WMMAP - [S2] Shelter You

29: To Test

As he recalled what Lilian had told him as well, Lucas froze for a second.

A test... Of course...

Lucas felt his skin crawl and a chill down his spine when he looked up to meet the silver-colored eyes, staring down at him with an emotion of the void.

Felix rarely wore this expression.

Lucas could think back to one of the events when he caught a glimpse of that face. It was back in the training day, amidst the chaos.

Once in a Blue Moon, when the clutter of fist fights arose in the camp, Felix needed not verbally divert the fight.

He simply walked inside the circle, with the belongings of the meddlers in his hands and threw them next to their boots.

'Pick up your things and disappear from my face.'

Felix Robane tolerated nothing when it came to misbehaving.

Lucas, on the other hand, never cared. He remembered watching the scene from afar, snorting in amusement. To Lucas, back then, he would not care less if he was going to be deported.

Better yet, he wanted to be, because that would equal freedom. Though he could have just walked away, Lucas did not make any attempt as he started to grow attached to his brothers-in-arms.

So, he had a reason to stay and behave. Especially with Ezekiel keeping him in a straight line along with Cabel.

But in all honestly, for Ezekiel, it was like keeping two hyperactive huskies on a leash. One was pulling left and the other was pulling right. The barks, the snarls, these two played rough and loud.

Sometimes Ezekiel would try to find a desolate place just for himself and his book. With a book in his hand, the young man found comfort in a hammock under the shade of the tree, away from the two. Interestingly, Lucas and Cabel were still able to trace Ezekiel. The youngest would start nagging and telling the oldest to settle the dispute for them, for an absolutely trivial matter.

Ezekiel would sigh visibly and pretend to fall asleep with his book glued to his face. He would play dead until the two actually leave him alone.

If not, the strings that tie the hammock to the nearby trees would be cut and laughter mixed with footsteps retreating from the crime scene.

Other times, the two would spar and force Ezekiel to be the referee. However, the white-haired boy ended up snapping at the other two for disturbing his peace and quiet.

Slightly frightened because they had never seen or heard Ezekiel yelling, Cabel ducked behind Lucas. While Lucas clicked his tongue and dragged Cabel away by his collar.

Realizing what he had done, Ezekiel sighed, then offered to join their little games.

Grinning from ear to ear, Cabel and Lucas gave each other a high five. That was when Ezekiel realized he had been played.

Little could be done because the prim and proper, the young master of the Alpheus family got dragged into the mud, literally.

"What kind of training is this?" A voice boomed.

Lucas vastly remembered Felix's voice as he looked ahead, not willing nor would he dare to look at his superior.

In the middle of their bullying, their superior, Felix Robane came to deliver an assignment, a four-man expedition with a newcomer named Dolus.

"You three look like a bunch of puppies rolling in the mud," Felix commented.

Lucas and Cabel abruptly dropped Ezekiel to the muddy ground and stood up straight, right hand edged to the temple of their head, saluting.