by Jaci Wheeler
“Good,” he says and hangs up.
I instantly throw my phone on the bed and run to the bathroom and puke. Once that is done, I wash my face, brush my teeth, and look into the mirror, trying for the thousandth time not to cringe when I see who looks back at me.
Let’s hope you’ve done enough this time, Cameron. She’s got this; she’s ready. Give ‘em hell, Ari.
***
Aria
I haven’t been able to fully sleep since the week started. I’ve been trained in combat naps, so that’s all I’ve been taking. I wake at the slightest sound and have been sleeping fully dressed and in my boots. Some may call me paranoid, but I’d like to think of it as prepared. So when I hear the lock turn, I’m in full blown survivor mode. I wrap my hand firmly around my knife. I won’t go for the kill shot, it’s only training for God’s sake, but they won’t get out of this unscathed either.
With my knife in one hand and mace in the other, I’m ready for them. I make my breathing deep and even as if I’m asleep. I’ve got to give them credit; they are dead silent as they creep across my floor. From what I can tell there are four of them. Based on my talk with Cameron and what little I got out of Tali, they both only had two, meaning they have double on me. Good, they should be scared.
In a flash one is on me with his hand on my throat. I spray him right in the eye with the mace. He obviously isn’t expecting this and steps backward, not realizing the nightstand is right behind him and flips over it.
Another guy takes over and I’m ready for him with a right palm to the nose, breaking it instantly. The third guy is on me in an instant and I slash him in the upper arm. I know they are going to get me, I know that the final can’t start until they do, but nowhere in the rules does it say I have to go willingly.
“Alright, you little hell cat” a voice says directly behind me while plunging a needle right into my neck. Crap, I wasn’t paying attention and let the fourth sneak up on me. Oh well, three out of four isn’t so bad I think as my world goes dark.
***
Cameron
John and Isaac come into the room and it takes everything in me to hold back my laughter. Isaac’s eyes are swollen almost shut and bright red. John clearly has a broken nose. That’s my girl.
“Where’s Clint?” Edward asks, not even acknowledging their injuries.
“He is getting stitched up,” John replies and Isaac is now glaring over at me. “A little heads up would have been nice,” he spits out.
Before I can respond back, Edward puts his hand up to silence me and then turns to the guys. “How many men usually do the grab?”
“Two, sir,” Isaac replies
“And how many were sent to grab Aria?” he asks with his brow raised.
“Four,” he states quickly.
“Well, there was your heads up. If you were too dumb to catch it, that’s on you, not on Jensen. Now sit down, and shut up if you are going to watch the interrogation or go lick your wounds elsewhere,” Edward demands.
Both men do as they are told and grab a seat. I am full of nervous energy and it takes everything in me to sit still and pull off that I-don’t-care look. I can tell Edward is doing the same. He has a tell, and right now he’s squirming inside as I watch him tapping his leg. Aria is passed out. Her arms are zip tied behind her back and each leg is tied to one of the chair legs. She isn’t going anywhere.
I see Ward leaning against the wall reading a magazine like he has all the time in the world. Ward is one big mother. The guy is huge, which is why he is the first thing they want the rookies to see when they open their eyes. One look at him has most of them crapping their pants.
He is about six foot eight and weighs an easy 320. The guys nicknamed him the Rock since he could pass for Dwayne Johnson’s brother, but where the Rock is funny and has a nice side to him, Wade has none. Nobody knows his past, but I’ve never seen the guy crack a smile in all the years I’ve lived here. I’d never say it, but the guy freaks me out. If it weren't for his discipline, I’d never be ok with Aria being in the same room with him. I’ve never seen him touch a rookie.
He does all the talking while his friend Cesar, who is sitting directly behind Aria, does all the man handling. Cesar is much smaller than Wade. In fact, side-by-side Cesar looks like he could be Wade’s little boy.
I’m glad it’s Cesar doing the roughing up. He doesn’t have an evil bone in his body. He’s all business, like the rest of us, but at least he isn’t cruel. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for all the agents.
Aria starts to stir and the men get into position. Wade takes his seat right in front and Cesar stays directly behind. She can’t see him, but I can tell she’s fully awake by how she carries herself.
She keeps her eyes closed, but I see her inhale deeply, getting a sense of her surroundings. Good girl. She can’t see me, but she knows I’m here and she gives a quick nod before she opens her eyes flicks them to the side and looks right at Wade. She’s telling me she knows Cesar is there. She doesn’t look scared; she looks cool and confident. I’m able to take my first full breath of the day.
“Aria, welcome. That is your name, is it not?” Wade asks her.
This is the tricky part. Technically you aren’t supposed to divulge any information at all, but the more you hold back, the more you are going to get it taken out on you. Aria ignores his question but replies, “It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’d shake your hand, but mine seems to be otherwise occupied…unless you’d like to help me out with that.”
Wade gives her a not-on-your-life look and she just shrugs.
“I assumed as much.”
“Let’s talk about your mother, shall we? Don’t you think it odd that you were raised by a single man and a group of warriors?” he asks, starting to taunt her. We’ve gone over this and I’m confident she won’t crack.
