I storm out of the range and down the hallway. I don’t look back, not even caring about the ramifications of my actions. I don’t dare look at Lyncoln because I don’t think I could take the disappointment I might find in his eyes. I’m glad Henry was in the simulator for all this too, because I wouldn’t be able to stomach the disappointment from both of them.
An hour later, I’m sitting in the simulator waiting room with Henry and Elizabeth watching Bronson go through a simulation when an announcement is made that all candidates are to meet in one of the bigger conference rooms. I should be panicked they are sending me home, but I know if they were, no one else would need to be in the room. Bronson finishes his simulator immediately and all of us head upstairs.
Upon entering the room, I know something important is about to go down. You can just feel it in the air. All the professors are there, along with Elle and Admiral Taggert. Judging by the looks on their faces, this is serious business.
I find my usual spot in-between Henry and Lyncoln and sit in the conference style chair. It takes a while for us all to get there, but in looking around, I see some people look as exhausted and angry as I do. To make more room for the girls to sit as there are only about 15 chairs, some of the boys have to stand. Lyncoln gives up his chair to Attie, who looks at me as if saying, “they better be telling us something”.
Once everyone is settled, Professor Bennett starts speaking right away. “It has been brought to my attention that it may not be fair to you candidates to be completely left in the dark about last night’s events. Though most of you would have been given some classified information in the near future, the events of last night brought that timetable up.” He looks my direction, no longer pissed at me, but looking strangely empathetic instead. “So I have asked none other than our own Head of Defense to shed some light on this situation.” He gestures to Taggert.
“Long story short, two men infiltrated Mile High,” he says and stops.
Multiple sighs of frustration can be heard in his pause. Other than the “two men” bit, this isn’t anything we don’t already know. Is that really all they are going to tell us?
He puts up a hand and continues, “I can’t tell you all the details. But, here is what I can tell you. You are not allowed to speak a word of this to anyone not in this room without some pretty heavy consequences. In simplest terms, we call them drifters. Our previous history with the drifters begins all the way back to right after Trident. Not all the people overseas died from the virus, just like not all of us did. Some of the North Koreans and their allies, wanting to make sure they got done the job they originally set out to do in taking our country over, came here and started to infiltrate and even fit into our new government in hopes of destroying it once and for all, this time from the inside out.
“Of course we caught on to this eventually and kicked them out, but unfortunately, we let them live. President Walters and his cabinet just couldn’t take even more lives after living through Trident. We didn’t hear from them again until the third presidency when we found out that President Kane was compromised by them. He wasn’t a drifter himself, but he made a deal with them and was doing their bidding. By this time their numbers were increasing, they were multiplying and recruiting anyone that disliked our government, and especially those that we ourselves kicked out on the grounds of expulsion.
“Since then, it has been an ongoing process of finding out who the drifters are, where they are based, and where they will strike next. They don’t have a fraction of the technology or military we do, so we normally know when they are coming. Mile High and DIA are the safest places to be in the entire country. They know they can’t get in or get very far, but they still see that there is about to be a power switch with a new presidential couple and would love to get their hands on the new President or Madam President. Whether to try to sway like President Kane, or to do harm to, we don’t know.”
He stops for a moment before continuing as we all try to quickly process what he’s telling us. “As for your families and the other townships, we watch them round the clock and have added security details for each of your families from the moment you left. They should be safe. The drifters are sticking to Denver and the Culling. There have never been any attacks on any of the other townships. But even if there were, we are more than prepared. They know better than to try that.” He shakes his head with determination and a hint of anger.
“Oh, and one more thing,” he pauses dramatically. “The two men who managed to get into Mile High for a short time last night have been caught. Only one is still breathing and is currently feeding us information about how they got as far as they did. We are very, very close to figuring out what happened. We will get to the bottom of it. You can bet on that.” He stares around the classroom with his final statement.
Although he’s putting on a strong front and seems like he has everything under control, what is he looking for? As he continues watching us, I realize that must mean he is looking for his words to have affected someone…which means he’s bluffing. And if he’s looking at us, he must think that someone here, a candidate, had something to do with what happened last night.
Holy crap.
Is there a traitor amongst us?
****
Two days later, Elle and Mr. Winters wake me for a verbal in the dead of the night, this time with the lie detector machine on a trolley. I’m not sure why these stupid things always have to happen in the dead of the night, but it’s downright annoying. The lie detector present affirms my suspicions that they think someone here is a drifter. I haven’t slept much the last two nights dreaming of the traitor and who they are trying to kill. I’ve had nightmares of being in simulations that I find out are actually real. Every single one ends in Henry dying with there being nothing I can do about it. I’ll feel a whole lot better when the traitor is found.
They get me hooked up to all the cords and are kind enough to let me stay sitting in bed. I get the impression this will be a quick verbal. After the typical questions, they start to ask more intense ones. After a few, I cut to the chase.
“Look, I know one of us is a drifter. It isn’t me, so you can quit beating around the bush,” I say sleepily with a yawn.
