CHAPTER 17

Day after day passed of training and more training. It had been a week and I was finally getting into the routine they had going on. The dreaded 6am wake-up began the day and then it was straight to the communal showers—miraculously our timings did not go the way Griffin had hoped and we continuously missed each other. Then 6:30am breakfast and 7am gym followed by one hour of sparring or boxing. At 9am, it was almost a sin if you didn"t stop for protein shakes or juices of some sort. Between 10am-12pm we split up and either did combat or weapon training—where I clearly needed the most work. I had tried the bow and arrow, staff and nunchucks this week to no avail. The sword still seemed like the closest match for me.

After that, we usually had lunch followed by a break until 3pm. From 3pm-4pm we'd do another hour of whichever we didn't do in the morning: sparring or boxing. Or, if it was a hectic day, they'd have strategy based classes instead. Dinner was at 6pm, giving us enough time to finish up and take another shower before gathering together to eat. The weekends were free for us to do as we pleased.

Patrols were apparently a thing here. Which made sense given the whole mission of the academy was to protect people. The team going on patrol for the week would usually sleep for most of the day and start some light training after dinner, before they headed out for the night. Lights were off by 11pm for the rest of us during the week. But that didn't mean we had to sleep. It was clear many of the members here lived by their own rules. The leaders didn't force you to do anything. If you were here it was expected you did the work, but they would never waste their time babying you. You showed up for yourself and for the squad. It was hectic and tiring, and my body was beyond sore. But I loved that I felt like I had a purpose already, even though I was nothing but a newby recruit—meaning I didn't see any real action and was basically at the bottom of the food chain. Nevertheless, I was learning and doing something meaningful. My life before was too perfect. I was sheltered from too much.

Thankfully, there wasn't any ranking system or leaderboard here. You wouldn't get kicked out unless you broke one of their few rules: listen to your squad leader in battle, don't engage in a fight without a partner, and don't attack your fellow squad members outside of training. Oh, and don't do drugs—they were pretty big on keeping your mind clear and focused here, which was essentially vital to keeping yourself and others alive. Surprisingly, there were no rules about smoking. The consensus was that it was frowned upon but that didn't deter the few people like Carter, who had zero fucks.

Basically if you were in, you were in. They needed people to fight on the side of good; to protect the vulnerable in our world. So as long as you were not so incompetent that you'd get yourself killed, they'd be willing to train you. And thank God for that, otherwise I could kiss my spot here goodbye.

On Saturday, Kit and Billie took me shopping. Apparently, all recruits got a small allowance each fortnight. It wasn't heaps but it was enough to treat yourself to a few outside meals, new clothes or if you were Carter, weekly drinks. Most of our basic needs were already met at the academy, so the pocket money wasn't necessarily needed but it was a bonus I definitely appreciated. The Grays privately funded most of the operation, but they also had help from other prominent and wealthy families and investors that were keyed into everything. Which was why the facilities and equipment were all state of the art and high-end. Once basic training was finished and you passed recruit status, officially becoming a titled ‘Gray Knight', you'd get an increase in that allowance. For most of these guys that would be around now, if not in the next year or so. And if you worked your way up the ranks, you'd make a generous salary—or so I had heard. No more needing to work at a cafe or pick up photography gigs, which I was not mad at. I would have done this for free. At least I finally had a sense of direction. Not having to work on top of all the training was just an added benefit.

I picked up a few more things for my limited wardrobe and got to witness Kitana at work. I didn't think she could do anything better than she could fight, but boy was I wrong—the girl could shop. She picked out a few pieces for me that I might not have chosen for myself in my old life, but new and improved bad-bitch Venus was going to rock them: a few low cut halter neck tops; some new leggings, including a stunning leather pair; a couple more training shorts and track pants; a pair of cute shit kicker boots with a raised platform heel; some bodysuits in black, grey and khaki; cropped baby tees in various shades; as well as a black satin mini dress. The star of the show though was a gorgeous red latex number that hugged me in all the right places. It was one of the first things Kit spotted and made me try on. As soon as I did, I needed to have it, along with a pair of ruby red pumps to match.

There was no stopping that girl when she saw something she liked. Not to mention, she bought me an array of risqué PJ sets, camisoles and lacey intimates that I did not need but sure did make me feel sexy. It was a long day of shopping, but someone had to do it.

In the evening we hung out with the boys in the Chill, eating popcorn and watching movies until Carter decided it was time to head out for his weekly—if not daily—fun. I was informed that usually they would all go out together on a Saturday night but I was so dead after my first week and my body was way too sore to get off the couch, so the girls decided to stay back with me and I was so grateful for the company. After a lot of convincing, Griffin joined him but ended up coming home early to find us unmoved on the couch where he once again re-joined us. Things were starting to get comfortable here. Not the training—that was very uncomfortable. But the people. The place. This amazing little group I was now a part of.

???

"So, what's the deal with Griffin? He's really not with Sienna?" The girls and I sat on the couches facing the window in the Chill on Sunday morning. I had been meaning to get the low-down on Griffin all week. I needed to know what was up with the guy. Don't ask me why. Curiosity often got the better of me. At least that's what I was chalking it up to.

