Sabine is in the room next to mine. Her wispy-thin form darts inside, clearly eager to escape everyone. Zoe, the imprinted redhead, is on the other side of me. She moves at a slower pace, looking at me eerily with those wild, green eyes of hers before disappearing inside her room. I shiver a little, knowing that I should have anticipated this. Even though the carriers here have all been screened, they’re positive for HTS. Some of them have to be dangerous . . . maybe even a little unhinged.
Dusty stops me before I get inside my room. “Hamilton, we expect great things from you.”
“Really?” I swallow uncomfortably. I didn’t want them to expect great things from me. I just want not to fail.
“You have the breeding the other girls lack. Gentility, if you will . . . it’s important that you don’t lose that here. We’re going to train you to be tough . . . a skilled fighter, but don’t . . .” Her voice fades as though she’s searching for the right words. “You still need to maintain some sophistication. It will serve you well when you’re on assignment in the field.” She reaches up and taps a finger against my throat. “Shame about this. Perform to our expectations and we’ll see about getting that removed. It’s a painstaking process . . . delicate, but it can be done.”
They could remove my imprint? I could walk freely in the world with no one marking me on sight as a carrier?
My chest swells at the promise of this. I never dreamed of such a possibility.
I nod eagerly. “I’ll do my best.”
“Excellent.” She motions to my room, indicating I should go inside. “Have a good night.”
Once I’m in, the door clangs shut. As I sink onto the single bed, a bolt falls into place on the other side, the sound heavy, jarring.
At least we get our own rooms. Clearly, they don’t trust us alone with each other. No telling what would happen in the middle of the night. I might wake with someone’s hands around my throat.
Sitting there, I think of Sean and Gil, somewhere on the other side of this building with forty-odd boys. Did they get the same type of introduction? Were they, too, expected to cultivate their talents? Gil’s a computer genius, but what about Sean? What did they expect from him?
A soft sound starts up on the other side of my room. Sabine is crying.
I move from the bed and tap the wall, pressing my face close to the plaster. “Hey, you okay?”
Her words come out muffled, “I’m never going to make it.”
“You’ll do great,” I say. “They want us to succeed. They’ll train us.”
She doesn’t say anything else. After a while, I sigh and step away from the wall. I change into a fresh T-shirt and shorts and lie down on the bed. Grasping the collar, I inhale the soft fabric of my favorite T-shirt. It smells like home.
I notice a pair of training pants and black T-shirt folded neatly on the chair. For tomorrow, I assume. Probably standard issue.
Sinking back on the bed, I study my schedule and try to block out the sound of Sabine crying next door.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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Mount Haven Camp Schedule
ATHLETICS 6:00–6:45 A.M.
BREAKFAST 7:00–7:45 A.M.
ATHLETICS 8:00–9:30 A.M.
INDEPENDENT STUDY 9:45–11:45 A.M.
LUNCH 12:00–12:45 P.M.
CONDITIONING 1:00–2:30 P.M.
GROUP DRILLS 2:45–4:15 P.M.
INDEPENDENT STUDY 4:30–6:00 P.M.
DINNER 6:15–7:00 P.M.
COMMUNAL TIME 7:00–8:00 P.M.
LIGHTS-OUT 8:15 P.M.