Kitten's stomach rumbled, and all eyes turned to her. Her cheeks flushed a rosy red, and she began licking her arm and rubbing it over her chin. A nervous habit, I guess.
"Hungry?" Ryan asked her with a grin.
She nodded reluctantly.
"Good, because it's chow time. Go on. Get out of here. You girls did very well today."
We didn't need to be told twice. We pounded from the cage. But I couldn't help myself. I tossed a glance over my shoulder. Ryan was watching me, and that strange heat was back in his eyes...
Breakfast was served in a cafeteria very similar to the one at my school, just smaller. The food, though, was much better. Thank God! Fresh fruit and warm nuts, baked breads, syn-chicken, and rice. It was like dining in a five-star restaurant. The only difference was, we didn't get to choose what we wanted.
We placed our hands on the ID box at the counter, endured a quick scan, and then a tray made specifically for us was slid down a tube and into our direction. The entire process took less than a minute. Very cool, yet very military.
"They like to keep us healthy and proteined up," Cara said, sitting beside me at the table.
The rest of the class joined us after they'd gotten their trays. We weren't the only ones in the cafeteria. Only girls were present, though. Of the few that were there with us, some cast us curious glances. Some turned their noses up at us. One even "accidentally" bumped into us, telling us to "stay out of the way, weaklings."
There was a lot of confidence in the room, a lot of cockiness. "What did you guys do to get sent here? And," I added after swallowing a bite of rice, "how long have you been here?"
"Got arrested for assault," Dani said with a shrug. "And I've been here two fun-filled days."
So I wasn't the only criminal. I shouldn't have taken comfort in that, but I did.
"Kadar found me living--" Lindsay pressed her lips together, as if she didn't want to reveal the information. She waved her hand through the air and strove for a casual tone. "He saved me from an Outer. I've been here two days, as well."
"My mom knows Boss and called and begged him to take me," Jenn said. There was a trace of bitterness in her tone. "She didn't have what it took to work in this field, so she's leaving it up to me to live her dream." She forced a laugh. "I've been here several weeks, but this is my first class."
"What about you?" Cara asked me, her dark eyes curious. "What'd you do?"
I told them about the night the Sybilins attacked. They became very quiet, and studied me more intently. By the time I finished, they were staring at me with awe. And perhaps disbelief.
Dani blinked over at me. "A Sybilin. S-Y-B-I-L-I-N. I knew you'd fought with Ryan Stone, but I'd assumed--I don't know what I'd assumed. Just not a Sybilin."
I nodded, brow puckered. "Well, it's true."
"But...the Sybilins are a myth. Aren't they?" Lindsay's red eyebrows arched as she searched the other faces.
"I promise you they're very real." We ate in silence for a few minutes. A few more girls walked past our table, muttering, "Weaklings." "What's that about?" I asked.
Jenn tugged at the ends of her hair, the black curls bouncing back into place. "The facility begins new classes every three months. You'll notice that each new class has less and less girls. Some have been here only three months, others six, others nine. The ones who have survived it all and have been here twelve months think of everyone else as know-nothing weaklings."
"Their classes are in different hallways," Cara added after she swallowed a bit of banana, "so the only time we have to deal with them is at lunch and social hour."
"Are there ever any fights?" Kitten asked, her eagerness clear.
"I've heard of a few." Jenn leaned into us, her voice dropping. "One even ended in death. The girl responsible was memory-wiped and returned home. Or so I heard." Straightening, she nibbled on the edge of her syn-chicken and closed her eyes in surrender. "God, this is good. I thought I'd die after all that exercise."
"Where are the boys?" Kitten glanced around. I think she wanted to know where Bradley was and what he looked like. Not that she'd mentioned him recently, but I still suspected she considered him off limits to everyone else. "Jenn?"
"What, am I an instructor?" Jenn splayed her arms wide. "I don't know all the answers."
"You sure?" I said with a laugh. I drained my milk. I would have preferred soda, but whatever. "You know a lot more than us."
