Don't Love Me

A whimper escaped from her lips as she tried to get up. She struggled to fight the pain that her legs emitted, but it was almost impossible. She knew she had to get up or else it would end up bad for her Staring up at him with a grimace on his face, she couldn't hate him, she just couldn't. She wasn't trained that way. She was trained to worship him, all her life, to do whatever he asked her to do, to obey all the rules because he was her master after all.

Get up he ordered in a deadly whisper. His middle-aged face held a look of disdain as he looked down on her. He was ready to end her there and then and Aanya knew he had the power to do so. No one could question him, and no one

could save her.

Aanya exhaled deeply as she struggled to get up. She finally did it, she was on her feet again with her fist clenched as she stood ready to fight. The pain she felt her ribs was excruciating as a result of the constant assault on them, but she couldn't show it. She had to finish training before tending to her injuries. That was the rule, and breaking the rules equaled death.

She limped over to where he was and spread her legs. ready for a fight. She stared at him for a while, trembling in fear. He was going to hit her again, she knew. He was too good at it, and she was just an amateur. She attacked first as she charged toward him. She flung her legs in the air and went in for a kick, but just as she suspected, he was too fast.

He held her by the leg and flipped her around. impacting a great force on the leg. She cried for help as the pain that he was inflicting on her was unbearable. He finally let go of her, and she fell to the floor as her leg was already wobbly. She

crawled away from him. She Wasn't ready to go through another episode of pain because she knew that no matter how hard she tried, there was no way she could fight him. He was just too fast and calculative for her to decipher.

"Too slow" he noted as he beckoned on her to get up. Aanya gulped, staring at him with fear written on her face. She couldn't do it anymore. The pain she felt was already enough, and she knew that he wasn't going to stop until he finally broke

her. He walked over to her when he discovered that she was still finding it hard to get up. He bent down to her level and roughly grabbed her hair, causing a whimper to escape from Aanya's lips. She looked up at him with a heavy breath, and he had a sly smirk on his face.

"You forgot rule number one, Aanya" he whispered close to her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "Never show weakness" he left her hair and walked slowly away from her. He stopped a few meters and turned back to her.

"You are going to the outside world, and you are already forgetting your basics. Pathetic" ."No Master, I did not" she cried.

She knew the consequence of disobedience, and

she wasn't ready to face it." I couldb never forget the rules"

"Really?" He said with a look of mockery on his face. "Why don't we do a recap?I won't have you lagging in the outside world because if you do., I'm sure you know the consequences that follow"

"Yes, master," she said. nodding continuously. He walked back slowly towards her and bent down to her level once more. He brought his hands to her chin and caressed it slowly.

"Rule number 2, never let anyone find out about your identity," he said, and just as Aanya had suspected, she was giving a resounding slap on her right cheek This was her punishment for being reminded of the rules. She tasted something metallic in her mouth. Blood, she gasped.

"Rule number 3. Kill anyone who finds out about your identity before your master finds out," he said, and another slap followed.

"Rule number 4. never look down on your prey, they could strike when you least expect"

her face had been already bruised up, preparing herself for another strike. The metallic ring on his finger made things Worse for her as it kept on creating injuries on her delicate pale skin. He hit

her again across the face, and that forced tears to well up in her eyes. She blinked rapidly., she couldn't show her weakness. That would only make things worse for her.

She gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain she felt, and looked up at him, emotionless.

"Rule number 5, no friend allowed" he placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face, swaying it to the side as though he was trying to access her. She didn't fail to notice the look of

satisfaction on his face as he assessed the injury that he had inflicted on her face. He smacked her again and she fell to the floor. groaning in pain. She coughed out repeatedly with blood

proceeding out of her mouth.

He smiled and got up from where he was and walked away from her. She could finally breathe. She adjusted her hair that had already stuck to her face as a result of blood and sweat, and she tucked it behind her ears. Her training clothes were messed up with dust, sweat, and a bit of

blood. She looked up at him again as he walked away from her. but he suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

"The most important rule of them all.Rule

number 6 "NEVER FALL IN LOVE" he spoke.

