The Transfer ✔️

Chapter Thirteen - Discovery

Chapter Song: Rise Up - Andra Day

~~~~

I was safe here. As my body ached and my mind groaned, I was safe. Suddenly, I was the danger. Situated at the top of the food chain, nothing could touch me. Stop me. I was invincible in every sense of the word. My mind was closed off to any other emotions as my body carried my frustration and put it into something useful. As long as I was doing something useful, I wasn't useless. Many people around me believed that but as long as I didn't believe it then nothing could touch me.

Throwing another knife, its satisfying thump against the board sent a shot of pleasure through me. It was right on target – as it should be. I refuse to be anything less than perfect. There's no other option.

The moonlight streams down from a window overhead, the night lulling everyone but myself to sleep. Two people were left, although they wouldn't outlast me. Matt had tried to convince me to give it a rest and stop training but he didn't succeed. I shot him a look that had him shrugging and walking up the ramp without a backwards glance. He didn't deserve rudeness, this much I knew, but when he tried to deter me from training, we had a problem.

I was training every hour that I could manage. Walking only from my bed to the defense sector, I didn't let any other distractions defer me from doing what I was here to be – the best soldier possible. The short period of time I had been in Marchwood may have began to show me why their style of life may work, but I was finished with that.

Knife after knife glided through the air. It was the repetitive motion that soothed both my soul and body. When I let a fourth one fly, it landed slightly off center. I stood and frowned at it for a long second, weighing up the variables of why I was suddenly failing. Somebody clears their throat behind me and I turn with an exasperated sigh.

"I think that proves it's time to stop." Leonardo says gently, stepping towards me with his hands raised in the air in an act of surrender.

I growl under my breath. "You were watching me?"

"Yes," He answers honestly, shrugging. "Your technique is quite impressive."

I sigh and turn, placing a knife back into its case. "Yeah, well it's not good enough."

He mutters in disagreement but I ignore him. Placing the last knife into the case, I turn back to Leonardo, raising an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Matt told me you've been training for over eight hours without stopping. That's not healthy for you, Audrey."

"Don't act like you know what's best for me." I shoot out defensively.

Leonardo sighs and takes another step closer, the distance between us shrinking until a mere inch separates our bodies. I raise my head defiantly against our height difference. I'm met with the sight of clear blue eyes and a soft smile.

"I'm afraid Im going to have to intervene."

Scoffing, I push against his solid chest and walk away from him, heading towards the matt area. Leonardo's slightly longer legs give him the advantage he needs to land in front of me before I can reach it.

"Audrey," He sighs softly, catching my wrist in his hand. His thumb strokes back and forth against the skin of my arm and I shut my eyes to block out the hypnotizing feeling. "Look at me, you need to stop."

"To do what? Go spend some time in the camp that hates me?"

"I don't hate you and I represent a quarter of the camp." Leonardo smirks.

I feel myself leaning into him so I right myself immediately. "Well done you. I don't."

He laughs. "Not for long."