Obsidian Hearts (The Academy)

Chapter 2: A Job Well Done

Thanks again to @LeighSpringerKirk for editing!  Also the picture above is to show you the outfit. The girl looks nothing like Emery.

"An informant has notified the Academy of a possible case of illegal hunting and capturing of endangered species near Cotton Wood Lake. Our job is to be able to capture evidence of this being true and to hand the evidence over to the police. However, that could take too much time to guarantee the safety of the animals so it also our job to rescue and release them back in the wild," Barret explains.

"We happen to need you because none of us know how to handle wild animals, unless you count Cameron's idea of shooting at them and running away," Brio adds.

"Hey at least I've interacted with wild animals going after my family's livestock and sheep," Cameron points out, "You're the one who thinks it is a good idea to go up to a scared animal and give it a hug!"

"You're both wrong," I growl. "You'll only make the situation worse if you injure it or hug it!"

"And that, my dear, is why we need you." Finlay smiles.

"It's a good thing Erin found out about you. There aren't many people in the Academy that are skilled with saving and protecting wild animals."

I turn to Barret in shock. Erin is the one who found out about me? He seems like the least friendly and least approachable of the guys. He is the only one who has yet to be friendly. Barrett sighs and turns toward Erin who is tapping at his cell phone.

"Erin what did I say about being a stick in the mud?" Barret asks and continues to answer, "If you don't relax and treat everything like it's a business transaction you'll never be able to blend in. You'll constantly appear rude!"

"Fine," Erin replies.

Erin relaxes his shoulders, and his posture isn't as perfect as it was seconds ago. He walks over to me and holds his hand out for me to shake. I grasp his hand firmly and shake.

"I'm Erin Stern. I asked around at the Academy to see if anyone works well with wild animals. It was another member that led me to Jerry which led me to you."

"Good job Erin," Finlay hoots.

"Knock it off," Cameron says whacking Finlay on the side of his head.

"I'm glad you found me. I hate people who mistreat animals," I say to Erin.

I walk forward and give him a quick hug before backing away. I pick up my tennis bag and glance back to spot Erin frozen in shock. I giggle. I stop quickly in shock at my own actions. I never giggle.

"So what's the plan," I ask trying to break the tension and get answers.

Finlay grins, "We, my dear, are going camping!"

Cameron takes my tennis bag from me so efficiently I barely notice. Barrett comes up from behind and lifts me up. I squeal in shock. My legs dangle over his arm and my back presses up against his other arm.

"What are you doing? Put me down. Put me down!"

I'm not a light girl to carry. I'm not short and cute. Years of hiking and playing tennis has earned me muscles in my calves, thighs, and arms. No one has ever picked me up since I was 8 years old.

"Hey! Erin found the bathroom Barrett," Finlay's voice calls out.

I didn't even notice that Finlay and Erin had gone ahead of us. Why in the world are they looking for the bathroom? I look up and see glee in Barrett's eyes.

"Don't you even think about it," I warn.

"Think about what? I have no idea what you think I am thinking," Barrett grins.

He walks over to the bathroom, and I can see that the bathtub is already halfway full with water. Cameron pops his head in the doorway and smiles. My tennis bag is nowhere in sight so I assume he put it away in my room. He enters the bathroom and picks up my left shoe.

"I'll take your shoes off, my lady," Cameron smiles.

I blush. This is way too intimate for me to handle, and I swear my mind goes blank as he carefully pulls off my shoes and then delicately hooks a finger into my sock. His calloused finger brushes down lightly along the bottom of my foot. It tickles, but not enough for me to laugh. Instead, I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. I will kick them if they even think about removing anything else. Cameron finishes taking off my other sock in the same manner.

"Well Emery, you better hurry up and get ready. Brio is buying food for our trip," Erin advices.

"Jerry packed a bag of clothes for you, and Erin here picked out this outfit for you to wear after your bath. It's a good thing his mother taught him a thing or two about fashion otherwise who knows what you would have ended up with," Barrett informs. "Well now, this is what I consider a job well done."

Barrett then plops me into the bathtub, clothes and all. He then pushes Finlay out of the bathroom and is followed closely by Cameron. Erin shifts over to the sink and picks up my tan coat with a hoodie and a red plaid shirt along with dark wash jeans. On top of the toilet seat, I see my black waterproof boots.

Politely without looking my way Erin asks, "Is this alright?"

I sink into the bath so that only my eyes and the top of my head are above the water. I blow bubbles feeling too awkward to answer him out loud. The outfit is fine. He turns to look at me. His eyes are demanding an answer. He wants to know if I'm satisfied with his choice. I sit up and nod my head. A brief smile forms on his lips.

"Good," he murmurs.

He quietly leaves the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. I sit in the bathtub for an awkward moment before deciding to quickly undress and wash the sweat off my body. I get out of the bath and notice a matching set of black underwear. When had he picked this out? I didn't want to think about this anymore so I quickly chang and walk back out to the living room. All of the boys are waiting for me.

"Simple but cute; you really do have a good taste when it comes to clothes," Brio smiles.

"You can thank my mother for that," Erin sighs.

"Before you guys go I should tell you that Emery owes the Academy 11 favors. You should probably explain how that works to her," Jerry informs, "Emery, remember your promises and trust the Academy."

"I can never forget," I reply.

I nod my head in response to trusting the Academy.

"Okay now, it's time to solve the most important question of all," Finlay declares seriously. "Who gets to sit next to Emery?"

"Why me of course," Cameron calls out.

"She should sit by me. I brought up the topic first," Finlay complains.

"She should choose who she wants to sit with," Brio says causing all eyes to turn toward me.

By process of elimination I decide to sit by Brio. He was the only one who hadn't embarrassed or teased me yet.