"Fine. I know the answer to this one, too." Jenn pinched a piece of bread and shrugged. "The boys are in a separate building, but we'll get to see them three times a week. The powers that be let us get together so we won't try and sneak over there."
"How do you know so much?" Kitten asked, incredulous. She licked the edge of her milk carton.
"I told you. My mom and Boss are friends. When I was recruited, he had a long talk with me about what to expect."
"What I wouldn't do to trade places with you," Kitten said and threw a roll at her. "After my interview, I got a tour of a restricted hallway and locked in my room with Phoenix."
Jenn caught the bread, chuckled, and took an exaggerated bite before tossing it back. I leaned back in my chair, realizing I was happier in that moment than I'd been in a long time. These girls were nice, and I enjoyed their company.
To them, I was just one of the girls.
It was sad to think that some of us would soon be kicked out. And it was embarrassing to think that I'd probably be the first. I'd be smart to keep everyone here at a distance.
But when have I ever been smart?
10
My third class of the day turned out to be Weapons 101.
Kadar was the instructor, and he definitely knew what he was talking about. I'd never seen anyone more at ease with guns and knives. It was scary. He made Ryan and Allison look like amateurs as he held up each weapon, told us about it (and what we'd be expected to do with it), then demonstrated its use.
Finally he said, "Line up. You've each been assigned a stall."
We rushed to obey. I found my stall at the very end, close to the wall. This classroom was different from any of the others. We were inside a large arena with multiple booths, or "stalls," as Kadar had called them. Each stall offered a waist-high counter and a long, narrow pathway with a target perched at the end. (Each target was a different type of Outer.)
My target just happened to be a Sybilin.
"Thought you'd appreciate that," Kadar told me with a grin.
"I do."
"Prove it by nailing him during practice."
"I'll do my best," I said, and I meant it. I'd never fired a gun before, but I was suddenly determined to impress Kadar with my "skill."
"Good. All right, everyone," he said, moving away from me to pace in front of the group. "You'll switch stalls every day. Don't want you to get complacent. Now," he continued, "on your counter, you'll find a pyre-gun, a throwing star, and a heat-seeking minigrenade. I know I showed you how to use them, but do any of you have an idea just how much damage those items can do?"
"They kill," Kitten said, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "That's all we need to know."
Frowning, Kadar shook his head. "They can kill your opponent, yes. But they can also kill or maim you. That is what you need to know."
Jenn looked from the weapons to Kadar, from Kadar to the weapons. She paled. "You said 'maim'. What kind of damage are we talking about here?"
He withdrew a pyre-gun from his waist and held it out for our inspection. "This has three settings. Hot. Hotter. And flames of hell. You can dial each setting like this." He pinched his fingers on a small black dial and twisted toward the right.
I heard several oohs and ahs.
"Hot will fry your target to a crisp, but they'll probably live to tell the tale. Hotter will kill everything it touches: skin, bone, organ. There's still a chance the target can survive, depending on where you shoot him. Flames of hell will kill your target and anyone standing next to it."
There
were a few more oohs and ahs.
I glanced down at my pyre-gun, drinking in every detail. "There are no numbers on the dial," I pointed out. "How will we know that we've programmed the right setting?"
"You'll learn the difference." In the blink of an eye, Kadar spun around and fired at the wall beside us.
I yelped as an amber beam erupted, splitting the room into white and yellow. Spots blinked in front of my eyes. Even where I stood, at the end of the procession line, I felt the heat of the beam, and air burned in my throat.
Eyes wide, I glanced at the wall and saw a black, sizzling circle. I gulped.
What if someone shot me with one of those?
Okay. Back to being unsure about the decision to stay here.
"That wall is comprised of a special metal that will not melt under the hottest of flames, and yet it was blackened. Imagine what the beam could do to something that will melt." He paused, each second causing the room to thicken with tension. "If you accidentally shoot yourself with this..." Kadar didn't finish his sentence. He let us finish it in our minds. We'd die. No doubt about it.
"Uh, I'm not sure I want to carry one of those," Jenn said, her voice shaking.
