Team

I woke up God knows where and surrounded by blinding lights. Did I mention I was on a hospital bed with almost no clothes on? Just wearing pants. They even took my glasses off. Who were these people? What were they going to do with me? Was this some kind of black market? Were they going to sell my internal organs? However, I wasn't really tied to anything or with a mask of oxygen. I was just really blinded by the lights, I could barely see. I decided to stand up, which wasn't a really good idea, I was kind of dizzy. I had to sit down and then I realised I wasn't alone.
      —Who are you? And why am I almost naked? —I asked.
      —He's awake —said a feminine voice, I couldn't really see whoever was there anyway because of the light.
      Then they turned off the light and being dazed and confused started to feel horrible. I almost started to have a panic attack. I was losing air so I tried to calm down, getting myself asphyxiated wasn't the best way to survive. I didn't have my inhaler with me, it was in my trousers pockets.
      —Answer me! What did you do to me?! Where am I?! What the hell is going on?!
      —Calm down, we don't mean to hurt you —said the girl, she was of average height and had really long red and curly hair.
      —Oh, yeah, I'll calm down —she nodded and sit down on a chair that was beside the bed—. Would you be calm if you were kidnapped and woke up naked in a hospital bed?! Are you mad?!
      She stood up so fast I didn't realise at first that she put a knife against my throat.
      —Alright! I'll stay calm, I promise —I said so nervously my voice cracked—. Can I have my clothes back, please?
      Someone threw my clothes at me and she got away from me. And my kidnappers appeared.
      —Can I at least have some answers? —I asked as carefully as possible while I put my trousers on.
      —First of all, we didn't do anything to you. You were almost naked because we were just making sure that you didn't have any diseases. And we were checking if you were in good shape —said the black haired girl from before.
      —¿Do I have any diseases then? —I asked fully dressed.
      —No, nothing too dangerous at least. You have asthma, but I see you have it under control, you haven't had an attack since you were ten —said the redhead—. You as well aren't in a good physical condition.
      —Tell me something I don't know. For example... ¿Why did you kidnap me?
      —You have powers, mate —said the guy from before. I laughed. I didn't know if he was taking the piss but this was not the right time to do it.
      —¿Can you guys at least tell me the truth? If you don't mean to harm me, then explain yourselves. If you were bad people I'd be tied down so I'm assuming you are not.
      —He is not lying, you do have some abilities that other people don't have. Uncommon abilities —said a brunette woman that walked in the room wearing a white, executive looking, attire. She seemed to be in her thirties—. Hello, I am Gwen Johnson —she offered me her hand to shake it.
      —Aaron Smallwood —we shook hands—, but I think you already know that.
      —Yes, I do. Now, we've bought you here because we are training people like you. For what? You may ask. So that you are able to control your power and well... so that you don't fall in the wrong hands.
      —What do you mean the "wrong hands"?
      —The hands that turn you into assassins.
      —I can barely even play football properly and you're telling me that someone would have me as a professional killer.
      —Just as we can train you, they can train you too. Now, calm down. Would you like a cup of tea?
      —Yes, please.
      Some other people approached with a table and a tea set.
      —Thank you —said Mrs. Johnson and the people who bought the things left.
      —So... should I call you Mrs. or...?
      —Oh, no. Call me Gwen, please.
      —Gwen... where are we?
      —Don't worry, we're still in London.
      —Oh thank God! —that went with a sigh of relief that made me embarrassed of myself. But I was allowed to feel relief to still be in London, if they kidnapped you and you woke up in some strange room wouldn't you be happy to still be in your city and not miles way from your home.
      —Now, you will tell your mother that you will do some extra lessons that the university asks you to take. You'll come three times a week, you can choose the days that suit you best, according to the activities you have in the evenings. We'll pick you up in the park at 4:00 this week and when you get into campus we'll pick you on the main entrance . Understood?
      —Yes.
      —Very well.
      —Is my brother aware of this already? —I asked, he never mentioned anything about it.
      —No, your brother doesn't have special abilities, they don't generally come with genetics, usually there's something wrong with the functioning of your body and instead of expressing it as an illness, your body did it differently and gave you a skill.
      —And what skill is this? You haven't told me yet.
      —According to your record —she said as she grabbed some folder she had beside her, opened it and started to read—. You have a high resistance against being physically hurt in general, a perfect aim, strenght, you heal faster than normal people and endurance. You have to enchance them though, the only one you have perfected is your aim.
      —My mum got me into an archery class when I was about six.
      —That class is the reason you appear in our records today. A six year old couldn't have such aim, it was ridiculous.
      —I've been into Hawkeye comic books ever since.
      —Why not Arrow? —said the one who called me mate before.
      —Marvel over DC anytime, mate —I said in an angry tone, we both laughed—. I'm joking, I like Batman too. Well, I was six and Hawkeye was funny so I stuck with him.
      The rest of the evening went nicely. Will and Rose (the black haired girl), were glad I joined the "team" as they called it. But the other girl, Victoria, she sure wasn't glad having me there. I'm easy, I don't need some girl's seal of approval to join the "team".
      When I got home I told my mum about the "special activities" I'd be doing. She said she was "glad I would be doing something useful this summer".

