Project Lightning, page 5
“How do we know how to make our rooms for inspection?” Davies asks. I cringe slightly remembering his reaction to questions yesterday.
“There is a list of inspection points on the back of your daily schedule. I suggest you check them off as you go. Any other questions?” We are all silent. “Very good, enjoy your evening.” He walks away in the direction of his room.
We file into the dormitory and head to our rooms. A couple of the guys start to joke around, but I ignore them. A pillow flies in front of me and I stop suddenly. I whip my head around and glare at Havers. He smiles and I shake my head.
I dart into my room and look around. I find the schedule sitting on my bed. I turn it over and a handwritten note falls to my bed. Picking up the paper, I notice a list of specifics that aren't on the inspection list. As I peruse the list, I notice that each item has a specific location. The uniforms need to be in a certain order. Viewing the drawers across from me, I notice two smaller ones. The list says these are my personal drawers and can’t be opened during inspection. Several other things are on the list, so I set to work getting my room ready and my life in order.
Chapter 7
The whistle blows later that evening and I stand outside my room at parade rest. Thirty minutes later, Major Halley and Warner come through the doors. As the doors open, I hear Colonel Barnum yelling at someone in the other room. Something about following orders. I silently thank God I followed the instructions on the card.
“Attention! Officer on the floor!” Warner yells.
We all snap to attention. Major Halley walks into Davies’ room with a checklist. After a few minutes, she walks out and steps in front of Davies. “Follow me, initiate.” Davies falls in behind Major Halley. It’s silent for a moment before Davies returns to the front. Her eyes are downcast and I can see the tension in her body.
Earlier in the evening, Davies had been bragging about her room. She kept saying how she’d been raised with a general and was very good at making a room inspection worthy. I give her a small smile and return quickly to staring straight ahead.
Major Halley entered Juliet's room. Juliet's brows were furrowed and her hands hung at her sides, clenched into tight fists. Despite her hardened eyes, I could tell she was scared. Warner walks out of the room and orders her inside the small room. I close my eyes. After a few tense moments, Juliet walks out and her eyes are light. I tilt my head, nodding slightly as she shakes her head to the side. She’s relieved.
Halley makes her way to my room and walks in, only to exit moments later. “Warner. Get Colonel Barnum.” My heart stops and I can feel my hands get clammy. I stand staring straight ahead while my heart thumps loudly in my chest. Colonel Barnum enters with a scowl on his face. His brows are furrowed and tension lines run across his forehead. His jaw ticks slightly as he walks into my room. Warner stands in front of me and gives me a slight smile. My tension begins to ease. Hopefully it’s good.
Colonel Barnum walks out and says, “Warner. Gather the other initiates. I want to show them what a properly done room looks like.” My heart lifts and I let out a small breath of relief.
Warner leaves and returns moments later with the boys. They all gather around as the Colonel points out the various things that I’ve done well. When he’s done, we are all dismissed.
The boys glare in my direction and I feel my chest tighten. When the others are gone, Colonel Barnum stands in front of me. “Well done, initiate.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say. My eyes staring straight ahead. Again my chest tightens.
“How did you know how to do it?” he questions. His posture is solid and I think that I have done something wrong. My gut tightens.
“I followed the instructions on the back of the schedule, sir,” I state, staring straight ahead. Despite my internal anxiety, I know I am being honest.
His half smile reveals slightly yellowed teeth. He turns and walks out without another word. Warner lingers, giving me a subtle thumbs up sign on his way out of the dormitory. Pride swells inside of me but at the same time fear.
I walk into my room and plop down on the bed. My shoulders slump with exhaustion. I roll my neck trying to dispel the tension. Juliet walks in and sits next to me. We are silent for a moment. I was hoping she would tell me what the whole thing with Halley was about but it seems I need to push.
“So...What was up with that?” I ask as I try to get her attention. She looks up at me but quickly her eyes move back down.
“With what?” She says coyly as she fidgets slightly with the edge of my blanket.
