by Leigh Walker
I was packed, ready, and waiting outside on the sidewalk before everyone else.
Josh rolled out of Tate next, his hair still wet from the shower. He smiled when he saw me. “You’re coming, Hanover?”
“It is my work-study assignment.” I shrugged. “It’s not as if I have anything better to do.”
Finn came out next, looking freshly showered and alert. He smiled. “Good morning, team.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the burning in my cheeks. Emma smirked at me.
Cranston pulled up in a silver Mercedes mini-bus, something fancier that I’d pictured. He opened the passenger door. “Everybody in.”
He nodded at me. “Nice to see you this morning, Riley. Wasn’t sure you were going to make it.”
I shrugged again.
We grabbed our backpacks and filed in, each of us choosing our own rows, while Cranston doled out bagels and juice. “Try not to get crumbs on the floor. I hate crumbs!”
Finn sat across from me. I pretended not to notice him.
“Is everybody ready to get to work?” Cranston pulled the bus out onto Main Street.
“Ready!” Josh called.
Finn nodded.
“Whatever.” Emma put on her headphones. Maybe it wasn’t personal, and she typically terrorized everyone.
“I’m ready,” I said. But as I swallowed over a lump in my throat, I knew it was another lie.
6
That Sinking Feeling
I watched the streets of Hanover with interest as we drove through downtown. The shops were all closed, their colonial brick facades immaculate and quiet in the morning light.
We got on the highway, and I watched the world fly by. I hadn’t left town in a long time. The last time had been for a Chess-club tournament in the neighboring small town of Lebanon. My mom and I didn’t venture out often by choice. Two years ago, my father and my sister Katie had died in a car accident on Route 89, coming back from a swim meet in Vermont. I never got my license after that. I didn’t want to. And my mother avoided driving on highways.
“What’re you looking at?” Josh sounded amused.
“Just the other cars…and the road.”
“You don’t get out much, huh?”
I turned to face him, feeling sheepish. “Not really.”
“You’ll like Portsmouth. It’s pretty.”
“We won’t be going out,” Cranston interrupted.
“Why not?” I asked.
His flinty gaze flicked to me in the rearview mirror. “Because we’ll be working.”
Josh rolled his eyes. “She can still see the city. Have you ever been there, Hanover?”
“Not since I was a kid. My parents took us to the beach.” My heart hurt at the memory—my parents setting up their chairs way down on the beach, watching my sister and me body surf in the freezing, dark-blue water. We went to an outdoor, waterfront restaurant afterward, the red-and-white-checked tablecloth oily to my fingertips.
We’d watched the tide go out, smelled the sharp odor of the mud. My skin was tight from the salt and the sun, and Katie’s nose got burned. My family rarely took trips. I’d never forget the details of that day.
Josh smiled at me. “Maybe we can get to the beach. That is, if Mr. Cranston stops cracking the whip for a little bit.”
“What exactly is the project we’ll be working on?”
“It’s kind of hard to explain…” Josh looked away and fiddled with his phone, effectively ending the conversation.
Finn looked out the window, lost in his own thoughts.
Emma bounced along to whatever music streamed through her headphones.
Cranston squinted at the road, pretending not to hear me.
I sighed, looking out at the road at the early-summer trees, their green leaves stretching toward the rising sun. I had no idea what I’d find in Portsmouth.
The sinking feeling in my stomach told me it wasn’t just bark mulch.
Two hours later, we pulled up to Freel International Tradeport. Formerly operated solely as a military base, it housed a group of commercial buildings near the airport, which Cranston explained was used primarily for cargo flights. We drove past an odd mix of buildings, including the US Department of State Consular affairs, private high-tech companies, a brewery, and a clothing store. Then we passed a golf course and a track before turning off at the sign marked “National Guard Base.”
“Why are we here?”
Josh didn’t look up from his phone. “We’re staying at one of the bases. It’s private, just for our use.”
Before I could ask why, Cranston turned and drove slowly through a series of barricaded routes. He stopped the bus when we reached the security guard. “We’re here for training. Summer recruits.” Cranston handed over a file.
The guard nodded as he inspected whatever the file held. “We’ve been expecting you, of course. The private base at the back’s been prepared for you, and some members of the team are already there. Supplies have been ordered and will be delivered on a regular basis, along with meals. You have complete privacy and control of the facility.”
Cranston smiled. “Perfect. Take care, soldier.”
The guard looked at him worshipfully. “It’s an honor, sir.”
I leaned forward. “Um, excuse me? What was that all about?”
No one looked at me, and no one answered.
We drove slowly through the base. There were fatigued troops out running, working on military vehicles and loading trucks. “Why are we inside a military facility?”
Cranston’s eyes flicked to me in the mirror. “This is where we’ll be working.” He drove past the busy streets of the base to a low, redbrick building located away from everything else.
Josh turned around and patted my shoulder. “This is it—our new home.”
“For how long?”
Finn finally turned from the window, his dark eyes twinkling. “That’s twenty.” Those were his first words the whole trip.
