𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭

20

Before my brain could start to piece an answer together, Chase turned abruptly to Oliver. "Noah! Do you know anyone named Noah Hunter? My brother- dark hair, blue eyes a little lighter than mine-" he trailed off as one of the Tempests who had come out of the bushes slowly shook his head, mouthing, later.

Felix, meanwhile, grabbed Jack's wrist and used the chance to dart deeper into the forest, until all that was left of him was a cold tingle crawling up my spine.

"Alright," a tall Tempest spoke. She was noticeably older than the others, her hair streaked with gray, her green eyes shining with wisdom. "I'm Captain Rae Grayson. I'll be assigning a mentor for you four to show you the ropes and answer any questions." she raised her brows at Chase, who was flushed red and looked ready to hit something. "Until then, we can show you to your area of the camp."

"Wait, slow down." Azura interrupted, holding up her hands. "Aren't you going to tell us what's going on? Like, all the things Felix said, and the sickness, and the Mason Chips, and where Joanne is, and why the government didn't just lock us up-"

Rae flinched at the last question, a slight and barely noticeable movement. "All will be answered in good time," she assured her as they began to trek deeper into the forest.

"No," Chase interjected, with such force that I almost jumped, "You can't expect us to trust you if you don't give us answers. Plus, we got to get Joanne out of there." He motioned in the General direction of the Prime House."

Oliver chuckled. "Are you actually suggesting we go back there?"

Chase glanced at me for backup, looking relieved when I nodded. "Joanne's one of us. We might have not known her for long, but we can't let her rot in there without knowing what's happening to her."

Oliver narrowed his eyes and looked towards Rae as if waiting for her to speak on the manner.

"We'll look into it, but until then, we have enough problems on our own."

Allison and Azura seemed satisfied with that answer, but I shook my head. "If Oliver was stuck inside the Prime House, wouldn't you want to rescue him?"

Rae didn't glance back at me, focusing on the trees ahead. "Oliver is our best mentor and one of the most skilled fighters we have. Joanne is not a priority right now."

Joanne is not a priority right now. The words rang over and over in my head, each time sinking deeper into my skin, itching at my bones. "Joanne is not a priority right now," I repeated, struggling to remain calm. My hands clenched and unclenched, my nails digging into my skin.

"Right..." Rae said, nodding, glancing at me wearily.

Had I made the right decision, joining the Tempests? Would the Hopefuls have been any better?

Probably not.

"Okay, then. Second question. Are we all here because we're resistant to mind control?" A couple hours ago, saying something like that would've made me cringe about how much that sounded like those old- timey sci- fi movies, but now I could care less.

Rae's eyebrows shot up. "How'd you figure that out?"