Recruits (New Haven Book 1), page 6
“I see,” Wallace said with a nod. He pulled his leg up, resting his ankle on his other knee. “Are you going to tell her?”
“Not yet,” I said. “I want to be certain that it's her. Once we tell her, it will alter her life. It will change everything.”
Dante looked up from the papers. “I know about me and I'm doing fine.” He shook the papers. “If she's as amazing as these papers say, then she'll definitely be able to handle it.”
Shaking my head, I looked at the picture of my family on my desk. My wife, daughter and son were my pride and joy. Emmie held a special place in my heart next to theirs'. “If it is her, there's more that will unfold than I can tell you about. It will change her life in more ways than one. She's not ready for it.” I reached out and adjusted the frame, so it was in its right place on my desk. “Not yet.”
“Can we still meet her?” Dante asked. “I'd really like to get to know her better. Maybe I would be able to tell if she's the one.”
Wallace looked from his son to me. “I agree. Dante might have more insight into the matter.”
“Whit thinks you're here to scout out Recruitment,” I said. “Maybe we can have you be in a challenge with her group. We'll tell Whit it's to see if you can handle it, but you can really keep an eye on Emmie.”
Dante stood from his chair. “Great. When do we start?”
He really was eager. Standing, I smiled at him. “Tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
Dante grunted. “You had me until bright and early.”
“Well, you'll fit in quite nicely then,” I said with a laugh.
A part of me didn't want it to be Emmie because it would create a hard life for her. But if anyone could handle it, Emmie could.
O rientation had been boring and pointless. It dragged on and on. Eating rice and peas for dinner had been worse. I surprised myself by not gagging. But I'd also snuck some of the peas into a folded-up napkin when I thought no one was looking.
“If I have trouble sleeping tonight,” Eric said as we walked out of the dining hall, “I'll just replay orientation in my head and I'm sure I'll be out in no time.”
Tina laughed. “No kidding.”
Luke had sat with us at dinner even though it seemed like he hated Eric. He must have had a crush on Tina because that was the only plausible explanation to it all. He stiffened as we walked. “Everything we were told was important, vital information.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was the same crap we've heard our whole life about the divide. I don't know why they feel the need to keep repeating it over and over again.”
“That's how you learn things,” Luke said. “Unless you have an eidetic memory, there's no way you could remember something after hearing it only once or twice.”
Tina opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes widened. Turning around, I saw what had surprised her.
President Randall and RH Johnson approached us, neither of them looking happy. I'd started using their titles in my head so I could get used to saying them out loud.
“Tina and Emmie,” President Randall said. “We'd like a word in private with the two of you.”
RH Johnson stood there, the veins popping out of his neck. It made me wonder if the anger stemmed from me and Tina, or the fact that President Randall had taken over his position.
President Randall gestured for us to follow him, so we did. I didn't bother looking back at Eric and Luke to see what expressions they had on their faces.
I could hear RH Johnson walking behind us. We'd just rounded the corner in the hallway when I saw Amber and Dee.
Dee mouthed, “What's going on?”
Shrugging, I shook my head. I had no idea.
“Daddy!” Amber ran up and threw her arms around RH Johnson's neck. He patted her back awkwardly and finally removed her from his body.
“Amber, go on to your dorm.” RH Johnson's voice was tight.
Amber pouted, looking at us. “Did they do something bad?”
RH Johnson glared at her, but when she returned the glare tenfold, he cleared his throat and forced a smile. “This isn't your concern. Please go to your dorm, sweetie.”
“Is there a problem, Dean?” President Randall asked.
He shook his head. “No, sir.” Gently pushing his daughter aside, he started walking again.
There was a small twitch in Amber's eye, her look bordering on hate. Before she followed him, she pulled herself together, smiled innocently at President Randall and continued down the hall. Dee raised her eyebrows at me and then followed Amber.