Aanya leaped away from the training room with her thoroughly bruised face. The migraine she felt in her head was too agonizing and she couldn't ignore it no matter how hard she tried to act tough towards it. She made her way to her room and the thought made her stomach churn.

She knew she would have to face Aida's constant troubles. What she needed was rest and she knew that she wasn't going to get it.

Aanya exhaled sharply as she pushed the door of the room open. It was dark and that meant Aida wasn't in. Thank heavens, now she could have some time to rest. She flicked on the light switch and her soul almost jumped right out of her body

as she saw a figure on the bed. She calmed down a bit when she realized that it was just Aida. She wasn't expecting her and what the hell was she doing, with the room in thick darkness?. The last time she checked, Aida hated dark rooms.

"Why did you turn off the light?. You aren't even asleep or you just wanted to scare me" she said with a scowl on her face as she dropped her training bag on her side of the bed.

"And what happened to your face?"Aida asked. totally ignoring Aanya's statement. Aanya knew that she wasn't asking because she cared, instead she was just curious to knoW what happened in the training room.

"| don't want to talk about it. Don't act like you care anyway" Anaya said with an exhausted tone as she sat on her bed and ran her hand across the sheets.

"You are right. I don't. You know I have always Wondered why master chose you. You are weak and no match for the outside world"

"Who are you to decide that?" she couldn't let the words get to her because she knew well enough how Aida could be when jealousy kicked in. In all, she was not ready to bicker over anything. She just needed rest to stop her pounding head

that was already affecting her reasoning at

that moment.

"You are the weakest and we all know it"

"You think you would have been a better option?"

"Even Lydia would survive better than you. The outside world is tough and no match for you"

"no one has been to the outside world, so you can't speak of something you don't know about"

"Why do you think we learn to do all this. Train, learn neW rules every day. and get punished when we forget one? Well, it's because they are preparing us for the outside world. All of us" she voiced out, emphasizing the 'us' to prove a point.

"I don't think the outside world is as bad as it might sound"

"You don't know anything" "Master goes there and comes back without a scar on his body"

"Because he tough and you are a weakling" the look in her eyes held disdain and it always made Aanya wonder what wrong she ever did to her.

Ignoring always worked for her when it came to Aida. She didn't want to get into trouble for fighting with a sister. The punishment was too hazardous. They took Mabel for punishment after she fought with Aida. Of course, Aida lied that she was attacked first and Mabel wasn't the

defending type. They took her to the darkroom and no one heard of her since then. lt was almost 3 months and she wasn't still back. They all wondered what happened to her, except for Lydia though, who showed complete nonchalance and it pissed the other girls off, most especially.

Aanya.

Anaya laid on the bed, with her heart on her throat. She was going to the outs ide World for the first time and she didn't know how to feel. In all, she just felt numb. Enrolling her in college all felt crazy to her. All the girls were schooled right

there in Ghista, so she was quite confused why there was even a need for her to further in a strange land that she knew nothing about. The question she kept asking herself. was why she was chosen when numerous girls were more fit and strong enough to be to the outside world.

Aida was right, she was indeed a weakling.

Master knew well enough that she couldn't be classified as strong, neither was she as calculative as some of the other girls. She just proved that to him during the training session, but she was still chosen.

She tilted to the other side of her bed, slowly with her head still aching profusely. She didn't even want to pay attention to the pain in her ribs as that would only compound her suffering. Ghista's hospital was like a torture zone. They always

seemed to handle the girls approximately,

causing more pain to what they were already feeling. Aanya knew better than to go over to the hospital.

The door opened, causing a little light to shine across the darkroom. Aanya knew it was Lydia. It just had to be Lydia because the rule clearly stated that 'no girl is allowed to visit another room that was not assigned to her'. No one dared to defile that rule as they all knew the

Consequences of defilement.

