The Prisoner - Resistance [Chapter 1 / Interlude]

You wake up to your mother's voice; "Aiden! You're gonna be late, get up already!" She is probably downstairs. But if that was anybody else, you would think that person was in your room by the volume of her yelling. She is a mother after all. And you are the kid, so you better get up before she shows up. Sitting on your bed, you are trying to clear the fog of sleep from your eyes. Liri Asima's naked body is right in front of you, as a poster. The best scene to fall asleep for a kid at 7th grade. Now you better go wash up. If she sees the state of your room, she will make you clean it even before the school. Is that a new pimple? Oh damn... Like senior year wasn't hard enough, you also need to handle these inconveniences. Growing up is hard. Just wait until you are 16, no public transport restrictions, no curfew, no adult escort everywhere. You will lose your allowance but who cares, you can earn your own money and spend it as you see fit. "I'm coming, stop yelling!". You better dress up quickly, which you will start to as soon as this rogue hair bends to the comb's will.

Okay, you are now officially dressed. Just roll up your left arm, and it is done. When you wear uniforms, you have to find a way to individualize it. You go downstairs. Your mother is running around, doing four, five things at the same time. She is fully dressed, she and your father will leave for work some time after you. Your father is not around, probably still taking a shower. People always think, being an only child, you must be spoiled. You don't feel spoiled. As you sit on the chair, your mother puts a toast on your plate without saying anything. She doesn't even have time to look at you. "You have 5 minutes honey.", a ping noise comes from her phone and she literally runs for it. After reading whatever is on the screen, she starts yelling again, "Oh, you... Dan! Come on already, they are starting!". Probably a meeting or something. Sometimes you wonder, is it like this for everyone? Your parents work really hard. When you get to that age, will that be you? Maybe they love their job a lot. Maybe you will find a job you love that much. Your thoughts gets interrupted by the school shuttle's horn. You need to go. You mother points to your half-eaten toast as you put it down to the plate, "Take that with you baby, you can finish it on the way. And don't forget to give me a kiss." A kiss. Why every morning, you just don't get it. And she always mess up your hair with a tousle. Your computer is in your pocket and your toast is in your hand, you have to run now; "Bye, mom.". Oh, fresh air. You always loved that morning air. Always cooler and with that fresh smell. And mornings are the best. But now, you are in the shuttle. It just smells like sweat and old socks. Even the best efforts of the ventilation system is no match to the smell of teenagers. At least you don't sit with those big smelly guys on the back, you get to sit with Syna. She always, always smells nice. Like flowers. And you always find something to talk.

"Are you ready for career day?", she asks with excitement in her eyes and voice. You totally forgot! "Oh no, is that today? I didn't even check who's coming..." She smiles plainly to relax you, "Don't worry, we will have 3 hours. We can check every stand before it ends. Just promise me we will start with medicine stands." How can you say no to those eyes. "So, you will study medicine, you decided?", her face lights up in an instant like someone turned on a switch, "Well, of course. I can't see myself doing anything else. It's been my dream since I was a little kid, you know that." You imagine her in a white coat for a second. She will look so beautiful. "Yeah but, I wanted to be a space cowboy when I was a kid.", your words make her giggle, "These things change when you grow up. I just wondered if you considered other options. Your grades are high, you can get into anywhere."Her face changes a little before she answers, like she is really considering her options. "I know what you mean, but no. Nothing feels satisfying enough. I wanna help people, make them better one by one. I want to look into their eyes and tell them they are better now. And I wanna share those happy tears with them. No, no, I can't do anything else. I need to work in medicine." How can she be so clear about what she wants... You've never been that clear even about smallest things. Not even about her. Okay, you like her. There is no point denying that when you talk to yourself in your own head. But that's all you know. You can't see yourself with her after a couple years. Not that you would break up, you can't see yourself without her either. It is just, you can't imagine your future. You are not able to determine what kind of life you want, or what would you desire in time. That clear of an image is impossible for you. Maybe this career day can give you some ideas.

