Naomi hardly rested, yet dawn showed up regardless - harsh, glaring, no mercy at all.
Her body was weighed down, muscles all locked up after yesterday's nonstop practice, yet her mind stayed jumpy from Lucian showing up outta nowhere last night.
She just went over it again - over and over in her head
the quiet knock,
the low voice,
how he stepped into her space, as shadows moved aside just because he came.
"Tomorrow is not a normal training day," he had said.
"Prepare yourself."
Prepare? For what?
He hadn't explained.
He never explained.
He told people what to do, yet they didn't always listen.
Fresh light spilled across the property, yet a deep fear settled into Naomi's gut.
A Knock at Dawn
Right at six in the morning, a quick tap cracked through the air.
Quentin just walked in without asking, sharp as ever, face giving nothing away.
"Miss Hart," he said, "your training begins in fifteen minutes. Dress in the clothing provided."
He put a tidy pile on the bed - arranged just right, sitting there, quiet
black tactical-style joggers,
a snug full-arm top,
yet light tactical footwear.
Naomi's heart sank.
Combat boots?
Something strange is going on today - what's it about?
She got ready fast, pulling her hair into a messy bun with shaky hands. In the glass, she barely recognized herself - this wasn't Naomi Hart, the worn-out patient always hauling discount pills in her tote.
She seemed like a person walking straight into trouble.
Quentin looked her over quickly - just one time - then gave a nod.
"Follow me."
Into the Forbidden Wing
He took her through halls she'd never noticed - darker, stiller, with heavy doors on each side.
Naomi figured out they were heading below ground.
The further down they moved, the thicker the breeze got - like the stones were hiding something.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Quentin didn't answer.
He rarely did.
Yet she got her reply once he halted before a metal door fitted with a keypad plus a hand sensor.
Inside lay a huge space - this served as a practice area.
Gray walls.
High ceilings.
Several areas are split up using fold-away walls.
Barriers, fake targets, practice displays.
Right in the middle…
Lucian Storm.
He faced away, arms folded at the rear.
His black clothes clung tight, showing off muscle usually hidden under sharp jackets.
"Miss Hart has arrived," Quentin announced.
Lucian turned.
His eyes alone stopped her breathing - icy, steady, deliberate.
Yet today felt different somehow.
A tension.
A clarity more precise than earlier.
"Good," he said.
"Let's begin."
The Rules of the Test
Naomi moved toward him at a slow pace.
"Mr. Storm… what exactly am I being tested on?"
Lucian moved near - way too near - making her tilt her head up.
He spoke softly - yet every word mattered.
"Your instincts. Your reaction time. Your ability to survive."
She took a breath. "What exactly do I need to survive?"
He didn't blink.
"Hunted."
Her stomach sank. "W - what? Who's chasing me?"
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"Not who. What."
He moved away, waving at Quentin like he was passing a turn.
A button got pressed.
The lights dimmed.
Slides opened up across the room's back side.
Naomi's breath froze.
Mechanical drones.
Four of them.
Smooth, quiet, loaded with trackers, and lighting up in red once switched on.
Her knees wobbled.
"Lucian—I can't—this is too—"
"You're able," he cut in.
He stated it plainly, just how things were.
"You will."
"I'm not trained for this!"
Lucian moved nearer once more, speaking quieter yet just as sharp.
"You saved me in the rain," he said.
"You ran toward danger without thinking. That is instinct. That is rare."
The words struck a nerve - she remembered that evening, her legs shifting on their own, panic mixed with raw energy surging through her.
Lucian kept his eyes on her, slow and steady.
"You already have the core of what you need, Naomi. Today, you learn to use it."
Her heartbeat thumped loudly inside her head.
Quentin hit a different button.
The drone's glowing eye fixed on her.
Lucian broke the silence, steady like a rock.
"The rule is simple: stay alive for ten minutes."
"T-ten minutes?!"
"Yes."
"That's impossible!"
A flicker - could've been a grin, could've been nothing - passed across his lips.
"Then surprise me."
The Hunt Begins
A siren blared.
The drones rose from the ground, making a soft machine sound.
Naomi ran.
He didn't pause - he just reacted.
She ducked behind the nearest cover, pulse racing while her breath came sharp and fast.
