Chapter 16
Sixteen
Elodie
Igo into the locker room with a stomachache, which probably isn’t a good start to an intensive training seminar that’s likely to involve a lot of pummeling.
The question of what that pummeling might look like today—and whether I can avoid doing more damage to my fellow trainees—has been gnawing at me since the text went around this morning summoning us.
And that’s on top of the worries that were already nibbling at my gut about my “extra credit” excursion with Cole tomorrow afternoon.
Why did I agree to his terms? I mean, other than because it was obvious he wasn’t going to budge, and I’d already given away when I needed to sneak off, so I’d obliterated any possibility of hiding my plans.
Augh.
My mind keeps jumping between fretting about how I’m going to answer all his inevitable questions and reminding me that I need to concentrate on my more immediate problems outside the locker-room doors.
The internal buzz dies down when Stella slips into the room.
She stops at the far end of the bench from me, not glancing over as she pulls on her sparring uniform. It turns out my stomach has room for a little more ache.
I shouldn’t care that she’s hurt by what I said. She wasn’t really my friend—she doesn’t know me, only Other Elodie.
But with every day she keeps her distance, it’s more obvious she isn’t plotting against me even in some minor way. Why would she make such a big deal about a few accusing comments if her main priority is finding an opening to stab me in the back?
I think I really did hurt her feelings. And out of all of Other Elodie’s friends, she’s the one who’s seemed the most genuine in her friendliness.
Admittedly, it’s kind of a low bar.
Girding myself, I tug on my training shoes and walk over to her. Cadance and Madison, who were giggling with each other over how hot Captain Ross is “for an old guy,” pause in their conversation to watch.
“Hey,” I say quietly, aware of other gazes veering toward us.
A falling out between two of the academy’s queen bees is big news on campus.
“I need to apologize. I’m sorry I went off on you on Friday.
I was rattled by the training and frustrated about other things, and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. ”
She stays silent as she pulls her hair into a stricter braid than her usual style. Tucking one stray wisp behind her ear, she finally glances over at me. “Did you mean it? Is that really what you think of me—that I’m a hypocrite who’d rather take the easy route than do what’s right?”
I open my mouth and close it again, struggling with my words. I’m pretty sure I could say that about Cadance—except she isn’t hypocritical about it; she’ll happily celebrate her easy life.
The others… I don’t actually know them well enough to judge. Even if they enjoy their families’ status in lucent society and the other versions of them looked down on me in my old reality, that doesn’t mean they’re total slackers.
I can’t tell a woman I’ve supposedly been friends with for at least fifteen years that I haven’t seen enough of her to be sure, though.
I settle on an answer that feels reasonably honest but also considerate.
“No. I think we haven’t had a real chance to challenge ourselves so we know how we’d react anyway—and that goes for me too.
” At least, the version of me she thinks she knows.
Although even Other Elodie got into something more dangerous than any of her friends seem to have imagined.
“If any of us has the guts to make a stand, I’d say it’s you. ”
Stella’s mouth twists, but she dips her head in acknowledgment. “Fair. I just—I don’t want to think about you judging me or whatever while we’re getting through this military training craziness, okay? I’ve got to focus on what I’m doing and not worry about anything else.”
So she’ll be keeping her distance when we go out there. But maybe we can ease back into something like the old status quo later.
“Fair,” I repeat, with a tentative smile. “Good luck. After Friday, I have a feeling we all need it.”
I’ve regained enough ground that she gives a short laugh.
The instructions said to gather in the gymnasium. I’m hoping that means we don’t have to deal with the shocker machine and the obstacle course again.
We file out into the large room with its lingering tang of sweat to find Captain Ross and Professor Jovak waiting for us.
Ross’s voice resonates through the gym. “Good to see everyone.” His sweeping gaze pauses on Salvatore, who’s made an appearance this time, swaggering out of the boys’ locker room.
“It’s important that you all attend every session, so we can build on your skills and contribute to each other’s learning effectively. ”
Salvatore can probably guess that the comment is mainly aimed at him, but he saunters on through the gathered students without a reaction. He passes behind me, and I sense him coming to a halt several steps away where he can watch my back.
“We’re taking a more honed approach today,” Ross goes on.
