We froze, rooted to the spot. I looked to the guy beside me; he looked as lost as I did. Panicked whispering broke out along the line. People shuffled in every direction, without moving more than a step out of place.
“You all need me to hold your hand?”
I gulped, swallowing my nerves. My shaking hand rose above my head, like a scared child. He nodded to me pointedly.
“The perimeter of where, Mr Tooth?” I asked.
“Just Tooth, will do.” He walked to the hall door and held it open. “The perimeter of the campus, of course. I’ll expect you all back in an hour.”
My breath shuddered. The entire university perimeter? This place was huge.
I left the hall in place with the group and kept pace. It wasn’t long before we separated into fitness levels. Thanks to my years of body boarding, I wasn’t in the last group, but I wasn’t in the lead either. That was held by a group of six athletic looking girls. They talked to each other as they ran. I could hardly breathe and we were only on the second lap. I forced myself to keep breathing, keep moving forward. We passed the labs, lecture theatres and coffee shop, again and again. Three times I passed Spring and her groupies. They were sprawled under a tree, hidden at the far end of campus.
At around the seventh lap, all thought had left me. I didn’t know how far I had gone or how many laps were left to go. I clung to one of the middle group and nearly cried with happiness when they began heading in the direction of the hall. It was well into the afternoon when we collapsed on the floor panting, none of us able to speak. A student dressed in a black tracksuit passed me a bottle of water. I tried to indicate my thanks with a nod, but it was barely noticeable. The sound of crashing filled the room as more exhausted students staggered through the door and collapsed beside us.
“One hour. Then back here for training,” Tooth shouted, from the centre of the room. He was grinning, enjoying the sight of us wheezing.
Spring stumbled up from the floor. I hadn’t noticed her as I got back. I noticed now, that she had been laid out having her legs massaged by one of the guys in our group.
“Back for more?” She demanded.
Tooth stepped toward her, smiling intently. “Too fragile for a little hard work, are we?” He glanced over at a group of students in black track suits. They all laughed in response. I was shocked to see Bree and Ash with them.
“No, just knackered after all that running.” Spring held her head high, clearly not wanting to appear weak.
I laughed to myself. She probably didn’t do a single lap, never mind ten.
“Precisely why I am being decent enough to give you an hour.” He turned and walked away before she could respond.
I returned to the hall after gorging myself in the dining room. One thing this uni was reliable for was good food. I hesitated when I saw what was lined up and waiting for us. Crash mats were equally positioned throughout the room. By each mat, a student from the Wolf department stood with their hands behind their backs. I spied Bree waving at me enthusiastically from her mat.
“Moles, remove your shoes and take a mat to face your partner,” Tooth shouted, from behind.
We scrambled to get our shoes off as one. I threw mine unceremoniously on the pile and turned to join Bree. I made two steps forward before someone beat me to her. Being so small, she was one of the first to be partnered. My eyes raked the room desperately. I spotted another girl who didn’t look too menacing and headed toward her. Again, a student ran over and stood at her mat. There was no one left. I stood in the centre of the hall, slowly scanning the room. Every mat had two occupants. At least I thought they did, until I saw his mat. No wonder nobody wanted to partner with him. Ash was ridiculously tall and broad.
“Problem?” Tooth shouted to me. He held out his hand to indicate I take position with Ash.
I stumbled forward to stand opposite him, my toes in line with the edge of the mat. He winked at me, grinning. I couldn’t return the smile. I was glad I was at least partnered with someone I knew, but Ash? He might as well be called Jupiter: the largest body in orbit.
Tooth positioned himself in the centre of the mats. “Moles, this is day one in your physical training. Here you will learn that intellect alone will not be enough to protect you when you are in the field. When you leave here you will have the basic ability to defend yourself, the stamina to push yourself and the physical presence to command your position. It is here you will become Consummate.”
Ash rolled his eyes. “So serious,” he whispered.
