Free Web NovelChapter 12: Deployment Day
"Up! Up! Up!"
The command ripped through the dormitory moments before a shrill alarm blared overhead, jolting every contestant awake.
Apparently, the government couldn’t afford to give all twenty girls they were about to send into danger a room of their own. Guess that was where their generosity ended.
Thankfully, the room was spacious. Though it was lined with bunk beds, two girls to a unit, there was still enough room to breathe.
Several groans echoed through the dorm.
Some of the girls didn’t react well to the sudden wake-up call. More than two candidates tumbled from the top bunks, hitting the floor with painful thuds and a chorus of curses.
Aria’s gaze snapped toward the clock mounted on the wall.
4:00 a.m.
Seriously? Did they really have to leave this early?
"I don’t care if you’ve broken a bone. Get into the showers. Now!" Abigail barked.
The intensity of her voice, combined with the female soldiers standing behind her, had the girls moving immediately.
"Whoever designed this program definitely hated women," Brittney yawned loudly as she shuffled toward the communal showers.
Aria couldn’t even argue. She had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, her brain reminded her they were about to walk straight into enemy territory. While her body desperately needed rest, her mind refused to cooperate.
The communal shower area wasn’t anything Aria hadn’t seen before. Rows of showerheads lined opposite walls, steam already gathering beneath the bright ceiling lights. Water pounded against the tiles while sleepy girls stumbled around trying to wake themselves up.
Unlike Aria, who preferred keeping to herself, some of the candidates moved around naked without a shred of embarrassment. For someone used to avoiding crowded spaces, she had never seen so many different body types packed into one room before.
Turning, she found Brittney looking her over with an expression that immediately set off alarm bells.
"What?" Aria demanded.
Brittney grinned. "Nice boobs."
Aria stared at her. Then immediately took a step sideways. Unfortunately, she stepped straight into another girl.
"Watch it," the girl hissed.
"Sorry."
Aria quickly moved away before facing Brittney again.
The brunette still hadn’t stopped grinning.
"Relax," Brittney said. "I’m into guys. I just appreciate quality workmanship when I see it."
Aria shook her head, unsure. She still couldn’t decide whether having Brittney around was a blessing or a curse.
Probably both.
"You know," Brittney continued while lathering soap across her arms, "you still haven’t told me what happened last night after you vanished in the middle of dinner."
"Yeah, about that..."
The lie came naturally.
"It turned out my sister ran away from home. Since I don’t have a phone, my mother had to contact them directly."
Brittney’s expression immediately softened.
"Oh no."
The guilt hit Aria almost instantly.
"No wonder you looked so distracted after you came back. Has there been any news?"
"I’ll have to check after this." Aria forced a shrug. "Hopefully Davina hasn’t done anything stupid."
"Good. I hope everything turns out okay."
Aria forced a smile.
"Me too."
At that exact moment Abigail stormed into the shower room.
"Enough talking!" Her voice boomed off the tiles. "You are not washing away the sins of your ancestors. Move your asses!"
Several girls jumped, while one nearly dropped her soap.
Aria scrubbed herself one final time before shutting off the water. She wrung the excess moisture from her hair, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around herself.
Today was deployment day. There was no turning back now.
If Aria thought the shower had been some sort of parade, then she got the shock of her life when she stepped back into the dormitory and found the girls getting dressed.
What the hell?
Having spent part of yesterday observing the other candidates, Aria had figured out that roughly eleven of the girls came from influential families, three from middle-class homes, and the rest from backgrounds similar to hers.
Yet looking around now, it was difficult to tell.
Designer labels appeared everywhere she looked. Expensive handbags sat on beds, while Jewelry sparkled beneath the lights. Even some of the girls from less fortunate backgrounds seemed determined to keep up appearances, squeezing themselves into imitation designer outfits that probably cost more than they should have.
Apparently, survival wasn’t the only competition happening here.
The one that left Aria completely speechless was Charlotte. The girl had somehow squeezed herself into a dramatic red ballgown.
Aria could only assume the outfit was intended to attract the attention of the dragon prince. Charlotte had spent most of yesterday talking about dragons and her dream of riding one. The obsession was honestly becoming concerning.
What Aria couldn’t understand was how the girl intended to run in that thing if the situation demanded it. Had they forgotten where they were going? Or had the government’s constant promises of safety completely destroyed their sense of self-preservation?
Then again, to each their own.
Aria walked over to her bunk and opened the small bag containing the entirety of her possessions. Her options were limited.
In the end, she pulled out a black T-shirt and a pair of black leggings. It was practical and comfortable. Also if everything went horribly wrong, black blended into darkness better than bright red.
She was halfway through pulling on her shirt when someone suddenly appeared beside her.
"What is this?"
Aria looked up. It was Chelsea.
The brunette was dressed like she was heading to a fashion show rather than enemy territory. A fitted white crop top exposed her toned stomach while a pair of designer trousers hugged her figure perfectly. Gold jewelry decorated her wrists and neck, and she managed to put on makeup despite the limited time.
Chelsea pinched the hem of Aria’s shirt between two fingers as if it personally offended her.
"What about it?" Aria’s tone was cold.
Chelsea scoffed. "Oh right, I forgot. You’re poor."
