Chapter 173

I jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed with a gasp. Someone was pounding on the door, and it took me a moment to remember where I was. The cabin swam into view as I gasped down air. My heart rate slowly returned to normal as I took in the teak furniture and the sunlight slanting across the floor.

“Celeste,” Jack called. “Are you awake?”

“One second!”

“Meet me in the main building,” he shouted.

“Alright,” I yelled back.

I forced myself out of bed. I had no idea what time it was, but I could’ve slept for a few more hours. A note on the bedside table stole my attention, and I snatched it up. I recognized Matt’s elegant handwriting.

Went into town to get supplies. Will be back in the afternoon. Help yourself to anything here. - Matt

Short and to the point.

I smiled and put the note back on the table. The dresser was half-full of clothes. Stuff that seemed old, but still in decent shape. I pulled on a clean pair of track pants, rolling them up a few times so the pant legs didn’t drag on the floor. Then I tied my boots. They belonged to Jenna, and were too big, but they’d do for now. I’d shredded my last pair when I went berserk on Zoe.

I put on a sweater, having to roll up the sleeves as well. Then I wandered into the bathroom. Luckily, there weren’t any mirrors. I probably looked ridiculous. I did my business and cleaned my face, the cold water refreshing against my tight skin.

When I stepped outside, I was surprised to find it felt like spring. The sun sat low in the sky, but there were no clouds, and the sunlight was warm. I titled my head back and enjoyed it for a moment. Winter was finally over.

Jack was waiting for me in the main building, a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs in front of him. He gestured for me to sit down, then slid the plate across the table.

“For me?” I asked, shocked.

He nodded. “Still take sugar in your coffee?” he murmured.

“Yeah.” I took a sip, surprised to find it tasted pretty good. It was lukewarm, but I didn’t mind. I couldn’t remember the last time Jack had made something for me. It had to be back when I was still a kid and couldn’t do anything for myself yet.

“Matt asked me to train you today,” he said.

I swallowed hard. “Train?” Just the word brought up a surge of unwanted memories.

He winced. “Teach? With guns.”

“Oh,” I said, remembering what Matt and I talked about last night. “Sure.”

“Nina’s going to help. I don’t really know where the gun range is and everything.” He shrugged. “She’s meeting us outside in five minutes.”

I took the hint and got to work eating. I was hungry enough that I got it down in no time. It was the sort of thing Jack would have berated me for in the past, but he said nothing.

I took my plate and cup to the kitchen and cleaned them in the sink. Jack hovered behind me, his expression distant.

“Are you okay?” I asked once I’d finished with the dishes.

“Yeah, fine,” he said, his eyes finding mine. There was something hollow about them that made my heart strain.

“You sure? You can talk to me, you know?”

“I’m really fine, Celeste,” he said, turning from me. “Come on, Nina’s probably waiting for us.”

I nodded and followed him from the room, making a mental note to bring it up again.

Nina was waiting for us outside, and she gave me a bright smile. I returned the gesture. Matt might blame his friends for not helping me, but I didn’t. I understood why they were cautious. They had other people to worry about, and they hardly knew me.

Nina looked relieved. “Come on,” she said. “The gun range is down this way.”

She handed Jack a bag, likely for the ammunition, and handed me a gun. She adjusted it on my shoulder. “Never point it at anyone,” she said. “Unless you’re going to shoot them.”

“Noted.”

She carried the other shotgun and picked up a case from the ground. “We’ll start with the shotguns and a handgun,” she said. “We’ll move on to the bigger stuff once you’ve mastered how to load and shoot these.”

“Okay.”

Jack had a handgun strapped to his belt and a knife hanging from the other side. I’d noticed that most of the people here walked around armed. The ones that didn’t were likely concealing their weapons. I knew I probably should have something on me too, but I didn’t know where to start.

We reached the bottom of the hill and walked over to a small green platform. A few targets were placed across the ground, varying in distance.

“Enzo set these up earlier,” she explained, pointing to a small wooden building off to the side. “We keep everything for the range in there.”

“Okay.”

She set the bags down and gestured for me to come forward. She leaned the shotguns on a stand.

“Alright, we'll start with loading, and go from there.”

Hours passed as Nina and Jack taught me how to load the guns, the proper way to stand, and how to aim. It was a while before they finally let me shoot. I started with the over under. It was the easiest to load. Jack corrected my form as I tucked my cheek against the stock and brought the gun back against my shoulder.

I aimed for the center of the first target and slapped the trigger. The shot rang out, and the cartridge went flying. Jack caught it out of the air and dropped it in a blue bucket by his feet.

“Not bad,” Nina said. “Just wait until we start on the moving targets.”

I eyed the collection of marks on the target. They were slightly off center, but not too bad. At least I hit something.

“Moving targets?”

Jack snorted. “Most people don’t stand and wait for you to aim and shoot them.”

I rolled my eyes.

We spent most of the morning with the shotguns, then moved on to the handguns by the end. Near mid-afternoon, sweat was beading on my brow, and my arms were sore from holding the guns. A bruise was forming on my shoulder from the recoil.

“Alright, let’s head back for lunch,” Nina said.

I helped her carry the guns up the hill, Jack trailing behind us with one case in his hands. We put everything away in Nina’s cabin, then headed toward the main building.

Jack strode ahead, but Nina hung back with me.

“Look,” she said, her expression tense. “I just wanted to apologize.”

I stopped. “Apologize?”

She hovered beside me. “I know Matt’s pissed at me and Enzo, and I can’t say I entirely blame him. We had to be cautious for the sake of the pack, but I know it sucks we couldn’t get you out sooner. We all wanted to help but–”

“But the entrance was a choke point, and the walls were impossible to scale.”

She nodded.

“You don’t have to apologize. I’m not angry with you guys at all. I’m glad you didn’t attempt anything reckless. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if someone got hurt trying to save me.”

“Matt doesn’t see it the same way.”

I shrugged. “I can’t speak for Matt. You guys have a different relationship. If he feels betrayed, it’s because of that.”

She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“He’ll get over it.”

Nina sighed. “I’m not so sure.”