I let out a small breath and smile at him. His eyes slowly light up as I say, “All misfortunes aside, here’s to hoping we have a bit of fun before the bitter end, Mori.”
A cruel smile pulls at his lips before he sets to ignoring me, picking his book back up and reading where he left off.
4
EMERY
Didn’the say that he doesn’t sleep much?
I cross my arms over my chest and stare down at Cameron. His shoulders are slumped forward and his head hangs to the side.Liar,I muse as I squat a few feet away to observe him.
His fairly new scar that cuts over the inner portion of his eye looks painful, but he hasn’t shown an ounce of discomfort. It makes sense, given he did say he’s incapable of feeling pain. I wonder how long that drug lasts. Is it something he has to keep up with, or does it last for extended periods of time? Is there a way to reverse it?
A scraping metal sound echoes through the small cell. I glance up as the door opens and find General Nolan staring down at me in awe. His expression quickly turns into a relieved smile. “Well, what do you know, he didn’t kill you.” I can’t say I’m all that thrilled to hear the utter surprise in his tone, that means he was likely betting on me not coming out of this breathing.
I’m still squatting in front of Cameron. I look back at him and find his sage eyes burning into me before he sits up and stretches his arm over his head. A weak smile. “I’m as surprised as you are, General,” Cameron mumbles carelessly.
He smiles a lot for someone in his circumstances. There’s a weight there so heavy it drowns the parts of me that are familiar with his pain. He must have been thrown away at some point in his life like I was. How else does someone fall as far as we have? His brow raises, trying to hide what’s there, but I see his tragic ghosts, as they dance too close to my own.
I force my eyes back to the ground before I get too lost in his gaze.
“Well, this was unexpected. I guess we’d better get you two into the Under and straight into training. Follow me,” Nolan mutters as he steps to the side and waits for me to exit the cell before him.
Cameron stands up and crosses his arms. “Ustwo?”
Nolan nods, a crooked grin forming across his lips. “What, Lieutenant Erik didn’t fill you in?” A beat of silence, then Nolan sighs and rubs a hand down his face. “Of course he didn’t. Your punishment extends into the Under Trials too, Mori. In hopes that it will retrain that rotten brain of yours and allow you to prove yourself worthy of your spot on the squad.”
A weight settles in the air between them.
Cameron’s eyes darken and he grits his teeth. “And how is that fair to the cadets without my level of training, if I can’t stop myself from killing them?”
“Because you’ll need to get not only yourself, but her out of the trials as well. Your main task is to not kill your partner in the heat of battle. You passed this experiment in the cell, but what happens when you’re in a hostile environment? What happens when you two are alone somewhere in the middle of fucking nowhere?” Nolan tuts. His words make Cameron’s eyes flicker with uncertainty.
Cameron wasn’t joking; we’re real life experiments to them, and I’m guessing it’s going to be hard for him to control himself.Great.
Nolan laughs as he unlatches his chest pocket and pulls out a bottle of pills. He tosses it at Cameron. My eyes follow the black bottle as it sails through the air. Cameron catches it, his hand steady as he shoots me a disinterested glance. I watch as he pops the lid, grabs three or four pills, shoves them in his mouth, and swallows them dry. He visibly relaxes and lets his shoulders drop.
My eyes dry.He’s addicted to the very drugs he claims are killing other soldiers.What will happen to him if he keeps this up? I swallow the discomfort that bubbles up as I watch him take those death pills.
I don’t know him. I don’t care.But I can’t shake the unease that develops in my stomach.
Nolan leads us down a long hallway. I spare a few glances at Cameron, who seems indifferent to the news of his fate. More annoyed than anything else. Though the “Under Trials” don’t sound like something that should be taken lightly. I’m sure I’ll be hearing a lot about them once we’re with the other cadets in boot camp.
As we pass a large gray gym with a group of soldiers doing push-ups, Cameron’s eyes flick to mine and catch me staring. I look away sharply.
“So, what happened to your eye?” I break the silence as we enter the commons of the base, where men and women dressed in military attire walk with purpose in every direction. Most of them are in the standard green camo gear, but some are wearing Air Force and Navy uniforms.
General Nolan’s uniform is black camo, and his badges are unique—a gold circle surrounding a skull with the letters DF at the center. That must be the symbol for the Dark Forces.
“That’s what he got for killing his last partner in the field,” Nolan grumbles, then stops walking briefly. I jolt and look at Cameron. His mouth is set in a firm line, I’m assuming becausehe doesn’t like when people answer for him. “He decapitated the last one with his KA-BAR. Do you know how much effort it takes to saw off a head with only a combat knife, Cadet Maves?”
My throat bobs.I do know, actually.
Nolan’s eyes narrow at me when I don’t seem as grossed out as he was expecting. “He deserved that scar. He’s lucky that he’s our most prized asset or we would’ve already tossed his ass in a ditch or left him for the Riøt Squad to deal with.”
“Okay, she’s heard enough, let’s get on with it,” Cameron complains, gruffly crossing his arms and avoiding my gaze.
Nolan scoffs but resumes walking at a fast pace. I have to lengthen my steps just to keep up with the two of them. “How many squads are there?” I can’t imagine that there are very many; it would be harder to keep them a secret if there were several to keep track of.
