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Now I recognized her. The girl who used to vie for Timothy’s attention, who had hated me so much for him loving me instead of her, that she had taken it upon herself to make my life a living nightmare. Playing tricks on my mind with her silly little spells because if there was one thing Olga Westfield wasn’t good at, it was spells. She was okay, intermediate, but not the best. She was better at healing, but I had known a long time ago she wasn’t as good as me. It came naturally, instincts kicking in every time. She had to work for it.
Maybe it was just Timothy choosing me over her that had sent her over the edge and made her loathe me. Because we’d been friends once before. A long time ago, before she had withdrawn, she was a mopey little child because she got frustrated too easily and had no patience for things.
“What do you want, Olga?”
She giggled, the sound sharp in my ears. “I was wondering when you’d recognize me. I changed my hair and eye color. I look so much better, don’t I? Do you think Timothy will like this on me?”
I turned to face her this time and stepped up to her. She cowered and backed up a little, shrinking but quickly gathering herself together to stare down at me, just inches taller.
“You’re too tall for his taste,” I stated coolly, the corners of my lips curling up as her eyes widened in shock at my rebuttal. “Good to see you again, Olga.”
I gave a curt nod to her two minions lingering behind me, looking at me blankly. I for sure didn’t recognize them but didn’t care. Stepping around the three girls, I left Olga seething to go and find my brush. As I passed Mallory’s bed, I caught sight of the frightened young girl and clenched my teeth. I hadn’t been able to teach her a lot before rushing off here, but I had a warm feeling in my stomach that she was going to do just fine. Besides, I would help in our free time. I would answer her questions the best I could. She was my responsibility, and I knew damn well that Timothy would kill me if anything happened to her.
Unless she gets sent back home.The small voice whispered as I took my brush out of from bedside drawer.If she tanks, she’ll go home and be safe.
I looked at the girl fumbling with making a bun in her hair. The only way to save her was to get her sent home.
ChapterTwenty-One
“Line up,” Valencia commanded.
We followed the order, lining up exactly as we’d done in the bunk. Two lines with a path between us, standing straight up. I was more awake now, but I could still feel the pressure lack of sleep was having on me. This was definitely going to be a challenge to get used to. At least I had food in me now, even if it was lumpy cold oatmeal. But we’d been warned that being late would cause us to have cold food, and there was no warming it up.
I just had to drag my feet from the bunk house, didn’t I? After my interaction with Olga, I had no desire to be stuck in a room with clattering dishes and her so close by. But I didn’t have much of a choice now. Because in line, she was standing right next to me, her eyes on the woman walking down the line, assessing us all over again. I had a sinking feeling this would be daily, and I wouldn’t like it.
“You’re going to get uniforms today. There will be no time to receive them if you pass and are allowed to ship off. You will be put right to work. Here, you will act as if you are part of the real thing. You will dress as if you are. If you are dismissed, you will be required to return your uniform. Failure to do so will result in three months’ worth of prison. Trust me when I say this, you don’t want prison time over a silly uniform. You are required to wear them from the minute you get up to the minute you go to bed. The only time you will not be wearing your uniform is if you are sleeping. If you are woken in the middle of the night and are at various times for drills, you will instantly put on your uniform. From the moment you are handed your uniform, you are not allowed to be outside your bunk without it. Do I make myself clear?”
We answered in unison, some voices off-key, but it was together. Not that it seemed to matter to Valencia. She didn’t even show the slightest appreciation for us having remembered her rule. Again, she stopped in front of me, her jaw ticking as she glowered down at me. For a long minute, one that seemed to seep into an eternity so long that it made me want to rip my hair out, Valencia turned and walked away. I swallowed a bile of vomit that threatened to hurl over my lips. Now wasn’t the time to vomit; it was barely five in the morning. Besides, I didn’t think lunch would be for a long while. Which meant I had to keep down the lumpy oatmeal; no matter what my nerves gurgled at me.
What was her issue, though? I barely knew the woman, and just because she had known my mother briefly didn’t give her the right to push me. Did it? Maybe it did. Everyone always reminded me how talented she had been, how special she had been. I knew people expected me to be the same. They all wanted me to so badly be just like her. I didn’t want to, though. I wanted to be myself, to be a fighter. To be more than Helen Hollow’s daughter, her legacy. I didn’t want the burden of what she’d left behind on my shoulders, weighing me down for the rest of my life.