President Randall took us to a gym at the Recruitment Center next door to the dorms. RL Steven, Thunder Thighs and Skinny stood in the middle of the room with a man I'd seen a few times before but had never met. Tall, strong, and intimidating were the words that came to my head when I looked at him.
The man had short, neatly trimmed red hair and light blue eyes. He had a few days’ growth on his upper lip and firm, square jaw. RL Steven stood next to him, his arms folded, trying to look tough. It wasn’t working.
President Randall stopped near the center of the gym and adjusted his tie. He waited until all eyes were on him. “An unnerving situation was brought to me earlier this evening. It seems the four of you,” he motioned to me, Tina, Thunder Thighs and Skinny, “broke a rule today. As your contract states, you will be punished for any rule breaking. You could also be terminated from Recruitment.”
Thunder Thighs' eyes flickered to mine, pure anger etched all around.
“You were told to stay with your partners,” President Randall said. “But you switched when you fell in the river.”
Skinny’s eyes were on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks.
I stepped forward. “They didn't break a rule. I did. They had nothing to do with it.”
Thunder Thighs nodded and pointed to me. “It was all her.”
President Randall undid the buttons on his blazer and put his hands in his pocket. “Yet, none of you corrected her when she lied right to RL Steven’s face.”
“You can't punish us because of her!” Thunder Thighs had practically spat the words out at me.
I kept waiting for Skinny to whine and complain, but she kept her head down, staying quiet. She wouldn’t make eye contact with any of us.
She’d probably been the one to rat us out.
“Enough!” President Randall yelled. “You signed the contract. You knew what was at stake when you entered Recruitment. You will be held accountable for every decision you make, including not stopping someone else for breaking a rule or turning them in. You each had a chance to report the infraction to your leaders, but you chose not to. You will all be punished.” He gestured to the man. “This is Security Officer Mack Clark. You'll address him as SO Clark. You will do as he commands. If one complaint comes out of any of your mouths, then he's been ordered to add ten minutes to the workout.”
Thunder Thighs swore under her breath, but not quietly enough.
“Ten minutes right there,” President Randall said. When she swore again, he added another ten. I had a feeling that Thunder Thighs and Skinny were going to be the death of me.
President Randall turned to RH Johnson. “Anything you'd like to add to this, Dean?”
RH Johnson shook his head. “I think you covered it all.”
“RL Steven will be watching you as well,” President Randall said. “If he catches anyone whining, complaining, groaning, swearing, or anything of the likes, he's been ordered to tell SO Clark, who will add to your punishment. Do I make myself clear?”
We all muttered, “Yes, sir.”
President Randall and RH Johnson left without another word, but not without a few dirty looks.
SO Clark stood tall in the middle of the room and folded his arms. “Here's how tonight is going to go. We'll start with fifty pushups, fifty crunches, fifty jumping jacks and then twenty laps around the gym. Once the warmup is done, we'll go from there.”
Skinny's jaw dropped. “That's the warmup?”
“Are you complaining?” SO Clark asked, his eyes digging into hers.
She shook her head vigorously. “No, sir. I was just trying to clarify.” She smiled sheepishly at him. When he looked away, she shot me a death look. Thunder Thighs shot me one, too.
I turned to Tina with an apologetic face. Shrugging, she squeezed my arm. “I could use a good work out. I might have overeaten at dinner with my unseasoned chicken wing and half a cup of corn.”
“If I would have known …” I started.
Tina smiled and leaned in close. “I still would have wanted you to switch.” She nodded over at Thunder Thighs and Skinny who were having a glare off. “They deserve each other.”
SO Clark suddenly stood next to us, a sliver of a smile on his face. “That they do. Now, let's begin.”
Partway during our workout, I'd accidentally kicked a soccer ball into the corner of the gym. When I bent over to pick it up, I heard two voices right outside the door.
“Is this all necessary?” It was VP Oliver.
“Of course it is, Frank,” President Randall said. “You know it is. You've read everything I have.”
