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At Archer's words, I look at Ryan in shock. He really must have a death wish if he ignored my tank of a brother like that. Shaking my head to clear it, I try again, "Shifts please. You have your own placements to get to. You can't possibly keep this up. I mean did you wait for four hours in that corridor for me?"

Their silence conveys the truth. "Oh man. You did. Ethan can't bust into the training area. I am fine."

"Were you fine when he laid his hands on you?" Fin's words are quiet and controlled, but I see the truth in his face. He's not going to let this go anytime soon.

"Either way. This is madness."

"I'll take the evening shift. From after your family dinner till she reaches her room at night," Ryan volunteers.

"Morning until lunch." Fin adds.

"Lunch to dinner." Archer concludes.

"No one leaves her side until the next one arrives." Fin states, and they nod in agreement. All three of them seem set on talking about me like I'm not sitting in right front of them. Guess I'll have to take it as a win if I'm going from three stalkers to one.

Nuri returns to the table and looks at the men across from me with amusement in her eyes, "So, do the three gorgeous men escort us back too?"

"Just me," Archer stands and rolls his shoulders.

"All the better for me, Mr. Mountain." Nuri wiggles her fingers at him. I pull her to the exit as Archer gives us a wide berth but follows nonetheless.

Turns out, Nuri was right. A small group is huddled around the map I used to memorize the course when we return. We look at each other and smile before separating. After all, we both have to focus on the task at hand. We have our trial dates to prepare for and not much time left to do it.

I work the same schedule as the previous day in the same order. The assistant works with me at the shooting range, but it's going to take some time. I can hit the target just fine but achieving a kill shot every time eludes me. When I finally get to the mission command station, I select a different simulation guide number, even though I find myself half wishing to hear Ryan's voice in my ear. Knowing the foolishness of it, I force myself to stick with the plan. Ryan recommended that I use all the guides once to fully prepare, and it makes sense.

I almost drop the ear piece in my hand at my thoughts. Ryan recommended. Ryan made sense. Shake it off. Focus. As soon as I patch-in on the ear piece, a bored woman's voice begins.

"Welcome to the mission commander simulation, Samantha Hargrove. Select a module, and we will begin." There must be a script they are supposed to read off of for this. I have to stop myself from laughing. Of course Ryan tossed it out the window for an opportunity to taunt me yesterday.

It doesn't take long for me to be glad that Ryan guided me before anyone else because this woman apparently isn't going to talk me through how to find a module, let alone select it. About half way through, sweat from concentration begins to accumulate as I do my best to follow the woman's hap-hazard instructions.

It's as if she's reading every third step instead of each one. I vow to cause this woman physical harm if I ever met her in person. By some stroke of good luck, that admittedly has a lot to do with Ryan's guidance yesterday, I finish just as the timer buzzes. Not everyone is so fortunate. I see a few of them throw their ear pieces onto the workstations with a bit too much force. Today, I get the feeling.

Nuri waits for me at the exit again, and Archer is the first person we see in the corridor. I ignore him and focus on my new friend instead. She's two age groups ahead of me like Ryan, but since she came to the compound when she was sixteen, our paths never crossed. It's refreshing to have someone to talk to who hasn't known me since birth. The Elders just recently let her out of the education program made for denizens who aren't native to the Sanctum, and all she wants is to join a mission team and fight back.