by Yazz Ustaris
I had been used to only playing with Gideon and Sam, and both of them had fluid, graceful movements with their paddles. As I watched Kyrie at her end of the table, I saw that her movements were jerky and abrupt, almost like she was a puppet on strings. Not only that but she had a tendency to do a little hop and skip, and her right leg always bended backwards at the knee every single time she swung at the ball. But always, her swings were accompanied by her loud shrieking laughter. G’ah! So distracting!
Five minutes into our game, I had already missed the ball several times and had to admit defeat. I felt totally out of my league during the game but definitely knew what to expect the next time I played with her. Panting, I grabbed the ball mid-air as I pointed my paddle at her. “Kyrie…what the fudge. You’re all over the place!”
That earned a bark of laughter from Amos as he held out his hand for my paddle. I watched as Kyrie bent over at the waist and clutched her stomach, trying hard to catch her breath. I didn’t see how it was possible since she was still laughing like a maniac in between gasps of air. Smiling, I walked over to her side and rubbed her shoulder as I said sternly, “Don’t hyperventilate!”
She swiped at a tear from the corner of her eye as she gasped out, “I’m okay! I love ping pong!”
“Yeah, I can see that McScreechy. I’ll get you next time now that I know what to expect, you goofy girl.”
Catching Marisol’s eye as she giggled at me, I gestured for her to follow me as I turned to head for the wall about 10 feet away from the ping pong table. Leaning against the wall, I sank down to the floor and patted the spot next to me as Mercer approached with his tail wagging. Marisol sank to the ground on my other side, and we both settled in to watch as the next game started. Mercer let loose a little whine, and I glanced sideways to see that he had his head tilted to the side as he gazed at me solemnly.
Pretending to know what he was asking, I played along, “Yes Mercer…I’m a loser. I lost a game of ping pong to Kyrie. Are you going to comfort me?” As if he knew what I was asking, Mercer whimpered sympathetically before he bathed my cheek with a few hearty swipes of his tongue, his tail thumping the ground rhythmically. Laughing, I grabbed both sides of his ears to gently stroke the soft fur on his face as I baby-talked to him. “Who’s a good little doggy? Are you a good boy? Yes, you are! Momma loves you!” Smooching the top of his head affectionately, I chuckled as he lapped at my face with a few more reciprocating licks.
As I raised my head to face forward and pay attention to the game, I accidently made eye-contact with the surly, dark-skinned girl with the curly mop of hair. Her look was inscrutable as she watched the byplay between me and Mercer. Noticing where my attention had gone, Marisol murmured quietly to me, “Don’t take it personally, because Zima is antisocial to pretty much everyone.”
I turned my head fully to the side to face Marisol, just in case grumpy chick knew how to read lip. “It’s kinda hard not to take it personally when it looks like she wants to punch me in the face every damn time she sees me, and I know I haven’t done a single thing to earn her wrath.”
That statement earned a sympathetic look from Marisol as she nodded her head in commiseration. It suddenly occurred to me that Ruby was nowhere to be seen, and I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed by her absence. I guess secretly, I was hoping that a miracle had happened overnight and that she’d changed her attitude around and decided to be a team player. But since she wasn’t in the Mess Hall, it probably meant she was off scooping poop somewhere around the complex. I figured that if she’d rather shovel shit than apologize to Marisol, then she didn’t deserve any sympathy from anyone.
A bubble of laughter escaped me as my attention jerked back to the current match when Kyrie let loose a particularly long screech of laughter. I studied Amos’s pursed lips as he gave the game his full attention. Judging from the stoic look of determination on his face, he looked like a man on a mission and it made me wonder if he had ever won a match against Kyrie.
I saw movement off to my right peripheral and turned my head to watch Sam and Gideon’s approach. Behind them, Logan, Cassidy, and Gabe brought up the rear and they stood off to the side egging Amos on as the game progressed. Shortly after, I was pleased when Harper and Allegra joined us on Marisol’s side and sat on the floor beside us. Unintentionally, it seemed like we had formed our own alliance.