“No, I don’t. Who is to say what the normal family should look like? I don’t judge you for descending from giants; you shouldn’t judge me for not having a mother.”
Oh, there’s my little smart mouth. I can see Cesar smiling from behind her; he’s loving this. However, I do notice Edward stiffen at the mention of Aria’s mother. Interesting.
“You obviously had one at some point, though. What happened to her?”
“I’m not sure, Jolly. My only guess is she got one good look at how beautiful I was and knew she could never live up to it. You don’t blame her, do you?”
Her sass has him thrown, I can tell. Everyone is intimidated by Wade; I’m not sure he knows what to do with her. He leans in real close and looks her straight in the eye.
“You are starting to get on my nerves.”
She grits her teeth and inches her head forward.
“Then maybe you should have left me sleeping peacefully in my bed.”
“Boom! She got him there,” Isaac says.
Edward shoots him a nasty look, but I can’t help but chuckle.
“Tell me about Estevan. Is it common for everyone you love to leave you?”
“Which question would you like me to answer first since they seem to be unrelated. I once knew an Estevan. Yes, he left when I was a child, but no one I’ve ever loved has left me. I obviously was too small to even know my mother, much less to love her. I’m not sure where you are getting your information from, but you might want to go check your source. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.”
She says this with no sass, just total conviction and a smile. If I didn’t know how deep Estevan goes in her veins, I would think Wade was completely off his mark. He’s starting to get frustrated now and I know it won’t be long before Cesar steps up to the plate. He knows it also; he’s coiled behind her ready to strike.
“I wonder how long this tough girl act will last, Aria. What happens when you don’t make agent, when you drop out like all your friends? What happens when you can’t accomplish the one goal in life you were made for? Do you think your father will love you then? When you are nothing but a cast off?”
&nbs
p; His words have got to cut deeply. I hold my breath trying to see how she will react. I didn’t prepare her for this, to be honest; I didn’t see it coming.
Aria never loses her cool.
“What makes you think he loves me now?” she asks, cocking her head.
I see Edward flinch. I’m not sure if it was her words or his feelings that made him do it.
I can tell Wade is stumped for a moment before an evil smirk takes over his face.
“You are right, even the most compassionate people can’t love the unlovable. They feel nothing but pity. Personally, I hate to be pitied. How about you?”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, Jolly, because I pity you. How horrible it must be to be the size of a mountain yet have to pick on little girls to get pleasure.”
I warned her not to use that smart mouth of hers so much. I see Wade nod to Cesar and I brace myself. Cesar throws her chair forward making her land flat on her face. She doesn’t make a sound. She has blood running down her face, but she acts like she doesn’t even notice. I feel like a caged tiger having to sit here and watch this. Of course, I don’t have to, but there’s no way I could leave. My mind would come up with much worse possibilities.
“You are wasting my time, Ms. Richards.”
Aria stays silent.
“The quicker you break, the quicker you go home.”
Nothing.
“You are much stronger than your friend Tali, I’ll give you that.”
At the mention of Tali’s name Aria’s face hardens. “Don’t give it away,” I want to scream. But it’s too late. Wade notices it and a giant smile spreads across his face.
“Her face was so ugly, so scarred, I swore I could still smell the smoke. She is such a weakling. Not like you. It makes me wonder why you keep her around. Is it to make you feel better about yourself, Aria?”
“Is that why you keep the little guy around?” she asks him, referencing Cesar. “Is it because you want him to make you feel big? You have him do your dirty work. Are trying to give him back the power his size lacks? You think because you don’t hit that it doesn’t make you the monster? You are wrong.”
Holy crap, Aria, what are you doing? She completely flipped the tables on them. She is now interrogating her interrogators.
“Did your father beat you, Jolly? Was he a large man who used his fist? I bet you made a promise to yourself after you saw him beat your mother one too many times that you would never become him. Do you think because you don’t use your fists that means you aren’t just as much of a monster as he is?”
Not one time in ten years have I ever seen Wade lose it. He is calm, he is cool, he is mean and direct, but he is always controlled. Wade jumps off his chair and backhands Aria. I jump to my feet and stand right in front of the window.
He is now a wild card and is no longer running the room. Cesar is clearly conflicted on what to do. He looks back at us, looking for answers. I look to Edward and he just raises his hand. I guess he’s letting this play out. Instead of keeping her mouth shut like she should, Aria starts to bait him again.
“Do you feel better now that you hit me? Did you gain your power back? I forgive you, Jolly. I know you were lost in the past. I forgive you just like I’m sure your mother forgave him, time and time again.”
Aria, what are you doing? Shut the hell up! I want to scream at her. She’s out of her mind. She is defenseless. I know Edward won’t let him take it too far, but haven’t I taught her to shut up? Geez, she’s giving me an ulcer here. Wade isn’t in the room right now; he isn’t the interrogator. He is a small little boy reliving his worst nightmare. I can see it all over his face. He leans in close to Aria. Too close.
“Shut your mouth!” he spits at her.
She smiles. The vixen actually smiles a bloody smile at him and mine matches hers because I know the reason just as she lowers her head.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, acting contrite and defeated.
