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  Alex cradled her injured arm close to her body and jogged painfully back to the beginning of the course. She still had time left, and there was no way she was going to quit until Karter blew his whistle. She just hoped it would be soon.

  She crawled on three limbs through the first challenge—a mud-drenched wriggle-tube—but once she reached the second obstacle—a fifty-foot high rope ladder—Alex knew she was in trouble. She tried to reach out with her sore arm but it was no use—the pain was too intense and there was no way she could hold her weight with it. But she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.

  An idea came to her and she wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was worth a try. Instead of stepping onto the first rung, Alex wrapped her left leg around the entire ladder, before reaching up with her good arm and pulling her weight off the ground. She then wrapped her right leg around it as well, locking her ankles together until she felt somewhat secure. She didn’t know how high she would get, but with both her legs caught in the ladder she was much more stable.

  Alex started to pull herself up with her good arm, using her legs to hold her position whenever she had to reach up for the next rung. Her muscles screamed from the strain, and even though she wasn’t using her bad shoulder at all, even the slightest movement caused pain to ripple through her body.

  Finally, when she was about three quarters of the way up, the whistle blew and she shuddered with relief. There was no way she could have gone any further. It was a struggle enough to loosen her cramping limbs and slide fireman-style back to the ground.

  Alex swayed on her feet when the impact from landing back on the floor jarred her shoulder, and her vision blackened for a moment. But she was determined to walk out of the class just like everyone else, so she rallied the last of her strength and staggered over to the others. Her classmates were all looking at her strangely, but she was too focused on not passing out to try and figure out what they were thinking. She did, however, look at Karter, and on his face was an expression she had never seen directed at her before: respect.

  “Well, that’s it,” he said abruptly. “Your exam is over. Off you go.”

  Alex wasted no time following his instructions. As she was walking—or stumbling—away, he barked out one more order: “Jennings, report to Fletcher immediately.”

  She didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes. As if she was going anywhere else.

  Alex made it halfway up the hill towards the academy before she had to stop and rest. Collapsing into a sitting position on the ground, she bent over herself and held her injured arm close to her body.

  “Ow,” she whispered, unable to express herself in any other way.

  Just as she was contemplating leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment, a pair of dark boots entered her vision.

  “Do you need that push now?”

  Alex laughed breathily before wincing at the pain it caused her. “This time? I think so,” she admitted.

  Kaiden knelt down and reached out to wrap his arm around her. He was careful to keep clear of her damaged shoulder as he pulled her gently to her feet. She was too exhausted and in too much pain to be embarrassed by his help—even when she realised that the rest of the guys from their Combat class were also surrounding them.

  As a group they hobbled towards the Med Ward. Well, she hobbled—they walked.

  “Is that what you’ve been doing during class?” Nick asked her. “That course?”

  “Not that one,” she answered weakly. “But other courses like it.”

  “You’d never been around that one before?” Brendan clarified.

  “Nope,” she murmured, leaning a little more onto Kaiden with every step. She was really hurting now as the adrenaline steadily wore off and she could barely hold herself upright.

  “Wow.”

  Alex wearily turned her head to look at Sebastian who’d made the exclamation. She was surprised by the praise, and even more so to find the others nodding along in agreement.

  “Yeah, that sure was something,” Nick said.

  “I wonder why Karter gave you more time?” Declan mused. “You were clearly done-in at the fifteen-minute mark.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked. Her vision turned hazy around the edges before clearing again.

  “Your time ran out just after you were clipped by the sandbag on the beam,” Declan explained. “You still got further than the rest of us by then, but it’s weird that he made you continue on—especially with your shoulder like that.”

  Alex really didn’t like the way he’d said ‘like that’ but she didn’t question him. She didn’t question anything in fact—not even Karter’s added time—and instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to not collapse completely onto Kaiden.

  “We’re almost there,” he whispered to her, almost as if he could feel her fading. He probably could, since he was practically carrying her entire weight.

  Finally they stepped into Gen-Sec and made their way to the Med Ward. Alex was so relieved to see Fletcher that she could have cried.

  “Dear, dear, dear,” he tsked when he noticed the condition she and some of the others were in. “You all look like you’ve been in a war. On the losing side. Help her onto the bed, will you, Kaiden?”

  Alex was trying so hard to remain conscious that she didn’t even feel awkward when Kaiden lifted her up onto the mattress.

  “What have you done to yourself this time, young lady?” Fletcher’s tone was stern but there was genuine concern in his gaze as he inspected her shoulder.

  Alex whimpered when his fingers made contact, the touch ripping pain all the way up her arm. He immediately dropped his hand and walked over to his medicine cabinet, returning with a vial of bright green pain reliever. She swallowed it in one go but was disappointed when it only dulled the pain.

  “It didn’t work,” she told him. “Not as much as normal.”

  “I’ll give you a stronger one in a moment,” he promised. “But I need you to be able to tell me what you’re feeling.”

  “A whole heap of pain,” she said, “and then some more.”

