Labelled by Blood

      I practically bolted from my seat, but Ms. Rohd's words caught me mid stride.       "You, Linnet over there."       I spun and almost marched to her.       "I don't want to keep you long," she laughed. I guess my hunched posture gave me away. "I wanted to talk to you real fast. That okay?"       As if I would tell a teacher no. "Yeah."       "I just wanted to check in on you," she said, her smile carrying the weight of the world with it.       "Oh." I didn't know what to say. "Right. Yeah. Everything's fine."       She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Okay. Hey. Be careful out there, alright?"       My eyes widened and scanned her. "What do you mean?"       "Don't play dumb, Alex. I know you and your friends go out into the woods. It's been dangerous, recently." My breath caught and her eyes softened. "Tobias and Ava mentioned seeing some people heading out into the forest almost every day. I pieced it together."       I gulped. "Right."       Her eyes lingered on my face and her shoulders fell a smidge. She shook her head. "That's all. If you ever want to talk, please feel free to stop by."       My head spun. My eyes didn't know where to land and focus. Was she talking about Collectors? What else is dangerous out there? But I didn't think anyone else had seen any of them. Ms. Rohd motioned me out. I walked out and headed to my usual courtyard. I needed to tell the others. Ms. Rohd knew more, but she didn't outright tell me much.       When I got to the courtyard, Jesse and Parker were both outside talking. Their eyes lit up like they saw the most precious puppy to ever exist. I adjusted my backpack and looked away. My heart fluttered.       "Yo, Lex," Parker exclaimed, "you showed up on time!"       Jesse just scooped me up in a hug that ended with a twirl. I squeezed him back and then pulled away.       "You okay?" Jesse asked.       "Think so," I answered.       Parker joined us a little later. He eyed me. "You look nervous, Lex. What's up?"       I told them about my speech that was due next class. I left out the part about Ms. Rohd, for now, and how I felt like I was being watched all day. They offered to help me with my speech, so we spent some time trying to figure something out. If they had to give the speech for me, they would've sold me on myself. I felt embarrassed about all the nice things they were telling me. None of it felt real, but they assured me.       "You're loyal," Jesse commented.       "And nice, even though you really shouldn't be," Parker added.       "Loving."       "Awkward, but in the way that makes someone want to talk to you."       "Special."       "Strong. Most people wouldn't survive what you have."       On and on they just kept having things to say. It all went in one ear and out the other. Maybe I didn't want to hear it. Or maybe it felt too good to be true. After they finished, I was frozen. My brain didn't know how to react.       "Let's eat something," Jesse said, going back to where he and Parker sat earlier.       "I got an extra sandwich," Parker said.       Without realizing it, I had joined them and Parker thrusted the sandwich forward. I took it without arguing this time. It was delicious. Somehow better than the first one he shared with me. We ate lunch like normal. My speech never got done. Leaves drifted down to the ground, the air was cold and hurt. Lunch passed.       Before we scattered to our last classes of the day, Parker went over the plan for training today. This got me excited and I felt more than ready to get to that. Parker kept mentioning how "this is the last day" we needed before we'd be perfect killers. Jesse didn't believe him. I kind of did. We were finding our stride and if we could just really nail in the coordination, it'd all be about polishing our communication and synergy. Jesse and Parker were strong. I was there to be backup and help wherever they needed me. Together, we'd be unstoppable.       But life moved on and we had to go to class. With each step, my heart pounded. Each beat pulsed up my chest, through my neck, and up into my temple. It almost hurt. Getting to class took more effort than ever. The only thing really keeping me from going any slower was the way the hallways slowly emptied and petered out of the rushing crowds. It was getting really quiet and footsteps could almost echo. I rushed the rest of the way.       I walked in, took my seat, and tried not to let anything get to me. Be strong. Be special. Be--       "Alex Linnet," Mrs. Burgess called out, "you're up first!"       My body anchored. The desk I sat at suddenly felt too smooth. My hands were cold and disgusting. My leg bounced.       "Whenever you're ready," Mrs. Burgess said in that way that a teacher really meant "hurry up before I have to shame you in front of the class."       I braced myself. Stood. Made my way to front of the classroom. All eyes were on me. Some were clearly distracted by their own speeches. Others were clearly proud of what they had and wanted to rush mine along. A few were blank stares. I opened my mouth.       "Hi, uh. I'm Alex Linnet. And I," I paused. My brain wracked, but only one thing came to the forefront of my mind. "I. I have a stapler."       This got a laugh out of half the kids. My ears were boiling.       "It was given to me by my parents. And it's special to me."       Some kids laughed harder after realizing I wasn't joking. My stomach flipped.       "Anyway. It's really. Right. It's really just like me because it's simple but strong."       Mrs. Burgess looked unimpressed. Her pen moved without her looking from me. Had it been time, yet?       "And I carry it everywhere with me because it shows that. I might not look it, but I have a lot of strength. And loyalty."       Dear God, help me.       "And. Yeah. That's me."       The class gave the most apathetic courtesy claps ever. Mrs. Burgess finished some notes and then told me to have a seat. She called on the next kid. Her speech was flawless. She had achievements she accomplished, volunteer work she did, projects she'd completed. I was an ant compared to her neon billboard that screamed "hire me" in a way that drew you in to read what the billboard said and not cower from how bright it was.       Kid after kid went. Most were at least decent. Some were awful, but none were mine.       The class was over. Finally. I didn't dare look up after the second girl went. Mrs. Burgess handed out scoresheets and mine had a big fat 20% with a note that said "the stapler was neat, but not you."       I put my head down and fought back tears. Mrs. Burgess dismissed us right at the bell but tapped on my desk as she did. I looked up with a trembling lip and streaking tears.       Mrs. Burgess crouched down to my eye level. "You can do better than that. Try again on Friday." She wore a peppy smile.       I nodded and she sauntered off. I left faster than I'd ever left a class before. This was somehow more embarrassing than my English poem. I dodged lockers swinging open and kids going deeper into the school rather than trying to eject out at lightspeed. A door swung open and I skirted around it. Toby jumped back and apologized. A part of me wishes he actually got me with the door. Maybe he'd find a way to make me feel normal. But lockers and faces smeared into a monotonous beige accented by blonde, brunette, and black. The occasional pop of color like a red shirt or blue shorts.       With both hands on the double doors, I shoved them open and ran out the school. I jumped down the stone staircase and sprinted out into the city. There was a blur of gray and glass and I was spent, but at the bus stop. I sat down on the nearby bench and the entire day replayed in my head. My speech was the loudest memory. It wouldn't leave me alone.       "Alex," Jesse's voice boomed.       My eyes shot up. "I'm here," I said, trying to recompose myself.       Parker walked a little bit behind Jesse and was beaming with his hands in his pockets. Jesse was confident and took calculated steps. "How'd the speech go?"       I shook my head.       Parker spoke up. "Forget that dumb speech. Let's go train."       I stood up and nodded hard and fast. They reached me. Jesse ruffled my hair. Parker nudged my ribs. They didn't stop walking, though, and passed me. I tagged along behind them, forcing the humiliation to be a memory and nothing more.