Chapter 27

I hurry my own pace, darting for an empty shower stall now, willing to take whichever is free- however filthy-

“Ari!” Jesse hisses behind me. “Are you – are you kidding me-

is he your

I squeak a little in dismay. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Jesse!” I hiss, darting into the stall and yanking the curtain closed behind me.

“Ari!” Jesse shricks, and then he lowers his voice. “Are you with him?”

– are you f**king using the dream state

“I can’t hear you!” I shout, desperate, flipping on the water even though I’m still dressed. Jesse starts

1

to tug at the curtain but I snap it shut. “You can’t come in here!” I protest. “I’m n*ked!”

“ARI!” Jesse shouts, completely freaked out.

But suddenly he goes silent, and I

go still.

“What the hell is going on here?” Rafe’s voice asks, just outside the stall.

My eyes dart around as I pray pray that Jesse holds his tongue

“Nothing.” Jesse says, laughing and playing it off. “Ari just…played a prank on me. Lunchmeat…in my bed.”

“That’s not a prank,” Rafe says, confused. “That’s just…gross.”

“Yeah well.” Jesse murmurs. “He needs to….work on his practical jokes. I guess.”

“Whatever,” Rafe says, sighing, his voice tired as he moves away, heading back to the bunks. “You guys got this? I’ll see you in a few?”

Jesse calls confirmation over his shoulder before turning back to my curtain. “This conversation is not finished, Ari,” he says, spitting my name out like it’s a dirty word.

I don’t say anything, but when I hear his angry mutters move away, I exhale a deep breath and begin to strip down, using the entire length of my very long, very hot shower to decide what the hell I’m going to say to my cousin.

When I finally step out of my stall, damp but dressed and tugging my hat down over my head, I have a plan.

I mean, it’s a very basic, stupid plan. But it’s a plan.

“Ari,” Jesse growls, standing right outside the stall as I step out, his arms crossed over the chest of his clean uniform, glaring at me beneath his freshly–washed hair. “You need to tell me. Now.”

“Fine.” I sigh, looking up at him and giving him my best baby–cousin look. “Just can you scent mark me first? 1 don’t want to.

Jesse scowls but reaches out his wrist, rubbing it across my neck and my own wrists, perhaps a little more roughly than normal. “All right, with Ari, out with it

“Can’t talk now, bye!” I shout, and then I bolt–dropping my towel and running as fast as I can for the bunk room and the safety of Rafe’s side.

“Ari!” Jesse shouts after me, pissed now- but the element of surprise did its job, as well as his week of training me to run faster, and by the time he reaches me? I’m already throwing myself into Rafe’s bunk alongside him.

“What the hell is going on?” Rafe asks, jumping a little as I dart behind him.

“Nothing!” I say, laughing and panting a little. “Just a race! I win!”

“Ari!” Jesse shouts again, skidding to a stop between our bunks and glaring at me, his eyes flicking to Rafe. And I look over Rafe’s shoulder at my cousin, my eyes pleading – because he did promise he’d keep my secrets, and even if I am desperately avoiding this conversation, I do trust that he’s not going to break that promise.

Not right now, at least.

“You’re such a little rat,” Jesse growls, reaching behind Rafe to smack at me.

Rafe bursts into laughter as I shriek and Jesse, figuring out my plan, continues to wail on me half- heartedly until, laughing, I cry mercy and Rafe pulls me safely to his other side, protecting me beneath his well–muscled arm.

“Enough,” Rafe sighs, though he smiles at both of us. “We’re supposed to stick together

“I’m not sticking with that rat cousin,” Jesse grumbles, giving me a little kick as he settles against Rafe’s pillow.

“Rat or not, you’re stuck with me,” I say, peeking out from behind Rafe and grinning at him, trying to make peace.

Jesse shakes his head at me a little, but he smiles, and I know we’re all right.

on

We spend the next hour or two comfortably in Rafe’s bed, telling about our days in the woods. It’s quite cozy, really, pressed warm against my brother’s side. Ben comes over too, sitting on the edge of the bed and telling us the story about how they couldn’t catch any fish and almost came up the time limit, but then he suddenly remembered that dandelions are edible and found a few sad little plants growing by their edge of their camp.

We grin, congratulating him on his last–minute pass. Ben looks down, though, even if he smiles. Because, technically, his team didn’t fully pass – they didn’t make the ten–mile hike home. Anxiety is tight in my chest as I consider what this is going to do to his ranking, which was already on the

cusp of failure.

