Page 23 of Nova Academy

CHAPTER 11

Artemis

Irounded up Bromm and Foryk when CWO Brin came to us. She informed us that Reece was wrongfully accused and was being released. We weren’t sure where he had been taken, so we waited by the elevator to greet him when he came down. I wanted to prove to him that we had his back, that we were proud to have him on our team, and we were prepared to shield him from the other cadets’ and officers’ reactions.

Word had spread that a woman was in the med bay and that Reece was the one responsible. I wasn’t sure how when the captain had assured me himself that he was trying to keep things quiet to avoid any reactions from his crew and the cadets. But people were peering through cracks in the doors or blatantly standing outside to get a look at the so-called ‘rapist’.

But I was pleasantly surprised when Reece finally arrived. He held his head high when he exited the small compartment while the cadets in the corridors eyed him with curiosity, contempt, or both. Many were sneering in derision while others blurted out insults and threats, but he ignored them all.

‘Come on, let’s get you back to the room,’ I told him, using my body to block people’s view as we made the trek down the long corridor. A crowd was forming behind us but we paid it no heed. Bromm and Foryk followed my lead and also surrounded him to keep him safe.

I couldn’t begin to comprehend that he was almost convicted of… I could barely even think it let alone say it aloud, so I simply didn’t try. Instead, I thought about that poor woman currently laying in that med bay bed, her body broken and mental state torn to shreds. When the captain had informed me what he was arresting Reece for, I already knew it wasn’t him. Reece had been by my side almost every moment of every day, and I would have noticed him sneaking out to attack a woman. A woman I doubted he had even heard of until today. Not to mention there was no way I believed him capable of such an act.

I had seen first-hand many times the aftermath the victims of rape, brutal or otherwise, faced. In fact, most of the time it was dressed up in a false sense of love or duty, which made the impact of the assault more prominent in the mind. It made the victims question whether they wanted it or not. If they were wrong because they didn’t enjoy it, or for saying no in the first place. If it was their fault for allowing it. Reece simply was not the sort of man to do that to another person.

I might have only just met him, but I had met evil many times before, and he wasn’t it.

If there was some way to help, I would in a heartbeat. But, truth be told, there wasn’t much anyone could do. She needed the support of her loved ones, not a stranger that was associated with her accused offender, innocent or otherwise.

I tried to put myself in her shoes for a moment to figure out what I could possibly need if it were me lying in the med bay, but I only succeeded in bringing up old wounds of loneliness and helplessness. I didn’t want to dig too deep into my own growing desire for a support system of loved ones, as it was a luxury I had never been afforded and wouldn’t be able to hold on to now. Even if I did consider Reece a potential friend, I would be leaving him behind soon enough.

What I really wanted to do was find a dark, secluded corner, curl up into a ball and sob my heart out. For the woman whose life was almost destroyed, who would most certainly never be the same again. For all the others that had fallen victim to the same crime. For Reece, for the fact that someone had actually believed he would do something so inhumane and abominable.

But I couldn’t do that. My team just saw one of our own carted off like a criminal. They would want to know why, what happened, and how he had been released. I did not have the luxury of breaking down. I didn’t even have the good fortune to have a safe placetobreak down, nor did not have a safepersonto break down in front of.

But this wasn’t about me.

I released a shaky breath, inhaling deeply and repeatedly to calm my heartrate and soothe my aching emotions. If I let them in then I wouldn’t have the courage to be the pillar these males, especially Reece, would need me to be.

Stars damn the captain for promoting me. I wanted someone else to take on these responsibilities.

Brin had waited for us in our room, and I wondered why she was even here. Regardless, the support she was offering for my whole team was greatly appreciated. I made a mental note to pull her aside to thank her later.

‘Reece!’ Brin shouted excitedly when she saw him, rushing forward to give him a hug. He accepted it, albeit reluctantly. I wasn’t sure he was in the right state of mind to be touched right then. If I had been falsely accused of such a heinous crime, my sense of peace and safety would have felt violated so I could somewhat understand.

Bromm’s bunk strained under the weight of both him and Foryk who was rubbing circles on the Griknot’s back as they kept an eye on Reece. The spikes lining Foryk’s arms snagged on the fabric of the blanket now and then despite how he’d pulled them flat against his skin, and the noise was starting to grate on my nerves. It pinged loudly in my ears and created a sensory overload. I had overexerted myself emotionally today, and now my nervous system was telling me hunker down away in darkness and solitude.

Unfortunately that wasn’t an option. As this team’s leader, whether I wanted the job or not, it was now my duty to take theiremotional load onto myself. It’s what Libby and I had to do in The Program when one of us would return from another round of testing. Libby especially would come back practically catatonic at times, so I had to take charge while she shut down.

Even though Reece was back safe and sound, his innocence confirmed, the ordeal had clearly taken its toll on all of us. Foryk was tense, ready to protect against an unseen foe. Bromm’s faith in the military was shaken, not only because of the way the situation was handled so poorly but because of the situation itself.

Griknot culture leaned heavily on sensuality and pleasure, but there were strict rules about consent. Something like this would have ended in a death sentence on Grik and would have had the entire planet in an uproar.

Reece tried to extricate himself from Brin’s death grip. His face pinching and turning an alarming shade of white which, considering his already pale complexion, made him look sickly. She clung to him harder and his face paled to an almost translucent shade, so I gently pried her off. One look at him and I could clearly see he couldn’t handle any more. If I were him and anyone attempted to comfort me I didn’t think I’d be able to hold the pieces together. My mask would shatter, and that degree of vulnerability around people I had only just met would simply never happen.

Thankfully, she let me, stepping back to give him some space.

‘Arty and Brin told us what happened,’ Foryk surprised me by speaking up first, but I was just grateful to have the choice taken from me. Had he noticed my discomfort with the position I’d been placed in? Yet wasn’t the mental load supposed to be mine to carry?

‘There’s evidence to prove your innocence. Not that we would have doubted you,’ Bromm piped in reassuringly.

‘I…’ Reece started to say, then stopped. ‘Right.’

‘Are you okay?’ asked Brin, finally noticing his ashen expression.

‘Yup,’ he said, but his head was shaking no. No one called him out on it though.

The room devolved into silence. I could feel their pity radiating off of them and permeating the room in an oppressive fog.

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