Page 31

Jolie

The car pulls over to the side of the road, the test zone on my right through the trees.

The driver turns in his seat and gives me a look of pity. “For what it’s worth, those boys are smart.”

“Thanks,” I mumble, opening the door and sliding out of the car.

He drives off and leaves me standing there looking towards the zone. Everything is surrounded by ten-foot fences. I wonder how I managed to find the road. I swear there was no fence when I was here.

I make my way down a dirt path, pushing my legs as fast as they can take me. Following the sound of rock music through the test zone, I grit my teeth, knowing it cancels any chance of me calling out to them.

With no gap in the fence, I eventually find myself at the warehouse. I try the door and it’s locked. Think, Jolie. The guys dropped through a hole in the roof, so there must be a way up. Racing around the building, I find a ladder and I climb all the way up, but I clearly didn’t think it through. The only way down through the hole is by a rope.

“Come on, you can do it.”

“I can’t, Boston. I still have blisters.”

Shaking the memory away, I have no choice but to pull up a couple of ropes and hope for the best. As I tie one around my waist, I realise this isn’t going to be painless, or my smartest idea. I drop one rope back into the hole and ease my body over the edge, holding on for dear life. I can’t fuck this up, or there might be another dead body.

I’m heavier than I anticipated, and my palms slide down the rope at a speed I wasn’t expecting, my hands burning the entire way down as rough fibres cut into my flesh. My body comes to a halt mere centimetres from the ground with a massive jolt, causing the rope to tighten around my waist, a searing pain now radiating in my side. I don’t have time to waste on licking my wounds. I untie the rope and look around.

Pictures of me line the screens around the room—me walking into Olympia, smiling at Mr Z as he greets me, and many others, all taken without my knowledge. The deafening sound of “Seek and Destroy” by Metallica plays on repeat at an ear-piercing level.

I run outside and look around for clues where they went. It’s all bush as far as the eye can see; I’m never going to be able to find them.

A crashing wave of agony hits, dropping me to the ground. Something terrible is happening. I push myself to my hands and knees and try to crawl forwards through the pain. I have to show them I’m okay. That they don’t need to hurt each other over me.

Long, thick grass tickles my legs as I make my way deeper into the bush.

“If you’re ever separated from us, I will show you a trick.”

I watch Marlow find a long, thick blade of grass. “Hold your thumb like this and make sure the blade is flat against one side. Use this finger to hold it tight, and press both thumbs closed.”

Looking down, I find the thickest blade of grass possible and try to replicate the memory flash. I blow between the gap in my thumbs, but nothing. A few more tries and finally a small squeak comes out. I blow again, and this time a noise pierces the air. I listen and wait. If one of them hears it, they will respond. The loud music is still distracting, but after a moment, a slight sound comes from my left. Running through the shrubs, I ignore the scratches on my legs and arms, desperate to find my way to them. I have all these skills; I just need my brain to access them.

Coming to a clearing in the trees, I halt, the scene before me sending chills down my spine. Blood covers the ground, and no one is here, but they were. I bend down and touch the blood patch, not knowing what to expect, but it’s warm. How long does blood even stay warm ? It’s still a reddish colour, so that has to mean something.

I follow a trail of blood back into the trees, running until my legs burn and calling out their names, hoping that they hear me.

Twigs snap under my shoes, the density of the bush thinning out in this area. The music, while still loud, doesn’t penetrate my brain like nails hitting me at full speed.

Suddenly I’m ripped backwards by a set of arms, and I scream and struggle as I try to break free.

“Don’t scream, love. It’s Colt.”

I nod, panting from exertion, and he drops his arms. I turn to face him as he removes his mask.

“What . . . Why are you here?”

“My team and another were sent here to run them through the test zone.”

“Where are they?” I ask, dread filling my body. I go still as trees rustle to my right and Summer comes running out, clutching her mask in her hand.

“Jolie, you need to leave now. Come with me.” She grabs at my arm and tries to pull me back in the direction I came.

I pull away from her grip. “Not a chance in hell. Where are my guys?” This is the first time I have truly thought of them as mine.

“You don’t need to see this.”

She looks at Colt and then back at me. He gives her a nod. They’re not from the same team but must have been separated from their respective teams during the trial.

“Let her through—you would do the same for your guys. We are powerless to stop her.”

I take that moment and run past them in the direction Summer came from, calling out their names. I’m stopped dead in my tracks when I see what is in front of me.

Creed, Chester, Kai, Brennan, and Trace are standing above the bodies of Boston, Laughn, Davis, Case, and Marlow. There is so much blood. They must hear my gasp because they turn to face me with regret plastered on their faces. My legs feel like cement as I move in slow motion and drop to my knees near my guys, tears rolling down my face. They can’t be dead. They’re brothers; they wouldn’t hurt them.

“We had no choice, Tenshi.” Creed touches my shoulder and I shrug him off.

“Everyone has a choice, Creep,” I cry out. “Everyone has a choice!”

My heart shatters into five pieces. Each piece belongs to one of them. Why did this have to happen now, when I just got them back?

I look up at the faces staring down at me. Summer and her team, Colt and Team Hijack, alongside the other five guys who promised to always protect me.

“We will always protect you at all costs. Against the world and each other. Make no mistake, we will choose you above all else.”

Memory after memory hits me—the connections, the love, the training. I’m overwhelmed with the information.

“You promised,” I whisper to no one in particular.

I swear I will get vengeance for this; there won’t be anyone that can stand in my way. Silently, I promise my boys their deaths won’t be in vain.

Everything that happens next becomes a blur. Men in white coats come and take them away, loading their bodies into vans. People depart and I’m left alone with my new team. The strongest has survived, just as Mr Z had said they would.

A black car pulls into the test zone and Mr Z steps out. Anger pulses through my veins. I have been trained; I need to dig deep and pull myself together. He walks to my side, and I keep my eyes focused on his expensive Italian shoes. They crunch against the gravel the closer they get. He offers me his hand and my stomach recoils, but I take it and he helps me up.

“Welcome to stage five, Jolie. Go home with your team. I will see you soon.”

Once I nod, he releases my hand, and I turn to face my new team. Each one stares at me, waiting for a reaction, but I don’t give them one. They don’t deserve it. How was them taking their brothers’ lives protecting me? They did this for themselves. Forgiveness is not something they should expect from me.

I turn back and watch Mr Z get into his car, and I promise myself that I’m coming for him too. I will gain his trust and take him out. He showed his weakness to me the second he stepped into his office; that was a huge mistake on his part. Being vulnerable around me gave me ammunition, but he just gave me a reason to strike.

Checkmate.

Clarity in the word and understanding of the meaning behind it is now fresh in my mind, and Case was right. One person is trapped, vulnerable and powerless, and the other maintains their power. Mr Z just doesn’t realise I’m the one who still has the upper hand, but he will soon enough.

It may not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but I will kill him even if I kill myself in the process. No one takes what’s mine.

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and everyone involved will pay.