He motions to a row of black panels set up along one wall, about twenty feet across in total.
“I’ve commandeered more equipment for your benefit.
This session will help you narrow in on your weakest points so you can focus on bolstering them afterward.
We’ll go in groups of four or five, starting with the oldest.”
He ushers a few of the 16th years to stand in a row several feet back from the panels. It occurs to me abruptly that Grady isn’t among them or the other final-year students hanging back to wait their turn.
He’s ranked near the top of his class, and his family is nearly as prominent as the Devines. Why wouldn’t he have been tapped to join the supplementary program?
Maybe he’s too busy with his new, questionable after-school activities, whatever they are, and he managed to get excused.
From the sidelines, it’s hard to tell exactly what the military device does.
Ross pushes a couple of buttons on a control box in his hands.
The air shudders with a reverberating whomp of scattered ephemera that only grazes my skin in tiny pulses—and all four of the students in front of the panels flinch.
The effect only lasts a few seconds, unlike the shocker, but it obviously has an impact. One guy grasps his elbow. The girl among them stumbles and presses her hand to her waist, her breath coming with a pained hitch.
Ross nods. “Good. Take note of where the energies affected you the most and practice collecting ephemera around those areas to strengthen and shield them.”
He waves the first set of students away and beckons over the rest of the 16th years.
My stomach sinks. It’ll be our year next.
At least this exercise doesn’t appear to be as painful or injury-inducing as last week’s?
The second set of students reacts with similar discomfort before wobbling off to sit on the mats and concentrate on ephemera work. I step in front of the black panels with Asher at one side, Stella at the other, Cadance and Byron beyond her.
“Keep your stance relaxed but ready,” Ross tells us. “No shielding at this point.”
Every instinct in my body clamors to conjure some protection, but I follow the rules. It might really be useful to discover weak points I’ve been unaware of.
Knowing is half the battle, as my original Salvatore used to say with a smirk like he was quoting something.
Ross fiddles with his control box again. The first faint tingle of projected ephemera brushes over my face.
The pulses of energy hit me in a rapid rhythm from the top down, smacking my forehead, nose, chin, neck, waking up an ache in the left side of my jaw and a sharper jab at the base of my throat—
And then it outright wallops me across the chest, so hard I tumble onto my ass.
With a stifled gasp, Stella thumps to the ground next to me. Asher staggers and spins toward us, his eyes wide with a concern I feel in a flare through my marked palm.
Every nerve in my body is ringing, with an extra throbbing in my gut and my left knee. But a jolt of alarm pierces through my spinning thoughts.
“I’m—I’m okay,” I stammer out before Asher can take more than one step toward me. Byron has tensed too, watching, and Salvatore has barged to the edge of the panel area, radiating protective fury. I avoid looking directly at any of them.
Durga protect us, let no one wonder about their reactions.
I manage to heave myself to my feet with just a brief sway, but Salvatore’s head jerks toward Captain Ross. “What the fuck was that? Your tech didn’t hit the other groups that way.”
Ross is scowling at his controls. He glances over at me and Stella, who’s picking herself off the ground gingerly. “I’m so sorry. Some of the connections must have been miscalibrated, and the effect overloaded. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again. Does anyone need a nurse?”
I shake my head, and Stella does the same. She limps slightly as we tramp away from the panels, but her steps even out after several paces.
“Are you—?” I start to ask.
She hurries farther across the room without even looking my way. Clearly my earlier olive branch didn’t extend quite far enough.
Cadance catches my arm and tugs for me to sit next to her on a mat. “She’s really got a stick up her ass now, doesn’t she? But then, what’s new?”
I recoil inwardly from her insults with their breezy delivery, but I force myself to sit. Other Elodie’s friends are my most direct connection to the upper-crust lucent world I’m not really comfortable navigating. I probably shouldn’t piss any of them off too much.
Still, I have to push back a little. “It’s my fault. I went too far.”
“Nah.” Cadance grins at me. “You were savage—I liked it. Sometimes you’ve got to call it like it is.”
A prickle runs down my spine with the impression that she’s sucking up to me.
Why? Because I was closer with Stella before and she sees an opening to claim the spot as top bestie?