Chapter 7 #2
“Just wondering. I accidentally went the wrong way this morning and found it… But back to the trials. Anything specific I should know since I came in late?” I inquire.
Bree sighs as her eyes turn cold and her expression goes flat.
“They really didn’t tell you anything before dropping you in here, did they?
” she says, almost sounding sorry for me.
I shake my head. We round another corner for the last lap.
“The missions they send the Dark Forces out on are highly dangerous, and they don’t have time or resources to waste on the criminals who can’t keep up.
So before the graduation they hold the Under Trials.
From what we’ve heard, it’s a set of three obstacle courses, and all of them require us to try to kill each other. ”
I swallow, looking around at how many other recruits there are. There must be around a hundred of us. This sounds like it will be utter chaos.
“What happens after the trials? General Nolan told me there were only four squads. There’s not enough room on them for what’ll be left of us, is there,” I say more as a statement than a question, taking into consideration that the squads are probably made up of less than eight soldiers each.
Damian chimes in. “The death rate is high. Almost three new recruits are needed monthly to replace what’s on the existing squads.
Sometimes soldiers are promoted to officers, but it’s been awhile since the last one.
Those who are left over get recycled here.
” He nods at the men in uniforms holding M16s as they watch us do our rounds.
“But you already have your destination set, don’t you?
” His eyes narrow with his wry smile. I don’t miss the way his gaze flicks to Cameron.
I deflate. I’m going to be killed by my own squadmate. “Yeah. I’m Mori’s new partner.” The words come out before I can stifle them. My hands fly to my mouth, and Damian’s eyes flicker to Bree’s with satisfaction.
They just fucking played me.
“There’s the confirmation I was looking for,” he says in a gleeful tone that makes my jaw tick. “Wait until the others hear about this.”
Bree giggles at his words, but all I feel is hopelessness.
A whistle rings through the air and we come to a stop, trying to catch our breaths. I ignore the two of them the best I can, fuming at myself for spilling. Cameron was right, I have loose lips. I groan at the thought.
“Don’t beat yourself up. Our specialty is getting intel out of people.” Damian winks like this isn’t life or death for me.
Bree grins. “We need to prove ourselves any way we can. They’re always watching, and they’re always taking notes on our strengths. So don’t let yourself be so easy to manipulate,” she lectures like she’s actually trying to help me out.
I can’t really be upset with them when I’m the one who needs to sharpen up.
These two are going to tell their buddies and soon the whole Under will know. We’ll be the main targets.
My gaze finds Cameron’s from across the room. He’s going to be annoyed that I just made our predicament harder.
The drill sergeant shouts over everyone and orders us to get into our lines. The cadets move with instinct, knowing exactly where it is they’re to go. I get lost in the frenzy, but find a spot between two people before a hard hand grips my shoulder and pulls me back.
“This is my spot,” a man snaps and takes my place.
I look around the group, everyone is in perfect lines. Oh God. Cameron never told me where I’m supposed to stand. I frantically look for him, but don’t see him against the far wall anymore.
“Go to the back,” Damian hisses from a few people over.
I turn on my heels, heading to the back when my nervous gaze shifts to Drill Sergeant Adams at the head of the group.
His dark brown eyes find me quickly and he blows his whistle so loud that it rattles through my bones.
“You, come here right fucking now.” His voice is booming and sends a chill down my spine.
Eyes from every direction dart toward me. I carefully weave between bodies until I’m standing before him.
“What’s your name, Cadet?” he snaps. I stare at the ground with my hands fisted at my sides.
“Emery Maves, sir,” I say much softer than I was going for, but my voice won’t steady.
Adams is even more horrifying up close than he is far away.
His baseball cap is low, casting shadows over his dark brown eyes.
His black tactical jacket is sharp, the gold insignia of the Dark Forces clipped to his armband and another to his chest. Deep scars line the side of his neck, I try not to stare.
How is he even alive after something like that? I swallow.
“Cadet Maves, are you having a hard time finding your place here?”
That’s hardly fair. “Um…I haven’t been instructed—”
He cuts me off with his booming voice, making me flinch into myself.