“Twenty what?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Twenty-one.”
“Ugh.”
Emma took off her headphones. “What’re you complaining about now?”
“I’m not complaining—”
“Here we are,” Cranston said. “Let’s get a move on.”
Finn stood and motioned to me. “After you.”
“Thanks.”
“Finally,” he said, under his breath.
“Finally what?”
“Twenty-two,” he said.
I decided to stop talking.
We filed out, carrying our packs, and followed Cranston into the low brick building. There were cars parked outside. Some of your team is already here. We went into the building, and there were voices, although I didn’t see anyone yet. It smelled like a high-school gym, and there were mats on the floor. “Are those wrestling mats?”
Emma peered at me. “That depends. Can you wrestle?”
“No.”
She sniffed. “Then I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Cranston motioned toward a door on the other side of the room. “Riley, that’s the girls’ locker room. Go ahead and store your stuff in there then get changed.”
They were all watching me.
“Get changed into what?”
“Your training clothes. There are extra sets in there in different sizes. Emma’ll help you figure it out.”
Emma put a hand on her hip. “Don’t make promises about what Emma will do—”
“Training clothes? Did you mean a uniform? I’m so confused! What’re we even doing here? I don’t really see anything to landscape. Are we going to be working on the golf course? Is that even Hollingsworth property? I don’t understand—”
“Hanover.” Finn’s voice silenced me. “It’s okay. It’s clothes for the assignment are just a T-shirt and shorts.” He looked at what I wore—a T-shirt and shorts. “You’ll live.”
Other voices drifted from the back of the gym. “Who else is here? Who else is on o
ur ‘team?’” I used air-quotes around the word, which I hoped communicated my frustration clearly.
“There are other students.” Cranston kept his expression neutral.
“From Hollingsworth?”
“From other schools.”
I looked at each of them, desperate for more of an explanation, but I encountered averted eyes and blank stares. Sighing, I headed toward the locker room.
“Go with her,” Cranston instructed Emma. “They’re in there.”
Emma said something mouthy, but I didn’t listen. I was too concerned with who they were.
I went through the door and encountered a typical locker room: dented blue lockers, a row of showers, and benches. There were voices coming from somewhere in the back. I spotted a rack filled with clothes marked in various sizes. I grabbed a shirt and shorts and headed to a corner to hide and simultaneously change.
Never one to enjoy gym class, I grimaced as I pulled on the shirt, wondering what Cranston had in store for me. The shirt fit tighter than I wanted, so I headed back to the racks—and encountered two redheaded girls, both tall and lean, with super-model cheekbones to match.
One, slightly taller than the other, wore a ponytail. She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you from Hollingsworth?”
“Yes.” I swallowed hard. “From the work-study program.”
She nudged the other girl, who had thick, curly hair past her shoulders. “I told you. Just look at her…Oh, my God, this is crazy. Pay up!”
The one with the curly hair arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m not calling it yet.”
The one with the ponytail whipped her head around, and I realized they were identical twins. The only differences were their heights and the texture of their hair. “It’s exactly what I saw. She can’t possibly be—”
“Maya, that’s enough.” The curly haired twin narrowed her eyes. “Let’s give this a chance.”
I stood there, gaping. “Am I the ‘this’ you’re talking about?”
Maya, the one with the ponytail, stalked closer, inspecting me. She looked vaguely disappointed, which was becoming an all-too familiar feeling. “I think so.”
The one with the curly hair looked me up and down. “What’s your name?”
“Riley Payne.”
The sisters looked at each other for a beat then turned back to me.
“I’m Morgan,” the one with the curly hair said, her voice soft. “This is my twin, Maya. Did you guys just get here?”
“Yes.” I blushed under their curious stares.
“Is Emma with you?” Morgan asked.
“Yes.”
Maya’s ponytail whipped around again. “Is Finn?”
“Y-Yes.”
She clapped her hands together. “Oh, good! At least we have eye candy!”
I ignored the twist in my gut. The mean redheaded Amazon supermodel had a crush on Finn. Perfect.
“What school did you say you were from? Do you know what our assignment is?” I asked.
Suddenly, the sisters were all business. “We’re from Riveredge,” Morgan said.
“Is that another boarding school? I’ve never heard of it,” I said, confused.
Maya put her hands on her hips. “You don’t have to be such a snob about it.”
“I didn’t mean it like that—”
Emma burst into the room. “What is taking you so long?” She stopped short when she came around the corner and saw me with the twins. “Oh, joy. It’s Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Ditz.”
Maya pulled herself up to her considerable height. “I beg your pardon.”
“Don’t call my sister a ditz!” Morgan said.
And then they all started laughing, including Emma. They hugged each other as I stood there, confused.
Emma looked at me through Morgan’s curly hair as they embraced. “I see you’ve met…our newest recruit.”
Morgan tossed her hair as the three of them turned back to me. “She’s different than I expected.”
“Pay up,” Maya said. “Because she’s exactly how I told you she would be!”
The floor seemed to swerve beneath my feet. “You…you knew I was coming?”
