beats per minute

by Alex Mae

  Adriana didn’t even blink. ‘Nice try – but tonight is the night. I don’t know what you’re so worried about, anyway. It’s not like Bree will be suspicious: she’s on home turf, it’ll be late at night...and you are her friend.’

  The word ‘friend’ made Raegan wince. She tried to reason with herself: on paper, what she was doing wasn’t all that bad. She wasn’t planning to get Bree in trouble. She was simply keeping up to date with her. But the squirming sensation in her tummy refused to listen to logic. She knew that it was the principle of the thing – and principles were something Bree took very seriously. Betrayal was betrayal. A ‘shades of grey’ argument would not be tolerated.

  Raegan had been up all night trying to think of alternatives. Though Jasper didn’t spell it out, his fear was palpable; she now had a bad feeling that several of his ‘inventions’ were fairly illegal. If this was true, and the Sentinel found out, getting fired would be the least of his problems. The Sentinel’s ‘rehabilitation’ facilities were a closely guarded secret: the whispers that Raegan had heard of their procedures were shudder-making. With that in mind her options were limited. The Praetor could disappear all of Adriana’s ‘evidence’, if he wanted to: could she go to Max and beg for leniency on Jasper’s behalf? That way Adriana would have no hold over her. No – she couldn’t risk even mentioning Jasper, in case Max took the case to the Sentinel. Could she go to Warwick, and confront him about Bree? No – even if he denied it, she only had his word, and Adriana would kill Raegan for saying anything.

  Her head began to hurt, and not for the first time she wished she could call home whenever she wanted. She would give anything to hear her grandparents’ voices right now.

  What about going directly to Bree? It was none of her business what Bree was up to, and she was happy to accept what she was told – bloody hell, who was she to judge? Eventually, though, she shook her head. That wouldn’t work either. Even if Bree agreed not to confront Adriana, how could Raegan be sure that Adriana would buy whatever story they came up with to cover Bree’s disappearances? Besides, she didn’t trust Adriana; she wouldn’t be surprised if she did end up following herself, just to check that Raegan was doing as she was told.

  No matter what she did, Adriana would still have Jasper’s gadget. She cursed herself for ever handing it over; why hadn’t she refused?

  You were scared, a small voice reminded her. It sounded like her mother’s voice, which hurt even more. But it was true, she admitted to herself wretchedly. Adriana had several years of training on her and a heap of aggression. The little triumphs Raegan had enjoyed – slowing down the water, locking in with Sam – seemed like nothing when Adriana was standing in front of her. She was a young, inexperienced cadet who missed her mother. And now the little life she had tentatively constructed for herself, with the few friends she had found, was falling apart.

  One step forward, two steps back.

  ***

  The evening came too quickly; but despite her nerves Raegan started off surprisingly well. Keeping close to the shadows but well behind her target, thanking the skies for her enhanced eyesight, an asset that had developed steadily since her 16th birthday, Raegan stole after. These days she could glide quickly over any surface without making a sound.

  And then Bree made a sharp left down the via principalis, entering the principia without a backward glance.

  Raegan was dumbfounded. Was this where Bree came at night – to visit Max?

  Her instincts kicked in: she’d wandered out into the open during her hesitation, and Bree would easily spot her if she returned. Quickly, Raegan ducked into the entrance for the Level One dormitories just opposite the edge of the principia. Once satisfied that she was undetectable, she leaned against the wall with a sigh. All she could do now was wait.

  Ninety minutes passed and she began to feel pretty fed up. It was cold, she didn’t want to be here, and her left foot was falling asleep. She was just contemplating whether to give up – her little room with its hard, single bed had never seemed so appealing, and could Adriana really object? - when she heard a noise.

  A shadowy figure stepped out of the principia, hands in pockets, long plait swinging.

  Raegan’s heart picked up. Bree, at last!

  But she did not turn back to her room. In fact she was moving more quickly now. Silently, Raegan stepped out onto the path. Bree’s sudden reappearance had caught her off guard and so she did not take note of the route as carefully as she would have. Raegan kept as much distance as she could, stopping and taking cover behind dumpsters and in the odd doorway, but it wasn’t easy, especially when her target was moving at speed.

