“What the hell are you going to do with that?” Luca asks, genuinely interested. “Fill it with rocks,” I murmur. “What?” Graham asks, baffled. But I don’t answer, asking Luca to hold the pocket steady and using another pair of sticks to lift the round rocks that have been heating in the embers, d
Luca and I chat the entire walk home. And though the walk takes us about five hours – the terrains rougher than a flat road, which slows us down – the time passes in what feels like a blink. The three ahead of us are relatively quiet, trudging along the miles and tripping on stones in the darkness
We step inside and I notice with surprise that our group is the only one that made it back this early. “Wow,” I murmur. “I mean, I thought we were slow, but…” “Maybe the other teams didn’t hate each other’s guts as much as ours did,” Luca says with a shrug, walking slowly for his bunk. I follow.
But my doubts are soon proven wrong as I hastily eat my sandwich and rest my head back on the pillow again, totally beat. I curl up in my blankets, at least content in the knowledge that I don’t have to get up early, because candidates aren’t even expected back until dinner time. Still, my last th
Luca lets out a dark laugh and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Seriously?” he says, his voice a little exhausted. “You’re here?” I grimace a little, taking a step back behind the tree. “Is that…bad? I can…go.” “No,” he says, tilting his head and inviting me closer. “I guess…I mean, I’m not s
“Ari!” he shouts, starting after me, his steps frustrated, a little angry. But I press my eyes shut, and beg the dream to end, and my wolf – understanding now, I think –lets me go. And suddenly my eyes fly open. I’m in my bed, my heart pounding, my breath coming fast. I stare at the ceiling, p
I hurry my own pace, darting for an empty shower stall now, willing to take whichever is free – however filthy – “Ari!” Jesse hisses behind me. “Are you – are you kidding me – is he your –“ I squeak a little in dismay. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Jesse!” I hiss, darting into the stall
Spirits are high in the dining hall that evening – at least, amongst the 80% of candidates who are relatively sure that they’re going to be admitted as candidates. Ben does his best, keeping his head high and laughing along with Jesse’s jokes as we move along the food line, filing our tray with a se