1 to 11. Whoever picks the larger number wins. Best of out of three rounds.”

  While this was a simple and easy game, it also involved no strategy. It was a game of pure luck, something that I never had.

  “Lady’s first.” Black said with little emotion.

  I moved my eyes from left to right, examining each card. Sweat was rolling down my forehead and my body was getting stiff. For some reason the card directly in front of me felt like it was a large number, so I began slowly moving my finger towards it… NO, WAIT. It couldn’t be this easy. The larger numbers must be hidden at the ends. So I choose the card all the way to the left. “That one.”

  The card flickered and then burst into small pieces that formed a number.

  6.

  Not so good, but not so bad.

  Black picked the card that I originally wanted to pick and again the card burst to reveal a 10.

  It made me sick to my stomach. Why didn’t I just trust my instinct!!??

  “Pick one.” Black ordered.

  I scratched my head and aimlessly searched the cards… Finally I just decided to shut my eyes and pick one randomly.

  “That one!” I clenched my jaws.

  “You sure? You don’t even know which one you are choosing.”

  “What’s the difference anyway!?”

  “Check it yourself.”

  I slowly opened my eyes and when I saw the number my heart sank. It was a 4. Black picked the card next to mine and it looked like… two circles… an 8?

  I’M DEAD!!

  WAIT!

  It was a 3!!!!

  I jumped so high I thought I was just going to float away.

  “YES!!!”

  “Last one.” Black said. “This time I’ll pick first.”

  I agreed while still excited from the last round.

  My excitement immediately faded away when I saw the number.

  Black got a 9.

  A NINE!?

  With 10 gone the only way I could win was if I got an 11, which mean I had one in six chances to find it. If I choose incorrectly I would never have to worry about being adopted ever again, my final home would be the punishment cage.

  I was biting my nails and my heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to explode. I stared blankly at the remaining six cards. Each of them seemed to be c
alling for me. It might have been hallucinations from the stress or just being completely exhausted, but suddenly a familiar face appeared on each of the cards. It was the faces of Nightingale, Moon, Da Vinci, Einstein, Caterpillar and Achilles. They were all calling me, “Beanie, pick me, pick me, you’re doing this for me, remember?”

  Who am I doing this for?

  Believe in yourself.

  Einstein said it was my weakness.

  Yes, from the very moment this journey began everyone from Ms. Crystal, Mr. Jen, Blue Pearl, Fairy, President of the School of Art, to D had been telling me to believe in myself.

  Up to this point I never did, I always compared myself to the normal kids with homes. I thought the world laughed at me because I was an orphan and that people thought of me as unwanted item to be tossed away.

  “No one can judge you but you.” That was the last thing D said.

  And that was my answer.

  The six familiar faces gradually vanished with a smile.

  With the confidence I had never shown before, I pointed to one card.

  11.

  “Lady’s first.”

  23

  The End

  Christine once told me that everything had an ending, whether it be a book, a story, a journey or life itself.

  I thought about what she said every time I’m introduced to a new foster family or orphanage.

  I didn’t like it at all, I didn’t like saying goodbye and I hated the idea that everything had an end.

  I often wished that I could just erase all those memories of saying goodbyes so I wouldn’t have to feel the pain anymore.

  After the number 11 appeared everything began to spin. Everything that happened in the School of Battle started playing like scenes in a movie all around me, except it was playing backwards.

  Einstein lying on the ground with his eyes closed.

  Da Vinci decided to say no for the first time.