Recruits (New Haven Book 1), page 3
The room erupted in cheers. I kept my eyes trained on President Randall until he finally pried his away from mine.
Eric shifted next to me. “Shouldn’t we be cheering or something?” He leaned in close to my ear since it was so loud in the room. At least, I told myself that was why he was so close.
I looked up at him, our noses centimeters away from each other. Maybe even millimeters. “Probably.”
“But you aren’t,” Eric said, not moving away.
“Neither are you,” I said, trying to keep my feet planted where they were. My heart was doing cartwheels having Eric that close to me.
“I would if I agreed with this whole process.” Eric looked deep into my eyes as if he were trying to read my thoughts.
“You don’t?” I tried to focus on the reasons I questioned River Springs and not the fact that I found Eric hot, just in case he could read my thoughts.
“No. And judging from the look on your face, I’m guessing you don’t either.” Eric finally pulled back and turned toward the front of the room.
Taking deep breaths, I tried to slow my heart down. I looked up front and noticed that my mom, President Randall, and VP Oliver were all staring at me. None of them smiling.
W e were sorted into five different groups. The results of our preliminary tests decided where we were put.
Honestly, the fact that I passed surprised me. My answers were vague and contradictory to one another. When they asked what position I wanted at Infinity Corp, I'd circled every option. Mostly because the whole corporation needed to be fixed, but a small part of me did it because I didn't want to work there at all.
After we were sorted, we were taken outside where buses were waiting for each group. Eric and Will, a guy from my school, were the only ones I knew in my group. Will was a couple of inches taller than me, with square-framed glasses that suited his face well. He kept his black hair slicked back and styled.
I tried desperately to find Dee in the crowd of Recruits, but with so many people walking around, it was hopeless. She wanted to work in the daycare program they had at Infinity Corp. Dee loved to be around children, and they loved to be around her. She'd been born with a compassionate and patient heart. I struggled with patience, so I was somewhat relieved that I hadn't been put in her group.
“Emelia.” The sudden voice behind me made me jump. With trepidation, I turned around slowly, knowing the voice.
I forced myself to smile, remembering his title. “President Randall.”
He stood with his hands clasped in front of him. “It's been a long time since I last saw you, Emelia. You haven't been by the office in a while. Are you prepared for the upcoming weeks?”
It irked me that he had used my full name. Twice. No one ever called me that. “I hope so.” When his eyes narrowed, I quickly added, “Sir.”
“Well, you’ll need to do much more than hope.” President Randall smiled. “You have some big shoes to fill, after all.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “Yes, I know how well my parents did in Recruitment.”
President Randall nodded and reached out to put his hand on my shoulder. “They did. But I was referring to your brother.”
“Derek?” My shoulder twitched under his hand. I'd forgotten how he liked to touch people to show he was in charge.
“Yes, of course, Derek. He is your only brother, after all.” President Randall smiled at a Recruit that passed by and then turned his attention back to me. He squeezed my shoulder before he lowered his hand. “He’s been one of our most talented Recruits in a long time. He's already proven to be a fine asset to Infinity Corp.”
My brother told me that daily, so I didn’t need to be reminded. I forced another smile. “Yes, I know, sir.”
Mom made her way toward me through the crowd of Recruits. President Randall looked over at her and then back at me. “Better hurry and get on your bus. Looks like it's about loaded. Good luck, Emelia.”
He gave me a chilling smile and turned away. He went directly to my mom, putting out an arm to stop her from coming to me. She offered me an apologetic smile before she reluctantly walked away with President Randall. She glanced over her shoulder at me, the look of regret one I hadn’t seen from her in a while.
I let out a deep breath. There was no way I could live up to Derek’s nerdiness. I didn’t even want to.
Eric was leaning against the bus when I approached, like he had been waiting for me, causing me to straighten out my hair and tug on my shirt.
He looked past me at President Randall. “Friends with the president?”
I scoffed. “Far from it. That’s my mom next to him. She’s his personal assistant so I get to see more of him than I want.”
“You look just like her,” Eric said, looking at her and then at me.
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
We ended up sitting in the back of the bus since we were the last to get on. Will smiled at me as I passed him. I'd had a couple of classes with him in school, but other than that I didn't know him all that well.
“Where do you think they’re taking us?” I leaned my head against the windowpane and watched the freshly painted white Recruitment Center fade away.
“To test our knowledge, our endurance, our strength, and our reliability,” Eric said, in a very spot on President Randall impression.
I laughed to myself as I stared out the window. The seat in front of us shifted. A guy with brown hair cut close to his head turned around and glared at Eric. His eyes were the darkest brown I had ever seen. By the thickness of his eyebrows, he was the type of guy that had to shave twice a day. The sternness in his eyes detracted from his cute face.
“I can't believe you'd make fun of the president like that,” the guy hissed. “Although, I shouldn’t expect much from you.”
Eric rolled his eyes. “Oh, get over yourself, Luke. It was just a joke.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “This is not something to joke about. Leave it to you to take nothing seriously. You’re just like your father.”