Lydia walked over to her bedside and hopped on it and the first thing that Aanya heard was a whimper. lt was sure coming from Lydia's bedside. Aanya ignored it at first. It wasn't her business anyway. she had a big day tomorrow. She thought inwardly.

The sob continued and Aanya knew that she couldn't ignore Lydia's cry anymore. She brought her feet down from her bed and the moment she stood up, the pain in her head hit her so hard that she almost fell back to her bed. She was already too weak. She made her way to Lydia's bedside and sat beside Lydia who was sobbing silently. She knew how painful it was when someone cried in silence, she had been there, so she knew Lydia had to be in so much pain. Aanya touched Lydia slightly on the shoulder and Lydia flinched

as a result of the sudden movement. She

resumed her sob when she realized that it was Aanya, totally ignoring her.

"It's okay, it's fine" Aanya coed at her softly. "If you keep crying like this, you are going to get sick"

"And I pray death follows," Lydia said with a shaky voice and it got Aanya surprised at the words she uttered.

"Don't say that" she reprimanded. "Have you lost your mind?" "We are all going to die Aanya. Can't you see? This place isn't what you think it is" she stated as she looked at Aanya.

Anaya knew that Lydia had always been the smart one, but this time, she was talking strangely.

"What are you saying. Lydia? Don't say that. You know what, go to bed. We will talk when you are thinking properly" Aanya said. The topic that Lydia was trying to bring up was very triggering and she had watched many girls die for even speaking about it. It was too sensitive and she

wasn't going to indulge in it.

"We can't continue to hide from the truth"

"Why are you suddenly talking about this. You have always been the loyal one" "That... That" Lydia's voice trailed off as she stammered. Her eyes held pain and hurt.

"That guard had his way with me" she blurted and the tears rolled down her cheek with reckless abandon.

"Oh my God" Anaya said with disbelief.BShe quickly embraced Lydia and she continued sobbing on her shoulder. Aanya patted her back slightly, trying to calm her

down. "Do you know the guard?" "My eyes were tied up. I didn't..." She trailed off and her sobbing continued

"It's okay. Everything will be fine" "No it won't Aanya, can't you see? This place is second to hell. The outside world is better"

"Don't say that" Aanya whispered, looking at the door continuously. She feared that a guard might burst into their rooms and take the two of them in for punishment

"It's true". "The outside world isn't how you think it is. It's evil"

"it's better than here, trust me Aanya". "Please don't say that. You might get punished"

"I have already had enough. I don't care anymore"

"Lydia" Anaya cautioned

"You are so lucky that you get to go out there. it's a free world and you won't know until you get there". "Can we drop this"

"Aanya you are 19 for goodness sake, stop acting like a child. You all are just being fooled and you are too blind to see it"

"And i suppose you are the smart one?" "Aanya you have to trust me on this" the tears on her face had already dried as she stared at Aanya. "Promise me what thing"

"What?". "Promise me that once you leave this

place. you would be leaving for good' "You know I can't and it's almost impossible. Master has eyes everywhere and I can't get the chips out of my body"

"This is an opportunity not to be missed and if I was given the opportunity as they did to you, I would never come back"

"You are to be seen as a normal girl and nothing more. Try your possible best to keep a low profile as that would be the best for you and always remember that if anybody finds out about your identity, you Would be killed" He said and Aanya nodded repeatedly.

"Have it at the back of your mind, you can't forfeit the rule because I will be keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don't go against your norms. You would be schooling at Jexs college and we will let you know why you were sent to

the outside world" he stated and she nodded. All she could do was nod. She wasn't allowed to speak except she was being asked a question. It showed disrespect.

"Do you understand ?" He asked and she nodded repeatedly. He glared in disapproval of her gesture. She quickly noticed

" I'm sorry master. I apologize. I understand" she said with a shaky tone, apologizing for not replying the normal way that she was being taught. He continued glaring at her for a while and her heart kept beating faster than normal

She was still a little bit sore from the

punishment that he had given to her the previous day, she couldn't stand getting punished in the state that she was in.

