"Again!" his voice screamed in my ears. My feet were on fire and my breaths were more like desperate gasps for air. I was covered in sweat and my legs felt like jelly. I didn't want to train anymore. I just wanted a break, even a small one. My rough short hair was laced with beads of sweat, as I bent down, my hands on my knees, panting.

"Again!" he repeated, louder this time. I made a weak attempt at a punch, which he easily dodged. "Please try harder," he said, sighing,"Or else you I'll have to attack and you'll defend." Annoyance flashed through me, quick but leaving its mark. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? I was already exhausted as it was, my thoughts keeping me wide awake late at night.

I punched him, harder this time. He sidestepped but my fist still brushed his cheek. He smiled, about to open his mouth to probably praise me or something similar, but then my fist connected with his jaw at lightening speed. He didn't even get the chance to open his mouth.

He rubbed his jaw, glaring at me. "Okay now I attack, you defend," he said, frowning. He circled me, as though he was looking for a weak spot. He took his time, observing.

Thirteen. What kind of name is that? And what was the purification? And why did my assistant have numbers for a name? And the same with D0987C. What did the numbers mean? Why was D0987C different from the other...things? What were they? Questions floated around my head, unanswered, my thirst for knowledge unchanged, not fading.

"I should attack her in the back," he whispered to himself. It was faint and I barely caught it but I heard nonetheless. Why did people keep on saying their secrets out loud? Or was I going crazy?

I sidestepped his punch, moving out of the way faster than I thought I could move. It was almost as though I'd teleported, but I knew my feet had touched the ground. They'd just moved faster than they should've.

The trainer looked surprised, but quickly recovered, throwing another punch, which I also easily dodged. He was whispering them to me. It was as if he wanted me to dodge. Well, I played his game.

We danced around, my feet moving far faster than his, his attempts at punches missing continuously. I sidestepped, dodged and ducked, a smile playing the on my lips. This was more fun than I'd had in quite a while.

After a few rounds of our dance, my trainer grew tired. He aimed for my chest, whispering into my ear, somehow, beforehand. I caught his fist, and squeezed it hard. The trainer gasped. His hand felt as though it was made of paper. I didn't know whether to pull back or to keep on crushing his hand. His screams were deafening, yet his lips never moved. He stared me straight in the eye, his eyes never straying from mine.

I pulled back, scolding myself for being so weak. I was useless. So useless.

The trainer rubbed his hand. "You are dismissed," he said, putting his arms behind his back. I walked off to leave, when I realised I wanted to ask him something.

"Mr...?" I inquired, as I remembered he had never told me his name. "Sir," he said,"Just Sir." "Sir," I started, unsure if I should ask. I had to though. For D0987C's sake.

I took a deep breath. "Do you know what the purification is?" I asked, worried about his reaction. Sir didn't look at me. "Why do you want to know kid?" he asked, his tone cautious. "I just overheard someone saying it," I lied. I lied an awful lot. It was a habit by now.

"Well, kid, I wouldn't recommend you getting involved," Sir said, his dark eyes meeting my pale ones,"Unless you're looking for trouble." My teeth ground together, frustration burning in my veins. "Sir," I said slowly, attempting to control my anger,"I need to find out. Please." I couldn't believe that I was begging him. I really was desperate. "What makes you think I will tell you?" he asked, his mouth set in a grim line,"What in this messed-up world makes you think I will tell you?" I bit my lip. "Please, Sir, I need to know. I need to," I said, my eyes watering,"I-I need to. I-I-I really do. It's so important."

His gaze never strayed from mine, and he after a while he spoke. "Why do you need to know?" Sir asked, his eyes hard. "I-I don't kn-now," I said, trembling the tears beginning to flow out of my eyes,"I'm so con-nfused and s-so scared." His gaze softened a little as though he could sympathise with me. As though he understood. "I j-just want to go home," I said, sounding like a little girl,"But I don't know where home is..."

It was a while before he spoke again. "I'm not one hundred percent sure what it is," he said, his deep voice sounding even deeper than usual,"But I think the do it to fa-Genetically Engineered Humans." I tried to brush away the tears and control my shaking while he spoke, and listened carefully. "I think reprogram them, or something like that,"he said, turning away from me,"Change them completely. They still look the same, but they act like robots afterwards. Like the way f-Genetically Modified Humans are meant to act." I nodded, wiping my eyes. "Now go kid," he said,"You're dismissed."

I thanked him, trembling and smiling through the tears. Walking off quickly, I smiled to myself. That had been easier than I thought. I hadn't expected to hit a nerve that easily.

I am sooooooooooooooo sorry that I didn't update sooner. I'm working on the next chapter right now. Hope you liked this one. Annabel (or should I say Thirteen ;)) is such an anti-hero.