by Lynette Noni
Fletcher had released Alex before lunch and she’d met up with her friends. They’d stopped by the Medical Ward the previous night, but apparently Alex had been fast asleep. That was hardly surprising, considering how drugged up she’d been on pain meds.
But now the four of them sat and swapped stories. Alex had started first and she was just wrapping up, wanting to hurry it along so she could hear about their SAS trials.
“That was it,” she answered Jordan. “Fletcher patched me up, Kaiden asked some probing questions, Darrius reminded me to be careful and then I fell asleep.”
“A Hyroa!” Bear whistled. “I can’t believe it. Those things are insane.”
“Do you have a wicked scar?” Jordan asked. “I’ll bet you do. Claw marks—that’s so cool!”
Alex didn’t bother to tell him that it was most definitely not cool. Painful? Undeniably. Cool? Absolutely not. Rather than arguing the point, she reminded him about Fletcher’s amazing medicines and lifted the hem of her shirt to show that there was no scarring on her back.
Jordan had the nerve to look disappointed—at least until he caught her glare and smiled sheepishly at her.
“Let me see the necklace again,” D.C. asked, reaching out to admire the jewellery that was fastened around Alex’s neck.
She’d mentioned it to Darrius the night before, but he’d just looked amused and told her to keep it unless asked otherwise. Weird, for sure, but she’d been in too much of a medication-haze to argue.
“All right, enough about me,” Alex said finally. “I want to hear what happened with Hunter.”
“There’s not much to tell,” Bear said, snapping a twig between his fingers. “He took us out to the forest and told us we had to prove ourselves worthy of his class. Then he left.”
“None of us had any idea what to do,” D.C. admitted. “At first we stood there like lost kittens. But then we jumped straight in, coming to our own conclusions about what we were meant to do.”
“I figured out that it must have been some kind of scavenger hunt,” Jordan said. “The others began to catch on, and everyone kind of branched out and looked for clues. For some reason, most of them ended up climbing trees—and falling out of them. There was a lot of competition to earn Hunter’s regard.”
“What happened in the end?” Alex asked. “Did you find any clues?”
“All I found was a nest of very unhappy Faendas,” Bear grumbled, holding out his swollen hand for Alex to see. She winced in sympathy, remembering her very first Medical Science class where she’d been stung by one of the wasp-like insects whose venom caused instant paralysis.
“I found a stick that was shaped in a ‘U’,” Jordan said. “I took it to mean ‘turn around, you idiot’, but even then I didn’t find anything.” He couldn’t keep the disappointment from his tone when he added, “To be honest, we don’t know if we were actually meant to find any clues. It was a long shot to begin with.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait until tonight,” D.C. said. “Hunter told us he’ll personally visit the people he chooses for his class.”
“That’s exciting,” Alex said brightly, trying to be encouraging.
Bear snorted, while the other two just grinned at her overly enthusiastic response.
“Truly,” Alex added. But then she realised just how fake she sounded and laughed with them. “Okay, you know me too well. But I’m still hoping you guys get in, since I know how much it means to you.”
“Thanks, Alex,” Bear said. “But honestly, it’s not looking that great—for us or anyone else. Half our year ended up in the Med Ward, and the rest of us ran out of time and were sent back here more confused than when we started.”
“Yeah,” Jordan agreed, stabbing the ground with a stick. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Hunter didn’t take on any new recruits this year.”
“Hey, don’t count yourselves out just yet,” Alex said. “You never know what might happen.”
proce ss.
Seven
Late that night a knock sounded on the door to Alex and D.C.’s dorm room.
Knowing D.C. wouldn’t knock before entering her own room, Alex presumed the visitor was Jordan or Bear and opened the door without hesitation.
“Good evening, Alex.”
Her eyes widened at the sight of Hunter standing there. His dark cape swirled around him, but his hood was drawn back so she could see his face.
“Uh, good evening, sir,” she replied awkwardly. She was caught off-guard by his casual use of her name. Not that she minded—she preferred to be called Alex. It was just… unexpected.
But more unexpected was his presence in her dorm room. What was he…?
Oh! Alex smiled when the realisation hit her.
“You must be here to see Dix,” she guessed, excited for her friend, since Hunter’s visit meant D.C. must have been accepted into his class. “She’s not here right now, she’s at the Library. I’m sure you could catch her there, or I can go and find her if you want?”
Alex wasn’t sure why she’d offered, especially since she was already dressed for sleep, in her comfiest pyjamas, no less.
Hunter shook his head. “I’m not here to see Miss Cavelle.”
Alex thought his response was strange—why else would he be knocking on their door?—but then she realised what he’d said. How did he know who D.C. really was? That was top secret, as far as Alex was aware. But then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised, since Hunter was the kind of person who seemed to know everything.
“Jordan and Bear aren’t here either,” Alex said, wondering if maybe that was why he was at her doorstep. “But their room is just down the hall.”
Alex had only a single moment of warning to note Hunter’s amused expression, and from it a very strong feeling of dread swept through her.
“I’m not here for your friends, Alex,” he said with a smirk. “Congratulations on passing your trial yesterday. You’re officially accepted into my Stealth and Subterfuge class.”
