Chapter 27
chapter
twenty-seven
Haven
Footsteps sound in the locker room. I spin around to find Ender, standing by the door. Nobody uses this space except for me, and from the looks of it, now Ender.
I’ve been nervous about crossing paths with him ever since that interrogation. Ansel must have told him the times I lied. He has to suspect that my story is not adding up. If he learns the truth, he is going to kill me, as the Commandant of the Forge; it will be his duty to put me down.
I imagine it, the image unfurling in my mind, stretching wide like the sky. Me on my knees, Ender holding his gun to my head. Maybe our story would always unfold like this, cloaked in treachery, layered in mistrust. A deception that burned so deep it left behind scorch marks.
Perhaps it is my fate to follow in my mother’s footsteps.
“This just came in,” Ender says.
He holds the bulletproof vest out for me. I take it from him and silently slide my arms through it to check the fit.
“You are quieter than usual,” he says.
I’m afraid that at any moment, he’ll drag me to a holding cell while he waits for permission from the High Justice to execute me.
“Just thinking of a good insult,” I murmur.
He looks incredibly attractive, leaning against the lockers. Legs crossed at the ankle, his combat boots lazily tied. He’s wearing a tight, black t-shirt and tactical pants. He doesn’t look like he came to kill me. But appearances can be deceiving.
His mouth twitches. “And?”
“I’ve got nothing good.” I sigh.
“Need help with the straps?”
“No,” I say. “Last time you almost punctured a lung.”
It molds to my torso, and the straps slide in easily, sealing to the sides like glue.
This fits better. I do a quick twirl to show him.
His gaze darkens, and I swallow when his eyes slink down my body, tracing my legs.
He’s not paying much attention to the vest anymore.
And the intense nature of his stare alarms me.
“Fits like a glove,” I say, a tad too loudly.
His eyes shoot upwards, and he straightens.
“Should keep you in one piece during missions,” Ender says. “Unless they aim for your head.”
“Now, why would they do that?”
“The same reason I contemplate it every day,” Ender replies. “To shut you up.”
“I hate you,” I say.
“Hate me if you must.” He shrugs. “Just don’t stop thinking about me, Warrick.”
He surprises me when he reaches for my chin, clasping it tightly between his fingers.
“I take great pleasure in knowing that you are obsessed with me, you know?” Ender says. “There is a comfort in your fixation, in the certainty that in this small way I am undeniably yours.”
My breath hitches, and I shift on my feet.
“It is not good,” I say slowly. “You are like rot in my chest, spreading against my will.”
“I hope I consume you,” he breathes. “I hope I destroy you.”
My hands reach for his wrist to tear his touch away, but my fingers curl around his bare skin, nails digging into his skin. I don’t rip it away. Not yet, at least.
“You consume me,” Ender continues. The words are a bitter revelation. “You destroy me.”
He releases me before I can respond. Not that I had anything of worth to say to that.
And then he vanishes out the door.
Today is another test.
We sit on a plastic bench, dressed for combat. My fingers grip the edge of the seat, tapping a steady rhythm along the surface. Aric glares at me from the opposite seating area. He hasn’t been as antagonizing as usual, and I wonder if he’s grown bored with me.
Ever since that run when he shoved me to the dirt, he’s been backing off.
“The rules are simple,” Ender calls. “You will be sent into the simulation wing to retrieve an important piece of intelligence. There are no rules beyond winning and survival. You may kill as you please.”
My lips tighten at his callous words. He really doesn’t give a damn about any of us. It was hard enough slicing that poor girl’s throat who tried to burn Rei, how am I going to do it again? Her death still weighs on me like a ton of bricks.
Beside me, Kaia is fidgeting nervously. She isn’t much of a team player, so the fact that this test requires us to work as a unit must alarm her.
We are led outside the drill hall to a different location. Each team is placed before a thick, metallic door polished to a bleak gray shine.
With the Elementalist dead, Aric’s team numbers are down to four. We are evenly matched.
The hatch opens with a hiss.
“Enter,” Knox calls.
Both teams step forward, vanishing into the dark. It’s impossible to see what is ahead of us. Shadows cover us in a thick curtain. Red light flashes from an old alarm that rotates in silence. We seem to be in an abandoned building, mimicking one of the Resistance’s hideouts.
“Move left,” I whisper. “Flint, take the rear. I’ll take the lead. Rei and Kaia cover our flanks.”
“This is creepy,” Rei mutters.
“Tell me about it,” Flint says. “What are we even looking for?”
“A document, most likely,” I say. “It is a retrieval operation.”
