“Why not?” Ember gestured at the terrain around us. “They dumped us here, in the middle of freaking nowhere—why shouldn’t we have a little fun for once? Let’s go to town and watch that movie. We can say we got horribly lost and wandered around for hours and hours. How are they gonna say otherwise?” When I still hesitated, she rolled her eyes. “Come on, Dante, we’re going to fail the test anyway, you know that, right? What’ve we got to lose? Unless you really want to race me across the desert.”
I took a breath. It was tempting. I was tired, and not just physically. I was tired of tests, tired of studying, of staying up all night only to face another grueling day of exams. And, truth be told, I was angry at Talon for giving us this impossible test, requiring the one thing I refused to do: abandon my twin.
I looked at Ember and nodded. “Yeah,” I said, ignoring the brief stab of fear to the gut. “Let’s do it.”
*
It took us all afternoon to reach town, even knowing which direction we were going. The desert stretched on, eternal in its sameness. Even for two dragons who normally thrived in the heat, hours of trudging through the desert in over a hundred degree temperatures began to wear on us. By the time we saw the first of the roofs across the desert, we were hot, sweaty, thirsty and desperate to get out of the sun.
“Made it,” Ember breathed, sounding triumphant. She grinned at me, eager and relieved at the same time. Her skin was slightly pink from the sun, and my own felt uncomfortably tight, making me wonder if it was possible for dragons to get sunburned. “Come on,” she said, gesturing toward a distant gas station on the edge of the road. “I’m spitting sand here. Drinks first, then let’s go find the theater.”
My stomach danced as we approached the border of town, either in excitement, fear or a little of both. This was supremely forbidden. Cutting class, wandering into town alone, deliberately disobeying our instructors? I’d never done anything this risky before. I didn’t know if I liked this feeling of nervous exhilaration and utter terror, but we couldn’t turn back now.
However, as we crossed the road and headed toward the gas station, I spotted a disturbingly familiar black sedan sitting at the edge of the parking lot, and my insides gave a violent twist.
Get ahold of yourself, Dante. Not every black car is from Talon. There’s no way they could know where you went—
The back door opened, and Mr. Gordon stepped out of the car, followed by two Talon agents in suits.
Ember froze. I went rigid, my mind going blank as our teacher came toward us across the lot, leaving the agents by the car. They had found us. How had they found us? Had the car turned around somehow, to make sure we were heading in the right direction? Had the driver been hiding somewhere with binoculars, watching our every move?
“Ember.” Mr. Gordon’s tone was impassive. He didn’t sound angry, or surprised, to find us here. “Dante. Come along, it’s time to go home.”
Numbly, we followed him to the car. There was nothing more we could do.
The ride back was silent. I stared out the window, trying to control the sick feeling in my stomach. What would they do to us? Would this permanently stain my record with Talon? Would they decide to separate me and Ember?
I should have been afraid, and I was. I knew Talon’s punishment would probably be terrible. But at the same time, the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. They were obviously watching us somehow, waiting for us to screw up. Setting us up for failure.
It wasn’t fair. I thought back to all the times I had excelled, followed instructions and orders without hesitation, and my blood boiled. Hadn’t I proved myself by now? Hadn’t I been the model student, never questioning instructions, never complaining? Why this one pointless test that we couldn’t win?
When we got back, we followed Mr. Gordon silently into one of the classrooms, where our other two trainers were waiting with displeased expressions.
“So.” Mr. Gordon turned to face us as the rest of the teachers came forward. His expression was stern, disapproving. “Decided to have a little fun, did you? In the middle of your exams, no less. Would either of you care to explain what you were thinking today? And please,” he added, looking at me. “Do not attempt to tell me you ‘got lost.’ I know that you at least, Dante, know enough to tell which direction is north. So.” He raised his eyebrows. “What were you doing in town today? Why did you ignore the test?”
“Because it was stupid,” Ember growled under her breath. Mr. Gordon’s eyes narrowed, and I jumped in before she made things any worse.
“I didn’t understand the point of the test, sir,” I said, though my own voice came out hard. “I wasn’t going to leave my sister alone, in the middle of the desert. I might’ve known the way back, but what if Ember really did get lost? She could wander around out there for days and get hurt or dehydrated.”
“That was unlikely,” Mr. Gordon replied. “We were watching you both via satellite. Neither of you was in any real danger. Besides, your assessment of the exam was incorrect. We were not testing to see who could make it back first—we were testing to see if either of you would Shift into your real forms in order to make it back faster. But, as you circumvented the exam entirely, that point is moot.”
Satellites. So that was how they knew. My heart sank even more. We’d never had a chance to escape. They’d known what we were doing from the very beginning.
Mr. Gordon gave me a piercing stare, seeming to read my thoughts. “Do let me make this perfectly clear, Mr. Hill,” he said firmly. “We are always watching you. We are always testing you. Nothing you do goes unnoticed. Remember that, always.”
“You were tracking us?” Ember was completely pissed now, and I winced. When she was this angry, there was no telling what she would say. “Well, here’s a thought—maybe that’s why we had to get out of here. Everything is work, exams and these stupid mind games. We can’t ever catch a break. Maybe if you would let up a little, we wouldn’t be so desperate to leave!”
Mr. Gordon looked at me, his eyes cold. “And you, Dante? Do you feel the same?”
“I...” I hesitated, feeling all eyes on me, both human and dragon. Ember was staring at me angrily, wanting but not really expecting me to back her up. The teachers were all watching us, silently judging. Always judging. No matter what I did, how perfect I was or how much I excelled. I could never please them. And suddenly, I was angry, too.
“Yes, sir.” I glared at Mr. Gordon. “From the time I got here, I’ve done everything you wanted. I never Shift, never ask questions, never do anything I’m not supposed to. Until now, I’ve aced every test you’ve given me, and yet I’m still being tracked? When have I given you reason not to trust me? All I’ve ever done for the past three years is excel.”