Page 45 of Stealing Embers
Crossing her arms, she cocks her head before leaning against the metal wall of the elevator. “You don’t take any crap. That’s ballsy. I like it.”
It’s my turn to gawk at her as we descend. Have I stepped into an alternate universe?
I’m still staring at her, mouth gaping, when we jerk to a stop and the doors slide open.
Nova saunters out of the elevator with natural confidence and takes three runway steps before noticing I’m not accompanying her. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she rolls her eyes.
“Seriously, close your mouth. You look like a trout.”
My jaw snaps shut. Well, then.
“And hurry up. I was sent to fetch you. They thought you’d gotten lost and needed a babysitter. I’m only so patient . . . even with people I like.”
I scurry to catch up as she sashays down the hall, leading the way to the gym—wholly confused as to what exactly just happened. Because if I didn’t know better, I’d say I made another friend.
This place is weird.
Chapter Thirteen
Nova points me in the direction of the locker room and gives me a brief rundown of where to find my training clothes. I’m still in a state of shock, so I do a lot of nodding before she walks off. She throws up a hand on the way out and says she hopes I don’t break my neck. I’m sixty-two percent sure she’s being sincere.
Exiting the locker room, I spot Ash waving at me from the other side of the gym. Her hair is pulled into a mop of dark curls that bounces with her movements.
We’re dressed similarly in a pair of black spandex shorts and a matching tank—an obvious combat class uniform. These are by far my least favorite academy attire. I don’t care if every other girl is wearing the same thing, I still have the urge to hold my hands over my butt when I walk.
I begin navigating toward Ash, trying not to get distracted as I weave through the cavernous space—but it’s impossible.
The gym is easily the largest room in the compound, which is impressive since it’s located underground. The ceiling stretches four floors above my head. The floor space is divided into six different zones. About twenty students are in each of the zones, with anywhere from one to four teachers overseeing and instructing.
I walk through the middle of the room, three zones on each side. To my left is an area that looks most like a normal gym. People climbing ropes, playing basketball, running laps, and working out on weight machines.
My gaze skates over the activities I categorize as normal and pauses on the students training on the right. They spar with broadswords and ancient-looking weapons I don’t know the names for. They run through a complex obstacle course while popping in and out of the spirit realm, disappearing at seemingly random points and appearing at others. Most bizarre of all is a cage set up in the far corner.
The students inside wear helmets with visors covering their eyes. A metal arm with several hinged joints hangs from the ceiling and clamps around their middles. Students bounce through the air with the help of the metal arm. They kick, punch, and swing imaginary weapons.
Maybe it’s some sort of high-tech virtual reality?
I’m still rubbernecking when I plop down on the mat next to Ash.
“Please explain.” I point at the cage.
“It’s a simulation. Each person’s Nephilim skills are loaded into the program, and they train by fighting computer-generated Fallen and Forsaken. Wild, right?”
“That’s one way to describe it.”
“Ladies, you ready to start or should we give you a few more minutes?”
Oh, gosh. I close my eyes and duck behind Ash.
“Sorry, Seth.”
The instructor nods once then addresses the class.
“As you all know, we had a scare this past week. For some of you, this was the closest you’ve ever gotten to a Forsaken. You’re the fortunate ones. For the rest of us, this experience was all too familiar. Whatever your experience with the Forsaken has been so far, the thing we all have in common is that it won’t be our last confrontation.”
Nope, don’t like the sound of that. Fighting gross Fallen-possessed vampire-creatures is not on my life goals list.
“What that means for your time here is that we’re going to be stepping up training. We’re going to be pushing your comfort zone to propel you to the next level.” He claps his hands together. “Today, we start with some sparring. Emberly, come on up here. We need to assess your level.”