“You know what I am talking about.” I push into her shoulder lightly. She chuckles.
She smiles and nods, “Congratulations.” I stiffen as she says that. Trying to decide if she is being sarcastic, I smooth my hand over my already smooth blanket.
“Don't change the subject” I reply with mock anger.
She puts her hands up in surrender “Okay. Okay. She wanted to tell me I did really well on my bed. But I need to work on my organization. Did you know that they want our uniforms in a certain order?” she asks as she shakes her head.
“Well, yeah, I did,” I say with confidence. I pick up my schedule and peruse it.“It was on the back of the schedule.”
“No it wasn't,” she states with annoyance. I look up from my paper. My stomach drops and I feel my body tense slightly.
My eyes widen slightly. “What do you mean?” I gulp slightly as I think about the handwritten note. Was I the only to get it?
Her voice rises slightly and I notice her get up from my bed. “On the back of the schedule was a printed list of things that were on the inspection list. Not where everything should go,” she states boldly.
“Are you sure?” My brows furrow slightly as I try to remember what was written on the back of mine. Flipping my schedule over, I notice the differences immediately and my pulse speeds up. I did well but did I cheat to get there. Where did the other list come from?
“Yup. Why? Didn't you get the list?” she asks. Her eyes widen slightly.
“Well,” I say hesitantly, “I don't know if I should tell you.” I turn away from her and attempt to hide the handwritten note. Now I know it was not a good thing.
“What? What is it?” Curiously, she scoots closer to me. “You can tell me.” But I am not sure. Will she be mad if I tell her? As I look up at her and her eyes are pleading with me for answers.
I pull out the handwritten note and hand it to her. Her eyes widen as she sees the list of specific inspection areas and how each item is supposed to be.
“But...But...” she stutters, her words tinged with anger, “How did you get this?”
My heart thumps in my chest and I swallow hard. My hands are shaking and I feel like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “It was underneath my schedule when I got here. Why? Did I do something wrong?” I ask, confused by her anger.
She shakes her head slowly. “No wonder you were the example. With this, we all could’ve gotten positive marks.” She shies away and gets up suddenly. “I need to go study.”
She walks quickly out of the room, leaving me with an empty feeling. Did someone give me an advantage over the other initiates? Who would’ve done that? Suddenly, I’m reliving the moments after Colonel Barnum left. Warner gave me a thumbs up and a smile. Anger rushes through me as I throw down my schedule. Standing sharply, I walk out of my room and slam through the doors. I’m going to get to the bottom of this. If Warner is giving me an advantage over others, I need to know why.
Chapter 8
I walk out of the dormitory and stop in the hallway, trying to remember where Warner's room is. I look both ways down other hallways. The uniformity confuses me slightly so I choose to go left. I get to a set of double doors and see the words EXAMINATIONS on them.
Nope. I’ve gone the wrong way, so walk back the way I came from. I continue through another set of anonymous doors and finally remember where I am. Warner’s door was the only door in the hallway. When I get there, I harden my expression and knock sharply.
The door opens quickly. Warner is standing in front of me without a shirt. His dark brown hair is wet from a shower. His muscles bunch and bulge as he holds the door open. He gestures for me to enter as he goes over to his drawers and grabs a shirt. A small puff of air escapes my lips. I almost forgot my anger.
I enter the room and he motions to a chair, but I remain standing. I take out the note and hold it out to him, “What the hell is this?”
Warner stands and looks over the note. “It appears to be a list of inspection items. Warner states sharply. “I would be careful, recruit.” His tone is ominous and I wonder if I have made a mistake coming in here.
I swallow thickly. I hadn’t thought of him as my superior. Tension quickly leaves my body. “Did you do this?” His crooked smile stops me for a second. But I remember. He’s put me in a difficult position with my friend and the others. His eyes soften slightly. He has a small smile. “Why?” I collapse in the chair. My weakness overtaking me as I put my head in my hands. Tears threaten to spill over.
