Scoreboard

Two weeks of torturous exercises eventually passed.

This morning, for the first time since training began, the shrill alarm hadn't ripped them from sleep. The cafeteria was filled with initiates eating as much as they could, despite the tension of uncertainty in the air.

Had Warden Gregory fallen ill? Or had he somehow grown a conscience?

But deep down, they knew that neither of those options was impossible. A warden couldn't fall sick easily, and compassion was definitely not in his vocabulary.

Still, they tried to focus on their food, pretending the calm wasn't making their skin crawl.

Kiah, for one, ate without complaint today. The green vegetables and blob of despair didn't taste as awful as they used to. Or maybe she was just grateful to eat without stress gnawing at her spine for once.

She ate quietly, almost contentedly, while the others chatted across the table.

As much as she hated the training, like a reoccurring nightmare, she had to admit — there were some changes. In the last two weeks, she had grown stronger and more flexible. Eden's once brutal exercises no longer left her breathless. In fact, she kind of enjoyed it now.

It was progress.

And she was grateful.

Kiah smiled as her gaze wandered to her companions.

"...I think the Smog Run was the easiest." Kira said casually.

"Really?" Naya blinked. "That toxic gas burned my nostrils. No way that was easy. The Walk of Silence was better."

"You got dunked in the water six times because you couldn't stop yelping." Wayne pointed out dryly.

"Doesn't matter. I'm a great swimmer, and I enjoyed the process," Then Naya locked eyes with Kiah and scooted closer. "What about you?"

Kiah's brow scrunched up, and her eyes fell to the small distance between her and Naya on the bench. They were only a few meters apart.

The girl had scooted so close that their bodies were almost touching.

She clicked her tongue internally.

'No regard for personal space.'

Then she glanced around the group and sighed.

Over the past weeks, they had become unexpectedly comfortable with one another. Pain had a strange way of creating bonds. But with that bond came plenty of bickering, sharp-tongued remarks, and, of course, loss of personal space.

Making friends had never been Kiah's thing.

In high school, she'd been ostracized for being a nerd. The few people she talked to in her clubs and debate teams eventually pulled away too, intimidated by her intelligence.

Some claimed she was too proud and rude, but she disagreed.

Proud? Maybe. Rude? Definitely not. They just lacked self-esteem, and that was not her fault.

At the end of the day, she mostly kept to herself, solely focused on how to build her grades high enough to secure a scholarship to Oxford. She planned on making friends just like her at university.

But when she entered university, everything changed. Her mother's condition worsened, and Kiah had even less time to breathe, let alone socialize. Tragic, really, for someone barely out of her teens.

Now, being surrounded by people again, she often didn't know how to act. Being part of a group didn't come naturally to her.

Seeing the three pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly, she finally gave in and answered.

"Kira is right. The Smog Run was the easiest."

Kira smiled smugly while Naya visibly deflated. Wayne just gave her a knowing look.

"What?" She asked.

Naya scoffed playfully.

"Of course you would agree with Kira. You two are quite similar, so you must think alike."

Kiah cocked a brow. So did Kira.

"We aren't similar. We look very different," Kiah said flatly. But when Kira's sharp gaze flicked to her, she quickly added, "I don't mean it in a bad way. I mean… we have very different traits."

Wayne shook his head.

"Naya's not talking about your looks. She is talking about your personality. You both hardly talk and always act like everyone is out to get you. You are constantly on guard and never smile. Basically lone wolves who somehow ended up with a pack."

"Bullshit!" Kiah and Kira snapped in unison.

Their eyes met. Kiah rolled hers.

"See?" Naya said with a laugh, leaned back in her chair and bit into an apple. "It's a miracle either of you decided to stick with us for so long. I thought Wayne and I would have been abandoned a long time ago."

"I feel like abandoning you guys now." Kira murmured.

Wayne chuckled. "You can't. You've gotten too attached."

Kira paused and sneered. "Says who?"

"Just admit it. You love our company and would probably die of boredom without us," Naya teased and turned to Kiah. "You, too."

"We'll see about that." Kiah shrugged.

