RANK

Chapter 24

Four days later

"You're lying. You're just trying to get me to come back, right?" Malina states from over the phone.

Nya stood in between the double sinks in her bathroom staring into the steamy mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, not only from an hour-long shower but from the sleep her mind wouldn't let her body have. She held up her white towel and clutched the phone to her ear.  I wish I was."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know." She hasn't heard from him since he left and her heart ached to know if he was okay.

"Are you sure about this, Nya? I mean, this is... just hard to believe. He can't... I mean..."

"I'm sure... but don't say anything to anyone yet. No one else knows except Beta Bent and me."

"What? How can no one know?"

"It happened and he left after... And I don't know what to say... or if I'm supposed to."

There was a ruffling noise from over the speaker for long moments before Malina talked again. "I have to go. I can't...I just can't believe..."

"Lee..."

"No... no Nya, I have to go." Beep beep beep. She hangs up.

The cool air from the air conditioning fanned over the open pores in her skin when she swung the bathroom door open. She switches on the lights for her closet and slips on a pair of jeans and a fitted V-neck top before going downstairs.
She doesn't entertain the thought of breakfast. She passed right by the kitchen, sat on the sofa, and turned on the tv.

When was he gonna come back? What was doing? Is he okay? She had a keen ear practicality pinned to the front door just waiting for the sound of him walking through. What if she never saw him again? What if he got caught up in a brawl with the Rogues. A twang sprang in her heart and it felt like someone twisting a knife in it.

Her phone chimes suddenly. She flips it over to see it was the alarm for 10 am training. The day was passing again.

She picks herself up and begins walking to the training yard. She was almost late. She walks so slow, but nevertheless, she finds her spot at the back of the line with the others in her rank. The sun was beaming in her eyes as she looked forward and saw Shay watching her with a smirk.

"Hey!" She hears on her left, looks over and it was Watson with a huge smile. He waves.

"Hi." She tries to smile back.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." She nods.

Shay goes on to introduce them to a new weapon.  It was these silver spheres and on the top middle was a button that would release three triangular razor-thin blades. She called them traces. She demonstrates how to use them and how to be accurate by hitting the center of one of the nine targets set up. Then she asks for volunteers to go first while looking directly at Nya.
Normally she would be the first to volunteer but she didn't this time. She stayed right where she was at the back of the line.
Others went, but eventually, her spot became first.

She picks up a trace and inspects it for a second. "Ow!" She felt a sharp pain on her arm. She looked at the area and it was bleeding.

"Today Mutt!" Shay barks as the trace she sent to cut Nya's arm comes back to her.

Nya doesn't bother wiping the blood dripping down and aims at the target. The trace sticks to the bottom of the board. Way off target.

"Seriously?" Shay who had her hand on her hips quirks up a brow. "Was that even a try? You know with this kind of weapon you can stop a fight before it begins but it doesn't look like you care about that. Do it again."