In The Shadows

Chapter Eighteen

Mason shrugged, "I think we'll be okay. Today kicked my butt, but based on what Davis said, we'll be grateful of the training in the long run."

"Yeah," I trailed off. We were walking down the hall to our rooms alone, having left dinner early to get cleaned up for bed. Irine had promised to come see me after dinner when the trainees had ten minutes of free time before they had to be in their rooms. But for now, it was just Mason and I. "I guess. I'm just worried he's throwing us into the field too soon."

"Lighten up, it'll be okay. We're both here for a reason. Remember?" Her elbow nudged mine and she smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," I repeated, stopping at my room. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Mason waved, "See you tomorrow," and headed down the hall to her own room.

"I think he's insane," I mumbled under my breath. Shots of pain raced up my tailbone as I stood up from the slippery roof. Thunder rolled off in the distance and rain poured from the clouds, beating against the concrete with angry fists.

The door closed softly and I sighed, slowly leaning forward to press my forehead against it. I closed my eyes and stood for a minute just like that. The darkness and silence enveloped me in a bear hug, welcoming me from all sides.

"Again!" Davis yelled. "When you are out there, in the field, it doesn't get any more real than that. One wrong turn, one wrong move, and that could be it for you."

He paused, glaring at me with blazing eyes. I breathed slowly, matching his gaze underneath heavy eyelashes weighed down by raindrops.

"I know," I nodded. Mason stood a few feet to the left of me with wide eyes and a nod of her own. "I know this is real, and I know the consequences."
"Then act like it," He spit. "Again!"

Pushing myself away with a groan, I shuffled into the bathroom. I was already soaked to the skin and dripping wet, but a shower sounded like heaven. My muscles ached as I peeled off the uniform and draped it over the edge of the sink. I let the water run for a minute, knowing the temperature would change from lukewarm to freezing in a matter of minutes. But the sound of the droplets beating against the ceramic shower became white noise, a mindless droning.

The rain poked my arms, bit my hands. I leveled my head, focused on the dummy Davis set up before me. He wanted us to concentrate on targeting the most sensitive areas first, because in a defensive situation those areas would inflict the most pain.

I threw elbows, swung punches. I grunted curses, muttered groans.

It was the same routine over and over again. He worked us until our bones ached, first showing us what to do and then challenging us.

Soft ice cubes dropped from the shower head, the low water pressure merely pecking my head and the tops of my shoulders. Goosebumps rose up and pebbled on my forearms. Looking down, I could see the purple and green bruises forming abstract art on my legs.

Slowly, I rinsed my hair until it wasn't stringy from the dirt and rain anymore, and wiped off the dried blood that grazed my knuckles. After that, I worked fast and I worked carefully. My skin was already starting to become numb to the water.

He made us practice against the dummy first, before having us go up against each other. He wanted us to have real opponents to practice against, reminding us over and over ahead that he needed us tomorrow. Tomorrow was the day we would prove ourselves, it wasn't a game and it wasn't something we could just float by on. This was it.

In front of me, Mason bounced on the balls of her feet. Her long blonde hair fell over her shoulder, the rain separating it into stringy sections. Her arms were held up in front of her and her knees were bent, ready and prepared for anything. Light blue eyes flashed at me, and her lips pursed in determination, making her high cheekbones seem more defined.