"They had a thing." Kit nonchalantly responded as she painted her toenails while Billie braided my hair. "Griff never really dates but she followed him around like a lost puppy and basically pushed herself onto him. And well, she's hot, he's hot … you get the drill."

Billie chimed in, "Things get super dull around here. Dating outside the academy is basically impossible. I mean, how do you even explain what we do to a normal human? And dating inside can get tricky when you basically grew up with everyone around you, not to mention live with them. Carter seems to make it work and so does this one, not that they date so to say but rather sleep around." She nudged Kit who poked her tongue out in response. "But it was only a matter of time before Griff and Sienna slept together. He is a guy after all. And like Kit said, she threw herself at him."

"She's a total psycho though," Kit chirped in. "She's just not a nice person and Griff surprisingly is. He couldn't be with someone like her. Not properly. He just has his fun. Although, she doesn'tseem to get the drift."

"Probably because he keeps going back to her whenever he gets bored," Billie suggested.

"That would do it," Kit shrugged.

"And there's been no one else?" I prompted. I hated how much I sounded like I cared but my line of questioning was already too deep so there was no point stopping now. Plus, I knew these girls wouldn"t judge me.

Kit finished with her toes and moved onto her fingernails. "Nothing substantial. He sleeps around for sure. Him and Carter go out almost every weekend … well Carter goes out almost everyday but Griff is a lot more … controlled."

Billie's hands worked my long dark hair while I fiddled with my fingers in my lap. "And none of you guys ever hooked up?" The thought did plague me. Not that me and Griffin were ever going to happen. But we obviously flirted—a lot. I did maybe have a teeny weeny crush on the guy but I'd never want to stomp on my girls' perfectly manicured toes if I ever went there. If any of them did have a thing for him, I'd cut the flirting asap—no matter how good it felt.

"Ew please! He's like a brother to us!" Kit's voice was a high pitched exclamation as she paused her painting, giving me her full attention.

"Totally a brother to us … but you did kiss him once though, Kit." Billie reminded her friend.

Kit didn't hesitate to shoot it down. "Yes, when I was like twelve and it was way too weird. We both ran away, didn't talk to each other for like a week and then when Billie finally parent-trapped us, we promised we would never do it again" She paused. "Carter on the other hand … well … can't say the same."

My head snapped so quickly to her that I gave myself whiplash. "Oh my god, KIT!" She blushed but shrugged it off as if she didn't just drop a major bomb on me.

"What? I like my men naughty … and British." She said with no shame.

Billie laughed, "They've been at it for years. Carter came along when we were like fourteen and Kit's rebellious nature couldn't resist. Neither could his."

I was so shocked at this new revelation, and so glad I didn't leave with him that first night. "So are you guys a thing then? I had no idea!"

"Nope." Kit's reply was so casual it stunned me even more. "Totally not a thing. I'm not into settling. We just have our fun when we feel like it. We're like … I don't know … fuck buddies?"

"Fair enough." I responded with both amusement and confusion, trying to wrap my head around it all. It suddenly clicked to me that she had suggested that Griffin wasn't naughty enough for her. That made my head spin all over again. "So, you're telling me Griff isn't a bad boy then?"

Billie was the one to reply now. "Griff is just … different. He definitely beats to his own drum. He does what he likes but he also mostly follows the rules. Although, if you told him that he'd deny it—the following rules part. He gets away with a lot but doesn"t push things too far—usually. He's surprisingly quite dutiful and a great warrior, even though he doesn't put too much effort in. But that"s mostly because he's just so good that he doesn't need to. Which leads to his annoying confidence and can make him come across as arrogant or egotistical but knowing him, I think it's mostly just a persona he puts on—a way to have some fun. He's more bored than anything else which causes him to act up on occasion. That's probably what also leads to his ‘extracurricular' activities. Carter on the other hand likes to stir shit up and cause trouble. So when the two of them are together, they can be quite a handful for the officials."

"He's definitely cocky. But Carter is more the troublemaker," Kit added.

Billie finished up the braid and leaned towards me. "He's all yours if that's what you're wondering." I turned so I was facing her and she smiled warmly at me.

"I'm honestly not ready for anything right now." I'd filled them in about everything with River during my first couple of days. Safe to say they were never going to be team River—not that I'd even want them to be anymore—but I could tell they were definitely team Griff and would probably love to see me with one of their closest friends.

"I'm sure Griff would always be down for some rebound sex," Kitana winked.

I blushed. "I don't think I'm ready for that just yet either."

Billie chuckled. "He definitely would be into that," she agreed. Then she touched my shoulder and her expression turned serious. "I think it's good that you're taking time to heal. But just so you know, we've never seen Griff give someone so much attention."

Kit nodded in agreement. "He can be a massive flirt and I'm sure he gets around. But I've never seen him have so much interest in one person. He's usually so blasé."

This conversation had been so full of surprises. I couldn't fathom that he wasn't like this with everyone, yet I also couldn't stop the slow smile from forming on my lips. It felt good to know I was special. Especially after I had been played like a fiddle by River.

"Thanks girls. For everything." I pulled them in for a hug. "I feel very … informed. But you're all I need for now." They squeezed me back.

It felt amazing to be surrounded by people who lifted me up and had my back. This place was already starting to feel like home.