Alicia
Alicia punched Alice in the face. Blood gushed from her sister’s nose as she crumpled to the ground. Alice groaned and got up. She looked at her with angry eyes. But Alicia knew she wasn’t furious at her.
Alicia felt guilty about what she did to her sister, but it had to be done. In order for both of them to enter S.A.T Academy, they had to complete the last part of the placement test combat. She ran at her again. Alice tumbled away from her and flipped on her feet.
Alicia went to strike her again. To her surprise, Alice grabbed her arm and flipped her overhead, dropping her on her back. She felt her breath being momentarily taken away as the wind knocked her. Alice lifted her leg and then dropped it toward her belly. She swiftly rose from the ground and gracefully split her legs apart, displaying her agility.
In one fluid motion, she seized hold of Alice’s leg and guided her into a split, their faces inches apart, sharing a moment of intense focus. Without changing positions, the sisters exchanged blows. Alice punched her in the eye, and she elbowed her in the throat.
“Enough!”
A man’s voice broke the atmosphere of the battle. Both girls stopped and looked over at him. A tall, copper-skinned man of Asian descent walked towards them. He was wearing a tactical suit that was highlighted with green lights running down his arms. The girls separated, and Alice helped Alicia off the ground, pulling her arm over her shoulder. The girls smiled at each other as their instructor glared at them.
He folded his arms behind his back and said, “I told you two to choose another partner.”
Alice met his stare and blurted out, “Agent Bin Musa, we thought it would be more effective to test together because we know each other so well.”
Alicia held her breath. Her sister had a tendency not to think before she spoke. Their assessor, Adam Bin Musa, furrowed his eyes, his expression unchanging.
“Which is why you two should have chosen a different testing partner. When you are out on the field, once you graduate, you will face opponents you aren’t familiar with.”
A second masculine voice chimed in, interrupting him mid-sentence.
“Plus, it’s dangerous when your opponent knows your fighting style.”
They turned and saw Luther, Alicia and Alice’s older brother, approaching. He was a teenage boy with dark skin and cornrows. He was dressed in a tight black t-shirt and black joggers, similar to what the girls were wearing. He stopped in front of them and continued.
“They will figure out a pattern and exploit your weaknesses.”
Alice’s expression turned dark and hostile, her lips curling into a menacing grimace.
“We’ll always be together. We’re a package deal.”
She got out of her sister’s grasp and got into the boy’s face. Despite her small stature, she stood tall, her gaze meeting the boy’s with unwavering determination. As Alicia looked at Alice, she observed that she was favoring her right leg, leaning on it for support, and cursed at herself. She may have injured her leg. She got in between her siblings. Then she looked at the boy and tried to reason with him.
“Luther, Alice, and I work better together as a cohesive unit than apart. Besides, part of being an S.A.T. agent works well with others.”
Their older brother Luther turned his nose down at her.
“Alicia, I thought you had more reason than Alice, but clearly, I was wrong. We’re going to run this test again. This time, I will be your opponent.” He glanced at Alice and then turned back to her. “Since she can’t finish the combat portion of your assessment test, then you’ll have to face me.”
He walked toward the center of the training mat. Adam, who was silent at the sibling quarrel, shook his head.
“Luther, you are still a S.A.T. student. You can’t interfere with the recruits.”
Luther started to stretch.
“Agent Bin Musa, according to section twelve of the S.A.T Preparatory School guide, if a student or an active agent feels as though a recruit hasn’t proved admittance in school, they have a right to challenge as they see fit. And I’m invoking a challenge by combat.”
Alicia knew that rule all too well. The year 2010 witnessed a widespread expulsion of S.A.T. agents because of the revelation that influential families who were paying them off to secure their children’s enrollment in the academy had corrupted a significant number of instructors and recruiters.
In a split second, Adam’s eyes widened in astonishment, followed by his brows furrowing in deep concentration. He folded his arms and stared Luther down.
“And in that same guide, section thirteen, that agent and or student doesn’t have the right if personal feelings come into play. You wouldn’t be happening to say this because you’re preventing both of your sister’s admittance to S.A.T., would you?”
Luther unfolded his arms, then extended his legs.
“My father challenged me.”
Adam unfolded and said in a quiet voice, “You and I both know it wasn’t personal. Don’t make this difficult for your sisters. Yes, I wanted them to choose other partners, but they didn’t actually break the rules.”
Alicia couldn’t help but notice that every recruit and agent in the room paused their activities to gawk at them. She inwardly shook her head.
“Great, we’re giving them a show.”
Luther stopped mid-stretch and pointed in Alicia’s direction.
“They operate as one body. Of course, they would choose each other because they don’t actually want the challenge of what it actually means to be a S.A.T. agent. You know I am right.”
Adam looked at him and then nodded.
Luther turned to where his sisters were standing and barked, “Recruit 1865! Get in the fighting circle!”
Alicia felt her ears go hot, and then she looked at Adam, who made a gesture with his hands as if to say it had nothing to do with him. She felt annoyed at the older man. Adam always insinuated that she and Alice’s bond was unhealthy. They were twins. Their bond was more special than anyone else. They were stronger together.
