Page 51 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
Damned either way.
Run!The chain on my wrist pulled taut as I jolted upright. Trapped! I jerked at the cuff to no avail. Bit by bit, my lungs shrank, choking me from the inside. I couldn’t breathe. I needed to breathe. Clutching at my throat, I collapsed against the mattress.
“This isn’t resting and recovering, Bubble Gum.” A rough, gruff voice drifted through my ears, startling me enough to capture my thoughts, allowing speculations to flood in.
“Cyrus?” He was here? I darted my gaze but saw no sign of him in the cell. The door remained closed, Mykal still sleeping. Was I having an auditory hallucination ... like the maddened?
Just like that, the panic resurged. I pulled at my clothes. Too tight!
“Arden,” Cyrus snapped. “Listen to me. We’re both wearing transmitters. Your heart rate hit a certain threshold and activated both sets. Now we can hear each other. Tell me your mantra.”
Transmitters, not infection. My motions slowed and my breathing followed. In, out. “Leave, fear. I’m brave,” I breathed out.
“Yes, you are brave. You comprehend fear is the monster at your back with a knife at your throat. And what do we do to monsters?”
“This isn’t a teaching moment,” I shriek-whispered between pants. In. Out. At least Cyrus and Ember agreed on one thing. Fear was the worst. “I want to go home. I can’t do this.”
“We do not saycan’t, soldier.”
“Fine.” I sniffled, and there was no stopping the humiliating action. “I’m currently unable to can.”
He had the audacity to laugh. “What do we do when fear attacks us, Roosa?”
“Fight back,” I muttered.
“That’s right. And you are growing into an excellent fighter, focusing on the correct opponent.”
His compliment filled my head, and I calmed a bit more. With his voice a caress in my ears, I almost felt as if he were stretched out at my side, his arms wrapped around me. A true comfort. “How? How do I fight back?”
“Tell me your battle cry again. Punch the air with your words.”
“Leave, fear. I’m brave.” A soft thump sounded as I also punched the bed. “I’m brave.” Another punch of the mattress. “I’m brave. I’m brave, I’m brave.” Hey! Those battle cries had some heft to them. Maybe Iwaskind of a little brave. I mean, look at all I’d experienced and pushed through.
“Again. Louder.”
“I’m brave.” I smashed my fists through the air, one after the other. “I’m brave!” Knockout!
“Okay, we get it. You’re the bravest. Can I sleep now?” Lark grumbled from her cell.
Other soldiers issued complaints too. Mykal rolled over and shoved a pillow over her head to smother her giggles.
I sank into my mattress, my cheeks heating.
“Get out,” Cyrus grated with obvious annoyance.
Excuse me? “I’m chained to the wall and barred in. There’s no way I can leave my cell.”
He gave a little chuckle. “I wasn’t speaking to you, Pink.”
“To whom were you speaking? And what happened topurple?”
“The woman who entered my hallway. And I realized I prefer the classics.”
“You own a whole hallway?” I asked because I didn’t know what else to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if the woman was Dr. Korey. He did seem to enjoy ordering her to leave.
“I’m confident we both recognize the fact that I own every hallway I enter.” Amusement tinged his words. “I exited a meeting between instructors and team leaders as soon as the transmitters activated.”
Shame pricked me. “My apologies, sir, for interrupting.”
