Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Under other circumstances his words would have made her melt. Now they just made her cringe with embarrassment.
“Yes, I’m fine now. Honestly, just fine.” She swiped at her eyes, still stinging with tears. God, how could she have been so stupid? But the spider had looked so real and it was right in her face…
Stop making excuses for your sorry performance, she scolded herself. Get up right now and start acting like a grown-ass woman instead of a little girl who fell off her bike and skinned her knee!
She tried again to get up and this time Sirex let her. He rose smoothly to stand beside her as Phoebe swiped at her eyes again and straightened her uniform shirt and trousers.
“All right.” She turned to look at him, trying to meet his eyes. “I…I’m ready. Let’s do it again.”
“Do it again?” He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about this—the damn tunnel.” She gestured to the cave around them, which didn’t look nearly so scary now that light was streaming into it. “Let’s go back to the beginning and reset it.”
But Sirex frowned and shook his head.
“No, I don’t think so. You need to rest—whatever you saw traumatized you.”
“It was a big ass spider—bigger than you, if you really want to know,” Phoebe snapped. “But I’m not afraid of it anymore.” She lifted her chin. “I’m not going to let this damn cave beat me!”
“It hasn’t beaten you—I believe there’s something wrong with it,” Sirex said. “Until I find out what that is, I don’t want you or anyone else attempting it again.”
“But—” Phoebe began impatiently.
“Go back to your suite and get some rest, cadet.” His deep voice began sharp and clipped. “That’s a direct order. Am I understood?”
Phoebe wanted to protest—wanted to prove to him that she wasn’t weak or girly or hysterical. But the burning light in his red-on-black eyes let her know that her mentor wasn’t going to tolerate any backtalk or sass.
Feeling frustrated beyond measure, she clenched her hands into fists at her sides and nodded respectfully.
“Yes, Sir,” she said tersely. “Understood.”
“Good. Now go.” His clipped tone brooked no dissent.
Feeling defeated and lost in a way she hadn’t since she’d quit the PD, Phoebe turned on her heel and marched out of the training cave.
What else could she do?
6
PHOEBE
The next day she dreaded facing her mentor. She’d spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning and wondering what Sirex must think of her now. Her steps were dragging as she did her morning routine, gathering her long curls in a ponytail and putting on a little make-up to hide the dark circles under her eyes.
Finally she glanced at the chronometer on the wall and realized that if she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late. That was something she had promised herself would never happen again. Though she dreaded seeing the contempt in her mentor’s eyes, she dreaded seeing his disappointment as he ordered her to “drop and give me fifty” even more.
She rushed out the door and down the long metal corridor to the tram station. She caught the right tram and barely made it to their usual meeting place in the parklands around the Sacred Grove in time.
Sirex was already there, waiting for her. To Phoebe’s surprise, he looked like he had spent a sleepless night too—at least if the circles under his eyes were to be believed. Her mentor was standing in the green and purple grass with his arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his face.
Seeing that expression, Phoebe was sure she was in for a lecture—probably about how disappointed he was in her for her emotional breakdown the day before.
“Hello, Sir.” She lifted her chin, prepared to take her medicine. It was going to take some time to win back his trust in her, she knew, but she was fully prepared for that. She would just have to work harder than ever.
“Cadet Jenkins…Phoebe.” To her surprise, his eyes softened when he saw her. “How are you? Come here and let me see you,” he added, before she could answer.
Feeling uncertain all over again at his strange greeting, Phoebe came up to him.
“Yes, Sir?” she asked, using his name as a question.
“Let me see…” Sirex took her by the shoulders and looked her up and down. Phoebe hoped desperately that her clothing was straight and none of her makeup looked funny. She’d been in such a hurry to get ready once she realized what time it was getting to be…
Her mind was in such a whirl, she almost missed his next question.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Er, fine. I feel fine,” Phoebe said earnestly. “And I’d like to assure you, Sir, that there will not be a repeat of yesterday’s events. I know there is no excuse for the way I acted and I cannot begin to express the shame I feel—”