Recruits (New Haven Book 1), page 13
“Exactly what it looks like.” I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to hug me, but he didn’t, probably because we had a big audience. It made me happy and sad at the same time. Stupid Recruitment rules.
“Does that hurt?” Tim asked Dee, pointing at her lip.
“A little,” Dee said.
Tim lifted his hand to her chin and almost touched it, but he pulled back at the last second. “You have some blood on your chin.” His face was bright red.
Dee blushed, wiping her mouth and chin. “Oh, thanks.”
“What about you, Tina? Are you okay?” Luke asked.
“Much better than Tiffy,” Tina said, pointing over at her.
Luke looked over at Tiffy and then back at Tina, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. “You did that?”
Tina shrugged. “Most of it was on accident.”
I sucked in my breath, letting go of one of Eric’s hands and putting my hand up to my head, my world dizzy.
Eric saw the blood on his hands and looked me in the eye. “Emmie, are you okay?”
“I’m just lightheaded. I knocked my head on the tile.” I didn’t care anymore who was watching. I was about to fall over, so I leaned the good side of my head against Eric’s chest.
He put his arms around me. “I’ve got you.” His embrace immediately filled me with warmth.
Footsteps approached from behind me. A few seconds later, President Randall spoke. “Dean, get everyone back to the dorms.”
“Of course,” RH Johnson said.
“As for the six of you,” President Randall said, stepping so I could see him, “we need to talk.” He looked at Eric, Tim, and Luke. “The three of you may leave.”
Tim and Luke said goodbye and walked away.
Eric squeezed me tight. “See you tomorrow.” His lips brushed across my forehead, causing my world to spin for an entirely different reason.
“Um hmm,” I said in response. I didn’t want to let go.
Eric turned his head to Tina. “Can you take her from here?”
“Sure.” Tina put her arms around me and pulled me toward her.
Eric gave me one last look and then walked away, joining up with Tim and Luke.
“I think we need to be taken to the infirmary,” Dee said to the president. When he gave her a stern look she added, “Please, sir.”
President Randall eyed all of us and sighed. “Fine. Follow me.”
We walked slowly to the infirmary in silence. When we got there, a few nurses came and led us to a big, white room with lots of beds. They sat each of us down at a bed and so they could clean us up.
My nurse was about my height, but much thinner. She had short brown hair, cut in an a-line. She had a pretty face and when she leaned in to check my pupils, I noticed she had long, curly eyelashes. “How are you feeling?”
“Dizzy,” I said.
“That’s expected with a head wound like yours,” the nurse said. “You have a small abrasion, but you won’t need stitches. I’ll put some glue on it which will seal it up. You may have a slight concussion, but it’s nothing to worry yourself about. Just take it easy the next few days.”
I laughed. “That’s easier said than done in Recruitment. You never know what’s going to happen.”
The nurse smiled. “True.”
When we were all checked out, President Randall stood in the middle of the room and waited for the nurses to leave. He cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have to tell you how serious this situation is. You broke a rule. And a very important one at that. You should be taken out of Recruitment, for starters.”
The fact that he used the word should was a good sign.
One of the nurses came back in the room. “Sir, Dean Johnson and Janice Woodard are outside demanding to come in.”
I tensed at the mention of my mom. How upset would she be when she saw me like this?
“Tell them they’ll have to wait outside!” President Randall barked at her.
“Yes, sir,” the nurse said, her voice quivering. She put her head down and stepped out of the room.
President Randall’s breathing was heavy, his face livid. He looked like he didn’t know where to begin. “All the rules in Recruitment were created for a reason. I don't know how to stress that they're rules, not guidelines. They must be followed. This little girl squabble of yours has already created an upheaval among the Recruits. They saw all of you and how you look.” He clenched his jaw tight.
“Sir,” Amber said, putting out her lower lip, her eyes innocent. “Tiffy, Stacy, and I only went in there to tell them to evacuate. The three of them turned against us and forced us to defend ourselves.”
What? Was she serious? He couldn't really buy that.
President Randall glared at her, but his eyes softened at her expression. Maybe he did buy it. “Please don’t interrupt me again.” He took a deep breath. “With all that said, I need to take into consideration your families. Most of you are children from predominant members of our city. If this were to spread, it could hurt us tremendously. But I can’t sweep this under the rug, either. It needs to be known that this cannot and will not happen again. We can’t have Recruits creating havoc. We need order around here.”
He took another deep breath, rubbing his temples. “Emelia and Tina, since this is your second broken rule, you’re suspended from Recruitment for three days. You’ll be kept at the dorms and won't have contact with anyone. Your meals will be brought to you. You’ll not speak of what happened tonight with anyone. This includes close friends and family. Once the nurses clear you, you'll both report to SO Clark every night for a week for workouts. I shouldn’t have to mention this, but this will affect the outcome of your Recruitment status. If this happens again, you’ll be removed from Recruitment. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” we said in unison.
President Randall looked at the other girls. “Amber, Stacy, and Tiffy, you’ll also be taken out of Recruitment for three days, but it will not count against you. This will give you time to heal and recover from your serious injuries. Dee, you'll be taken out for one day and then report to SO Clark for two nights.”
