Chapter 255
“I don’t know what the Games are because nobody tells me!” I growl, smacking Jackson hard on the arm as I bare my teeth at him, pissed that apparently everyone knows what these ‘Games’ are except for me.
“You have a handbook in your room, Ariel,” Jackson says, laughing at me, completely ignoring my smack which he probably barely felt. “Two of them, I think. You’re allowed to read them – they contain all of this information.”
“I have enough reading to do on my own,” I say, waving a hand at him as I quickly pack away my gun. “I rely on you boys to keep me otherwise informed.” I say the latter in a very bored, spoiled sort of way, and I can feel his grin down the bond even if I’m concentrating on zipping up my gun bag.
“Well, then let me perform my singular function as your walking, talking handbook, your highness,” Jackson says, heading for the ladder and climbing down ahead of me. Luckily, he modulates his pace so that I can hear him as I follow. “There are three War Games over the course of the semester – and they’re real simulations of what it might be like to be in a battle.”
I continue to climb down hand over hand, listening carefully.”
“Everyone plays the roles that they’re being trained for,” Jackson continues. “Rafe and I will be captains, amongst some other Cadets that the staff thinks have command potential, and we’ll select our warriors according to their particular skills, trying to put together the best team possible. We also pick Ambassadors, who we can use to talk to the other side and either negotiate a ceasefire or spread misinformation. And you, tiny mate,” he says, his feet hitting the ground moments before he reaches up for me and takes me gently by the waist as I hop the last foot or two to the ground, “will be the only sniper on the board. So. You’ll be quite in demand.”
“Really?” I ask, looking up at him in shock. “So, I’m going to like…shoot at people?”
“Yes,” he says seriously, and then his face breaks into a smile. “With a paintball gun, of course. But everything else is apparently very real.”
“I get a paintball gun!?” I shout, immediately delighted.
Jackson laughs and slings his arm around my shoulder, leading me back towards the castle. “An expensive one, I’m betting,” he murmurs. “Because I don’t even know how you even make paintballs for a sniper rifle. I’ll get you on my team, though. You’ll be my first pick.”
“Jesse will be so jealous,” I say, hiking my gun bag up onto my shoulder and laughing a little maliciously.
Jackson laughs again, tugging me into a swifter pace next to him. “Come on, let’s hurry up or we’ll miss our run. And then the other Sinclairs with which we live will be pissed at us.”
I grin up at him, nodding eagerly, and then the two of us hurry into the Castle to return my gun to its locker.
When we arrive back outside the Castle a few minutes later, we find Rafe and Jesse already there – dressed and ready for us.
“Are we late?” Jackson asks, frowning a little.
“No,” Jesse says, grinning and turning to us. “We’re early – we’re just…shocked Ariel’s up and doing things before us.”
“I am so not as lazy as you guys imply,” I say, crossing my arms and frowning at my brother and my cousin.
“Yes you are, Ariel,” Rafe says, his eyes going half shut with his doubt, even as he smirks at me. “You’d sleep till noon if we let you – have done so on many occasions.”
I roll my eyes at him even if…well, even if it’s true.
“But seriously?” Rafe continues, raising an eyebrow at me as he looks me up and down. “More extra assignments? Now early morning sniping practice?”
I bite my lip a little as I look into his face, kind of worried that he thinks it’s too much. “I can do it, Rafe,” I say, nodding seriously to him. “I know it’s hard work but – I can handle it.”
His face breaks into a wide grin as he steps to my side and puts an arm around my shoulders, bringing me in for a single tight squeeze. “No, Ari – you’re reading me wrong. I’m proud of you. Just – if you get worn out, don’t hesitate to tell people, okay? Your body is going to need a lot of rest or you’ll fall apart. Just…tell us what you need and we’ll support you.”
I beam up at my big brother, leaning my weight against him, incredibly grateful for his support. “Okay,” I say, happiness ringing in my voice. “I will!”
“All right,” Rafe says with a sigh, loosening his arm and looking around at Jesse and Jackson. “Enough chit chat. Let’s go!”
And without another word, he turns and breaks into a sprint. Jesse whoops and follows on his heels, but Jacks says with me, running at my side.
“Oh, go!” I say, laughing and waving him on. “Don’t hang back for me!”