  The camp looked different at night. Both forbidding and foreboding, the tall buildings loomed like vast predators overhead, casting pitch-black shadows in the rare patches of moonlight.

  Bree disappeared down the side of a building and Raegan found herself in a long, thin exterior corridor between the stores building and the edge of the classroom block. This was entirely unfamiliar turf, as the gates at either end of this corridor were usually closed. Rounding the corner, responding as she had been taught to in unknown territory, Raegan threw herself against the wall, moulding her body into it as flatly as possible.

  But there was no sign of Bree. Swinging round, her suspicions were confirmed by emptiness in both directions. Bree was gone.

  Alarm bells should have been ringing; but Raegan was too hot with irritation, annoyed with herself for losing sight of her quarry, to think. Falling into a crouch, she carefully remembered her lessons, and scanned the floor for uneven ground – the signal of footfall.

  After a moment, she found what she was looking for. Bree was not lying when she told Adriana that Raegan had a natural talent for tracking. There, at the end of the path by the West Wall of the battlements, was the faint imprint of Bree’s size five boot. Hastening over to it, she frowned. Had Bree gone over the wall?

  This part of camp was completely unlit. Groping forward blindly, Raegan’s hand met air instead of the solid wall she expected. She nearly toppled over with surprise.

  Smooth, Raegan, she chided herself, and proceeded to inch forward, squinting into the gloom. Her heart began to thud with excitement as she realised that what looked like a solid wall in fact concealed a parting; whether it was magick or just optical illusion, she was unsure. But here was a doorway.

  A doorway into a part of camp she had no idea existed.

  She should have stopped to consider her options. She should have edged into the unknown with extreme caution, as she’d been taught. Not a chance. Raegan was too far gone: the Regent in her had taken over and she hunted for her target with single-minded determination.

  She burst through the doorway to find a tiny courtyard, so small it was more like an outdoor room. It was empty. Dim lamps hung from each corner, faintly illuminating the high, stone walls. The silence echoed.

  And suddenly it dawned on her.

  She had been hunted: herded like sheep into a pen. The mistaken notion that she was the predator had fooled her into overconfidence.

  She was the prey.

  No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than it seemed like the sky had fallen. A shadow slammed into her from above and at once she was sprawled against the cold hardness of the floor. The metallic tang of blood burned her tongue.

  Now she was being yanked to her feet. It all happened too quickly for her to protest – not that she would have. Then she was moving once more, roughly pulled around by her shoulders until she was nose to nose with her attacker.

  Bree’s face was white with anger.

  ‘I can explain,’ Raegan was embarrassed by how pathetic this sounded. Her nose was running.

  ‘You were following me. For hours. Tracking me.’ There was no reading her friend’s voice, but the grip on Raegan’s shoulders was like iron. Bloody hell, she was strong.

  ‘Yes.’

  Bree did not expect her to confess so easily. The usually smooth, impassive face s
howed a glimmer of hurt.

  ‘But why?’

  This scenario had played a hundred times before Raegan’s eyes since her encounter with Adriana the previous evening, but in the flesh it felt oddly unreal.

  Bree shook her, hard. ‘Answer me! What do you know?’

  She fumbled for words, but these wouldn’t come. Her sudden paralysis accentuated unusual physical realities of the scene; the rustle of Bree’s fingers against the cotton of her t-shirt; the faint creaking of some far-off door; the cold breeze that lifted the hair on the back of her neck; the gentle pitter patter of a sluggish, intermittent rain. Wetness ran freely from her nose to her mouth now. Instinctively, she touched her tongue to it, wondering if it was a fat raindrop.

  Not water. Blood.

  ‘It’s broken.’ Bree said coldly. She would not look at her. Instead, she stalked up and down, pushing a hand against her temple as if the added pressure would slot the puzzle pieces in place.

  ‘Is this Max?’ she demanded, stopping suddenly. ‘Is he playing us off against each other now? I do it, and then you do it?’

  At last Raegan’s tongue began to work.

  ‘No!’ she exclaimed. ‘Max has nothing to do with this.’

