manage to rescue the security team when Jarren locked them in detention. I sigh. Guess I need to have a private discussion with them.
Beau taps his chest with a finger. “And you didn’t hear it from me. Agreed?”
“Chicken.”
“Damn right. Your mother scares me.”
I can’t help it. I laugh.
Rushing into my room, I change into the comfortable training uniform. Not bothering with shoes, I hurry out into the hallway and stop in surprise. Niall is standing in front of his unit. His hand hovers over the lock mechanism. Oh-eight-hundred already?
“You’re late,” he says with a smile.
“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding the entrance to the pits?” I counter.
“I get thirty minutes to eat breakfast.”
Ah. He opens his door and I follow him inside.
“What do you think you’re doing? Keir’s gonna—”
“I’m already late. The damage is done. Besides, I need a hug.”
He raises an eyebrow. “The meeting didn’t go well?”
“It was fine. Just…” I rub my arms. “Memories.”
Niall pulls me in close. I’m pressed against his chest. Feeling safe and warm, I listen to his heartbeat. Strong and steady. He rests his cheek on the top of my head. We stay like that for…a while.
I draw back and meet his gaze.
“Better?” he asks.
“Yes, thanks.”
He dips his head down for a quick kiss. “Then you should skedaddle.”
“Is that a real word or did Beau make that up?” I ask.
“Knowing Beau, he found it in some obscure file. And you’re procrastinating.”
“I know, but I wanted to talk to you about tonight. After dinner, I need to have a conversation with my parents alone. Can I meet you in the rec room later instead of us hanging out on the couch?”
“Sure.” His forehead creases in concern. “Is something wrong?”
“No. I’ll tell you about it later.”
“All right. Now—”
“I’m going, I’m going.”
I race through the hallways until I reach the training room.
Officer Elese Keir is doing a kata with a knife. A kata is a predetermined set of moves, like a waltz, to help you when fighting. So you don’t just punch once and hope for the best, but follow that move up with a kick and a jab and a roundhouse because that combination has been drilled into you so it’s automatic. It’s a part of martial arts, which I’ve also been learning.
Elese is wearing a tank top instead of the standard long-sleeved tunic. Her arms and shoulders are wrapped with muscles. The fluorescent lights shine off a sheen of sweat on her dark skin. As I watch her, I learn two things. One, she’s been going easy on me, and, two, there’s a grace and deadly beauty to the kata. Her fluid movements make me question if she is who I should aspire to be. If I’m going to choose to stay in security when I reach my eighteenth birthday, this physical conditioning would be an integral part of my life. And she’s a perfect role model…well, no one’s perfect, but she’s close.
However, the star roads call to me. I learned how to dive deep into the Q-net and navigate the star roads during my internship with Chief Hoshi on the Interstellar Class space ship. And the view of the universe from the bridge…there isn’t a word to describe the overwhelming amazement it stirs deep inside me. But to join DES as a navigator means leaving my family and perhaps Niall—if he decided to stay on the planet—far in the past.
“You’re late, Recruit,” Elese barks at me. The knife is still in her hand and she waves it at me. “What happened? Couldn’t get your pampered ass out of bed? Did you need more beauty sleep?”
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“What? No excuses?”
“No. It’s on me. Late is late.” I just quoted my mother. Kill. Me. Now.
“Refreshing. Too bad it won’t help you. You’re ten minutes late so times that by ten and…give me a hundred laps around the room, a hundred push-ups, and a hundred sit-ups. Go!”
Yikes. I jog around the training room. It’s not huge like the base’s port, but it’s a decent size. Running thirty laps has been a part of my training so I’m not winded right away. One thing about this type of physical exercise, it allows my mind to go in a different direction. I mull over the problem of Jarren. He’s managed to get deep within the Q-net. Before we identified him, we called him the super worm because of his mad skills entering secured DES areas and covering his tracks. And he must have access to the star roads.