NADINE’S P.O.V
I was equal parts excited and terrified at the prospect of leaving the community but I couldn’t think about it much because training with Edith was more difficult than I’d expected.
For soone so small, she knew how to push our bodies to the limit but every second of it was amazing. She trained us in everything: hand-to-hand combat, weapons and agility. It was the most fun I’d had in a long ti but at the end, I was exhausted and could barely feel my own legs.
I lay on the ground with the other girls. No one seed eager to leave, they just rested, talking in whispers to each other under the warm sun.
A shadow fell over and I looked up to find Edith standing there. I pulled myself to a sitting position.
"You did good today," Edith drawled as she made her way over to . "Jennifer wasn’t lying when she said you have perfect aim."
I couldn’t help but smile at her complint. I was good with the arrows and knife throwing, and it felt good to have soone acknowledge that.
"We’ll be going out into the woods this evening. If you finally decide to be one of us, you can join us."
"If not?"
"Well then it was good to have you here for today." She gave a small smile before turning to the others. "Get up girls, it’s ti to go."
There was a chorus of groans, but they all did as she asked, pulling themselves up to their feet and shuffling away in groups of twos. Jennifer was at my side in an instant, helping to my feet.
"Did you have fun?" she asked and I nodded. "The first ti I trained with her, I threw up. I didn’t realize how ill equipped they kept us at the bunker. Edith used to be in the army."
"That explains why she’s so tough."
She humd as we made our way back towards the houses. "She’s a sweetheart underneath all of that exterior. She cares about all of us. That’s why she doesn’t pick so many girls. When she loses soone, it hurts."
"Have you lost a girl before?"
She hesitated before nodding. "Just one that I know of. I didn’t know her well but she died a few days after I joined them. It was a hunt gone wrong. Edith was so devastated after."
I tried to picture the fierce woman being devastated but I just couldn’t see it. She didn’t strike as the kind of person who would spend her ti crying over soone else, but then again, I didn’t know her.
I didn’t know anyone here.
"Can you tell about them?"
Jennifer turned to with raised brows. "Who?"
"The people in charge. Edith, Solomon, Sam and Lilian." Jennifer hesitated, almost as if trying to figure out if she could trust or not. "I just want to know what I’m dealing with."
That seed to be enough for her because she nodded.
"Solomon is the brains behind all this. His family owns the community or so I hear. He was filthy rich before all of this happened but he never wanted to join the bunkers. He hid out here until he t Sam. They were the first two here and they kind of made it their own.
I don’t know much about Sam. If I’m being honest, no one does. I hear he used to work for the governnt, but he doesn’t say much. All I know is that he is crazy smart."
Two won passed us. Jennifer smiled at them, waiting for them to leave before continuing with her story.
"Edith was the next person they found and it was her idea to take people in. Sam fought it at first from what I hear, but he was outvoted. They started to take in strangers, people who were sent away from the bunkers. It was Sam who figured out how we were being tracked. He’d take the trackers away from here and destroy them.
For the longest ti, it was just the three of them. Edith was the muscle, she trained the soldiers. Solomon had the money and Sam- well, no one really knows what Sam does."
I filed that information away. Sam was the one to be wary of.
"What about Lilian?" I asked. "Where did she co in? She has a baby."
Jennifer smiled. "Yeah, his na is Nathan. People say that it was love at first sight for Sam. He rescued her himself and he nursed her back to health. No one really talks about it so if you tell anyone I said this, I’ll kill you, but Nathan isn’t Sam’s biological son. Lilian gave birth about six months after she arrived. She was already pregnant."
"Do you know who the real father is?"
She shook her head. "He’s Sam’s in every way that matters and if anyone says anything against that, Sam will lose his shit. He loves that boy and he loves Lilian. It’s cute to watch if I’m being honest."
I hadn’t seen Sam with the boy, but I had seen him with Lilian at dinner, and she was right. He was enamored by her.
His eyes were always on her, he always had one hand touching her. The only ti he left her was to leave with Joshua and even then, I saw him glancing over at her a few tis. It was beautiful.
The house was a few steps in front of us when Jennifer grabbed my arm.
"You have a shot at a real life here, Nadine," she whispered to , her voice soft. "Don’t throw this away. Co with us tonight."
Before I had the chance to respond, the door opened and I watched Solomon walk out. He glanced over at in surprise then tipped his head forward in a silent greeting. I watched him leave, wondering what he was doing at our place when Rowan walked over to the door.
As soon as he saw , his eyes softened.
"I better leave," Jennifer whispered, giving my shoulder a small squeeze before walking off.
I made my way over to Rowan and the mont I was within reach, he pulled into his arms. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I got the chance to collapse into him.
"I stink," I mumbled and he laughed.
"You’re good, princess. I take it you had a good day."
I couldn’t help but smile. "It was amazing even though I can’t feel my legs."
He laughed, easily picking up. "Let’s get you into the bathroom, hm?"
He shut the door behind us and I couldn’t help but notice that Amy wasn’t here which ant he’d t with Solomon alone.
"Why was he here?" I couldn’t help but ask. "Did he want sothing?"
"No. He wanted to confirm sothing."
"Confirm what?"
"That I wasn’t working for Trent."
My brows furrowed and I looked up at Rowan. "Why would he even think that? We brought him the docunts."
Rowan sighed, stopping in front of the bathroom. "Apparently, I look more like the General than I thought."
"No."
Rowan smiled grimly. "Solomon knew the rumors about Trent having a son. He just wanted to confirm it."
"And? What did he say about it?"
"Nothing, only that he’d be watching ."
"Rowan-"
"I don’t want to talk about it right now, Nadine. I don’t want to be his son right now. I want you to look at as Rowan, can you do that?"
I nodded. "Okay."
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