He laughs a little, nodding to me and running forward to catch up with the other boys as I do my very best to catch up. I mean, I fail…
But hell, it’s good to try.
About twenty minutes later my spirits are quiet a bit lower and my feet are dragging, a little, as I haul myself into the breakfast. I mean, with the adrenaline gone, the lost hours of sleep and the workouts I’ve been going through morning and night definitely take their presence known.
Jackson – fresh, clean, and already seated at the table with Ben – frowns as I draw closer to the table with Rafe and Jesse following close behind. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I say, sending him a smile as I reach for the coffee even before I sit down, pouring myself a very full cup. “Just sleepy is all – trying to get some energy back for the day.”
He frowns at me as I sit and raise the hot mug to my lips. “I don’t like that, Ari.”
“You don’t like anything that’s not Ari sitting happy, safe, and spoiled, Jacks,” Ben murmurs, yawning himself as he pushes the eggs around on his plate.
“That’s not true,” Jacks replies, frowning over at Ben. “I like when she’s tough.”
“Watch your pronouns, buddy,” Ben says, pointing a fork at Jacks with a wink. “And I know. I’m just teasing you.”
Jacks blushes a little at his gender slip, but he nods to Ben and turns back to me. “Do you mind if I…try something?”
I frown at him and sit up straighter. “Like what?”
“I’ve had this idea since the Examination,” he murmurs, and then he glances around the room and lowers his voice. I look around too, noting that Rafe and Jesse are distracted as well, speaking to Ben. “And then again in magic class. Um, I need to be touching you though, for it to work.”
Instantly, I raise my hand towards him but he just frowns at it. “Ari, I already slipped up once today – let’s not also hold hands in the dining hall to further raise suspicion.”
I laugh, dropping my hand and shaking my head at him. “All right, what do you have in mind.”
“Just…sit still,” he murmurs, looking down at his plate and casually raising a hand to pat me on the back – but high enough that his fingers touch my neck, his skin laying flat against mine.
I stare down at my plate, weirdly anxious, sitting quite still. For a moment, nothing happens.
And then, quite suddenly I feel it –
Energy, flooding my veins, like someone has turned on a tap – I gasp a little, sitting up straight, as Jackson’s magic flows into me, starting at where his fingers touch the nape of my neck and flowing all through my body, filling me up like –
Like –
God, like I’ve had sixteen cups of coffee. It rushes through me, making my eyes fly wide, my fingertips twitch. Immediately, I feel like I could run a marathon, like I could jump from rooftop to rooftop, like I could fly –
And then just as suddenly, it’s too much. I’m full – absolutely replete – and I gasp, because I don’t know where it will go – energy absolutely crackles through me and I yelp a bit, twitching away from Jackson, breaking the contact between us by force.
We both turn to stare at each other, wide-eyed.
“Um, so I guess…it worked?”
“Jacks,” I breathe, almost shaking with the amount of energy in my body right now, “do you…do you seriously feel like this all the time!?”
“Like what?” he asks, a smirk coming to his lips as he sees that I’m fine.
“Are you guys being weird again?” Jesse asks, peering over at the pair of us.
“No,” Jackson answers with a frown at the same moment that I smile and say, “Yes.”
Jesse laughs and Rafe looks between us. “What’s…happening,” Rafe asks, nosy and pretending to hide his desire to know under a veil of brotherly concern. He sighs. “I can’t handle any more weird.”
“Nothing’s happening, calm down,” I say with a happy sigh, remembering that the rest of the boys don’t know about Jackson’s magic and so I can’t tell them – not really – what just happened. Even though it’s awesome and I’m dying to tell everyone my newfound secret weapon.
But before anyone can ask anything – and trust me, Rafe’s mouth is already open with another question on his tongue – Luca comes striding over with two envelopes in his hand.
“Hey man,” Jesse says, grinning up at my mate. “Where have you been? I ate your bacon. But it’s your fault for not being here, and it was going to waste, so really you should thank me.”
“I’ll just eat yours tomorrow,” Luca says with a tiny sigh, apparently disgruntled but not about Jesse’s foraging from his breakfast plate. “I was on stupid messenger duty. And you two,” he says, holding out a message to both Rafe and Jacks. “Have a message that you’re asked to read right away.”