  ‘Then what-‘

  ‘Adriana,’ Raegan admitted. With the name came the sensation of a huge weight lifting. She should have been straight with Bree from the start.

  Bree was dangerously still. ‘Adriana?’

  The stars seemed unfairly bright this evening, Raegan thought dully, as she leaned her head against the wall. ‘Yes. I’m... I mean, it wasn’t my idea. I’m not trying to make excuses. But Adriana – well, she can’t stand me, for some reason, and she had something over someone that I care about. She threatened to use it – unless I followed you. I didn’t want to. I didn’t know what to do.’

  ‘You could have come to me.’ Bree snapped. Her eyes narrowed. ‘But why would Adriana ask you to follow me?’

  ‘She knows you’ve been sneaking out. She thinks you’re seeing Warwick.’

  She was startled to hear Bree chuckle mirthlessly. More surprising still was the note of fondness in her voice. ‘The little fool,’ she murmured.

  ‘You’re... not?’

  ‘Of course I’m not!’ Bree howled. She clenched her fists and it took most of Raegan’s remaining courage not to duck – but she simply raised them to heaven. ‘This has nothing to do with Warwick! Of all the trivial, paltry, petty ideas!’

  She followed this with an impressive list of swear words. After a few moments, apparently exhausted by the outburst, she collapsed back against the wall next to Raegan.

  With a sideways glance, she held out a hanky. ‘Here. You look a fright.’

  ‘Cheers,’ Raegan said thickly, holding the crisp linen over her nose.

  Though a lengthy silence followed, the brief contact broke the ice.

  Eventually Bree cleared her throat. ‘I was a bit tough on you. Sorry.’

  Raegan’s response was a gabble: ‘I deserved it. I don’t know what I was thinking. I should never have done it. I’m a prat. Worse than a prat. I’m-’

  ‘Enough with the lamentation, Saint Raegan!’ Bree nudged her downcast friend forcefully but not unkindly. ‘We both made a hash of things. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt instead of jumping you.’

  ‘I should’ve come to you in the first place,’ Raegan scuffed her shoe against the side of the wall. ‘Would have, if it was just me I was trying to protect.’ She stared at the floor gloomily. ‘I told Adriana I’d give myself up to Max, you know. But that wasn’t enough for her.’

  ‘What on earth did she catch you doing?’

  It was on the tip of her tongue, but Raegan knew she should keep Jasper’s secrets to herself. She sighed. ‘Oh, nothing much. Wasting my time. It seemed like a great idea at the start.’

  ‘A bit like tracking a master tracker?’

  Raegan took it on the chin. ‘Hey, I wasn’t the one who overestimated my abilities... though I did almost keep up with you.’

  ‘’Course you did. I had you pegged before I stepped into the principia.’

  With that, Bree pushed off the wall. ‘Come on, let’s go to the hospital wing. You’ll look like Quasimodo if we don’t get that nose sorted.’

  She’d gone a few steps before she realised Raegan wasn’t following.

  ‘Earth to Raegan?’

  Raegan was motionless by the wall, an odd expression on her face. ‘The principia.’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘You were in there for ages, tonight.’

  ‘Yes.’ Bree’s smile wavered slightly.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Raegan,’ Bree began soothingly, ‘I’d really rather not get into-‘

  ‘It’s just that when you said you knew I was following you from before you stepped into Max’s house, it reminded me what you said earlier. Something weird. ‘I do it, and then you do it.’’

  ‘Oh, that.’ Her friend gave a tinny laugh. ‘Nothing. Max can be tricky, that’s all-‘

  ‘You’re lying!’ Raegan’s voice was very loud. ‘You’re doing something on Max’s orders, something to do with me, and you thought that I was doing it to you.’

  ‘We’re going to the hospital wing, Raegan. Come on.’

  ‘No, Bree. Look, I was honest with you- and if Max is making you do something-‘

  Bree grabbed her arm. She ignored Raegan’s question, dragging her towards the concealed doorway. ‘We’re leaving.’

  Raegan struggled against her. ‘I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!’

  ‘You’re going whether you like it or not.’

  Her eyes were stinging with pain but Raegan refused to be cowed. ‘So that’s your answer to everything, is it? Use your fists to get what you want?’

