Chapter 2

The cold water stings my scrapped hands. I gently brush away the dirt, the small rocks and anything lingering on my hands. After a while, the cold water finally turned warmed but I didn't need it anymore. I turned the knob off.

I catch myself in the mirror. My hair a unique silver and my eyes are an emerald green. My skin tone to a lovely tan. I'm so different from everyone, how is it that I'm nothing more. I can't help them. I feel so helpless with my smallness.

I stare at the girl in the mirror. Her hair is a sweaty mess, her face is scrunched up in baby features and her body is so small, a stick and stone could break her bones. Her eyes hold every truth behind her disguise as a child. If only others can look past this visage and see the girl on the inside.

Sighing, I finish up cleaning my wounds and head back out into the world I know will never be fair.

These tunnels I've memorized are drilled into my brain that I could find the places I needed to go without my sight. My hand lingers on the wall touching every sedimentary rock, crack, and texture. It's calming to know somethings can remain a mystery in this place. Like, what's behind these rocks that secure an ancient truth no one has ever discovered?

As I turn the corner I run into my worst enemy, Tris. Her silky long black hair, perfect skin, and her natural womanhood make me mad when she walks in my direction. It's not fair that I get this body when hers is too damn perfect.

For as long as I've known her, I've hated her. She always had everyone's favour. She's too pretty and nice to everyone that they don't see the monster behind her eyes. She hates me just as much as I hate her. If I had it my way, she would stay on one side of the ex-military base and me on this side with Braydon. So that we would never have to see each other ever again.

I'm going to be better than her in every way as soon as a couple of years past. Time is my enemy so long as she's here flaunting her curves and perfect face at me. If only I could just get Braydon away from her, then we wouldn't have much of a problem with each other.

She smirks while checking off all my flaws in her head. She knows she's better in every way. Why make it obvious?

I push past her and she trips me. I fall to the ground once again. My anger quickly resurfacing, I kick her on the back of her right knee cap so she falls forward. I make a run for it before she gets up to brutalize me into a pulp.

My escape was short-lived when I crashed face-first into Braydon's rock-solid stomach. My face hurts.

"Hey... Braydon. How's it going? Good? Great. Let's go now." I loop my arm around his and try to pull him back into the training arena.

He gives me a confused face and begins to start walking into the room when we hear an ear-piercing screech from no other than my enemy.

Almost got away with pushing her to the ground. If only he was quicker to let me lead him away from crazy over there.

"You little piece of -" She stops herself from her rampage when she sees Braydon.

Tris does a complete one-eighty and transforms into cute, I'm nice Tris who-would-never-hurt-little-Zeria.

Faker.

She slyly tucks her silky smooth black hair behind her ear to complete the transformation. She makes me sick. She flutters her beautiful thin, angular, narrow eyes at him in her flirtatious ways. Why does she have to do this all of the damn time? We get it, you like him.

"Hey Braydon, how's it going?" She asks in a light love tone. She twirls her hair around her index finger.

I would gag but apparently, that's unladylike. Try to teach me courtesy, you get the middle finger or gun pointed at you.

I try to drill a hole into her face with my death piercing stare. So far, it's not working. I can feel Braydon tense up through his thick arm. I wonder if he tenses up every time he sees her. Does he ever tense up when he sees me?

My heart drops to the floor. My throat suddenly gets tight and makes the room harder to breathe in. I look up at him. His face looks so handsome and his eyes reveal he's fighting the urge to ask what's happening. He doesn't really care but he has to ask. It's his duty to keep the peace in this haven.

"Braydon?" I stare at the floor. "Can we go back to training?" I say in my squeaky annoying kid voice that gets adults to do anything I want.

He releases all the tension from his body. "Yeah, sure." He shifts to turn away to go back to our training session. He pauses for a moment and faces her. "Uh... see you later, Tris?" He asks politely.

For some reason, his politeness makes me want to punch him. Why does he have to be nice to her? He told me himself that he has no affection towards her, so why does he bother asking?

"Yeah, definitely. See you later." She smiles making her features more attractive than before. I still hate her but now I wonder what Braydon sees in her.

I can tell she does something to him. He tenses when he sees her, he's far more polite to her and he also develops a new accent when he talks. Why do they do this in front of me? Doesn't he know this kills me slow and painfully?

He shuts the door and stares down at me. "What did you do this time?"

Caught off guard, if I had water in my mouth it would be all over the floor. "Me? What makes you think I started this! She tripped me first, I just retaliated and kicked her behind the knee cap." I cross my arms in defiance.

"Sure she did. Tris wouldn't trip you unless you started this." His words pierce my heart deeper than any knife could.

"You don't believe me?" I say less confidently than I wanted to say.

How could he not believe me? He has to know that I would never lie to him. I could never lie to him. Stretch the truth but never lie.

He turns away and looks back down at me more seriously. "No, not really."

I clenched my jaw. "Fine. Then you won't mind me leaving then since I'm not worth believing in."

I walk past him giving him my coldest look. I don't need this bullshit right now. I've got more important things to do right now.

