Glancing at me and then his fingers, he laughed before putting his hand down. “How about this? Two spaces forward or backward and one to the side. Or vice versa.”
I nodded, blocking out whatever he’d just said because now that he’d made that hand gesture, I wouldn’t forget their movements. “Got it.”
He beamed. “Last but not least.” He pointed to the two pieces that looked like castles. “Rooks. They can move forwardand back or from side to side. Never diagonally. And they move when castling, but we’ll get to that.”
“Good idea.”
I was already overwhelmed.
But despite myself, I enjoyed a game of chess for the first time in my life.
Maybe there was reason to have faith, hope, even in the most hopeless situations.
After myStrategysession with Peter, I went toSublimationand painted swirls of blue, red, and purple. When I stepped back to admire my handiwork, the beautiful X patterns on the walls made me giggle.
“How are you today, Quinn?” Dax asked from the kitchen, where an opaque but clear tarp separated him and the splatters of paint flying off my brush. “You seem in better spirits.”
“I’m pretty good.” I shrugged, dropping my brush into the bucket of water and wiping my hands on my coveralls. I brushed over the side pockets in my leggings, touching the flashlight Morty had given me on my right and the pocketknife on my left. “I made some progress on the Scavenger Hunt, so I’m not riddled with anxiety over falling completely behind.”
“That’s great, Quinn.”
As he came out from his protective area, I dragged my coveralls down and tied the sleeves around my waist. Pulling out the flashlight, I held it up for Dax to see.
“What’s it for?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” I clicked it on. “I think it’s a black light, though.”
He studied it. “Interesting.”
While he launched into details on our next lesson, I got distracted by the plastic tarp behind him. The makeshift shield protecting the kitchen from paint had something on it. Something illuminated by my flashlight.
“Can you get the light?”
He stopped talking and followed my gaze. With a smile on his face, he went and turned off the light in the living room.
My eyes widened.
Scrawled across the tarp, I found a code. I shook my head as I read the numbers.
“0-1-2-3. Seriously?”
Dax laughed. “Guess you didn’t try that one, huh?”
Rolling my eyes, I swung around to face him with a smile. “No. I assumed with all the cryptic bullshit this place loves, it’d be a bit more complicated than that.”
He grinned, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
“Sometimes, the most obvious things hide in plain sight.”
Keyed up after my discovery inSublimation, I had little patience for Ben.
I made it fifteen minutes through my hour with him forElementstraining before he suggested we go to his room for aquick make-out seshand made me want to stab him.
Surprise, surprise.
Fingers clenched around my knife, I stormed off, eager to use my time on the Scavenger Hunt instead. As I passed by Max’s training center, I peeked inside but didn’t see him.
Apparently, my sessions weren’t the only ones he avoided.