"Go back to your room. I will send for you when the time comes" he ordered and her heart leaped. She couldn't say for joy, but something new stirred in her. Something that she hadn't felt before. She was eager to see the outside world, no matter how bad it might be painted. She

wanted to see for herself and tell the other girls the story of her adventure in the outside world. It seemed like an adventure to her because, for the first time, she was going to be very far away from Ghista.

She went back to her room. No one was there. The other ladies had already gone for their daily task. Now she had the time to think, but what could she even think about?. She had nothing to think about. She wasn't even sure of the emotion to portray at that particular moment. She Would have to wait for what the outside World holds. Aanya blinked rapidly as she tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness that made its way to her eyes, harshly. She looked around and it took her a while to finally realize that she was in a moving

vehicle. She panicked a bit, looking around. trying to figure out how she got here. She noticed someone driving the car and her heartbeat accelerated. The last thing she remember was talking to one of the ladies and noW she Was here, going to God know where.

She cleared her throat, trying to signal the driver that if he had tried to knock her out then, he did a bad job. He didn't budge, instead, he just looked straight and kept on driving and it made her panic even more. What made her scared was the

fact that she was in the outside world and a strange man was driving the car to God knows where. She had heard of how dangerous the outside world was and here she was. It didn't look dangerous to her as the car just went by numerous trees, hills, and valleys. They were driving on pavement and were surrounded by a thick forest.

"Who are you?" she called out in a raspy Voice and she was quite amazed at the outcome of her voice. She almost didn't recognize it. " What do you want from me?" she called out again when he wasn't saying anything.

"Aanya" he finally spoke and turned to look at her. He looked well in his 60's and the look in his eyes held a menace and it made her shriek. He even knew her name, probably master sent him to bring her to the outside world, but she didn't want to make any assumption He turned back and kept his eyes on the road, totally ignoring her question and it made her blood boil slightly. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as fear and

panic took control of her body.

"Relax," he said as though he was reading her mind and emotions. "Ghista ordered that i take you to your neW school," he said and Aanya calmed down a bit. Her heartbeat returned to normal and she leaned back on her seat.

"Where is my new school?" She asked "I thought in Ghista, you aren't allowed to ask questions recklessly?" He said and she could see him smirk from the car's rearview mirror.

"I'm sorry" she apologized for her action and he erupted into laughter and it took her by surprise.

" I said Ghista not here. That's the difference. I am not your master and you are no longer in Ghista. Here, we have what we call human rights and you most definitely have freedom of speech"

"What does that mean?" She asked squinting her eyes in confusion "It means you can talk whenever you want"

" What about the rules? Well technically "No rules" he stated.Bthere are rules but not so restricting like the ones in Ghista

"So this place isn't so bad? "lt depends"

"On what?

"On how you choose to make it turn out for you"

"I want it to be great" she beamed with

excitement

"It could be" he shrugged "So what are you?"

"Aanya say hello to your guardian"

"Like a parent? "Yes, more like it" she didn't know why. But her heart leaped for joy when he

mentioned those words. She had judged him by his look earlier, without really knowing that he wasn't so bad after all, but she couldn't still| trust him. She wasn't trained that way. She could trust nobody.

"I will be keeping a close eye on you. Words from your master" he quoted

"oh." she said and nodded slightly. pressing her lips together as took in the view of the outside world.

"Your certificates have been prepared, you have already been enrolled and you will start as soon as possible," he said and Aanya nodded. "All your business will be done in school, my only duty is to make Sure that you are in check in all your

endeavors. Your mission has not been assigned to you yet, so keep a low profile till then"

"Why won't they tell me the mission yet?"

"Because your master is still figuring out the best way to strike"

"Strike what?". "Don't Worry your head over it" he said and she nodded.

"And also remember the rules. You being out here, does not mean that you are free from your master's watch"