She walked towards the circle, but Alice extended her arm in front of her. She gave her sister a questioning gaze. Alice’s dark brown eyes meet hers. Alicia saw the fury in them. Alice was about to do something reckless.
She looked over at her brother, his arms crossed and his eyes furrowed at them. Alicia knew her brother would exploit Alice’s injured state. Agent Bin Musa couldn’t stop it because, according to S.A.T. rules, no one can interfere with a challenge by combat. Then, Alicia had an idea.
Alice
Alice was limping toward the circle. Alicia quickly ran up to her and grabbed her shoulder. Alice looked at her, scowling. Why is Alicia trying to stop her? Alicia whispered her plan in her ear. Alice’s eyes widened in realization, then she looked at her twin once more and nodded.
Alice stood opposite Luther in the fighting circle. To get into her fighting stance, she shuffled her feet, only to experience a sharp pain in her left leg. She resisted the urge to cry out. She didn’t want to give Luther the satisfaction of her temporary weakness.
Luther has always been as, by the book, as their mother. When she and Alicia turned twelve and received their letters for S.A.T recruitment, he quizzed them both every day on S.A.T protocol and guidelines. This led to arguments between her and Luther, and Alicia always had to play mediator.
Luther charged at her; she avoided his attack with a tumble to the left. The pain in her left leg throbbed, and tears pooled in her eyes from the pain. As she struggled to regain her footing, Luther delivered a punishing leg drop that knocked the wind out of her.
Luther momentarily knocked the wind out of her. He grabbed her left leg and rolled her onto her belly, never letting go of her leg. She pushed her arms on the ground to lift herself up and prepared for a frontward tumble. Luther twisted her leg at an opposite angle.
Alice felt the sharp pain in her leg multiply, holding back her screams. Then she heard a grunt. And her leg was out of Luther’s grasp. She turned her body around, mindful of her leg, and saw that Alicia was on Luther’s back and had him in a sleeper hold.
She gritted out, “I accept your challenge.”
Despite the pain, Alice’s grin grew wider. According to S.A.T. standards, the combat challenge would only start once the other person being challenged accepted it verbally, and she and her twin knew this very well, which is why they work so well as a team.
Luther let out a guttural wheeze and attempted to dislodge her, but Alicia maneuvered her body, evading his grasp. Then she let go of his arms and fell backward. Her legs were still wrapped around his torso. She used her momentum to flip them both over, landing on his body with a split. Alicia quickly got up and ran towards Alice. Alice put up her hand, stopping her.
“My leg hurts. Careful.”
Alicia walked towards her and grabbed her left hand. Alice squeezed her right hand, letting her know she was alright.
“What was that!?”
The sisters turned towards their irate brother, who was being helped by a light brown skin recruit. Luther roughly pushed away the recruit and stalked towards them.
Alicia put a restraining arm on Alice’s shoulder. Alice was struggling to get up from the floor, forgetting her injured leg. Luther stood over them, his ebony face drenched with sweat.
“Cheating? Really Alicia? I expected better from you. No one is to interfere with a challenge of combat.”
Alicia met his glare with one of her own.
“I didn’t interfere. I met your challenge and won. While you were busy messing with Alice, who wasn’t the original recipient of the challenge.”
The recruit with brown skin, who had been brushed off earlier, snorted.
Luther turned to him and hissed, “Shut up, Samson.”
Alicia knew that she and Alice had escaped her brother’s ire for now. Samson continued to laugh. Luther stalked toward him, raising a clenched fist towards him. Adam grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. He lowered his head near Luther’s ear, but Alicia heard what he hissed.
“Student Johnson, that’s enough!”
Adam lifted his head and yelled around the training room.
“Nothing to see here! Hit the showers!”
The recruits slowly walked toward the locker rooms. The older agents quickly ushered them and the older students out of the area.
Alice asked her sister, “Help me up?”
Alicia pursed her lips at her.
“Your leg might be broken.”
Alice made a rude sound, “I’m fine.”
Samson, who Alicia just realized was still in the training room with them, interrupted, “You’re clearly not,” he said in a dry tone.
Alice scrunched her ebony face at him.
“Why are you still here?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Didn’t Agent Bin Musa say ‘hit the showers’?”
Samson crossed his arms and glared down at her. “Clearly I’m here to help you to the Med Bay.”
Alice said stubbornly, “I only need Alicia to help me.”
She reached her hand at her sister.
Alicia
Alicia gave her sister a patient smile. Then she glanced at Samson, who was looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. She felt confused. Why is Samson upset with her?
Adam’s voice cut through the tension, “Recruit 1869. You heard what I said. Hit the showers.”
Adam loosened his hold on Luther’s arm. The boy stretched his arm, glaring at the instructor, then glared at the three recruits.
Adam continued, “And don’t worry about Recruit 1866. I will escort her and her siblings to the Med Bay because they will have to explain to Director Johnson why they made a mockery of S.A.T Procedure.”
Alicia inwardly groaned as her brother’s by-the-book attitude was matched, if not exceeded, by her mother’s rigid expectations.