Page 74 of Beyond The Maples
I nod in understanding, and he looks at me in question. "Something similar happened to my dad when I was a teen. I've never been able to figure out what happened." My voice betrays my feelings, cracking a bit at the end. I clear my throat. "I've always felt frustrated. He wouldn't have just slipped over to a new town to start fresh. But where else could he have gone, you know?"
Chef nods, asking softly, "Was he in any kind of trouble?"
My lips purse at the notion. Was he? Most likely. He was digging into things he shouldn't have been. Doing things he shouldn't have. I give him a look that seems to convey that I believe so.
"Ahh well then, my guess would be he left the country. I always like to pretend that's what happened with Cecily. That she climbed through the mountains, and she's curled up in some cave with some wild Solanders, or something. Because if you have to run from New Providence, there are only three options. Hiding out here isn't one of them. You can try your way through the barrier, get yourself electrocuted. You can go through the bogs and hide out with those Zaphirian scum, probably get yourself enslaved. Or you can try your luck with the mountains. I'd choose mountains," he says, eyes glistening.
Chef doesn't relay the other possibility; that some of these people are simply murdered or captured by New Providence.Which, in a lot of cases, is likely.
Could my dad be in Soland? It's possible. It doesn't explain why he didn't take us with him. Or why he didn't at least tell me what was happening. I get lost in thought as I finish cleaning, doing more than is probably necessary, for the amount of items he used.
Another thought pops into my head. What if we need to run, at some point? Bringing Linden and Willow here seems less and less appealing as time goes on. Why would I fight to get them into a place like this? That brutalizes and murders people it's sworn to protect. Is it even safe here for them? Is there somewhere safer?
I turn to him. "Thank you. You didn't have to show me this kindness today, but I really appreciate it."
He waves me off, mumbling about sappy women, but I catch the smile on his face.
The warm feeling dissipates as soon as I'm alone, replaced by worry. I think about the points, and our standing. What if I doomed us to a bad placement? What if we can't climb our way back up? I won't be able to forgive myself.
Resolves settles into me. I just have to figure out how to fix this, and everything will be okay.
Itake a deep breath and forcibly unclench my fists, as I stand staring at the ranking list outside the training room. We were near the top before my fumble yesterday. My mistake plummeted us firmly to the middle of the cohort.
This morning Berkley got our points knocked further down after a very public altercation with Chef that ended with him being removed from mess hall duty indefinitely. Captain Kethler had been furious, and I'd wanted to throttle Berk until I saw the look on his face. Like me, Berkley is well versed in self-punishment.
My emotions still feel heightened; the torrent of memories slipping through the cracks keeps me on edge, and I suspect Berkley and the others are feeling the same way that, along with the time constraints, make me sure there's no way for us to climb out of this hole we've dug for ourselves. Not in time for our first assignment, anyway.
Farra's struggling. Her body has healed enough that she can participate, but I see the way she jumps when there's a sudden noise. How her breathing picks up when an officer comes too close.
I can't have our group spiraling any more than it has.
Resolution settles firmly in my bones, as I walk through the training room doors. My crewmates aren't here yet, which is good.
Because I have a plan. A disastrous plan, but a plan.
I walk up to the Legion, who are all at their usual perch ––a training ring designated for higher ups. To my dismay, all four of them are here. I was hoping to trap Lachlan by himself; he's by far the most approachable. My temperature rises as I see Fallon and Lt. Valo having what appears to be an argument under their breath. Vera is on theground stretching, her dark brown skin glistening in the light. She looks lethal, even like this. She catches me staring awkwardly and gives me a vicious look. A look that might make other women cower, but something about it makes me straighten.
Fallon pushes off of the ropes, seeming to end the conversation abruptly, and blusters past a group of cadets, jeering at them as he leaves the room. I note the rift––how the others subtly glance at each other in silent conversation. Fallon seems to be the odd man out.
A throat clears.
"Need something, Treow?" Lachlan asks.
Bless him for having some semblance of regular people skills.
"Yeah, actually, I have a couple of questions about the tower, if you don't mind," I say politely. I see Tane watching in my peripheral, scowling at us––like my voice is grating on him. I angle my body away from him so that he can't distract me.
"What do you want to know?" Lachlan asks, folding his arms and leaning casually on the ropes of the ring behind him.
"I just want to know specific rules; what I can use or do to get to the top, and what it guarantees me if I succeed." The need to fidget calls to me, so I stick my hands in my pockets.
Lachlan rubs the stubble on his face, as if contemplating his words carefully. I feel the eyes of the others searing into me, but I don't give them the satisfaction of turning.
"Ok, well, the rules are pretty simple. You’re only allowed to use the materials provided," he says, pointing to the silver disks at the bottom of the tower, "and you have to make it to the top, sound the siren, and get back down without... expiring."
I nod. Sounds simple enough, but I need more assurance than that.
"But other than that, there are no rules. Like if I choose to go bare-handed up there and somehow make it to the top, I can? And what exactly am I getting out of this?" I ask, trying not to sound too bossy, and hating myself a little for it.
