Aestus, Book 1: The City

Aestus, Book 1: The City | Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Jossey flopped onto her bed. It was just after dinner, but she couldn't move. She thought about turning off the light, but it was so far away.

At least tomorrow should be a normal day, she thought.

They'd been working for six hours, with a lunch break. Gavin hadn't been kidding before about keeping up, she thought. She thought she had done all right, considering her lack of fighting experience. No one had laughed at her, at least.

Well, almost no one.

Gav – Tskoulis, she told herself – had stopped by and watched them, making the rounds of all the units. She'd managed to get in a couple of good hits over the day, but that round she'd gotten hit pretty solidly by Zlotnik.

She'd gone down hard, lain gasping for breath on the mat while Zlotnik stood over her.

Tskoulis hadn't so much as looked at her. It had been Caspar who'd asked if she was okay, had grabbed her water.

She was, physically.

She had watched Tskoulis walk away, her chest aching.

She woke up in the dark.

She'd fallen asleep, hadn't realized it. It must be late, she thought. She rolled over a little, tried to see the time, but froze when she heard Olivia and Zlotnik whispering.

"You've got to calm down," Olivia was saying. "You can't compromise unit integrity. You know that."

Jossey stared at the bunk above her. That was Zlotnik's. Olivia's was across the room.

"I can't stand it, Olivia. She's been – stupid Thompson won't shut up about her. After she left at dinner – I know he gets a crush on every female recruit, but this time it's like – " She hissed. "Sokol this, Sokol that. It's ridiculous. She can't even fight."

Olivia was quiet, said cautiously, "She killed an Onlar. That's not exactly typical of a new recruit. So even if she's not great at fighting, there must be a reason that – "

Zlotnik snorted.

Jossey wanted to close her ears, stop from hearing any more.

Zlotnik went on. "I watched her today. I went easy on her. She has no skill, Olivia. None. She got here because her uncle is Minister. You remember how I started? I earned my spot. I started from nothing. She's just a pampered Council kid. And now they're fawning all over her. For what? An Onlar falling on her knife?" She made an unpleasant sound. "An accident?"

Jossey felt her face burning. I was fighting fair, she thought furiously. I was following Henry's instructions. Sticking to the training.

The training, she thought. Something occurred to her – the ease with which Caspar had learned it. Something was buzzing in the back of her mind.

"Shh," Olivia said. "She can probably hear you."

"She's asleep. Out like a light. I checked."

"Well, still. We shouldn't be – "

Zlotnik huffed. "She'll probably make a mistake, and be out in a day like that one kid. Wickford. The clumsy one in my unit. You know the one with reddish hair? He was on night mission up aboveground for what, twice? Then he got demoted." She snorted. "I'm not sure how he didn't get thrown out of Patrol. Endangered the mission. Tskoulis was MAD, from what Ellis told me."

Olivia was silent for a long time. "Maja, you should get some sleep," she finally said. "Ignore Thompson. Don't take it personally. Let the commander sort it out. If Sokol's not competent, he's the one to deal with it."

Jossey bit her lip to stop from screaming at them.

She waited until they were quiet, then rolled over and stared into the darkness for a long time.

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