Chapter Twenty
Gemma was slow to open her sleep chamber when they had returned to Zion. Her headache was gone, and her body was no longer weak from the exhaustion of hallucinogens and torture. But her heart remained twisted, her soul as dark as soot.
She would never forget what it felt like to be electrocuted, or what it sounded like when a scream was ripped from a person’s being.
Unlike their previous trial, where joyous laughter emanated from Imara and Colton, the simulation room was deathly silent. Gemma slipped her arms back into the sleeves of her jumpsuit and zipped it up before climbing out of her sleep chamber.
Hawk was already stomping toward the door, his brown eyes pierced in anger.
“The code, please, Mister Gallowood,” their android instructor said, holding out an electropad. “To open the door and pass the test, each of you must correctly enter the code.”
“Why, so you can torture us again?” Hawk deadpanned, his hands balled in fists at his sides.
“To check your memory capabilities post traumatic experience.”
Hawk chuckled, an edge to his laughter, but snatched the electropad out of the android’s hand. He punched the six digits into the screen so hard that Gemma feared he’d break his finger. Then a loud ding sounded, and he shoved the electropad back at the AI as the doors to the hall opened.
“There, you fucking psychopath.” Hawk stormed from the room without a glance back.
Imara was next, flipping off the android as she too provided the code. Colton entered it casually, following Imara on her heels.
Gemma turned to find Christian leaning against the wall, a fist pressed against his sternum. He stared straight ahead, his gaze locked on nothing, and the pain Gemma found in his eyes weakened her knees.
“You okay?” she asked.
Christian jumped. “Yeah. Fine.” He pushed off the wall as if moments ago he hadn’t needed it to stay upright. “Let’s get out of here.”
Gemma quickly entered the code A-1-B-7-F-6 into the datapad before handing it to Christian, who narrowed his gaze but provided his answer.
The bright-blue orbs of the android’s eyes transformed into half-circles, like a grin on an overly happy face. “Congratulations! Your team has successfully completed your second trial. Enjoy the rest of your day at your leisure.”
“Gee, thanks,” Gemma mumbled, slipping her hand into Christian’s. Together, they ambled in the direction of the dormitory.
Christian was quiet, his eyes vacant as he stared at the floor in front of them.
His mind seemed stuck in the simulation.
Gemma knew that, when he’d hallucinated, the images had to have been nightmarish.
Her own had been hard enough to remember, and she hadn’t lived through the same, gruesome horrors he had.
She ached to say something that would ease the pain he was feeling, but would he want her to?
Gemma pressed her lips together. “We could go to the alcove, if you want. Get away from everyone to decompress.”
He squeezed her hand. “I will. But I’m walking you back first. I need to be alone for a bit, if that’s okay.”
Her heart sank. He’d comforted her twice now in twenty-four hours, and she wanted to return the favor. But she understood. She’d grown used to being alone in the past three years, and she too had learned to find solitude in the quiet, especially after hard, stressful days.
“Of course it’s okay,” she replied.
Christian lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles.
They walked in silence until they reached the entrance to the dormitory where he left Gemma before going off on his own, taking a sliver of her heart with him.
Several hours had passed since Gemma lay down for a nap, and it was the most restful sleep she’d gotten since coming to Zion.
She’d been so fatigued that sleep had come instantly, and though she was awoken by the shouts of men fighting in their locker room, she wasn’t annoyed. She actually felt somewhat revitalized.
Gemma clambered down from her bunk, her eyes darting instinctively to Christian’s bed, only to find it still empty. Her stomach twisted. Should I go looking for him?
Hopefully she’d given him enough alone time. She needed to make sure he was okay.
Imara was half-naked when Gemma entered the ladies’ locker room. Gemma jumped, mentally scrubbing the image of Imara’s very round breasts from her mind.
Imara chuckled. “Seriously, Gemma? Boobs are boobs. You have them too.”
Her cheeks flushed. Her small bust definitely did not count as boobs.
Gemma opened her locker to pull out fresh underwear and a fresh jumpsuit, along with shower supplies. She had begun to undo her braid when Imara leaned against the locker next to hers, eyeing Gemma with a mischievous grin on her face.
Gemma stilled. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Saw you and Christian getting a little cozy in that simulation. Something you wanna tell me?”
Gemma’s cheeks were hot as coals. In the midst of all the emotion and chaos, they hadn’t held back from consoling each other during the simulation. Of course Imara, of all people, would notice.
“No.” Gemma continued to detangle her hair and turned away from her friend.
Imara laughed. “Oh, my stars. You slept with him, didn’t you?”
Gemma spun back around. “I did not!”
Imara snorted, her eyes lit with an inner glow. “Well, then you’re definitely into him.”
Gemma grabbed her personal belongings. “Shut up.”
Imara chuckled as she followed Gemma into the shower area. Gemma glared at her, anxious to disrobe and clean the stench off her body.
“You do know he likes you, right?” Imara asked.
Gemma said nothing and unzipped her jumpsuit. Maybe the sight of her naked body would send Imara running.
“Girl, you got to go for it,” Imara continued anyway.
“What if we fail and are sent back to Perileos? Don’t you want someone to grow old with?
Or what if we pass and make it to Oranos, and the two of you are then stationed on different planets?
Wouldn’t you regret not going after him while you were here in Zion? ”
Trying to ignore Imara, Gemma turned on the water, but she had to admit that her friend had a point. Gemma had developed feelings for Christian, and it seemed he felt the same. Would she kick herself for not pursuing happiness when she was given the opportunity?
How long had it been since she’d truly felt joy or love or friendship or billowing laughter?
She was here in Zion to kill Rami, but what if the plan succeeded and everything didn’t fall apart?
What if she could vindicate her sister and maintain her friendships and pursue a relationship with someone for the first time?
“What do I say to him?” Gemma asked.
Imara smiled. “Tell him how you feel. I promise he feels the same. I can tell by the way he looks at you. And, trust me, I’m kind of an expert in reading men.” She winked. “I’ll leave you alone now. Let me know how it goes!”
She waltzed away, leaving Gemma staring wide-eyed after her.
Gemma’s stomach fluttered in her throat.
If she weren’t naked as a newborn, she would chase after Imara and demand she help Gemma come up with a script.
At least the shower would give her time to think and plan what she’d say when she saw Christian again.
Before she fainted, of course, and made a complete fool of herself.