“Lesson one in self-defence: falling. If you cannot fall correctly, then you cannot fight. Begin.” He blew on his whistle and watched as each of the Wolves took a step forward.
I looked to Ash and he beckoned me forward with his finger. Talking had erupted all around as the Wolves began to instruct their partners.
“You joining me or not?” Ash asked. He leaned over and took my wrist, pulling me toward him.
I snapped my hand back. “What are you doing?” The panic in my voice was embarrassing. I held my hands up to my chest, taking a step back off the mat.
“Don’t worry, Roz. Be glad you have me as a partner.” He held out his hand and waited for me to step back into place. “Honestly, what are you worried about?”
What was I worried about? I knew Ash was my friend. He was right, I was glad I was partnered with him rather than someone I didn’t know. I stepped toward him, grinning apologetically.
He held my shoulders and moved me into position. “Okay, just move here. There, now stand with your feet shoulder width apart.”
The sounds of thuds and cries began to fill the room. All around me people were being flung upside down and tripped backwards. The urge to run tugged in my chest.
“Ash, what are we supposed to be doing?”
“Falling.” He kept his hand on my shoulders and stretched his leg out behind mine. “Right, when you fall, put both your arms out flat. Try to spread the impact across your whole upper body equally.” He nodded as I stretched out my arms.
“Good. On three. One. Two. Three.” He didn’t hesitate. His leg swung behind mine, sweeping my legs out from under me. My body tensed as I crashed backwards with a dull thud. My head vibrated as it bounced on the mat. I laid still and screwed my eyes closed, waiting for the sting to fade. I watched the ceiling lights floating above me, blurring from a pair, to one.
“Are you okay?” Ash asked.
I closed my eyes and opened them repeatedly. The buzzing was fading, but the sting in the back of my head remained.
“Roz?”
I opened them again in shock at the closeness of his voice. His face was inches from mine.
“You okay? Try not to tense up so much.”
“Wolf Loncastre! You’re supposed to let her fall, not cushion her landing. Do it again.” Tooth stood with his arms folded by the side of our mat, watching.
Ash stood back and held out his hand to help me up. “I’m sorry, this one’s going to hurt more.”
Hurt more? My head still felt like it was ringing inside. “It’s okay, just get it over with.” I said, gritting my teeth.
He took my shoulders and moved me into position once again. A quick glance back to Tooth still watching, he took one hand off my shoulder.
“Ready? Just land on your arms and shoulders. Try to relax your body a little.”
He moved so quick I didn’t have time to suck in a breath to yelp. His leg swiped around the back of mine whilst his hand pushed on my shoulders.
I laid on my back watching the black spots float around the ceiling. The ringing in my ears sent shooting pains across my temple.
“Much better. Keep going. I want her able to fall by the end of the day,” Tooth yelled, as he padded away to his next victim.
“Ow,” I said, as Ash leaned over me. He brushed my hair from my face, grinning.
“I told you to land on your arms and shoulders, not your head,” he laughed. His breath, once again inches from mine.
&n
bsp; “Wasn’t really a choice. My head’s kind of just there,” I moaned. I held up my hand for him to help me up.
“Can I make it up to you?” He pulled me to my feet, keeping hold of my hand.
The room spun for a second. I gripped his arm to steady myself.
“Depends how many more times you’re going to throw me around the room.”
“Choose me to be in your group, permanently.” He didn’t smile, but watched my eyes intently.
“You’re not supposed to ask.” I smirked.
He knew I had been given the next task, but I hadn’t had the chance yet to ask him to join me formally. I hadn’t realised he was waiting.
“Someone you’d rather trust?” He said, as he pushed my shoulders back into position.
“You’re talking trust, while throwing me on a mat repeatedly?”
His eyes bore into mine as he leaned me back. His arms wrapped around my shoulders. My hand hooked up to cling to his arm, gripping him close as he leaned in. My heart pounded, my breath caught as my nails dug into his warm, tight shirt. His hot breath wisped against my cheek. He was so close now; I could see individual lashes, golden flecks in his brown eyes.