He puts his fingers under my chin and lifts it. He inhales sharply when he sees the tears in my eyes. I swipe at my eyes furiously. My body sags in the weight of my deficiency. I twiddle my thumbs as I try to regain control of my body.
“Hey,” he says softly, but I refuse to look at him. “Hey, I thought you would be happy. What's wrong?”
“What's wrong?” Is he serious? Does he really not understand why I am upset? My body shakes in anger but I know I need to control myself. He is a superior.
“Yeah,” he cocks his head to the side. “What's wrong? I can't fix anything without knowing what I did.” I almost chuckle as I think about him wanting to fix this. Nothing can fix this.
“What wrong?” I seethe as my anger returns. My blood boils and I feel my fist clench at my sides. I had never felt anger like this and I was a little confused where it was coming from. “What is "wrong" is you gave me an unfair advantage.”
“So?” He shrugs nonchalantly. He turns and pushes some clothes to the side of his bed. He sits down and puts his hands on his knees. His nonchalant pose almost makes me want to hit him.
“So? So!” I take a deep breath. Again, I almost forget that Warner is my superior. “Now not only do I have to live up to a higher standard, but I also have a target on my back. I am now the initiate to beat,”
A smirk returns to his face. “I would think you would be thanking me.” He shakes his head slightly. “I’m sorry if you can’t accept a little help.” My mouth drops and I stare directly into his eyes. His hazel eyes stare back at me and I don’t look away. But as we stare at each other, his eyes soften slightly.
Breaking contact with his eyes, I look at the pictures on his dresser.“Why do you think I need help?” Again my eyes are near tears. I have never felt as vulnerable as I do in this moment. At war with my head, my heart wants to question him. To get to know him. But I can’t allow that. He is a superior.
Warner shakes his head from side to side. “Initiate look at me.” My face snaps to his. Our eyes connect and I watch them soften. “I don’t think you need the help. I just wanted to help you.” He shrugs and turns around to begin folding his laundry.
My anger diminishes slightly. He wants to help me. Why? “Sir.” I say meekly. He looks up from his laundry. “Permission to speak freely.” His head slices down. I swallow and take a deep breath. “Warner. I want to know why you would do this? Do you not think I can do this myself? I am not used to needing help. So this is really hard for me…” I trail off.
His lips lift slightly. “Everyone needs help once in a while.” Warner explains. “But if you must know. I see something in you. You could be really good for the program and I just want to make sure you make it and trust me...every little bit helps.”
I search his face. Could he really see something good in me? I hate doubting myself. “Are you sure?” A part of me wants to believe him but I am not sure. Confusion clouds my mind and I look away again. I realize this is an act of submission but for the moment I don’t care.
He smiles brightly. “Of course. Trust me.” His crooked smile beams at me and I know that trusting him is the only thing I can do at the moment. He is our class liaison and a superior.
I nod lightly. “Okay.” I reply. “Just please let me do this on my own.”
Warner considers this for a moment before nodding slightly. “Is that all?” he asks.
I shake my head and he pats my shoulder. My stomach flutters slightly from his touch. I plaster a fake smile on and turn away. I open the door and walk out. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Steeling my features, I march back to the dormitory. The boy’s dorm hallway is empty. I walk through to the girl's dorm and straight into my room.
Chapter 9
Morning comes quickly and I make my way into the cafeteria. The other initiates glare at me over their meals and I stiffen my back. I quickly grab my food and try to find a table. Most of the tables are occupied. I walk over to one and Copeland quickly pushes in the seat. His glare tells me I have more to worry about than the evaluations.
I sigh and find Juliet at a table in the back, slumped over the table eating her food. I sit down and begin to eat. She glares for a moment but then sighs and continues to eat. We eat in silence until she audibly exhales. “Look, Brin. I'm sorry I got mad at you.”
I meet her eyes for a moment. The bags under them tell me she had trouble sleeping. A part of me feels good about that. But I need all the friends I can get in this place. “It's all good,” I say with a touch of disappointment.
