Chapter 22 Emery
EMERY
The first stroke of luck I’ve had in years finally falls into my lap. Bree and Damian waited for me to return to the barracks and asked to form a squad with me and Cameron. I agreed, grateful that the two I thought would be my enemies for the remainder of the trials ended up becoming acquaintances.
Of course, I had to tell them about the secret Cameron shared regarding the vests and weapons. I’m relieved when we enter the weapons room that he’s not still in here.
“Are you sure we can do this?” Bree asks hesitantly. Her eyes home in on a black matte pistol.
I nod. “I was able to wear the vest out without a siren going off, and I tested it with a handgun as well. We’ll have to keep our selections to the smaller options so we don’t tip everyone else off.
” Damian’s smile is wide as he eagerly straps on one of the white vests and grabs a handgun and ankle dagger.
His eyes linger around the sniper rifle. Too bad it’s too big to bring with us.
“You’re trained in sniping?” I ask incredulously, focusing on not looking at the knife table that I was just fucked on top of.
Damian lifts his chin proudly. “Those of us who’ve been in the boot camp for six months have a lot more training than you, newbie,” he chides. Bree shakes her head with a smile, testing out the black pistol in her hands to get a feel for it.
“What was it like when you first arrived?” I ask as I trace my finger along a white and gray speckled KA-BAR. It should blend well with the snow, and it’s the only white one on the table, so I swap it with the one I already have.
“Well, there were more than a hundred of us when we first arrived…like way more. The first few weeks were the worst since they made us fight for food, beds, anything really,” Bree says and winces at the memory.
My eyes widen and she nods. “Yeah. That was the first way they weeded out the weaklings among us. Then things started becoming more like what I would imagine is a normal military training experience. Though I don’t have anything to compare it to since I’ve never been in the forces. ”
Damian adds: “Guess who down here actually does have military experience.” His tone is sarcastic and I immediately know off the top of my head.
“Arnold and Wraith.” Their names taste sour on my tongue.
“Bingo.” He gives me finger guns.
I roll my eyes and smile. I wonder how old Damian and Bree are.
They look around my age, but they could be younger.
“How old are you two? I guess we never really exchanged formalities or anything.” I rub the back of my head.
It’s probably not as awkward as I’m making it, but I’m not used to having conversations with people.
I’ve been stuck with Reed for half my life, and that’s pretty much it besides the occasional flings.
Bree wraps her hand around Damian’s arm and lets her head rest on his shoulder.
“Well, if you didn’t already know we’re sort of together.
” I nod. It was pretty obvious. “We’re actually both from Boston.
I’m twenty and he’s twenty-two.” She grins up at him.
The way his eyes soften when he looks at her is how every girl wants to be cherished.
“You were both brought in at the same time?” I query. What are the chances of that?
They share a look before Damian replies, “Yeah, we were a duo up there too. Don’t ask what we did, you know we can’t tell you.”
God, I could only imagine.
“How about you, Emery?” Bree asks as we make sure we have our final selection from the armory and head back out to the barracks before anyone gets suspicious.
“I’m just some rich asshole’s daughter that got caught killing people.” Turned in by her own father. “I’m twenty-four.”
They both nod thoughtfully as we turn the corner into the hallway.
Their smiles seem so easy and relaxed. Everyone in the Under has had to shed their past in one way or another.
It gives me hope that maybe I can too. Maybe I don’t have to be the executioner anymore.
A smile pulls at my lips with the thought.
My eyes narrow as they land on Cameron who’s smoking a cigarette with his back pressed against the wall.
He lets his eyes rove over them both, ignores me, and looks the other way. He’s such a child. I want to say so many things to him, but know it won’t get anywhere so I strut right past him. Bree and Damian share a hesitant look with each other as they follow me. Cameron’s footsteps trail behind us.
The afternoon drags out as the remaining cadets sort out their squads. I’m sure ours will get whoever the last person left out is. None of us are concerned about it, so we rest as much as we can and wait.
By the time we’ve finished dinner, our table is approached by a cadet about my size. He has a grim look on his face and seems nervous.
“I’m all that’s left,” he mumbles and keeps his eyes on our shoulders.
His hair is fawn and short and curly throughout, freckles pass over his cheeks and nose.
He looks like the most innocent young man of the century.
I’ve seen him a few times in passing in the Under.
It takes me a second to place him. Oh, he’s the guy who was usually in the library like I was. He always keeps to himself.
Jesus, how did he even survive the first trial?
Cameron stares at him coldly, seeming to make the frail thing sink further into himself.
I blow out a breath at everyone’s salty greeting.
“What’s your name?” I offer a smile and gesture to the seat next to me. He pauses before conceding and sitting down.
“Bryce. I already know all of your names, so no need to introduce yourselves.” He gives a hesitant look around the table before looking back down. Bryce has large circle-shaped glasses that are strapped onto his head like goggles so they don’t fall off. He seems incredibly intelligent.
From what I’ve gathered down here, intelligence goes a long way. It’s not all brawn. After all, there’s a reason he’s still alive.