Eric’s jaw tightened. He leaned in close to Luke. “You better shut your mouth, or I swear I will …”
“You’ll what, Eric?” Luke asked. “You can’t hurt me. You know they’ll be watching you closely. They wouldn’t want to take their eyes off the son of a traitor.”
Eric’s hand balled into a fist. He lifted his arm as if to strike Luke, so I gently placed my hand on his arm. Startled, Eric turned to me and I quickly pulled my hand away. His expression slowly softened as he unclenched his fist.
“He’s not worth it, Eric,” I said quietly. “Just ignore him.” Maybe Luke was worth it, but I didn’t think a fight on the first day of Recruitment was a brilliant idea.
Luke turned to me. “I don’t know you, but if you want to do well in Recruitment, I wouldn’t be friends with a guy like that. He’s bad news.”
Okay, so maybe he was worth it. Now I wanted to hit him, too.
Before I could respond, a red-headed girl across from us spoke up. “Stop it,” she said in a low voice. She had long, beautiful hair, pale skin, and delicate features. Her startling green eyes made mine look dull. She was absolutely stunning. “Just stop it. We need to stay focused. We’re about to start Recruitment and you two are already fighting like little boys.”
Luke’s face reddened. “Sorry, Tina.” His voice came out in a mumble.
Eric chuckled. He turned to me. “Could he be any more whipped?”
I raised my eyebrows at Eric. “Are they together, or something?”
“Ha! He wishes,” Eric said, folding his arms.
Luke’s face turned a shade of red I didn’t know existed. He turned around and sat back down in his seat.
Forty minutes later, we came to a stop next near the top of the river. About a mile up was Crow’s Bridge. I had been there a few times with my family when I was younger. I used to love to stand on it and look out over the river, watching it flow downstream.
A guy in his early twenties stood at the front of the bus. He was taller and skinnier than my brother, making his arms lanky. He had a long nose, his eyes spread far apart. He rubbed his hand over his buzz-cut hair. “I’m Steven and I’ll be your leader for the rest of Recruitment. You'll refer to me as RL Steven. If you have any concerns or problems, you’ll bring them to me.” He eyed Luke and Eric when he said that. How he had heard anything we said from up there was amazing. But I guess they were probably trained to watch us all closely. “Once we get off the bus, we’re going to the bridge. Try to stay orderly and quiet as we walk up there. Follow me.” RL Steven turned and walked off the bus.
We headed up a dirt path that followed the river. The sun had come out a little, warming the air up a bit. It was a perfect day for being outdoors.
“Have you been here before?” Eric asked, walking next to me and talking loud enough to be heard over the river.
The water was a lot higher than in recent years, rushing down at an alarming rate.
“A couple of times. That’s Crow’s Bridge ahead.”
“It looks really high,” Tina said, falling into step on the other side of me.
“It’s not too bad when you’re up there. You can see for miles,” I said to her. “I’m Emmie.”
“Tina. It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled at me, the sincerity showing in her eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. So, what’s with that Luke kid?” I pointed at him a few yards ahead of us.
“He’s an uptight piece of work, is what he is,” Eric said.
Tina gave Eric a sharp look. “He just takes this very seriously, that’s all.”
“Well,” I said, “he seems like he has some anger issues he needs to work out. He’s not going to do very well if he continues to be so uptight.”
There was a small smile on Eric’s face. I wasn’t sure about the history between those two, but I was curious to find out. There was obviously something up with Eric’s dad. But I had a feeling that Eric wouldn’t want to talk about it.
“How do you all know each other?” I asked. It seemed like a lot of the Recruits in our group knew each other.
Tina's eyes glanced over everyone. “Most of us went to the same schools growing up.”
“What part of River Springs did you grow up in?” River Springs was a large city, separated into four different precincts. I'd grown up in the River Precinct, which housed the Recruitment buildings. Infinity Corporation's headquarters sat smack in the middle of all four precincts.
“The Lake Precinct.” Eric smiled at me. “Best precinct to grow up in. You?”
I returned the smile. “Here in River. While I do love the lake you have, being near the mountainside is something I wouldn't want to trade.”
As we hiked up the path, we got closer to the mountains. The changing colors painted the trees like something straight from a picture.
“It's beautiful here.” Tina's voice held a little awe.
“Yes, it is.” If Recruitment didn't work out, maybe I'd run away and live up in the mountains. At least then I could make my own choices and have some freedom.
And I'd never have to eat peas. That alone made living a rugged life very tempting.
A short while later, we stopped at the grassy shore below the metal steps leading to the bridge. I glanced up, taking in the red paint chipping away. It has been years since my family had come. I missed those trips.
RL Steven stopped near a bunch of canoes that were lined up on the shore, turned to face us, and waited until we had all stopped and clustered around him so we could hear him over the roar of the rushing river.
“Listen up,” RL Steven said, rubbing his head. “You were each put in this group because your test results showed that you would work best in one of the following fields: Security, Management, Research & Development, or Technology. Your challenges in Recruitment will be centered on those.”
Tina and Eric shared ecstatic grins. I had no idea how to feel about it. I still wasn't sure what I wanted.
