The State Series Box Set

by M. J. Kaestli

  “Nonsense. If I can do it, so can you.” Chastity slipped the gun back into the holster. “You have already been directly in harm’s way—you will be armed.”

  Freya was speechless. Of course, she had learned about the existence of guns while being educated, but not even Colin had ever used one. Here she was, just a gardener, and she was required to carry a gun. Was this just a normal part of working in the State house? Did everyone here walk around with a concealed weapon? Or was this about the Council? She did not know, and didn’t know if she could ask in front of this military personnel. She still had very little comprehension about the boundaries between the Council and the military. All she really knew at that point—they both seemed to know more than Security.

  “I can see you are surprised,” he said. “I am sorry, but we need to get started. I have been instructed to start your training. I know you have been through something traumatic, and this can be something hard to accept, but who knows, you might like it.”

  “What do you mean?” She snapped her head in his direction. “I might like it?”

  A small smile crept at the corners of his mouth. “Well, we will just have to wait and see. Either you will like it and understand why I say that, or you won’t. I do hope that if you don’t like it, you will still learn well enough to protect yourself.”

  His tone was a little surprising to her. He looked so tough and strong, yet he could counsel her gently at the same time. She would have assumed that a member of the military would be gruff or maybe a bit mean. The only thing threatening about this man was his size.

  “Can we get started then?”

  Freya nodded. She still did not even want to touch a gun, but knew she didn’t have a choice in the matter. “So it’s your job to teach me how to shoot a gun?”

  “Yes, that is my job.” He smiled.

  “You are going to show me how to use it and then I leave here today with a gun?” she said, more to herself as she tried to wrap her head around the concept—forcing down her panic.

  “Well, not quite. It will take you longer than a few hours to learn to use it. I can’t let you leave here with one until I know you at least won’t accidentally hurt yourself with it,” he replied.

  “So…I am going to be coming here for a while, and will you be teaching me each time?” she asked.

  “Yes. It is easier to have one instructor. Although, if you would prefer a female or someone else, that can be arranged,” he replied in a formal tone.

  “I don’t care who teaches me, but if it is going to be you, can you tell me your name?”

  His face flushed slightly. “My apologies. Where are my manners? I’m Lewis.” He grabbed her hand again, shaking it just as firmly as the first time.

  Freya looked down at their hands and then back up at him.

  “And I’m still Freya. Should we begin?”

  Lewis nodded to her and let go of her hand. His face had still not returned to its normal color. He showed her the gun, and then started to take it apart, telling her what each part was called and what its purpose was. After the demonstration, he handed the gun to her and asked her to take it apart and reassemble it.

  “Well, you are a quick study. Are you ready to try shooting it?” he asked.

  Freya looked around nervously. “Here!?” she exclaimed. He didn’t laugh, but Freya could tell it was difficult for him not to.

  “No, not here. If you are ready, I will take you into another room.”

  She still did not want to shoot the gun, but she understood it was required of her. Freya handed the gun back to him and nodded her head. She may have to shoot it, but she did not want to carry it wherever this room was that he was taking her to. He took the gun from her, again repressing a smile, and led her into the next room. The room was much larger than she had expected it to be—individual booths were lined up clear to the end of the room.

  Lewis guided her inside the booth and showed her how to prepare the gun to be fired, and then how to aim. A drawing of a man was straight ahead of them, with markings showing her the target she was to aim for. He instructed her to take the earmuffs from around her neck and secure them over her ears. As she could no longer hear Lewis, he gestured each movement he made as a repeat to demonstrate to her what he had told her verbally, and then he squeezed the trigger.

  Even with her ears covered, Freya still jumped and nearly screamed at the sound. He pushed a lever in the booth and the target whizzed closer to them. Freya could not take her eyes off the drawing; there was a bullet hole right in the center of its forehead. Freya slowly removed the earmuffs, trying to recover from the surprise at his accuracy.

  “But you seem so nice,” she blurted. Lewis tried, but could not contain his laughter at her reaction. “Chastity, look—if that were a real person, they would be dead.” She pointed at the drawing. Although she knew that when it came to be her turn to shoot it would not even remotely resemble what Lewis had done, a strange sense of excitement started to build up inside her.

  “Yes, that is the point, Freya.” Chastity rolled her eyes at her.

  “Can you do that? Can you? Oh please, show me—do it,” she said to Chastity, nearly bouncing up and down.

  “This is your lesson, not mine. Now apologize to Lewis, who, for your information, is quite nice. Try to focus,” Chastity said in a reprimanding tone. Chastity could be so firm at times, but Freya could see a brightness in her eyes.

  “Sorry, Lewis,” Freya said.

  “No offense taken,” he said, still smiling.

  “So how many people have you killed?” she asked, still feeling a near childlike excitement.