As much as she had gotten comfortable with the group, she knew herself too well. If they crossed the line, she would leave them behind without hesitation.

Naya gave a soft sigh, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm just grateful for the peace and quietness for today. I wish every day could be like this."

"Don't jinx it." Kiah warned.

They couldn't afford to feel too happy. That was usually when Lady Luck ripped the rig out from under them.

"I'm just celebrating. It's not everyday we get to skip training." Naya said with a grin.

But no sooner had the words left her mouth than a loud, shrill alarm pierced the cafeteria, drawing a collective groan of despair. Someone cursed loudly. Another person hurled their spoon across the room.

Naya froze in her seat like a deer caught in headlights.

"You jinxed it," Kiah spat, her voice laced with thinly veiled resentment.

The automated voice echoed from the speaker overhead.

"Initiates, report to the training room in five minutes."

Kiah sighed. Of course, Warden Gregory wouldn't give them a real break.

"Training room? Not the departure station?" Wayne asked, frowning.

Until now, nearly every exercise had taken place outside the base, except the obstacle course.

"Let's go," Kira rose to her feet.

They followed the flood of initiates toward the training room.

Once gathered, a wave of anxiety settled over the crowd. Faces were tight with unease, stomachs twisted with dread. What kind of hell awaited them now?

On the platform, Warden Gregory stood tall, his eyes sweeping across the crowd.

Kiah's eyes drifted to the person beside him, and her brow furrowed.

'Thorne? Wasn't he on a mission? Could Eden be back too?'

Her eyes lit at the thought that Eden had arrived. Her saviour was back!

"Good day, everyone. I know you're all wondering why you're here instead of out in the wastelands trying to cross a pool of lava with a paper boat."

Nervous chuckles broke out, but many faces tensed. It was hard to tell whether he was joking.

"The answer is simple," Gregory continued. "Your physical training has officially come to an end."

Relieved gasps, smiles, and even a few claps echoed around the room.

Warden Gregory rolled his eyes at the celebration.

"Don't get too excited," he warned. "That was only the first phase. You've got three more ahead of you, and who knows? You might see me again."

That shut everyone up instantly.

"Your next phase is combat training," he said, gesturing to the young man beside him. "Your new instructor will be Warden Thorne."

The blue-haired warden stood silently, arms crossed, a permanent scowl etched across his face. His gaze swept over the room with something bordering on disdain as he leaned casually against the wall.

'Oh no.' Kiah groaned internally.

"Your training will begin tomorrow morning, but before that…" He gestured towards the wall behind him.

A soft hum filled the room as a large holographic screen flickered to life, displaying names, faces, and scores.

"This is my personal assessment of each of you during the physical training phase. You've got a long way to go, but I'll admit, some of you managed to impress me. I see a few promising individuals among you."

His words drew murmurs through the crowd.

Gregory turned slightly to the side, addressing the person next to him. "Got anything to say, child?"

Despite both holding the title of Warden, Gregory had far more battlefield experience than Thorne. The age gap alone gave him the right to address him as he saw fit. Not to mention, if it came to a fight, Gregory would undoubtedly beat the shit out of Thorne.

That was the difference between an old warden and a new warden. Their skill was just on another level.

Thorne merely shook his head.

"No, Warden. We'll formally introduce ourselves tomorrow."

With that, he turned on his heel and exited the room.

"Brat," Gregory muttered under his breath, watching Thorne's retreating back, but his tone wasn't biting. If anything, he sounded vaguely amused.

Kiah raised an eyebrow. That was… interesting.

The moment Warden Gregory dismissed them, the entire room surged forward, initiates rushing forward toward the holographic board to check their rankings.

Kiah fought through the crowd and scanned the glowing screen until she spotted her name.

She was ranked 64.

It was not stellar, but not embarrassing either. She'd take it.

The other members of her group also checked their scores. Naya was at 65. Wayne and Kira scored a little higher.

She looked at the names and felt a small tug of satisfaction. They weren't at the top, but they were on the rise. And more importantly, they weren't bottom last.

For the first time since she arrived in this godforsaken world, things were actually looking good.