Valkyrie 106 by Arizona Tape

Author:Arizona Tape [Tape, Arizona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vampari Press

Chapter Eighteen

“You’re still here,” a surprised voice said, waking me from my stressful sleep.

I jolted up, whacking my head against the metal bar that supported the top bunk bed. Shit. I hoped that didn’t wake Astrid up.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Hmm?” After a couple of blinks, the blurry image brought Ryoko’s face into focus. Despite my throbbing head, a smile tugged on my lips. “Hi. You look beautiful.”

Relief spread across her face. “I thought you’d gone.”

“Without saying goodbye?”

“…Yes?” The bed dipped as she sat down next to me, making the springs shriek. “I’m sorry, I should’ve known you would never do that to me. Forgive me.”

I reached out to take her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You don’t need to apologise all the time.”

“But I feel bad for thinking such nasty things.”

“It’s a stressful time. You’re just stressed.”

“I don’t know…” Ryoko picked at a loose thread of her new uniform, somehow having managed to already unravel something. “So how come you’re still here? I thought everyone that didn’t sign up for a squad left yesterday night.”

“They did. I… got delayed.”

“Delayed doing… what?”

I cast my gaze down, guilt rising from my stomach. “Practising.”

“Ylva!”

“Don’t worry. Astrid was there to keep an eye on me.”

“Astrid?” Ryoko’s tone suddenly changed. “She was helping… you?”

I nodded. “Yes, we ended up running into a group of injured soldiers and helped them to the infirmary.” I checked my watch, realising it was already way past ‘first thing in the morning’. I jolted up, banging my head against the same metal rail again. “Fuck!”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I need to go. The General asked to see me.”

“General?”

I pressed a quick kiss on her cheek as I grabbed my bag from underneath the bed. In a rush, I whirled out of the dormitory, leaving Ryoko on my bed. In a perfect world, I’d have time for lengthy goodbyes. Or no goodbyes at all. But this was far from a perfect world. “I’ll explain later!” I whisper-shouted, trying my best not to wake up anyone else.

“But—”

“Later!”

With the wind in my back, I rushed towards the General’s office. I didn’t even have time to splash some water in my face or change clothes, but I was going to be late and I hated that. There was nothing more rude.

Hissing and panting, I arrived at his quarters and waved at his assistant. A man with more stripes on his uniform than expected rose from behind his desk with a disappointed glare and announced my arrival to the General.

On his way out, his assistant tapped his watch and sighed dramatically.

“Yes, yes, I know I’m late,” I snapped. The sun hadn’t even come up and it wasn’t like the General had given me an accurate time to meet him. A little unusual for a Wind Child, but maybe he’d just given up on anyone being on time. Who knew.

I waited behind my chair for the assistant to leave and the General to acknowledge my presence. Busy filling out forms and stamping papers, he pretended not to notice me until he’d made me wait for a couple of minutes.

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