“Cadet Maves, it’s no one’s responsibility but your own to find your place here in the Under.
Now fuck off to your spot in the back and stay there.
I don’t want to see you out of line again, got it?
” A few chuckles sound from my peers, making my jaw flex.
“Yes, sir,” I choke out before turning and heading to the back of the group.
In the sea of black uniforms, a flicker of blond catches my attention.
Cameron slowly glances at me, he’s standing in the rear of the group.
Our eyes meet briefly, then he starkly looks away.
I can’t be mad he didn’t tell me one of the hundreds of things we’re supposed to know.
It’s not like he’s in his right mind after all.
He reluctantly returns his gaze to me. I hold his intense stare for as long as I can, waiting for him to look away first. Of course, he doesn’t.
There’s a storm of secrets and dreary thoughts behind those eyes, and it makes my heart light on fire.
I wish he wasn’t so handsome, literate, and mysterious.
It’d be easier to fear him if I didn’t find many of the traits I admire most within him.
I stop at his side and face forward like everyone else.
“Have I told you how much I loathe your lack of awareness?” Cameron whispers.
Asshole. I take it back. There’s nothing I admire about him.
Staring straight ahead, I whisper back, “And have I told you that your opinion is delusional at best? I saw that mark on your neck at breakfast, you’re likely as lucid as a drunken pig.
” It’s a jab I didn’t need to throw in, but I can’t help the satisfaction in the way my remark draws his chin to tilt my way.
His gaze sears into the side of my face.
“You sure you want to try to piss me off? I’m Mori, remember? The guy who kills all his partners.” His tone has dropped.
I wouldn’t mind dancing with death.
“Mori, as in to die. You’ll kill yourself before you do me.” My voice is light but sharp.
He actually chuckles, and the sound is so lovely as it reverberates through me. The cadets standing in front of us shift uncomfortably. “Mori, as in to conquer, love.” His voice is cold and smooth all at once, holding the weight of his promise to kill me, but with a trace of endearment.
A flash of heat warms my center. I snap my eyes to his, but words die on my tongue as my attention is drawn to the stream of blood running down his nose and dripping off his chin. The blood is so dark it almost looks black.
Alarm races through me, and he must see the panic in my face because his body twitches before he blinks down and quickly wipes his nose with his sleeve.
“Cameron,” I whisper urgently.
“It’s nothing.” He looks forward and dismisses me. I hesitate to look away, the smear of blood under his nose makes my chest twist. He’s not okay.
I hate that I yearn to fix broken things. Things that aren’t mine to fix.
It’s not my problem. If he croaks, it will be a good thing for me, I chide myself, but the worry clings to my rib cage.
The drill sergeant speaks over the group.
“Trials start in three weeks, Cadets. As you know, most of you are going to die in the first trial. Half of what remains on the second, and the rest of you on the last. I expect only a handful at best as a result, so don’t be too chummy with anyone.
I’ve seen some of the most ruthless terminations in these trials by recruits who swore their loyalty to each other, but let that be a testament to those who survive.
Even your own squadmates can take you out. ”
I swear his eyes bounce between me and Cameron to make his point before skirting over the rest of the heads.
Now that I think about it, he looks about Cameron’s age.
I wonder if they were in boot camp together.
They seem to know one another well with the way they were talking casually earlier.
That would explain Cameron’s silence last night when I asked about the drill sergeant.
“We will continue to have routines and exercises up until the day we ship off for the trial grounds,” Adams explains sharply. He drones on about daily matters, but my mind is stuck on his comments surrounding the number of us that will die in the first trial alone. A pit forms in my stomach.
After the assembly, Adams orders us into the weapons room to train for the afternoon.
It’s made of bulletproof glass on all four sides.
The wall adjacent to the hallway is the thickest, protecting the higher ranked officers observing from behind it.
Cameron has his hood pulled up and stands between Adams and a few other officers as they watch the recruits and write stuff down on their notepads.
Bree was right, we’re constantly being assessed for our strengths. They want to see our tricks.
There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Cameron doesn’t need to train with us because he can probably kill every single person in this room without even blinking. The unsettling thought brings a grimace to my face.