Which was the right supposition? I just didn't know.
Lost in thought as I was, I didn't realize the wall had split and someone stood there, watching me. “It's a lot to take in, I know,” a voice suddenly said.
I gasped and whipped my attention to the side. Ryan leaned against the side of the doorway. He was frowning, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Yes,” I managed, hating how breathless I sounded.
He stepped toward me, and the door closed behind him. My heart kicked into gear as I hopped to my feet. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see how you're doing.”
“Not so good.” More than the tone of my voice, I hated how hot he looked, how rugged, because he was older than me and probably viewed me as nothing more than a little girl. A druggie, loser little girl at that.
“So…” He closed the rest of the distance between us and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Our gazes met and held, his blue against my brown—a blank slate against…what emotion was I showing him? Confusion? Shock? Pleasure that he'd come to see me? “What do you think?” he asked.
My brow furrowed. “Help me out here. Exactly what are you asking my opinion about? What I think about you? Or the camp? Or A.I.R.? Or even the entire messed-up situation of being taken from my school and brought here in secret? What about the fact that you let my mom think I got high that night?” I added, anger heating my blood.
“I'm sorry about that. I didn't want it to happen, but I didn't know your past at the time. I didn't know she'd just assume…”
My cheeks burned.
“We couldn't tell her the truth, Phoenix. The rest of the world can't know what goes on with predatory aliens. They'll panic. They'll loot. They'll kill innocent Outers on sight. You can't even tell your mother what we do here. Very few even know it exists. She thinks she sent you to an undisclosed location for tough love drug treatment.”
“Yeah, well, where do the parents of the other kids think their children have been sent?”
“Programs for the gifted, the talented. Whatever fits their situation.”
How embarrassing for me. They were gifted and talented; I was the only loser. “Anyone like me ever been admitted before?”
“No. You're the first. When Mia heard about you, she demanded you be brought in.” Ryan cleared his throat. “We don't have much time. Let's talk about A.I.R.”
A minute passed in silence, and I used very second to think of a witty response. Nothing came to me. “I have so many questions. If I decide to stay here, where will I live? What's going to be required of me? What aliens will I be required to fight, and will I have to kill them now?”
“You'll live here, with the other trainees. You'll be required to work hard, demonstrate loyalty and dedication. No drugs. You'll fight…no one,” he said. He shrugged. “Not yet, at least.”
My jaw clenched at the “no drugs” bit. I didn't comment, though. I reached up and massaged the back of my neck. “I don't understand. No fighting? But—”
“You have to learn how to fight before you're sent into the field.” He leaned his shoulder against the wall, and I caught the scent of woods and soap. A wonderful scent. The best I'd smelled so far. Better, even, than Roses.
“This place really is a training ground, then,” I said. “Like that guy said.”
Ryan nodded. “He'll never lie to you. No matter how brutal, no matter how harsh, he'll never lie.”
“What about school? I want to graduate.” There had been a time when I hadn't cared if I'd finished school or not. In fact, I had preferred not to finish. But that had been a time when all I'd only wanted was my next high. I wasn't that girl anymore—no matter what everyone thought.
“You'll graduate, don't worry. In a few days, if not tomorrow, you'll be given an efficiency test. If you pass, you'll be allowed to graduate high school early. If not, you'll be required to study after your combat, weapons, and alien classes.”
Great. If I failed the test, my workload would double. If I decided to stay.
Tests had never been easy for me. Frankly, I sucked at them. Five minutes after I would turn one in, I'd remember the answers I should have given.
“What if I want to go home?” I asked softly.
His lips lifted in a who-do-you-think-you're-kidding smile. “Please, Phoenix. Just please. After seeing what the Sybilins did, you'll never be able to go back to your normal life, doing nothing and knowing you could be doing something to make the world a safer place.”
“First of all, don't assume you know me or what I can and can't do.”
“I wasn't finished.”
Eyes narrowed, I waved a hand through the air, a silent command for him to continue.
He tapped the end of my nose with his finger. “Sybilins make some alien breeds look like trained house pets. Believe me, there are much worse prowling our streets, stalking our families.”
“Why haven't I heard about them then?”
“Like I said, we make sure the public doesn't know.”
I didn't respond. I didn't know how to respond. What else was I ignorant about?
“Tell me you don't care about predatory species stalking your family. Tell me that doesn't bother you. Tell me you're happy doing nothing.”
“Listen, I'll do or fight anything to keep my mother safe.” Even though she'd sent me here, thinking the worst of me. A sharp pain of regret tore through me, but I ignored it. Fragile as she was, my mom would not be able to defend herself against predatory creatures. “But that doesn't mean I have to do that here. That doesn't mean this is the place for me. I like the idea of it, sure, but I'm just not—”
“Don't let Boss hear you talk like that,” he snapped, cutting me off. “Kids all over the world would kill to be in your place and you're on shaky ground as it is.”
“Maybe they would, and maybe I am.” I scrubbed a hand down my face. “If I stay, will I be able to see my friends?”
“No.” He didn't hesitate, didn't try to lie.
No.
With a half smile, he bumped my shoulder with his own. “It's not so bad, I promise. You'll make new friends.”
He made it sound so easy, not the nerve-racking chore it was sure to be. That Kitten girl had been nice, I reminded myself, but she hadn't known about my past. She might run screaming the moment she did.
“I trained here,” Ryan said, regaining my attention. “Now I teach here.”
My eyes widened. “What do you teach?”