“No it isn't.” She shakes her head and looks back up with sadness in her eyes. “I shouldn't be mad at you when you didn't know. We’ve been friends for years and when you do well in something and I get jealous.”
Jealous? She was jealous of me. I chuckle internally as I think about that fact. We have been friends for years and I need friends. “It's okay, Juliet,” I say with a slight smile. “I understand. Friends?”
“Friends,” she confirms with a nod. We laugh slightly before returning to our meals. I am hesitant to continue our conversation. Relief slowly seeps into my body. At least, one person isn’t mad at me. As I look around to the glares pointed my way, I realize I don’t need their approval. A few minutes later, the warning bell sounds and we make our way to the gym.
Morning PT is brutal. We begin by running five miles followed by an obstacle course. As I’m making my way through the course, Havers runs past me. His shoulder makes an impact with me. My feet tangle briefly and I fall to the ground. My breath seizes and pushes out through my mouth with an “Oomph.” Everyone else stops what they're doing and stares. I look up and see a scowl firmly lodged on his face. His fists are tight at his sides. Sozanski runs up and shoves Havers. I roll to the side to avoid his falling frame.
Havers rolls over quickly. “What the fuck, man!” Havers says angrily. His fists clenched by his sides. My chest seizes as I scoot slightly to the left.
“How does it feel?” Sozanski's large figure looms over him. His face is angry and hard. The lightness from a few days ago is gone. His eyes narrow pinning Havers to the ground.
“Fucking hurts, man.” Havers says, quickly jumping to his feet.
“Maybe you should just keep running.” Sozanski growls. His large body stands a few inches taller than Havers. I retreat further to the left. I don’t want to be caught in the middle of a fist fight.
Havers gets into Sozanski's face. “Dude, she is the reason we’re all on the shit list.” His chest is heaving and I can imagine his breath doesn’t smell that good. I want to smile slightly at this thought but I know I shouldn’t so I harden my features.
“How? Because she got a good grade on her inspection? What is this, middle school? Grow the fuck up, man up and move on. She didn't do anything to our rooms. She did well on her own. Now move.” Sozanski spits as he puts his face right in front of Havers.
Havers glares at Sozanski then back at me before continuing on the course. Sozanski holds his hand out. I take it and he hauls me to my feet, thanking him as I brush the dirt off my pants.
“No problem. He’s an immature jerk.” He is looking away watching Havers lumber off down the course. The others return to their task and I take a deep breath.
I smile slightly before glancing around. Warner is standing off to the side. His fists are clenched and his jaw is ticking slightly. I shake my head and he relaxes somewhat. I run back onto the course and try to focus on the bars in front of me. My hands are shaking and sweaty. Wiping my palms down my legs, I look around to make sure I am alone. My heart races as I attempt to move across the opening. My hands slip on the metal and I fall to the ground. I feel the ground shake slightly and I jump around. Sozanski smiles and I relax. He gives me a quick pat on the shoulder. I smile slightly and run up the stairs on the other side. Sozanski stays by my side as we finish the obstacles.
We get a water break followed by another hour of intense workout. By the end of the training, we are all breathing heavily and sweating. Warner stands in front of the group, barely winded. Sweat soaks his t-shirt molding it to his chest. “Great job, initiates. It’ll get easier over time. Now you have fifteen minutes to get cleaned up and report to your first evaluation. Dismissed.”
The group makes itsm way to the exit. Warner grabs my arm, holding me back. I rip it from his grip. Concern laces his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I lie. My jaw is tight. Did he think pulling me to the side is a good thing?
“I wanted to beat his ass,” he seethes through gritted teeth.
My eyes widen as I try to figure out why. Does he know I like him? “I’m glad you didn't. He’s just a stupid jerk.” I assert.
He looks down briefly before meeting my eyes. A genuine smile softens his features. He places a hand softly on my shoulder. “I’m glad.” My mind freezes on the contact. I inhale sharply as butterflies swarm my stomach. My heart bangs fiercely in my chest. When I meet his eyes, I lose my words. I just nod and turn away.
