She looked at him coldly then shook her head.
“My Boss admires your Spirit but it is too unbridled.
I will come when you realize your situation.”
“Have a wonderful night!”
A covered tray of food was put on the floor before his bed and by the time the door was shut his heart was still beating.
*What was that?*, he thought, *is she a Telekinetic Cultivator?*
Remembering there was something to eat at some point was when he noticed his hands were shaking as he tried leaving his bed.
He frowned, shut his eyes and clenched his fist until they stopped moving without his consent, then he went down.
Tumunomi Escaver opened the tray to see that the meager piece of bread and spread was in contrast to the grand tray.
And when he took a bite, he cried.
He remembered Derek saying that cultivation eliminated Weakness and was why he loved it.
And that passion had passed on to Tumunomi Escaver but how were they to even start?
Derek had told him that resources to cultivate became steeper and steeper as time went on.
Plus, where were orphans supposed to find such resources?
When he took the second bite he realized that he had to double his training and use whatever means necessary to get cultivation resources.
After that, he would definitely come after Mrs.
Marilyn and he would save the last for the owner of this building.
How he wished that he was more like his roommates that knew how to better act.
Where were they?
***
A week passed and each daily visit had Tumunomi Escaver looking very withdrawn, he had even become silent.
The 1st day, she was not there to visit him, and he only moved from his bed after they had left
The 2nd day, she also was not there and this time he crawled as they came in not saying anything when they placed the food tray down.
The 3rd day came and went as his weight dropped and the circles under his eyes grew more pronounced.
4th, 5th, 6th and a 7th.
Mrs.
Marilyn visited him after 7 days more.
And although she glared at Tumunomi Escaver, she did not say anything, only leaving the door to his room open after she had gone.
Plus, the food had another pill inside of it along with a note;
‘Come see me when you have straightened out your manners.’
He looked at the tray and the food had finally began looking better as the food actually covered half the tray now.
It was spaghetti and sauce sprayed with corned beef.
In the middle was a fat piece of meat so cooked and seasoned that it almost glowed.
He recalled Derek saying that the food cultivators ate could last a mortal several days.
And as he eyed the pill he prepared himself for pain when he was done nibbling the meat.
Water and a pill slid down his throat as a sharp pain like a muscle pull fired down his body.
He arced his back in reflective response and he writhed on the ground while his legs kicked out on their own until he unconsciously got up to fall.
His legs felt fragile but they had been restored.
So shocked was he that he did not hear the door.
“Hey, Tumunomi Escaver what happened?”
“Hey!
Are you okay?”
Their eyes met and they saw his tiredness along with his weight loss.
He only shrugged.
Jacob had a million questions but seeing the expression on the boys face and his form, his words stuck.
“Here, we go fruits!”
Ivan, Peter, John, Jake and Andrew all presented something to him and he reached out before he realized stuffing them into his mouth.
“What happened though?”
In between the food and still trying to thinking of ways to wrest cultivation resources rom the orphanage, his grunts could not have been any less obscure he also had food stuffed.
“Hmm”
“Did they beat you?”
“Hmm.”
“How do you feel
“Hmm.”
What do you want to do now?”
He paused, but added a thoughtful ‘Hmm.”
Jacob’s eyes had been on his, and Tumunomi Escaver entertained the gaze by matching it without stopping.
Jacob looked away and then found ground space to seat on, John was a close second and was already curled on it.
Peter was he only one still talking.
“…do you know that most times we slept on the floor?
The rooms were so packed and here I thought we were already full to the brim?
It was so crazy I even had t…”
The next day they found their bunk beds lining the hallway and they dragged it in by themselves, several men to a single task.
***
One day, they had just eaten lunch when Tumunomi Escaver’s eyes changed and he started walking towards the door.
Jacob quickly stood between him which prompted Ivan to join him.
“What’s happening?”
“That look,” the boy said, “was the same one he had that day.”
“Oh,” they all crowded themselves at the room entrance and his face darkened.
“What are you doing exactly?”
“Keep us updated.”
“Why?” It was more of a snarl than a question.
“Imagine if you had told us your plan, we could have done more damage and gone farther.”
“You complained about strokes of the cane but you wanted to shoulder what I went through?”
