by Jaci Wheeler
I chuckle glad I won’t have to deal with the blow back from that.
“I’m just grateful I’m going out on assignment next week. Good luck dealing with Miss Manners.”
“Oh, if she wants to stay on track and pass her courses in order to be vetted, she will do this…with a smile and a curtsy.”
“Are you sure she should become an agent, Edward? Is that really what you want for your little girl?” I ask, broaching the topic that’s been weighing on me for some time now.
An unreadable expression passes over his face, one that isn’t quite worry, but I can’t place.
“Why wouldn’t I? She was born for this life,” he states matter-of-factly.
“She’s got what it takes, no doubt, but the final test… Sir, you know it’s horrible. I barely made it through myself, and Aria has an innocence that none of us have.”
“You worry too much, Estevan. Aria will pass with flying colors; she’ll make it through on grit alone. Also, I might as well tell you now that you will not be an instructor for any of her tests.”
I go to argue when he puts a hand up.
“I’m not saying you wouldn’t be fair, but it’s for the same reason I won’t be one either. We pride ourselves on not sending out agents unprepared for any situation. You don’t need to be told about what can happen in the field. We can’t go easy on her and there’s no way you will be able to torture her. And she has to be, Estevan, in order to save her life one day.”
I run my hands through my hair. I’ve been dreading her eighteenth birthday ever since mine. You spend your whole life preparing for that day. For the “final test.” Really, it’s just hours upon hours of straight torture. Mental, physical, and emotional torture. If you can survive the final, you can survive anything! As much as I hate it, Edward is right; I could never torture her. Ari is mine, my little princess. Ever since she grabbed my finger, she took my heart right along with it.
“Yes, sir.”
***
“Refinement classes? Refinement classes for God’s sakes, Van! Tell me you didn’t know. Did you set me up and then leave?” she shrieks.
I chuckle; I just can’t help it. She sure is in a spicy mood today.
“First of all, it’s not like you are the only one in them. I had to take them myself. They’re needed if you are going to fit in among different levels of society. And yes, I did know, but I just learned about it myself before wheels up and didn’t have time to warn you.”
“I guess I’ll believe you. But geez, my instructor is the worst, Van! She makes me walk with a dictionary on my head, I can’t wear anything but four to six inch heals every day, and if I slouch I get her very sharp nail in my spine.”
I laugh. Hearing her antics is a nice breakup to my day.
“How were you able to get Edward to agree to let you call me on the sat phone without an emergency bug?”
She hesitates and that’s when I realize she wasn’t granted permission.
“Aria! We just talked about this! You have to start following the rules. Do you want to get me replaced? Do you want Cameron to be your handler? Because that’s the next step.” I very rarely raise my voice at her, but she’s got to learn boundaries.
Her intake of breath shows that she realizes how serious this is.
“Is that really a possibility? He wouldn’t do that to me, would he? Cameron hates me, and there’s no way I could handle it if-”
“Calm down, Ari. It is a possibility, but just make sure it doesn’t happen. You are the only one who can. You need to start following the rules or you are out, do you hear me? Best trainee we have or not, he’s ready to give you the boot.” I might be stretching it a bit, but she needs to learn how to harness her energy.
“Ok, Van, I’ll work on it, really hard. I promise.”
“Good, Bug. Now I need to go, and you better have used a secure line. We are about to land and then I go dark. I’ll see you when I get back.”
“Be safe, Van.”
I smile at the fact that she’s worried about me.
“I always am. Who else would be there to cover for you?”
“Bye, Van.”
“Bye, Princess.”
CHAPTER SIX
Aria
“Hey sweetness, how goes Nail Painting 101 or whatever that crap is you do now instead of playing with the big boys?” Lee asks as he swipes an apple off my tray and starts crunching it in my face.
“Seriously, Lee? You are so disgusting!”
“Leave her alone, Lee. You are just jealous she can out-shoot you with her eyes closed,” Keller says, tossing me a wink.
Let’s be honest, Keller is a straight-up hottie with thick, dark hair and light, soulful eyes. All the girls have a crush on him because, not only is he hot, but he’s nice and one of the top boys in our academy. We are flirty, but it’s never gone anywhere since he is like every other male here–terrified of my father. But a girl can dream.
“So, what do you have after lunch?” Keller asks, taking a bite of sandwich.
“Martial art in heels.”
Both guys stare back at me in confusion.
“Wait, you’re serious?” Lee asks, looking bewildered.
“Yep! It’s actually pretty valuable, you know? Last week it was flip flops, this week it’s heels…I’m terrified of what next week is going to be.”
Both boys shudder.
“What about you, Keller? What class is next?”
“Facial cues.”
“Oh, that’s one of my favorites! I love the psych courses; they are the best,” I exclaim and Keller scrunches his nose.
“I’m not doing so hot.”
“It’s cuz chicks are just naturally better at that stuff, bro. I mean, reading emotions with no words…it’s like chick territory,” Lee adds.
I actually start laughing, because as crazy as Lee can be, he isn’t too far off the mark. The girls do tend to outperform the guys in that class. My bestie comes walking in with her lunch and takes a seat next to Lee.
