Flickers of Flame by Madeline Freeman

Author:Madeline Freeman [Freeman, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Laurealinde Publishing LLC

Chapter Fourteen

By the end of the day, I was such a bundle of nerves that I could only pick at my dinner of garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized broccoli, and grilled steak. I couldn’t wait for the meal to be over so I could head back to my dorm room and contact Liza. If there was going to be a raid on the distribution hub, I needed to warn her as soon as possible.

Relief swept over me when the servers began removing our plates from the table. But as the polite volume of the dinner chatter began rising, Colonel Zagar made her way to the front of the room.

“I’m sure you’re all eager to return to your dorms and get a good night’s rest before tomorrow’s field experience, but there is one last thing to attend to before you’re free to leave.” The colonel nodded, and two thirty-something nurses in dark green scrubs strode to the front of the room, each holding a metal tray. I craned my neck to see what was on them, but to no avail. They set their trays on a table behind Colonel Zagar, and it was impossible to see them from my angle. “This will only take a minute,” the colonel continued. “Your safety—both inside these walls and beyond—is important to both Blakethorne and the Guard. This is just one further precaution in addition to the ones we discussed during today’s training.” She glanced back at the nurses. The one closer to my table—a woman whose dark brown hair hung in an angular bob—gave a curt nod. I recognized her from my trip to the school’s infirmary after my fight with Shonda. Nurse Nichols. “All right, cadets. Line up.”

I expected someone to raise a hand and ask for more information, but to my surprise everyone complied automatically. Under the colonel’s watchful gaze, I stood and joined the queue behind Thor. From my position, I couldn’t see what Nurse Nichols was doing, so I looked to her coworker at the front of the next line. The short, slender man had his back to Shonda, who had taken the first spot in her line.

“Roll up your sleeve,” said the nurse as he spun to face Shonda. In his hand was a syringe.

My stomach clenched.

Shonda winced only slightly as the needle penetrated her skin, but that was her only sign of discomfort. In a few seconds, it was over. She offered a small smirk as she left her line, sending my stomach into another spasm.

The nurses moved swiftly, and in almost no time, I found myself at the head of the line.

“Staying out of trouble, cadet?” Nurse Nichols asked as she busied herself at her tray.

A jolt of surprise shot through me as I began rolling up my sleeve. “I didn’t expect you to remember me.”

The nurse offered a bemused look as she turned to face me. “Believe it or not, I don’t get many puncture wounds in the infirmary.” Her gaze dipped to my sleeve, which was only halfway up my forearm.

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