It is so weird that even the teachers are completely focused on career stuff today.Everyone acts like it is the most important event in the whole world. Since you have no idea about what kind of a career you want, maybe you should join them in their focus. It doesn't matter now, it is already lunch break. You should find Syna so you can go to medicine stand while most of the students eat their lunch. She said she will wait by the B entrance... and there she is. She sees you even before you call to her. She is obviously excited, jumping up and down. As you approach her, you start to think maybe today things would get... official between you two. However your thoughts darken as her twin brother, Simon, steps in front of you, stopping you in your track. "I will accompany my sister. You should go on your own way, for your safety.". Fighting is considered very serious problem and you might even end up expelled from the school. And it is not the only problem. This is a guy who is 2 metres tall and playing in the rugby team. A fight with this guy would give you broken bones, maybe concussion along with expulsion. Also, he and Syna are very close. That is why he is so protective over her and again that is why she lets him. If it wasn't for him, or rather, if it wasn't for her letting him, you would already be in a relationship with Syna. Simon is standing right between you and Syna, figuratively and literally, and she doesn't stop him. Anything you would do to Simon would take Syna away from you forever. You can't see Syna from Simon's giant figure. She is probably getting angry with him, but not enough to really stop him from interfering. For the next 3 hours, you're on your own.

As you wander aimlessly around the stands, one stand catches your eye. While all other attendants are trying to get as much attention as possible, this guy is just sitting there with a book, reading. As it wasn't weird enough, he wears sunglasses under the shadow of the stand's roof. So you approach his stand, which says only "Intelligence" on top, and the guy doesn't even move his head. You decide to be bold and ask the guy; "Why sunglasses in shadows?" He answers immediately, again without moving a muscle, "It's not for sunlight." It is so weird, it is intriguing. You grab a flyer and start reading it. There aren't many, like in other stands. You can't imagine many students taking a flyer with them, considering the awkward atmosphere. It is plain and mainly says that they are looking for not only smart, successful students but also with a certain way of thinking. Now you think about it, writing only intelligence might be another clue, like they are looking for intelligent people or something like that. And at the bottom of the flyer it simply says "When there is resistance, go from the sides.". Is it a quote? There is no name under it. Maybe it is a clue about application? No, no, you just read too many spy novels. They are just trying show-off. "Oh, we are so smart, we write down smarty words in our flyers, oh." As you start to put down the flyer, the guy says "Keep it.". You put it down without taking your hand from it, but the guy lifts his head and looks at you, repeating "Keep it.". There is no noticeable quality in his voice, not commanding, not begging. He is simply saying 'keep it', that is all. And you keep it. You put the flyer in your back pocket and start walking. You look around but your head is still thinking "What was that?". Suddenly you realize something. There is resistance, and its name is Simon. The sentence is right, you can't approach Syna directly, there is no way you can get past Simon. However, you can't go from the side, bypassing Simon. If you could, you would already. Maybe that sentence means something else, or maybe the meaning is clear but the situation is not appropriate to use it. Who cares, you've got an idea because of that sentence.

You need to focus completely on Simon. Syna already likes you, maybe not romantically but if there is something you can do about it, you can do it after Simon is out. Also there is no risk of someone else dating Syna since Simon is like that against everyone, not just you. So you should just work on Simon until you find a way instead of pushing for spending time with Syna as much as possible. You already see each other a lot in the school. And you see a lot of Simon too. But how to approach this? You can't become friends with him. It might take too long and there is no guarantee he would let you see Syna just because you are his friend. As soon as you make your move, you would become his nemesis again. You can help Syna or her family in a big way but it depends too much on luck factor. First, there must be a problem, and then, it must be something you can fix. It is pointless to wait for such an opportunity. Maybe you can learn something bad about Simon, something that he would want to hide, and you can use it to keep him away. No, it would be too risky. What if Syna learns that you blackmailed Simon? No you can't do anything bad to Simon. But, maybe you can do something good for him. Something that would make him feel like he owes you. That is not something easy to find but it is the easier path considering the other options which don't really exist. To go this way, you need to follow Simon closely. You need to find his mistake and think of a way to correct it. To your luck, that moment would come much sooner than you expect.