The cheering grew louder as the match was tied, and I jumped to my feet in suspense as the game drew to an end. Maybe it was due to the distraction of our louder cheering, or perhaps it was due to her laughing so hard, but on the next swing Kyrie’s paddle missed the ball and swatted at air, causing her to lose the match.
“YES!! YES!! I finally won!!” Amos’ shout of victory echoed throughout the entire Mess Hall, and I joined in the merriment as the guys’ all congratulated him and praised him on his unshakable focus. Well, I guess that answers my question. Kyrie didn’t look the least bit disappointed, in fact her face was positively glowing with happiness. Exhaling on a giggle, she did a little dance before announcing, “I have to pee!” before pivoting on her heel and running for the bathroom. Her exclamation caused another round of laughter as we all watched her sprint away.
Turning to grin at me, Harper explained, “She’s in seventh heaven because usually no one wants to play her. Our day hasn’t even started yet and she’s already gotten the chance to play two games. I’ve never seen her laugh so much. She’s really happy.”
Sharing in the humor I retorted, “Yeah…Kyrie’s ping pong style takes some getting used to. Seriously…you guys’ could’ve warned me or something.” I directed that comment to all the guys around us as I raised my eyebrows at them in admonishment.
Amos threw back his head in laughter. “What? And miss that startled/confused/panicked expression on your face? That look was priceless! I enjoyed it immensely.”
“Yeah!” Gabe added, “That was freakin’ hilarious!”
I turned towards the women’s dorm as the sound of light footfalls announced the re-arrival of Kyrie as she sprinted back into view. “That was really quick! Did you remember to wash your hands?” I teased.
She grinned mischievously at me as she held up her damp, shiny hands. “Yep! I didn’t even dry them all the way!” With that, she giggled as she wiped her damp hands up and down my arm while I shrank backwards with mock disgust on my face.
The moment was interrupted by the sound of the front doors opening, and we all looked up to see the arrival of our unit leaders. True to their word, none of them were wearing their human-eye contact lenses, and the shock of seeing their altered eyes was evident for the others judging by the abrupt silence of the Mess Hall. Knowing it was my job to influence the other test subjects in a positive way, I cleared my throat before murmuring loud enough for all those around me to hear, “Pretty cool aren’t they? I can’t wait to get my third shot so I can get awesome eyesight like the sergeants all do.”
I saw a few heads whip in my direction and I focused on Cassidy as he stared at me in disbelief. “Seriously? You want eyes like them?”
“Heck yeah, I do! Look at them! They’re amazing! Why wouldn’t I want cool eyes like that?” My tone of voice was purposefully full of censure as if to indicate that it was a stupid question to ask. Just like I was aiming for, I watched closely as looks of contemplation and interest began to appear on the others’ faces as they considered my statement. Covertly, I flashed winks at both Gideon and Sam before turning to focus my attention on Sergeant Ramsey. Rolling his eyes at me before shaking his head, he turned to address the others. “We’ve decided that now is as good a time as any for y’all to get used to seeing the physical changes that will occur after the level of your shots increase. We encourage y’all to approach any of us personally, if you have any questions regarding the changes you’ll expect to have to your bodies. For now, let’s all head on over to the Gym for our daily drills. Go, go go!”
We all filed out the door in the direction of the Gym but I fel
l back to wait for Gideon and Sam. As we approached Sergeant Ramsey, I murmured, “Too much?”
Gideon and Sam chuckled at my comment but I shrugged innocently at Sergeant Ramsey as I defended myself. “What? I made sure that no one was looking at me when I winked at the guys. You probably only noticed it because you’re always staring at me, you pervy man!” Gideon’s eyes widened at my audacity, and I had to laugh at the expression on his face. And everyone says I have the best facial expressions.
I gestured to the sergeant as I explained, “I keep telling you two that he’s not as scary as you think he is! Two words for you – “fluffy marshmallow”. Sergeant Ramsey is a big ole fluffy marshmallow and you two refuse to see it.” I issued that last statement in a taunting sing-song voice, and danced to the side when it looked like the sergeant was going to shove me in retaliation. “Hey! Knock it off missy, or I’ll make you do 30 minutes of burpees!”
