Wild Side [h.s au]

Chapter 2

H, or whatever his name is, nods. "David's orders. Oh, and don't be easy on her," he mutters before turning around, quickly stalking back toward the other side.

I glare at him as he walks away, my gaze drifting to the girl as she clears her throat. "I'm Tori," she introduces herself. "Follow me and listen carefully because I don't like repeating things twice." She turns and starts walking toward the building settled in front of me.

I follow her silently, again stopping myself from making a comment. I have to remind myself I'm in no position to ask questions nor talk whenever I please for now, things have changed the moment my brother and I have decided to run away and seek shelter here.

"You can talk, right?" Tori sends me a glance as she pushes the doors of the guarded building open, stepping inside. "You don't have to be quiet because you're afraid or whatever. I'm too tired to be rude or intimidating, honestly," she adds jokingly.

"I'm quiet because I like to observe," I reply, following her. "Make an impression first, then talk."

She raises her eyebrow as she slows down and starts walking beside me. "Fair enough. While you observe, I'll talk. . ." she trails off, waiting for me to introduce myself.

"Elena," I say. "I'm Elena."

"Alright, Elena," she repeats, her voice bouncing off the white walls. The hallways are empty even though it's not that late; they must have a curfew here. "This building is for the trainees. It's filled with--"

"Wait, hold up," I say, my eyebrows pulling in a frown. "I'm a trained soldier, I don't need any rookie training."

She eyes me, shrugging apologatically. "I assumed since I heard what you did to those soldiers. Nice," she says, smiling. "But, sorry, that's not what H told me, so you'll need to settle that with him, he's in charge of those things."

I sigh. "Perfect."

"As I was saying, the building is for the trainees," she continues. "It has rooms with multiple beds, there are shower rooms on every floor, and a mess hall here on the ground floor," she pauses, glancing around to check if someone is around. "Men here are inconsiderate when it comes to us women and our needs, so if you need tampons, razors, or anything of the sort, come to me. All clear?"

"All clear," I reply, relieved to hear there's obviously enough supplies for everyone. "Where do I sleep?"

"Oh, right," she sighs. "Follow me. I'm too tired for this shit," she mutters quietly, swiftly moving toward a lift on the hallway's end.

"Relatable," I comment, trying to recall the last time I slept properly.

She glances at me. "Oh really? Have you ever had to do a twelve-hour shift?"

"No," I tell her and she smirks. "I had to do twenty-four-hour ones. It was a part of two weeks long endurance training."  I frown unconsciously at the memory, remembering how many people had died during that training. My brother and I were lucky enough to be able to go through it. 

"Wow," she says, pressing the call button next to the lift. "What are you? Are you human?"

I laugh quietly. "Not according to my brother."

"So you're a deserter?" She assumes as we step inside the lift. She presses the button to the second floor and the lift starts moving.

"Yes," I tell the partial true. In a way, I am, I just don't want anyone to find out the whole truth just yet. Our stay here would turn into a living hell if anyone found out. David has promised to keep it a secret, so that puts my heart at ease.

"You have to understand my curiosity, it's not usual for us to let people stay in our base just like that. There's a whole procedure we're skipping right now," she says. "You must've impressed David."

I exhale a breath of relief as she doesn't question me anymore, my tensed shoulders relaxing. The doors slide open and we step outside, hallways filled with rooms without doors coming into my sight. "Why are there no doors?"

"To keep an eye on the trainees," Tori replies. "We have strict rules when it comes to their training, they have to be well rested to be able to endure the training." She starts walking down one of the hallways, stopping in front of the last room in it. "You'll sleep here for tonight, this one's not entirely full. Pick one of the empty beds and go to sleep right away. You'll get clothes and everything else in the morning. I expect to see you at the gym at six am sharp."

"Where is--"

She holds up her hand finger while pressing her index finger against the transparent earpiece I haven't noticed she's wearing. "Honestly, at this point, I don't know." She sighs deeply. "I can't even remember, I'm so tired and I have to be awake for another two hours, and I just need to sleep," she rambles in a whiny tone. "I have to go back to my duties now, I guess you'll have to figure it out on your own." Before I can make any comments, she turns and paces down the same way we got here.

I sigh, stepping toward the darkened room. I suddenly pause, a small burst of happiness bubbling inside me. I did it. I'm about to have one of the most peaceful nights in years, away from all the pain and troubles that have been my constant companions over the years. For the first time in forever, I feel safe.

Alex and I, we're free and we're safe. I don't know for how long and under what conditions exactly, but that's all that matters.