Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

30. r i s i n g ~ w i n d s.

ACE.

Everything was quiet as we stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the training room, waiting for our names to be called.

"Francis Emily King?" the Instructor called.

Frankie shot a nervous look around, then she walked towards the Instructor woman and took a hold of the compact glock in her right hand. The three targets were on the opposite side of the huge training room, moving in erratic circles to be difficult to hit.

So far only nine out of thirty people in this heat had actually hit the targets, and not accurately, either.

This was the competition: Whoever got the best shot out of three would win. Win a free ticket out of prison for an inmate of their choice, that is. The Elites (and Dallas with some of his gang) had already gotten together and discussed the plan. They needed Sebastian to be freed from Cell Z, so if any of us won, we had to choose him.

Of course, everyone assumed Rowan would win.

I was about to prove them wrong.

Bang! Crack! Bang!

One of Frankie's three shots hit the target, off to the side by quite a bit.

"Too far left... she always goes too far left," Tyler mumbled, shaking his head disapprovingly. Frankie walked back over. I had no idea what kind of order they were doing this in, but Tyler and Josh had already had their turns.

And then I stiffened as the next name was called.

"Rowan Zackary Slade?" the Instructor called. He caught my eye from across the room as he sauntered towards the tall woman barking out orders. His dark brown eyes met mine, and I couldn't help but scowl.

"Here we go..." Frankie whispered, "Just watch."

And so I did. Wishing I could have shot lasers out of my eyes, I stared Rowan down as he raised the gun and took three consecutive shots.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Each bullet hit one of the targets, one straight to the left target, one straight into the right, and the last shot he took was aimed at the target in the middle. I wasn't surprised to find that all his shots had made it into inner rings, with one almost a perfect bullseye.
Frankie gave a small squeak.

"He did it! He's won!" she hissed. Suddenly, Josh was standing behind me, pulling me by the waist to whisper in my ear.

"Not yet, he hasn't," Josh whispered, "There's still one more contestant."

I looked at him and smirked. His soft features and gentle demeanor made Josh seem so innocent. But he was smart. And he knew me well.

"And finally... Ace?" The Instructor called, quieter than before and with a little confusion in her voice. I pulled away from Josh and marched towards the Instructor, a half smirk still on my lips. Lucky last.

"You know the drill. One shot per target. Go," The Instructor mumbled, not even looking up from her clipboard.

I weighed the gun in my hands and turned to the target furthest to the right. I lifted the gun and aimed. Then for a few brief moments, I closed my eyes and breathed.

The Enigma Council. My Father. Rowan Slade.

Then my eyes snapped open, and I took the shots. One after another, they hit the targets.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

I turned around and placed the gun on the table next to the Instructor. It was only then that I noticed that everyone's jaws were hanging open, and the room was filled with a stunned silence.