AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why is everyone looking at me?” I whisper as we’re seated, Sawyer and Ezra leaning forward so they can see each other from either side of me.
“Probably because you’re the only woman here,” Sawyer points out, and as I gaze over the people around us, I realize it’s true. We’re surrounded by men.
“It’s not full yet. There might be more coming?” I offer, but Ezra hums, sounding unconvinced. We’re quiet as the room fills, and I’m gradually proven wrong—there are no more women in this group. Maybe this is just one cohort? Maybe they can’t induct everyone at once? I know I’m here because of Nico—used as a bribery tactic and not a lot more—but I wouldn’t have guessed that there werenoother women involved.
The guys start pulling papers out of their packs, so I do the same. There’s a letter in there, which I guess is our formal welcome, but I’m not in the mood to read a bunch of Seconds propaganda right now, so I move that to the bottom of the pile. Next is a map of the compound. This place looks huge. There’s a gym, a combat room, a cafeteria, locker rooms, bathrooms, different classrooms, and some squares that aren’t marked at all. It’s like someone got bored halfway through and only bothered to tell us the most important parts.
Next is information on the rooms marked. The cafeteria is free and open twenty-four seven; the “bathrooms” include ice baths and hydrotherapy—something I’m sure Sawyer will geek out about; and the tech lab includes a ton of things I can’t even begin to understand. The gym, too. I skim the majority. I can look at it in more detail when I need to.
The paper under that one includes a schedule, which I assumed was the same for everyone, but it has my name and a number printed at the top. I see a lot of physical training, combat training, andethicsin my future. Since when did ethics come into play in the Seconds?
“Are the schedules different?” Ezra asks, looking over at mine and Sawyer’s.
“I think so. I’m in for the gym, combat, and ethics.”
“I’ve got the same first two, then tech,” Ezra says.
Sawyer looks back down at his sheet. “My third one is human science.” He raises his brow at the science part. Ditto, dude.
“Is that like biology?” I ask, feeling out of my depth, but Sawyer shrugs, which makes me feel better.
“I guess so.”
“He sure knows us pretty well, eh?” Ezra grumbles. Clearly, he means Nico, and the way he’s given us areas that compliment our own current hobbies. Ezra’s right—it’s annoying. Every time we thought he was just hanging out with us, he was actually gathering intel. Sadness engulfs me, like it so regularly does when I think of Nico. Everything I thought was one thing was actually something completely different. How much of our time together was real? Any of it?
“Did he know about your app?” I ask Ezra, and he nods reluctantly.
“He knew enough when we used it for our little rescue mission,” he grumbles.
“And your security system?” He nods again without saying anything, and my thoughts are interrupted when the next guy through the door is the subject of our discussion, as if I’ve summoned him myself. He looks so familiar, so normal, with his brown hair pushed behind his ears and my favorite pair of his glasses on, although today they’re obscuring a scowl that isn’t as familiar. The room quietens as Nico walks to the podium, not bothering with the microphone that sits there but instead projecting his voice to the room.
“Good morning, everyone. You should all have your packs and have read through them while you were waiting. As you will have seen, you have a map and a schedule. You’ll learn the lay of the land soon enough, but know that lateness is not accepted, nor is getting lost. You’re adults, not first graders.”
Jeez, okay. Once again, I’m shocked by the Nico standing in front of everyone. He’s so completely the opposite of the Nico I thought I knew, the Nico I steadily and undeniably fell for. That guy was sweet, generous, patient, funny... This guy is an asshole.
“Individual sessions are based on the five areas of knowledge The Games are based on. I don’t give a fuck what you’dpreferto do—you want to change courses, show us you’re better at something else. First session starts in an hour, so do what you need to do before then, but be ready for it. Your physicals are booked throughout the day today, so ensure you’re where you need to be at the right time. If you have any questions, you can ask your tutors.”
As he speaks, he looks around the room—or glares is more accurate—but his eyes never land on me. I’m pretty sure he knows exactly where I am and is avoiding me purposely.
“Any room or area labeled on your map is open to you. If it doesn’t have a label, stay the fuck out. We have six weeks to be ready to take the Sentinels to The Games and to win. We will no longer have the nickname the Seconds.” I’d gotten so used to hearing the nickname Seconds from everyone, Nico included, that I’d forgotten the real name of the group is the Sentinels. “I expect full commitment and effort from every single person in this room from now until the moment we are announced winners. Do we all understand?” There are murmurs of agreement around the room, which he nods at and then leaves. No time for questions, no reassurances, not a single glance my way. He’s gone.
Other people chat between themselves, but Ezra turns to us both as he stands.
“Let’s get out of here. I want to explore a little before the first session.”
We follow him out, map in hand, as he leads us to the first room that’s relevant to us and is the closest. The science lab—for Sawyer. Just like everything else here, it’s huge. The double doors that lead into it have glass windows that we peek through because there are people in there that look like they’re setting up. His tutors? It means little to me, but Sawyer seems impressed.
We carry on, viewing the gym, the combat room, the tech lab, and the ethics hall, which is a copy of the room we started in, but smaller. We head to the locker rooms, where we register our locker codes on the swanky touch pads, and then finish up in the cafeteria, where we grab a bottle of water each. There’s not long to go before the first session starts, and I think we all have a lot of information swirling around in our heads because we’re quiet as we think. It’s a lot, the whole thing. But honestly, being here and seeing how seriously they take it has me feeling better. No, I wouldn’t want to be here as part of this team if I had the choice, but I think maybe I’d been a bit naive to think we could’ve waltzed into The Games and had any kind of impact on our own. Sawyer’s hand lands on my thigh, squeezing reassuringly.
“You good?” he asks.
“Yeah, I think I am,” I reply with a smile that I hope reassures him right back. “Okay, I have my physical in a minute, and then we’ve got combat.”
“I finish with human science. You got any others?” Sawyer asks us.
“No. We can head to the gym after to wait for you?” Ezra suggests, but I’m so not going to feel like working out after combat training.
“I’ll join Sawyer in his session, if that’s okay? We’re allowed to attend extras if we’re free.” I still feel guilty about making them do this, even if they’re insistent I shouldn’t, and attending their sessions with them seems like an easy way to help with that.
