Expecting quarters similar to the cramped conditions of the tunnel, Aspen’s jaw dropped as she stepped inside. A fifty-foot-high rounded rock ceiling towered above them. Exposed rock in natural hues of brown and gray comprised the walls, floors, and ceiling. There was a massive sofa in the shape of a circle built into the rock in the center of the room, invitingly cozy with more throw pillows than a department store. The sofa surrounded a huge gas fire pit, already ablaze and lending much-needed warmth to her fingers and toes.
“This is chamber one,” Mouse explained. “Bedrooms are off tunnel one.” He pointed to a tunnel behind him. “You’ve each been assigned a bedroom. Your name’s on the door, and your personal belongings are already inside.” He waved a hand in the air. “The rest of this chamber is easy to navigate. Take tunnel two for the kitchen, tunnel three for the library, tunnel four for the exercise room and indoor pool, tunnel five for the basketball and volleyball courts, tunnel six for the indoor track, and tunnel seven for the recreation room. The rec room has a bowling alley, arcade, air hockey, Ping-Pong, and pool tables.”
Everyone stood in awe. The accommodations were magnificent, to say the least.
Aspen checked her watch: 4:53 a.m. This place was eerily quiet. “Is everyone asleep?”
“Members of the sanctuary are in a different, much larger chamber,” Mouse replied. “You won’t have access to that chamber, or to the rest of the Shroud population, until we finish our background checks on all of you.”
“And how long does that take?” she asked, feeling antsy at the thought of being locked up for any amount of time, even if it was in the lap of luxury.
“About thirty days.”
Giving her the eye before she could incite a rebellion, Oscar stepped forward to address the group. “We’ve all had a long night,” he said, his voice commanding. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll start fresh in the morning. Meet in the kitchen at ten hundred hours for breakfast.” He turned to Mouse, his expression momentarily frozen in worry. “Is there coffee here?”
Aspen held her breath. Oscar without coffee was a short road to hell.
Mouse nodded. “The kitchen’s fully stocked.”
Visibly relieved, Oscar sighed as he turned back to the group. “Any questions?”
Mrs. B raised her hand. “Bathrooms?”
“Each bedroom has its own private bath,” Mouse assured her. “I’ll be leaving now,” he said when the room fell silent. “If you need anything—anything at all—just pick up the phone in your bedroom. Someone will be on the other end to help you.”
He wasn’t kidding when he said Tora ran a tight ship. Was there anything they hadn’t thought of?
Still uneasy at the thought of being locked in an underground chamber, she was too tired to do anything but find a bed and get some shut-eye. She waited for Skye as the rest of the group wandered off to tunnel one.
The girl was busy gazing up at the ceiling. “Do you miss it?” Skye asked as Aspen approached.
She mentally skimmed through the list of what Skye could be referring to: miss being aboveground…miss being human…miss having a career in law enforcement…miss her friends, colleagues, life, and home in Boston. “Miss what?”
“The cake,” Skye said, taking her eyes from the ceiling to glance at the empty box Aspen was still clutching.
“I do,” she admitted sadly. “Best cake I ever had.”
There was a moment of silence in the lava cake’s honor.
“We can ask Helga to bake another one tomorrow,” Skye said at last, casting her eyes back to the ceiling.
Aspen watched her, thankful Skye accepted her for who she was, sugar addict and all. “What’s up?” She could tell there was something on the girl’s mind.
“This place is beautiful, and I’m grateful to be here with you and the others.” Skye hesitated. “But now that I’ve had a real taste of flying, I don’t know how I’ll go without it for a whole month. These ceilings are high. They’re just not high enough for me to go anywhere. Feels like I’m in a cage.”
The girl had a point. In a way, they were all in a cage.
“I’ll talk to Tora and try to work something out,” she said, draping an arm around the girl’s slender shoulders as they walked to tunnel one. “Maybe she’ll make an exception and give you some flying time at the surface.”
But a terrifying thought occurred to Aspen. What if they had just been captured and imprisoned here by the SEA without even realizing it?
* * *
Tora was glad to be back at the sanctuary. It had always felt like home to her. She’d spent the best years of her life here with her dad, planning the sanctuary’s layout, building it, perfecting it. Getting this place up and running was his lifelong dream. She felt grateful for the time she got to spend with him making that dream come true. She only wished he was still around to see the difference he was making in the lives of his people. Shrouds were safe here. That’s all he’d ever wanted.