“It’ll be guarded or locked,” Kaia says. “It won’t be out in the open.”
“And we need to find it before Aric’s team,” Flint finishes.
“That should be easy,” Rei says. “They have shit for brains.”
“Focus,” I hiss. “I can’t concentrate when you guys yap.”
“Who made you, our leader?” Rei asks.
“Your mom,” I reply.
Flint chuckles, and Rei elbows him hard.
“If I didn’t like you so much, I’d knock out your teeth for that,” Rei says.
“Lucky me.”
A shout erupts down another hallway. I freeze. We’re all here, so who could have attacked the other squad?
“Keep your eyes open,” I whisper, resuming our pace. “Don’t—”
A click sounds, and the panel beneath Flint’s feet vanishes. His eyes widen before he plummets, vanishing into the dark.
I gasp, locking eyes with Rei.
“Traps,” she says warily.
“It’s a simulation wing,” I say. “He can’t be hurt. We just think he is.”
“Flint!” Rei calls down into the abyss.
Silence echoes around us.
“He must have gotten pulled into another area of this place,” I say. “We have to find him before the others do.”
“I hate this!” Rei whines.
“Come on.” I grab her wrist. “We have to keep moving.”
A click sounds, and a spring-loaded blade slices across the hall, coming straight for Rei’s heart. I push her aside, and it sinks into the plaster with a sharp thud. Kaia’s eyes widen.
“That was close,” I say.
I reach for the closest door. It opens into a black space. The ground slips beneath my foot, and Rei catches my forearm before I’m dragged into the dark. Sweat drips down my forehead as she and Kaia both haul me back up.
“Careful,” she says. “I don’t want to be alone in this place.”
Kaia frowns at her words.
She looks at Kaia. “No offense. But I hardly know you.”
“I didn’t expect the floor to vanish,” I mumble.
This place is terrible. The only thing that would make it worse is Aric popping out from the dark to torment us.
We continue our trek forward. Our senses are now on high alert. Our boots toe the tiles before we step forward, and we keep an eye out for any wayward knives.
“That looks like a control room,” I say, pointing to the room upstairs. It is elevated and surrounded by thick glass.
It’s likely where the intelligence we have to receive is tucked away.
The second floor is better lit than the first.
The door is unsurprisingly locked. Rei crouches to pick the lock. It’s an outdated brass instrument. I expected a keypad.
My gaze sweeps the corridor behind us, searching for any threats. A painful thud hits my shoulder, knocking me off my feet. A flash of fair hair twinkles under the fluorescent light. Aric.
Rigel is behind Rei, prepared to take her out.
“Rei, watch out,” I call.
Rigel drives his knees into her ribs, sending her crashing onto her back.
Kaia gasps. Her face is ghostly under the grim light.
For a moment, I worry that she is going to abandon us, but she remains rooted to the floor.
I wonder if she’s sticking around out of loyalty or because this place is a death-trap.
“Going somewhere?” Aric asks, sneering down at me.
His third partner is beside him, Tyson, the Elementalist who can control air. Their fourth teammate, a girl named Odessa, is missing; either she was impaled by one of the knives or fell down the hatch. Or maybe she’s looking for Flint.
Tyson’s fingers lift, and the air around me thins. My lungs itch as the pressure increases. It heightens, as if a boulder were placed on my chest, squeezing the air from me.
Aric’s grin is lazy, cruel. “I’m not allowed to touch you, but you’re fair game now.”
I frown. Why would he not be able to hurt me outside the tests? It’s never stopped him before.
Tyson continues tormenting me. My fingers grapple, scratching at my throat. My vision blurs, dark spots floating in the air.
Panic laces through me. I can’t pass out.
I scramble to think of a way to escape. I can’t resort to my powers. It is too dangerous.
Tyson shifts, increasing the pressure. Aric smirks in the back. Both of their lips are tilted in matching smiles.
I spot a hanging pipe to my left, just within reach.
“You’ll have to do better than that.” I gasp out.
I rip out the pipe, and with a sudden pivot, I slam it against his temple. A loud crack sounds as he staggers backwards. Blessed air fills my lungs. As much as I want to savor it, I have to take down Tyson. His powers are the most threatening.
I drive my knee into his side, and he collapses with a strangled cry.
Aric’s snarls, and in an instant, he’s on me, hands reaching to choke me.
I anticipate his move, sidestepping and ducking into the nearest hallway.
I race down the floor, trying not to trigger any traps.
Aric thunders behind him, not the least bit afraid of this place.
He’s probably been in simulation wings before.
He’s in the second year of his training program.