Chapter three: A Target on Our Backs

Callum's steps are slow, deliberate, and full of finality. He's done talking, shutting the conversation down before I can press him any further. My fingers twitch with frustration, but I force myself to let it go. Pushing him now won't get me anywhere—not yet.

Before I can dwell on it, a sharp static crackles through the overhead speakers, followed by a deep, mechanical voice:

"Shower rotation. Ten minutes."

The announcement ripples through the barracks, stirring a mix of reactions. Some people groan, others perk up immediately. There's a noticeable shift among the Tier 5 recruits—something between excitement and disbelief. A real shower. Not just a bucket, not some grimy shared sink in an alley. An actual, running-water shower.

But then—

"There's no gendered bathrooms?"

The voice cuts through the noise, sharp and demanding. I turn to see a girl with brown hair and bright brown eyes standing near the center of the room, arms crossed tightly. Her stance is firm, challenging, as she glares up at the speakers like they might actually answer her.

Nothing. Just silence.

Her jaw tightens. Her fingers flex against her arms like she's holding back the urge to punch something, but instead of waiting for an answer that clearly isn't coming, she exhales sharply and turns to face the rest of us.

"Alright, here's how we handle it. We take turns. Girls go first tonight, guys go first tomorrow, and we rotate. That fair?"

There's a beat of hesitation. A few murmurs roll through the room, some reluctant, some indifferent. No one looks thrilled, but no one seems to have a better idea either.

She lifts an eyebrow. "Unless someone has a better plan?"

Silence.

The, slow, nods of agreement spread through the crowd. Even those who looked like they wanted to argue keep their mouths shut. No one wants to start a fight over showers—not yet, anyway.

With that settled, the girls begin gathering their issued uniforms—tight black sorts bras with their tier stamped in green on the side of the breast, paired with sporty black joggers.

confusion went through me as i saw everyone with there matching uniforms.

Raegan smirks, shaking his head as he pulls his shirt over his head noting my confusion. "When you were playing hero and getting yourself knocked out, they assigned everyone their barracks and gave out uniforms. there's a couple more sets in the metal lockers next to the bed "Reagan hummed pointing to the end of the bed,

I glance down at the clothes that i failed to notice, walking to it, my fingers tracing the green-printed Tier 5 on my sleeve. "And no one thought to wake me up for that part?"

Raegan snorts. "Yeah, because we all wanted to get tackled by those guards. You were out cold, Ry." He finishes tying the drawstring on his joggers before leveling me with a look. "They dragged you in here like a sack of bricks."

I scoff, but before I can respond, a voice chimes in from right next to us once more.

"To be fair, it was pretty entertaining."

I turn to see the tier 3 prick, lounging on his bunk again, arms crossed behind his head. His ever-present smirk is in place, but his eyes watch me carefully, like he's still sizing me up.

"Glad I could put on a show," I mutter dryly.

"Be nice, Callum."

The brown-haired girl from earlier speaks up, tossing her towel onto her bunk as she side-eyes him. arms crossed watching him with mild annoyance. So the blonde's name is Callum. Good to know.

Callum barely reacts, just tilting his head toward her with a lazy smirk. "What? I'm just saying, if someone's gonna start a fight first day in, they might as well put on a good show."

I huff, shaking my head as I pull the black uniform shirt over my head, still feeling the dull ache in my skull from earlier. "Yeah, well, I don't exactly remember signing up for entertainment duty."

"You made yourself the main act." Callum's grin doesn't quite reach his eyes. "And now you've got the Warden looking at you. Congrats, Tier 5."

I freeze slightly at that. The room seems to tense with his words. Even Raegan shifts uncomfortably beside me.

I keep my head down, adjusting my sleeves, trying not to let it show that his words are digging into me. "Yeah? And?"

Callum watches me closely before shaking his head. "Nothing. Just hope you know what you're doing."

I don't respond. Because the truth is, I don't. but ill do whatever it takes to protect my little brother.

I feel Raegan's gaze on me, but he doesn't say anything. He doesn't have to. I already know what he's thinking.

Why did you have to fight back? Why did you have to draw attention?

I don't have an answer for that either.

Callum stretches, standing up from his bunk. "Whatever. Just try not to get us all killed, yeah?" He throws a glance at the brown-haired girl before heading toward the door. "Shower's open. You might wanna take advantage before the water runs cold."

I let out a slow breath and glance at Raegan. He offers me a half-smile, nudging me with his elbow.

"At least we get a real shower, right?"

That pulls a small smirk out of me despite everything. "Yeah. A fresh shower. I don't mind that at all."

Raegan grins and lifts his hand. I slap it with mine, feeling a brief sense of normalcy in a place that's anything but.

For now, that's enough.

---------

 The showers are open, and it's finally our turn.

I grab the fresh uniform from my bunk and follow Raegan toward the stalls, my body aching from the day's events. The moment I step under the spray, warmth seeps into my muscles, washing away the grime and tension clinging to my skin. It's almost surreal—back home, showers were rare, the water always ice-cold and barely enough to rinse off.

From the stall next to mine, Raegan lets out a satisfied sigh. "This is the best thing that's happened all day."

