Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(30)

Major Wilks nodded. “Perhaps we can consider Donovan a trial run, then.”

He stopped in front of a door with a number plate on it. The number was covered with masking tape and someone had scribbled Angel on it. They’d painted a yellow halo above it and hung a pair of plastic angel wings beside it. Major Wilks smiled at the display. “The men are excited to have you here. Whether you decide to stay or not, I hope you feel welcome while you’re with us.”

A little lump formed in my throat as I looked at the decorations on my door. It wasn’t much, but it was oddly touching. And the welcoming feeling, the sense of family—of belonging and companionship—was something I’d needed desperately since the moment my new life began. “Thanks, Major.”

Major Wilks opened the door and then handed me the key. Not to disrupt the overall theme of bland the base was going for, my room was small with off-white walls, a tiny closet, a dresser, and a single twin-size bed topped with a plain gray blanket and a single pillow—plain white, of course. My pink and black luggage was sitting on the bed and brought the only color to the whole room. There was a door next to the closet that Major Wilks informed me was my bathroom. I was afraid to look, and yet I was relieved to know I didn’t have to share one.

“I am so not living here. This place is more depressing than a convent, and if they expect me to keep that bed made with military corners like that, they really don’t know who they’re dealing with.”

Major Wilks laughed. “It’s not so bad.”

“Yes, it is.”

“At least you have your own private space. The rest of the guys sleep in one big room on the other side of the facility and have dorm-style showers.”

I shuddered. He was right. It was better than that.

But not much.

“Fine. I’ll sleep here. For now. But I am not making my bed.”

“It’s a deal, Angel. Now, if you don’t need anything else, get some rest and come find me when you wake up tomorrow. I’ll give you a tour.”

I had no idea how he expected me to find anyone in that maze of boring, identical halls, but I was too exhausted to care. I said good night and barely made it through the process of brushing my teeth and washing all the crusty tearstains from my face before I fell asleep.

. . . . .

Sleeping in a room with no windows—especially evil east-facing windows—was bliss. I slept like the dead. I knew the instant I woke up that I’d slept a long time. My body felt rejuvenated and hollow all at the same time. I was well rested and hungry. Still, starving as I was, I took my time getting ready before daring to leave my room. Not that I needed to impress these guys, but I kind of did. Yesterday I’d been beat up and exhausted, and on top of that they’d all seen me throw up and ugly cry. I needed to regain some of my dignity today.

Green hair, yellow eyes, and all, I could clean up pretty good. When I opened my suitcase, the short jeans skirt with the sparkly back pockets was right on the top, so I figured why not? I coupled the skirt with a purple tank top and a pair of Skechers. Ryan would have to live without the tall boots. I pulled my hair back in a high ponytail and went a little heavier on the eyeliner than normal, needing to feel intimidating after showing so much vulnerability yesterday. After that, I grabbed the tiny pouch with Teddy’s microchips and ventured out in search of some food.

The place wasn’t as empty as it had been the night before. People roamed the halls with purpose, all of them in a military uniform of some kind or another. None of them were familiar. Major Wilks said the ACEs were a very small organization, so obviously more people used this base than just them.

As I walked down the hall back the direction I’d come from the night before, it became clear that, whether they were ACEs or not, everyone recognized me. When anyone saw me, their eyes widened or they did double takes. Most, after getting over the shock of seeing me, forced nervous smiles, but none of them spoke to me. Guess I’d succeeded with the intimidating look.

I stopped a group of five soldiers. They were all younger, like me; two of them were girls, which I found a bit relieving, as this had been a bit of a boys’ club so far. “Hey, does this place come with a map?” I asked. “I feel like a freshman on my first day of school.”

They’d been laughing and joking with each other, but the laughter came to an abrupt halt when I stopped them. They were shocked that I’d spoken to them. It took them all a second to process what I’d said, and then one of them smiled. When I smiled back, they all relaxed. “You get used to it pretty quickly,” one of the girls said. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know, actually. I’m supposed to find Major Wilks.”

“Oh. Right.” The girl flushed, as if embarrassed that she hadn’t figured that out on her own. “His office isn’t far. At the end of this hall, take a left. His office will be on the right. He should be there. If not, try the rec room, or the gym. The ACEs usually spend most of their free time there. They got back from some top-secret mission pretty late last night, so they got the morning off.”

The girl’s friends understood before she did, and I had to hold back a smile as I watched her realize what that super top-secret mission was. When her eyes bulged, I laughed. “I guess the secret’s out. Thanks for the directions.”

“No problem.”