mouth. He squints, giving me a long, hate-filled look, then gives the whistle a sharp blast and we spring forward.
I don’t pay attention to anyone else around me, and instead sprint with everything I have for the tires. I’m the first one in my group to reach them and I easily step through the openings at their centers, navigating my way through. Sam and the others are getting closer. I hear them trip and swear under their breath as they try to catch up.
When I reach the ropes, I pick the one that will leave me closer to the next obstacle and take off up ward. The ropes beside me begin swinging as the others start to climb. The guys quickly overtake both Sam and I on the ropes, but not by much. When I touch down on the floor, I tuck my chin to my chest and run harder than I ever have before, pumping my arms at my sides. I pass by Sam, and I’m right at the heels of Jake, when I slam into the punching bag. It nearly knocks the wind out of me. It feels like slamming into a wall, but I dig my heels in and push it little by little until it’s all the way across the room. When I reach the finish line, I come in second, right behind Jake.
Sam comes in behind me, out of breath, but still smiling. “Damn, Eve. Didn’t know you had it in you.” She claps me on the back, and we wait at the end of the line with Sabrina – whose group is up next. She hops nervously on the balls of her feet. “You got this, B,” Sam says, patting Sabrina’s butt.
I hear low voices , and glance behind me. Lexi is last in line, and she’s standing with Will, looking up at him, her hand on his forearm. His face is expressionless and after a second, his eyes flick over to mine. I turn just in time to see Sabrina take off from the starting line. I join Sam in cheering for her. Though I’m curious about what’s going on between Lexi and Will, the last thing I want is to be caught looking over at them. Lexi already doesn’t like me and I don’t want to give her, or anyone here, another reason to have a problem with me. I have enough enemies already.
Alex comes up beside me and knocks his shoulder into mine. “Good job, Eve.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I smile , and he places his arm across my shoulders. I feel like I’m being watched and when I glance up, Will’s looking at me again; actually, he’s looking at Alex’s arm that rests across my shoulders. A frown tugs one corner of his mouth down.
“Should we go to lunch?” I ask, and let Alex steer me from the gym.
Chapter 13
That night, I make sure to shower when the bathrooms are at their busiest. I’m trying not to be afraid of Kane, but that doesn’t mean I have a death wish. When I make it back to the dorms, Lexi is standing in the middle of a group of girls, reading from a file. I stop dead in my tracks.
“The patient was the result of an illegitimate pairing,” she reads. “Her mindscan results were inconclusive.”
Lexi has my file. She must have taken it from Will’s room. I imagine them lounging on his bed, reading it together, laughing.
“ Mother was mentally insane and was discharged from the program. Father was …”
I lunge for the file. “Give me that!”
Lexi holds it up over her head . I jump and swing my arms reaching for it, but it’s no use. “What? I think we deserve to know who’s staying in the dorms with us, don’t you ladies?”
A few of the girls nod their heads. “Let her read it,” someone says.
She holds it up out of my reach and continues reading. “Brain activity – normal,
intellect – normal, mental determination – high.” She snaps it closed and tosses it to me. “This is boring.”
I grab for it, but the pages slip through my hands and f lutter to the floor, scattering at our feet. I bend down to pick them and find that Sam, Sabrina and a girl named Bailey have bent down to help me gather the pages. They hand them to me, and I stuff everything back inside the file.
I hear the word inconclusive being whispered
I don’t pay attention to anyone else around me, and instead sprint with everything I have for the tires. I’m the first one in my group to reach them and I easily step through the openings at their centers, navigating my way through. Sam and the others are getting closer. I hear them trip and swear under their breath as they try to catch up.
When I reach the ropes, I pick the one that will leave me closer to the next obstacle and take off up ward. The ropes beside me begin swinging as the others start to climb. The guys quickly overtake both Sam and I on the ropes, but not by much. When I touch down on the floor, I tuck my chin to my chest and run harder than I ever have before, pumping my arms at my sides. I pass by Sam, and I’m right at the heels of Jake, when I slam into the punching bag. It nearly knocks the wind out of me. It feels like slamming into a wall, but I dig my heels in and push it little by little until it’s all the way across the room. When I reach the finish line, I come in second, right behind Jake.
Sam comes in behind me, out of breath, but still smiling. “Damn, Eve. Didn’t know you had it in you.” She claps me on the back, and we wait at the end of the line with Sabrina – whose group is up next. She hops nervously on the balls of her feet. “You got this, B,” Sam says, patting Sabrina’s butt.
I hear low voices , and glance behind me. Lexi is last in line, and she’s standing with Will, looking up at him, her hand on his forearm. His face is expressionless and after a second, his eyes flick over to mine. I turn just in time to see Sabrina take off from the starting line. I join Sam in cheering for her. Though I’m curious about what’s going on between Lexi and Will, the last thing I want is to be caught looking over at them. Lexi already doesn’t like me and I don’t want to give her, or anyone here, another reason to have a problem with me. I have enough enemies already.
Alex comes up beside me and knocks his shoulder into mine. “Good job, Eve.”
“Oh, thanks.”
I smile , and he places his arm across my shoulders. I feel like I’m being watched and when I glance up, Will’s looking at me again; actually, he’s looking at Alex’s arm that rests across my shoulders. A frown tugs one corner of his mouth down.
“Should we go to lunch?” I ask, and let Alex steer me from the gym.
Chapter 13
That night, I make sure to shower when the bathrooms are at their busiest. I’m trying not to be afraid of Kane, but that doesn’t mean I have a death wish. When I make it back to the dorms, Lexi is standing in the middle of a group of girls, reading from a file. I stop dead in my tracks.
“The patient was the result of an illegitimate pairing,” she reads. “Her mindscan results were inconclusive.”
Lexi has my file. She must have taken it from Will’s room. I imagine them lounging on his bed, reading it together, laughing.
“ Mother was mentally insane and was discharged from the program. Father was …”
I lunge for the file. “Give me that!”
Lexi holds it up over her head . I jump and swing my arms reaching for it, but it’s no use. “What? I think we deserve to know who’s staying in the dorms with us, don’t you ladies?”
A few of the girls nod their heads. “Let her read it,” someone says.
She holds it up out of my reach and continues reading. “Brain activity – normal,
intellect – normal, mental determination – high.” She snaps it closed and tosses it to me. “This is boring.”
I grab for it, but the pages slip through my hands and f lutter to the floor, scattering at our feet. I bend down to pick them and find that Sam, Sabrina and a girl named Bailey have bent down to help me gather the pages. They hand them to me, and I stuff everything back inside the file.
I hear the word inconclusive being whispered
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