I hate burpees with a vengeance, so that shut me up real quick. As we walked through the front entrance of the gym, I saw that the others were already under way with their exercises and were currently doing…… burpees. Uggh!! I caught Sam’s eye and visibly shuddered as we both shared the same distaste regarding that particular exercise. Freakin’ burpees!
As we headed to the far side of the Gym, I was elated to see that there were three A-frame balance beams set up for us. Pumping my fist in the air, I cheered as I did my little happy dance. Mercer, sensing my happiness, wagged his tail and barked once as he did his own version of a canine happy dance as he pranced in place. Sergeant Ramsey smirked at me over his shoulder as he led us past the balance bars and towards a door at the very far wall of the Gym. I felt my smile slip in confusion as he opened the door and led us outside.
Once we walked around the corner of the building, we saw that we were being led to a track that was situated directly behind the Gym. Since the track wasn’t visible from the front, we had no idea that it existed until that very moment. I heard Sam groan in disappointment next to me and issued my own groan but for an entirely different reason.
“Uggh! You tease!” I complained, as I stomped my foot and crossed my arms over my chest. “I thought we were going to play with the balance beams today!”
“Hold yer horses chicky, no need ta get yer knickers in a twist. This is just for warm-up.”
“Oh. Okay then. Carry on.” I murmured guiltily as I grinned apologetically at him, my good mood restored. “I thought you were trying to gyp us or something, old man.” He just shook his head at me again in reply as we followed him onto the track. I smirked to myself when I realized that it seemed like he spent a great deal of his time shaking his head at me in reproach.
I quickly assumed my poker face when the sergeant suddenly pivoted to address us again. “Alright guys, give me one mile. I want y’all to alternate laps between sprinting and jogging. Don’t look at me like that Sam, I know you can handle 4 laps.”
Both mine and Gideon’s heads whipped in Sam’s direction to see his woebegone expression. Exhaling on a drawn-out dramatic sigh, he said, “Okay. When you put it like that, I feel almost guilty for complaining. It’s just that I hate running.”
“We know,” Sergeant Ramsey, Gideon, and I all acknowledged in unison.
“Come on guys, let’s turn this into a game and our warm-up will be over before we know it! Race ya!”
“That’s the spirit!” Sergeant Ramsey nodded his head approvingly at me for once as he decided right then and there to sweeten the pot. “We’ll make it a race. As the reward, the winner will get to request their favorite comfort food for Amos to add to tonight’s dinner buffet. I’m sure y’all might be missing or craving a certain food item from your past that you’d love to eat again. Just think about it— pizza, lasagna, Chinese food, hamburgers and fries…Thai food.” Sergeant Ramsey raised an eyebrow at me when he mentioned Thai food, and instantly my mouth started watering for the taste of Pad Thai again.
“In any case, Amos is starting to get bored in the kitchen and wants to exercise his culinary abilities. This is like killin’ two birds with one stone! I love it when that happens.” He rubbed his hands together with relish as he instructed the three of us to get into position on the track. As we all began hurriedly doing quick stretching exercises, I saw Doc Duffy and Jamie approaching out of the corner of my eye.
“Ready…..Set……Go!”
Just like that we were off. I couldn’t help the smile of exhilaration that spread across my lips as I realized that both Gideon and Sam were clearly as gung-ho about the race as I was. The three of us were evenly matched as we completed our first lap, and I laughed out loud when none of us slowed down to a jog for the next lap. Regardless of Sergeant Ramsey’s instructions, I had fully intended to sprint all four laps but clearly, both Sam and Gideon had the same idea.
As we were segueing into our third lap, I laughed again when Sergeant Ramsey cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted as we passed, “Y’ALL WERE SUPPOSED TA JOG!!” I saw broad smiles on Jamie and Doc Duffy’s faces as they flashed by in my peripheral, so I knew we weren’t really in trouble or anything.