You don't go near Syna and Simon for the rest of the day. Keeping your distance, you just watch them. You have a lot of experience in that actually. There were many times you had to watch Syna from distance because of Simon. This time you are not watching Syna however. This time, your objective is her brother. It seems like he is planning on joining security forces. A guy like him would only cause trouble. Or maybe it would clear him up, who knows? He doesn't leave Syna's side. You need to wait until he is alone or he won't do anything with people around. Your goal is to catch him doing something that he wouldn't want others to know. So you watch and wait until school time is over, and you see Syna getting on the bus without Simon. You actually shouldn't be late but your parents are not home yet anyway. There won't be any problems if you make it home before they arrive. Simon, on the other hand, probably lied to his parents. You know there is no team training or after-hours classes he can join. You start to wonder what he is doing. As almost everyone leaves the school, you hide behind a wall and watch Simon like a hawk. You are actually pretty good at this. After only a handful of people left on the yard, he makes his move, slipping towards the side of the building. You have to move fast before you lose him, and you can't move through front or someone might notice you shouldn't be here. You have to run through back of the school. Run, you need to run! Okay, this side is done, now you need to run the back. It seems like you are going to make it. You should be able to make it if he doesn't run to the back. In that case, he would catch you, but why would he do that? Almost there, don't make a noise now. Okay stop... just breath for a second. Breath. Okay, now, look carefully. No, where is he? Is he hiding? Where the hell is he? You were fast, you couldn't have missed him. Only answer is, he got in the building. There is only fire exit on this side. Normally, it is not permitted for students to use it without an emergency but as long as no one sees you, you wouldn't get in trouble. Okay, you are at the door, now you need to open it without making any noise. But how can you open it? It was meant to be opened only from inside, now you remember. Wait a second, there is something stuck to the door, it is actually open. Simon, you sneaky ba... It looks like he opened it earlier and stuck that piece of metal to keep it open, so he can get inside when the main door closes. So you open the door, in silence.

You are inside, but where to go now? The corridor is long. There are a couple classrooms to your right, all closed. There is the chemistry lab's entrance at the end, also closed. Only open door is the toilet's to your left. Both men's and women's, side by side. It would be the best to check them before you check the classrooms and other doors. You move towards the men's toilet without making any noise. You know you should be extra careful now, someone might catch you. It would be problematic, so you need to listen for any small noise. Okay, now you are at the entrance of the toilet and clinging to the wall. You should listen before looking in. There are some small noises coming from inside but you can't discern if it is normal. Now, time to look. You should be careful not to be caught because of the mirrors. No one on sight. Maybe he is inside the inner part, which is not visible from the door. You need to move in. Maybe you can see through the mirrors after a few steps. You move slowly, checking the mirror carefully... and there he is. Simon is there, his left is turned to the mirrors, he is playing with his computer. What is that in his mouth? Is that a... rolled cigarette? He is smoking, and it is not tobacco. He hides the smell good though, using a tiny headpiece on the roll. If he is caught, he would be kicked out of the team and there would be all kinds of trouble with the principal and his parents. This is just the thing you wanted to see. Now you need to decide how to act on this. You move back outside. There is a risk of being seen by a teacher or a janitor but it is better if they see you rather than Simon seeing you. But what to do with this information? What if a teacher catches him, and you save him? But how? What if you take the blame? His later career depends on his success in the rugby team, or at least it would harm his chances a lot if he loses it like that. There would be no such thing for you. These cases are not written and not carried over to career schools. The disciplinary action would only come after a second time. Of course, it doesn't mean that everything would be just fine. Constant lecturing from the principal along with teachers watching you like a hawk until you graduate, constant lecturing from your parents along with punishments, grounding, etc... It would be... problematic, sure. However, as long as it doesn't effect your future, it is a storm you can brave. Okay then, you will take the blame for his smoking. So now, he needs to be caught. Mr. Anderson, mathematics teacher should be in school late today. You can send an anonymous message using your computer and wait for him to come here. Although you have to be quick about it, Simon won't stay there for long. Okay, writing "C corridor toilet, NOW!" should be enough to grab his attention. And... done. Now you should get inside and wait for the footsteps.