“Three.”
The room tipped upside-down. He flipped me onto the mat with skilled precision. My head crashed against the mat, making my teeth clash together with a snap. Humiliation flooded through me. My cheeks washed with heat and my eyes filled with tears. I rolled onto my side with a groan.
“Oh shit, Roz, are you okay?” He knelt down beside me and cradled my face. “I thought you were ready to go again. You leaned back.” He wiped the tear away from my cheek with his thumb.
I rolled onto my knees and shakily got to my feet. My head felt like it was going to split in two. I could hear Ash talking, but couldn’t gather the energy to make sense of his words. I was humiliated. I staggered to the door and shoved him away as he tried to steady me. Without a word, I left the hall and headed straight for the house.
I needed to lay down in a dark room for a week.
CHAPTER TEN
The night passed slowly. A mixture of humiliation and painkillers swam through my sluggish half unconscious mind. I wanted sleep. I needed sleep. But, instead all I could manage was the unsettled limbo of semi-consciousness. Two hours before my alarm was set to scream, Owen barged into my room and switched the light on. My hands crammed over my eyes, shielding me from the burning intensity of the sixty watt bulb.
“What the hell?”
“No time for that. I’ve got a hold of the team. They’ll be here in an hour. You need to help me get set up.” He opened my chest of drawers and flung clothes across the room toward my bed. A pair of jeans smacked me over the head.
“Hey. I can dress myself.”
“Good. And when you’re done, get the kettle on.”
I threw my pillow at him as he ran from the room, giggling.
I set up snacks and drinks in the centre of the table. Thanks to the constant supply of paracetamol, my headache had reduced to a mild hum. My friends had apparently been eager to meet up when Owen told them I was ready to tell them about the new task. None of them agreed with the idea of having to be chosen to join a team and neither did I. In truth, I hadn’t seen anyone else in action, so didn’t know how I would go about choosing team members if I hadn’t met my friends already.
Ash, Jay and Bree arrived together. Bree still looked half-drunk from the night before. I filled the kettle and set up a mug of coffee for her. A moment later, Owen and Fern came down stairs. I hadn’t considered Fern for the team, but was glad Owen had thought to include her.
They all looked at me expectantly.
A wash of scratchy heat engulfed me as I stared back at each expectant face. I didn’t know how to begin. Nothing had been planned, just a target mystery. I gulped back air and closed my eyes. I could do this. I could lead a team.
I sat at the head of the table. They followed.
“Next test then?” Bree asked, encouragingly. I could have hugged her.
I passed her the coffee and she huffed. “I need you sober for this.”
She took it and began to sip.
“The task is to research a mystery.” I handed out copies of the task sheet. “I know it sounds easy, but this has to be enough to get us through. This is what’s going to make us pass this year.” They all watched me without speaking. “I’ve been thinking about our options, possible mysteries.” I glanced to Owen. He grinned and gave me the thumbs up. “And, I think we should look at the recent bombings.”
Fern gulped. “What? You can’t mean that. That’s too big. We’re only in the first year; they don’t expect us to do anything that big.” She sunk back in her chair as the rest of the group stared.
“What do you think we’re here training for?” Bree asked. “Do you think they’ll let us through to year two if we play it safe?”
Fern shook her head, crumpling the paper in her hands. “I’m training to be a scientist, not a police investigator. Why do you even want me on your team?” She looked up to me, pleading.
“Because, I have to put together a team that will cover every eventuality. If you don’t want to be on the team, you’re free to leave and join another.”
I didn’t mean to sound quite so harsh. But, the cold truth was: if she wasn’t up for it, I didn’t want her on my team.
She shook her head, holding her chin firm. “No, I didn’t mean I wanted to leave. I just don’t know what I can do to help in researching bombs.”
