
Seven has been known as a number for the last ten years of his life. Recruited to train in the militaristic customs of his race, he has two years left to prove himself worthy of becoming a Valera Kan—a warrior idol of his creed. But when Eleven, his personal tormentor and longstanding nemesis, picks another fight with him, Seven finds himself before the disciplinary council with an inescapable predicament: work with Eleven to survive his worst test yet, or surrender his life, and future, to the failure of death. Seven isn’t ready to yield to the monster he is becoming, but in order to live, he must.
An earlier version of this short story was an award winner in the 2019 Writers Digest Annual Writing Competition. To read it for free, join my VIP Circle here.