I smirk, running a hand through my wet hair. "That's not saying much."

He chuckles, the sound light in a way I haven't heard in a long time. For a moment, it almost feels normal—like we're back home after a long day, like things aren't spiraling into something we don't understand.

But the reality is still there, lurking beneath the comfort of warm water.

I keep my head down as I finish up, not wanting to linger. The showers might be nice, but they're still in this place, under their control. The thought sits heavy in my chest as I shut off the water and grab my uniform.

The black shirt fits snugly showing off my athletic build, the green Tier 5 marking on the sleeve standing out against the fabric. The joggers are comfortable enough, better than anything we had back home, but they still feel like a reminder. A label. A way to sort us. "these clothes are so knew" raegan gleamed as we walked back to our bunks. 

I shake my head but don't argue. He's right—it felt good and new, even if I don't want to admit it.

Across the room, Callum is already stretched out on his bunk, looking as unbothered as ever. His sharp blue eyes flick toward me, his usual smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Look at that. You clean up nice, Tier 5 definitely more muscular now that your not in that baggy shirt."

I don't take the bait, just move toward my bunk and sit down. I'm too tired for whatever game he's playing.

But the brown-haired girl from earlier—whoever she is—steps past, giving Callum a pointed look. "Maybe try shutting up for five minutes I'm trying to think?"

He raises his hands in mock surrender. "Just making conversation sienna."

She doesn't dignify that with a response, instead she looks at us.

"Are you boys seriously this excited over cheap uniforms?"

I turn, meeting the sharp hazel-brown eyes of the girl from earlier. Her brunette hair catches the dim light, revealing honey-golden undertones. She stands with an easy confidence, hands on her hips, assessing us like we're some kind of puzzle.

"Name's Sienna. What about you?"

"Raegan," my brother pipes up, always quick to respond. He gestures toward her clothes. "Why do you think the girls' uniforms are different?"

Unlike ours, Sienna's uniform consists of an all-black sports bra, sweatpants, and combat boots. The number "3" is stamped on the right side of her chest.

She shrugs, arms crossing over her torso. "If I had to guess? The Echelon government didn't want to bother issuing both shirts and bras. Cheaper to throw us in sports bras than give us both."

Raegan whistles low. "Makes sense. You're pretty witty, huh?"

She smirks slightly. "If you say so, then I guess I am." Her eyes flick to me. "What about him?"

She nods toward me, and I realize I've been silent this whole time, just observing.

Raegan answers for me. "That's my older brother, Ryker. He's not too fond of people. Sorry."

Sienna doesn't seem fazed. "Well, nice to meet you, Ryker. And you, Raegan. I'd better get some sleep."

She turns, walking back toward her bunk. As she leaves, I see the way her shoulders tense for just a second, like she's already sizing us up, calculating where we fit into this whole mess.

I exhale slowly, then turn to Raegan, keeping my voice low. "You shouldn't be so friendly. And you definitely shouldn't have told her we're brothers."

He frowns. "Wait, why?"

I glance around, making sure no one's paying too much attention to us. "You forget where we are. This is the Echelon Trials. Everyone here is our enemy. And now, Sienna knows our greatest weakness."

Raegan tilts his head. "And what's that?"

I hold his gaze. "Each other."

His jaw tightens, his usual playful energy dimming for once. "Listen, Raegan," I say, quieter now. "I'm supposed to protect you. So if it comes down to it—if the choice is between you or me—it has to be you. Do you understand?"

He stiffens. "Don't talk like that. We're both getting out of here."

I don't argue, but we both know the truth.

"Enough of this," I mutter. "Get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring."

Raegan hesitates, then climbs up to his bunk, i hear him flop down onto his mattress with a sigh. "I could sleep for days."

I wish I could say the same. But even as exhaustion pulls at my limbs, my mind is still racing. The Warden. Callum's warning. The fact that I've already put a target on my back.

soon the lights go out and we are all settled into our beds,I exhale slowly, staring up at the ceiling.

Tomorrow, we'll wake up in this place all over again. And something tells me things are only going to get harder from here.

The room slowly settles into a tense quiet, the only sounds the occasional rustling of sheets and the distant hum of machinery beyond the steel walls. I try to let the exhaustion take me, to let my body sink into the mattress and force myself to rest, but my mind won't shut off.

Above me, Raegan shifts in his bunk, the thin mattress creaking slightly. His breathing has evened out, slow and steady. At least one of us is getting some sleep.

I turn onto my side, staring at the underside of his bed frame. The dim light from the hallway barely filters in, casting faint shadows across the room. I flick my gaze toward Callum's bunk across from mine. He's still awake, lying back with his arms crossed behind his head, staring at the ceiling like he's lost in thought. The smirk is gone, replaced with something unreadable. Sienna, a few bunks over, has her back to us, but I can tell she's awake too.

No one really sleeps the first night.

I sigh and close my eyes, trying to focus on anything but the weight pressing down on my chest. The second I let my guard down, I see flashes of what happened—Raegan being pulled away, the guards closing in, the crack of the rifle butt against my skull.

I grit my teeth and shove the memories down.

I'm still here. I still have him. That has to be enough.