A bright beam shot from her face, so it slammed into the wall, spitting loudly.
Not fatal, she hoped instead.
Just painful.
Yet hurt did the job.
She dropped low, then spun fast - jumping up quickly right after.
The drones zipped through the air.
Predatory.
Silent.
A different blast came her way - she dropped fast, hitting the ground, breathing hard.
Quentin shouted, "Only eight minutes left."
Eight?
She'd pass away way earlier than that.
She ran farther along the path, dodging barriers one after another.
Her breath came in ragged bursts.
Her boots slipped across the shiny tiles.
A drone dipped down - she just escaped it.
"Ponder this, Naomi," she murmured.
"What would he do?"
That's when she realized it.
Lucian stayed still - not by chance, yet on purpose.
He stepped forward on purpose.
Every step calculated.
Every reaction planned.
She just wasn't fast enough to escape the drones.
She needed to think faster than they did.
She moved quickly, crouched by a steel post - then stayed still.
As a pair of drones moved in from left and right, she ducked under the beam just in time.
The drones collided.
Sparks burst.
One dropped down, then another followed right after.
She gasped, shocked deep down inside.
Wait - she really went ahead with it?
A sound came through the speakers.
"Impressive."
Lucian.
Watching.
Measuring.
Yet the leftover drones had turned furious.
Faster.
One dove low, then shot her leg -
She yelled when the pain shot through her arm.
She fell - yet pushed back onto her feet.
A sharp jolt hit her leg. Yet it burned worse than a cut.
"Five minutes remaining," Quentin announced.
Naomi clenched her jaw tight.
"Five minutes. Five minutes. Move."
She hobbled down a tight corridor squeezed by shifting barriers.
A drone came behind, while its aim beam moved up her spine.
She flattened her body against the wall -
The sliding door shifted closer -
The drone surged ahead -
The wall slammed right into it.
It smashed down, with sparks shooting out.
"Just one left," Lucian muttered, tone calm.
Naomi struggled to take a breath.
Sweat ran down, stinging her eyes.
Her leg throbbed.
The last drone drifted down slowly - like it was savoring her panic.
Naomi tripped back, then her foot caught the rim of a step up ahead.
The drone fired—
She jumped—
The beam skimmed her shoulder, fire bursting through her arm -
She moved off the edge, hitting the ground roughly.
It was tough for her to make things out.
Hardly think.
"Hold on a sec," Quentin told him.
Naomi pulled her body toward a barrier.
The drone floated overhead, checking things out.
It got way too near.
Too fast.
Too smart.
Her eyes jumped left, then right - scanning.
A metal pipe was lying on the dirt, resting there after being dropped earlier.
Maybe one piece of something broken down.
She snatched it.
When the drone dove low, Naomi flung the pipe using all her strength. While it dropped fast, she threw the metal rod with every bit of power remaining.
The hit smashed into the room.
The drone spiraled—
Glitched—
Then fell right by her toes.
Silence.
Then:
"Time."
Her knees buckled.
She dropped onto the floor, breathing hard, her tears blending with sweat.
She did it.
She survived.
Yet it only sank in when she noticed steps coming closer.
Lucian.
He halted right by her, then squatted - eyes even with hers.
His gaze moved across the burnt skin, then the dark marks, while noticing how her hands trembled.
When he spoke, his tone stayed quiet.
Controlled.
Different.
"You lasted the full ten minutes."
Naomi glanced his way, shaking.
"I… I thought I was going to die."
He studied her.
At last, a shift crossed his face - no warmth there... just a sharp edge. A flash of threat instead.
"You didn't."
He held out his arm.
Then she grabbed it.
He held tight, sure, yet calm - like roots holding soil together.
He yanked her up - suddenly near, more than once before.
"You surprised me today, Miss Hart."
Naomi's breath hitched.
He moved closer, speaking so softly it was almost silent:
"And I don't get surprised."
Her heart pounded.
Lucian turned away.
"Training resumes tomorrow."
Yet Naomi stayed still.
She saw him leave, footsteps firm - strength showing in how he carried himself.
Her heart kept pounding.
Because she knew—
Starting today,
this wasn't only about staying alive anymore.
Another thing started up.
Something way riskier.
Yet she wasn't sure whether fear hit her…
or wanted it.