“So, what are we discussing today, folks?”
“We are talking about our new classes. What do you have after lunch, Hope?”
Hope makes a face like she just bit into a lemon.
“Survival training.”
“Oh, that’s a fun one,” Keller adds, earning a scowl from Hope. He immediately finds his food fascinating and doesn’t look back at her. For as perky as the little brunette is, her temper is lethal.
“The information is interesting enough, but you know I don’t want to be a field agent like you three here. I hopefully will never have to use this training. Just give me a computer or a foreign language and let me transcribe all day. Stick me out in the wilderness with nothing but some rope and a tarp and I’m freaking screwed!”
“You get a rope?!” Lee perks up.
“Hey that’s not too bad; we didn’t get anything in my group.”
“Gah!” Hope buries her face in her hands. “I was just being sarcastic! They seriously drop you off in the wilderness with nothing? I’m not cut out for this crap!”
I laugh at her dramatics.
“It’s not until the end of the course, Hope, and it isn’t that bad. You go in teams, and each member has one item. As long as you work together and stick with your strengths, you will be fine.”
“Yeah. Can you cook?” Lee says, earning a smack from Hope.
“Lee, what about you? What’s your next class?”
“Well, my lovely lady, since you asked I just so happen to have weapons training next. If you’d like, I can wow you with my skills,” he says, earning eye rolls all around.
“Dude, she can out-skill you any day in weapons. Have you seen this girl? She’s amazing!”
For some reason, Keller’s compliment makes me blush, but Lee frowns a bit.
“I’m only that good because, instead of toys, each year for my birthday I got a weapon. When I turned five I asked my dad for an easy bake oven; he decided a five-year-old should have
a long-range assault rifle instead. It isn’t skill I have; it’s pure training,” I say, trying not to let the bitterness slip into my voice.
I sit back and half-listen to my friends discuss their classes and I can’t help but think how dysfunctional this whole situation is. I mean, what average teenagers sit around talking about weapons training? Sometimes I wish I was just a normal teen, going to math class and talking about the homecoming dance. We don’t have any dances here; we do make our own fun, but someone usually ends up bleeding. Sick and twisted seems to be our school’s motto. Yet I look around and I seem to be the only one jaded.
One of the rules when you come to the Academy, no matter what age you are, is that you don’t talk about your past. It’s best left behind according to daddy dearest. I’m not sure if it’s because it impacts the training or he just doesn’t do emotions. I do know though that everyone has a past that is dark. Dad made the Academy as a way to save those kids from a horrible life and to give them a way to save our country. It’s all pretty noble, but part of me wonders if he should have given hugs and not guns.
***
“Is that all you’ve got, Princess? I thought the boss’s daughter was supposed to be good. How’s the view from down there on your back?” Cameron taunts me.
Oh, he’s gone too far this time. I knew as soon as I saw his stupid smug face that this was going to be a bad day. According to my instructor, I need to mix it up. I’ve gotten too comfortable with them and can anticipate all their moves. I’m for sure not comfortable with Cameron Jensen.
Something about him creeps me out. He hates me, for one, and has the biggest ego of anyone I’ve ever met. Which is funny because I can out-shoot, outrun, and most likely outsmart him.
Out-fight, however, not so much. I guess it’s time to play dirty. I sweep his leg and take advantage of catching him off guard. In an instant I am on top of him using one hand to grab the back of his long, dirty blond ponytail, and my other arm is crushing his windpipe. My right knee is inches from his groin and I’m putting just enough pressure down on it to warn him. One wrong move and his baby-making days will never happen.
“You were saying?” I hiss out.
He tries to move and I add more pressure with my knee.
“So, how is the view from your back, Cameron?” I taunt back.
I should have known better, but I put my head just a tad too close and it only takes seconds for him to zero in on my weakness and take full advantage. He rears his head up and smashes it right into my face.
I instantly hear the bones crunching and my eyes start to overflow. Good lord that hurts. I can’t believe that this jerk actually broke my nose. He doesn’t stop there either. Once I’m thoroughly caught off guard he flips me over so I’m on my stomach and I’m bleeding all over the floor. He’s on my back and has my arm wrenched as far back as it can go. I can’t believe I let him get the hold on me. I’m cursing myself for being so stupid and I try to jerk back to get out of his hold when I hear a loud pop.
“AHH.” I swallow the rest of my scream. There goes my shoulder, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my pain.
“Cameron!” Someone yells, but he doesn’t let go. I seriously might pass out I’m in so much pain right now.
“Cameron!”
There’s a scuffle behind me but, because of my position on the floor and the fact that my eyes are pretty much swollen shut, I can’t tell what’s happening. All of a sudden, I’m being lifted up and cradled against Van’s chest. I want to cry from relief and melt into his chest, but I can’t allow them to see my weakness.
“Put me down now,” I hiss in his ear even though there is no place else I’d rather be.
“You are hurt, Ari,” he hisses back.
“And if I let them see that, they will forever use it against me.”
He seems to understand and sets me down, no matter how reluctant he might be to do so. I lift my head and look Cameron square in the eyes.
