She Will Persist

6

Adira

Then Axel left.

And my senses basically exploded. My heart started to rise to my throat and my hands quiver at my sides again. I could feel pulsing in the pressure points in my feet, blood start to rise on my cheeks, the hair at the back of my neck zing out with fear, my hairline prick with sweat, and the edges of my eyes dry as they enlarged to try and take everything in.

So that was great.

Sam stood up. He swiped at the blood under his nose with his sleeve and then licked the rest off his lips. Asshole. He sighed angrily and stomped back to his bunk.

The younger boy, Flynn, slowly climbed down from his top bunk. He pointed at the bed just in front of him, to the left of me in the corner by the door.

"That bed is free," he said.

"Thank you," I replied quickly.

"So," Ricki said from his bed, pushing himself off his elbows. My eyes flicked to him. "What's your deal?" He asked in Mexican-accented English.

"What do you mean?" I asked back.

He rolled his coffee-brown eyes. "You know, why you're here." He got out of his bed and started to pull the covers neatly over it. "We all have a story, we all have a past that got us here."

"It's complicated."

"Then un-complicate it," Sam spat at me. He held his hands tight at his sides. "Just 'cause you can pin me to a wall and bash my jewels, ain't mean shit to the thugs twice my size who'll skin you alive." His light green eyes looked like the inside of an avocado. I much preferred Axel's hazel-green ones. They kept me calm when our discussions in the prison cells got personal.

"For once he's actually right," Dùo said. "You're a girl."

"Oh shit, have I been going my whole life not knowing that?"

"Oh no, but Strider will protect you," came a soft purr from behind me. Hunter rose from his bed too, shirtless like Sam but with much more pronounced muscle tone.

"I thought Flagg had forgotten about him," Dùo said.

"Dios knows he doesn't stop him from getting beat up everyday of his life though," Ricki added.

I tilted my head. "Beat up?"

"Lawrence didn't tell you?" Hunter said with surprise.

"Tell me what?"

"Pity," the Australian shrugged. "You'll have to ask one of us later about it. I'd be happy to share."

There was something very off and very striking about the way he spoke to me. Not just the almost teasing tone of his voice, but the way he dipped his head and his dark eyes didn't move from my face.

Creep.

Sam turned his focus back to me. "The point is that there are agents here who are gonna try and fuck you up." He flashed yellow teeth at me. "Literally."

"Try it," I smiled at him.

"He's being serious," Flynn said shyly. "Agents have been talkin.' They know you're here and they're gonna wanna be friends with you."

"Friends," Dúo chuckled, "right."

I narrowed my eyes at Sam. "Well, if every agent here is as shit of a fighter as you are, then making friends is going to be a pleasure." I turned on my heel and threw the door open to stalk back to James. I shut it behind me and the redhead looked up.