Page 156 of Silver Elite

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Mr. Muscles and the Bearded Man are jerks. They’re eating thick roast beef sandwiches in front of me. Am I supposed to beg for the food? I sort of want to beg. My stomach hurts so bad, it’s starting to cramp like Ivy’s. At least I’m not completely dehydrated. Each time the sprinklers jolt me awake, I hurry to tip my head and try to capture some of that moisture in my mouth. But they stop so fast, it’s only ever a few drops.

They throw me back in our car, which reeks of dirt, urine, and excrement. I settle in my corner and listen to Ivy’s soft sobs. When footsteps approach the door a little while later, Ivy whimpers. It’s her turn.

“You can do it, Eversea,” I say, my voice ringing with confidence. “It’s not that much longer.”

I half expect her to not return from the interrogation. She’s so broken down, it’s only a matter of time before she capitulates.

But she comes back, and I’m almost disgusted at myself for the little spark of pride I feel toward her.

“Good job, Eversea.”

“Thanks,” she murmurs back, and there isn’t a trace of animosity in her tone anymore.

Chapter 35

We emerge exhausted, completely beaten down. The light hurts my eyes. I squint against it the entire drive back to base.

First thing I do is take a hot shower. It lasts two hours. I scrub the mud off me and wash my hair. My scalp itches, and I don’t even want to know what was crawling around on that dirty railcar floor.

After I’ve practically scoured my skin off, I go to the mess hall and am greeted by a sea of vacant faces. Everyone around me looks like they’re in shock. Even Kaine is subdued.

“That sucked,” he says dully.

“Wasn’t that bad,” I tell him.

“Fuck off.”

Lyddie is pale, her hands shaking as she picks at her food. It’s a good hearty meal. Real beef in the stew. Heady potatoes. Thick sauce. I gorge.

We have four days off before we need to report to class again. Everyone checks their sources to find they’ve been granted leisure passes for two of the days. An overnight.

Everyone except for me, that is.

I have to admit, it gets to me this time, not being able to leave the base. I don’t want to be here right now. I want to be on my ranch. Iwant to ride my horse and feel the summer wind on my face. But I refuse to cry in front of these people.

While my friends take advantage of their freedom, I roam the base, trying to ward off the loneliness that threatens to suffocate me. Even Cross isn’t here. He’s not chasing me anymore, and I don’t know if I should be disappointed about that, or relieved because it’s what I asked for.

No, that’s not true. Iknowwhich way I should feel.

But it’s not what I feel.

On my evening walk, I reach out to Wolf, but he doesn’t answer, so I try Tana instead. She lets me link, greeting me in a glum tone. She sounds as unhappy as I feel.

“I miss you,”I confess.

“I miss you so much,”she replies with a moan.“I hate it here, Wren.”

“The soldier presence is still heavy?”

“Yes. So many of them that the barracks at Controller Fletcher’s station are full, which means the overflow is coming to the inn. Which means I deal with them on a daily basis.”

“Are they giving you any trouble?”

“Not yet. But they’re constantly watching everyone. There’s always at least half a dozen of them at the pub from open to close, watching my dad.”

“Shit. Okay, well, let me know if you notice anything suspicious, or if they start harassing you.”

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