I gasped. “What? They’re just as much at fault as us, if not more. Amber’s the one who started it all!” Hadn't she? She'd physically assaulted me and had thrown the first punch.
“I said to not interrupt me!” President Randall yelled. “This is my decision, not yours! From the look of the three of them compared to the three of you, we can tell who's to blame. Emelia, you need to learn to control that temper of yours. If you wouldn’t be such a smart mouth, none of this would’ve happened.” He paused for a moment. “This behavior will not be tolerated during Recruitment or at Infinity Corp. And to be so selfish to drag your friends into this.” He shook his head as he took another pause. “I hope you understand the position you’ve put me in. If you’ll excuse me, I have to go create a story I can tell the other Recruits.” He gave me one last glaring look and left the room.
Furious didn't begin to describe how I felt. How could all of it be put on me? The whole situation was purely insane. Amber batted her eyelashes and had everyone wrapped around her finger. Why couldn't he see that she was crazy? She was, right? Or had I made it all up in my head? Maybe I really was the crazy one.
“Emmie!” I turned to see my mom headed for me. She pulled me into a hug when she got to me, stroking my hair. I should’ve been excited to see her, but for some reason, I wasn’t.
She pulled back and put her hands on my face. “What on earth were you thinking?” The disappointment in her eyes was painfully obvious.
I sighed. “Does it matter?”
She furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. “Of course, it does. What would possess you to do something like this?”
I looked behind her at Amber. Dean, scratch that, RH Johnson was coddling her like a baby. He must have sensed me looking at him because he turned and shot me a look of death.
I turned my attention back to Mom. “It’s a long story.”
“Well, from what I hear, you’ll have a lot of time on your hands for the next few days.” Mom brushed my hair behind my ear.
“How did you already find that out?”
Mom’s mouth turned up at the side into a small, mischievous smile. “I may or may not have listened at the door. It’s a bad habit of mine. Plus, Whit has a voice that can carry.” Whit? Did she not have to address him as President Randall?
“Well, time or not, I’m not allowed to talk to anyone about this.”
Mom pouted. “Even your mother? I thought I could come by tomorrow for lunch.”
“President Randall said we couldn’t talk about it to anyone, including family.”
“How would he know what we talked about?”
It was Recruitment. There seemed to be eyes and ears everywhere, even in the places you thought were safe.
“I just …” I looked at Mom, who stared at me, her face hopeful. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”
Mom’s face fell. “Well, okay, if that’s what you want. But know that I’m always here for you.” She pulled me into another hug. “Em, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you need to straighten yourself out. I know it’s hard. Trust me, I went through the same teenage rebellion phase. But it’s not worth it.”
Teenage rebellion phase? She couldn’t have been more far off on what was happening. I was being cornered. I felt like I had a big fat X on my body that stated, take your best shot.
T he next three days were incredibly boring. They made us stay in our dorm rooms the whole time, except to go to the bathroom. Even then, we were chaperoned. I felt bad for Dee. At least I had Tina to talk to. Dee had Amber to put up with. According to Dee, Amber whimpered and whined the whole time she was in the room with her.
My head wound had been healing nicely. The first day I became a little dizzy a few times when I stood, but after that, I felt fine. My abdomen was a little sore from the beating it took. Lying down on my stomach seemed to be the best position for me for the first two days.
Surprisingly, the one that bothered me the most was the scratch. It was deeper than I originally thought. Tiffy had daggers for nails. My arm stung every time I took a shower. Also, when the air touched it. Or if I looked at it. Or thought about it.
Day two just happened to fall on family day. I didn't think President Randall would let us see our families, but he allowed each of us a brief visit in a room located on the first floor of the dorms.
Only my dad and brother were there.
“Where's Mom?” I asked.
Dad's smile he'd had since he first walked in the room faltered. “She's busy with work.”
Derek leaned forward, resting his arms on the table we were sitting at. “You're suspended? Man, you're lucky they didn't kick you out.”
A frown appeared on Dad's face. I preferred the smile. “What happened, Emmie?”
“Amber.” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “She's crazy.”
“You know,” Derek said, “you keep on saying that. I'm thinking you might be delusional.”
I dropped my hands and glared at him. “I'm not delusional. There's something wrong with her. You know I wouldn't start a fight for kicks and giggles.”
Derek raised his eyebrows. “You do with me all the time.”
“That's different,” I said, rolling my eyes. “You're my brother. We're supposed to fight.”
“It would make my life easier if you didn't.” Dad's smile returned. “I thought you said you'd be on your best behavior.”
I never intended to let my dad down. He meant the world to me and I wanted to make him happy. He was the main reason I'd signed the Recruitment contract. Well, that and Eric's smile.
“I'm sorry, Dad. I'm trying.” I looked at Derek. “Can you get access to the Recruitment files?”
He leaned back, stretching out his arms and legs. Derek clasped his hands behind his head. “How do you think I found out what happened with you?”
“Derek.” Dad shook his head. “Are you allowed to look at those documents?”
Derek shrugged. “No one has tried to stop me.”