Um… What?
Alex wondered if she looked as confused as she felt. “I think there must be some kind of mistake.”
Hunter tilted his head, his smirk deepening. “It’s not often that I’m wrong.”
“Then this is your lucky day,” Alex said. “I didn’t try out for your class, so there’s no way I could’ve passed whatever your trial was. You have the wrong person.”
His dark eyes glittered with humour. “Is that so?”
“Yep,” Alex said confidently. “Sorry you wasted your time.”
She reached for the door, intent on closing it to end the conversation and not caring how rude the gesture might seem. But Hunter moved to lean against it, blocking her dismissal.
“Tell me, Alex,” he said, as relaxed as if he was lounging on a beach somewhere. “Did you or did you not venture into the forest at some point yesterday afternoon?”
Not by choice, Alex thought, but she didn’t say that out loud. “Yes, I was there for a few hours. So?”
His lips curled knowingly, and Alex felt her sense of dread rise up again.
“Then you entered the trial zone,” he said. “Despite the fact that you didn’t sign up for testing, your participation confirmed your entry to my class.”
“W—What?” Alex spluttered. “I didn’t participate! I didn’t even know where the trial was being held!”
“Intentional or not, you actively took part in the exercise, regardless of whether you were aware of it at the time,” Hunter said. “And out of all your classmates, you were the only one to succeed.”
No, no, no! This was all wrong. Hunter was wrong. This was a prank, right?
Alex backed away from the door and slumped down on the edge of her bed, too overwhelmed to stay on her feet.
“You should feel proud,” Hunter continued, still standing in the doorway. “Never before has a student slipped by me as expertly as you did.”
Alex rubbed her temples. “I don’t understand.”
&n
bsp; “Should I spell it out for you?” Hunter asked, a hint of mockery in his voice. “It’s as I said: you’re now a student in my Stealth and Subterfuge class.”
She jerked her head from side to side. “No.”
“Yes.”
“No,” she repeated firmly. “I, uh, thank you for your offer, but I’m afraid I have to decline.”
There. That should do it. Despite her confusion about whatever trial he was talking about, at least she could decide yay or nay. And for her, it was a definite nay.
“I’m afraid you have little choice in the matter,” Hunter said, unconcerned by her growing frustration.
“It’s my life,” Alex argued.
“Remember the meeting on your first evening back at the academy?” Hunter asked. “Didn’t I say that any student who attended Saturday’s trial and was granted a position would find themselves mandatorily required to attend classes?”
Alex couldn’t recall his exact wording, but she did have a vague memory of him saying something along those lines. But she hadn’t attended the trial, let alone succeeded in it—whatever ‘it’ was.
“Yes, but—”
“What’s that around your neck, Alex?” Hunter interrupted.
Feeling off-balance from the abrupt change in topic, she looked down at the shimmery Myrox glinting in the light. “It’s a necklace. I found it in the…”
Alex groaned as everything fell into place. No flipping way.
Hunter actually had the nerve to chuckle at her reaction. “You can keep it as a token prize. No one has ever recovered the target before in all my years of teaching the class, so it only seems fitting considering your exemplary performance. And it may come in handy, especially with the trials you’ll be facing in the future
Alex chose to ignore the implication in his last statement— and the question of how the necklace would ‘come in handy’— and she addressed the rest of his words. “You can’t do this, Hunter. It was an accident! I wasn’t even meant to be out there. Things just… happened that way.”
With an uncaring shrug, he said, “That’s not my problem.”
“I’ll be terrible at your class!” Alex tried, hoping a different angle might work. “I’m not stealthy or subterfuge-y. And I… um… I don’t like spiders!”
Not her best argument, but she would just have to roll with it.
Hunter arched an eyebrow. “Your point?”
“Not just spiders—all bugs. We don’t get along,” Alex said. “And I’m sure your class will spend time in the forest and, well, you don’t need me squealing every time I feel something crawling up my arm. That would totally ruin the, uh, stealthy atmosphere.”
Hunter regarded her for a moment and then pushed off the door, losing his casual appearance.
“Listen to me, Alex,” he said with a quiet intensity. It was the first time he’d dissolved his politely official demeanour and she could see he meant business. “Part of my gifting involves perception. It allows me to be aware of the people around me at any given time. Right now I can tell you that there are currently fifteen people on this floor alone. Six of them are asleep, four are catching up on homework, two are gossiping about boys and two more are bouncing around in their room as if drunk on dillyberry juice.”
He paused and added, “Coincidentally, those last two happen to be your friends, and the next time you see them, you might want to let them know that their mattresses aren’t intended to be used as trampolines.”
Alex wished she was with Jordan and Bear right now, not sitting and waiting for Hunter’s other shoe to drop. Because she was sure it was about to happen.
“The final person is standing right here: me,” Hunter continued. “If you have any basic mathematical skills, you’ll have worked out that there’s one person missing from my count: you. I can’t read you—not at all. Not where you are, not what you’re doing. I believe this is because of your own gift and the protection it affords you; an invaluable asset, in my opinion. But that alone isn’t enough to warrant your enrolment in my class. I had no idea you were in those trees yesterday afternoon, and not just because my gift didn’t sense your presence. Your technique—intentional or not—was nearly flawless.”