She hopped inside the trolley, switched on the headlights, and sped through the maze of tunnels at top speed. She knew these rock tunnels inside and out, could navigate them with her eyes closed if she had to. She checked her watch: almost five a.m. No time to sleep. She had a lot to do in three hours.
She tried to remember the last time she’d slept. Was it two or three days ago? Shaking her head, she decided it didn’t matter. There were more important things to think about right now.
Part of her still couldn’t believe there was a Myriad here in the sanctuary. Granted, Tora wasn’t crazy about this particular Myriad. So far, her assessment of Aspen left much to be desired. She was a smart-mouthed cop who was undisciplined, impulsive, and full of herself. Tora had her work cut out for her for sure.
* * *
“Wake up!” Tora shouted.
Aspen sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. “Who died and made you my alarm clock?”
“I’ve been calling you on the intercom for five minutes.”
Aspen knew she was a heavy sleeper. She’d always thought of it as her eight hours of personal hibernation. She could fall sleep anywhere and sleep so deeply people often thought she was dead. “I locked the door. How’d you get in here?”
Tora held up a badge, looking all serious and annoyingly beautiful. “Get up.” She tossed a change of workout clothes on the bed.
Brand new purple-and-black Nikes were lined up neatly on the floor beside the bed. They looked to be her size. Did the doctor come in and measure her feet while she was sleeping? This was getting creepy. She checked her watch. “I’ve only been asleep for three hours. What’s the rush?”
“I told you last night. Your training starts this morning.”
“I accept your proposal to train me.” She sank back down to the pillow and threw an arm over her eyes to block out the overhead light. “After I get some sleep.”
There was a long silence. She felt Tora’s eyes drilling a hole in her head.
“You’re the first Myriad to come along in over a century. There are Shrouds being slaughtered by the SEA as we speak. The longer we wait to train you, the more of your people will die. You really want that on your conscience?”
So much for her theory about being captured by the SEA, though she might prefer that if it meant she could sleep a little longer. “You really know how to insert a little sunshine in someone’s day,” she said, swinging her bare legs over the side of the bed. Since she’d never had the chance to stop by her house and pack before leaving, she was still wearing the plain white T-shirt from under her uniform. “I’ll meet you in ten minutes. Out there,” she said, pointing to the hallway beyond her bedroom door. “Unless you think I should also give up all bathroom and personal hygiene habits for the cause.”
Seemingly satisfied, Tora went to the door and let herself out with her trusty break-in badge. What was it with that woman and badges?
Aspen brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed. She pulled her wet hair into a ponytail and laced up the new Nikes. A perfect fit. The black sports bra, gray running shorts, purple tank, and matching sweatshirt also fit her perfectly. Curious, she went to the dresser drawers and opened them. They were fully stocked with everything she needed in her size. Intrigued, she opened the closet doors. An entire wardrobe awaited her in her size and style of clothing. She hoped the same went for Skye in the adjacent room. They had both arrived here with only the clothes on their backs.
She stepped to the door and pushed the button on the side panel. The door slid open smoothly. Tora was standing in the hallway. “Here,” she said, handing Aspen a stainless-steel thermos and brown paper bag.
“Doughnuts?” Aspen could smell them a mile away. She reached into the bag and pulled out a chocolate-frosted doughnut with sprinkles. “I take back everything bad I thought about you this morning,” she said, taking an inhumanly large bite.
Watching her finish the doughnut with a mixture of disgust and curiosity, Tora handed her a napkin as Aspen reached inside the bag for doughnut number two: a chocolate-frosted Boston cream. Also gone in three seconds flat.
She’d saved the best for last. Reaching into the bag for the third and final doughnut, she held the chocolate glazed aloft for inspection before finishing it off in two bites. Satisfied for the moment, she wiped the chocolate from her mouth and took a sip of coffee.
“How long have you been eating like that?” Tora asked.
“As long as I can remember.”
“Do you work out?”
“I run a few miles most mornings before work.”
“Does your diet consist of mostly sugar?”