RL Steven continued. “Today is more of a partner building challenge. Before we start, we are going to create two lines. The girls will line up to the left of me and the boys on the right. Line up shortest to tallest with the shortest starting up here near me.”
When we all stood there staring at him, RL Steven rolled his eyes. “Now, please.”
Surprisingly, it took us a long time to line up. We had a group full of go-getters who liked to take charge, so everyone felt the need to tell others what to do.
I ended up somewhere in the middle. I had a nice height of 5’6”; not too tall and not too short. I expected Tina to be right behind me since she seemed maybe a half an inch taller than me, but at the last second, some super skinny girl slid her way between the two of us. She pushed her glasses up on her face and then forced a smile. I did my best to smile back.
The girl in front of me turned around, looking me up and down. Her glower made me pull back a little. She had a very thick and muscular body. I had a sick feeling I would be partnered up with her, and by the look on her face, I probably wouldn’t survive.
RL Steven held up his hand to silence us. Apparently, Thunder Thighs in front of me didn’t have enough room because she used her body to shove me backward, making me bump into Skinny behind me.
Rubbing his head, RL Steven looked down the boys’ line and then back up the girls’ line, taking us all in. “Make sure you keep a straight line, stay in your place, and no talking.” RL Steven offered a small smile. “We’ll see how well you can obey orders. You wouldn’t want to screw up on your first day.”
RL Steven kept his voice loud enough to hear. “We’ll start upfront with the first two girls being paired together and the first two boys being paired together.” He motioned to the canoes. “When I say go, the first set of partners will go to the first set of canoes, strap on the life vests and helmets waiting for you inside, and then push off into the river, using your oars to guide you down. The pairs will continue to enter the water until you’re all in. You have one hour to make it to the bottom.”
Chatter broke out among the Recruits. I turned around and looked for Eric toward the back of his line. He wore a wide smile as he rubbed his hands together. Luke stood right in front of him, a mask of horror on his face. I hadn’t realized that they were practically the same height.
“Enough!” RL Steven yelled, getting everyone’s attention. “I said stay quiet and don’t move. Don’t make me repeat myself. This is Recruitment. You’re going to be asked to do things you normally don’t do and that’ll take you out of your comfort zone. So, deal with it.”
If they expected all of us to just stand still and show no facial expressions after we’d been told we had to race down a roaring river, they were crazy.
RL Steven waited for everyone to calm down before he continued. “Besides bonding with your partner, this will also see if you can do as you’re told, even if it's frightening. Like every challenge in Recruitment, we can't force you to do it. You have the option of sitting out. Just remember, though, if you choose not to do it, we will consider that at the end of Recruitment.”
The thought of rafting down the river sounded exhilarating to me.
“Before each challenge,” RL Steven said, “you'll be given a list of rules you must obey. Today's rules are simple. Stay with your assigned partner, no talking until you’re in the river, work together to get to the bottom, no stopping to help other Recruits, and most importantly, have fun. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, so enjoy it. Let’s get started with the first pairs of Recruits.” When no one moved, he yelled. “Girl one and two, boy one and two, MOVE!” The two girls and boys hurried over to the first set of canoes.
“They can’t make us do this,” Skinny said behind me, her voice quiet yet shrill. She tried to flatten her brown, frizzy hair, but it wasn’t working. At least I knew my hair didn’t look that bad. “It’s wrong and very dangerous. We’ll all be killed.”
A girl behind Tina held her finger up to her lips to tell us to be quiet. Skinny had already broken a rule and it had been less than thirty seconds into the challenge.
“I highly doubt they would make us do anything where we’d be killed,” I said to Skinny, keeping my voice low and ignoring the stares from quiet girl. “I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”
Recruits continued to partner up. A pair of girls opted out, not wanting to go in the water. RL Steven made them go back on the bus.
As we drew closer to the front of the line, I counted the girls left, noticing I would be paired with Thunder Thighs. She had already cracked her knuckles, neck, and back five times since we found out we were rafting.
Before I had a chance to process it, RL Steven was ushering me and Thunder Thighs to the next canoe.
Thunder Thighs snatched a life vest from the canoe and shoved it into my chest as she grunted, making me stumble back.
I glanced over my shoulder at Tina, who was trying to calm a silently shrieking Skinny with just the use of her hands.
Skinny yanked at her frizzy hair, prancing around where she stood, and Tina remained calm through it all.
What I wouldn’t give to have Tina as a partner instead of Thunder Thighs.
As if she heard my thought, Thunder Thighs punched my arm, motioning for me to put on my life vest. Resisting the urge to rub my arm—man, the girl could throw a punch—I quickly put on my life vest and helmet, securing them in place.
I only had one foot inside the canoe before Thunder Thighs yanked us into the river and jumped in the canoe herself, fierce determination on her face.
I pushed the rest of my body inside—my shoe scraping across the top of the water in the process—causing the canoe to teeter onto its side, rapid water splashing against my face. Thunder Thighs leaned her body to the other side and the canoe thumped back into place, my wet hands snatching up my oar before it could fall into the water.
