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“Do the course as many times as you need until you can complete it from start to finish without mistake,” he ordered, pressing on a remote TCD terminal by the door.

Within moments the room came to life as objects around the floor started moving, forming what looked to be an obstacle course. There were dangling ropes, rock walls, ditches, slime pools, stepping stones, and even amovingbalancing beam located underneath three heavy-looking, swinging sandbags.

It wasn’t an obstacle course, Alex realised—it was ahospitalcourse. Because that was surely where she would end up afterwards.

“Come find me when you’re done,” Karter said, walking out of the room. “But only when you can do it perfectly.”

She looked at the menacing course and gulped before taking a step towards the first obstacle.

Twenty-One

Karter arrived to check onher progress at the end of their two-hour class. Unfortunately, Alex had yet to complete the course without falling, tripping, hitting or slipping, which meant she was stuck there until he was satisfied.

She was covered in scratches from the thorn-filled ditches and coated with slimy gunk from sliding off the swing-ropes—not to mention soaked to the bone and covered from head to toe with mud. But, despite all that, she’d finally figured out a strategy for getting around safely and she was confident that if Karter hadn’t scared her when he’d entered the room and yelled at her to hurry up, then she just might have made it through in time to leave with everyone else.

Instead, the interruption broke her concentration and led to her being smacked in the head by a swinging sandbag. The force of the hit knocked her off the narrow balancing beam and into the muddy bog below. It wasn’t the first time she’d come off the beam, but itwasthe first time she’d been hit by the heavy bag—and ithurt, even with her protective gear cushioning the impact. She ended up just sitting in the mud for a moment, completely dazed.

“Get up, Jennings! You’re wasting my time!” Karter barked, and she had little choice but to move.

Alex’s newly pounding headache and ringing ears messed with her balance so much that it took another half hour before Karter was satisfied enough with her performance to let her go. She smiled with exhausted relief, but that wasn’t how he interpreted her expression.

“Don’t look so cocky, Jennings,” he grunted. “You were on the easiest setting and itstilltook you longer than any student I’ve ever had before. When you come back after the holidays I’ll be increasing the level of difficulty and I’ll continue to do so every week. I doubt you’ll be smiling much then.”

“I wasn’t—” she broke off, realising there was no point in defending herself.

“And make sure you go and visit the Med Ward before dinner,” Karter ordered. “You’re a mess.”

As a result of the extra time she’d been stuck on the obstacle course and her unplanned visit to see Fletcher, Alex didn’t have long before the food court was due to close for the night. She looked disgusting and probably smelled awful, but she was also starving. If she stopped off to have a shower first, there was no way she’d make it back in time to eat. So, after deliberating for a moment, she decided to risk it and hope that the other students had already finished and returned to their dorms to pack for the holidays.

When she entered the food court itwasemptier than usual, but there were still a few stragglers around. She heard muffled laughter as she walked further in and saw the guys from her Combat class still eating. Clearly they’d had time to shower and clean up, unlike herself.

“Still alive?” Declan called out to her from across the room.

“Piece of cake,” she called back, thankful that Fletcher’s painkillers kept her from hobbling like an old woman in front of them.

They laughed again—at her, not with her—and she hurried to find a table with some kind of privacy.

Glancing around the room, she spotted D.C. sitting alone in the corner with her head buried in a book. Perfect. No one would bother her if she was with the difficult girl. Alex had learned early on that the red-head was a people-repellent. Everyone knew to stay away from her lest they face her wrath. It was exactly what Alex needed at the moment.

“Hey, Roomie.” Alex took a seat at the table.

D.C. looked up in surprise. “Can I help you?” she asked, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

“Nope,” Alex said, popping the ‘p’.

She picked up a menu and ordered at random, so hungry that she didn’t even care what she ate. Almost instantly her meal arrived—a hamburger with salad on the side—and she started eating with relish. After a few bites she felt D.C.’s eyes on her, so she looked up.

“You stink.”

Alex almost choked on her mouthful. She quickly ordered a glass of water and guzzled it down to help clear her throat. “Gee, thanks.”

“And you look terrible,” D.C. added.

“Don’t hold back now,” Alex said.

D.C. didn’t ask for any explanations about her appearance and Alex didn’t feel inclined to enlighten her; she had already accepted the fact that D.C. didn’t want anything to do with her. In fact, other than in class and sometimes just before bed, they hardly ever saw each other.

It was kind of sad. Alex could have used a close female friend, especially when she was surrounded by guys most of the time. But it was clear D.C. wasn’t interested in friendship—with anyone.