  “With a gun or with my hands?” he replied.

  “Huh…I didn’t know that I would need to be more specific when I asked that question.” Without thinking, she looked down at his body. He was absolutely massive. Of course he wouldn’t need a gun to kill someone.

  “Freya, focus!” Chastity nearly yelled at her. “Stop wasting Lewis’s time.”

  “I’m sorry. I have just never met anyone who kills people for their civil duty,” she replied, wide-eyed. Her amazement and child-like wonder simply couldn’t be contained.

  “It’s fine.” He looked at Chastity. “This day has been more entertaining for me than most,” he said politely. He then placed the earmuffs back on his own ears and gestured for Freya to do the same. Lewis flipped on the lever in the booth and the target started to move away from them. When he had taken his shot, the drawing was at the farthest end of the room. He only moved the drawing about one third of the distance away from Freya and then handed her the gun.

  Her hands trembled slightly; she tried to remember all of the steps he had taught her. It all made perfect sense when he said it and when he showed her, but he was so confident and natural with a gun. She was so awkward and nervous; she was afraid she would drop it or shoot someone accidentally.

  Freya knew this was necessary. As nervous as she was, it was nothing compared to the fear that had crippled her in the forest. She understood perfectly well why Victor required her to be able to protect herself. The helplessness she had felt was not something that she ever wanted to feel again. Running the instructions through her mind, she began to put her body into place. Her feet were in the right stance, next her waist, and then she lifted her arms and released the safety. She looked through the safety goggles, found her focus, took a deep breath, and she began to squeeze the trigger. Her head involuntarily jerked to the side and she closed her eyes as the shot was fired.

  Freya was prepared for the deafening crack that reverberated through the room—and her entire body, but the kickback from the gun scared her nearly to death. She could hardly comprehend how something so small could produce so much force. If she had not been gripping the gun so tightly, she may have thrown it into the air. Her hands had a tingling sensation, she alternated holding the gun from hand-to-hand, giving each limb a shake—releasing the tension, then proceeded to roll her neck and shoulders.

&nbs
p; After she had recovered herself, Lewis pushed down on the lever to move the drawing back toward them. Freya looked anxiously to see her bullet hole. To her disappointment, there wasn’t one.

  “I missed,” she said with a slight sulking tone in her voice.

  “Well, if you had hit the target with your eyes closed, you wouldn’t need me to train you, now would you?”

  Freya smiled. She liked the way he teased her while still being very kind. Lewis really was a great instructor; she could see why he was chosen for this task.

  “Well, I sure spoke too soon.” He motioned to the drawing. Freya looked at the man but could only see the hole that Lewis had shot. He pointed to the very top corner on the paper. “Look, you grazed the paper on the corner.”

  “That doesn’t count,” she blurted. “I didn’t hit the man. It doesn’t count if I hit anywhere on the paper.”

  “Sometimes sending a warning shot over someone’s shoulder is the best way to resolve conflict. Mind you, you would have to keep your eyes open if you want them to react properly to the warning shot.” He fought the smile that crept on his face.

  Freya laughed at the comment. How had he gotten stuck training me? “Oh, is that how most of your students fire a gun? With their eyes open?” she asked with a false innocence.

  “Some people feel that it helps them aim better. Perhaps you should try it next time,” replied Lewis.

  Freya laughed again, it seemed like a life time ago since she had done so, yet it was coming so naturally. She moved the ear covers back in place, and Lewis, taking the signal, pushed the lever so the target moved away from her again. Freya got her body in alignment, and focused her attention on the target. A deep breath in, then out, and she pulled the trigger—this time with her eyes open.

  She was ready for the loud sound and the kickback of the gun mentally, but it still left her a little shaken. The combination of the fear and excitement, perhaps also the physical sensation caused from the vibrations, it sent a tingling sensation down her arms, and then she realized it was actually goose bumps. A warm fiery sensation churned in her chest and her heart rate increased. Without prompting from Lewis, she aimed and fired off two more shots and then put the gun down.

  “Well, he’s not dead, but he needs a doctor,” Lewis said as the target moved in closer.

  “I got him!” she exclaimed, and leaned forward to see the bullet holes better. She had, in fact, hit the arm and stomach. “And look, one warning shot just over his shoulder, even with my eyes open.” She beamed. Without a thought, she began to bounce up and down in the excitement. “Lewis, I like it! I get what you mean!”

  “Yeah, I noticed.” He smiled. “I am sorry to stop you when you are on a roll, but I’m afraid our time is up for the day.” Freya sighed and made a small grumbling sound, which amused Lewis. “Well, you are not ready to leave here armed today, and so I will see you again tomorrow.”

  Freya thanked Lewis for his time, and handed the gun over to him. Chastity led her back down the hall to the stairwell and into the State house. All the while, Freya smiled ear-to-ear, excited for what the following day would bring.

