The Unwanted Ones - Book One

Chapter Fourteen

We take the elevator up to the main floor and go to the cafeteria. It's pretty crowded with people. Across the expansive room I spot Matt and the other guys at a table, already eating. Melissa looks over to what I'm looking at.

"They're the worst at getting up in the morning but they're the first to chase after food," she tells me with a smirk. I chuckle at that, watching Danny stuff his face with fries.

We join the line waiting for food, grabbing trays that lay on the counter.

"This has kind of a school-ish feel," Lena observes, looking around.

"Sort of. We do learn in a way. How to fight." Carrie says with a sly smile. "Which is good cause regular school was never really my thing."

I'm next in line. The lady behind the counter gives me a smile and piles my plate with French fries and a burger. I thank her and continue forward, grabbing an apple.

I start walking over to the table that he guys are at, passing other people on the way. Call me crazy but it feels like they're all looking at me. Probably because I'm a 'newbie'.  Once I get to the table, Matt and Danny move all the way down to make room for me and the others. I sit down next to Matt, laying my tray next to his.

"Hey there," I say.

"Hey to you too. What took you guys so long?" he asks me.

"Had some trouble deciding between the gray t-shirt and the black t-shirt." I joke, gesturing at my shirt. Lena sits next to me and Carrie sits down on her other side. Gwen takes a seat across from Danny, next to Luis. Melissa sits on the other side of her brother with Philip on her other side.  

"Well that's okay because that just means more food for us," Danny says, taking up some of Gwen's fries. She hits his hand away and rolls her eyes.

"As if you don't eat enough," she says. Luis laughs and she smiles at him.

"I've got to, to maintain all this muscle," Danny counters, raising his sleeve up to flex.

"Muscle? Is that what you have? Weren't you getting knocked around sideways and backwards by Philip here at training?" Matt asks him with a raised eyebrow.

Philip shrugs, raising up his palms as we all laugh. Danny just lets out a loud huff.

"Alright, I was just getting warmed up. Now that you all have your guards down, next time we train you won't even see it coming!" Danny says, stuffing some more fries into his mouth.

"See what coming?" Lena asks.

"The ultimate smack-down!" Danny exclaims, punching his fist into his open palm. We all bust out laughing, drawing stares from some other people around us.  

"I dunno Dan, you might have to learn a few things before that day ever comes," Philip says with a smirk.

"It's Danny, and I already know everything there is to know. Must I show you my muscles again?" Danny asks him.

Dinner continues like that, with some more banter back and forth between us all. It's hard to believe that we're training to become fighters in a movement to bring down President Nolan. Right now everything just seems so easy going.

After dinner the guys go off to the training room to spar some more. Melissa and Carrie ask us if we want to get shown around some more and we agree. This place is somewhat easy to get lost in, so it'd be helpful to get more familiar with it.

"Wait do you guys even have keycards yet?" Melissa asks us as we leave the cafeteria.

"I don't think we got any," I say, remembering seeing Diane and Greg use theirs to get from place to place.