Do you think Drake is counting?
Probably not.
I paused, as if to stop my pushups. Drake's dragon, Pyro, ran over to me and began beating my head with its wings.
"Hunter!" Drake screamed. "You slacking off? I want another fifty from you."
Fucking hell, Zoe.
He was going to do that no matter what.
Drake marched over to Julie. "Well, what do we have here?"
"I did my fifty," Julie said, staring back defiantly.
"Well, aren't we proud of that. Look around. Is anyone else done?" Drake asked.
"No…" Julie began.
"Then, what the fuck are you doing!" Drake screamed. "Are you on a goddamn squad or not?"
Julie gritted her teeth and went back to doing pushups, this time more slowly.
Drake stared at her for an uncomfortably long time. "Really? I expected better from you." He turned away with a loud sigh.
Julie paused at the top of a pushup to glare at him. "What the hell do you want?" she hissed.
Drake turned back to her. "Do I need to repeat myself? Are you on a goddamn squad or not?" He glanced over at Claire, who was struggling.
The rest of us paused, equally confused.
Uh, Zoe? Any ideas?
I think I know what Drake's getting at. Take Claire's pack.
What?
Put on Claire's pack.
But…oh. Drake was an asshole, no doubt, but he was trying to teach us something. I couldn't deny that.
I got up and walked over to Claire.
"Give me your pack," I whispered.
Claire at me questioningly, but I nodded. She hesitated, then handed me her pack, looking back at Drake. Drake watched silently.
I put Claire's pack on top of my own. It was awkward, and I had to loop the shoulder straps around my own pack.
I got down on my hands and started doing pushups again.
Drake grunted. "Well, at least one of you isn't a complete dumbfuck. Except when he acts like a dumbfuck and ignores standing orders on a field mission."
"We were helping people," Nikki whined.
"Save it, Nikki," Julie said as she walked over to her. Julie took Nikki's pack and strapped it to her own, similar to what I had done. She started her own pushups.
"Well, what are the rest of you waiting for? Make that a hundred for being slow and retarded."
What? That doesn't even make any sense.
The others groaned as they started their own pushups again.
Drake shifted to stand in front of Claire. He counted loudly and slowly. "Siiiiix. Seeeee-ven."
The rest of us finished first, but Claire was still going. None of us dared to stop early.
"…and a hundred. Finally. We can move on with today's agenda."
We were all splayed on the ground in puddles of sweat, panting. My arms quivered.
"Open up your packs," Drake barked.
I unclipped my extra pack and pushed it over to Claire.
"Thanks," Claire groaned. "Or not."
Stella had already opened her pack. She pulled out a bottle of brown liquid. There were more bottles inside.
"Drink up," Drake said, motioning to Stella. "One full bottle. Or more if you want."
Stella removed the cap and took a tentative sip. She gagged. "What is this?" she asked.
Drake chuckled. "The latest in rehydration therapy. Drink up. That's an order. You'll need it."
I took out my own bottle and uncapped it. It smelled like rancid piss.
I still don't think it's fair that you got to sit this out.
I am a princess, after all.
I sniffed the bottle again. You can taste everything I do, right?
I chugged a big gulp of the fluid. Zoe yowled in the distance. I held my breath and downed the rest of the bottle. When I had finished the first bottle, I reached further into the pack. There were more bottles. At the bottom was a hard plastic case.
"Delicious, isn't it?" Drake said, beaming. "When you're done with your fancy drinks, take out the medkits from your packs."
I traded glances with several of the other girls, a mixture of curiosity and dread on our faces.
"Medkits?" Julie asked.
"Today, you'll be getting a crash course in field medicine," Drake said. "Pair up. You'll be operating on each other."
"We're playing doctor?" Claire giggled. "Dustin's mine!"
"I want Dustin!" Nikki said.
I had a brief flashback to first aid lessons back in junior high. We had practiced holding down pressure points on each other. I looked around at the girls, the possibilities blooming in my mind. Maybe Drake wasn't such an asshole after all.
Zoe perked up as well. What do you think it'll be? Mouth-to-mouth? Or chest compressions?
Yeah, the day was already looking better. Maybe I could pair up with Stella—
"Hunter!" Drake yelled. "You're the odd man out. You're with me."
You had to jinx it, Zoe.
I got up and dragged my aching body over next to Drake.
"Aw." Claire pouted, then crawled over to Nikki. "Hello, nurse."
Julie and Mia paired up. That left Stella and Kayla.
"Open up your medkits," Drake ordered.
I released the catch on mine and flipped the lid open. Inside was a syringe with a long, wicked needle. There were several empty vials as well.
"Today you'll be learning about the art of drawing blood." Drake reached into my medkit, took out the syringe and attached one of the vials. "We have four vials to fill, although we can practice a lot more than four times. Roll up your sleeve, Hunter. Following along, everyone."
Drake grinned. I had been wrong. He was still an asshole.
I rolled the tight sleeve of my combat suit up past the elbow. The blood pooled in my forearm as the tight fabric around my bicep acted like a makeshift tourniquet.
"She's supposed to stab me with that?" Kayla asked.
Stella must have moved faster, as she was holding a syringe. Meanwhile, Nikki and Claire were each holding a syringe, arguing over who would get to stab the other first. Mia and Julie stared at each other, their hands empty, as if daring the other to pick up a syringe.
"You'll take turns," Drake said. "So make sure you do a good job." He chuckled. "Now, we'll practice all the different ways to draw blood. Starting with this."
I held my arm out, my inner elbow facing Drake. Drawing blood wasn't a big deal. At least Drake knew what he was doing. I pitied the girls who would be stabbing each other over and over trying to find their veins.
Drake smiled and seized my hand suddenly with one swift, strong movement. Then, he plunged the needle deep into my hand.
I screamed.
***
After our training session, or rather punishment, I showered and rolled into bed even though it was the middle of the afternoon. Zoe tried to jump up onto the top of the bunk bed with me, but I blocked her with my arms. Zoe whined and curled up on the floor instead.
I could massage your aching muscles. And anything else that aches.
Keep your dirty paws off me.
Zoe purred. My paws are perfectly clean.
Absolutely not. And you're too big to fit up here these days.
Are you saying I'm fat?
Despite my exhaustion, I paused, the hairs on my neck prickled in warning. Some lines you just didn't cross, even with bonded Avatars.
No, of course not. Big-boned and strong. Like a tiger princess.
Zoe didn't reply. I rubbed my arms, which were marked with small punctures. After today, I wasn't sure if I would ever trust a nurse with a needle again. I reached down and rubbed a sore spot on my calf. Who the fuck drew blood from a leg vein?
Without my asking, an image of Stella drawing blood from Kayla's smooth long leg appeared in my mind. The only way to bare the leg was to remove it from the combat suit while artfully hiding the fact that we were all naked underneath. No underwear. Nothing.