Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

20. Gentle Persuasion.

ACE.

I cringed as Dallas dumped his plate next to mine and took a seat. As if I wanted to sit next to him. Ew.

"Fancy meeting you here, Dally-old-boy," Tyler mocked. I scrunched my nose in disdain and slid away from that annoying guy.

It was lunchtime, and I had been sitting there just eating and minding my own business, with Tyler, Frankie and Josh on the opposite side of the table, when Dallas decided to show up.

"Is there something you want, Dallas?" I asked, trying to be as polite as possible. I'd just come from Engineering, and to be honest; it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. It was just like being back at the Camp in Shed 5; machining the ammunition.

Ugh. Now the good mood I'd had from Weapons Training was totally evaporated.

"What? You mean I can't just sit here for the sake of it?" Dallas asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Josh looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"So, you guys have met?" he asked, laughing a little.

"Unfortunately," I coughed.

Dallas grinned, "Yep. We had Weapons training together. Wasn't that a riot, darling?"

"I'm not your darling, Dallas," I stated.

Dallas shrugged, "That's what you think, now..."

I looked at Josh, trying to communicate the utter pain I was in without saying it outright. I mimicked the shape of a gun with my hand and proceeded to silently shoot myself. Josh looked down and smiled, and then I felt his hand on my knee under the table. He looked at me and mouthed 'It's okay,' patting my leg gently. I smiled. At least someone cared that I was suffering.

"So?" Josh asked, "Have you reconsidered Tyler's offer?"

"What?" Dallas butted in, "Making your move already, Tyler? That's a little fast. The girl's only been here a day!"

"Ha-ha, Dallas. Very funny. No, you know what we're talking about. We want Ace to join us," Tyler explained abstractedly. Suddenly the entire table turned to me, their eyes hopeful.

"Well?" Josh asked. It was clear whose side he was on.

"Guys, I just need some time. I told you, I'm not really up to anything major at the moment."

Frankie scoffed. I looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"You've got something to say, Frankie?" I asked. All eyes turned to the twin.

Frankie ran a hand through her blond hair, glancing at Tyler before she began, "Oh, I dunno. It just seems like Rowan was wrong about you. Like, everything he said; all wrong."

I stiffened, crossing my arms. Now, at first I'd taken a liking to Frankie. She was stunningly beautiful with her blonde hair and blue eyes, her every feature in perfect proportions. However, the more I got to know her, the more my opinion of her changed for the worst. There was something about her; some kind of air of superiority she had that made her frustrating to talk to, and she seemed to have a chip on her shoulder for me in particular.

"And whatever do you mean by that?" I asked, seeping sarcastic politeness. Josh gave me a look of warning, but I ignored him and kept my gaze on Frankie.

"Oh, nothing, really. It's just that, Rowan said all these things about you that got our hopes up. When we came to recruit you, we were expecting a brave, skilled, fearsome leader. Not, uh... you. What can I say? You're a disappointment," Frankie explained, batting her eyelashes innocently.