“Of course we did,” Maya scoffed. “We’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Riley.”
Emma crossed her arms against her chest, looking sour. “That’s why this is so underwhelming.”
Morgan reached out and tucked a hair behind my ear. “Oh, I don’t know. It might be better than it looks.”
I licked my lips, which had gone dry. “Am I the ‘it’ you’re referring to?”
Morgan arched an eyebrow and turned to Emma. “Haven’t you guys told her anything?”
“No.”
Maya draped an arm over her friend. “Why not?”
Emma sighed. “Cranston wanted to wait. He’s worried about impact.”
“Oh,” the sisters said in unison, wincing.
What the hell were they talking about? “Impact of what?”
“The impact of recruitment.” Morgan looked at me in sympathy. “It can be rough, especially…if you haven’t been through the background processing.”
Maya whistled. “So this is her initial processing? Wow, that’s unusual. Why’re they doing it this way?”
Emma shrugged. “There have been some issues with the hosts. They needed to make it clean.”
“Make what clean? What hosts?” My eyes burned. Tears weren’t far off. “Please say something that makes sense. I’m so confused right now. I don’t understand what’s so special about this work-study program!”
“Oh. honey.” Morgan’s voice lit with sympathy. “You are seriously in for it.”
“In for what?”
“She asks way too many questions.” Emma ignored me. “She’s getting on everyone’s nerves.”
“Really?” Maya asked. “Because I thought—”
“It can’t be true.” Emma looked at me, shaking her head in disgust. “I will seriously throw up if I’m wrong.”
“WRONG ABOUT WHAT?”
There was a knock on the door. “Girls! Stop lollygagging. It’s time to get going!” Cranston barked.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Be right there.”
Morgan looked at Emma. “Is Cranston being difficult, as usual?”
Emma shrugged. “He’s not being easy. But because he has to deal with this”—she gestured to me—“what else can we expect?”
I crossed my arms against my chest. “I beg your pardon.”
Emma headed toward the door, looking resigned. “Save it. You’re going to be doing all sorts of begging soon enough, Hanover. Let’s go.”
7
WTF
Cranston waited as we silently filed out. He nodded at the twins, his eyes coming to rest on me. “You ready, Riley?”
My heart pounded. “Sure…for what, exactly?”
He smiled while the girls watched me, curiosity burning in their gazes. “We’re going to start training.”
Finn walked up, his jaw muscles taut. “I can help with the introductory stuff.”
“Thank you, soldier.”
“Really.” Finn waved him away. “I got it.”
“Check in with me later.” Cranston nodded then headed off.
I turned to Finn as Cranston’s figure retreated. “Introductory grounds-crew training?” My voice sounded hoarse. “And did he just call you soldier?”
Finn shrugged. “C’mon, Hanover. I’ll show you around.”
But the twins were on him in an instant, hugging him and fussing about while he stood there, teeth gritted.
“Hey, Finn!” Maya cooed.
Morgan wrapped her arms around him. “How are you? It’s been too long!”
He pried Morgan off and stepped back. “I’m fine. But we have lots of work to do, and I’m trying to keep our newest team member from jumping ship.” He jerked his chin at me. “Hanover? You ready?”
The twins watched us with interest while Emma looked annoyed. She sighed. “
She needs to know what’s going on already. I’ll be the one to tell her if you guys don’t. And trust me, I won’t sugarcoat things.”
“Leave it alone. I got it.” Finn stalked off, motioning for me to follow.
I followed him through the middle of the gym. An Indian girl with long, dark hair was doing a full-on headstand in the corner; she ignored us.
“What’s with her?”
“That’s Rachel. She’s meditating.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “She likes to.”
I eyed the upside-down girl as we walked past. “Is she from that other boarding school—the same on the twins are from?”
“Yep.”
We headed toward the door and encountered another recruit, a buff Asian boy with bleached hair. He scowled at us from his plank position, his thickly muscled arms shaking slightly.
“Who’s that?”
“Kyan. Watch out for him. He’s a pain in the ass.”
“I heard that.” Kyan didn’t break form. “And I am mentally giving you the finger. Is this the new girl?”
“Duh. It’s not your mother.”
Kyan broke form to give Finn the finger.
I stopped walking and looked back. Emma and the twins were on a mat far in the corner, doing what appeared to be downward-facing dogs. Josh had set himself up with weights and was doing chest presses. Rachel was still upside down in a headstand. Cranston was nowhere in sight. “Finn? What the heck is really going on, here?”
“If it’ll stop you from asking me non-stop questions, I’d be happy to tell you. But we have to work out while we talk. Let’s start with some light stretching.” He dropped down onto a mat and patted the space next to him.
I warily sank down.
Finn pulled his arm across his chest, stretching his shoulder, and I momentarily forgot everything else, which was probably exactly why he’d been picked to ‘help’ me.
I tore my eyes away and gestured to the girl maintaining her headstand. “This doesn’t look like grounds-crew training to me. And these people don’t even go to our school.”
He leaned back, watching me carefully. “You need to think of a bigger ground.”