  That stopped her. With a shocked expression, she looked down at her hand on Raegan’s arm. ‘I’m sorry! Raegan, I-‘

  ‘I thought we were mates.’ Raegan said quietly.

  ‘We are!’

  ‘You’re hurting me.’

  Bree dropped her hand immediately. For a moment they stared at each other, less than a foot apart, neither daring to move.

  ‘This is not on.’ Raegan said finally, rubbing her arm. ‘And it’s not like you. I thought you were just angry because I was following you, but it’s more than that. What are you hiding?’

  Bree wouldn’t look at her. All she could see were her reddened eyelids and the pulse jumping in her neck.

  Suddenly Raegan felt very tired. She had class early in the morning. Her nose was broken. Her arm was red and sore. She had been out in the cold for hours. Why was she even bothering?

  ‘Have it your way.’ Raegan used the heel of her palm to rub her sore eyes before wearily letting the arm drop. ‘I’m going. I thought we were friends, but if you won’t even talk to me, I guess I was wrong.’

  Heart heavy, she had gone through the door and was almost halfway down the path when Bree’s strangled plea, high on the air, drifted to her.

  ‘Wait!’

  Bree would know from the halt in her footsteps that Raegan had stopped moving.

  ‘I’ll do more than tell,’ she continued. ‘If you come back – I’ll show you.’

  Chapter Fifteen: The Tower

  Exhausted but still wired after an illicit poker game with a few of Warwick’s Skipper pals, Warwick and Declan had unwisely resisted the urge to collapse into bed. Instead, they were heading back to Warwick’s room, beers in hand and – for no other reason than that they were starving and it was all they could find in the kitchen– a plate of pink wafers, most of which were now slathered in peanut butter.

  Already pretty drunk, the cadets weaved up the path, talking over each other. They did not notice the man coming from the other direction until it was too late.

  ‘Shit!’ The plate of pink wafers flew up into the air and smashed on the floor, scattering biscuits everywhere. Giggling, Declan fell to his knees, his first priorit
y to his stomach. He reached a clumsy hand toward the crushed confectionery.

  ‘Cookies overboard! Ow, Warwick, what are you doing? We have to save them-‘ Warwick’s hand was like a steel band around Declan’s arm, tugging him upwards.

  Then Declan realised why. Back on his feet, he saluted sheepishly. ‘Optio Rico.’

  Rico glared back at him. ‘Out of my way.’

  Declan was all too happy to leap off the path, feeling as if he’d had a lucky escape. But Warwick didn’t move.

  ‘Optio… forgive my speaking out of turn, but are you ok?’

  ‘You heard me. Move it. Don’t make me drag your asses back to Centurion House with me.’

  ‘But you should be at the Infirmary,’ Warwick replied stubbornly. Declan could hardly believe his ears. Why was Warwick pushing this? If Rico was in a bad mood, he’d have them running laps all through the night. Declan stared blearily at the senior officer through a haze of alcohol. Even the darkness couldn’t hide the scowl on his face. Yep, Rico was definitely in a bad mood.

  But actually, Declan thought, peering at the optio, he also looked kind of beat up. The mean eyes were half-closed, his face was puffy… and was that blood on his shirt?

  ‘I don’t have time for this shit,’ Rico growled. He leaned into Warwick as if he was going to force the younger man off the path, but at the last moment he appeared to lose balance. A yelp of pain escaped his lips and he keeled over, grabbing on to his ribs.

  ‘Sir!’ Warwick rushed forward, catching the optio before he fell. ‘Declan, help me!’

  With his arms around their shoulders, the cadets supported Rico until they reached a nearby bench. He collapsed onto it, panting.

  ‘I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute,’ he mumbled. After a second he squinted up at them. ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got a cigarette?’

  For a moment Warwick looked shocked, and then he snorted disbelievingly. ‘Sure. Whatever you need.’

  The match flared. Rico took a long drag.

  ‘Will you boys help me back to my digs?’

  Declan could tell it pained Rico to ask for help; but he shook his head, jumping in before Warwick could. ‘Not unless you tell us what’s going on.’