The Grim (Ravens #3)

i. morning could wait

 Sweat glistening across his body, Sebastian Augustus took a shaky breath, finally lowering the treadmill speed after completing his fourth consecutive mile. His lungs burned in his exhausted chest, and it wasn't until he slowed that he could really feel his racing heart. But this was a good burn, a healthy burn—a burn he didn't quite mind. Grabbing the beige towel off the chair beside the equipment, he wiped down his face and neck, the rough fibers scratching his skin in an almost uncomfortable way. He took a long gulp of water, and concentrated on the cold liquid trickling its way down his heated body.

In the early days, the time even before the plague, he had never been much of a runner. He could sprint, and it made him a star on the soccer field, but his mile time was always subpar to the other boys in his gym class. He hated it, really. Thoroughly hated having to pace himself for any longer than a few seconds, but now, after the world had flipped him upside down and stolen everything he thought he had, he found it quite comfortable to run. It put him in control, for his heart-rate now rose as a result of his own actions, not anything anyone else had said or done to him. And after the first mile or so, there was no energy for thoughts other than putting one foot in front of the other.

He threw on a long-sleeve t-shirt and exited the gym, carrying his small backpack with him. It was a Sunday, so he was exempt from his training to be a member of the Fortress' guard. Half the Wild Crew had joined the training program, as it felt the most natural after all they'd endured. They didn't belong in desk jobs. They weren't educated just yet for the corporate world, but would never be able to handle sitting still behind a cash register.

Although it was early April, the nighttime air was still a cold relief against his skin. He wore shorts and no jacket, and the temperature was not quite ready for this sort of attire. However, Sebastian relished the wind. It was fresh, more real than the air heated up by the sun reflecting off of metal buildings. It tasted of the woods, and while he did not miss his time in the wild, there was a slight comfort from the frisky sky, a familiarity he couldn't quite call home.

It took twenty minutes for him to return to the apartment he shared with Donovan Mayler and Robert "Phoenix" Darren, a boy whose legal name was a lie to sever all ties to his mother that left the Fortress with a dark legacy of political corruption. They were an unlikely set of roommates, since Sebastian had never been particularly close with either of the other two, and Phoenix was once an integral member of a group that had heavily threatened the former and his Ravens.

But times had changed, and an empathy had grown between the two, for Phoenix lost his sister at the hand of Sebastian's friend, and Sebastian lost his as she was exiled to the forest again. There was more in common between the two than onlookers could fully comprehend, a solidarity they never discussed but hung stagnant in the air between them. A brotherhood, in a sense. A brotherhood of lost souls.

He could hear his friends the moment he entered the hallway of the fifth floor of his building, the music blasting out of a speaker brought by none other than Natalia Sanchez, a friend who lived a good half hour walk away, maybe less if they moved fast. Sebastian chuckled slightly over the fact they were throwing some sort of party on a Sunday night. They all had to work the next day, and those training to join the guard would thoroughly regret any poor decisions they made this evening.

The moment he pushed open the unlocked door, Sebastian was met with a round of applause, as all attention was turned to him. He sent them all a strange look, but examined the array that had gathered. It seemed every member of the Wild Crew was there, at least everyone old enough to be around alcohol, for the undisputable scent lingered in the stuffy air. But much to his surprise, his older brothers—Adam and Tony—were seated on the couch as well. With no other connections to the group, it was absolutely bizarre for them to be hanging out with his without him.