Hi there,
So, I still haven’t received any of the edits from my publisher and so I am going to have a good think about how I’m going to move forward with Full Circle and I will let you know as soon as I have decided.
Back to Boot Camp however, Aeron is attempting to rescue those who don’t really want to be rescued… her first taste of what Renee often deals with as a protection officer.
As always, please excuse the typos,
Big Smiles,
Jody
Boot Camp
Act 4 Scene 1
My attempted rescue weren’t going all that well ‘cause even though I’d found Hankings and his two buddies, they weren’t interested in listening to me calling out to them as I trudged toward them.
“You got nuts for brains,” I shot at them as I shivered. The cold weather gear weren’t helping and my teeth were clinking together like they wanted to play a tune. “You’re going the wrong way.”
Hankings turned and charged at me then shoved me full force.
I didn’t move much and he headbutted my shoulder with his momentum and gripped it with a yelp. “How did you pass to get into boot camp?” I rolled my eyes at him and turned to the others. “I’ve been sent to take you to the extraction point. You need to follow me.”
The girl who was with them had straight dark hair jutting out of the side of her hat and some mean cut on her arm which was oozing.
“What do you mean follow you?” she muttered then winced like she was in pain. “You can’t even find the classroom.”
The other guy with Hankings sniggered. “We don’t need to find the assault course, Lorelei.”
I grabbed him by the jacket. “That’s Officer Lorelei now to you.” I glared him in the eyes. Frei had told Sissy I was so I guess I was allowed to say so. “I ain’t freezing my butt off to retrieve you for fun.”
The girl studied me then looked up at the guy as Hankings still carried on rubbing at his head. “If Lorelei is an officer, we should listen.”
The guy nodded. “And if Lead Agent Frei has sent her then we should follow her.”
Hankings rubbed at his head and glared at me. “She’s no officer and CIG can’t even manage cold weather training.” He stomped into my space. “Deputy Director Hewitt is gonna hear about this.”
I folded my arms. “You think he’s gonna care if you got ice pops for feet?”
The girl looked to the guy again. “He’s just a face on the magazine to me.” She sighed. “Maybe Lorelei is right. We’re going around in circles.”
“She’s not right. She’s trying to get you kicked out,” Hankings snapped. “Or worse. Don’t trust her.”
I went to just grab him and drag him with me but froze. I could hear gunfire… maybe in the distance… I weren’t sure but it sounded like gunfire.
“Why would CIG kick us out when we just had an accident?” the girl said furrowing her brow as she peered up at Hankings. “CIG will want to get us back safely.”
The guy nodded. “What are you trying to say?”
“That he’s got a bee in his butt ‘cause he got kicked out for leaving his teammates.” I folded my arms at him then held up my hand. I was sure it was gunfire.
“She’s lying,” Hankings said then smirked at me. “You fall asleep again, Lorelei?”
“No, I can hear somebody shooting,” I mumbled trying to strain my ears to figure which direction the noise was from. “Like them guns that shoot real fast.”
“Machine guns?” the guy said and glanced around. “I can’t hear guns.”
The girl lifted up her hat. “I can hear something… low… not a gun… maybe a gun.” She eyed me. “Lorelei is right.” Her eyes widened. “Lead the way.”
The guy shook his head. “I’m not following her. I can’t hear any guns.” He lifted his hat. “Maybe it’s… er… rocks or something.”
Hankings laughed at him. “In a frozen wasteland?” He looked me up and down. “I’ll find my own way.”
The girl wasn’t paying much attention because she had her hat up, ear exposed and was shaking her head. “There’s definitely a noise.”
Split. Cracking, splitting, creaking…
I wobbled on my feet.
“Lorelei, you need to drink less,” Hankings said with a mean laugh. “Come on, we’ll head this way.”
Cracking, splitting, creaking, cracking…
“It’s the ice!” I glanced around. Where was it cracking? Which way was it cracking?
“Don’t be stupid,” Hankings said then turned away from me.
“I can feel it through the ground,” the girl said, panic in her voice.
I closed my eyes. Frei said that the wind came from the North and if the ice cracks it did the same.
Cracking, splitting, creaking…
“Move!” I grabbed the girl and the guy and shoved them to the left then yanked Hankings with me and I dived the same way as the ice split apart where we’d been standing and clunks of snow crashed into the gap.
I got a mouth full of snow and shivered.
“How did you know the ice was going to crack?” Hankings got up and grabbed my shoulder, twisting me around onto my back. “You made it crack, didn’t you?”
“Made the ice crack?” the girl muttered and clambered to her feet. “How’d she make feet of ice crack?” She turned to the guy. “I think we should follow Lorelei.”
“Guess we could for a while,” the guy said as he limped over. “Not like we’re getting far.”
Hankings glared down at me. “She’s trying to get us caught.”
I studied him. I weren’t sure if he just wanted to be dumb or if he was without thinking. “Caught by who?”
“Yeah,” the guy said and then laughed at Hankings. “We finished the exercise.”
“Which way?” the girl asked me in a grumpy tone. She weren’t happy I’d helped, none of them were, but I guess she didn’t much like being cold.
I turned where the crack had come from and my nose stung with the wind. “This way.”
“Don’t blame me if we get kicked out,” Hankings muttered but they were following me.
I shivered with the cold again and tried to focus on getting to Sissy and Frei… and warmth.