She nodded, bracing herself for the impending lecture on proper nutrition. She’d heard it all before and had tried it all before. Whenever she limited her sugar intake, she became so light-headed and lethargic she could barely function at all. Running on pure determination, she once went a whole week without any sweets and ended up in the hospital on a glucose IV for three days.
“I suspect your sugar cravings have something to do with the vaccine you were given to thwart your shapeshifting abilities.”
That was an interesting theory. Sure would explain a lot.
“Your body is probably expending a lot of energy trying not to shapeshift. You may find yourself craving different foods once we start training your body to do what comes naturally.”
“Did you put all those clothes in my room?”
Tora nodded. “I did the same for Skye. I know the two of you didn’t have time to pack.”
“Thanks.” Maybe she’d been too quick to judge Tora. Looked like there was a softer side to the doctor, after all. “How long are we training today?” She didn’t want Skye to wake up and wonder where she was.
“We’ll be training from dawn until dusk every day,” Tora replied. “Sometimes longer.”
“Do you have a pen I could borrow?”
“A what?”
“A pen. You know, one of those ancient writing implements people used before computers and smartphones came along.”
“I know what a pen is. Why do you need one?”
“I want to leave a note for Skye so she knows where I am.”
Tora reached over and pressed a button to the right of Skye’s bedroom door. “Skye, this is Dr. Madigan. Aspen and I are training. We’ll be gone all day.” She released the button and turned to Aspen. “That message will play automatically as soon as the sensors detect movement in her bedroom.”
Rolling her eyes, Aspen leaned over to press the same button. “Skye, this is Aspen. Sorry for the boring message from the robot doctor. Have fun today, eat lots of sugar, and kick Oscar’s ass in air hockey. Aim for the right corner—that’s his weak spot. Oh, and check your closet and dresser drawers. A little fairy paid you a visit in the middle of the night and brought you some cool stuff. Later, kiddo.”
Tora frowned. “Follow me.” She led Aspen to tunnel six. “We’ll start on the track with a five-mile run to warm up.” As they stepped inside, she waved her keycard to lock the door behind them. “All of our sessions will be done in private. If someone tries to get in, a message will play outside to let them know the room is occupied. It’s important for you to know we’ll never be interrupted.”
Aspen unzipped her sweatshirt and hung it over the bleachers, waiting as Tora did the same. Wearing red shorts and a formfitting white V-neck, the doctor’s toned, athletic body was clearly visible now. For the first time since they’d met, she noticed they were the same height and build. But that was where the similarities ended. Tora’s fair skin, curly blond hair, and amber-gold eyes perfectly contrasted Aspen’s olive skin, straight black hair, and dark eyes. They were like yin and yang, Aspen realized. In more ways than one.
“What’s your pace?” Tora asked, stretching her quads.
“I do about an eight-minute mile, give or take. You?”
“Same.”
They started out at a comfortable pace, side by side. Before long, Aspen found herself pushing forward a bit. She wasn’t used to running with someone and found herself inadvertently quickening her pace, but Tora wasn’t backing down. Barely breaking a sweat, Tora kept up with no problem.
Aspen’s competitive streak started rearing its ugly head. Soon, they were in a full-out sprint on the final lap to the finish line. Neck and neck, their legs were pumping high and fast. Aspen pushed her body as hard as she could, but she just couldn’t gain an inch. She suspected Tora was trying to do the same. They were too evenly matched. They crossed the finish line the same way they’d started—side by side.
Breathing too heavily to talk, they walked another lap around the track to cool down.
“Not bad for a bossy pants doctor,” Aspen said as soon as she got her wind back.
“Not too shabby for a doughnut-eating cop.”
Touché. “What’s next? We’re not doing that naked thing now, are we?”
Tora walked over to a stainless-steel refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed two water bottles. She tossed one to Aspen. “Let’s hit the showers and then meet in the library.”
“Please tell me we’re not doing the naked thing in the library.”
“It’s called melding,” Tora said, taking a long drink. “And no, we’re not doing that in the library.”
“Good.” Aspen sighed with relief as she unscrewed the cap from her bottle.
“We’re doing that in your bedroom after the library.”
She started to choke on her water.
“Don’t worry. We’ll start with our clothes on first.” Tora waved her keycard to open the door. “See you in twenty minutes.”