I woke up early, sitting up in the dimly lit room to find about half the beds empty. The unnatural glow from the tower seeped through the windows, making me rub my eyes. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood, ignoring the stiffness in my muscles.

I figured the lower rankers were gathered in the same place we had gone last time, so I made my way toward them.

As I walked, something felt… off. I passed the house we’d used last time, but somehow, it was on the opposite side of the street. Had the damn building moved? It looked like it had gotten up and walked. Creepy. I shook the thought away and picked up my pace, following the low murmurs echoing from what looked like the only house in the area that hadn’t completely fallen apart.

Inside, at least a hundred people were crammed into a space too small for them, their hushed conversations bouncing off the walls.

“The hell are you guys doing?” I said loudly, stepping inside.

A few people looked up, offering tired smiles and nods. Some of the newer faces fumbled to salute me. I swatted their wrists down with a grunt.

Eventually, I spotted Theo at the center of the group, with Zack standing a little ways behind him. Theo had a shield strapped to his arm, adjusting someone’s stance while speaking in that calm, steady voice of his. When he noticed me, he flashed a grin and waved, motioning toward Bea and Isaac sitting off to the side.

I waved back and started moving through the crowd, shaking hands and trying to remember all the names being thrown at me—Anya, Themba, Kyle… They blurred together in the haze of early morning, and I was way too groggy to keep them straight. Some of the girls pulled me into awkward side hugs, which only added to my confusion.

Finally, I reached Bea and Isaac, who were sitting in a quiet pocket of the room. Everyone seemed to give them space, so it was as good a place as any to sit. I dropped down beside them, giving Isaac a light slap on the shoulder and bumping fists with Bea.

“So,” I said, glancing around, “I see you guys have been talking. Used to be no one would even look at me, now they’re all acting like I’m their best friend.”

Isaac cracked a small smile—the first I’d seen from him. “Of course. Everyone wants to know why the falcon keeps showing up to speak with us lower ranks. Didn’t help that you refuse to be saluted.”

“Who the hell wants to be saluted?” I scoffed, leaning back against the wall and letting my head rest there for a second.

Across the room, I caught sight of Zack, giving pointers on shield technique to the small group at the center of our little improvised gathering. And Theo—of course—was still talking to people, adjusting grips and nudging feet into place. Everyone he spoke to seemed to brighten up, gaining a pep in their step that wasn't there before.

Zack caught my eye and gestured for me to join him, holding up a shield. I sighed and stood up, stretching my arms with exaggerated slowness.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on my way,” I muttered, raising my hands in mock surrender as I stepped into the circle.

The crowd parted slightly, eyes following me as I strapped on the shield—perfectly, I might add. Reaching up to my chest, I flicked my hand down hard, deploying it with smooth precision. I kept my expression neutral, even as a few people clapped softly.

Not everyone was on board with the shield thing.

One guy stood with his arms crossed, looking at me like I’d just insulted his grandmother.

“What?” I asked, shifting the shield experimentally and glancing his way.

“Why are you using a shield? That’s for E-ranks. We don’t need to bother with that kind of thing,” he said, his tone sharp despite the quiet murmur of the room.

I raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t you want to use a shield? These things are awesome.”

To prove my point, I swung in Theo’s direction with a mock strike. He gasped, clutching his chest like I’d just committed some great betrayal, stumbling dramatically into the people behind him.

A few grins were shared. A few laughs rippled through the group.

I thought it was shaping up to be a fine morning.

The guy’s face reddened, but he only crossed his arms tighter. “It’s for shieldmen. Not us.”

I shrugged. “Well, first of all, I’m one of those ‘falcons’ or whatever, so I don’t know why you’re saying ‘us.’ Second, why wouldn’t you want to use the shield? These things are awesome.”

He opened his mouth to argue, but he shut it quickly the moment I gave him a pointed look.

The rest of the group stayed quiet, but I noticed some of them—especially the ones without shields—stealing glances at the gear. Most of them still seemed like they were here just to follow their friends, but instead of outright contempt, there was curiosity now. It was nice to see the shift.

We kept practicing.

I only broke my toes once.

Not gonna lie—it was embarrassing as hell. The room burst into quiet laughter as I hopped around on one foot, muttering curses at my traitorous toes.

Bea healed me with a tired smile. “Well, Boris, if we ever need a one-legged man for an ass-kicking contest, we know who to call.”

“I have two legs,” I protested.

Afterwards, I handed Zack his shield back. “Thanks, man.” I grinned, giving his shoulder a light slap.

Around us, people stretched and yawned, still shaking off sleep. The occasional chuckle or murmured laugh rippled through the group, but the energy was low, relaxed.

