Hidden

Chapter Three

In the dining hall, I sit alone and draw out a training schedule on a napkin while eating my sandwich. As soon as I've got every station I want to visit mapped out, I flip the napkin over and start sketching the maze from memory. A tray drops noisily on my table and breaks me out of my thoughts. Archer's angry face meets mine when I look up.

"What are you playing at?" he roars as his face turns red.

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"Look, Sam I know we have attempted to talk you out of this, but you at least have to try at it."

I grip my pen in my hand to stall my own anger, "And who says I'm not trying?"
"Staring at a map all morning is not trying. If you are scared, I can help -" I lift my hand to stop him.

"So, let me get this right. You don't want me to complete the trials, but you do want to criticize my process and spy on me. I'm out of here." I leave the table without cleaning my area. Let Archer take care of it. He seems to want to take care of everything else. My anger carries me to the corridor junction leading to the training area earlier than anyone else, so it's deserted except for him. The world certainly has a sick sense of humor today. A marriage proposal, a break-up, my overbearing brother, and now Ryan.

He doesn't block my way when I storm past him. He just falls in step with me. "So, how'd it go, SS?"

I halt in my tracks, but he doesn't notice right away, so he has to turn and face me from further up the corridor, "What do you care?"

He stares for a moment before walking back to me. "You were upset last night, and you don't look much better today even though you've trained for this day since, well, forever."

I roll my eyes at him, "Watch out or people will think you care about me."

His mouth pulls up on one side like he's trying to fight a smile. "Would that be so terrible?"

Then he walks away before I can answer his question. The world truly is trying to tear me a new one.

Back in the training area, I spend an hour with knives, an hour at combat, an hour at the shooting range, admittedly my area of weakness, and I decide to spend my last hour at the mission commander section. I can course maze train in the evenings anytime, so I skip the preparation areas for that on purpose. Besides, I don't think I'll need them based on what the others in the room are working with.

The assistant takes me through the process. A computer is built into each workstation with an ear piece. All I have to do is pop in the ear piece, and my fictional mission guide will lead me through the exercise. I log into the workstation, insert the ear piece, and wait.

"Better late than never." Ryan's voice fills my head.

I groan in response, "You have got to be kidding me."

"I've been waiting all day for you to log in. Welcome to the mission commander simulation, SS." I feel him laughing at me. This is what I get for not paying attention to what he specialized in after his formal education ended. Mission control never even occurred to me. Surely he'd be more suited to a track where he doesn't have to interact with others.

"Don't call me that." I warn.

"Uh-oh, should I report you for disrespect?"

I lay my face in my hands, "I have less than an hour. Can we please run an actual simulation?"

"But of course. Wait, are your feet touching the ground right now?"

"What does that have to do with anything!" I yell, causing the assistant to cast a warning glance at me.

"Now, now, just trying to make you comfortable. Tap the screen and select mini-modules. Then..." I listen to his precise instructions for the rest of my time, and I have to admit that he isn't half-bad at his job. Some of the conversations around me turn hostile when the time starts to run out on their programs, but Ryan has me through my simulation with time to spare.

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Are the longer ones more complicated?"

"No, stick to the mini's to save time. But it really depends on who your guide is on the day of the trials. There's only five of us on rotation, so you should try a different one each time before the real thing."

"Sure. Thanks." I hear a sound of exaggerated disbelief through my earpiece and smile.

"SS, I do believe you meant that in a non-sarcastic way. Are you warming up to me?" he teases, making a production out of it.

"Bye, mission commander." I deadpan before pulling the ear piece out and ending our connection. I have just enough time to locate the main instructor before leaving for the day to ask her for a map of the course maze, but of course there isn't one. Looks like I'll have to stick with my sketches.

My brothers are waiting for me at our table, and I consider avoiding them. It'd be what they deserve after last night, but I know skipping out would just piss them off more. Though if Archer gets to a new level of pissy, he might just expire from it. I join them after loading down my tray and wait for the onslaught to happen.

Fin speaks first, "You did well with your mission command task today. Most don't complete it the first time through." My face warms. Did someone let him hear the recording? God, I hope not.

"To hell with that computer junk. I'm more interested in your marksmanship level. You'll have to do better than that to be considered seriously." Archer puts in. My jaw could not have dropped faster. I put my fork down and stare at them across the table.

"So, we are micromanaging something we hated last night? Excuse me while I try to keep up." I mutter drily.

"Sam, we don't want this life for you. Having this happen two years earlier than we expected was an unpleasant development. Now that it is happening, we want you to be prepared. So, what happened this morning?" Fin asks. They really are just going to gloss over what happened yesterday. Typical. And how many people know about this morning? This place is reaching a new plane of existence for gossip.

"I am studying the map. I want to see it before I run it."

"You saw it alright. Three hours worth." Archer scoffs. I make to get up and leave, but Fin stops me.

"Can you still do that?" Fin whispers. I nod and pick up my fork again. Just because this maze is larger, doesn't mean I can't tackle it like the others.

"Do what?" Leave it to Archer to not be invested enough in my schoolwork over the years to notice what Fin has always known.

"Sam can replicate images of things she's seen in her mind." Fin responds.

Archer looks at me like I have two heads, "What good will that do her?" His question isn't surprising considering the fact that he's always relied on his strength in any situation.

Fin pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, "She's committing the course map to memory instead of running through it blind. She'll know exactly where everything is...including the quickest path to the exit."

Archer's face changes from confusion to wolfish conquest. The rest of dinner we talk about training, how much time I have left, and strategy. It feels good to have them on my side again.