“Now, I know what you’re thinking: Rules are awful,” Viggo went on. “However, if this is going to work, we have to follow them. All of us, even me. The first rule is simple—Wait.”
The boys began whispering to each other, their confusion evident.
Viggo held up a hand and the whispers died down. “See? You didn’t wait,” he said, and some of the boys chuckled.
“I understand that one of the side-effects of what happened to you is intense feelings of anger or fear that make you do things you don’t necessarily want to do. When that happens, whether it is wanting to hurt someone or run away, I want you to wait before you do it.”
The whispers started again, and Viggo let them run on for a moment. One boy stood up and the noise died.
“What do we do after we wait?” he asked in a reed-thin voice.
“I’m glad you asked, Matthew,” Viggo said, gesturing for him to sit back down. “Because after you wait, you need to go to the second rule to decide what to do next. That rule is: Look to your brothers.”
Again, there was a flurry of whispers and confused looks.
“Look to your brothers, meaning each other,” Viggo clarified. “If the other boys aren’t reacting the same way as you, then the emotions you are feeling were triggered by your condition. Hopefully, that will help you to calm down, and think about what made you feel that way.”
Another boy, who looked far more confident than Matthew, asked, “What good is that going to do?”
“Excellent question, Saul,” Viggo said, and the boy nodded and waited for Viggo’s answer. “You have to learn to rely on each other. Right now, your emotions aren’t in your control, and that scares people. If you ever want to live a normal life again, you have to be able to keep your emotions in check.”
“It’s not so easy,” shouted Cody, his face going red. “You’re normal! We’re freaks.”
“You’re not freaks,” said Viggo quickly, his voice thundering out loudly, cutting off the boys’ conversation before it started. “You’re not,” he repeated, meeting their collective gaze. “You’re still human beings, worthy of respect and admiration. But you have to earn it, and you never will, unless you have the courage to fight back—not just against those who hurt you, but against yourselves.”
Several boys nodded, and Cody once again backed off.
I suppressed a smile.
“Now, the last rule just builds on the other two—talk about it. Whatever emotion you are feeling in the moment, you have to try to describe it, and explain what made you feel that way. It will help you identify the things that make you angry or scared, and then help you face them on your own terms.”
Silence fell upon the group as the boys considered Viggo’s words. One of the boys, Matthew, asked nervously, “Do you really think we can do it?”
I bit my lip, seeing the raw, naked hope in his eyes as he stared at Viggo.
“Shut up, Matthew,” Cody hissed, rising to his feet. “Of course we can’t—he’s just setting us up to fail. Besides—he’s not so tough. Watch!”
I was leaping to my feet when the boy took three running steps and jumped into the air, his fist drawn back to strike. Fear exploded in my chest—Viggo was barely out of the hospital and in no condition to fight an enhanced boy.
Except, as I looked at Viggo, my heart pounding hard, I saw that he was calm and collected. He watched the boy flying through the air toward him, and then moved a few feet to the side. The boy slammed hard into the sand, and Viggo moved swiftly again, reaching out to grab him by the wrist and yank it out from under him. The boy, unbalanced by Viggo’s quick move, fell face first into the sand with a small sound, and Viggo moved over to him, placing a knee in the middle of his back, holding him firmly in place.
Viggo turned to the others, his expression calm and even. “Part of your training will include martial arts. I know that you are stronger and faster than most people, but without these classes, you’ll never be able to control it, and that will get you or someone you care about hurt.”
“What if we… break the rules?” Tim asked.
“Good question,” Viggo said, backing off from Cody and helping the boy to his feet. “I want you to understand that I don’t expect perfection starting out. That being said, if you break the rules three times, you’ll be suspended from the program indefinitely, and have to be part of the last group to go through. The choice is yours.” He turned to Cody who was now eyeing him warily. “Thank you for the demonstration, Cody. I appreciate your help.”