Page 25 of Knight Moves

To her enormous credit, Hala didn’t say anything about the wacky pj’s. Instead, she grinned and waved back. “Hi, Frankie. Glad to meet you, too.”

Frankie peppered her with questions, all of which Hala patiently answered. I headed toward the bathroom, but Kira got there first, so I went through the common room to the front door to see what clothes had been left for us. Four piles of T-shirts and camouflage pants, each of our names neatly pinned to the top T-shirt, were stacked outside the door.

“Hey, guys,” I called. “Come look at this.”

Everyone except Kira, who was still in the bathroom, crowded around me.

“It’s military-issue clothing,” Hala said, leaning down to pick up her pile. “Three white T-shirts and three pairs of camouflage pants. I bet they’re exactly our size.”

Frankie picked up her pile and hugged it to her chest. “This is the best day ever. I always wanted a pair of genuine camouflage pants.”

I had no idea why anyone would want to purposefully own a pair of camouflage pants outside of the military, but what did I know?

I picked up my pile and Kira’s, dropping hers on her bed. She came out of the bathroom and I slipped inside, carrying one T-shirt and one pair of pants. Hala was right. The pants and shirt were a perfect fit, even if my reflection made me feel like I was playing soldier.

While I brushed my teeth and washed my face in the outer part of the bathroom, Frankie changed. Hala joined me at the other sink. It felt a bit like being back at home with Gwen, except I hadn’t shared a bathroom with anyone since she left for college when I was twelve years old. Given the fact I didn’t really know these people, except for Frankie, and I didn’t do social well, it was an uncomfortable situation.

I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and put on my socks and shoes. I was tying my shoes when Frankie came out of the bathroom. Fashionista that she is, she’d knotted the bottom of her T-shirt and let it rest on her left hip. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a braid and entwined with what looked like green and brown shoelaces. She stood in front of me and held out her hands.

“So, what do you think?” she asked.

“It’s…you,” I said. “You really made the outfit your own.”

Beaming, she turned around in a circle to show off all sides. “Aren’t these camouflage pants the bomb?”

“Um, they’re functional.”

Hala came out next. She looked about my size, although a little taller. Then I remembered how she’d shot Jonas without hesitation, and I wasn’t too worried for her.

Kira was the last to emerge from the bathroom. Somehow, she made camouflage glamorous. Her blonde hair was sleek and smooth and she’d put on makeup. I wouldn’t have noticed, except her skin seemed to be glowing and her cheeks looked a lot pinker than they had when she beat me to the bathroom.

We went to the cafeteria together, with Frankie chatting nonstop. The cafeteria smelled like bacon and coffee. Wally and Bo were at one table, shoveling in food, deep in conversation. Mike sat at the table next to them, and Jax sat at the corner table as usual, his back to us and his earbuds in. We introduced Hala to everyone, and even Jax took out his earbuds long enough to say hello. After we got our food, Frankie, Hala, and I sat together, but Kira ignored us and went to sit next to Mike.

Hala leaned over the table, lowering her voice. “What’s with her?”

“I think she’s scared and lonely,” Frankie whispered. “She acts like she doesn’t need anyone, but she does. We just have to redouble our efforts to be her friend.”

What? Had she lost her mind? “Are you kidding me, Frankie?” Her niceness was getting ridiculous. “That’s your assessment of Ms. Prima Donna?”

“Give her a chance, Angel.”

I had no intention of doing that, but I pressed my mouth shut and didn’t say so. I didn’t want to hurt Frankie’s feelings, but in my opinion, Kira was nothing but trouble.

“What about the guy in the corner…Jax?” Hala asked.

“He’s a loner, too,” Frankie offered. “He isn’t interested in socializing. But he’s sure hot.”

“Loners seem to be a theme around here,” Hala said.

I was going to confess to my loner status as well, but I wasn’t sure it was true now that I had Frankie and Wally as friends. I didn’t expect how happy that would make me.

“So what do you think will happen today?” Frankie asked.

I’d come to breakfast hungry, but now I’d abruptly lost my appetite. I forced down a few bites of oatmeal and some juice, but that was all I could manage. Kira and Wally didn’t eat much, either. Frankie, Hala, and Bo ate their breakfast without any problem, and I couldn’t see what Jax was doing with his back to us. I guess trying out to be a spy wasn’t as scary for them as it was for me. Four weeks was already seeming like an eternity if we were going to be on edge the whole time.

Wally pushed back his chair, and I got my first good look at him in camouflage. He looked different, maybe more confident. Maybe the administrators knew what they were doing by putting us in camouflage after all.

As soon as Wally stood, it was like our signal to go. We dumped our trash and returned our trays before heading to Room 101.

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