Beggining

How horrible it is having summer break and having absolutely nothing to do. Here I am, on the couch, dying of heat and boredom, and playing Portal for the hundreth time.

      —¡Mum!

      —¿What? —she shouted from the other room.

      —Nothing, I just wanted to know if you were home.

      —Oh.

     You probably think that I should go out with my friends or even my girlfriend. Well, you see, things aren't that easy. My girlfriend and I have had a couple fights, you may think that I'm cruel and all that crap, but it hasn't been my fault nor hers, it's simply the fact that people stop loving each other, it sometimes happens fr no reason, out of nowhere, like if everything we ever felt just faded away. It doesn't feel nice. I mean, I was the fist to fall and it looks like I'll be the first to stand up. She still hasn't got over it, but she will. We haven't officially broke up because I doubt it to be fair that I hurt her in such way, I'll wait 'till she's ready. I'd rather have her breaking up with me, you may think I'm a coward, and maybe I am, I'd like her to give the last shot, I really wouldn't like to do it myself. Because I'd obviously be the bad guy, I can almost hear them: "How could you do that to her? She loved you so much". "This is how you thank her for all that she did for you?". "You're such an arse". "How can you let her go?".
      Yes, I understand, maybe I'm dead from the neck up, and yes, I know everything she had to go through because of all my stupidity. But it wasn't my fault. It's just that all that fire that we had, grew so much it faded, ended up as nothing but fume.

      With my friends is another story, the truth is that I just don't feel like going out with them, I don't know if you have ever felt like that, but I'm more willing to go out on my own and maybe meet new people. I know you think I want to go out to meet girls and have someone new, but no. Actually I've never in my entire life wanted to be alone until now. Walk away from everyone and get to know new people, feel again the curiosity of life. Curosity I didn't know I used to feel every now and then, until now.

      I was eager, actually, to go to university and have something to do, vacations have that purpose, drown you in your own boredom 'till you feel sick and you want to get back to work just to have something to do. Specially when you begin this "new path" in your life that is university. And I had only to wait about a week. Still, I wanted time to go faster. We didn't go out this vacation and that was affecting me, I was useless.

      —I'll go buy a couple of things at the mall, ¿You want to come? —my mum asked.

      —¡Yes! —I said immediatly, boredom was eating my insides, in some days I'd be nothing but a zombie, just a shell.

      —¿Where's your brother? —she asked when we got in the car, I supposed she'd interrogate me about him.

      —He went out a couple of hours ago —I answered while I shrugged, trying to evade that subject of conversation.

      —¿Why don't you go out with him?

      —I wouldn't like to be the third wheel.
      —¿He's with a girl then? ¿Who's she?

      —I don't know, he doesn't introduce his dates. But they don't last so I don't think it's necesary.

      —¿Did she look nice? 

      —Pretty, brown hair, medium height, about my age. She was using a pair of shorts and a bikini, I think they were off to the beach. Not alone, of course. They're on Dave's van, I suppose Dave's with them, along with other people that were also in the van.

      —Then you wouldn't be a third wheel, there were more.

      —I don't like the sea, I feel like it'll drag me in to the point where I don't see the shore and I can't go back —¿irrational fear of the ocean? Of course, because there's nothing better than a mass of salted water that surrounds you and who bloody knows what you can find inside there because it hasn't been a hundred percent explored. I wouldn't say it's irrational.

      —You should spend more time with your brother.

      —I do spend time with him.

      —Playing video games and occasionally bother each other isn't what I mean.

      And then we arrived. And I could finally escape from the conversation.

      —I think I'll go for a walk around here, I'll go home walking so don't worry. I just want to breathe some fresh air. I won't go late, I have my phone if you need anything —I gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran away.

      I didn't fancy talking with her about Noah, he could take care of himself, he was older than me. ¿How was I supposed to take care of my older brother?

      I soon got bored of being there and went to the park. Alone at last. These words crossed my mind like the soft breeze of the sea, of course I don't like the sea but you get the idea. Alone. Everyone needs their time alone, and I really had a lack of it.
      I stayed in the park for a couple of hours, laying on the grass, watching everyone as they passed. I decided to stand up and take the long path home, didn't know what I was going to do when I arrived, I'd probably go back to the routine of doing nothing, that's why I didn't hurry.
      A tall guy with dark skin, maybe a few years older than me, came to ask me the time.
      —It's four forty seven —I answered without stopping to talk.
      —Thank you —he simply said and then ran in the opposite direction.
      I just nodded and continued.
      Then I saw him again a few steps in front of me, ¿how did he get there so fast?
      —¿Hey how...?
      —¿How can I tell you this? —he asked, more to himself that to me—. You see...
      —¡Will! ¡¿What the hell are you doing?! —a girl came out of nowhere, she seemed mad, she was way smaller than him, had black straight hair and almond-shaped eyes.
      —I thought  it was a good idea to explain the situation to him and ask him if he agrees.
      —¿Agree with what? —I asked, now I was confused.
      Then I felt like if a lightning had struck my entire body. ¿Did they kill me? I couldn't see anything, or feel anything, I was in some kind of void.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sorry if my english isn't very well but it's not my first language, so I tried really hard to get it right c: I f you did read all the way trough this, thank you.