I dropped down next to Isaac and leaned in. “What time is it?”

“Five a.m.,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Why?”

“Pissed my Lieutenant off,” I admitted. “Need to head back and try to make it right.”

A few conversations died down around us. A girl nearby, half-lidded eyes suddenly awake, perked up.

“What happened? What did you do?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper but full of curiosity.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Kept showing up to training dead tired. Lieutenant asked why, so I told her about my late-night trips to Alexandria. Promised not to do it again, then… immediately did it again. And I also kept arguing with the higher ranks. So, you know, I screwed up.”

“Alexandria? Why are you going to Alexandria?” she asked, her voice sharper now. Almost every conversation within earshot quieted, all eyes focusing on me.

“Well, I was hungry,” I said, shrugging. “Also just learned I have to find my own weapons for the tournament, so I guess that one too.”

“So you… how did you get to Alexandria?” someone else asked.

“I ran there. Obviously.”

“You ran there. Sure,” they said, rolling their eyes.

“Well, how else am I supposed to get there?” I shot back, but my heart wasn’t in it.

“Doesn’t matter.” I waved it off with a sigh. “You guys have any ideas on how I can, like… make her not mad?”

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“I don’t know. None of us are close with Lieutenant Michael. Sure, he’s nice, but none of us, like, know him,” one guy said with a shrug, turning back to the shield practice.

“He’s not nice,” a girl said, her tone dead serious. “Gives me a bad vibe. Don’t be alone with him.”

“You’re just saying that because he made you run more laps yesterday,” another muttered.

Well, they were useless.

I turned to Isaac. “Well? You got any ideas?” I asked, though I wasn’t really expecting much. I was probably just going to have to wing it.

Isaac shrugged. “I don’t know. Have you tried getting her something? That’s what I used to do for my sister when she was upset.”

Huh. That didn’t sound too bad, actually.

A lightbulb flicked on in my head, and before I knew it, I was on my feet, speaking loudly to the whole room. Heads turned, eyes watching as I scanned the crowd.

One of them actually had what I was looking for, and I practically begged at his feet to let me have it. He glanced at the others, clearly confused at my behavior, but in the end, he agreed.

I realized Tom could clone a few more for me, so I might even be able to stockpile them, and I could return it later. When I told him I could return it, he gave me an odd look like I was crazy.

For now, we raced back, stealthily making our way to the lower ranks dormitory. He made me wait outside, the little shit.

When I peeked in, I saw rows and rows of cramped bunk beds, stacked tightly together. Some were empty, but most had sleeping bodies in them, faces barely visible in the dim light. It was a strange sight—crowded, packed, alive in a way that made the space feel too small.

Still, quite something to see, if I’m being honest.

Finally, he rushed back, shoving the gift into my hands. I grinned and pulled him into a bear hug before sprinting back to my dorm.

I made my bed perfectly, straightened my uniform, and checked myself in the mirror, making sure the fink uniform looked good. Pristine.

I thought about giving it to her as soon as she arrived, but when the others got back from their little search, they stayed awake with me. I passed the time making small talk with Marnus Zach, my fingers twitching as I reconsidered whether to hand it over the moment she walked in.

But I decided to wait. Make it a personal affair rather.

We went through the usual morning routine—brushing teeth, the others making their beds while I stood outside, already on the line.

At breakfast, Everyone was quiet, not even the people fighting in the tournament were talking, all of them staring at their trays. It made me shake my head. I have to fix this.

But for now, the Lieutenant mattered more.

I, of course, sat next to Tom—for my second breakfast, obviously—but this time, I asked him to clone something else.

At first, he only glanced at me when I nudged him for the food. But when I held out the gift, his eyebrows shot up. He hesitated for half a second, then just rolled his eyes and nodded before cloning it, making a few copies. Even kept one for himself.

The moment the lower ranks arrived, I ran to the gift giver and shoved one of the copies into his hands.

He blinked, staring at it in confusion. Then, louder than necessary, he blurted, “Why did you take it in the first place?”

I ignored him, tucking my own gift into my pocket before heading for B sector.

Something was different today.

I gazed at the table where those bastards had sat, and there were just a bunch of sleeveless finks, although they looked older than us. Curiously, only lieutenant Galina was in black. She gave me a wave. I shot back some finger guns in greeting and joined the others.

“You’ve all improved wonderfully,” Lieutenant Zenzele announced, clapping her hands together. “So as a reward, you’ll now be doing thirty sets from here on out. Congratulations.”

We all groaned with excitement.

When we were finally dismissed, I could barely stay still. My fingers drummed against my leg, my breath quick with anticipation. This was it.