“You will make your way to my office and find the uniform that will fit you. Make sure it’s snug. You won’t get a different one without consequences if it doesn’t fit properly. Now go.”
We turned and walked in our lines out the double doors. In the open area outside, we dispersed into little groups or couples, chattering animatedly. Or at least, the majority of us did. I still couldn’t find Carli, and without her, I felt a sort of emptiness inside of me. I couldn’t remember going a day without seeing her, even for five minutes. Waking up and being told I wouldn’t see her left me feeling so strange. She was my best friend, but even more so. She was my sister, and I needed to make sure she was alright.
I glanced behind me, taking in the view of the groups lagging behind me. Everyone is taking their sweet time, with Valencia following suit. Her eyes met mine, cold and hard. No sad smile this time. We were pure business now. Knowing there was no way to just slip away, I turned back to keep in step with Mallory, following the rest to the single cabin on the shoreline. At the doorway, we melted into a single file line that moved at a snail’s pace while whoever was inside browsed the uniforms in search of the one that would be a fit.
“Why doesn’t she like you?” Olga switched spots with a girl who had been between her and me, facing me full-on. “She hates you.”
I didn’t have to ask to know who she was talking about. I looked over her shoulder to watch the line, trying to ignore her. I could only hope if I did it long enough, she’d give up and turn back around to mingle with her friends until it was her turn.
But I should’ve known better. I’d known Olga a lot longer than her pathetic little minions did. She wasn’t one to easily give up. It was a reason I’d liked being her friend once upon a time.
“Come on, you can tell me,” she pushed, lowering her voice as she leaned closer. “We used to be friends, remember?”
My eyes snapped to Olga and caught them, but I clenched my teeth tight in refusal.
“Westfield.” Valencia’s sharp voice jerked Olga to a standing position. “Pay attention.”
Olga spun to find that the line had moved a gap and scampered to catch up with me, following and taking the rest of the line with us. Mallory giggled behind me, but I caught the nervousness in the sound. My stomach flipped at the plan in my head, rolling about and hitting the corners to keep reminding me. Did I want to sabotage her just to ensure she couldn’t be harmed? Yes, I did. It wasn’t even just because of Timothy. Mallory was young; she still had a life in front of her.
“I can’t wait,” Mallory breathed, and as I looked at her, she wiped her hands on her pants. “I hope I pass. I really want this.” Her eyes glittered in excitement, and I held in a groan.
There was no freaking way I could take away something that would make her happy, no matter how much I didn’t want her harming herself along the way. Plus, I wouldn't be here if it wasn’t for her. I wouldn’t be this close to joining the guys, making my place in the army, and proving that witches were just as capable as any other creature, no matter gender, to fight.
I turned away before I could say or do something stupid and stepped forward, watching as Olga finally disappeared through the door, letting me know it was almost my time. I looked to the side, to where the others had drifted off to after changing into their uniforms. My eyes fell on the faerie, whose wings fluttered quickly, reminding me of a dragonfly’s wings, and shimmered in the rising sun. In the low light of the orange horizon, I took in the sight of the uniforms. They were dark blue with buttons racing down the front. A sleeved overcoat, pants that matched, and a hat that shrouded eyes in shadow. Yellow patches lined the left arm. From the distance I was, though, I couldn’t tell exactly what they were. Simple uniforms, easy to move in, and the color of the army. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Or at least, it should’ve been. I had a gnawing suspicion it wasn’t exactlythateasy.
I returned my attention to the front just in time to see Olga’s. She glanced at me beneath the brim of her hat and gave me a curt nod, jaw tight, before joining her minions. I stepped over the threshold and took in the sight before me. I wasn’t sure what exactly I had expected to see, but I didn’t think it would be so… simple. I couldn’t think of another word for it. It just was. Three tables, all piled with neatly folded uniforms, hats in-between in each pile, ready to be put on. I stepped to the furthest table, browsing the sizes before I came across the one I was sure would be snug on me, just as we’d been told.