Tina and Dee were talking with their families at other tables in the room. RL Steven and DL Jen stood in the corner, watching us. Leaning in, I kept my voice low so only my family could hear me. “Can you look up Amber's file for me? I need to prove that I'm not delusional.”
“No.” Dad's voice was firm. “You can't violate her privacy like that.”
I turned to him. “Did you know the Johnson's have another daughter?”
“What?” Confusion crossed Derek’s face. “No, they don't. It's just Amber.”
“Not according to Dee,” I said. “Amber let slip that she had a sister.”
“Two minutes.” RL Steven’s eyes were on mine as he said it.
I looked at Derek. “Please? Just look into it.”
Dad reached out and took my hand. “Emmie, drop it. Forget about Amber. You need to focus on passing Recruitment.”
Forgetting Amber wouldn't be an easy task. Because of her, my breaking point hovered right around the corner. If Dad wanted me to succeed, I needed to put an end to all of this. I needed closure.
With the way he looked at me, I couldn't say no though. I sighed. “Fine, Dad. I'll drop it.”
His smile came back. “Good.”
Derek made sure Dad wasn't looking and mouthed, “I'll do it.”
Smiling on the inside, I stood and hugged my dad. I knew Derek would do it. The whole thing would entice him enough that he wouldn't be able to let go, either. We were different in a lot of ways, but we had the same sense of curiosity and an overwhelming desire to be right. Some may say that those were terrible traits to have.
I said it made me a fighter.
I was thrilled when we were finally allowed to go back to the world of the living again. Well, until I stepped into the dining hall and all eyes turned to us. No matter what story they heard, they still knew we fought. Everyone I passed whispered and pointed at us. Some looked like they were waiting for another fight to break out.
The moment I sat down next to Eric, he took my hand under the table. “Where have you been? They wouldn’t tell us anything.” His knee bounced anxiously.
Before I could say anything, RL Steven sat down on the other side of me. I hoped it wasn’t going to be a permanent situation, but I wasn’t about to hold my breath.
I sighed and let go of Eric’s hand. “Hello, RL Steven.”
“Nice to see you, too, Emmie,” RL Steven said.
None of us knew what to talk about, so we sat in silence for the rest of breakfast. Once we stepped on the bus, RL Steven stopped me and Tina.
“You’ll sit up front from here on out,” RL Steven said to the two of us.
I saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
After a long, silent bus ride, we stopped outside a big gray building. There were no windows, just one door in the front. When we got inside, we squeezed into a tiny foyer. The lighting was dim, making it dreary.
RL Steven finally stepped away from me so he could address everyone. The second he did, Eric stood at my side.
A small cardboard box sat on the ground. RL Steven picked it up and held it out in front of him. “Take off your watches and place them in here.”
“Why?” Thunder Thighs asked.
RL Steven glared at her for a second. “Because you don’t need them during this challenge.”
A collective sigh filled the room. We all went up and one by one placed our Recruitment watches in the box. When we were all done and settled back into our spots, RL Steven pulled the box in and wrapped his arms around it, holding it close.
“I hope you all slept well last night,” RL Steven said, freeing one of his arms and rubbing his head, “because this will be your most trying challenge to date. It will test your mental toughness, your fear, and basically your sanity. Just sit tight; it will begin momentarily.”
“What are we supposed to accomplish during this challenge?” Luke asked, standing behind me. “What are the rules?”
“I have no further instructions for you,” RL Steven said. “Good luck.” He looked at me and then pushed his way through the crowd and out the front door.
When it shut, all of us stood there not knowing what to do. Will, the guy from my high school, tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Can’t you open a door?” Thunder Thighs asked him.
“It’s locked,” Will said.
We stood there for what seemed like ages. In reality, probably only ten minutes passed, but when you're cramped in a small area, not knowing what was going to happen or when, the seconds ticked by like hours. I started to fidget.
Eric put his hand on my arm. “Please stop moving. You’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry,” I said, standing still. “I just hate not knowing what’s going to happen. How much longer can they make us wait here?” That was why they took our watches.
“All day,” Tina said.
Luke rocked back and forth. He looked at Tina. “This is getting ridiculous. They have to …”
Suddenly, the lights flickered on and off. A screeching sound came from all around the room, making me cover my ears. The lights went completely out a few seconds later. I could feel a few people pushed up against me, but I didn’t know who. It was too loud to talk, and I wasn’t about to remove my hands.
The next thing I knew, someone took me by my waist. I screamed, but they clamped their gloved hand over my mouth. Someone grabbed my shirt, trying to pull me back, but whoever held me was strong.
Keeping my hands pressed to my ears, I kicked my legs and squirmed. No matter what I did, I wasn’t going to be let go. I finally gave up and let them carry me to wherever I was being taken.
They dragged me down a few halls. We finally came to a stop, but my captor didn’t release me. We just stood there. The floor jerked and then we were moving. I couldn’t tell if we were going up or down. A minute later, we stopped.
My captor took me down a few more halls. At least, I assumed we were going down halls. We kept making turns. The lights were still out, so I had no idea how the person holding me could see where they were going.
