The Culling: Book 1 (The Culling Series)

by Tricia Wentworth

  The doors open and Professor Bennett walks in.

  “Ms. Scott, Mr. Reed,” he greets us and then rubs his chin thoughtfully, “I just thought you two may want to know that this particular simulation hasn’t been passed yet, until now.”

  “Did they not shoot the turkey?” Lyncoln asks.

  I laugh a huge ugly snort before I rein it in.

  Professor Bennett smiles and looks amused. “No. The last intruder. So far one or both candidates have been terminated in this particular simulation. It speaks to your relationship that you were able to both make it out unscathed. Great thinking on the fly, Ms. Scott.”

  I feel myself blush but manage to get out, “Thank you.” Then I can’t help but start giggling all over again.

  ****

  Later that night after dinner there’s a knock on my door. I’m sure it’s Henry as usual. I don’t hesitate to open the door, and when I do, I find Lyncoln instead. He comes in my room and shuts the door. I notice he never does play by the rules of keeping the door open and no one stops him either. If I didn’t trust him, it might bother me. But it doesn’t. It feels good to have some semblance of privacy even though we both wear our watches and I’m sure there are other means of monitoring in our rooms as well.

  It takes one look at his face to figure out he’s upset about something. He’s wearing blue jeans and a tight v-neck navy t-shirt. I have noticed that his pec muscles seem to make every shirt he wears look tight. Not that I am complaining or anything, but it’s like he can’t find a shirt big enough for those bad boys.

  “What is it?” I ask, getting straight to the point.

  “You need to send me home.” His dark blue and brown eyes pierce mine. I see a longing in his gaze that he has been trying to hide. He might not be as open with me about his feelings as Henry is, but I know he deeply cares for me.

  “What?” His words and the way he is looking at me are contradictory.

  “Send me home,” he says more angrily this time.

  “I got that part,” I snap back. “What did I do? Did they make you do this? Is this a test?”

  “No. I’m here on my own. And nothing.” He stops and runs a hand through his military short, dark hair. It leaves it looking slightly ruffled, just the way I love it.

  “Then why do you want me to do that?” I ask surprised.

  “Because it’s going to happen anyway. I see you and Henry, what you have. The longer I stay, the more it’s going to hurt when you pick him…for you and for me. Just do me a favor and send me home now. That way I can get back to work.” Seeing his anguish rips my heart into a million pieces.

  I’m not ready to make this choice now and I’m not ready to say goodbye; it has only been one day of my two-week deadline. My eyes start to burn as the tear ducts start working. I know I’m going to have to choose eventually, but I’m just not ready. Not now. My breathing gets heavy and I feel like I can’t breathe at all. This time, I might be having a real panic attack. I feel like there is an elephant sitting on my chest about to crush me to death. There isn’t enough oxygen in the room for my lungs.

  “I can’t,” I whisper as a tear rolls down my cheek. I take a big gulp of air trying to calm down. I feel like I’m choking and suffocating at the same time.

  “Why not?” he asks, this time looking like the one confused for a change.

  “Look, I have to make the decision within two weeks. They gave me a deadline,” I offer as more ugly tears find their way down my face while I gasp for air in-between words. “I haven’t decided anything yet. Just don’t make me do it now. Please. Not now.”

  Seeing my tears, he walks over and wraps his arms around me. “Okay. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought I’d make this easier for us both now.” He brushes the tears off my cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” I say as he hugs me. I take a deep smell of him. He always smells so good. My breathing starts to get better as I focus on him and not the lack of air in my lungs.

  “For what?” he asks softly.

  “For putting you through all of this.” I shrug. “For how messed up this is.”

  “It’s okay. Don’t get me wrong. I want you. I want you so bad it hurts. If you were to pick me, I would be over the moon. But, I’m not stupid either. I know my chances. I know Henry. I know how he is. You would have to be an idiot to not fall for him.” He stops a moment and runs a hand through my hair. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll stay as long as you need me to, as long as there’s a sliver of a chance. Today was so much fun, but it made me realize how much I would miss you if I didn’t get to see you every day. I was just trying to make it easier on us. It’s okay. If you need more time, take it.”