“Whit, she’s just a child.” VP sounded tired.
President Randall's voice was clipped. “That’s enough. I’m through hearing excuses from you. This is for the sake of our city. For Infinity Corp. We have a responsibility to uphold.”
VP Oliver sighed. “But at what cost?”
“Whatever it takes,” President Randall said. A chill went through my body. I backed away from the door and ran back to where the others were.
The clock had just struck midnight when we walked into our dorm rooms and flopped down on our beds. Thunder Thighs and Skinny had each added more minutes to our workout, but after a little while, they learned to keep their complaints to themselves.
SO Clark had definitely given us a tough workout, but there was something endearing about him. Maybe it was the look of amusement he'd flash me and Tina when Skinny or Thunder Thighs messed up or stumbled.
One of the rules had said not to talk after lights out and there was no way I wanted to break another rule. I'd learned my lesson for the time being. I looked over at Tina and frowned. She held her hand out for me and I took it in mine. She gave it a good squeeze, mouthed, “Goodnight,” and fell right asleep.
When her hand finally dropped from mine, I turned over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. Even though I was exhausted, I couldn't fall asleep. The second Mom found out what had happened, she would tear me a new one. But even with the achy muscles, ornery Thunder Thighs and Skinny, and getting my partner in trouble, if I could go back, I'd make the same choice.
My head wouldn't stop buzzing about what I'd overheard. At first, I thought they were talking about our punishment, but President Randall had said that VP Oliver had read everything he had. Read what? What were they talking about? They hadn't mentioned me specifically, but something in my gut said they were talking about me.
I'd just have to find a way to talk to VP Oliver about it. Until then, I needed to find a way to turn off my brain so I could sleep.
When I closed my eyes, the same stupid shark that I'd envisioned last night came to me. Only this time, it had Thunder Thighs' angry face and Skinny's frizzy hair.
It wasn't a very becoming look for the shark.
T he next morning, I could barely move. My eyes were so heavy it took a lot of will and determination to pry them open. All they wanted to do was stay closed and take me back into the land of sleep. With my head actively trying to answer questions I didn't have answers to, I didn’t fall asleep until four in the morning. Tina jostled me awake at six-thirty.
“Wake up, sleepyhead,” Tina said, sitting on the edge of my bed. “We have to be downstairs for breakfast at seven and out to the bus by eight. I wasn’t sure how long you take to get ready.”
I moaned and threw my blankets over my head.
“Sore from last night?” Tina asked.
“You have no idea,” I said through the covers.
Tina tugged on my covers, but I held on tight. She let out a small laugh. “Well, you might want to hurry if you want to take a shower. Who knows if there are any stalls available.”
I threw off the covers and slowly sat up, my muscles screaming at me from the movement. “You’re probably right.” I slapped my face, hoping that would help wake me up.
“Need help with that?” Tina asked.
“Very funny,” I said, giving her a shove.
I ended up having to wait fifteen minutes until a stall opened. I took a quick shower, got dressed in my green clothes and ran a brush through my hair. I looked in the mirror and sighed. I looked terrible. I felt terrible, too. It was going to be a long day.
On the way out of the bathroom, I ran into Amber. Literally. I had just opened the door to walk out when she came waltzing in. I couldn’t stop myself in time, so I smacked right into her.
Amber grabbed me by my shirt and threw me against the wall inside the bathroom, the door swinging shut behind her. She may have been short, but she was extremely strong. If I didn’t hate her so much, I probably would’ve been impressed. “You need to watch where you’re going, Emelia.”
I took her hand and yanked it off my shirt, throwing her backward. She stumbled a little but quickly regained her balance. “Leave me alone, Amber.” I wasn’t in the mood for her that morning. Not that I was ever in the mood for her.
Amber shoved me into the wall with all her might. “Stay out of my way and I will.” She stuck up her nose and turned around, walking toward a stall.