“So, Bryce, what do you have to offer the group?” Damian says rigidly. That earns him a scowl from Bree, but she looks a bit withheld on Bryce being here too. It’s not like we have a choice in the matter.
Bryce’s eyes widen and he shakes his head. “I’m not very good at combat or killing people. Not directly, that is.” His voice has a smooth edge to it. It’s eerie, since he’s been giving off a timid vibe this whole time.
“Oh God, you poison people, don’t you,” Bree blurts out.
“Well, yes, but it’s hard to poison others in the trials.
I mean, guns and knives versus a bottle of death doesn’t exactly go head-to-head, but traps happen to be one of my specialties.
” We collectively share a mortified look, with the exception of Cameron.
He keeps his arms folded and assesses Bryce quietly.
“What kind of traps?” I ask, finding him more interesting than I did a moment ago. Bryce has an air of calmness about him, even though he looks the least likely to survive of anyone.
Bryce smiles at my question, seeming to love the chance to explain his methods. “My personal favorite is a mixture of simple poisons and nails.”
“Nails?” Damian sputters.
“Yes. I dip them into the poison and align the traps in strips across common pathways used by the others. Poison is also useful on combat knives for those of you that prefer a more direct route.”
Literally all of us except this guy.
“You’re fucking terrifying,” I chide. It didn’t cross my mind once that there might be someone like him in the Under. Poison takes knowledge and study to learn which ones work faster and what effects they cause. I wonder if that’s what he was studying in the library all that time.
Thank God I didn’t step on one of his traps in the first trial.
Bryce rubs his knees anxiously. “You think so?”
Damian laughs and slaps his hand across Bryce’s back and says, “Yeah, let’s just say I know who I’m never pissing off. I like to eat my food without worrying if it’s going to kill me, thanks.” Bree doesn’t share in his amusement; her expression is filled with apprehension for our new teammate.
I pointedly look at Cameron. “Any input?” He blatantly ignores me and continues to watch the other groups as they whisper among themselves the same way we are.
It’s clear that we’re one of the teams that are going to be targeted the most. It doesn’t help that we now have to worry about Bryce too. His frame is thin—one deep breath and the guy could fall over. But I bet he’s the only one that could kill us all before we even knew it was happening.
“What’s his problem? Are you two fighting?
We don’t have time for you two to be fighting.
” Bree’s tone is stern. She’s leveling us both with fierce eyes.
“We’re all relying on each other in there.
Can you fix whatever this is?” She gestures between us with her hand before standing.
“Come on, Bryce, we’ll get you prepared. ”
Bryce purses his lips with confusion before reluctantly following her and Damian.
Great, that leaves me with the asshole. I cross my arms and lean back in my chair. We don’t talk. The silence is welcome. I use every second to try and study the other squads, working out who is more of a liability than the others and who would be good to track.
My leg bounces as I gnaw on my thumbnail. Cameron’s hand comes down hard over my thigh and causes me to jolt.
I shoot him a nasty glare. “What?” I snip at him.
His expression is blank as he finally looks at me. “Don’t show them you’re nervous.” He smacks my hand away from my mouth.
“Yeah? Well, guess what, I am nervous.”
“This trial is fucking ugly.” He grins, but his eyes are hollow.
“You should be nervous, but it’s another issue to show it.
” Cameron’s grip around my thigh tightens, and I have to swallow my pride to save face.
Literally everyone in the cafeteria is eyeing us.
He’s right, even though I hate to admit it.
“Remove your hand before I make a scene,” I threaten with a tight smile. God, give me the strength to push through the rest of this shitshow.
Cameron chuckles darkly. “I’d like to see it, actually.” His hand flexes defiantly.
“Suit yourself.” I grab his hand and shove it off before standing abruptly and making to leave. His hand clasps around my wrist and he pulls me back down to the chair. More eyes flash our way and my cheeks burn at his audacity.
“Was that all?” he taunts, a small glimmer dancing across his eyes. “I expected more from a brat like you.”
“Wouldn’t you just be bored to tears if it was?” I slap him across the face. The sound rolls through the room like gunfire, and the voices around us die out.
Cameron’s eyes remain impassive as he smirks, a smudge of blood clinging to the edge of his lips. His tongue swipes over it and he savors the taste.
“Was. That. All?” He gives me a wide smile this time, and it pulls the pin to the grenade in my soul.
I tackle him off his chair and punch him twice across the face before he hooks my leg and twists, throwing me to the floor and quickly pinning me. My heart hammers a hundred beats a second as fury escapes me in the form of a feral scream inches from his face.
Cameron doesn’t even flinch as he holds my arms down. Blood drips from his lips and burns my skin as it dribbles across my cheek.
“Quite the scene, love. You’re certifiably insane.” His deep voice makes me twist with one more attempt to free myself from him to no avail.
“Get the fuck off of me!” I scream and thrash.
His eyes narrow with triumph and he lets me go.
I scoot out from beneath him and take a few steadying breaths as I take in all the faces staring at me.
Bree, Damian, and Bryce are among them, their expressions grim.
Goddamn it, what am I doing? I grit my teeth and stand, brushing the dirt off my tactical pants.
Let’s just fucking get this over with before I make more of an ass of myself.