Chapter 11 | Ethan | Consequences

Walking shouldn’t be difficult—not for someone with two healthy legs. Ethan turns left and before he knows it, his nose is against the ground.

When he fell yesterday, Eric and Gu Lei came to help him walk. Today there is no one in the boys' dorm as phase three of Numen has started and everyone has gone to attend it...except him. He's on mandatory rest for a week under Bhilzal's orders.

Lifting himself from the floor with his hands, he walks five steps and this time when he turns to the left, he does it slow and steady.

The door of the boys' dorm stares back at him. That's not how it should be. Did he turn too much and end up turning right?

He touches the left side of his head where his ear should have been, but only feels the bound cotton bandage. No pain, just an unfamiliar numbness.

The door that he has heard open and close hundreds of times opens, but this time the sound is different. It's duller and has less scratchy. Zelmira walks in through it and he turns to run to his bed.

Halfway, he falls on the ground and rolls, only stopping when he hits the leg of someone's bed. She says something, but he can't make out what. The bedsheet gets wrinkled as he fumbles around to find a pillow and throws it at her face. "Go away, you psycho!"

The pillow flies past her, hitting the door and falling on the floor. She keeps her hands on her knees, bending down to his ear. "Be at ease. I merely wish to talk." Her voice is different, lower pitched than what he is used to.

He slaps her and she grabs his hand before he can pull it away. The middle-aged woman’s grip is weak but she hisses “Would you fancy parting with your hand?" and he loses all his willpower to shake her hold off.

"What do you want? Leave me alone!"

She touches the bandaged side of his head, gently moving her hand from the top of his face to his chin. "I've been abundantly clear from the outset. Team up with me."

He cringes and slaps her hand away. “I don’t want to. Stop bothering me! I was having such a good time before you showed up!" He remembers the day his group cleared phase two in the simulation and the party night that followed it. Ever since Zelmira spoke to him after returning from their talk with Bhilzal, nothing good has happened for him and it's difficult to believe that it's only been four days. How many more days of misery are to come?

"Why me?" It's the same question he had when the Krot attacked him yesterday, but ever since he has figured why the Krot attacked him. Zelmira must have told it that Della was behind the murders of the two Krots outside the 5th. "Really, why do you want to team up with me?! There are so many people here but you—"

“Because you have a giant leverage that I can use,” she says, trying to lift him by grabbing his hand. Then she puts both of her hands on his and tries again. “How long do you intend to loiter on the floor?” she asks, looking down at him. “Get up.”

He pushes against the side of the bed to stand up. "You were the one who told me I had no chance in the Numen because of my sister."

"Normally you wouldn't but if you follow me and use your leverage aptly, it’s nothing to fret over."

"What leverage could I possibly have?"

She sighs, saying, “It’s intricated but I’ll try to keep it brief so even you understand. The Kix want to apprehend your sister because she escaped under their supervision, but they can’t reject you from the Numen. The Krots hate your sister because she killed their brethren, but they are so stupid that one of them ended up assaulting you publicly and got punished instead. The Gorons want to maintain peace between the Krots, the Kix and us, but you could say something and that can change the relations between our species. Now if I were in their shoes, I would make you disappear, but you are liked amongst the human Numen candidates. If you go poof, people won’t stay quiet.”

Ethan gulps. The list doesn’t even include his father yet, who they took away without any explanation. “So you had my ear attacked in front of everyone by a Krot to give me more leverage?”

She smiles. “Of course not. I just wanted to punish you for renouncing my considerate offer to team up. I did write a note to the vapid Krot about your sister, but I never wanted him to injure you to this extent...oh well, I should have known to not rely on those dumb curs. Let’s get back to the topic. I will keep it simple this time—if you don’t obey me, I will tell Bhilzal about all the spots your sister could be lurking in the 5th and she will be executed.”

“Don’t you dare!” He lunges at her with his fist tight and she covers her face with her hands. A metallic taste of blood rises in his mouth as his jaw hits the floor and he rolls over and looks up at the ceiling.

She claps. “What an imposing tumble. Just like when you fell when I entered as well. Ah, could it be…your inner ear? Did you know that It's responsible for balancing? If the Krot’s assault also impaired part of your inner ear along with your outer ear…well, that's unfortunate. Did they offer to mend it?"

He glares at her, saying, "Exalted Bhilzal said that he would look into it by contacting some human doctors when they stemmed the bleeding." If they fix his internal ear, at least he might be able to walk properly ag—

"Reject their help," Zelmira says. "Who knows what they might install inside you while they are operating on your ear. If they add a listening device or a tracking device, I wouldn't be able to… cooperate with you."

"But my ear—"

She shakes her head. "Your generation is positively stupid. Don't you understand? You'll adapt to having one ear anyway...so answer me. Would you choose it over your sister's life?"

He shuts up, glaring at her. She really will sink to any lengths to get him on her side.

She then asks, "So did you tell the Kix about who attacked you?"

"Of course I did. I knew only you could do somethi—"

"Good work," Zelmira says, crossing her arms. "If everyone thinks that you hate me, they won't suspect that you are working with me."

Ethan purses his lips. That's not why he did it. "Screw you," he says. "You are the most awful person I've met."

"Good. Keep doing that in public and no one will guess our association." She bends down and touches the bandaged side of his head again and presses her hand against it as she continues, "Nothing bad will happen to you, your sister, or your friends if you obey me."

He nods, just wanting her to go away. "...okay, fine! Now please leave me alone!"

She then walks to his desk and he gets up and follows her, one step at a time, his arm extended in an attempt to catch her. "Wait! What're you doing?!"

"Oh, how lovely. Is this you?" she asks, picking up the picture of baby Della. "Or your sister?"

When Ethan only stares at her wide-eyed, she tears a small upper strip of the photograph with her hands. "I expect prompt replies," she says.

He gulps. "It's my sister…"

"This is for slapping me earlier," she says and keeps the photograph in her left hand. "Do anything like that again and I'll return this photograph to you…only torn and beyond any recognition."

He feels his breathing accelerate and she bumps into his shoulder as she walks towards the door. "Now I really must be going back to take care of my allocated district. Get well soon and remember what I've said. Reject the surgery."

The door closes, and he gets back on his bed, tripping once while walking back. If only she wasn't someone from the 5th...if only she was a decent human being...if only Bhilzal had called him and her separately...if only she didn't exist. Tears fall on the bedsheet as he clenches his fists. If only she didn't exist…

He isn't sure how much time passes before he hears the faint sound of the door opening again. He rolls over on the other side, letting his only ear be on the top so he can hear better.

Exalted Bhilzal enters the room. "Princess Orphisha summons you."