Marcus spent most of his remaining time with Kinsley at the park, where they sat in a lush green area dotted with flowers, near a large pond. They talked for hours, sharing stories and making small commitments that promised to bring them closer.
And before Marcus knew it, it was time for him to head back. Reluctantly Marcus informed Kinsley of his imminent departure, it was then that Kinsley suggested that Marcus walk her to the academy.
Marcus agreed and escorted her back. As they stood outside of the Academy grounds, Kinsley turned to face Marcus with a hopeful expression. "Marcus." She began hesitantly, crossing her arms as she glanced over the bustling academy grounds.
"Don't forget what you promised me, I want you to check in at least twice a week, ok?" Kinsley reminded him, turning to give him a stern, yet caring gaze.
Marcus nodded. "Of course, if I can I'll check in every day, but hopefully this doesn't last too long, because I really want to see you again," Marcus said with a nervous chuckle as he placed his hands in his pockets.
Kinsley nodded. "Good, because this isn't goodbye, it's more like seeing you later." She said in a determined tone.
"Right." Marcus affirmed, "The first chance I get, I'll come back."
Kinsley smiled as she leaned into a hug with Marcus.
Marcus accepted the hug hesitantly, his heart pounding as his mind raced. He barely knew what he was doing or saying, but he knew what he felt and what he wanted.
And it felt good to want Kinsley, but it felt better knowing that she wanted him too.
Suddenly, Marcus began to hear sniffling from behind his back, as Kinsley's grip on him grew stronger. "You better come back." She whispered in a trembling tone.
Marcus felt his heartache at Kinsley's words, he tightened his arms around her, pressing their bodies together tightly. It was then Marcus could feel another racing heart, it was Kinsley's.
"I will." Marcus affirmed, "I don't know when or how, but I'll come back, that's a promise."
"Good," Kinsley said, pulling away from Marcus, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Now go, the faster you get done with work, the faster you can come back," Kinsley said with a warm smile.
Marcus nodded. "See you later." He said with a quick wave before slowly backing away. As he stepped away Marcus could feel tears swelling up in his eyes, and a longing pain began settling into his heart.
Marcus gave Kinsley one final smile, before turning around and walking away.
As he walked, each step he took seemed to be harder than the last, until it got to a point where Marcus was forcing himself to keep walking forward.
As he walked towards the hotel and back to his room, he thought about everything that happened over the past week. It had been a whirlwind of emotions and fun, easily becoming one of the most meaningful times in his life.
When he finally reached his room, he saw Felix sitting on the floor with his head on his knees, Luna meanwhile was sitting on the bed, with an expression of concern.
"He's been like that since we got back." Luna informed Marcus with a sigh, "I think that rejection really affected him."
Marcus nodded as he closed the door behind himself. "Felix." Marcus said softly as he approached him, "You good man?"
"I'm fine," Felix said with a chuckle. "I'm just dandy bro." Felix laughed as he looked up at Marcus with red eyes and a tear-streaked face. "It is what it is, right?"
Marcus felt a strange sense of dread wash over him. Almost as if something very wrong was happening. "Are you sure?" Marcus asked, "Because you don't look fine."
Felix laughed as he wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "It's good, I couldn't care less, but I'm glad you managed to make things work bro, I'm proud of you."
Marcus nodded his head hesitantly. He knew Felix was resilient, the simulations proved that without a shadow of a doubt, however as far as Marcus could remember, the simulations didn't prepare them for relationship drama, only death, chaos, and critical thinking.
Felix huffed a deep sigh as he stood up, "Away we got about twenty minutes before we leave, we should probably pack up and call it a day."
"Yeah," Marcus affirmed. "Sounds good."
As Marcus began to pack his things, he couldn't help but think back to Kinsley and the promise that he had made. The thought of returning to her made his heart swell with excitement and joy.
Perhaps that could become his motivation, to return to her.
A smile emerged on Marcus's face as he thought about it.
As he continued packing his things, he couldn't help but notice Felix fumbling with his own things, his expression switching from a smile to dread then back to a smile.
"Felix, are you sure you're fine?" Marcus asked, concern evident in his voice. He knew the answer was no, Felix had never looked so distraught before, but he also knew he couldn't just force Felix to spit it out.
Felix chuckled, a grin emerging as he turned to face Marcus. "You know me, bro, nothing ever holds me down." He said with a wink.
Marcus opened his mouth to respond, but that's when Lance entered their room with a bored expression. "Come on boys." He sighed, clapping his hands together, "It's time to go back to work."
Marcus sighed as he glanced at Felix, he knew the moment they got back to the complex Felix was most likely going to focus purely on the exams.
He knew this because it's exactly what he did.
Without another word from either cadet or Luna, Lance had everyone make their way back to the van, with their bags packed and their break completed, it was back to the complex for the next round of exams.
The journey back to the complex was quiet, the only sounds were of the bags rustling in the back, and the occasional sigh from Felix.
Marcus sat near the back window, staring out at the passing scenery. His mind mixed with the longing of Kinsley and concern for Felix.
Beside him was Luna, who was quietly scrolling through a novel on Marcus's phone. It was a fantasy story written by a freelance writer, about a knight who lost everything he cared about and was now on a path for revenge.
And finally, there was Felix, who sat on the other side of Luna. He had earbuds on and was blasting sad rock music. His expression was a mixture of sadness and acceptance.
Marcus wanted to talk to Felix, to tell him that it was ok, but he knew it would be worthless.
Especially since he and Kinsley resolved to work it out, it would be like a rich person trying to console a poor one.
As the van neared the complex, a familiar sight began to come into view; the complex.