  He kisses me once, more softly than I thought he knew how to, and in that moment I feel like nothing will ever be okay again.

  How am I supposed to say goodbye to him?

  ****

  The next day we have a full day of tests. Our socials with one another have finished up and we take a test on how well we know one another. We also have a history test on Trident. They are both very long and mind numbing. More questions are on the test about one another than I thought possible. Each person had to have at least twenty questions about them.

  You would think by this point we would all be used to tests. I wish I would’ve counted how many we’ve taken. I’m sure it would be at least a hundred. I have answered questions about everything and anything. And the more tests we take, the more I realize I have to learn. It was silly of me to think the tests would be over after that first week in Omaha.

  A knock on my door finds both Henry and Lyncoln holding cookies and a deck of cards. I open the door with a smile. It is beyond sad that being with the both of them is starting to be the new normal.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey, beautiful,” Henry grins, planting a kiss on my cheek as he walks in.

  Both of them are still wearing their dress slacks but their ties are loose and their top couple of buttons on their shirts are open. I can’t blame them. I already changed into pajama pants, a t-shirt, and slippers. I should feel bashful being dressed so casually when they are still looking somewhat professional, but I don’t.

  “Babe.” Lyncoln greets me the same as Henry with a kiss, but on the other cheek. Neither seems to mind the other does it, and I am once again mystified by our messed up relationship. This is so not okay.

  I reach in the fridge and grab the lemonade that I keep stocked for them and a tea for me.

  “So. That question on the test about getting chased around on the playground by a boy that wanted to kiss you, that was totally you wasn’t it?” Henry asks as they both plop down on the couch. Lyncoln has his arm around the back of the couch like usual and Henry has his elbows on his knees as he leans in to talk to me.

  I sit down in my usual neutral spot, the chair. “Maybe,” I smile guilty, wondering how they knew it was me.

  “I told you.” Lyncoln chuckles and looks at me and shakes his head.

  “His name was Gregory Banks and he was actually kind of cute, thank you very much,” I say defensively but lightheartedly.

  Henry snorts a laugh and Lyncoln punches him saying, “Reminds me of Sammy.”

  “Sammy?” I ask, eyebrows raised.

  “She was my first kiss. She kind of cornered me during our yearly tests and I didn’t have any other way out of it, but it was cute, I guess,” Henry shrugs, borrowing my term and elbows Lyncoln. “Not that Lyncoln here has room to talk.”

  “And why’s that?” I ask smiling.

  “Let’s just say he did his fair share of kissing on the playground. I wasn’t always there, but believe me, I heard all about it.” Henry wiggles his eyebrows and Lyncoln stares me down, gauging my reaction.

  “I have heard he is quite the ladies’ man,” I whisper and they both laugh again.

  “What about you? Other than ol’ Gregory Banks, do we need to head to Omaha to alpha male your past list of admirers?” Henry jokes.

  “Uhhh…
nope,” I say slightly embarrassed. I know they’re just teasing, but I don’t think either of them fully realizes that until now, I never dated anyone. And now I am semi-dating them both. Just reason number seven hundred and forty-six that this situation is super messed up.

  “Nope?” Henry asks playfully but I know they probably both really want to know. Lyncoln kind of already does. I just assumed it was common knowledge by this point.

  “I didn’t have any boyfriends before coming here. Zero. Not even in junior high,” I say honestly and shyly, “Not one.”

  “We know. We know. But how many unrequited loves were vying for your heart? How many Gregory Bankses tried to smooch ya on the playground?” Henry kisses the air and I laugh. If only he knew how good his lips were at doing just that.

  “None.” I shrug and smile shyly. “I decked him and all the boys left me alone from then on. They were kind of afraid of me or something. No admirers. No boyfriends. Nothing.”