  Someone chuckled and she looked up to find that her classmates were still in the room. Her pain had eased enough that she was capable of embarrassment now. “Um, how about a little privacy?” she asked, motioning for them to leave.

  For some reason they seemed disappointed, but they surprised her by respecting her request and moving towards the door.

  “Actually, I’d like to check over you all before you leave,” Fletcher told them. “I’m guessing you’ve come from your Combat exam and Alex probably isn’t the only one to have an injury or two. Please take a seat and I’ll be with you all momentarily.”

  “Fletcher,” she whined. “This is humiliating.”

  He reached out and closed the curtain around her bed to give her some privacy.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Not much,” she muttered, but at least her classmates couldn’t see her anymore.

  Fletcher inspected her shoulder again. His prodding was still painful, but it was dulled thanks to the medicine he’d given her. She still hissed when he touched a particularly tender spot.

  “Well, it’s definitely dislocated,” he said, “but I’m not sure how bad it is without an X-ray. I’ll just grab my Device.”

  He stepped out of sight and returned a moment later holding a book-sized, TCD-like object in his hands.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “It’s a MedTek,” he told her. “It has an application for an X-ray feature which will show me a holographic image of your localised skeletal structure.”

  Alex kept still as he held it close to her body and pressed at the screen. He asked her to move a few times, rolling onto her side and then onto her front while he took X-rays from different angles.

  “All right,” he said, inspecting the hologram that rose out of the device. “It’s a good, clean, dislocation. We just have to pop it back in and you
’ll be right to go. You might be a little tender for a few days, but there’ll be no permanent damage.”

  “Pop it back in?” Alex repeated, completely ignoring his other remarks. “What do you mean by that?”

  Fletcher didn’t answer immediately, instead he stuck his head out the curtain and said something before moving back to her side. A moment later Declan and Kaiden invaded her bubble of privacy.

  “Fletcher?” she growled.

  “It means exactly what I said,” he told her. “I have to pop your shoulder back into place.”

  Alex stared at him, not letting herself think about how he would do that. “What are they here for, then?” she asked, gesturing to the boys and dreading the answer.

  “To keep you still, of course.”

  “Of course,” she muttered, closing her eyes slowly before opening them again. “Fine, whatever, just get it over with.”

  “That’s a good girl,” he said, beaming at her. “Declan, you grab her legs. Kaiden, make sure you keep her upper half still.”

  As her two strong classmates latched onto her, she looked up at Fletcher. “This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”

  “Immensely,” he said. At least he was honest. “But it will be over fast, and then I’ll give you a stronger painkiller as promised.”

  “You’d better,” Alex grumbled.

  Kaiden squeezed her good arm reassuringly. He sent her a teasing grin and asked, “So, do you come here often?”

  To her shame, she actually laughed, and Fletcher used her distraction to click her shoulder back into place.

  Agony. Absolute agony. Her laugh turned into a muffled groan as she tried not to scream at the pain. She closed her eyes tightly, desperately willing away the urge to vomit.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain started to fade. Alex was soon able to open her eyes again, and as she blinked back tears she noticed Fletcher, Kaiden and Declan all watching her with concern. But it was the dark green vial of liquid in the doctor’s hand that she was more interested in.

  “Please tell me that’s for me,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly.

  Fletcher had to help her swallow it, lifting her up from her horizontal position on the bed so that it didn’t spill. The moment it entered her system she breathed a sigh of relief. Her entire body relaxed as her senses dulled and the pain disappeared.

  “Mmm,” she hummed contentedly, lying back again. “I like that one very much.”

  “That’s because it’s a very strong painkiller,” Fletcher said, mimicking her emphasis. “It’ll keep you comfortable overnight, but you should come back in the morning and I’ll give you a smaller dose again.”

  “Mmkay.”

  “I should mention that it also has sedative properties,” Fletcher said. “You’re going to be pretty out of it for the rest of the night, and you might not remember much from now until you wake up tomorrow.”

  “Mmkay,” Alex said again, in a truly agreeable mood. She felt wonderful.

  “Let’s put the rest of you back together and then you can go back to your dorm and sleep it off.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, her words slurring slightly. “I like sleep.”

  Alex kept her eyes closed while Fletcher cleaned the cut from her fight with Kaiden and used his healing salve to erase any evidence of the wound. When he was done he asked if she was hurt anywhere else, but she couldn’t think straight in her relaxed state of mind. In the end he had to ask her classmates, and after a moment Brendan admitted to whacking her in the head with his wooden staff.

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Alex murmured through a yawn.

  Fletcher ignored her and inspected her skull, finding a bump but nothing too serious.

  “All right, I think you’re done,” he said. “How are you feeling now?”

  “Like I’m a cloud of happiness riding a rainbow of tranquillity,” she said with a contented sigh.

  Muffled laughter came from the boys and Fletcher seemed to be fighting a grin when he said, “Sounds like you’re good to go, then.” He opened the curtain and looked over her classmates with a critical eye. “Who’s the least injured here?”

