TONIGHT IS BOTTOMS UP

K aley grunted as her back impacted the mats beneath her. this is not how she imagined she would be spending her thirteenth birthday - getting her ass kicked. but she was used to this now. for almost a year, she's been training with them. this was a routine now. waking up at five in the morning for physical training, and then going back to their rooms to clean up for breakfast. after breakfast, they would go to their respective classes or "field study" as they liked to call it. most of them had four classes a day, all related to their study. she and a few others, on the other hand, would take one class in each subject. the trainers called them the chameleons. the ones who could blend in in any field. after classes, they would go to something called "battle pt." they played out situations that could go wrong in a heist or a hack. how to avoid the cops, getting caught or being made. this was their simulation. the one thing everyone was looking forward to because they got to sit in the stands and watch how each person reacted to their scenarios. today was another one of those days. morning pt was the worst for kaley, mostly because she wasn't physically strong enough to battle it out. she could outrun anyone, con and deceive anyone. she could weasel herself out of any situation, but fighting was not her strong point. which is why she was up at three in the morning getting some extra training from her combat and defense instructor. this was the tenth time he had flipped her onto the mats. her muscles were sore, she could barely breathe, and her brain was a puddle. she was exhausted and just by breathing made her feel like it was a bigger effort than it should be. she laid on the ground, arms spread out and her legs limp against the mat as she stared up into the skies. dawn. her favourite time of the day. everything was so serene and colourful. she wished it could be like this everyday. be a normal person, a normal teenager and stare up into the skies without giving a shit about any of this undercover crap.  "kay, get up and stop daydreaming." she forced herself to look away from the skies and direct her attention to the looming figure above her. she sighed and rolled her eyes, "can't we be done for the day? i can't even feel the wind against my skin when i sure as hell know it's supposed to be cold. the leaves are rattling. i'm sore everywhere" she whined, her lower lip jutting out into a pout. she saw her instructor roll his eyes. "come on kaley, your training just started." she huffed out like a child, but she took his extended hand to pull herself up off the ground anyway. she kept trying to tell herself that she was chosen for a reason. that she, at least, had a purpose in life. but it was days like these she wished she could laze around and do nothing. spend some time curled up on the couch and watch mindless television. maybe she could go shopping with her friends or watch a movie. better yet, she could go on a road trip or gossip about boys. she could join sports teams and some random club. she could learn about simple things like trigonometry or biology. those kids don't know how lucky they have it. how easy their life was. she would trade or give anything to switch places. they didn't have to learn to speak at least five different languages. they weren't put through mental torture like them. but she couldn't complain. at least she didn't have to fight for food or share her bed with some of the younger kids. she had enough food on her plate every day, and she had new clothes to wear. this was still better than her foster homes. and as much as she hated all this training and knowledge, she knew this is what she wanted to do. she wanted to fight for justice. she didn't like to idle around while the bad guys won. she dusted off her ass and prepared herself again, putting up the fight that she should have done to begin with. she gave it as good as she got. but regardless, she got her butt kicked once more. but that was given. jonah was one of the best when it came to combat. he was known as a skilled fighter and respected by many in the academy. kaley had experienced it first hand. he was going easy on her, she knew. she wasn't stupid. but it was less bruising to her ego, so she at least appreciated that. but one day. she'll be a competent match for him. still, she spent the next hour and a half, falling and bouncing back up to fight. by the time pt rolled around, her entire body felt like jello. he petted her head, "good job, kiddo. keep it up and you'll surpass everyone in the class." she scowled and pushed his hand off her head, glaring at him, "i don't care about surpassing anyone; i just want to see the bad guys behind bars. if it means i have to get my ass whooped before i can get good enough to do that myself, then so be it." he chuckled, patting her head again. she could see the adoration in his eyes. he approved of what she had just said. she felt a warm glow in the pit of her stomach. but shook it off so she could join the others in pt with a clear head and a strategic mind. despite her body screaming to collapse in bed, she knew she couldn't do so until the end of the day. "kiddo, wait." she paused, turning around to face him, tilting her head slightly out of curiosity. he rummaged through his bag and produced a small box that was wrapped in a beautiful golden paper, "happy birthday kaley. we're not keen on celebrations around here, but your first birthday here should at least be a memorable one." this time, he patted her shoulder and left for his duties for the day. she smiled to herself, suddenly feeling more energetic than she had been a few minutes ago.