“No, I complained about you calling us out and then realized that we had indeed agreed we will all trail out.”
Tumunomi Escaver wanted to beat them all down, but he needed Mrs.
Marilyn to listen to him.
So, his fists loosened and they gathered around him.
***
“You go first,” Peter nudged John.
“No, you!” John nudged Peter.
“Shush.”
“You, shush Ivan!”
The roommate’s had walked down to the hallway and instead of going straight to the Cafeteria, they made a turn with Tumunomi Escaver in the lead and Jacob right behind him.
Her office was on the right after the cafeteria and closer to the main entrance.
Tumunomi Escaver knocked on her door several times before it swung open on its own accord.
It was not locked properly.
“No of course not, they wont ever see the light of day again.
Rest assured.”
“Of course the trash would be disposed, human and object alike.
You taught me that use lies in productivity.”
“Yes the Orphans are still the best pick, as they have no parents their welfare and wellbeing is in our hands.”
Her room did not hold a candle to the owners but its own self contained facilities and it was one they would pick as theirs if given the chance.
Mrs.
Rose Marilyn spun her rotatable chair and saw most of them gawking at her, Jacob’s eyes made her feel like he was older than they assumed and Tumunomi Escaver’s was indifferent.
She had not expected them so early.
At least, for him, she knew why he was here but not them.
“Can I call you right back?”
…
“No, it is nothing.
Nothing at all.”
“Who invited you in?”
Tumunomi Escaver took a step forward but Jacob held his hand.
“We are sorry, we will come back later.”
She chuckled, “how can I let you go after hearing what you just did?”
He laughed then kowtowed and Jacob then slapped at their legs making them follow him.
Tumunomi Escaver kicked his approaching hand and eyed them before turning back to her
She studied him and none of them made a sound till she broke it.
“You still have not learned your lesson.”
“We have business.”
She smiled and the door shut itself with a bang that startled John and Peter into falling on their backs.
“Do you want revenge?”
“I want Derek…”
“You don’t want to take matters into your hands, you don’t want to stop feeling helpless?”
“…First, I want Derek before I start thinking about how to treat her.”
She smiled wider, surprisingly.
“What about me?”
“She’s a bigger threat but, you too.”
“What do you mean, I can give you a chance to-” she stopped herself.
“What happened to him?”
“I can give you information and leads, but you need to make a promise with me.”
He looked at her.
“What do you want?”
“See, I can give you the chance to gain power.
Is that not why you wanted to take what is not yours?” She held his gaze.
“Like the bread and even wanting to taking away her life out in the open?”
He looked at her and still did not reply.
“Your desire to be taken in by a foster family, your desire to make sure you develop your body, your desire to get merit points by taking your chores seriously, your desire to let the owner how serious you are about your goals.”
He was still silent but he looked like he was listening.
“I can help you, but it will take time.”
“How much time?”
Mrs.
Rose Marilyn weighed his age, his potential and the fact that he had not yet began cultivation.
“4 years.”
“4 years?” He looked at her incredulously.
“Would he still be alive by then?”
“I can give you a…
Lead.”
“Before we start,” he looked around, “why are they here?”
John fell on his butt as he was shocked at Tumunomi’s comment, Andrew was likewise surprised but he did not show it.
Jake had to support himself from falling, Ivan looked at Tumunomi Escaver like he had seen him the first time.
Peter gasped.
Jacob though, knew that the only person Tumunomi Escaver had ever considered as a friend was Derek.
In fact, he had only helped Peter because he too had noticed that whenever the orphans were noticed with defects they had…
disappeared.
And Tumunomi Escaver had personally carried out experiments to be sure of that fact.
Jacob turned to leave but Mrs.
Rose Marilyn’s words made him pause.
“Why not?” she turned to regard them.
“They have potential, meaning they can either stand on their feet, act to motivate you or do both.”
She then tapped her wrist upon which sat a watch – her Telewatch – and then glancing through videos by sliding down its miniature screen with her fingertips.
After editing one, she then brought it up to Tumunomi Escaver’s face.
Tears fell, *so you are alive.
You made it.
You should have let me know at the very least.* And after crying, he wiped his tears.
“How?”
“I will only divulge leads to him after you accept my conditions.” She held his gaze.
“Along with all of them doing the same.”