  “Me,” Alex answered, raising her hand in the air and waving it around. “I’m already fixed, remember?”

  “Who else is the least injured?” Fletcher corrected, giving her a warning look.

  The boys discussed it quietly amongst themselves before coming to a decision.

  “Probably me,” Kaiden said. “I’ve just got a bruised ankle, but it’s not too bad.”

  “Can you walk?” Fletcher asked him, and Kaiden nodded. “Do you mind taking Alex back to her dorm? I think it’s best if she has an escort.”

  Alex was so focused on tracing invisible patterns in the air that it took her a few moments to realise they were looking at her. “What?” she asked defensively. “The colours are pretty.”

  Kaiden tried—and failed—to hide his smile, and Alex definitely heard a snort from at least one other person in the room.

  “Come on, let’s get you out of here,” Kaiden said, holding his hand out to help her off the bed.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Alex,” Fletcher said. “And Kaiden, come back here once you’ve dropped her off so I can look at your ankle.”

  Kaiden agreed and Alex nodded dazedly before she followed him out the door.

  “Is that my fault?” she asked as they walked slowly across the grounds.

  He stopped her from walking into a tree and moved her back onto the path before asking, “Is what your fault?”

  “Your ankle. Is that from when I kicked you?”

  “Sure is,” he said, almost sounding proud.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled.

  “Don’t be,” he told her, catching her easily when she tripped over a crack in the ground and setting her back on her feet. “You did well.”

  “But I hurt you!” she said, tripping again, this time over a rock. He caught her—again—and she wondered why she wasn’t more embarrassed by her medically induced clumsiness. She guessed that the drugs messing with her coordination were also keeping her too relaxed to feel humiliated. It was nice.

  “You were meant to hurt me,” he pointed out. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do.”

  Alex thought about that while he steered her around a bed of flowers she’d stumbled towards. “I guess you’re right,” she said finally, and he smiled in agreement. She really loved his smile.

  “Thanks,” he said, his smile widening.

  What was he thanking her for? Had she actually said that out loud?

  “Yeah,” he said, chuckling lightly.

  “You can read my mind!” she cried, coming to such an abrupt halt that she actually managed to somehow trip over her own feet. It was so unexpected that Kaiden almost didn’t catch her in time, but at the last second he managed to wrap his arms around her and steady her against his body.

  “No, I can’t read your mind,” he said, stepping away from her but staying within range in case she fell again. “But I’d recommend that you think before you speak, or maybe you should stop thinking and speaking altogether, just to be safe.”

  Alex groaned, embarrassed now even despite the medicine in her system.

  “Hey, don’t worry about it,” he said. “You’re probably not going to remember any of this conversation tomorrow anyway.”

  “But you will!”

  “Yep.” His eyes sparkled with humour. “And one day when you least expect it, I might just have to remind you about it—and about how much you like my smile.”

  Alex decided that it would be best if she kept her mouth shut for the rest of the walk, and she concentrated instead on not tripping over thin air.

  They made it to the dorm building without any more incidents—verbal or physical—and they paused at the entry.

  “Think you can make it from here?” Kaiden asked.

  Alex ignored the urge to stick her tongue out at him childishly. “It’ll be tough but I
reckon I’ll be okay.”

  She started to walk inside but stopped after a moment, turning back to him. “Thanks for the push earlier.”

  “I’m already looking forward to the next time you need one,” he said, his words sounding surprisingly genuine.

  Alex didn’t look back again, but she knew he was still watching and waiting to make sure she got inside okay.

  As she made it up to her room and collapsed onto her bed, she realised that maybe her Combat classmates weren’t as horrible as she’d originally thought.

  Thirty-Nine

  Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

  Alex woke up the next morning to the feeling of her pulse throbbing painfully through her shoulder. She tried to remember what Fletcher had told her, something about visiting him for more pain medicine, but she couldn’t completely recall his words. Her previous evening was all a bit of a haze after he’d popped her shoulder back into place.

  How did I even get back to my room? she wondered, feeling slightly uneasy.

  All she could recall was that Fletcher had asked Kaiden to walk her back to her dorm. She wasn’t sure if they’d spoken at all along the way, but Alex really hoped she hadn’t said or done anything to embarrass herself.

  She groaned as she rolled out of bed and realised what a mess she was. Her clothes were covered in filth, which had transferred onto her bed and even around the room a little. She was surprised D.C. hadn’t woken her up, shrieking at the mess she’d made.

  Alex stripped her bed and stumbled to the shower, determined to clean herself up before she trudged over to see Fletcher for some pain relief.

  Twenty minutes later she was clean, dressed and out the door.

  “Alex, how are you feeling this morning?” Fletcher asked when she walked into his Ward.

  “Much better, thanks,” she said, hoisting herself up onto the bed and wincing slightly at the pain the movement brought. “I must have just crashed last night.”

  “Yes, I gave you quite a strong painkiller,” he said. “I’m actually surprised you managed to walk all the way back to your room. But Kaiden said you made it without incident.”