Page 57 of Beyond The Maples
Farra frowns a little."I haven't seen you take a full breath all day."
I put my head in my hands, palms massaging my eyes. "That obvious?" I ask, kind of embarrassed. I hate feeling vulnerable, especially with an audience. Hate seeming out of control. But Farra's answer is gentle.
"No, not to everyone, but I could tell." She waits then for an explanation.
"It’s amazing up here. How did you find it?"
Farra smirks a little at my obvious change of subject.
"My brother, actually. Said he used to sneak up on the men's dorms to hide away from everything." Her face has a look of contentment, but it's laced with something else guilt, or maybe regret.
"He was so different before. It's hard to think about him now. I want to figure out what happened to him, what keeps happening to everyone."
My gaze locks onto the rolling plains.
"We will," I reply, and mean it.
"And Deacon? I'm assuming he's going to be let in on our little extra-curricular activities?"
I look at Farra through squinted eyes; the emerald green of her gaze lighting up in the waning light.
"I honestly don’t know. Not for right now, at least. Deacon has lived a very different life than I have. I'm not sure he's going to understand why we're taking the risks."
Farra raises her eyebrows.
"He might. I just don't know for sure. He seems to buy into the Council’s crap more than us. His family also works closely with the government. They run the junkyard for our town and travel district to district, so I feel like he has a completely different experience than most."
Guilt thickens in my throat. I shouldn't be saying anything about Deacon. He is my oldest friend, loyal and loving, and I'm sitting here bashing him. "He's a good person, honestly. I just don’t want to overwhelm him right now, and I'm a little worried about his reaction. We can wait until I'm sure he'll be on board. I'm sure he will." I add it all a little too quickly, unsure of who I'm trying to convince. Farra nods, searching my face for something more. We stand for a minute, enjoying the silence.
"There’s honestly nothing to tell at this point. What do we even know? That history has been changed... maybe? Details like the compass being altered over time, we don’t know anything about the crews or civilians going missing, nothing concrete about the barrier, or if any of it is related," she says, trying to comfort me.
I agree. There's nothing to tell. If there was something ofc note to share, I would tell him then, and he would understand.
After some time, I break the silence."You know, I'm beginning to think you're not really a rule follower at all, you little rebel. I'm positive this is breaking like five cadet trainee codes." I snicker at her, and she snorts.
We're heading inside when Farra says, "Please don’t tell Leo about this place. It's bad enough he treats our room like his personal crash pad. I need one sacred spot where I don’t have to hear his incessant chatter."
Laughing, we head back down to our room.
We're sitting in one of the largest cathedral classrooms, waiting to be addressed. Our general studies are coming to an end this week, and to say I am thrilled about not being tested, or having to listen to traditional lectures, is an understatement.
Deacon is sitting with us. I'm told he had to do a bunch of rapid testing throughout the week to join our cohort. I wasn't surprised that he snuck his way through. He's bright and honestly, like everything else, these things come easily to him.
Finally, a man I don't recognize walks to the front of the room. He has sharp features, which are a stark contrast to his warm colouring. He smiles and waves at a few people before taking the front podium.
Tane and several others, including his legion, step to the side, and he looks every bit the ruthless Lieutenant right now. There's no humour in his eyes and no hint of a smirk.
"Hello cadets, congratulations on almost making it through training. You're so close! And from what your professors and commanding officers have told me, you're quite the promising bunch. I am Councilman Zander Morosse. We thank you all for your dedication and service. Our country is forever in your debt."
His hand goes out in silent command. Wesley steps up to him enthusiastically, handing him a clipboard that Morosse mulls over.
Kethler is on the opposite side with a few other higher-ranking commanders. What is this all about? Maybe they are going to address the missing cadets and give us a little more information about what we're walking into?
The Councilman seems bored. His arrogant posture has me feeling annoyed with him already. It's easy for someone who makes the rules, hiding behind a desk, to feel no urgency. To have that kind of privilege is beyond me. I always feel rushed even when I'm not, hurried to make it from one form of income to the next, one task to the next. To figure out the next thing I have to accomplish.
"Yeah, this all looks good. As a group, you're scoring quite high, so we should be able to speed this process along and get those eager crews, who are prepared, out and into the field." He eyes the crowd, quietly assessing us, like he can tell who's good by our hair colour.
"This is the part of your training where you get more updates from commanding officers about what's happening outside The Centre walls. We will begin trusting you with confidential intel as you integrate into active duty. I don't need to tell you that those who choose to breach this confidence will face severe consequences. The Overseer here is kind enough to offer you all a brief blessing and prayer before you begin your journey officially protecting this great nation. Please give him your undivided attention." Zander gestures to the door beside the platform where several robed individuals are climbing the steps towards the podium.
