Page 117
Story: Akarnae
“Well, that’s it,” he said abruptly. “Your exam is over. Off you go.”
Alex wasted no time following his instructions. As she was walking—or stumbling—away, he barked out one more order: “Jennings, report to Fletcher immediately.”
She didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes. As if she was going anywhere else.
Alex made it halfway up the hill towards the academy before she had to stop and rest. Collapsing into a sitting position on the ground, she bent over herself and held her injured arm close to her body.
“Ow,” she whispered, unable to express herself in any other way.
Just as she was contemplating leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment, a pair of dark boots entered her vision.
“Do you need that push now?”
Alex laughed breathily before wincing at the pain it caused her. “This time? I think so,” she admitted.
Kaiden knelt down and reached out to wrap his arm around her. He was careful to keep clear of her damaged shoulder as he pulled her gently to her feet. She was too exhausted and in too much pain to be embarrassed by his help—even when she realised that the rest of the guys from their Combat class were also surrounding them.
As a group they hobbled towards the Med Ward. Well, she hobbled—they walked.
“Is that what you’ve been doing during class?” Nick asked her. “That course?”
“Not that one,” she answered weakly. “But other courses like it.”
“You’d never been around that one before?” Brendan clarified.
“Nope,” she murmured, leaning a little more onto Kaiden with every step. She was really hurting now as the adrenaline steadily wore off and she could barely hold herself upright.
“Wow.”
Alex wearily turned her head to look at Sebastian who’d made the exclamation. She was surprised by the praise, and even more so to find the others nodding along in agreement.
“Yeah, that sure was something,” Nick said.
“I wonder why Karter gave you more time?” Declan mused. “You were clearly done-in at the fifteen-minute mark.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. Her vision turned hazy around the edges before clearing again.
“Your time ran out just after you were clipped by the sandbag on the beam,” Declan explained. “You still got further than the rest of us by then, but it’s weird that he made you continue on—especially with your shoulder like that.”
Alex really didn’t like the way he’d said ‘like that’ but she didn’t question him. She didn’t question anything in fact—not even Karter’s added time—and instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to not collapse completely onto Kaiden.
“We’re almost there,” he whispered to her, almost as if he could feel her fading. He probably could, since he was practically carrying her entire weight.
Finally they stepped into Gen-Sec and made their way to the Med Ward. Alex was so relieved to see Fletcher that she could have cried.
“Dear, dear, dear,” he tsked when he noticed the condition she and some of the others were in. “You all look like you’ve been in a war. On the losing side. Help her onto the bed, will you, Kaiden?”
Alex was trying so hard to remain conscious that she didn’t even feel awkward when Kaiden lifted her up onto the mattress.
“What have you done to yourself this time, young lady?” Fletcher’s tone was stern but there was genuine concern in his gaze as he inspected her shoulder.
Alex whimpered when his fingers made contact, the touch ripping pain all the way up her arm. He immediately dropped his hand and walked over to his medicine cabinet, returning with a vial of bright green pain reliever. She swallowed it in one go but was disappointed when it only dulled the pain.
“It didn’t work,” she told him. “Not as much as normal.”
“I’ll give you a stronger one in a moment,” he promised. “But I need you to be able to tell me what you’re feeling.”
“A whole heap of pain,” she said, “and then some more.”
Alex wasted no time following his instructions. As she was walking—or stumbling—away, he barked out one more order: “Jennings, report to Fletcher immediately.”
She didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes. As if she was going anywhere else.
Alex made it halfway up the hill towards the academy before she had to stop and rest. Collapsing into a sitting position on the ground, she bent over herself and held her injured arm close to her body.
“Ow,” she whispered, unable to express herself in any other way.
Just as she was contemplating leaning back and closing her eyes for a moment, a pair of dark boots entered her vision.
“Do you need that push now?”
Alex laughed breathily before wincing at the pain it caused her. “This time? I think so,” she admitted.
Kaiden knelt down and reached out to wrap his arm around her. He was careful to keep clear of her damaged shoulder as he pulled her gently to her feet. She was too exhausted and in too much pain to be embarrassed by his help—even when she realised that the rest of the guys from their Combat class were also surrounding them.
As a group they hobbled towards the Med Ward. Well, she hobbled—they walked.
“Is that what you’ve been doing during class?” Nick asked her. “That course?”
“Not that one,” she answered weakly. “But other courses like it.”
“You’d never been around that one before?” Brendan clarified.
“Nope,” she murmured, leaning a little more onto Kaiden with every step. She was really hurting now as the adrenaline steadily wore off and she could barely hold herself upright.
“Wow.”
Alex wearily turned her head to look at Sebastian who’d made the exclamation. She was surprised by the praise, and even more so to find the others nodding along in agreement.
“Yeah, that sure was something,” Nick said.
“I wonder why Karter gave you more time?” Declan mused. “You were clearly done-in at the fifteen-minute mark.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. Her vision turned hazy around the edges before clearing again.
“Your time ran out just after you were clipped by the sandbag on the beam,” Declan explained. “You still got further than the rest of us by then, but it’s weird that he made you continue on—especially with your shoulder like that.”
Alex really didn’t like the way he’d said ‘like that’ but she didn’t question him. She didn’t question anything in fact—not even Karter’s added time—and instead she focused on putting one foot in front of the other in an effort to not collapse completely onto Kaiden.
“We’re almost there,” he whispered to her, almost as if he could feel her fading. He probably could, since he was practically carrying her entire weight.
Finally they stepped into Gen-Sec and made their way to the Med Ward. Alex was so relieved to see Fletcher that she could have cried.
“Dear, dear, dear,” he tsked when he noticed the condition she and some of the others were in. “You all look like you’ve been in a war. On the losing side. Help her onto the bed, will you, Kaiden?”
Alex was trying so hard to remain conscious that she didn’t even feel awkward when Kaiden lifted her up onto the mattress.
“What have you done to yourself this time, young lady?” Fletcher’s tone was stern but there was genuine concern in his gaze as he inspected her shoulder.
Alex whimpered when his fingers made contact, the touch ripping pain all the way up her arm. He immediately dropped his hand and walked over to his medicine cabinet, returning with a vial of bright green pain reliever. She swallowed it in one go but was disappointed when it only dulled the pain.
“It didn’t work,” she told him. “Not as much as normal.”
“I’ll give you a stronger one in a moment,” he promised. “But I need you to be able to tell me what you’re feeling.”
“A whole heap of pain,” she said, “and then some more.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153