“But, I—” Alex tried to speak but Hunter continued, not letting her cut in.
“Firstly, you weren’t supposed to be out there, so my SAS spotters didn’t know to look out for you. That was an example of subterfuge at its finest—strategic deceit.”
“No, I—”
“Secondly,” Hunter pressed, his hard look warning her not to talk over him again, “you avoided all my traps on the forest floor by remaining high above the ground for the entirety of your journey. Again, that was a clever ploy. And thirdly, you moved through the trees like you were born to do so. I only noticed you right at the very end, but it was clear how comfortable you were running and jumping from branch to branch. You claim to lack stealth, but I disagree.”
That’s just what happens after a few hours of tree-hopping, Alex thought. But she didn’t try to interrupt him again.
“Your ingenuity and adaptation sparked my interest,” Hunter informed her. “But it was your curiosity that sealed the deal. From my viewpoint, I could clearly see you were injured. And yet, when you noticed the pendant shining in the tree, you didn’t turn away, you continued onward to collect it. You exhibited determination, a character trait that’s essential in my class. For most new students it’s the only requirement for their qualification since, as I mentioned before, no one else has ever found the object of their search.”
“Maybe if you made it clear that they actually had to look for something,” Alex muttered under her breath.
“It’s easy to show determination when there’s a focus point,” Hunter said. “But when the end result is less clear, that’s when a person’s true character is tested.”
Alex sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to win against him. He had his reasons—quite a few, apparently—for wanting her in his class, despite her lack of willingness.
“I officially don’t like you,” she said with exasperation. “And just in case you missed it before, I definitely don’t want to take part in your class.”
“Your opinion has been noted,” Hunter said. And with that, he spun around with a whirl of his cape, saying over his shoulder, “I’ll see you on Tuesday night, Alex.”
She blinked at the spot where he’d been standing and watched as the door closed automatically behind him.
“What just happened?” she wondered out loud, leaning forward to rest her head in her hands.
A moment later the door sprung open again, causing Alex to jump in fright.
“Hey!” D.C. greeted her, walking over to drop her books on her desk. “I just saw Hunter walking down the hall. He nodded at me but didn’t say anything, so I guess I didn’t make it in. It’s probably for the best, anyway. Like you said, things are pretty crazy without having to add an extra class to the workload. And I think—Are you all right?”
D.C. must have finally noticed Alex’s strained expression.
“Has something happened? It wasn’t Aven again, was it?”
“No, nothing like that,” Alex assured her friend. “It’s just…”
She had no idea what to say, or where to start. She decided to just blurt it out. “I—”
A loud, rhythmical knock at the door interrupted her words.
D.C. glanced at Alex and said what they both already knew. “That’ll be Jordan and Bear. Are you okay for me to let them in?”
“Yeah, sure,” Alex said, thankful that she could share her news with them all now to save having to repeat herself later.
“Hail the conquering hero!” Bear cried, barging into the room as soon as D.C. opened the door.
“Thank you, thank you. I love you all, my worthy subjects,” Jordan said, bowing pretentiously.
“You got in?” D.C. asked, and when he nodded, she squealed and launched herself at him.
Jordan seemed startled
by her reaction, but then he laughed and spun her around. When he put her back on her feet, she turned to look at Bear.
“Not me, I’m afraid,” their dark-haired friend said. While he seemed disappointed, it was clear he was ecstatic for Jordan. “Next year, hopefully.”
Alex felt queasy. She knew how much the position meant to her friends, and they knew how much she didn’t want it. She had no idea how they would react. The only good news was, if they decided not to hate her, she would have the comfort of having Jordan in her class.
“I didn’t get in either,” D.C. told them. “But I’m so happy for you, Jordan. You’ll have to tell us all about it. And, oh, the stories you’ll have—I bet it’s going to be amazing!”
“Yeah, I’m pretty excited,” Jordan agreed. “But I wish you guys could’ve made it, too.”
“Next year, maybe,” D.C. said, echoing Bear’s words.
“Hey, Alex! No congrats for your favourite friend?” Jordan asked, seeing Alex sitting slumped on her bed.
“I’m her favourite,” D.C. corrected, elbowing him.
Jordan nudged her back. “You wish.”
“Since you guys are arguing about it, I think I should win by default,” Bear put in.
Despite her warring thoughts, Alex’s lips quirked with amusement. These were her closest friends. Her family, really. If they couldn’t accept what she was about to tell them, then no one would.
She stood and walked over to where they clustered near the door. “I’m so happy for you, Jordan. I know how much you wanted this.”
“Thanks, Alex,” he said, pulling her into a hug. When he let her go, he kept his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. She had difficulty holding his gaze.
“All right, what’s going on?” He guided her over to sit on her bed again. “Spill.”
She sighed, wishing her friends couldn’t read her so well.
Jordan sat next to her, while D.C. and Bear moved to sit on D.C.’s bed facing them.
“I don’t know how to say this…”
“It’s just us, Alex,” Bear said, his voice soft. “We won’t bite.”