Wade lets out a sigh, but before he turns back to his seat, she whips her head up as fast as she can and head butts him. Hard. Blood explodes all over both of their faces. I can’t believe she did that! I can’t believe she took Wade on. The man is made from granite.
She probably has a skull fracture, but she takes it one step further now that she has him stunned and on the floor. I know what she’s going to do. When I taught her, she said it was impossible. We practiced this move again and again for two years and I know she has this, but chills break out on my skin anyway.
“Come on, Ari,” I whisper as I jump to my feet.
She uses all her might and throws herself and the chair directly at Wade. I’m starting to feel horribly bad for the poor guy. He is just doing his job, but she’s just doing hers. Cesar is now frantic, not knowing what to do. She lands hard on the back leg of the chair and watches as it splinters.
One of her legs is now free and she wastes no time sweeping Cesar off his feet. Once he is down, she kicks him right in the groin. There is a collective hiss from all the men in the viewing room.
“That’s for breaking my nose,” she spits.
While Cesar is on the ground, she grabs his back pocket where she finds the zip ties. They aren’t allowed to bring weapons in the room so her only advantage is to render him useless. She ties his hands to his feet in a matter of seconds and then is on Wade again before he can really come to. He sits up in a daze and she is instantly on him and has him in a headlock.
“The keys!” she demands.
When he says nothing, she tightens her hold on his massive neck.
“THE KEYS!” she screams. Holy crap, I can’t believe this. She’s breaking out. She’s breaking out of the final. The other guys in the room are yelling their disbelief as well and Edward just sits there like a Cheshire cat. The jerk is actually smug, like he’s the reason she is this awesome. Nope, that’s all that girl and me in there, sir…not that I would say that.
“I won’t ask you again, Jolly, give. Me. The. Freaking. Keys.”
“No key,” he tries to rasp out. Man, he’s starting to turn blue. Ease up, Ari. Geez, don’t kill him.
“Locked in.” He is starting to fade; she needs to let up.
“They locked us in from the outside? Well, ok then.”
Just as quick as she put him in the headlock, she puts her Jolly Green Giant into a sleeper hold and he is out. She slowly stands, still dragging that broken chair. She looks right into the two-way mirror and holds her head high.
“Since your interrogators seem to be out of commission, I’m assuming I passed phase one. Open the door, Edward.” She holds her head high with defiance and I want to kiss her.
Edward picks up the phone and says a few words. Within a minute the room fills with sleeping gas and Aria passes out. I turn my anger on Edward.
“You gassed her? Why would you do that? She passed! She passed the test!” I’m screaming at him now. He just shakes his head.
“No, Cameron, she passed the first phase. You know she still must pass the physical exertion and torture section. We need to know she can take it in the field if she's ever captured.”
I’m pissed now. Really freaking pissed.
“What do you think that was? Did you not just see what happened in there?” I point to the window. “You don’t think she can take care of herself? That’s bull! You just want the bragging rights. I’m not staying around for this, and you know very well she just passed. She blew your test up!” I don’t stay around for my reprimand. I storm out of the room.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aria
I wake up in a small cell. A small, very cold cell. I’m lying on the hard floor, with no light. It smells like mildew and body odor. A small smile plays on my lips when I think about passing phase one. I did it. They didn’t break me; they only made me stronger.
I instantly feel bad about having to turn the tables on my interrogator. I know he was only doing his job to make me a better agent. I purposely hurt him to get ahead in this. Has my
father already turned me into a monster? Am I really becoming Satan’s spawn? I make a vow to myself that I won’t prey on others’ weaknesses unless it’s life or death. I won’t let them change me.
***
It’s been several days, at least I think. I’m not too sure; it could have been one day or four. At this point, I have no way of telling. I’m trying to get my mind and body sharp. I’ve been doing sit-ups, pushups, singing songs, naming all the facts I can think of. But I’m exhausted and starving. Have I mentioned how hungry and cold I am?
I keep telling myself they haven’t forgotten me. They are just testing me. It’s only a test, Aria. You will not cave. You will not go crazy. There is a little red light that blinks high up in the corner. That light is my savior. That light means they are watching me. That light means they haven’t forgotten me. I am alive.
I smell mold and that means I’m in a damp area. It’s winter right now and that means there is a water source. I dig away at the wall until my fingers bleed. I made a tiny hole, enough to suck the water out of. I am alive.
When I first got here, I found an envelope with six pictures. On the back of each picture was one word: “Name” with a question mark. They are all pictures of people in my life: Cameron, Ezra, Hope, Tali, Keller, and Trevor. I know what they want. They want me to give up my friends. I won’t do it.
I spent all last night listening to the screams of my friends. I think they taped their torture session and they played them on a loop. I sang any song I could think of to myself, but their tactic almost worked. The screams blessedly stopped but the reminder that I haven’t eaten or had anything to drink for days sets back in.
I am in the middle of trying to suck the moisture from my little hole when I smell something amazing, something heavenly. A hamburger, french fries, and I think that’s apple pie I smell.
“Give us a name, Aria. One name and you can have something to eat. Can you smell it? It’s nice and hot. Just one name and the whole meal is yours.” The unknown voice taunts me through door.