now or never

13

Neither Sloane nor Violet had said anything. They just stood there with tears streaming down their faces. You could see the shock on their faces and also that they didn't seem to know how to deal with this information. I didn't like being looked at like that. I don't need pity at all.

~Five days later~

"So this is the infamous Gauntler, I imagined him to be more complicated." I said to my brother and Sloane. They both snorted and looked at me confused. "You think this part is easy? Did you fall on your head as a child or something?" Sloane asks me. I could only laugh.

"In fact, I've actually fallen on my head several times, but that probably didn't have any effect on me." Cam ruffled my hair. "Hey!" I complained but I liked this small but annoying gesture of his.

"You have to know Sloane, my dear sister here may have a gentle and big heart and she may look nice and all, but believe me, she is a monster." Sloane looks at me and laughs. I laughed too and Cam joined in our laughter.

For me, the obstacle course is just a small burden that we all have to bear. Garrick and I always built and practiced small courses in the forest in order to be ready for the Gauntler. I was always faster than him and it was a lot of fun, especially when he tried to justify to Xaden that he had let me win. He was just a sore loser.

I started to look around and noticed that neither Sawyer nor Ridoc were there. Where was the group? Actually, at least Rhiannon should be here since she is our squad leader, but she is nowhere to be seen either.

"Sqad leader Matthias isn't here today as she has her own second year duties," Dain says over the crowd. How nice if the others also had the same duties?

"Greycastle, you shouldn't take the course lightly, the last person to do it fell the first time." Bodhi, of course.

"How nice it is that not every person is the same and after all you have achieved it too." Some of the cadets around us gasped audibly while some gave a slight laugh. Bodhi start at me and I start back. What an ass!

"You said it yourself, not everyone is the same." he turned around but still stood there. "Another thing, if you let little things affect you emotionally, you have no place here." With that he left.