Several nearby girls looked over, unable to resist the drama.
Chelsea smiled sweetly. "Is that why you’re dressed like you’re attending a funeral?"
A few snickers erupted around the room.
"But then again, it could be your own burial in a few hours. After all, you have a thing for graves, don’t you?" she taunted her.
The laughter grew louder. Except Aria wasn’t amused, at all.
Before Chelsea realized what was happening, Aria grabbed the hand holding onto her shirt and twisted it, hard.
"Ow!" Chelsea yelped and immediately dropped Aria’s shirt.
"You’re hurting me, bitch!"
The scream echoed through the room, and several heads snapped toward them.
"What is going on here?" Abigail’s voice cut through the commotion.
The woman pushed through the crowd and immediately separated them.
Her gaze landed on Aria first.
"Didn’t you hear the strict warning about fighting?"
Aria opened her mouth, the same time opened hers too, but neither of them got the chance to speak.
"You’re lucky we’re about to depart," Abigail snapped. "Otherwise there would be consequences for this." The warning was clear.
Abigail looked around the room.
"Get your belongings together. We leave in five minutes."
Just like that, everyone dispersed while Abigail moved on to terrorize another corner of the room.
Aria glanced toward Chelsea. The girl was now sitting on a bed looking personally victimized while her friends crowded around her.
Aria scoffed, she hadn’t even twisted that hard.
Alek appeared beside her, the both of them watching the scene.
She said to Aria, "Chelsea is petty, and you’ve officially made yourself an enemy."
Except that part wasn’t surprising.
"I suggest you watch your back during this journey." She told her, and walked away.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before they were finally leaving the tower. Another highlight of Aria’s morning came from watching most of the girls struggle with their luggage.
Karen alone had somehow managed to pack three large suitcases.
Aria stared at the mountain of luggage in disbelief. Was the girl heading to a dangerous beast city or a luxury vacation resort?
Apparently, Karen wasn’t the only offender.
Several girls had brought enough belongings to survive a small apocalypse. As a result, nearly thirty minutes was wasted trying to load everything into the large coach bus waiting outside.
Abigail looked one inconvenience away from committing murder.
"Move! Move! Move!" she thundered. "Get on the bus. Now."
The girls quickly obeyed.
Aria stepped aboard and immediately headed for a window seat. As expected, Brittney followed. The brunette dropped into the seat beside her before anyone else could claim it.
"Nervous?" she asked.
"No." Aria answered honestly.
Whatever was going to happen would happen. There was no point worrying about it now. If anything, she just wanted to get it over with.
The bus doors opened again, and conversations died instantly as Gideon stepped inside. He walked down the center aisle before stopping near the front.
"Ladies."
Twenty pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"Today marks the beginning of the most important journey of your lives."
As Gideon continued speaking, several staff members entered the bus carrying sealed packages. They began distributing them to each candidate.
Aria lifted a brow as Eniola’s words from yesterday resurfaced in her mind.
"Like every candidate, you’ll receive a device before deployment tomorrow. My contact information will already be added."
The woman certainly hadn’t been bluffing.
Aria accepted the package and immediately opened it. Inside was a phone, a smartwatch, a charger, and a small pamphlet.
Gideon gestured toward the items.
"The phone and health watch have both been synchronized with our monitoring systems. They contain tracking functions that will allow us to locate you should you become separated from your group. Additional information can be found in the brochure included in your package."
Aria made a mental note to read it later.
"Our journey to Bestial City will take approximately eight hours."
A collective groan swept through the bus.
Gideon ignored them.
"I suggest you use that time wisely. Get some rest. You have no idea what awaits you beyond the border, and you will need both your minds and bodies functioning at their best."
Aria finally understood why they had been dragged out of bed at four in the morning.
That was a ridiculous amount of travel time.
Gideon continued. "A military escort vehicle will travel ahead of us and another will follow behind. Additionally, a few certified beastmen have been assigned to ensure your safety during the journey through Bestial City and all the way to Bestiaris Academy."
The moment Gideon mentioned beastmen, the girls practically exploded. Excited squeals filled the bus and most of the girls
rushed toward the windows, nearly climbing over one another as they searched the convoy outside.
"I see one!"
A finger pointed excitedly toward a vehicle several cars ahead. Though the man was dressed in a uniform and wore a mask that concealed most of his features, it wasn’t difficult to identify him. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
The sheer size alone gave him away.
Even from a distance, he stood well over six feet tall. The aura surrounding him felt different too. Dangerous, and predatory.
There was no way he was human.
More squeals erupted.
"He’s huge!"
"Oh my God."
"Can he ride with us instead?"
"Yes! Let him come ride with us!"
Aria stared. Were these girls serious?
Beside her, Brittney muttered, "Why? So you can all jump him?"
Unfortunately, nobody heard her, not over the chaos. Even Gideon seemed to realize he had lost control of the girls.
He stood there for several seconds watching the spectacle unfold, then let out a long suffering sigh.
"You know what?" Gideon said to the distracted girls, "Goodluck to you all."
Without another word, he turned around and left.
Aria watched him go. Not that she could blame him.
If they hadn’t even reached Bestial City yet and the girls were already behaving like this, she didn’t dare imagine what awaited them at Bestiaris Academy.
