“His knuckles and the back of his hands were scraped up and were a little bloody. But there are no other visible signs of blood. He’s pretty shaken up, though. We’ve offered him food and water, but he said his stomach is in knots.”
“His body is under duress from the emotional effects of fighting physically,” I said.
“We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Thank you.”
I knew right off the bat that I’d need to begin working with Ryder right away on his trust issues. Trusting others would be a challenge for him, given his background, but he’d have to meet the challenge head-on and try. Otherwise, everything at Omnia was going to be difficult for him. I picked my phone up from the table in front of me when the screen lit up with an incoming call from Kaleb.
“Morning, Kaleb,” I said when I answered.
“Morning, Atlas. Have you spoken to the boy?”
“I stayed on the phone with him until Oliver and D’Andre reached him. He’s upset, though wearing a suit of armor.”
There was a brief pause, but I had a feeling I knew what was on the tip of his tongue. I remained silent while Kaleb decided whether or not he wanted to remind me that Ryder wasn’t like the majority of the other young men who attended Omnia Academy. Finally, he threw it out there again.
“Ryder Smith is going to take a lot of work, Atlas.”
“I don’t think it’s fair for us not to give Ryder a fair shot. Who’s to say he won’t turn out to be the apple of some King’s eye?”
“Be that as it may, you and I both know that the most sought after Omnias end up coming from some of the most stable upbringings. Ryder Smith has had no stability. And now you’re having to fly to the other side of the damn country to pluck him from the fire in which he found himself in.”
“Kaleb, you know it isn’t his fault.”
“I do, yes. And I agree with you. It’s unfortunate. But, Atlas, he hasn’t even been seen by our psychologist or doctors yet.”
“I’m aware that by now the Omnias have been visited by the medical and psychological staff. He’s a late acceptance, but we’ve had them before.”
“We have. But they’ve also been supported by a strong family.”
“Kaleb, are you going to bust my balls over this boy during my entire flight to Los Angeles?”
“No, I apologize. I’ll be in the wings rooting him, and you, on. You’ve never failed, and I don’t expect you to now. It’s just a very large chunk of something unknown that you’re taking a bite out of. You’ll be very busy over the next four years grooming him so he can work for us.”
“He has nothing to lose and much to gain. I will work with him.”
“I can’t wait to meet the young man.”
“And with all due respect, Kaleb, Ryder won’t work for the council.”
“Oh? Has he not been briefed on the lifelong dedication that is expected of him?”
“He has been. However, he will be selected by a King.”
Even though Kaleb laughed, I didn’t take it as him laughing at my words. It was more of him laughing at the notion that some kid with a background such as Ryder’s would amount to anything within the society we’d kept under wraps.
“Alright, Atlas. I need to get going as well. Travel safe, and please text me if you need anything.”
“Thank you. I’ll make the arrangements to get Ryder at a nearby hotel until the start of term.”
“Again, if you need anything that you’re unable to arrange, let me know, and I’ll take care of it.”
“I appreciate it. Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”
As I thought about all of the things I needed to get done with Ryder over the next few weeks, my mind strayed to how he was doing emotionally right now. It had been a little while since I’d spoken with Oliver and D’Andre and decided to check in with them again. This time I sent a text to Oliver rather than call. If either of them had their phone volume on, I didn’t want to disrupt Ryder in case he’d fallen asleep.
How is Ryder?
