Brianna Acero and the Second One's Return

34. We meet the President... sort of

What?

"What?"

She shakes her head, hair whipping back and forth, and she gestures for us to follow. After the initial shock Jayson and I chase after her, and the three of us practically race to the common area. We make it there in under a minute, finding the room jam-packed with trainees. I've only ever been here once or twice, as I prefer to stay at the dorm and read, rather than hang out and socialize.

It's an oval-shaped room, with a large glass table in the middle, two orange sofas circling it. There is a television in one corner, and I know that some of the boys like to play video games together sometimes. I can hear them yelling at each other from our dorm.

We push our way through the crowd and find Kalen and Cassie. Kalen is serious, but Cassie is pale and shaking. She and Quinn had gotten close during training, and the two of us even exchanged a few words from time to time. She was sweet, liked by almost everyone in the compound because of her easy-going nature. It had come as a shock to us when she chose Jack's team, but I didn't judge people for their decisions. She was still a decent person, would still hang out with us during lunch breaks. She helped Cassie with her hand to hand skills and made Jack's team a bit more bearable. And now, she's gone.

Christian stands in the center of the room, in front of the circular table. Alexa and Daniel stand on either side, both with sullen expressions plastered on their faces. Jack and his team stand behind them, all of them wearing equal looks of pain. Even Jack seems affected, skin pale and ashen, dark circles creating bags under his eyes.

The space where Quinn should stand is like a hole, creating a gap too big to ignore. I spot people in the crowd with tears streaming down their cheeks, friends of Quinn's grieving for their loss. Cassie also has tears in her eyes, and when they meet mine, they seem to scream at me. "What's going on?" they plead, and all I can do is wrap my arm around her and provide her with what little comfort I can. I squeeze between her and Kalen, and he watches me with knowing eyes. We have a silent conversation, and whatever happened in the training room is ignored and forgotten. He shifts minutely closer, his own way of trying to provide comfort.

"You've all been called here today," says Christian, voice loud and clear over the low murmurs, "because we've lost one of our own."

I hear gasps, people that hadn't known what was going on were starting to understand the gravity of the situation. Everyone starts asking questions at once, voices creating a cacophony of worried shouts. Christian holds up his hands and asks for silence, but it takes Daniel whistling to get everyone's attention. Christian nods at our mentor and continues his speech.

"Team A returned this morning from their mission, to inform us that what we are facing, is more than what we anticipated. They encountered an unknown Gift, a more dangerous Gift than Simon Says' own, and first-year Quinn Miller lost her life trying to protect her team."

Jack flinches where he stands, and I see how hard he's fighting to maintain his composure. I may not like the guy, but losing a teammate like that, even one you just recently met, is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

"It's a tragic event, one that will not go unpunished. We've sent out a message to all the compounds in the area. It's become a top priority to find this man and bring him in. This is no longer a solo mission. All of you will be tasked with finding him, you will help each other out, and bring him down."

He nods to Daniel, who looks more serious than I've ever seen him. One of his students just got killed, he had good reason to be pissed.

"You will be briefed tomorrow morning, today you have the rest of the afternoon off. I suggest you use your time wisely."