“Who were you with most of the night of the ball?” Mr. Winters continues, ignoring my statement.
“Henry and Lyncoln, duh. Lyncoln, who, you know, went after the bad guys. Don’t you think he and Henry would know if I were the drifter? Come on, now.” I roll my eyes.
Mr. Winters almost smiles but I can tell this is a serious test of sorts. We are all in danger and they have to figure out which one of us is the traitor. I think back to Julia and wonder if this is what she figured out right before she got kicked out. Did she know about the traitor or just the drifters in general? How did she know about either of those things? I feel like I was one of the last to know.
“Did you see anything suspicious the night of the ball?” he continues while Elle casually takes a drink of her coffee.
“Yeah, I saw Marisol pretending to be nice.”
Elle almost spits out her coffee but manages to keep her composure. Mr. Winters glares at me, looking slightly annoyed and unappreciative at my attempt at humor.
“Mr. Winters, seriously. If I had any pertinent information, I would tell you. People I am starting to really care about are in danger. Not just Lyncoln and Henry, but Attie, Elizabeth, and more. I’ve been thinking about it since I figured out there was a traitor. I have no idea who it could even be. If it is someone I am good friends with, we are screwed because they are just that darn good at being deceitful.” I shake my head and shrug.
“If you could pick anyone, who would it be? Benjamin maybe? Someone overheard you two in an argument.” The way he asks acknowledges my being correct on there being a drifter without him having to actually say the words.
“We were arguing because he betrayed me to Marisol, but I don’t think he would ever betray the whole State. His mom is sick. He would
never do anything to jeopardize her. He’s dirty, but not that dirty.” I pause as I think on his other question, then begin thinking out loud, “The person in question would have to be good enough, intelligent enough, and trained enough to qualify and excel at the Culling and would also have to go completely under the radar.”
I pause for a moment as Mr. Winters cocks his head to the side as he follows my line of thinking. I continue, “I would think it would be a male from a smaller township enabling them to fly in under the radar. But, I doubt it is Benjamin and all the Detroit boys were sent packing. Not Seattle either. Vegas maybe then?”
“Very nice.” He nods in approval and looks down at his clipboard for the next question.
All of a sudden, my logic hits me like a slap in the face. “Which is why we are wrong,” I say sitting up taller and leaning in excited. I finally found the puzzle piece I have been searching for. For some reason verbalizing it with Mr. Winters and Elle helped me to realize something I have been wondering about for the past few days but not settling on.
“What do you mean?” Mr. Winters asks confused as Elle leans in intrigued.
“Think about it. The drifters have to be smart enough to know that eventually this person would be suspected. If they were suspected, they needed to be what was not obvious or logical. First of all, I would bet chocolate cheesecake that it isn’t a boy. Second, I bet this person has been in Denver, or at least Vegas, all along learning and gleaning information. There are only four girls from Denver left: Elizabeth, Marisol, Isabella, and Sapphire. One of those girls is your drifter,” I say confident and proud of myself for figuring this out on a tired brain.
A part of me feels a stab of fear. Could the drifter be one of my friends?
Mr. Winters looks to Elle and back to me. “That makes sense, actually.”
“It does,” I nod my head in agreement. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I think I figured it out.
“The funny thing is though, two of those girls you suggested, suggested it was you who had suspicious activity.” Mr. Winters stares at me for a moment but looks like he wants to smile.
I do smile. “Because they want me out of the competition. I bet it was Marisol and Sapphire. Do you really think I am the drifter? That I would put my family in danger?” I ask him. “Plus, if I was, I wouldn’t be giving Lyncoln the time of day. He’s an assassin,” I joke.
“No. You aren’t the drifter.” He doesn’t even hesitate in his assessment.
“Well then?” I ask.
“Well then I need to go take this new information to Admiral Taggert while Elle unhooks you.” He quickly rises.
He pauses at the door. “Ms. Scott?”
“Yes?”
“This is good reasoning. Very good thinking. We still don’t know for sure, of course, but you wouldn’t be bad at tactical forces,” he says proudly.
I shrug. “Like I could shoot anyone.”
“It isn’t all about killing. It’s about learning to be one step ahead of the enemy, a skill you most certainly possess.” He nods to me and leaves.
Elle removes the wires and sticky pads attached to my hands as I am quiet thinking. I know I’m close to figuring out who it is, but I can’t put my finger on it. Which one of those girls is a traitor? The obvious answer is Marisol, but because she is the obvious answer, it probably isn’t her. I can’t believe in my heart that it could be Elizabeth. That leaves Sapphire and Isabella.
I don’t know either very well, but Isabella seems like a total sweetheart. I can’t imagine it being her. She seems so happy with Oliver and they have been so wrapped up in one another lately that I can’t imagine she has the spare time to be a spy. That leaves Sapphire as my best bet. She would have inside information being close to Marisol too.
Is Sapphire the traitor?
****
Before breakfast the next morning, Lyncoln knocks on the door. I barely have time to open it before he comes in, closing the door behind him. He grabs me around the back of my neck and kisses me hard but quick.
