“If you don’t, I will,” a panting Ashley joined behind me, looking back and forth between us. “I love cookies.”
“The more the merrier,” Lionel shrugged, throwing his arm around me in a hooking grip and pulled me along.
“Have you heard… anything from Nate and Mey?” I asked, peeking at Ashley.
“They keep to themselves while training,” she explained, nothing in her expression told me that she was trying to sugarcoat it either. “I told them about Carolyn… what she was.”
“Oh.” It was all I was capable of answering, as we strolled out of the room.
“They’re on your side too,” she smiled easily. “Also kind of explained why you almost cut the Lieutenant’s head off.”
“You did what!?” Lionel shouted, right into my ear.
“I told you, he framed me,” I mumbled, glaring at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you want a silver plate to go with his head?” he asked, sarcasm filling each and every word. “What were you thinking!?”
“He pissed me off.”
“In other words, she was thinking with her dagger, not her head,” Ashley added, and I simply nodded in agreement.
Lionel grunted at us. “You should be thankful that heonlyplaced you in a cell.”
Once we stepped outside on the western side of the base, wide-open spaces allowed for joint exercises, lots of people gathered to spar against one another. My eyes squinted at the sight of sunlight, being inside for so long had apparently affected me in more ways than one.
My eyes landed on two figures standing at the shooting range, along one of the outer walls of the sparring area. Nate and Mey were target practicing together.
“Hey, Mey. How are you feeling today?” Ashley shouted, echoing over the field.
They jumped, before slowly turning towards us, both of them with a thick annoyed line on their foreheads. When their eyes landed on me, they went still and then they smiled faintly, followed by waving hands.
I felt like I was shining all of a sudden, with the corners of my mouth twitching eagerly to respond with a smile.
“I’ll go check up on them, you start without me.” Ashley instructed us. “And you better win those cookies, or I’ll never forgive you.”
“Sure,” I chuckled at her.
“You sound a bit too confident,” Lionel huffed, releasing his grip around me as we strolled out on the open yard. There was no grass left except for the corners, dirt and mud conquered the middle. The barbed wire that stretched around the area almost made it feel like a pasture for animals.
“Can I have this dance, Miss Deering?” Lionel interrupted my thoughts, as he teased me with a bow and a mocking grin on his face.
“I hate you, mister Lambkin,” I sighed, raising my balled hands.
“You adore me,” he scoffed.
I swung my fist at him, but he side-stepped easily to avoid it. To prevent him from finding an opportunity, I swung the other way with my leg and he caught my calf in the middle of the air.
“Watch it,” he barked, shoving me backwards. I fought to keep my balance.
Lionel came with his curled hand from the side, but I put my arms up to defend my head in time. He took a step forward, coming at me again, but I danced to the side, brushing my arm against his, before I sent an elbow intohis side. He coughed slightly before his foot slipped around mine and toppled me.
Before I reached the ground my hands caught me. I rolled around and threw myself up on my feet again.
“That was a dirty trick,” I pointed out, sending him a glare.
“It got the job done,” he flashed a smile, making me hesitate in my movement.
I sprinted towards him, sending a flurry of attacks against him, but we were too synchronized, too familiar with each other’s fighting-style. He deflected all of them, quick and easy, and I stopped him from making any progress in return.
