The Outskirts: The Sky Raiders (Jace x OC)

Part 15

I followed Mira down to the caves where her room was. I saw a lot more girls while we walked.
"Tomorrow, before you scout, Jace will take you guys around and give you some more tips, show you how things work, etc."
"Wait," I said. "Jace is going to watch us scout?"
"Yeah, is that a problem." Mira said, a smile growing on her face.
"No, not at all." I said. But I'm pretty sure my face was red.
"Jace is one of the senior scouts, he's done twenty-nine missions."
"Okay," I said. "I'm impressed."
She laughed. "Most girls are. He's pretty popular around here."
"Jee, I wonder why." I said sarcastically, and we both laughed.
"This is my room." Mira said opening a door.
I stopped in my tracks. It was amazing.
Two huge canopy beds with silky covers and fluffy pillows were centered in the middle of the room. On one side of the room, there was an ornate desk, the other side there was two fancy couches, with two matching arm chairs, and a wooden coffee table. There were beautiful paintings on the walls, and fine rugs in the floor. Crystal lamps made everything bright.
"It's amazing Mira." I said, in awe.
"Thanks." She said smiling. "Your bed is on the left."
"Okay."
I sat down on the bed. The covers were soft and silky, the pillows perfectly soft.
"So how are you handling all this?" Mira asked, flopping down next to me.
"Honestly?" I said. "I'm a mess. I'm terrified that I'll never see my friends or family again, I could die, and worst of all, the hottest guy I've ever met is about to watch me fail tomorrow."
Mira laughed. "It sounds like Jace is the least of you're worries."
I glance at her apprehensively. "Is he . . . I mean does he have a—"
"Girlfriend?" She snorted. "No. Jace is a flirt, but at the end of the day, he takes his responsibilities as a scout to heart, and he's busy most of the time."
A smile grew on my face. "So basically he's single."
She laughed again. "Yeah, I guess, if you're not counting the girls lined up at his door."
I frowned. "Wait, actually?"
"Gods, no. I'm kidding." Mira said. "He definitely has girls chasing him though. None that he's interested in though, I think."
I raised an eyebrow. "You two seem pretty close."
She shook her head. "It's not like that. We're just friends. I mean it."
As much as I hated to admit it, that made me feel better.
We both went to bed, and I fell asleep immediately.

~Timeskip~

The next morning, I got out of bed, showered, and got dressed. I met up with Cole and we walked outside to meet up with Jace. We found him in the common room, talking to another boy who looked about sixteen.
And he looked good.
He had his hands tucked into the pockets of black joggers and he was wearing a grey t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders.
His gaze flicked around the room, passing me, before he did a double take. "Woah . . . you look . . ."
I looked away, trying to hide my flushed cheeks.
"Come on," Cole said, clapping Jace on the back, who was still staring at me. "We have a mission to do."
"Uh, right." Jace said, clearing his throat, his face flushed. "This way."
He led us to a vast cavern in the side of the cliff that served as a landing bay for the big skycraft.
Made out of dark wood, they vaguely looked like an old pirate ships, though broader and flatter, with a pair of modest masts and no sails. Each had three lifeboats-one on each side and one at
the rear.
He led us to the one called Domingo, where several men were gathering. Morning light streamed through the open side of the cavern, and we could see many castles hovering.
"Lots of castles." Said Cole.
"We usually have a busy day after a quiet one."
Jace said. "That's good news. Two other companies compete with us—the Cloud Skimmers and the Airmen. On a busy day like today, we won't have much competition."
At the gangplank to the Domingo, a middle aged man with unruly curly brown hair greeted US.
"Your the new scouts," he said extending a hand. We both shook it. "I'm Captain Post," the man continued. "Jumping swords, savvy choice."
He handed us two little cords with a little cylindrical bottle hanging from it.
"What's this?" Cole asked.
"A poison capsule." The captain said. "Have they discussed falling?" We shook our heads.
He jerked a thumb at the sky. "We don't know if you'd ever land. Could be you'd fall until you starved. As a courtesy, we provide the capsule."
"Top unscrews from the bottom," Jace explained. "It's airtight. The poison reeks, which wrecks any chance to use it as a weapon. They trust slaves here more than most places, but not enough to arm us for an assassination."
"Put it on." The captain said. "We all wear one."
I looked at Jace uncertainty. He pulled a leather cord from under his grey t-shirt, and hanging from it was an identical bottle. "It's alright, chances are if you fall, the sky craft will be able to catch you."
It didn't exactly reassure me, but I didn't have much of a choice, so I slipped the cord over my head, and tucked it into my jacket.
"This way," the captain said, leading us to a battered bin beside the gangplank. He selected two medium sized backpacks from the bins. "If you fall, this parachute is your best friend. Give the cord a sharp tug, and we'll try to get a craft under you. The skycraft can only descend so far, but if you pull the cord quickly, you'll have a chance."
"Good to know." Cole said, slipping his backpack on. I put mine on next. Jace helped me adjust my straps, and the captain helped Cole.
When he was done helping me adjust the straps, Jace leaned down and whispered in my ear "You'll do great, I know it." He said, flashing a smile.
"Thanks. So if I live, I get to be your new best friend?" I said cheekily.
"I'll save the spot for you." He said and he winked.
"Looking forward to it." I said, still smiling.
The captain finished adjusting Cole's straps.
"Jace is here to coach you." The captain said.
"Listen to him, he's a survivor." He walked away, shouting orders to a group of men.
"Some scouts skip the parachute." Jace said to us. "They don't want the extra weight slowing them down."
"Do you use one?" I asked him.
"Always. The risk of a fall is real." He said.
"How many missions have you done?" Cole asked.
"The next will be my thirtieth." Jace replied.
"More than halfway there." Cole said.
Jace gave him a rough, but playful shove. "You trying to jinx me? Never talk about how many you have left. Only how many you've done."
"Sorry." Cole said.
"You've got fifty left," Jace said. "All fifty. Now we're even. Apologie accepted. Looks like they're ready for you guys."
About twenty men had lined up along the gangplank. The captain signaled for us to come aboard. As we walked up the gangplank, every man shook our hand and thanked us for our service. There were no grins or jeers. All were serious. It made my stomach knot. They were paying their respects.