It might have been the strenuous workout, or the conversation I overheard the previous night or the fact that I didn’t sleep, but I just snapped. I threw myself at the back of Amber, knocking her down on the ground.
Putting my hand on the back of her head, I pressed her face into the ground and moved my mouth near her ear. “I really don’t want to deal with you right now. Just get over yourself and move on with your life. I don’t know why you’re obsessed with me, but you need to drop it. I don’t want to see your ugly face again.”
I gave her head another shove and stood up. My brain was foggy with exhaustion. Somehow, Amber brought out the worst in me. Maybe I was the crazy one.
As I walked to the door, Amber came up behind me, grabbed my hair and threw me on the ground. She jumped on top of me and punched me hard on the jaw. She went to punch me again, but I moved my head at the last second, her fist hitting the tiled floor, hard.
Amber screamed out in pain, a sound I could definitely get used to. I took the opportunity to wriggle away from her and stood up, rubbing my jaw.
“You stupid, little, conniving …” Amber started, standing up. Her knuckles were covered in blood. Before she finished her sentence, she flung herself at me again, pushing me up against the wall. She punched me in the stomach with her good hand. When she went to punch me again, I grabbed her wrist and twisted it away from me.
“Knock it off!” The yell came from the door. I looked to see my dorm leader, Jen, standing there with her hands on her hips. When Amber wouldn’t get off me, DL Jen came over and pulled her off.
“What’s wrong with you two?” DL Jen asked, holding onto Amber.
“She started it,” Amber said, trying to shake DL Jen off her.
“Stop it!” DL Jen yelled at Amber. “Just stop!”
When Amber finally quit moving, DL Jen waited a few seconds and then let go. She took out a small device from her pocket and held it up to her mouth. “We have a situation in the girl’s bathroom.”
“What kind of situation?” A voice came from the device.
DL Jen sighed. “A fight. Just come up here.”
“Do you want me to get one of the leaders?” The voice asked.
“No,” DL Jen said, eying me. “Just you. Get up here.” She put the device back in her pocket.
“I’m not staying here,” Amber said, walking toward the door. DL Jen took hold of Amber’s arm, stopping her from escaping.
“You’re not going anywhere,” DL Jen said.
The bathroom door opened, and Tina walked in, stopping in her tracks. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” DL Jen said. She looked at Tina. “There’s a medical kit under one of the sinks. Will you get it for me?”
Tina looked at me and then back at DL Jen. “Okay.” As Tina went to look for the kit, I sat down on the floor and leaned my head against the wall. I wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep.
A minute later, RL Steven came into the bathroom. He looked at Amber, who held her bloody hand close to her, and then at me sitting on the floor. “What happened in here?”
“That stupid brat attacked me!” Amber yelled out, choking on a cry. She held up her hand for RL Steven to see. Tina came back with the kit and handed it to DL Jen.
“Yes, that’s right, I made you punch the floor,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Seriously, Amber, you have to be the biggest idiot.”
“Enough!” DL Jen yelled. She forced Amber to sit down on one of the benches in front of the shower stalls and cleaned her knuckles. She looked at RL Steven. “Should we tell anyone about this?”
RL Steven looked at me. “Are you okay?”
I rubbed my jaw. “I’ll live.”
“What about you?” RL Steven asked Amber.
She whimpered. “Hello! Look at my hand.”
“It’s just a few scrapes,” DL Jen said, blowing away some hair that had fallen over her eyes. “Nothing major.”
“My dad will be furious,” Amber said, looking at me.
“Why? Because you didn’t do a better job beating me up?”
Amber clenched her jaw. If DL Jen hadn’t been holding her hand, I'm sure she would’ve attacked me again.
RL Steven rubbed his head. “I don’t know the history between the two of you, but whatever this is, it needs to stop. We’ll leave this between us for now, but if this happens again, I will personally take it to the president.” He wasn't going to tell him now?
