Triple Point

Chapter 106: T-12

Content Warning (see in-line comments for details)

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03 OCT 34AE, 1015

12 days before Operation Cliffhanger

Camilla must have been seriously distracted when she stumbled into the training room that morning. That was the only explanation for why she forgot to lock the door behind her, and how she didn't even notice until Jordan snuck in a few hours later. But by then, the damage was done, and Camilla wasn't rude enough to kick him out even if she was annoyed by his presence. Besides, Jordan seemed desperate enough to earn some sympathy from Camilla, and he promised to be so discreet that she wouldn't even know she was there.

"Don't you have your own assignments?" Camilla asked, trying to pull Jordan's curious gaze away from the bucket of water in the middle of the room. "I thought you and your brother were gathering supplies from all your connections."

"We are," Jordan agreed. "We got the first delivery today, and we must have taken inventory at least three times, but my brother insists on counting it again. And he'll probably want us to check it again after that." He let out a forlorn sigh. "I'm pretty sure he's having work withdrawals."

"And you have to hide out here?" Camilla asked. "There's absolutely nowhere else you can go?"

Jordan shrugged. "I'm pretty sure he's scared of you. Or, he at least tries to avoid you." The next time he met Camilla's gaze, he made his eyes wide and put on a slightly pouty face. "So can you help me?"

Camilla raised an eyebrow but managed to stifle an exhausted sigh. As much as she didn't believe he wouldn't bother her, she let him stay, and watched as he made himself at home. He wedged himself into one of the corners of the room, took out his phone and a pair of earphones, and in seconds he was entranced by whatever he was watching on his screen.

After ensuring he was settled, Camilla initially had a hard time finding her focus again, and it took her several minutes before she could concentrate on the task at hand. Not that it made a difference though, and no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't make her abilities work. All she was trying to do was heat a bucket of water, since she grew tired of freezing her hands off, but she couldn't even do that.

Whatever AJ had shown her hadn't helped, especially since Camilla had no idea what it meant. If anything, it made Camilla even more frustrated to have to relive a compilation of her life's "greatest hits," as if she didn't have enough to worry about already.

AJ had said she would show Camilla what was keeping her abilities from working, and all Camilla got were snippets of the times she was filled with fear, anger, or pain. So if AJ was implying that Camilla was the problem, then Camilla wanted a refund; what was the point in going through all that trouble to tell her something she already knew?

"Damn it," Camilla mumbled, and she directed a frustrated kick at the water bucket in front of her.

Thankfully, she learned her lesson from having to clean up from the first day and she reigned in her kick enough to only give the bucket a gentle nudge. Except the dull thud that her foot made against the bucket and the feeble ripple in the water that followed seemed to irritate Camilla even more, and she scoffed loudly, almost ready to lash out at the inanimate object.

It wasn't until that moment that Camilla remembered Jordan was still in the room. She quickly spun around, ready to glare at him into silence if necessary.

But when she faced him, he wasn't paying her any attention. In fact, he was so enamored by his phone that he had completely slumped down the wall at some point. He was essentially lying on the floor, leaving his head as the only part of him that was still touching the wall.