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K aley easily dodged the punch that was aimed towards her head, crouching as she delivered her own blow to her opponent's ribs. he grunted, moving back slightly before advancing once more, adding kicks. she blocked them with her arms, her mind barely acknowledging the pain. she kept her mind only on three things: offense, defense, and controlled breathing. every time her opponent attacked, he always stepped back first before lunging. her plan was to tire him out, let him get his fill, and she would fight back. her ears rang as he got a shot to the side of her head, but she shook it off and kept going. nothing mattered at the moment except to win this fight. she was going to prove to them that she wasn't the same girl a year ago. she didn't get her ass kicked anymore. when she saw her opening, she went right for the win. she did a bolo punch and used her other hand to hit him in the jaw, but she didn't stop there. she bent her elbow and sent a hook blow to his ribs, the same spot she had hit earlier. she finished the fight with a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out. she was breathing hard, and her chest was heaving. her ears resonated with loud cheers, but all she heard was the ringing in her right ear and how laboured her breathing was. she stiffened when she felt a hand on her shoulder, ready to combat again. jonah held his hands up in the universal surrender sign. "relax, kiddo. you did good." she scowled at him, stepping back from him and then turning to help the guy she was just fighting up as he slowly gained consciousness. he gave her a dazed look before giving her a small smile of forgiveness. she led him over to the bench and handed him an ice pack before moving along with her other tasks for the day. at least that part of the training was finished for the day. she hated the simulations. they're not really simulations at all. they put real people in fake situations. they force them to fight one another as if they were really the bad guy. like they weren't going to get hurt. these mentors and instructors expect them to treat it like a real situation and fight as if their life depended on it. the only upside to the training was that their weapons were fake. substituted guns with paintballs or a bb gun. both of which still hurt like a bitch. better than actually getting shot or stabbed, but no one ever goes back to their bunks unharmed. but this was her life now. some day, she was really going to have to do this. she was going to have to fight someone. not because it was a simulation, but because she was truly defending herself. those weapons would one day be the real ones. not some training protective shit. a real gun, probably a pistol, or maybe even a sniper. she might have to kill. maybe for her own survival, but she would probably have to kill someone. and that someone would most likely be some innocent person. how do they prepare you for something like that? no amount of training was going to help you ease the guilt in your heart and the sick feeling in your stomach. they can't prepare you on how it would feel to end someone's life and then pretend it was fun. pretend that it didn't matter. like you didn't give a fuck you just murdered a person. because at the end of the day, that's what their fate amounts to. once the mentors think you're old enough and good enough, they throw you into the world of crimes and fake people. the kind of people that don't feel remorse. the ruthless, dominating kind. the unforgiving, unreasonable people. kaley wasn't sure she was ready for this life. she wasn't sure she was ready to deal drugs or arms trafficking or run illegal businesses. she felt maybe running an illegal business was the easiest one out of the three mainly because they don't necessarily deal with the illegal side of business. they just make sure the cops don't suspect anything. she had the bachelor's of business to do it. but that's not what the mentors wanted from her. they wanted her to get into arms trafficking. said that kidd was the oldest of the "leaders." it was easier for her to take control if anything were to happen to him. the mentors told her she was ready. that she had been one of the fastest learners and the most advanced students they have trained. they told her she was going to be fine. that they wouldn't make her do it if they didn't think she was ready or perfect for the job. they reassured that they would have never picked her out of the foster care if there wasn't something about her that would make her a good undercover cop. it was her ability to weasel out of things. like talk her way out of it. she was a good fighter. good enough to even match jonah's fighting skills. jonah. if she left, she'd never see him again. he would never be able to acknowledge her as kaley because she would no longer be that girl. she'd have a new identity. it would be as if kaley piper never existed. any traces of her would be wiped. she couldn't imagine living her life without jonah being there to guide her and praise her every so often. he had been such a constant in her life that she sometimes thought they were one person. she had no say  in it though. she had to leave and jonah would stay. his identity will always be a cop, and she would be a criminal. she would have to stay undercover and pretend like she hated him. like she didn't want to scream "get me out of here!" this was not the life she wanted or asked for. but she was dealt these cards and she had to make the best of it. because kaley would never mean anything to jonah except a little sister. he would never view her the same way she did with him. he would laugh that someone as young as her was in love with a man much older than her. and it wouldn't matter. once everything's finalized and she's assigned a mission, she would have to forget everything. she would have to leave behind all the other teenagers she had gotten to know and love. she would have to pretend they don't exist or she didn't know who they were. she would never be able to tell anyone of this academy or who the mentors were. this part was what kaley hated the most. the fact that she had to leave the one good thing that happened in her life behind. she clenched her fists, nails digging into the palms of her hand, not caring that her skin was turning a pale white and there were deep half moons. she made her way to the tracks and ran her laps. this was how she cooled off, unlike normal people. she would run and run until her feet wouldn't let her. she didn't know how many laps she had run or how long she had ran for. she had lost count after twelve laps. by the time jonah reached her, she was already collapsed on the floor, her chest rising and falling into shallow gasps of air, one arm over her eyes to block the sunlight, and the other resting on her hips. the track path was making her back itch, but she didn't care. she was too tired to move. she could feel his looming figure lie down next to her. "what's wrong kiddo?" she shrugged at him. he knew the answer. he knew how much she hated the simulations. she hated knowing what she would have to do out there. how she would catch the attention of someone in the mob. "cheer up, you did excellent in there. no one's score came close to yours." she glared at him, "you know i don't give a shit about that." she groaned, realizing she had broken her silence with him. she growled, "you tricked me!" that was cruel, but, not surprising. this would happen all the time in her new life. people who tested her, who tricked her. she sighed, "i'm not ready for this. i'm not ready to leave this place behind. i'm not ready to leave me behind to be some girl who feels nothing and cares for nothing." this time, it was his turn to sigh. he looked over at her like "what can you do?" he laid his warm hand on the one resting on her hips, "you are. i've seen all your simulations. i've looked at your progress; you are ready. and you have to, kaley. you have to leave everything behind for the good guys to win. remember what you said to me?" she shook her head. "you told me all you cared about was seeing the bad guys behind bars. you told me you wanted to be the one to do that. and you will. you can do it." she turned to him and smiled, a chuckle escaping her lips. she did say that didn't she? she propped herself up and turned to look at him. he was right. but at the moment, all she could think about was the way that he looked under the sun, the way his lips curled into a small private smile. she didn't think about what she did next; she just did it. she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

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