"Aiko." The voice sounded miles away. "Aiko," they kept calling. I shook my head, a desperate plea to make them go away. I just wanted to sleep. The darkness was so comforting. It wrapped around me like a warm hug. I just wanted to shrink into it, but the incessant voice kept calling. "Aiko," they wouldn't stop - whoever they were. "Aiko." I sighed and tried to gouge my eyes open. They stuck together, clinging to the dull sleep. I tried to sit up, but collapsed against the soft surface in pain. "Shh, Aiko," the voice said. "Don't try to move yet. Rest your body." I felt hands against my wrists, pinning them in place. I forced my eyes open and saw the face I never thought I'd see again. "Mandy?" I asked in disbelief. "Miss me?" She smiled, her long, dark hair framing her face. My eyes filled with tears of joy. "Mandy!" I cried, lunging upward to hug her. I didn't care about the pain, all that mattered was having her in my arms. "Oh, Aiko," she said, hugging me back. "You're going to regret doing that." I squeezed tighter in response, tears flooding down my face. Eventually, she let go and propped some pillows up behind me so I could sit up. I leaned back slowly, my muscles screaming in pain. "What- How- Why did you-" She laughed. Everything about her was so smooth now, like a current of water. "Do you remember what they said to you before you went out?" she asked me. "They said something about awakening my adroit?" I said, somewhat confused myself. "That's why you're in pain. No one knows what they do to you, they just know that you come out feeling very, very sore." "Did they do that to you?" "Yeah," she said. I may not have seen her for years, but I still knew enough to tell that she really didn't want to talk about it. "What's your adroit?" I asked, enthused. Mandy smiled. She took a deep breath and rubbed her hands together. Then slowly, she started pulling them away from each other. Lying in the spot in between her hands was a big droplet of water. She kept pulling her hands farther and farther apart, until the droplet was bigger than her head. Finally, she snapped her fingers, and the droplet burst into raindrops and came pouring down on us. I laughed as the water hit my face. She smiled as she closed her eyes and started bringing her hands closer together again as all the water around the room came back to form the same drop of water again. With one hand holding the ball, she used the other to open the window and water some flowers on the window sill. It was only then did I get a good look around the room. I was lying on a bed filled to the brim with throw pillows, mostly light blue and white. It was up against a wall on the left side of the room (from where I was sitting). In front of me was a door, likely leading to wherever else doors lead to. On the right side of the room was most likely Mandy's stuff. She had a loft bed, with green metal forming as the ladder and edges. It reminded me of a fire escape. Underneath was a desk, filled with all kinds of things. Beside that was a baby blue cozy saucer chair. To the left of the loft was another door, which I assumed was a closet. And of course, there was the window she just opened. From my angle, I couldn't see what was outside. "Like it?" Mandy asked once she closed the window. "Amazing," I breathed. "Will I be able to do that?" "Well it all depends on what kind of adoit you have," she responded nonchalant. "They didn't say?" I asked. "They don't know yet. They have to run some more tests." "More tests?" I groaned. "What is this school?" "Not the best," Mandy replied. "It's called the Rehabilitation School for Illegal Adriots." "So, RSIA?" "Yeah, it's not the best abbreviation." She replied. "How come I've never heard of it? And why didn't you write?" I asked, getting angry now. "Well, no one is supposed to know of this school besides royal government and the people the work here." She explained. "And because no one is supposed to know about it, I had to keep it a secret from you guys." "After Ian died, our family was falling apart. Then you got kidnapped, and it was just the icing on the cake for me. I was alone." "You had Mom and Dad," Mandy said. "Did I, Mandy? You weren't around to see that!" I said. "It's not my fault I left, Aiko! I got kidnapped by people who tortured me. Once you start school, Aiko, the torture never stops." "Well, lucky me, I get to go through all of that now!" "I can't believe I'm stuck sharing a room with you again!" Mandy screamed at me. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "That's Isla," Mandy said, her voice turning quiet. "My friend. I'm going to hang out in her room." She grabbed some books and her jacket. She started opening the door. Then she turned back to me. "I'll be back in two hours. Please don't do anything stupid." She turned back to the door and walked out. "Anything stupid," I scoffed. "What am I even supposed to do?"
