Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
My bare feet were noiseless as I tiptoed past the entrance to the swimming hall. A wave of chlorine smell entered my nose, and I froze. Why hadn’t I noticed it on my way to the laundry? Holding my breath, I inched toward the glass door. It was ajar. Someone must have left it open. A dark shape appeared behind the door. I stumbled back, swallowing the scream that rose into my throat.
The door glided open and the shape moved away. It was too dark to make out much but when he came closer, I recognized Devon’s blond hair.
“Tessa?” he whispered.
I was glad that he had the sense to keep his voice down.
“Yes,” I answered. I moved very close to get a better sense of his reactions, but it was too dark to make out more than the white of his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t sleep very well, since…” He trailed off. He didn’t need to say it. I knew his sister’s death kept him awake at night. “I was taking a swim.”
“In the dark?” I asked.
“I didn’t want anyone to see me and ask questions.”
I reached out to discover if his hair was wet, but I misjudged how close we were and my fingers brushed his naked chest. He sucked in a breath while mine caught in my throat. I snatched my hand back, feeling my cheeks heat, glad that he couldn’t see it. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“You thought I was lying,” he said. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Sorry,” I repeated. My fingertips still tingled from the touch. “I should probably head back to my room.”
“Hey,” Devon said quietly. His warm hand touched my shoulder, and I was acutely aware that I didn’t know what exactly he was wearing. I glanced down, but I couldn’t make out much. “You didn’t tell me why you’re sneaking around in the dark yet.”
I hesitated. “There’s something I need to find out, and I have to do it in private.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” he said. “Will you tell me what you’re looking for?”
“I can’t right now. But maybe later.”
“Okay,” he whispered, and released my arm. “Good luck then. Sleep tight.”
“Thanks. Maybe later,” I repeated with a smile before I hurried away.
I wondered if his dimples had showed during our conversation. And as soon as I had, I wanted to kick myself for that thought. I should have been worried that Devon had caught me sneaking around. But he hadn’t seen Major’s clothes and somehow I knew that even if he had, Devon wouldn’t run to Major and tell him about it.
Back in my room, I hastily put on the stiff white shirt and the rest of the uniform before I let the rippling wash over me and changed into Major’s appearance. For a moment, I stared at my reflection. Physically, I was identical, but something about the way I held my mouth wasn’t quite right. Maybe I wasn’t bitter enough to carry off Major’s expression. Not yet at least. The next part of my mission was the trickier part. I wasn’t sure about the security measures Major had put in place and what I’d have to do to overcome them. I decided against taking the elevator down beyond the basement. It was off limits at certain times of day, and quite possible that an alarm would inform Major if someone pressed a button that led there after hours.
My breathing was slow and even as I descended to the floors that lay below the ground. I became calmer the closer I got to the restricted parts. Maybe because no matter what lay before me, I was finally getting closer to the truth.
When I arrived on the floor marked ‘-2’, I hesitated before the huge metal door. This was it. The ultimate breach of rules. If I got caught, I’d get in serious trouble. Surprisingly, the door wasn’t locked when I turned the handle. I strode through the hall. The floor was bare, uncoated concrete, the white of the walls grayed over the years and cobwebs crowded the ceiling and corners. Even the cleaning personnel didn’t have access to this part of the building.
At least a dozen metal doors led to catacomb rooms I’d never set foot in. Which was the right one? It would take me weeks to search them all. But then I spotted the door at the end of the hall. A red light was blinking beside it; the only door with that level of security. I hurried toward it. The red light was coming from a small square box equipped with a fingerprint reader and an eye scanner. As Major, that would be a piece of cake for me. But the accompanying keypad could turn out to be a problem. I pressed my fingers—Major’s fingers—against the touchpad and a moment later the outline of my hand glowed green. “Accepted” flashed up on the screen above my hand. My fingertips tingled when I removed them from the touchpad. A mechanic female voice instructed me to use the eye scanner next. I froze and looked around, as if someone could have heard it, though everyone was sleeping several floors above me.