  Henry can’t seem to believe me. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously. The few boys I was attracted to never gave me the time of day. I just wasn’t their type.” I shrug again, not knowing what else to say.

  “Even better.” Lyncoln speaks more to Henry than to me and Henry nods in agreement.

  “What does that even mean?” I ask confused. He says it a lot.

  “It means that you keep getting better the more I know about you,” he says while looking at me intensely.

  “Amen to that,” Henry says, raising a glass in cheers and taking a drink although neither of us cheers him.

  Lyncoln stares at me a bit longer than is needed and then shuffles the cards. We talk awhile about our tests and other random topics. Lyncoln is making fun of Henry and his love for zombie apocalypse literature when there is a knock on my door. I hear two quick knocks followed impatiently by two more.

  “Coming, coming!” I sing-song to the door.

  I open the door to find a bewildered looking Oliver.

  “Come in,” I say immediately, taking him by the arm and leading him in.

  “I need to talk to you,” he says urgently. He sees Henry and Lyncoln as he walks in and adds, “Oh good, you guys are here too.”

  “Oliver, what is it? I’ve never seen you so skittish,” I ask concerned. I gesture for him to sit down in the chair I was just in. His normal jokester attitude has been replaced by an almost scared one.

  He sits and I crouch down to his level and take his hand because I can clearly see that something has him rattled.

  “It’s Isabella,” he blurts out and I put two and two together.

  “The drifter?” I ask. Henry and Lyncoln sit up more seriously. Lyncoln immediately going into military mode, jaw clenched, ready to spring into action.

  “Yes. I just know it. At first it was little things. Like when we were on lock down the night of the masquerade. Everyone but a few of us were sleeping, remember? Well, anytime she heard a slight noise, I would notice that she would wake up, but was trying to look like she was asleep. That and she seems to be trying to memorize the layout of the buildings or something. She always takes wrong turns at DIA just to see where they go and I know she is smarter than that, but she plays dumb like she got lost or something.” He barely breathes between sentences as he explains it to us, “The more simulations we have, the more I can tell she’s faking it. She’s a far better shot than me and has had far more training in both shooting and self-defense, but is trying to make it look like she doesn’t.”

  “Has she said anything to you?” Lyncoln is now pacing my room, probably doing everything he can to not go get Isabella right this minute. I’m glad her room isn’t on my floor because I might be tempted to let him.

  “No. But I know it’s her. I just know.” He says it defeated and puts his head in his hands. I pat him on the back.

  “Oliver she had us all fooled. It isn’t your fault,” I offer to try to make him feel better.

  I can’t believe that sweet girl could be plotting against the State. Is she capable of harming us though, or was she just here for information? I think back to conversations I have had with her recently as we have been at target practice. I can’t imagine her even saying a curse word, let alone killing anyone. Then again, she did find the hiding spot for our flag during paintball, so maybe she’s more strategic than she lets on.

  “I should have known sooner. It shouldn’t have taken me so long to figure out and I should have said something when I first suspected it the night of the attack,” he adds looking at me with remorse, “And I came to you, Reagan, because I knew you would know what to do and you have some pretty powerful boyfriends. If I went to anyone else, she might get suspicious, and I bet she’s watching me too. We’re friends so this is less suspicious. And I want her caught, but I didn’t want to tell someone and have them shoot her or something. She might be bad news, but I’m not sure she deserves to die.” He stops and sighs repeating himself, “I just wish I would have known sooner.”

  “You’re telling us now, Oliver. That’s all that matters,” Henry says kindly. He turns to Lyncoln and swiftly rises. “I’m going to Dad and Taggert with this right away. It’ll look like I’ve just gone home for the night. You three play cards or pretend like you are for the next twenty or so minutes just in case she has an accomplice or eyes somewhere. We don’t want her knowing that we have found her out until she’s already in custody. I will have them put extra guards on you immediately, Oliver.”

  Lyncoln nods his agreement to all Henry just said.

  “Thanks, guys,” Oliver nods.

  I walk towards the door as Henry turns to leave. “Please be safe,” I whisper.

