Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

34. Nova Rose

Nova  P.O.V

Date: November 12, 2238

"Jorge. Mendes," Sergeant Carter looked between the two boys standing off to the side of the observation room.

Their faces dripping with sweat and chests heaving. Clearly exhausted and unable to hide the disappointment in their eyes. Their attempt at the simulation had ended in failure, with mutants surrounding them before they could even cross the bridge.

"Nothing about your performance today was satisfactory. And I have half a mind not to give either of you another chance."

Jorge and Mendes exchanged glances before Jorge said, "No, please. We can improve."

"You better." A chill went through me at Sergeant Carter's piercing stare, even though it wasn't directed at me. "Or you have no hope of passing my class. Now, go." He jerked his head toward the door.

They nodded before hurrying from the room, avoiding the interactive board with the footage of that moment still frozen on screen.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Sergeant Carter turned back to us. "Alright, next up is..." He scanned the list of names on his clipboard. "Bishop and Rose."

Fuck.

"Break a leg," Cindy leaned over to whisper. Whether or not she meant it as a wish of good luck or literally was anyone's guess.

Instead of replying, I stood up on trembling legs and followed Sky from the room. Somehow, managing to make it all the way downstairs without falling flat on my face.

"What's our plan?" I asked Sky as we grabbed our equipment from the carts beside the bleachers.

"Be fast."

"Simple plan." I fastened my vest, slowly walking toward the edge of the padded floor. "I like it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." I slid the black elastic band off my arm and tied my hair into a ponytail. "After all, we can't do much worse than Jorge and Mendes. Right?"

She didn't answer me as the countdown began.

"Three..." A pre-recorded female voice blared from the speakers.

"Two..." The voice spoke again.

"One." The voice finally stated before falling silent.

I cautiously stepped onto the padded floor, expecting the first mutant to appear before us and quickly end the simulation.

Calm down, calm down. I repeated the words like a mantra, slowly breathing in and out to calm my pounding heart. My eyes flitted over the forest from top to bottom and everything in between in search of the first threat. The vibrant green trees, the lazily flowing river, and the unruly bushes all seemed serene and picturesque but that could all change in the blink of an eye.

A sharp crack broke the silence, drawing my attention to the bush to my right. Sky kept a lookout while I peered around it with my baton raised. Small beady eyes clashed with mine as the squirrel sat on its hind legs.

When its head tilted towards my baton, with a curious gleam in its eyes, I cleared my throat and quickly lowered my weapon. Sky rolled her eyes as the squirrel turned away, skittering towards the trees.

"Is it broken?" Sky asked as we inched closer to the bridge.

"Definitely not. The timer is still ticking down." I nodded in the direction of the timer. "Stay ready."

This had to be a trick. Sergeant Carter was probably waiting for us to drop our guard to send a ton of mutants our way. Each of the previous teams' simulations had been different, so there was no way to predict where and when the first attack would happen. Troy hadn't told me the exact details of his simulation, but now I wish he'd given me some tips.