Christian peered up at her from where he sat on the edge of his bed, a knowing look in his eyes.
Heat flushed through Gemma.Did hehear me scream?
He gripped her hand before she could pull hers off the ladder, and while he said nothing, Gemma felt the worry exuding through his caress, through the stroke of his thumb on the back of her hand.
She forced a nervous smile, struggling to maintain eye contact, and turned her hand around enough to give his a gentle squeeze. She knew he understood how she was feeling, and opening up to him had felt amazing.
But she’d also spent the past three years putting up walls and letting them come down was like ripping off her skin. She hated feeling so vulnerable and loathed the lack of control over her own mind. Sleep had never come easily, but now, more than ever, her demons needed to stay caged in the deepest circles of hell.
In the locker room, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and her ears turned red. She looked as if she’d accidentally clamped pliers down on a live wire. It was a surprise Christian hadn’t burst out laughing at the sight of her.
Facing her teammates this morning was going to be way more difficult than she’d anticipated. Not because she looked like slop—a little chroma and braiding of her hair would make her somewhat presentable—but because her heart felt like it too.
Flying under the radar might be natural for Gemma, but lying was not. Her gut twisted every time, and after what happened with Moriah, she wasn’t sure she could trust her instincts anymore. If she let down her guard around any of them and the truth came tumbling out of her mouth...
She chose to skip breakfast, opting instead to hide in the locker room. The less time she had with her teammates before their next test, the better.
Gemma splashed cold water on her face before traversing the halls to their simulation room. Nausea grew in her stomach when she saw everyone waiting for her.
“There you are!” Imara shouted. “Christian said you were back, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. Why’d you skip breakfast?”
“Just needed a little extra rest this morning,” she replied nonchalantly.
Hawk nudged her and said, “Well, I’m glad to see we’re not a man down,” before Imara could ask any follow up questions.
Gemma almost thanked him for it. She forced a smile. “Yeah, me too.”
Christian grazed the small of her back as the others led the way into the simulation room. “You okay?” he spoke softly enough that the others wouldn’t hear.
“Yep, I’m good.” She didn’t wait to see if Christian bought her lie, leaving him in the hallway to join the others in their sleep chambers.
Her throat constricted as she unzipped her uniform to free her arms. She coerced her mind to settle as she pressed the button that plugged the machine into her deltoids.
If she was going to avenge her sister, she still had tests to successfully complete.
The dark-skinned female optic appeared on the inside of Gemma’s chamber lid, like the first time.
“Welcome back!” she said. “And welcome to your second simulated event of your Oranos Trials. Like your first simulation, you must pass as a group. But unlike your first trial, this crucible tests your mental fortitude. You’ll need to remember this code if you are to complete this test:A-1-B-7-F-6. You also must never reveal this code to anyone, under any circumstances. If any team member chooses to share it, their entire team is disqualified. Good luck.”
Sweat beaded on Gemma’s forehead as the world around her began to glow. Already, her mental fortitude hung on by a single thread. There was only one reason someone would willingly choose to share top secret information, and if withstanding torture was next on Rami’s list of Trials...
Gemma clenched her fists, digging her nails deep into her palms.Stars, help me.
The air grew humid and smelled of disinfectant as the simulated environment came into focus.
The team stood together in a small box with clear walls, wearing nothing but white shorts and sleeveless white shirts. The walls reminded Gemma of electroglass, but without the usual computerized sheen. Instead, these barriers were completely transparent, through which armed guards in black uniforms were positioned at every corner of the box.
A woman with light-olive skin commanded the room from a nearby sophisticated console. She wore a tight, white dress, and her silky, black hair was firmly knotted on the back of her head. Bright-red lips frowned at them as her heavy-lidded eyes glared from where she stood.
“We’re in a prison?” Hawk asked incredulously.
“Looks like it,” Christian replied, his tone wary and rigid. If Christian was worried, that was not a good sign.
The gleam of the artificial light from the ceiling cast eerie shadows across the white room as the interrogator moved from her station to press a square section of wall.
Gemma’s stomach lurched into her throat when part of the floor near the interrogator opened, and a sleek, metal chair rose from beneath, its frame adorned with intricate patterns of circuitry that pulsated with a deep-red glow. The chair itself was devoid of any cushioning or comfort, and at its base were red sensors that hummed with latent power.
Gemma backed away from it as if it were a bomb ready to explode.
