Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84607 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 338(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
“Okay, I’ll be in nine, so we’ll make this one yours.” He unlocked the door to number eight, and fuck me sideways, I wasn’t gonna have to share with anyone. I stepped inside the room, noticing the door leading to the next unit. He’d meant adjacent literally, then. “We’ll get your stuff from the Towers tomorrow,” he added. “In the meantime, there should be a toiletry kit in the nightstand.”
I was all set.
I chewed on my last mouthful of pizza—or mostly the crust—and nodded to myself. This room was mine for the next year. Fucking A.
“Where do we shower and go to the bathroom?” I asked.
“Operators’ shower room. It’s at the end of the hall, next to our rec room.” He paused. “Since you’re watching my niece, you can use my bathroom too. As long as I don’t have to see a bunch of hair products lying around or toothpaste in the sink.”
I lifted my brows and grinned a little. “Are you a neat freak?”
“I’m tidy,” he corrected. “There are four operator units with private bathrooms, and I won’t hesitate to move to another one if you abuse the privilege.”
I chuckled. “You can chill. The Army practically made me OCD.”
“Good,” he said. “Now, get some rest. Breakfast with the others in the cafeteria at 09:00. We’ll give you reading material and new instructions.”
“Yes, sir.”
My sleep schedule was fucked. I dragged myself out of bed at 8:45, wishing I could sleep for at least another four hours, and got dressed in the same clothes I’d been given earlier.
The only issue I had with my new room was that it lacked natural light. All rooms on this side of the hall were windowless, and it was going to mess me up further if I didn’t keep a strict schedule.
On my way into the cafeteria downstairs, I pulled up my hood and made a face. There was way too much commotion. Maybe they’d called in reinforcements. Either way, the cafeteria was almost at capacity. According to the sign when you entered, that number was one hundred people.
Thankfully, it seemed everyone had gotten their breakfast already, because the line was short.
“Leighton! We’re in the back!” Riley hollered.
I waved noncommittally over my shoulder without turning around.
Oatmeal, two eggs over-easy, bacon, apple—ohhh, yeah, a waffle too. Thanks. Fresh from the iron, extra butter, extra syrup. Coffee, creamer, three sugars. I was good to go.
I yawned and carried my tray to the tables in the back. I was evidently the last one to arrive, so I sat down between Tanner and Riley and side-eyed Coach and Beckett. They were gearing up to talk.
“How are you doing?” Riley asked quietly. “You actually shot that guy, didn’t you?”
“Um, yeah. I’m fine.” I bit into my waffle first, ’cause oatmeal was always gonna be oatmeal. A waffle needed to be crispy, hot, and fresh.
“Did you feel anything?” Tanner asked next. “Like, how was it?”
“Pipe down, everyone!” Coach positioned himself at the center of our three tables, and Beckett joined him.
They were all business this morning. He didn’t glance my way once.
Why should he? You’re a recruit like all the others.
I chewed and frowned.
Beckett cleared his throat. “We know you didn’t get much sleep, so we’ll keep this brief.”
Coach nodded. “We’ve loaded your profiles with readin’ material for this week, including Saturday and Sunday. You’ll see them in your messages when you log on in the library or the rec room upstairs. One task per day. You’ll hand them all in digitally on Monday before 10:00. By then, we hope to return to our regular schedule and classes. Any questions?”
Tanner stuck his hand in the air. “Can we ask about last night?”
Coach glanced at Beckett.
“No, but we can divulge a little bit,” Beckett replied. “As Operator Payne already told you, an intruder broke in to the unit where recruit Watts was staying, and he did an excellent job at eliminating the threat. He was not the target of this attack, and that’s the end of it. We have a team working on the investigation. Lockdown protocol will continue for at least a week while we gather intel, and this means you will need permission from Coach and me to leave the premises. You will also exit through the garage in the next building over. No one uses the lobby entrance at any time.”
Coach had more to say. “We also ask you to minimize your outings. Food can be delivered, there are treadmills in the gym if you wanna run, and you already know your way around the rec rooms’ video games and movie selection. It might get frustrating, but the safety measures are there for a reason. Even if you’re not a target—and you’re really not—until we know more about the attack, we don’t want to risk anyone gettin’ caught in the crossfire.”