Cara shook her head, dark hair swishing at her temples. "Me, either."
Kadar rolled his eyes. "Has anyone ever fired a gun before? Not just a pyre-gun, but any type of gun?"
I shook my head, a perfect imitation of Cara. Only Emma raised her hand, and the action was tentative, as if she feared getting in trouble.
"What kind of gun?" Kadar asked her. I was surprised by the gentleness of his tone.
Emma's gaze swept over us nervously, and I noticed she was twisting the sides of her pants with her hands. Her skin was so pale, her tattoo stood out more than usual. "An antique. With bullets."
He nodded. "Good, sweetheart. That's good. How was your aim?"
Sweetheart? She shrugged and gazed down at her boots. "Okay, I guess."
"Did you hit what you were aiming at?"
"No," she admitted softly.
"Well, you will soon." He stopped in the middle of us and locked his hands behind his back. In that moment, he looked like the quintessential army commander. "I've removed the detonation crystal from each of your guns, so you don't have to worry about frying yourselves or each other--today. That'll come later. All your gun will emit is a harmless beam of light."
Relief swam through me, as did anticipation. I'd never even held a gun before. My mom found them too dangerous to keep in the house.
"Pick them up," Kadar said, watching us intently.
I turned to face my counter. The gun was still there, in the middle, staring up at me. It had a black handle, an iridescent center that was clear and bumpy. The barrel was long, thin, and silver. Even though I knew it couldn't fire, my hand shook as I reached out and wrapped my fingers around it and hefted it up.
My brow wrinkled. The gun was lighter than it appeared, weighing no more than a syn-apple.
"Learn it," Kadar said. "If you treat it right, that little baby will save your life over and over again."
Little baby. A cute name for a deadly piece of machinery. Somehow, though, it fit. I closed my eyes and allowed my hands to "learn" the weapon, to gauge its nuances. Would my mom freak if she found out what I was doing right now or would she be proud for what I was going to do to protect her? Either way....
"Like it?"
Kadar's question reverberated in my mind as I caressed my thumb over the barrel. "Oh yeah," I said. I opened my eyes and grinned.
No one else responded. Were the other girls not as entranced with their weapons as I was? I peeked over at them, lined up beside me as they were. Some were already aiming, some were studying the intricacies of the inside chamber.
My grin spread. They liked, too. They liked a lot. There was something so powerful about holding a weapon like this. Something so safe. No one could hurt me. I was invincible.
"Aim," Kadar said.
I did without hesitation. I closed one eye and extended my arms, the fake Sybilin in sight. I pointed the barrel straight ahead, holding steady. Would I be able to hit my target on the first try? Only one way to find out.
"Squeeze the trigger."
My finger curled around it, and I squeezed. I expected a click, a ray of light, but heard nothing. No sound. No light, either. What I didn't expect was something solid to actually fly out of the barrel, but it did. I gasped, and I heard several other girls do the same.
Had I hit my target? My gaze narrowed on the fake Sybilin, searching...searching...I grinned when I spotted a red protrusion on its right shoulder. I'd been aiming for its heart, but, hey, I'd managed to hit it on the first try!
Go me!
"I think my gun is broken. It didn't make a sound," Jenn said, twisting the weapon in every direction. Even her own. "And there was no light."
Kadar leapt toward her and whisked the gun from her grip. "Watch where you point this. You could have shot your own face. I lied about the light to relax you. Today we're using darts, but even those can hurt you."
She paled. "Sorry. My bad."
"The pyre-gun was designed for silence." He handed it back to her, the barrel facing the floor. "Sometimes you have to dial and fire with an enemy nearby and you don't want that enemy to know your location."
Ah. That made total sense.
"Your pyre-gun also has a stun setting. All you have to do is twist the dial to the left until it can't twist anymore. But stun only works on other-worlders. Repeat after me: Stun will not work on humans."
Silence. What was with all the repeating? We weren't children.
He frowned. "Have I been too nice? Do you think it's okay to ignore my orders? Repeat what I said!"