"Hey, Zeria, wait." I hear him say but I don't stop.

Since I'm so good at running away, it isn't hard to lose him. I decide to find Elizabeth, my best friend who also happens to be my cousin. We're kinda like twins since we're the same age and all. But were polar opposites.

She's kind and sweet, I'm arrogant and rude. To be honest, she can be too nice at times, especially when it comes to Kahlen, my other best friend. He's two years older than me but we click in the friendship kind of way.

Anyway, when it comes to him it's like she gets extra nice and I don't get it. He's so weird and too much of a little boy to be nice too. He can be a real pain in the butt when he wants to be. I just hope she doesn't like him, I mean he's real... maybe I should rethink that.

I stand in front of the kitchen where Elizabeth usually works at this time of day and I don't like what I see. I see her light brown hair, she's giggling at what I assume was something funny that came out of Kahlen's mouth. Whatever he says isn't all that funny, so my assumption about Elizabeth seems correct.

I turn on my heel and walk in the opposite direction. Great, my two best friends are getting it on and I have to third wheel it. Now, who do I hang out with that isn't going to be sickening to watch.

I sigh too loudly at the thought of being alone once again. Joseph, the only elder here, stops me from continuing this walk of confusion and frustration. I look up at him and see the similarities Braydon has with him.

They both have the same eye shape and they both have curly brown hair except he is peppered with white hair. But other than that, they look different. I already miss Braydon and it's only been five minutes.

"Hello, Mr. Joseph. What brings you to the kitchen at this time of day?" I ask as politely as I could to earn some dignity.

He leans down to get in direct eye contact. "To steal sugary treats I'm not supposed to have." He smirks mischievously at me.

I smile widely at him. "Mind having an accomplice?"

"Thought you would never ask." His thick British accent lingers through the air which continues to remind me of Braydon.

We steal two tarts from the dessert tray and make our way back to the common area to eat our evidence. He picks the table on the far right where no one can see us. I sit down staring at the tart thinking whether or not if Braydon would like it.

"What's up? No one steals a tart just to stare at it." His voice is playful but I can hear the concern coming along with it.

I shrug not wanting to meet his eyes. I could tell him about Braydon but that would be weird. Or I can talk about my long-lasting fight with Tris but that's too complicated. I could mention my two best friends but that's still confusing to me.

For a kid like me, I have too much drama in my life and it's only five people. I take a bite to show him I'm ok. The tart is decent but not good enough for Braydon to love it.

"Does it have something to do with my nephew?" He asks in his I-know-you-like-him tone.

I blush deeply at his accusation. "What? No way, Braydon's too old for me and he's my trainer, that would be complicated and... gross?" Jeez, I sound stupidly in love.

He rests his head on his hand. "Uh-huh."

I try to conceal my smile. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly calming my nerves. "It's just not fair." He gives me a look to continue. "I'm too young to be feeling this way for someone who's older than me. And it's not fair that Tris is the same age as him." I pout childishly.

He laughs at my confession. "Love is not about age, it's something that happens within us all. Don't feel so bad that he doesn't see you yet. In a few years, he'll be chasing you for your affection. Plus, someone like yourself is rare, you're a special kind of girl, Zeria. Tris could never be better than you no matter how hard she tries."

I know he's just being nice but his words touch me. I wish it were true. I wish I could completely believe that one day Braydon will see me. I wish I could be better than Tris. She's just too perfect.

"Thanks, but no matter how long I wait or whatever I do, he'll never see me past the little girl he sees now." I take another

bite into the tart.

He reaches for my hand. "Whatever that keeps you down will never hold you down forever. Soon enough, you'll grow and take it on headstrong. You'll be the greatest they've ever seen."

I look up at his faded blue eyes. I smirk. "Does that mean I should start calling you grandpa?" I raise a brow.

He laughs heartily at my joke. "Your the only one that can get away with that one." He winks at me.

I giggle into a misfit.

"What are you two laughing about?" Braydon's deep soothing voice asks.

I turn to face him. "None of your business." I face Grandpa and wink at him. "Catch you later, Grandpa."

Braydon looks confused and I laugh at him. "Come on hotshot. What took you so long to find me? We've got work to do."

I wave goodbye to Joseph and make my way back to the training arena. Braydon catches up to me and matches my pace.

"What was that about? He never lets anyone call him grandpa, not even me and I'm his grandson."

"Oh, Braydon, when are you going to see that I'm more likable than you." I smile up at him.

His eyebrow knit together trying to understand the new mood I'm in. "For a ten-year-old, you're more confusing than anyone I have ever met."

I start to skip. "I'm not like anyone else."

I see Tris up ahead and loop my arm around his and smirk at her. She tries to look nice but I can see the conflict in her when all she wants to do is strangle me.

"You were gone for five minutes, how'd you get so happy in such little time?"

"You'll never understand me and I accept that about you. Now teach me how to use a gun, I've been waiting all week for this." I command trying to change the subject.

"Zeria?" I look up at him. "Why do you like me so much?"