“I hope you feel like a big man now. There will be a rematch, and I won’t go so easy on you next time. So, if you plan on having kids, you might want to get that out of the way now.”
A few of the instructors start laughing and razzing Cameron, but I don’t stick around. I march out of the training room with my head held high. Thank goodness, I know this place like the back of my hand because I can’t see a thing. Van walks up behind me, not touching me but steering me with his body toward the infirmary.
The doctor doesn’t even blink when he sees me. They see all types of injuries during training. Unless it’s life threatening, they treat the agents who get hurt here on site. Dr. Reynolds, who just so happens to be my favorite, nods at Van to place me on one of the beds.
“So, what happened this time, Miss Richards?”
Dr. Reynolds has taken care of all my “little accidents” for most of my life. I usually have a pretty good story to go along with them, but I’m too pissed to bring out the theatrics today.
“Oh, just a jerk with a chip on his shoulder,” I said.
His eyebrows shoot up and he looks over at Van, which makes me laugh, and then moan at the pain that just shot up my face.
“Wrong jerk,” I mumble, which earns me a dirty look from Van.
“She had a sparring lesson with Cameron,” Van tells him.
“Ah, I see. And did you learn your lesson then?” he asks me with a smirk as he feels around my face.
“Yeah, I learned it all right. Just wait until I get in the ring with him again; he won’t be walking out,” I vow.
The doctor laughs.
“I don’t know if I should scold you or thank you for keeping me in a job.”
“So, is her nose broken?” Van asks him.
“Yes,” both the doctor and I respond.
“However, the eye socket still looks good. But you will be sporting two black eyes for a while.”
I shrug my shoulders.
“It will give me street cred,” I say, making them both laugh.
“And what do you know about street cred, missy? You grew up here,” Van says.
“Maybe, but trust me, this won’t hurt my rep.”
He chuckles.
“As I was saying, eye sockets are intact, jaw is fine, but let’s look at that shoulder, shall we?”
He moves to examine my shoulder and I have to bite back a scream. I let out a wince and Van raises his eyebrow at me.
“I’m fine,” I snip.
“You will be in a moment; it’s just dislocated. This is going to hurt.”
Before I can respond the doctor pops my shoulder back in and I almost pass out from the pain. I make a note to remember exactly how that felt and to use it to fuel my hate fire for the revenge I am planning for the jerk. He is no longer Cameron in my mind.
“Roll it for me.”
I do, and the pain finally lets up a bit.
“So, am I good to go, Doc?”
“For now. Try not to pick fights with large men anymore, huh?” he says with a smile.
“What’s the fun in that? I can’t pick fights with the little ones since nobody likes a bully!” I retort.
He throws his head back laughing.
“Oh Aria, you sure do keep them on their toes, don’t you?”
“If you only knew the half of it,” Van deadpans.
“Come on, Rocky, let’s get you home.”
“Will you watch chick flicks and eat ice cream with me?” I ask, giving him the puppy dog eyes.
He shakes his head at me while rolling his eyes.
“What did I do in a past life to become your handler?!” He asks, throwing his hands up dramatically.
“I dono, but it must have been pretty good,” I say, planting a big wet kiss on his cheek.
He turns bright red, but doesn’t say anything. He does watch a chick flick and let me have rocky road though.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Estevan
Just when I think this week can’t get any worse, I walk in to fin
d Ari on the ground, bleeding and getting the crap beaten out of her.
Some days I hate this job. This life. Is it possible to be blessed and cursed by the same thing? What kind of monsters are we that we beat little girls so that they won’t break when someone else beats them? “For the sake of God and country” doesn’t seem to make this pit in my stomach go away.
My little princess is so strong. I know she is in pain, but defiance runs through her veins and she’d rather die than show weakness.
I need to stop thinking about her. That’s what got me into this mess in the first place. It was so much easier when she was a little kid. She still has a child-like quality about her, but she is looking more like a woman every day…and I bloody hate it.
My once tiny little girl with blonde ringlets and big bug eyes is now a bombshell. She’s drop dead gorgeous and everyone seems to know it but her. I think that’s my favorite part. She’s so cocky about her skills but never notices her beauty.
Her long blonde hair reaches her waist now and her fiery blue eyes always have life and determination in them. Looking at her almost hurts sometimes. I know I shouldn’t; it can get me killed. I can get her killed. Which brings me back to why I’m knocking on her father’s door for the second time in a week.
“Enter,” Edward roars. Great, he’s pissed.
I don’t even get the door fully shut behind me when he rounds his desk and is right in my face.
“Explain!”
I don’t need to ask what he’s talking about, and I doubt I’ll have an explanation that he is going to like so I say the only thing I can.
“I’m sorry, sir; I messed up.”
“You think?”
I sigh and look down at my shoes because I hate to see the disappointment in his eyes.
“You are better than this, Estevan! Making a rookie mistake and almost getting your team killed? Do you know what could have happened? You compromised your location for God’s sake! Then to find out that there was no reason for it, no emergency, no extraction, just pillow talk? Tell me that isn’t the case. Please tell me that the reason our mission failed isn’t because you were chatting it up with my daughter?”
