Page 71 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
Mykal remained silent. Didn’t even glance up as I put action to my words.
“I’ll see you after class,” I said, gentling my tone.
Still nothing.
Worried about her state of mind, afraid she blamed me and unsure how I could ever make amends for ending the life of our friend, I sprinted outside to the specified obstacle course. I arrived with only minutes to spare and took my place in line.
Cyrus stood on a metal platform, drenched in sunlight. As usual, he looked good. Better than usual, even. Chin high, shoulders back. From the rigidness of his posture to the firmness of his muscular frame, he conveyed strength. He’d stopped shaving again, thick scruff accentuating his stubborn jaw.
At the sight of him, something foreign and unnamable stirred inside me for the first time. It was hot and bubbly, yet weighty, and it saturated every cell.
He scanned us after the bell sounded. His demeanor projected absolute confidence, daring anyone to get too close. Until his attention landed on me. He jolted, as if hit by something, and the usual charge between us sharpened.
Suddenly, he projected a different message.Come closer.
Awareness consumed me, an electric current that zinged dead parts of me back to life. Desires surged and crested. To wrap my arms around him. To feel his arms wrap around me. To pour my body over his and forget the rest of the world.
Okay. So. This was new.
He’d been so good to me, giving me space, and I appreciated it. Here, now, I missed our talks. Missedhim.
Cyrus wrenched his attention from me and called, “Tomorrow, we go on our next outing to Theirland. You’ll be taking your first trip outside of a fortified building. Show me you’re ready. Split off in three groups of four and one group of five, selected by Roman, Titus, Lark, and Arden. Choose one soldier at a time, in that order. Go.”
Me? A leader? When my turn arrived, I requested Juniper, who brightened. By the time we finished, I had added Miller and Cash to my roster.
“Same order, starting sixty seconds apart.” Cyrus stalked across the platform. “If one member fails, all members fail, and you start over. Go.”
Roman and his team jumped into action, a mix of exhilaration and dread thickening the air. At the proper time, my group took off. We crawled through mud and evaded holograms.
“Good pace, Miller, but keep your eyes up,” Cyrus called.
“Yes, sir.”
“Be faster, Arden.” He no longer referred to me asPink,Purple, orBubble Gum. NotMiss RoosaorLadyeither. “You’re lagging. Hustle or get left behind.”
“Yes, sir.” I shoved the words through clenched teeth. I barely trailed Miller. But I also pumped my arms at a faster clip, increasing my speed. Didn’t take long for my muscles to burn and my limbs to shake inside my heavy body armor. This was my fourth hardcore workout of the day.
Juniper tripped behind me, and I slowed to help her stand.
“Thanks,” she muttered.
“Anytime.”
“I thought I told you to hustle, Arden,” Cyrus barked.
Together, Juniper and I approached a brick wall, where Miller pulled himself over the top. Using handholds, Juniper scaled up, up, up, and I remained close behind her. She threw her upper body over the edge, but she miscalculated the weight of her armor and tipped. Then she was falling. On instinct, I reached out to catch her by the collar. But I misjudged her weight, too, and followed her down.
She slammed into Miller, and the pair smacked into the ground. I crashed into them. Juniper screamed upon impact; Miller bellowed. My brain rattled against my skull, and my lungs flattened, stealing my breath. My wrist throbbed.
Though dizzy, I attempted to climb to my feet. The movement hurt Juniper and Miller further, so I stilled.
Soldiers zoomed over, surrounding us. Cyrus shouldered his way through, the medics behind him. Grim faced, he checked me over while the professionals dealt with the other two.
“Are you hurt?” he demanded, testing my wrist’s range of motion.
I winced with a particular movement but tried to hide it. “I’m good to go.” Mostly. My dizziness faded with every breath, at least.
“X-ray her wrist.” He snapped his fingers at someone, then helped me to my feet.
