Chapter Twenty-Seven: Aspen

Chapter Twenty-Seven
~ Aspen ~

I sighed tiredly as I switched a load of clothes from the washer to the dryer. Both had been running almost constantly since we arrived a week ago. Everyone had settled into their new home as if they’d always been here. They were enjoying the amenities I’d always taken for granted like clean clothes, hot food, and a warm shower for the first time. It was actually really endearing to watch their faces light up with each new luxury.
I hadn’t gotten much rest. Each day, making sure everyone was okay and knew how to use everything around them took up all of my time. I saw E the most, and that was only for a quick check in once a day. I honestly had no idea what the others were doing. Will and Jax were usually off somewhere goofing around or stopping a fight between E and Grey. Grey, I was actively avoiding. I knew it was the only way to stop him from becoming a distraction.
“S,” I perked up at the sound of E’s voice from the doorway. “Team meeting in five.”
I didn’t have to ask where it was. We’d had a meeting in dad's old office once everyone was safely inside on the first night, since it was the biggest. Apparently, this was going to be a weekly thing. I guess it made sense. It was the best way to keep everyone informed. I placed the last item of clothing into the dryer and started it before making my way to the office.
It was already packed by the time I got there. It was the biggest in the building, yes, but it wasn’t made to hold a hundred people. I leaned against the pole in the middle of the doorway and tried to listen through the rumbling chatter.
“Alright, listen up.” Grey’s booming voice made the room go silent. “Santana, what’s the status on the sensors?”
“Checked ‘em this morning. No hits. The illusion is solid too.” Her light voice fluttered from the crowd.
He nodded in approval as his bright eyes scanned the crowd in front of him and E. They landed on me and the hard look he almost always wore returned. I crossed my arms and avoided looking at him again.
“It seems like we have enough food to last us a while, but we still need to ration like before just to be safe.” E spoke up, stepping forward to land beside Grey. “We’re going to run things like at the village. No messing around. No leaving without permission. Training will continue starting today. Get with your partner and start right away. Something is coming, and we will be prepared for it.”
Everyone dispersed as if on cue. I wondered what kind of training could possibly prepare us for whatever dad was coming up with. He has unlimited resources and money, so we really didn’t stand a chance. I guess it would make them all feel better, though. Like they had a shot even if they didn’t. I turned to do another round of check-ins when a gruff voice stopped me.
“City girl.” My eyes fell closed and I let out a breath. So close. I had to turn back and face him.
“Yeah?” I could only hope he would keep it short. We hadn’t spoken since the incident, and I preferred to keep it that way.
“You’ll be training with me.” He said it so confidently, so matter-of-factly that a passerby might actually think he had any right to tell me what to do.
“I’m good.” I really didn’t have the time to fight about this right now. I knew he could be stubborn, and I had people to check on, so I turned to walk away. He caught up with me easily and began walking at my side.
“That’s cute that you think you have a choice.” His words almost made me stop. Almost.
“What’ll be cute is the bruise you’re going to have if this conversation isn’t over in ten seconds.” He had the nerve to laugh. A real, full laugh.
“Oh, that’s good. Use that anger. You’ll need it.” I finally turned to look at him. The amused smirk on his lips made me want to punch him even more.
“If you don’t get the hell—”
“Why don’t you two get a room already? There’s plenty.” Jax quipped as he passed us in the hallway. My face immediately got hot and Grey just rolled his eyes. I didn’t like what he was implying. The incident would never happen again if I had anything to say about it.
“Why you?” I had to find out why he thought he was the one who should suffer through training me. It was going to be hard. As I found out, I was embarrassingly out of shape. I had never so much as wrestled anyone, let alone actually fought. It was going to be a big undertaking. He studied my face for a long moment.
“If you can learn to fight someone who can read your mind, you’ll be pretty much unstoppable.” Okay, that actually made sense. “Everyone has to go through me before they’re cleared. We don’t have much time so it’s better to start there with you.”
I hated how much that made sense. When he put it that way, it was easy to see that it was the best choice. Not liking the idea of spending more one-on-one time with him wasn’t enough of a reason to fight him on this.
“Fine. When do we start?” He gave me a satisfied grin.
“Right now.”