You can hear Mr. Anderson's footsteps. Okay, you have to handle Simon before he makes too much noise. The teacher shouldn't see him at all. You move quickly to the inside part of the toilet, grab the cigarette from his mouth and you shut his mouth with your hand. As he panics and tries to grab your hand you whisper, "Shh! Someone is coming!". He calms down after understanding what you are trying to do, you grab the spare roll from his right ear and push him inside one of the booths and move to the visible part of the toilet. You put the burning roll in your mouth and the spare on your ear in a visible way. He was actually blowing the smoke into a vent to hide the smell, but you don't have such an option. It is better this way anyway. More evidence the teacher has on you means more chance for Simon not getting caught. Also, it is not like you would inhale. Alright, he is almost here. As he walks in and sees you, you see the shock on his face. "Aiden! I can't believe you! Gimme that!", he grabs the roll from your mouth, much harsher than you did with Simon, "You're coming with me young man." He grabbed your arm and started to push you towards his room. You know what comes next; questions, questions and more questions.

It was such a long day... First that teacher, Mr. Anderson, then the principal, and then finally your parents. Leaving many of their questions unanswered made your situation even harder. What could you say to the question "Where did you get it?", other than "From a friend". You told them you wouldn't betray your friend, even though the principal threatening you with expulsion from the school. And you told them it was your first time. The closer to the truth, the better. You didn't get expelled, but you lost all your privileges along with being grounded for the next billion weekends. Also your mother decided that she will drop you and pick you from the school herself. Well, it could be worse, although you don't know exactly how... At least your plan worked, they didn't catch Simon. Now you wait until next time you see Syna and Simon at school. It was a risky game, Simon might act the same still. You can't say it wasn't you it was Simon. But that was exactly the point. It shouldn't be like intimidation, it should be a feeling of debt. Simon should feel bad about what happened to you because of him. He should get out of your way with complete acceptance. And helping him should put you in a higher place with Syna. The point is, saying 'should' at every step is not really assuring but that was the only game plan you had, and the damage is done anyway. So now, only thing you can do is to wait and see, in your room, alone.

It is almost 9 pm, and there is a knock on your door. Not like your mother's or father's knock, they just barge in after two or three knocks. Something is out of place. You get up from your bed and open the door. It is Syna! She has a big smile on her face, and she just jumps and hugs you as you stand there, frozen with surprise. "Simon told me everything. Thank you. And you would be happy to know I scolded him extensively. If he ever does anything bad to you, I'm gonna break his neck!". YES! It worked! It really worked. "I also talked to your parents and convinced them to go easy on you", she says that as she stops hugging you and locks her eyes with yours. "They won't give up on everything, but you are not grounded for the next weekend. So I thought maybe we can do something, together." She is looking directly into your eyes in silence. You still didn't say anything. You are just enjoying the moment, and the moment is about to become much more enjoyable. Her arms still on your shoulders, her body moves closer and closer to you and she starts to closing her eyes. Your eyes are wide open, you just can't believe this is happening. Her head tilts to right and her lips touch yours. Now you too close your eyes and hug her completely. She smells like flowers. She smells like heaven. Her hands are going through your hair. Your arms embracing her, your left hand touching her left should and your right hand around her waist, you only feel the heat of her body and the her moist lips. This is heaven.

"When there is resistance, go from the sides.". That sentence started everything. It wasn't the sentence itself, or what you understood from it, but the sentence gave you the inspiration. Not going head-on to the situation, it gave you the idea of the indirect approach. You have learned that you might need to put yourself at risk sometimes to get the most desired outcome. You didn't know it at that time but that lesson was going to help you a lot in the future. Sometimes, you need to put yourself in the middle, to get the rewards on every side.

You still have the flyer. Maybe you should seriously think about applying. Who knows, maybe you can have a future in the 'Intelligence' branch of the army.