After Lance confirmed his identity with the guards, he parked a little ways off from the third male dorm.
"You guys should rest up, tomorrow we have a meeting in the auditorium at 0600," Lance said, turning around to ensure Marcus and Felix were listening.
"Yes sir," Marching replied, reaching into the back of the van to grab his and Felix's bags.
Felix nodded silently, slipping out of the van and quickly making his way towards the entrance of the dormitory. Marcus watched him go with a pained expression, seeing Felix act so cold and emotionless was jarring.
"Felix is a tough kid, he'll bounce back, especially if Lieutenant Revia has anything to say about it," Lance said reassuringly, a genuine smile playing on his lips.
Marcus nodded as he put on both his and Felix's bags. "I hope that's the case," Marcus said, sighing in concern for Felix.
Marcus saw Felix handle so much, yet losing Kira seemed to affect him more than death did.
Stepping out of the van and into the dorm, Marcus began navigating to his room. He decided to take the stairs, hoping to use this time to clear his mind before facing Felix again.
The past week began replaying in Marcus's mind like a movie. From its chaotic beginning to its bittersweet ending, Marcus never knew what to expect. It was a learning experience, particularly for social interactions.
Though Marcus wasn't convinced he was totally changed, he did sense this as a beginning.
Entering his dorm room, Marcus was greeted by the sight of Felix sitting on the bottom of the bunk bed, his eyes closed and arms crossed.
"You ok Felix?" Marcus asked, stepping to the side to allow Luna into the dorm room. "You look conflicted."
"I'm fine," Felix answered. "I'm just meditating, preparing myself for tomorrow, you should do the same by the way, I doubt these exams will get any easier."
"But tomorrow is just another orientation," Marcus replied, dropping his and Felix's bags onto the floor, and then walking further into the room.
"Exactly," Felix answered. "Which is why we should clear our minds now, because this is probably the only time we'll have, bro."
"You say that like you know what's coming next." Marcus said with suspicion in his voice, "do you know something I don't?"
Felix shook his head. "Maybe, I've been thinking, why would the organization give a week-long break after completing the first exam?"
Marcus shrugged, "I don't know, because we've earned it?"
Felix scoffed. "That's what they want you to believe, no, in reality, I believe things are about to go to shit in the next upcoming days, I think some of us are going to die."
Marcus frowned as he narrowed his eyes. Felix was eccentric and goofy, so for him to do a complete 180 was extremely uncomfortable and difficult to adjust to, this wasn't even mentioning the fucked up things Felix was spewing out, the idea that hat the organization would kill the cadets it worked so hard to obtain was absurd.
"Felix, you're thinking too hard, why on earth would the organization kill the cadets it's working so hard to mold?"
Felix chuckled as he slowly opened his eyes, his laughter was sick and hoarse. "You mean the kids this place snags up off the side of the street?" Felix said with a smirk, "Don't play stupid Marcus, you and I both know the truth."
Marcus narrowed his eyes, "what are you talking about?" Marcus asked with a stern voice, his frustration steadily rising and his curiosity was piqued.
Felix shrugged his shoulders as he went back to meditating. "I don't know, maybe I'm still reeling from how I dropped the ball with Kira," Felix answered casually as if nothing happened.
Marcus sighed, "Sure." He replied plainly, scratching his cheek.
He then glanced at Luna, who was looking at Felix with a worried expression. But she didn't look to be worried about Felix, she seemed to be concerned about what he said.
"You ok?" Marcus asked, looking over at Luna with a raised eyebrow.
Luna looked up to Marcus with a perplexed expression. "Marcus…" she began, her tone conflicted with emotion, "do you trust me?" She asked.
Marcus hesitantly nodded. "Yeah, why do you ask?"
"It'll make sense later, for now, Felix is right, you should probably clear your mind, or better yet, sleep," Luna answered, gesturing towards the top bunk.
Marcus had growing concerns, but it seemed no one was in a position to give answers.
"O-ok." Marcus stammered. "Are you sleeping with me?"
Luna nodded. "Of course, where else would I go?" Luna answered with a warm smile, tilting her head to the side.
Marcus felt his earlier apprehensions fade, replaced by the cuteness of Luna's reaction.
He walked over to pick Luna up, carrying her like a young child in one arm, as he climbed to the top buck with the other.
"I hope I don't smell too bad." Marcus said with a chuckle as he settled into his bunk bed, "Not really in the mood for an afternoon shower."
Luna chuckled. "That's fine," she replied, wiggling underneath Marcus's blanket, "just be sure to take one in the morning."
Marcus chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Luna, bringing her small frame closer to himself. "I'm not that much of a degenerate," Marcus said with a smirk, he then yawned, his exhaustion slowly creeping up as his eyes grew heavy.
Luna smiled as she placed a hand on Marcus's cheek, "You're a good kid, Marcus, just try to keep your mind open, ok?"
Marcus nodded, his eyes closed, but a grin was still plastered on his face. "Yeah." Marcus said sleepily, "I'll try."
After that brief exchange with Luna, Marcus allowed his consciousness to slip away. His breathing slowed, as his grip on Luna loosened.
It wasn't long before Felix spoke up, his tone was one of scorn. "When are you going to drop that act?" Felix taunted.
Luna's expression turned sour. "Felix you should sleep, you have a long day tomorrow." She answered emotionlessly.
Felix chuckled. "I guess so, but I wonder how you sleep knowing what's coming, because I might not know everything, but I know enough."
"Felix you're just tired, you should rest," Luna replied.
Felix scoffed as he fell silent, the rest of the night passing by without a problem.