But the doors to the dining hall open, and we stand up, all hungry and ready for dinner–and the rankings that are going to come along with it.

Spirits are high in the dining hall that evening at least, amongst the 80% of candidates who are relatively sure that they’re going to be admitted as candidates. Ben does his best, keeping his head high and laughing along with Jesse’s jokes as we move along the food line, filing our tray with a selection of food that makes my mouth water-

Seriously, this is the best yet- tonight must be some kind of celebration because there is tender steak, and gravy, and baked potatoes, and flounder so flaky and buttery it falls apart when you lift it onto the plate-

My stomach absolutely rumbles as I sit down at our table, and I don’t even notice who sits down next to me until his arm brushes against mine and that familiar tingle runs through me.

When I whip my head up to look at Luca, his eyes are already on me. “Hungry tonight?” he asks, flicking a humor–filled gaze towards my heaping plate.

I can’t help my smile. “Starving.”

–

We stare at each other for a long moment – before

which is just becoming our thing, I guess – someone across from me clears their throat. I turn my head to see Jesse looking at both of us with a raised eyebrow.

Luca blushes beet red and looks down at his food, digging in, while I purse my lips and give Jesse what I hope is a very subtle, very fervent shake of my head.

Jesse just narrows his eyes at me before rolling them and turning back to the group, seamlessly. slipping into the conversation. Luca and I do the same after a moment, and honestly the dinner is a good time. We all have full bellies and high spirits by the time the Captain stands at the front of the

room.

“All right,” he says, clapping his hands twice for silence. “Tomorrow is the last day of your candidacy and your final examination. Your semifinal rankings will be posted in just a moment. This is your last opportunity to know your spot before you go through the obstacle course one last

time.”

My stomach sinks as he reminds me of what’s coming tomorrow – the obstacle course which I still can’t get through, not completely. That stupid chain climb…

“I sugge

you get a good night’s sleep,” the Captain continues, a little bored. “You’ll have a chance to clean up tomorrow before final rankings, which will be announced in person, in order, and those who make the cut will be invited immediately into the Academy. Those who don’t will be sent

home.”

He nods once and walks away from the head table as our rankings flash onto the screen above him.

Every set of candidate eyes moves immediately to it, searching for their name and the names of their friends.

I scan down the middle of the list, knowing that I in there somewhere, and I exhale when I see that I’m ranked at 70–a respectable spot. My eyes move next to the top of the list, ensuring that my loved ones are still up there- and 1 smile when I see Rafe and Jesse in the top ten, though Luca- to my surprise has fallen to 11.

My heart stops, a little, when I see Jackson ranked above him at 8 because –

God, Jackson – 1 forgot all about him today. I mean, I had Luca to distract me but…

Am I happy that my other mate is going to be in the Academy? Or…

But I’m distracted by the thought when I see my brother and my cousin turning to Ben, patting him warmly on the back. “You’re gonna have to bolt thought that obstacle course tomorrow,” Rafe

murmurs.

I turn back to the screen, a little ashamed of myself for not looking for my friend first – but there he is, at 101.

“Maybe I can climb on your back, Rafe,” Ben murmurs, working hard to keep humor in his voice. “You can carry me through like a little monkey on your shoulder. Might be my only chance anymore.” noveldrama

“You’re not slow, man,” Luca says to Ben, his voice kind. “I think you just get in your head. You just

– no hesitation.” need to go full wolf tomorrow, tear it to pieces.

Ben puts on a brave smile and nods to us before half–heartedly tucking into his food again.

“You do too,” Luca murmurs to me, giving me a nudge. And my stomach drops a little as I look up at him, because he’s right.

70- it’s not a bad spot, but it’s not in the clear, and the obstacle course tomorrow is heavily weighted in the final ranking. And considering that I consistently come in last?

I am absolutely in no way safe.

I nod and swallow against the lump that forms in my throat, looking down at my food.

“You’re going to do it, Ari,” my brother says, and I look up to see his steady gaze on me. He holds my eyes with his green ones, nodding to me once. “You didn’t come all this way to fail now. Don’t even let it into your head. Yes?”

I nod to him, forcing myself to smile, and then I square my shoulders and exhale a deep breath.

Because Rafe’s right.

Even if tomorrow is the trail of my life? There’s absolutely no way I’m letting this beat me.