She snorted. “There are more ridiculous stories.”
I held up a quick finger. “For the record, I wasn’t star struck. I just got shoved back really far in the crowd.” I shrugged my right shoulder. “I didn’t think it would be appropriate to start fighting King Corporation employees at that moment. Mr. King was nearby, after all.”
Little lies. Little lies.
Back to the dry tone. “Wise choice.” She tilted her head to where the other nine female candidates were waiting—far enough away not to overhear our conversation. “Get in line with the others, but don’t even think about losing us again, Ms. Carvene. If you do, you’re out.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I bowed my head to her and then hurried to stand next to the last girl in our line. I breathed a sigh of relief and ignored the nasty glances the others shot in my direction. Their tour was put on hold for a whole two minutes.The nerve I had!
I didn’t roll my eyes. Barely.
Major Wilcox marched down the line and just kept walking, expecting us to scurry after her. “Listen up, recruits. We’re heading to the technology center next, where the best scientists in this world work their magic to create a better living for us.” She paused in her speech to peer back at us. And we did, indeed, hurry like ants after her. “I think this bears repeating… Don’t wander off.”
The girls flashed glares back in my direction.
I simply pretended they didn’t exist.
* * *
A scientist droned on and on.
Mr. King this…
Mr. King that…
Oh! Did you know Mr. King…
This idiot was star struck.
I was embarrassed for him. I wanted to pat his back and tell him it was all right to have a little obsession, but perhaps he should look outside of New City for one. Or even the King Corporation. Many other individuals in the world had helped to reinstate our planet after it went to shit. It wasn’t all Godric the Great.
Godric was only around thirty years old. The way this scientist spoke about him, it was as if Godric had ended the damn war one hundred and fifty years ago. He was just that special to have done all this before he was even born—or his parents were even born. Perhaps star struck didn’t explain this silly scientist appropriately enough, as he continued rambling on with shining eyes of faith. I was thinking a white straightjacket might be needed if he didn’t calm himself, and maybe Godric needed extra security to watch out for this loon.
I was distracted—thank goodness—when a man exited a door at the end of the hallway. There was no sign on the door indicating what the area was, but with the CA soldiers posted outside the door, I was betting it was a confidential post. The man towered in height and had a dark olive skin tone, with broad shoulders and muscles that bulged on his biceps beneath his short-sleeved black t-shirt. He wore dark jeans and had a smooth gait as he walked down the wide hallway in our direction. He wasn’t dressed in a suit like almost all the employees I had seen so far—which wasn’t a whole lot thanks to Godric dragging me off. He even wore black flip-flops on his tan feet.
His head of short, dark honey-colored hair was lowered as he stared down at his silver bracelet, typing on it. I couldn’t guess his exact age, but he appeared no older than twenty or maybe thirty, his facial features plain but striking at the same time. He strolled past us without looking up, still typing on his bracelet.
Except he pivoted when he was three feet past us, still staring at his watch, and ambled to stand directly behind our group. He leaned back with his shoulders against the wall, crossed one foot over the other, and stayed there while he worked on his bracelet.
The girl I had spoken to about the stalker fox glanced back at him with her eyebrows down, also having noticed the oddity. She eventually shook her head, dismissing him, and turned her attention back to the blathering, almost clinically insane, scientist.
I kept my attention on the guy, though, and watched him from the corner of my eye. He blended extremely well, enough that no one else took notice of him, but there was something about him that sent a shiver down my spine. And not in a good way.
He eventually stopped looking at his bracelet, crossed his arms over his chest, and peered up, as if he were listening to the scientist too—though his dark eyes began to journey over our group with extreme slowness. Far before his sharp gaze landed on me, I looked away and actually listened to the recited speech. I could blend too, and I didn’t want his eyes on me.
After five more minutes, I peeked in his direction.
He had finished with his overall perusal and was now evaluating the two girls in the middle of our group. His eyes traveled over their short black hair, their breasts that strained their t-shirts, and down their long shapely legs. There wasn’t heat in his eyes, his regard not sensual. It was an appraisal of their persons, their every detail categorized by his attention.
His head lowered once more when he uncrossed his arms and started playing a game on his bracelet, completely at ease. He even had a little smirk on his lips.
The scientist finally concluded his talk of Godric the Great. By this point, I wasn’t the only one in our group who breathed a sigh of relief. My back was even killing me from standing still for so long. I stretched high and leaned back while a few of the other women shook out their legs and arms.
Major Wilcox announced, “Line up, recruits. Next on our list is a short video of how the new technology will shape our future.”
“We can finally sit down,” the girl next to me muttered. Same gal I had talked to before.
I snickered and nodded in agreement, keeping my voice low. “Maybe the video will also include something other than how wonderful Mr. King is.”