I practically sprinted to my training room, my heartbeat thrumming with something close to excitement—no, closer to relief. This was my shot. My one, perfect chance to fix things, to smooth over the mess I’d made.

She’d see it, she’d understand. We’d be good again.

No, we’d be better.

The gift in my pocket felt like a promise. A reset button I was finally about to press. I pictured every scenario—her laughing, rolling her eyes, shaking her head but still taking it. Maybe even one of those rare, wide smiles.

That would be enough. That would be everything.

We could be friends again.

I burned through my training routine, practicing what she showed me yesterday with the gun before switching to bag work and sprawls.

An hour later, Lieutenant Zenzele and Lieutenant Galina walked in, speaking in that stiff, respectful way of theirs.

I was still breathing hard, sweat sticking to my skin, but I wiped my hand off as best as I could. I even grabbed a tissue from the bathroom earlier—presentation matters, after all.

Straightening, I stepped forward and held out my gift—an apple.

Just like the one she’d given me days ago.

“Lieutenant, I’m sorry. Please—”

“Shut up, Boris.” Her tone was flat, uninterested.

Her words hit harder than they should have.

Before I could react, she turned to Galina. “You see? I need some discipline drilled into the boy. Won’t even salute us when we walk through the door.”

Galina’s eyes flicked between us, her eyebrows raised, lips pursed. After a beat, she simply said, “Of course, Lieutenant.”

I barely heard her.

I thought it was the perfect gift.

Zenzele didn’t move. Didn’t react. Just stared straight ahead—past me.

Like I wasn’t even there.

The apple suddenly felt too heavy in my palm. My throat tightened, but I forced myself to swallow down the feeling. Slowly, I bent down and set it at her feet, stepping away like a kicked dog.

My chest burned. But I turned to Lieutenant Galina.

“Sorry about this, Boris,” she whispered as I approached.

I frowned. “For what?” I muttered, shifting into the stance Lieutenant Zenzele had drilled into me.

Galina just sighed.

“Oh. You’ll see.”

She tapped her arm.

Her tattoo glowed. Her eyes turned white.

And so, I lunged, throwing the punches Zenzele had drilled into me. They weren’t as sloppy as last week, but still nowhere near good enough. Galina moved like water, slipping just out of reach, her body twisting effortlessly, like she had all the time in the world.

She wasn’t even trying.

And neither was my dice, apparently, because the damn thing hadn’t even rolled.

Before I could adjust, Galina turned sharply, pivoting on her heel, and her leg snapped up in a smooth arc. The kick crashed into my chest, lifting me off my feet and slamming me onto my back. My lungs locked, and for a moment, all I could do was heave for air.

My dice finally landed in front of me, like it had been watching the whole time, waiting to see if I’d handle this without it.

Galina sighed. “Is it at least activated now?” she asked, almost bored.

I groaned, forcing myself up. “Yeah,” I wheezed.

The world slowed.

Her movements stretched, finally something I could track. My heartbeat steadied, and I began circling, shifting my weight, trying to force her toward the boxing bag. If I could cut off her space, she’d have nowhere to run.

I darted forward, closing the gap, giving her the best straight I'd ever thrown.

She stepped back just once, tilting her head barely five centimeters—just enough to let my fist skim past her cheek. My frustration flared, and I lunged again, trying to grab her, but she took another step back—this time, her back hit the bag.

Got you, I thought to myself.

I dropped low, aiming to use the same takedown Zenzele had used on me, but before I could hook her leg, Galina sprawled over my head, shifting her weight with ridiculous ease. Her feet walked up the bag, her body coiling like I’d just handed her the perfect escape.

Then, my forehead smacked into the bag.

Galina let out a startled squeal as she tumbled right over my back, hitting the mat in a messy heap.

I meant to do that.

I straightened immediately, turning around and getting ready to lunge at her.

By the time I turned, she was already standing, her face unreadable, rolling her shoulders like this was nothing more than a warm-up. Like she hadn’t just squealed.

“I don’t know if that was luck or if you meant to corner me,” she said, nodding. “Either way, well done. I can go a bit harder now.”

She still wasn’t even looking at me.

A slow, munching sound made me glance to my left.

Lieutenant Zenzele was eating the apple.

I froze.

She had taken it.

She was actually eating the gift.

Hope flared in my chest, like a fist loosening around my heart. Maybe she wasn’t mad anymore. Maybe—”

My legs were kicked out from under me, making me land on my back. Again.

Galina stood over me, shaking her head. “Focus, Boris. You're in a fight, remember?”

“Yeah, okay” I wheezed, getting back up, eyes locked on her.

She just smiled, “Bring it.”

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up, blood pumping.

And well, I brought it.