If what Maya had said was right and the Mindonsiphan did something to strengthen our current abilities, then perhaps maybe I could hit the target without any prior experience.
Carefully, I focused on the center of the target and studied the blade of silver in my hand. From the glimmer of its reflection catching the overhead light, I had a slight flash of the river. I could hear the sound of water rushing, though I knew I wasn’t there. It hadn’t mattered. My mind had taken me back to the place where we’d been attacked. Staring at the blade I could feel the knife against my throat, and I dropped the blade to the floor hearing it clang.
The sound startled me out of my reverie.
I bent down, took a deep breath and let it out. The knife was different. It didn’t even look the same as the one the outlaw had used to attack me. I needed to be stronger – my life depended on it.
My eyes narrowed staring at the target, imagining the release of the blade in my hand as it glided through the air to the board. I threw it hard, grimacing as the knife faltered and fell to the ground. Walking over, I picked it up, stepped back to where I started and tried again. The second time I held the knife differently, angling it back in my hand with the blade facing away from the target.
I focused my attention, one foot stepping in front of the other as my arm released the knife and whipped it through the air, slamming into the bottom ring.
I grumbled. I hadn’t stabbed the floor and left a mark behind, but I didn’t hit the bulls-eye either. I grabbed another knife and repeated the motion again, this time getting the inner ring but not my intended target.
The other recruits were better, more experienced. The outlaw who had attacked was stronger and a more skilled fighter. With each throw as I missed the bulls-eye, I felt anger began to bubble to the surface. I hated what had been done to me. I was an experiment to this town, a plaything to the vile outlaw and a surrogate to the rebel alliance. I didn’t want to be any of those things. I wanted to determine my own life. Nauseated with the sense of loss, of my home and the world I believed existed, I threw the knife and watched it slam into the bulls-eye.
“You’re up late.” I heard a soft voice and jumped, glancing back at the door. Hazel stood there in her pajamas watching me.
Her voice was enough to calm the anger burning within me. “Couldn’t sleep.” I sighed. “What about you?” I had thought all the other recruits were in bed when I’d left the room.
“Had to use the bathroom,” Hazel told me. “Then I saw the glow from beneath the door. Knew someone was up.” She watched me with the knife as I threw another, this one hitting the inner ring of the target. “Not bad. How long have you been practicing?”
“An hour?” I’d lost count.
“That’s it? I figured you’d been doing it for years.” Hazel walked further into the gymnasium. “You have good form for someone who has never thrown a knife before.”
“And you have?” It shouldn’t have surprised me.
Hazel nodded faintly. “Part of our training back home. How is it you’re not from the five cities, and they let you participate in the tests?” Her voice wasn’t sharp or demanding. Hazel seemed curious by nature and didn’t understand why she had to fight against someone who didn’t belong in the competition. I couldn’t blame her for asking.
“I really don’t know.” I gave her a weak smile, offering her a knife to try. She shook her head, letting me practice instead. With a faint nod, I threw another knife, hitting the bulls-eye again.
“I’m going to head back to bed,” Hazel gestured to the door. “I want to be well rested for the morning.” I couldn’t blame her.
“Have a good night,” I offered, watching as she turned and headed out of the gymnasium. I heard the doors clasp behind her and threw the last knife I had, landing again in the bulls-eye. I was getting better with practice.
I spent another hour practicing before my arm grew tired. With a resigned sigh, I put everything away and quietly tiptoed back into the dormitory for bed.
As soon as I slipped beneath the covers and rested my head on the pillow, I fell asleep. I was exhausted.
CHAPTER 24
I was never a morning person. Maya came into our sleeping quarters. “Up!” she announced with only one word and a loud clap. I grimaced and wanted desperately to bury my head under the pillow. After staying up late last night on a secretive practice session in the gymnasium, I was not ready for morning. My arm still hurt, and I hoped whatever we did today didn’t involve throwing knives.
Maya waited for each of us to, at the very least sit up in bed, before telling us why she was here. “Today you will begin the second part of your training. Each of you will be escorted to Chancellor Collins. Failure to participate means immediate dismissal.”
I glanced at Joshua, wondering how today would go for both of us. Neither of us particularly liked the Chancellor, and the fact he would be involved in the next stage of our training made me more than slightly nervous. As it was, the last time I’d been face-to-face with him, I tried to escape. It hadn’t gone too well for me.
“Get dressed and into the dining hall promptly. You have exactly one hour until names will be called,” Maya informed us before heading out.
Since our first day, our clothes had been cleaned daily and placed in a shelf on the wall. Each recruit had their name, along with their clothes, neatly inside a container so we wouldn’t mix things up. It wasn’t as though we had much, but it was always well-kept and organized. I never saw anyone put the clothes in, but they were always there. I assumed it was done during our dinner hour. A typical day so far I’d learned meant a recruit gathered their clothes from the shelf, shoes off the floor and a towel on the way to the bathroom. Today was anything but typical with Maya announcing we had one hour to shower, eat and be prepared for whatever came next.
The commotion in the room that followed was pure chaos. Jaxon and Margo both rushed around to find their clothes and shoes. Cate laughed, pointing at Margo as she searched under the bed and tore the sheets from the mattress in search of her underwear. Cate held the clothes behind her back, giggling wildly. I rolled my eyes and quietly stood up. Cate’s bed was only seven feet away. With her back to me I snuck up behind her, ripped the clothes from her fingers and tossed them at Margo. “Cate was hiding them!” I made it known to everyone that Cate couldn’t be trusted.
“You rat!” Cate glared at me as Margo came rushing at Cate, pushing her hard as I stepped aside. Cate flew off the mattress, landing on the hard tile with a thud. Joshua did his best not to laugh.
Mason smirked. “Cate finally got what she deserved.” He stared down from the top bunk, proudly watching the two fighting it out. It was the first I’d seen Mason not sucking up to Cate. It was a welcome change.
Cate was no match for Margo as she had her pinned down. Cate desperately tried to kick and flail but didn’t budge. Margo was twice her size and no doubt stronger. “Want to say it to my face?” Margo watched her squirm with delight. “You get a real kick out of stealing someone’s underwear? Anyone ever teach you manners? I see the way you pick on everyone. Ever think of harassing me again and I’ll kill you,” she seethed as her bottom lip snarled at Cate.
Cate stopped squirming finding it impossible to move. “Let me go!” she whined.
Margo’s face turned a deep shade of red as anger bubbled to the surface. The force of her body on Cate squished the girl against linoleum. I’d have felt sorry for Cate if she hadn’t been an instigator and a bully. The girl deserved what she had coming to her.