The heat from the sun up above was blazing down on us even though it was still early in the morning, but I pushed myself to sprint faster as we entered our fourth and final lap. To my surprise and delight, Sam was still nose to nose with me and Gideon, and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of pride for him. He must really miss lasagna! As I tried to blink a trickle of sweat out of my eye, my attention was caught by the cheering that suddenly erupted from the sidelines, and I saw that Amos and Sergeants’ Honda and Kami had both joined the others. To my discomfort, I spied Wyatt and Angelo standing off in the background, quietly observing the race with their arms crossed over their chests. What the heck are they doing here? I could practically feel the glittering green of Wyatt’s intense gaze burning a hole into me, and with an effort I focused my sights on the finish line looming ahead.
Leaning forward, I dug my sneakers into the asphalt as I sprinted my hardest the last few yards. Just when I was beginning to suspect that the race was probably going to end in a 3-way tie, Gideon put on an extra burst of speed at the last second and won the race by a nose. The three of us slowed to a stop, trying to catch our breaths. I beamed a huge smile at Gideon as I congratulated him on his victory. Even though I had lost, I was still exhilarated by the race and proud of the guys because they had come a long way in regards to their level of physical fitness.
As we jogged back to the starting line where the others waited, I noticed that Sergeant Ramsey was attempting to keep his scowl in place although the corner of his mouth was twitching. “You guys were supposed to alternate between sprinting and jogging.”
“Oh come on, Sarge! You said this was a race. And you were dangling our favorite foods in front of our faces as a reward to the winner so did you really think any of us were going to slow down in this race?”
Sergeant Ramsey turned to cast a look of query at Amos and the others, but Amos just shrugged his shoulders as he replied, “Well, you can’t really argue with her logic can you?”
Seeking to come to my rescue even though I was fairly certain I didn’t need rescuing, Wyatt stepped forward. “No, Teagan’s right. You did say it was a race.” His gaze was intense as he stepped closer to me and let his eyes caress my form from head to toe. His expression was almost possessive and it made me feel uncomfortable in the presence of Sam and Gideon since I was pretty sure neither of them had officially met the members of Sergeant Quartermaine’s unit yet.
Flicking my eyes quickly in Sam and Gideon’s direction, my suspicions were confirmed when they stared at Wyatt skeptically. Gideon went one step further by flinging his arm around my shoulders and tugging me in between him and Sam in an over-protective manner.
My attention flew back to Sergeant Ramsey when he cleared his throat. Rolling his eyes sarcastically at the other military staff before turning to address us, he joked, “Alright, I get it. I can take a hint. Y’all are
on Team Teagan.”
To my relief, Wyatt stepped back to join the others although he was now smiling ruefully as he studied the arm that Gideon still had around my shoulders. Angelo winked at me as he came forward to stand next to Wyatt.
Amos approached us to congratulate Gideon on his win, and I took that opportunity to wiggle my way out from beneath his arm. “I’m all sweaty, remember?”
Even though Amos was standing right there, Gideon grinned suggestively at me as he appraised me in one sweeping glance. “Mmm hmm. Have I ever told you how good you look sweaty?” I felt my mouth pop open as my eyebrows shot to my hairline in shocked surprise. In my peripheral vision, I caught the motion as Wyatt’s head whipped back in our direction as he obviously caught what Gideon had said. Feeling my cheeks starting to burn in embarrassment, I looked at Sam to gauge his reaction to Gideon’s comment. To my dismay, his only response was to bob his eyebrows at me suggestively. Okay…no help there. I was thankful that at least Amos covered his mouth in an effort to muffle his laughter as he watched the byplay between us all. Geez!
I knew Gideon had a crush on me but up until now, he had never said anything outrageously flirtatious like that…and in the presence of others, no less! Uncomfortable with all the attention, I took off stomping in the direction of Jamie and Sergeant Kami while I ranted to myself under my breath. “Oh God… too much testosterone. Get me out of here!” Even though I was careful to keep my voice really quiet, Doc Duffy and Sergeants Honda and Ramsey still heard my ranting and guffawed loudly. Even Angelo joined in, although Wyatt was still staring at Gideon—apparently sizing him up as potential competition.
Once I reached Jamie’s side, I looped one arm through hers and the other through Sergeant Kami, forcing them to speed-walk with me in the direction of the Gym. For her part, Jamie was trying hard to smother her grin but when she caught my eye, she said, “See? I told you you’re a catch!” The urge to shake her was strong, but somehow I resisted.