Chapter 6
1148 Words
I moaned slowly and heard a soft female voice say. "It seems like she's waking up. Go get Levi. He's been dying to see her wake up."
My eyes fluttered open, as my vision began to become clearer. I looked around when I realized that I was in a small quarters which looked like a hospital room. A makeshift one obviously. The bright white walls of the small room were almost blinding and the thick smell of the room made me want to choke. Why did hospitals always smell the same? I always hated the smell of the cleaning solvent used. The room had small beds placed closely together and had to attach IVs, heart monitors, and oxygen tanks around the beds. It lacked a lot of things I usually saw in an actual hospital and it made me wonder how I got here. I was still dressed in my normal outfit and it put me slightly at ease. I couldn't even imagine some unknown people taking off my clothes without my consent.
"You're really one of us." I whipped my head swiftly to the direction of the person speaking and couldn't help staring at the beautiful young lady standing before me. She looked around my age. Shiny slick long black hair, small nose, and thin lips made up her stunning heart-shaped face. Her significant feature was her dark orange eyes. It looked just like mine. I jolted up instantly. She was a Radiant. Just like me.
She stepped forward when she noticed my shocked expression. Her gaze flickered briefly to the heart monitor, then back at me. "There's a spike in your pulse, but it's okay. I know you're scared, but I'm a friend. I'm Oge. The resident in-house health care practitioner for the Strikers."
My eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell's the Stri-"
A young man, who looked a little bit older than me, walked through the slightly opened door. He had an air of masked confidence that he obviously wore around him and his face softened slightly when he saw me. Lean muscles clung to his red leather jacket that hugged his body loosely. When I looked at him, I immediately recognized him. Even though I barely saw him when I was almost unconscious, I could still tell it was him. This time, I could see his features even more clearly.
He was a sandy brown-haired white guy. Like I knew before. But as I looked closely, I paid heed to his unkempt hair on his head and could see the eyebags that hung under his distinct amber-orange eyes. He wasn't the classically attractive kind, but I couldn't help wondering more about him. His voice, I noted, deep and somewhat hoarse, echoed through the small room.
"You're awake." His Adam apple bobbed quickly. I noticed too and he looked at me intensely, studying me just like I did to him.
"I recognize you. From the lorry. You rescued me."
"I'm surprised you even remembered. I thought you already passed out."
"I almost did, but I never forget a face." I wasn't joking about what I said. I could blame my eidetic memory for that. I couldn't forget anything, no matter how hard I tried.
I caught a peek of a small smile as he spoke. "Well, I'm glad you remember. So I wouldn't have to explain myself right now."
"You still have to explain who you are and why I'm in this place."
"I should have started with that. I can only imagine your confusion. My name is Levi Caden and I-"
"Wait. Caden. Like THE Caden family? The main shareholders of Caden University. The number one Radiant family in Nigeria. That Caden?"
His lips twisted slightly. "Yes. That family. I'm from that family. I'm the regional head of the Strikers unit in Nigeria and to my right is -"
Oge waved her hand dismissively. "I already introduced myself to her."
.
Levi raised his eyebrow. "It seems everyone enjoys interrupting me more than I do."
Oge grinned broadly, not saying anything, as Levi continued talking. "As I was saying, that's Ogechi Nwosu who everyone just calls Oge. She used to be a 500 Level or fifth-year medical student and is now our resident doctor."
Oge pointed out. "I'd rather be called a healthcare practitioner since I still haven't gotten my license. Solely because government law enforcers took me away from my family almost six months ago."
I had to ask. "Aren't you so young to be a fifth-year medical student?"
"I'm almost 19, but I got into a university when I was like, I don't know, 13?"
I gasped. 13???? I was just 16 and I was just months away from entering a university. How possible was that? "Wow. How's that even possible?"
Oge gave me an amused look as if confused by my question but Levi chose to reply instead. "It's her exception."
"Exception?"
Oge honestly looked baffled. "Do you not know anything about being a Radiant?"
Levi shot Oge a look, then explained. "it's what she can do that other humans can't. She has a high IQ, which somehow never affected her EQ. That's her exception. Having and taping into something regular humans can't. Not a superpower. Only an untapped defect."
A flash of excitement sprung up Oge's eyes. Oge seemed so engrossed into what she was saying to them, as she paced around. "It's a lot more complex than what he said and I'll explain it some other time. It's really fascinating. Plainly, you must have something about you that exempts you from other people. Radiants and Humans included. Something that stands out from the usual Radiant general quality." She emphasized the last words. "Something distinct."
I thought for a while, wondering what she was talking about. A notion rang through my head and realization had engulfed me. "My school counselor and my doctor always get marveled by my eidetic memory. So that has to be it. People think of me as a genius, because of it."
Levi c****d his head slightly. Soft amber-orange eyes held mine. My breath hitched at his firm look. "Eidetic memory?"
"I always remember anything and everything. It's practically photographic and all. It's hard to explain. It's like having a camera in your head. Gives me all the images I need." I never really saw it as a gift. I used it a lot in school to survive, but it wasn't like I could brag around with it. I didn't really have friends I could share it with, so I assumed I was just smart.
Eyes sparkling, Oge clapped. "A gift like yours would be useful for the Strikers."
"I've been hearing that word a thousand times and I have no idea what you mean by 'the Strikers' because I'm so confused right now."
Levi's voice became low and held a deeper timbre to it when he spoke up. "The Strikers is the name of our Nigerian based district. The people in it make up the strikers and we are here to protect and take care of our kind."
- Writer
