C 6. New Friends!!!

While gulping down the now cold tea, I nodded. "I do not like a handshake in general. It's not the only way of greetings."

Abe knocked on the table to seek attention and said, "Let us understand each other. First, I don't like being misunderstood. Back then…."

"Abe, listen. It's awkward to speak to a stranger after he has just been bullied. Some will just lash out their anger at you. You should have started by asking the German to stop or apologizing for the bad treatment…. What I'm saying is your approach is not the correct one." 

She turned to me. "And you. You understand his intention but ignored him nonetheless. You should have at least appreciated his effort."

"Well, I did appreciate it by nodding at him," I said in my defence. Rooney has already sat down when he said to Amina, "Queen Amina, this new guy from the last room, is he powerful?" She was about to say something when Abe said, "The order of the room doesn't show the level of power. It was just arranged based on who comes first."

"No, it's based on power. I'm in the innermost room because I'm too powerful. That's what the doctors told me." Amina stepped on the table and declared. 

"Yes, no one denied that." Rooney said, but he continued, "Sometimes a person was placed at the end because he/she is unknown to them. For example, Balarabe: they did not know his exact powers, so they placed him deeper in confinement and then placed you next, not because he is stronger than you, but because you can contain him." To me, he was just sugar coating her!!!

"Oh? Okay! But it was thrilling knowing there was someone stronger than me, but now…" She looked unhappy. Is being strong that boring? 

Well, my true ability is very useful. At first, I thought its weakness was a hindrance and boring, but later I found joy and fun in fulfilling the requirements and discovering more.

The rest of us ramble for some time before I thought to myself. These people have been waiting to meet me for months. They might not show it, but they are excited. I, the last person in our corridor to be revealed. 

I pushed away from the plate and cup that contained my breakfast and stood up. My action caught their attention, and they all glanced at me. Why am I nervous? Ah, it was not in my character to apologize just to be on the same page with new faces…. 

But these guys might be my new friends in this God-forsaken white facility. So, I need to look presentable. Earlier, I do notice there was something fishy when Mharoni is stopping Amina from getting close to me.

And when Rooney Zhen came, he did something which I did not fully understand. But, I was sure he gave a signal to Mharoni. Then, she did not stop Amina from rushing to rub my chin. 

And for that I concluded, Rooney's ability is related to the Identification of threat or something similar.

I stood while all four of them stared at me. This time I did not bow in renewing my greetings. "Once again, My name is Balarabe Shabbar from Nigeria. I would like to apologize to the young Abe here. We started with a bit of misunderstanding. As the new person here, I should be listening to my superior or colleague who came first."

I looked at Mharoni and said, "You seem to be a very intelligent person, and one adept at handling different types of people. Thank you for breaking me out of my shell. Well... I was in a... How do I input it? I mean, I did not expect myself to feel free and converse with people on my first day coming here…. So thanks."

"Rooney Zhen, hope you will take good care of me. And Amina… Wow, you are so little but too big. Strongest as well as smart. The truth is I feel closer to you than anyone else because your name sounds so damn familiar. Back home, we have so many Aminas. And you have vibrant energy that makes my body feel rejuvenated by your presence alone." 

I meant what I said to Amina figuratively. She did emit a unique powerful invisible aura that refreshed everyone just by being around her. I sat down after mumbling. They all gawked at me.

"Are you part of a Royal family in Hausa land, or is it that in your locality, people behave like ancient nobles," Rooney asked first. I can see the rest have similar questions.

"Don't mind me, it was just me Bala, ramblings." I waved my hand to show it was me making a big of the deals. Yeah, but all my efforts in showing my sincerity, you just have to associate me with some ancient nobles… tssk.

"Amazing! You sound just like those nobles from the novel Sister Mharoni used to read to me." Amina said. I smiled. Thinking of ways to change the damn subject. 

"I fought with the German seven months ago," Abe said, he removed his glasses and wiped them again, and wore them back, "I was explicitly ordered and warned not to fight him again by the doctors." He looked at me, "at the end, you might have noticed it was not you, he was aiming for, but rather another person with a tail. In the end, you are just a means for him to provoke someone else."

"The German has a peculiar ability that allows him to control the blood of anything and anyone: humans and animals. But it comes at the cost of becoming savage, berserker and also a thrilled seeker. It is in his blood now. When they allow you to the arena, you will see he is always fighting. It was said only through that he can calm his raging blood of lava."

Rooney Zhen continued explaining, "Whenever he was on edge, we were advised to avoid provoking him more…. And all people that have similar shut coming of anger…. But I'm curious though, you should be having some side effects due to him using your blood to control you."

"Well, I feel fine." Not a telekinesis, I wonder. "But Interestingly, I put him in the Telekinesis category. If not for you pointing out he is a blood manipulator I wouldn't have known" I said.

"Technically, it's called Blood Telekinesis. It's a very rare and unusual ability," Mharoni said. 

"To not escalate his barbaric rage, I did not interfere. But! I know you were never worried. There was no ounce of panic or fear in your eyes." Abe said. This guy is a perfectionist, but unlike me, he seeks perfection on a social level: he hates it when people misunderstood him.

I slightly nodded at him and said I understand. He relaxed, the tension and seriousness washed away from his face. The change of his emotional status triggered something in his eye. So, I stared at the blue eyes. There is something different about them.