How could my parents do this to me? Didn’t they trust me?
What did they expect me to do in here until someone decided to let me out?
I thumbed through a dusty old book near the bed, desperate to hear any kind of sound outside my door. TV was a no-go. My only entertainment was sitting by the window and watching the activity below in the courtyard.
Having no concept of time, I relied on the setting sun and moon. It felt like a lifetime before Star came in with a tray of dinner, not that I was hungry. Since I wasn’t feeling chatty, she left with only a few words. I nodded once or twice, feeling anything like myself.
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt depressed, real depression—the kind where you just want to crawl into bed, pull the covers over your head, and wallow in some good self-pity.
That was me at the moment.
There was something degrading about being shut away in a room as if I didn’t matter.
However, I couldn’t shake what I’d seen today and how much of it contradicted what Dash had led me to believe about the Institute, but I knew he hadn’t made up the pain he had suffered from their hands. And they had imprisoned him. Twice.
Dash was no criminal. A killer, yes, but only because the Institute had made him one.
I lay in a strange bed that was undoubtedly the most comfortable place I’d laid my head since my awakening, and yet I would give a month’s worth of rations to be with Dash out in the dangerous Heights.
Chapter Four
My skill exploration started the very next day at the crack of dawn. Literally.
Footsteps sounded outside my door, and I jumped out of bed. Since being here in Diamond Towers, I’d become the lightest sleeper known to man. The door opened. It was Raze.
I sighed, relieved it wasn’t Trist. The idea of being alone with that particular guard gave me the willies. “Hey Razor, what’s going on?”
The corner of his lip curved, but he let the intentional butcher of his name go. “I’m instructed to take you to the training rooms.”
I spun from my position on the bed and hung my feet over the edge. “Wow, you guys don’t screw around.”
“Beats a locked room, don’t you agree?”
“Razor, you just said the magic words.” I popped out of bed the second he stepped into the hall, expecting me to move my butt. Throwing on my grimy clothes, I followed him into the hall and picked up my speed to keep up with his long strides. “So what’s your superpower?”
He didn’t answer my question, which I found very irritating, and instead he turned the spotlight on me—exactly what I didn’t want. “Everyone is very interested in you.”
I eyed him warily. “They’re going to be disappointed.”
A slow smirk stretched his lips. “Somehow I doubt it.”
By the time we reached the first floor, my stomach churned. Raze punched in the code, and the doors slid open.
“So when do I get the code?” I asked nonchalantly.
“When you can be trusted,” he replied in a firmer voice.
“What have I done to make anyone think that I can’t be?”
Raze turned and looked down at me. There was something different in his expression: a lack of light in his eyes. “You’ve been in the hands of those who want to undo everything the Institute has worked hard to create.”
“A spy?” I snorted. “People actually think I might be a spy? That’s laughable.” And insulting.
A man in the standard blue uniform approached. I noticed that he had some extra stars on the right breast of his shirt and wore a funny beret, probably to cover his receding hairline. He had a stiff upper lip and the unfriendliest eyes. He wasn’t the biggest or tallest of men, but his stature indicated he could be cruel. I didn’t want to find out.
Instantly, I didn’t like him.
“Welcome home, Charlotte. We’re glad to have you here in the Institute. I hope you’ve had time to rest up, because now the real work begins.
Uh, that didn’t sound promising.
“I’m Jaxson, the commander of the Night’s Guard.” His voice was deep and clear, filled with authority.
“I know who you are. Dash told me all about you.”
Jaxson’s gaze sharpened, and we glared at each other for several heartbeats. “You would be wise to refrain from speaking his name here. There are a lot of people who would love to slit the Slayer’s throat.”
Raze gave me a sympathetic look.
With the pleasantries out of the way, the commander got straight down to business. “You’ll be expected to train hard—not just the use of your abilities, but in combat fighting as well.”
I wasn’t the type of girl who shied away from physical work. Cheerleading had taught me to push myself if I wanted to be the best, but I had a feeling the Institute had a different definition of hard work. “Can’t wait. So where do I start?”
“First, you need to change. There is a locker room to my right where you will find a storage container marked with your room number.”
I tried to recall what the number had been, only to realize I’d never paid attention. I’d been too preoccupied with constantly being locked in.
“It’s 710.” Raze saved me from having to ask, and I was oh so grateful.
Thank you, I mouthed and scampered behind the door to search for the locker. The area was sectioned off into rows lined with shelves that looked like cubbies. Finding my assigned locker wasn’t rocket science, but the required Institute uniform made me cringe. It portrayed a fashion statement I wouldn’t have chosen. Frowning, I stared at the plain T-shirt and cotton pants that reminded me of army gear.
At least they are clean.
Changing quickly into the training uniform, I secured my hair into a ponytail with a strap of material I kept around my wrist for such occasions. I had no reason to delay, and yet I found I wanted a few more minutes to collect myself, get my head in the game. Undoubtedly, this would be a life-changing experience, and I couldn’t help but think that Jaxson and I were going to constantly butt heads. Yesterday I’d seen how the others had trained: last-man-standing style. It had been fierce, merciless. Dash had told me only the strong survived. I understood what he meant.
After a deep breath, I pushed open the door.
“Good,” the commander said, seeing me emerge. “Now we can continue.”
I swept my arms down over my uniform in a grand gesture. “It’s all in the presentation.”
He ignored my snappy comment. “I’ve looked over the results from your tests yesterday and they were inconclusive at pinpointing a specific category, but not to worry. You aren’t the first Gifted where the tests failed to narrow down the type of abilities you might have.”
Raze’s expression went blank, his eyes staring straight ahead.
“So, what do you do in situations like this?” I asked.
Jaxson put down the clipboard. “We need to see the extent of your abilities, and the best way to do that is to put yourself in a life-threatening situation.”