Birthright

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

There were two physical training classes for second years scheduled at Fitness Center A, and each one consisted of about fifteen Sanser and twenty-five Meta cadets. Kray was directed by a fitness instructor to one of the gigantic co-ed shower room, where he was supposed to change out of his uniform into a pair of gray sweatpants and a red t-shirt.

The shower room was noisy. Even though nothing was said, the Metas congregated on the right side of the room and the Sansers on the left, divided by a set of metal benches in the middle. There was an unstated line between the two groups, reinforced by suspicious looks and glares.

He noticed a group of girls giggling and pointing at their Sanser bindings. Some of the Sansers pulled on their workout clothes in a hurry, but Kray took his time. He stood bare-chested in front of a steel-colored locker as he rifled through his duffel bag, pulling the clothes and shoes out one by one as though he didn't have a care in the world.

Beside him, Violet laughed softly. He glanced over to find her appraising him with a gleam in her silver eyes. "You must be very proud of your bindings to show them off like that."

She wore a red top and sweatpants that hugged her hips and shapely legs. He'd done his best to pretend to be unfazed when she was standing next to him in her underwear, so close their shoulders grazed. Other guys around them had snuck glances at her curves, at the black tattoos gracing her golden skin like they'd been painted by an artist. Kray hadn't missed the awe and desire in their eyes.

Violet acted like she was oblivious to them. No, that wasn't quite right. She acted like she wasn't affected by their attention. Like she didn't care one way or the other.

Kray shrugged and finished tugging his shirt down over his stomach. "I don't see the point in hiding them. They're there whether I show them or not."

She folded her uniform shirt and placed it carefully inside the locker. "I guess that's better nothing. But you know what would be even better? If we had half as much pride in being Sansers as these Meta assholes have in being copycats."

Kray looked around at the well-lit shower room with its pristine linoleum flooring and mirrors for walls. His eyes fell on the Metas in their sweatpants and blue t-shirts as they chatted and laughed with one another, comparing their muscles and asking one another about ranking scores. They looked perfectly at home.

"Doesn't matter," Kray said.

He slammed his locker shut and walked away.

#

Alex was in his physical training class. She stood with her fellow Metas to one side of the large workout room, stretching her arms above her head. She caught his eye when he walked in, but he immediately turned to Violet and gave her full attention as if what she was saying was fascinating—when in reality he barely knew what they were talking about.

As they made their way over to a corner, someone stepped into his path. Kray frowned at the lanky and brown-skinned guy, wondering where he'd seen him. The guy smiled and the familiarity hit Kray so hard he took a step back.

"Shane?" he asked with disbelief.

Shane grinned wider. "The one and only."

Kray clasped his old friend's hand before pulling him in for a quick hug. "Heru, I can't believe you're here. Thought I'd never see you again. I always hoped you made it out of that place alive. It feels good to know that for sure."

Shane stepped to one side, allowing other students to walk into the workout room. "You and me both, brother. Imagine my surprise when I saw your mug on the student rankings page." He looked Kray over, still smiling. "Damn. You look like you've put on about fifty pounds since I last saw you. What've you been doing with your time? Training for the Provincial Olympics?'