“Sweetheart, you’re a genius,” he says affectionately and almost excited.
Good thing I already brushed my teeth.
“Uhhh, thanks?” I say a little stunned. What a way to open the door and start the morning.
“Winters filled in Taggert on your theory. Seriously, brilliant. You’re right. You have to be. I was looking at Vegas girls, but you were right in thinking Denver. Genius.” He nods and looks at me with pure pride and a hint of fire in his gaze.
“Thank you,” I say and blush. When he looks at me like that, I think I could conquer the world.
“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you while there was no one else to eavesdrop. Well, any more than usual,” he says nodding to the watch on my wrist and turns to open the door, “See you downstairs?”
I reach out and put a hand on his arm to stop him. “Wait. Did they figure it out? Which one?” I ask, wanting to be done worrying about the people I am coming to love like family.
“No, but they are going over the last few weeks of footage and we’re being monitored now more than ever. If anyone does anything remotely suspicious, we’ll know.” He shrugs. “We’ve just got to wait it out now.”
I respond with a sigh of frustration.
He quickly steps forward and kisses me on the forehead, “You’re safe. Promise. Though sometimes I don’t want to let you out of my sight, just to be sure. That and you’re nice to look at.” He grins with that last statement.
I smile. “I worry more about you and Henry than myself,” I say honestly.
“Don’t. We’ve got this,” he says confidently and kisses me on the forehead again. “We just have to know for sure before we go guns blazing and arrest someone. You know, that whole innocent until proven guilty crap.”
Somehow, both his praise and confidence in catching the traitor put me at ease.
After breakfast, we head to DIA for our simulations, target practice, and self-defense class. We are informed that we will begin being tested on shooting and simulations both. We will also start going in with partners to see how we work with others and the simulations will be getting more dangerous. So far, I have only had one simulation and had to kill a coyote that attacked me. Now we will be getting to the hard stuff since we have gotten used to wearing the weird glasses and the simulation room itself. It’s about to get a whole lot more real.
****
A whole week later and still nothing. Our days are filled with going to DIA and we even have lunch there now. We have sat in on three different cabinet meetings. They are rather boring and are mostly on the drifter topic. No one seems to be in agreement about anything. Taggert is the only one with an offensive approach, and even his irritates me. I feel like we should be doing something more if they are attacking us.
As for the Culling, no one has been sent home and there has been nothing more said or done about the traitor. I have been careful around all the Denver girls and even tried to eavesdrop on Sapphire and Marisol a few times. Our socials with one another are almost done too. I think back to my social with Sapphire and can’t seem to remember anything useful. I am in a constant state of fear that something might happen to any one of my new friends, specifically Henry or Lyncoln.
In the meantime, the simulations have definitely gotten harder. We have to shoot what looks like real life people. It’s hard for me, and even harder for Attie. We got to choose a partner that was not of the opposite sex for one simulation to practice as a pair, so Attie and I did ours together. I ended up shooting almost everything just to spare her.
Of course, I’ve also had to do numerous simulations with Henry and Lyncoln. Oddly enough, I have been “terminated” three times with Henry. Those are the only three times I have been killed, so to speak. As the days progress, the simulations get harder and harder. Some seem so real it’s scary. Even the gunshots sound eerily real in the sims. The adrenaline definitely gets pumping in those scenarios.
This whole dating two
boys thing is even more confusing as the time goes on. For the past week, Henry comes to my room every night after socials to talk to me about my day and spend more time with me. Lyncoln shows up sometimes too, but has pulled back considerably since the morning he called me genius, kissed me, and left. I’m getting to know them better, and the three of us have oddly formed a working friendship. That might have something to do with the fact that I haven’t kissed either of them for a while now, as I promised myself that I needed to cut that out and behave until I know what to do about them. But now that I do know them better, although they have basic similarities, I see how different they really are.
Henry likes spicy food. His favorite color is lime green. He likes studying history and knows more about it than anyone I have ever met. He is also competitive. One night he and Lyncoln played chess. I have never seen a more evenly matched or intense game…but Henry won. Although Henry is extremely outgoing and charismatic, he is also a bookworm and kind of nerdy. Oddly enough, it makes him even more endearing. He is the kindest person I have ever met. The thought of someday maybe having a family with a man like Henry makes me weak in the knees. It’s the happily ever after fairy tales are made of. He is definitely prince charming.
Lyncoln, on the other hand, is a meat and potatoes type of guy. He probably doesn’t even have a favorite color, although he always seems to wear gray and black ties, so I’m guessing it’s gray or black. He is protective to an obsessive extent. He’s the hardest worker I know and is just as intelligent as Henry, but in different ways. Henry is book smart and people smart, whereas Lyncoln is common sense smart and strategically smart. If one word could sum up Lyncoln, it would be aggressive. Although he is smooth on the outside and has that “bad boy” relaxed vibe about him, everything he does is aggressive from the way he looks at me, to the way he aims his gun, to the way he walks.
The Culling: Book 1 (The Culling Series) Page 37