"Stun will not work on humans," we said in unison.
"Only aliens," he said.
"Only aliens," we repeated.
Kadar nodded with satisfaction. "Something about the alignment of human skin cells causes the stun to bounce off rather than absorb. We're currently testing a device that will work on humans. Sometimes they're worse than the other-worlders you're chasing." His disgust rang out loud and clear. "Sympathizers will try and hurt you, rather than allow you to hurt an alien, no matter its crimes."
"They suck," Cara muttered.
"Maybe we need a how-to-take-down-a-sympathizer class," Dani suggested.
Kadar continued as if they hadn't spoken. "The fire settings, however, will work on both humans and aliens. Make sure you want to injure or kill your target before you fire."
Jenn raised her hand. Her brown eyes were wide, and she looked upset. "But...what if we don't want to stun or kill?"
He answered her question with a question of his own. "Your targets will be predatory aliens and the humans who help them. Why would you not want to stun or kill them?"
She nibbled on her bottom lip. Poor thing. It was so obvious she didn't want to be here, didn't want to learn how to fight. Or kill. She was being forced to learn by her mom, by the superfreaky Boss and what they wanted for her life.
At least they cared about her, you know? They wanted the best for her. No jealousy, missy.
"Let's get back to work," Kadar said. "Hold the gun at your side." There were two heartbeats of silence as he waited for us to comply. "Good. Now aim and fire, as quickly as possible."
We did. I missed the target this time. So did a lot of the girls, judging by the numerous moans I heard. I'd been tense, determined, rather than relaxed like before. Crap.
"Again," Kadar said.
Quickly I aimed and fired. Missed. The dart sailed over my target's wrinkled shoulder.
"Again."
Relax. Just relax. Once again, I aimed and fired. This time, I nailed the Sybilin in the stomach. I'd aimed at its heart, so hitting his stomach wasn't optimal. It was a success, though, and I grinned.
Kadar leveled a pointed stare at me. "Keep firing until you're consistently hitting what you aim at or until your gun runs out of darts. And by the way, ther
e are one hundred of the little suckers in the clip."
"No way," Jenn said, holding her gun up for inspection.
"One hundred," Lindsay moaned. She hooked several strands of red hair behind her ears. "So far I haven't hit anything."
"For real?" Dani said, incredulous. "We have to keep at this until we run out?"
I peered at the gun. "You're kidding, right? Nothing this small can hold so many darts."
"Uh, yes it can. The darts expand upon release," he explained. "Did any of you read your manual? You're supposed to forget everything you think you know. Open your minds. Nothing is impossible here."
"Except stunning humans with a pyre-gun," I muttered.
"I heard that," Kadar said, but he didn't sound angry. He sounded amused. "Now get to work."
Over and over I repeated the process, not stopping until I was able to aim and fire in one fluid motion--and actually achieve success more often than not. Unfortunately, I wasn't the first (and my competitive spirit didn't like that fact). Johanna was, followed by Dani, then me.
"All right." Kadar clapped his hands. "Our time is up for today."
Emma was the only one who hadn't hit the target. I glanced over and studied what she'd been aiming at. It was a bright blue creature I didn't recognize, with shiny skin, a lithe body, and webbed hands and feet. Her darts were spread all around it. Her expression was blank as she lowered her gun onto the counter, and her hand was shaking. There were lines of tension bracketing her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you girls I'm going to do you a favor." Kadar leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "Tomorrow I'm going to let you fire your guns with the detonation crystals inside rather than the dart clips."
The moisture in my mouth dried as excitement and apprehension fought for dominance inside me. "Are you sure we're ready?"
"No," he said with a grin. "That's the beauty of it."
One wrong move, and I could fry any one of my new friends. One wrong move, and any one of my new friends could fry me. I'd probably have nightmares. And yet, it gave me an even greater sense of power than before, the thought of firing an actual weapon. Of being tough and lethal. Of facing down my enemy--fake target though it was.
"You're free to rest in your rooms or relax in the Common," Kadar said then. "Your next class isn't for another hour."