I knew what was going through her mind. None of us knew what would be required of us in this task, or even if we could scratch the surface. It was a massive undertaking, without any likelihood of reaching the target. But, it was big enough to show our skills.
I watched as Owen put his hand on her shoulder. He whispered something only she could hear. Her eyes seemed to brighten at his touch.
All faces came back to stare at mine, expectantly. I fumbled to pick up a wad of paper, feeling more and more like a school teacher handing out homework. I passed the list I had compiled of possible areas to cover to each of my friends. My teammates.
“We start small. Owen, could you look into the police files? I think they’ll be the best place to start.”
He nodded. “No problem. I’ll make a copy of everything they have.”
“Could you also get Jay into some surveillance footage?”
Owen grinned. “That’s more of a challenge. What you wanting?”
“Surveillance from each of the bomb sites. A few hours before and after?”
“Will take some time to gather it all, but I should be able to manage it. You want me to send it straight to Jay?”
“And me,” I said. “Jay, if you could study the footage, learn what you can?” He nodded in return. I looked to Ash, Bree and Fern. “Until we get the information, there’s no leg work for you guys. So could you help me in research?”
Ash sat up straight, his face stern. “What do you need us to do?”
“We need to look at each of the bombings. What do they have in common? Where were they set? How many people did they kill or injure? Anything that can help us get close to what the bomber was thinking. If we can find a connection, it could lead us to the next clue.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Bree said, as she pushed herself away from the table. “Let us know when you get the info, and we’ll set to work.” She grabbed her coat from the wall hook. “Ash, Jay, you guys coming for breakfast?”
“Not your kind of breakfast. I’ll see you in a bit,” Ash laughed.
“Sorry Cheese, I’m gonna help Owen with this,” Jay said, picking up the plate of biscuits from the centre of the table.
“Light weights. Fine, see you all later.” She ran from the room, humming happily to herself.
I looked down to her untouched coffee and sighed. Bree was going to need carrying to bed tonight. Again.
“Ash?” I began, unsure if I was stepping over the friendship line.
“Yeah?”
“Do you think,” I stared at the door Bree had just fled through, “she drinks a lot?”
He let out a loud sigh, clearly frustrated. “I’ve never seen anyone drink more. I’ve asked her to ease up, but…”
“But what?”
“She thinks it’s funny. She’s honestly having the time of her life here. She trains hard, which she loves, then parties hard. She said she’s always drank like this, back home with her brothers.”
“Do you think I should try talking to her?”
“And say what? You want her to stop having fun?” He shrugged, helplessly. “Believe me, I’ve asked her to cool it. You should see Tooth when he smells the booze on her, he throws a fit. But she’s convinced she’s fine, she can handle it. And in all honesty, she does seem fine.”
“Then, what can we do?”
“Watch her? Make sure she gets home safe at night?”
I sighed in response, unable to vocalise my worry. In the months that we’d been here, growing closer as friends, I had noticed Bree’s relationship with the bottle. From what I had seen, she didn’t seem over the tipping point, yet. But, if she continued, I didn’t think it would be long until she was reliant on it.
“Alright guys, let’s get cracking.” I said, forcing a cheery tone. I would have to worry about Bree later.
Owen and Jay looked excited as they ran up the stairs to Owen’s room. I presumed he had his computer up there.
“I’m heading to the lab, if anyone needs me,” Fern called. She left the house and snapped the door closed before anyone could reply.
I busied myself with clearing the cups. I piled them in the sink lazily, deciding I would clean them later when the lights weren’t burning bright and my head stopped buzzing.
“I’m sorry for hurting you,” Ash said, from close behind. I span on the spot to see him stood with his hands in his pockets, his head hanging low.
I had to stop for a moment to figure out what he was talking about. “The self defence? It’s okay,” I shrugged. My head wasn’t as bad as it was when I first got up, but the sting was still jabbing at my temple.
Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1) Page 9