  “I will, beautiful. You too.” He kisses me softly on the mouth, fortunately around the corner and out of the view of the others.

  There’s a lunatic on our hands. Now that we know who she is, we need to get her apprehended before I feel safe. I don’t for a second doubt Oliver, but how could sweet Isabella be our traitor?

  Chapter 20

  The next morning right before breakfast there’s a knock on my door. I open it to find Henry standing there in a navy suit with a matching navy tie. He must not be doing sims or training at DIA today. He looks fresh and handsome though. I had never seen anyone look so attractive in a suit until I met Henry.

  “Good mor--”

  The words aren’t even out of my mouth before I am swept up in a kiss and carried back into my room. It literally takes my breath away and I’m hoping that Jamie didn’t see it. Not that he can say anything about it anyway, just harass me with his knowing looks.

  After a kiss that leaves me feeling dizzy, Henry finally pulls away. I mentally chastise myself for going about a week without kissing either of them to back to kissing both of them.

  What is wrong with me? Beginners luck for dating. That has to be it.

  “Good morning,” he says softly and rests his forehead on my forehead.

  “Morning,” I manage to get out.

  “I just wanted to let you know that we haven’t moved on Isabella yet. We want to watch her this morning and will act at DIA.” He sighs in frustration. “I know you won’t like it and I don’t either. I’ve been fighting against this decision half of the night and again this morning, but I just wanted you to hear it from me. Some think it’s safer for everyone if she is arrested there instead of here. Drifters are known for their love of explosives and we want to go through her room before just showing up and arresting her.”

  “Is Oliver safe at least?” I ask, always the worrier.

  “Of course. She shouldn’t have any idea we are onto her either. She’s scheduled for a sim this morning by herself and that’s when we’ll move. It’s only a few hours from now. Oliver will be at DIA with the rest of us and he won’t even be there when it goes down.” He shrugs. “His guards have been warned also. We have subtly doubled security this morning. For everyone.”

  “You’re right,” I say honestly. “I don’t like it.”

 
; “Me neither, but Taggert really wants to see what she’ll do and if anyone else seems to be involved with her once word of her arrest gets out. The best place to have eyes everywhere is DIA,” he explains.

  “He has a point I guess.” I shrug, still not happy.

  “By the way, don’t you find it interesting that Oliver came to you? He could have gone to Bennett or Winters, heck even Taggert, but he came to your room not even knowing that we were here.” He puts his hands in his pockets in a relaxed way. I love the way he stands in a suit with his hands in his pockets. It’s like he doesn’t even know the natural power he has with both his body and his personality.

  “Yeah?” I ask, wondering what he is getting at.

  “It’s because he didn’t want to be suspicious, but it’s also because he knew he could trust you, out of all the people here,” he says and looks at me affectionately. I look at him trying to see if he is jealous or why he’s bringing it up. Instead of seeing jealousy or anger, I see admiration. “I love that about you, you know.” He smiles with those amazing dimples and walks towards me.

  I meet him halfway and give him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks,” I smile. I’m trying my hardest to not kiss either Lyncoln or Henry and Henry is making that dang difficult at the moment. I sensed another kissing session coming on.

  “Let’s head down for breakfast before we’re late. I’m riding with you and Attie to DIA too. I’m not letting you out of my sight this morning. And by the way, you look amazing.”

  My hair is down but I’m dressed in black gear for DIA. “Right back at you,” I say as I give his tie a playful tug.

  He gives me a huge grin and takes my hand in his.

  ****

  At DIA, all the guards seem a little tense otherwise things carry on like it’s a normal morning. I practice shooting awhile with Oliver while Henry, now in his black gear, is a safe twenty yards down from us at another range. He stays close to me, but not so close it’s obvious. Lyncoln is absent and I assume working with Taggert on taking down Isabella. She’s at the range too, and much to my dismay, joins us for a bit. I have a bad poker face so I need to rein in my emotions here. I can’t just pretend she isn’t there like I did at breakfast.