  Chapter 6

  Freya’s eyes popped open, and then they would not close again. She laid there in bed and wondered what time it was. The alarm had not yet sounded, and she could not hear Chastity moving about. She wondered whether she should get up or stay put.

  Unable to close her eyes again, Freya got up to check the time. It was four—far too early to get up. She lay back in bed for a while but was too restless. All she wanted to do was go back to the firing range. She got up and thought the first thing she would do was to try the door. If the door wouldn’t open, then she would work on the training seminars on the tablet.

  The door opened. She closed it quickly and got changed into exercise clothing.

  Freya headed down to the exercise room and began to walk on the treadmill. It did not take long for her pace to quicken into a run. This type of restlessness was one that she had not experienced before. She had often gone to exercise when she was angry or upset, but this was different. There was an anxiousness in her that she was not accustomed to—all her senses had been heightened, with an energy that she could hardly contain. It felt almost as though she might implode if she sat still, a hunger—or desperation to be in motion.

  She didn’t understand where this feeling had come from. She knew that what had happened outside of the dome could be the cause. It was an experience she did not want to repeat, even if she was armed. She had felt so helpless, so exposed. If they had seen her and been able to get through the dome, the thought of what could have happened to her was terrifying. Even when Victor had sent her home when the extra workers were on the grounds, she had felt no concern for her safety. This was so different, it had left a mark on her—possibly even changed how she viewed working at the State house.

  Another part of her wondered whether this feeling was a result of wanting to go back to the shooting range. Something about the experience made her entire body tingle. She felt so strong and powerful, even though she was bad at it. Her pace had fallen into a steady, hard run. It had been a long time since she had run like this. Her body struggled a little to keep the pace, but it made her feel so elated, she didn’t want to stop.

  Running had always helped her control her emotions in the past; it numbed them out somehow. Perhaps it was that she felt strong and in control, just like she did when she fired the gun. However, running was no match for shooting.

  She had maintained a slender figure throughout her life. There was a time during her coupling with Colin when she had developed strong, defined muscles. Most of the muscle mass had been lost after he left—her large stint of inactivity had left her body soft and weak. Suddenly, she had a burning desire to get back to her old self—her strong and defined body. It wasn’t just her previous strength or agility she craved—she wanted more. More strength, more flexibility, higher endurance. If she was ever in a situation where she needed to use a firearm, she didn’t want a bullet to be her only defense. She pushed harder and harder until the monitor on her shirt started to beep.

  The sound jolted her back to the present. The last thing she wanted was to alert Security and lose her privileges to the room. She slowed her pace but continued to run, and the monitor shut itself off. The State recommended thirty minutes of cardiovascular activity. They obviously had a limit to how high they wanted her heart rate, but she wanted to see whether there were limitations of how long she ran. She pushed on even though she was past the thirty-minute mark. If she couldn’t push harder due to the States fitness regulations enforced by her shirt, at least she could work on endurance. Freya ran for fifty minutes at a more controlled pace and then her legs were telling her that it was time to cool down.

  After the cooldown, she stretched for almost an hour. There was a monitor with some stretches for strengthening muscles, and she tried them for the first time. She worked until her entire body was shaking, and then she headed back to the apartment.

  Chastity was still sleeping when Freya returned. She slipped into the shower, hoping to finish before Chastity arose. While she was washing her hair, she couldn’t help but think about going in for further training today. Would the training stop with being able to take home a gun? Or would there be more? Her heart raced at the thought; she hoped there would be more.

  At that moment, she knew she would not simply sit back and wait to see what the State had in store for her. She was going to go straight to Victor and request further training. Her mind made up, she finished showering and quickly put her hair in a tight bun while it was still soaking wet. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Chastity was there waiting for her.

  “And what do you think you are doing up this early?” Chastity asked.

  “I’m taking a shower—what does it look like I am doing?”

  Chastity rolled her eyes at her remark.

  “Couldn’t sleep,” she replied. “I’m finished in here if you need
the bathroom.”

  “What are you going to do with yourself now?”

  “I want to speak to Victor about my training. I don’t think it is enough that I simply learn to use a gun.” She grabbed a uniform.

  “Not those, Freya. You are going back to train this morning with Lewis.” She pointed to the clothing in her hand.

  Freya broke into a wide grin. She never would have believed there was somewhere she would rather be than the gardens. “Really!”

  “Yes, really. Victor wants you armed right away. I agree that it would be beneficial for you to learn some basic combat. You should discuss this with Victor.”

  Freya nodded in acknowledgment and headed out the door. When she arrived at Victor’s office, the door was open and he was at his desk. It often amazed Freya that he always seemed to be in there. Does Victor ever sleep? She knocked on the door even though it was open.