Obey

Chapter 13: The Midterm - Part 1

In the Catskills - a little past 6:00 P.M.

After weeks of fortifying their mettle through the ever-changing obstacle course, the G/Ps were finally moving to the next stage of their training.

Resting in an inclined oak tree, atop a branch with gray moss patches, Brandon cracked his eyes open to make sense of the commotion around him...

"Nah," Dee refused and shook her head, "I'm not going in there."

"Try everythin' once?" Denzel snickered as he surveyed his group's supplies for what had to be the fourth time.

"I hate this"—Hailey sulked—"I haven't assembled a tent in years." Looking at her already smeared climbing boots, she let loose an ugly sigh. "This"—she pointed to the tucked away cave—"is not my idea of a fun field trip."

"That's because it's a midterm," Ashley said between storing some rope and other climbing gear in her pack and filling a canteen with water from Mr. Raven's large trailer cooler. "At least you're with us"—she eyeballed her boyfriend as he took in nearby sights—"You could've been with the bugs or frogs."

"We left them at the first drop off point, what, thirty minutes ago?" Hailey tied her twisted hair back as Monáe nodded.

Ashley grinned. "Fifty bucks says Kyle gets abandoned."

"That'd be rich." The Guardian stuffed her sleeping bag inside her duffle before bouncing up and down. "I think Connor and Casey would be down, ugh,"—she wiggled to further flatten the fabric—"but Francis and Justine are, oof,"—she strained to pinch the zipper closed—"big softies who wouldn't have the heart to run out on Alex."

"One Benjamin says Ross gets us out the cave before midnight."

"Ooo." Hailey perked up, a sneaky smile on her lips as she double-knotted her laces—"Tina, you know the savant like the back of your hand, so what kind of bet- Hey,"—the woman paused when she turned her head toward the Protected—"you don't look so good."

Having been on guard-

___________________________

Or eavesdropping, whichever sounds better...

___________________________

Brandon angled himself, focused his eyes on his Protected and the butterscotch Guardian.

"Is it the bugs?" Hailey asked while grimacing at the hellish snowball plastered over the cave's narrow entrance. Tina shook her head after a moment's hesitation. "It may look scary," Hailey continued, "but it's just a web. A heavy stick should do the trick-"

"Hailey, Monáe, let's talk strategy." Ashley swooped in to quickly tug both girls away.

"That's a solid idea." Denzel offered his Guardian her survival pack.

"I already told you, pudgy"—she batted the bag from his hand and shrieked—"I'm not going in there!"

The metal mouth tossed Dee a portion of her rations. "Ya bein' difficult. Eat. Now." Spotting Tina speaking with Mr. Raven, the man bypassed her. "Dude," he called to his other partner, "we're talkin' plannin', ya comin'?"

"I'm busy," Brandon answered, unable to tear his focus away from his Protected's methodical approach of Roscoe. As she reached for the hem of the man's shirt, the Guardian's brows pinched together. Though she concealed her face by angling away, the wind carried her salty tears.

"Fine, we'll manage without ya..."

Ignoring Denzel's exasperation, Brandon recalled his Protected's initial spike in anxiety. Originally, he'd thought she had testing jitters, but now, with her steadily hyperventilating, he was suspicious...

"T!" Dee whistled just outside the cave with essentially a small tree in her grasp.

Taking heed as he rolled over his branch, Brandon looked up just in time to catch Roscoe's caring eyes upon his Protected. When the beefy man shifted in the already too small gap separating him and Tina, Brandon followed his hands with laser-like precision.

"Come 'ere, T," Dee yelled, drawing Brandon's attention, "just a sec." She spun her wooden baton.

Returning his eyes to the two Protecteds, Brandon shuddered at the sense that he'd missed something. He watched the tawny teen's breathing soothe as Roscoe's lips left her temple. Drawing in a sharp breath as Tina smiled at her friend, echoed one of his firm hand squeezes, and walked off, Brandon couldn't help himself; the moment his Protected was out of earshot... "Yo, big guy."

"Hm?" Roscoe spun about.

"What's with my idiot?" Brandon sauntered over. Watching the man rub his nape in his nervous tick, he went on in an unforgiving tone, "Don't clam up now." When Roscoe didn't respond, Brandon pursed his lips and verbally pivoted. "...I know it's supposed to be platonic, but"—he looked into stormy eyes, undeterred by their intense stare—"did you and-"

"Your group's going in, Ross," Tina interrupted.

The named man squeaked. "We weren't talking about you!"

"Um,"—Tina slowed her approach—"okay then..."

"Smooth." The Guardian took mental notes. Crossing his arms, he watched the taller man increase the friction at his neck with a nervous laugh. "Careful," he advised, "you'll rub yourself raw."

"Ross,"—Ashley interrupted her mate's frantic shuffling—"we're up!"

"On my way!" he yelled back. Saved, Roscoe relaxed and reached for Tina's hand. Reassuring her with a final pulse, he smiled. "You will do great." Pausing as he walked by Brandon, the Protected spoke at a level incomprehensible to most, "Take care of her."

Brandon scoffed. "We'll survive."

"I'm serious," Roscoe warned, the urgency in his words both confusing and annoying to the Guardian.

...

"Remember, without your partner by your side as you exit the cave, you don't pass." Mr. Raven looked to his laptop running different countdowns. "Your forty-eight hours begin the moment you enter. Complete your trial in time, and y'all will be certified for assignments. Watch each other's-"

"Backs; G/Ps have crappy insurance. Yeah, yeah, we got it already," Hailey cut him off with a sigh. "Now, can we get this show on the road? I miss civilization."

"Go ahead." Mr. Raven's face split into his signature lopsided smile.

"Sometimes, I swear he's a parrot instead of a raven," Hailey grumbled.

Waving his farewells as the sunset cast unusual shadows on nearby rocks, the professor yelled into the cave, "Knock on the trailer door if y'all get back before midnight!" Mimicking the spoken motion, he added with another shout, "I'll double the pot if y'all do!" Hailey's enthusiastic groan at the mention of more money made the outsiders chuckle. "Alright," Mr. Raven drawled at his last group of students, "time to get y'all up and runnin'."

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

In the spirit of this chapter, tell me what subject in school you dread/dreaded taking tests in. For me, math is the devil incarnate...

Keep up with/talk to me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TanyaJustMe3231

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