Thalia could hear the soft voice of a woman. Her body ached, but her arm no longer hurt. She focused on the woman's familiar voice.
"Is there a reason why you killed him?" The woman sounded a bit irritated.
"We had no other choice; the way he was rampaging, if I didn't act, we could have all been in danger." Thalia's memories came flooding back.
"THEO!" She opened her eyes, sat up abruptly, and hit her head on the railing of the bunk bed above her. A knot formed on her head. In a panic, she looked around, confused about where she was and, more importantly, where her brother was.
"Thalia, you're awake!" Tyler looked back from the couch. Valerie was sitting next to him, wearing a sour expression.
"Where is Theo? What happened after I passed out?" She glanced around the room frantically.
"Hey, sis, are you okay? There's a nasty bump on your head. Do you want Valerie to take a look at it?" Theo popped his head over the bunk bed above her, hanging upside down, concerned but also a little amused.
"Theo!" She grabbed him in a hug, causing him to flip down from the bed and crash to the ground with Thalia crying on top of him.
"Woah, sis, are you okay? What's with all the waterworks?" Theo said, sitting up a bit dizzy from the fall.
"The last thing I remember is you shifting, and I was calling out your name while that bastard was holding me to the ground," Thalia said, rubbing her eyes and sniffling.
"Hmm, why am I the villain here? I'm the one who carried Sleeping Beauty back to the barracks." Dante flashed a cocky smile, locking eyes with Thalia's sparkling green ones. She felt a blush rise to her cheeks and quickly looked away, her heart racing. Normally, she would have fired back with a witty remark, but she couldn't tell if her silence was due to fear or something else entirely.
"What was all that about killing someone? And I thought I heard something about a rampage?" Thalia asked, lifting herself and sitting back down on the bed. Theo scratched his head.
"A rampage?" Tyler lifted his hand to reveal his game console.
"They're playing a dreadful game called Monsters Unleashed, where they kill the sweetest-looking puppy dogs for sport," Valerie said, her voice filled with disdain and irritation.
Tyler shook his head. "She has an interesting idea of 'sweet.' They're called demon dogs for a reason." Thalia's face turned red with embarrassment.
"Yeah, those things are far from cute," Theo added, also holding a game console. "They're enormous and have two sets of teeth that can rip through your character's armor as if it were paper. And if that weren't bad enough, they also inflict a bleed effect."
Dante stood up and said, "Okay, that's enough, you three. Front and center. Now!" Thalia jumped up from the bed and straightened her skirt, tucking her blouse into the lining. She tried to fix her hair with her fingers.
"He didn't say to get ready for the grand ball or anything. He just told us to come over here," Theo teased her.
"I wonder who she's trying to impress," Tyler chimed in with a smile.
"When did you guys become such good friends?" Thalia grumbled under her breath. Electricity danced off her fingers, massaging her scalp and straightening her hair.
Dante sighed, already starting to regret his decision. "This may become more trouble than it's worth." He threw his head back in exasperation.
"You guys are honestly the most talented group of idiots I have ever seen."
Thalia perked up at the compliment. Whether it was backhanded or not, Tyler and Theo couldn't help but smile. A compliment from one of the most powerful contractors in the institute was definitely something to be proud of.
"It pains me to say this, but you guys have passed. Welcome to the Apex Predators elite retrieval unit."
Alexander walked through the doorway and shot off a confetti streamer. Multicolored confetti fell over them, messing up Thalia's freshly straightened hair.
"Hey, vice-captain, not in my hair, please!" Thalia exclaimed, shaking her hair while Theo and Tyler high-fived. It still felt odd for Thalia to see them getting along so well.
"From now on, you are my direct subordinates, and I have a few simple rules for you to follow:
1. Please do your best not to upset me.
2. Never interrupt my free time after a mission; everything can wait.
3. All of my orders are absolute. You will only report to me, not even to the director. I expect you to consult with me about everything, especially during a mission. I dont care if all you need to do is take a leak; I need to approve all actions on every mission."
Theo snickered quietly, causing Dante to narrow his eyes at the three of them. Tyler elbowed him and gave Dante an eager look, urging him to continue with his list of rules.
"The fourth rule is not to question my orders while on duty. Trust that I would never put you in unnecessary danger. I don't expect you to trust me completely; questioning is reasonable. However, please refrain from arguing with me in the field.
My final and most crucial rule for my team members is that everyone assigned to my squad needs my permission to die. Until further notice, none of you have my permission to die. When we are in the field, your top priority must be your life and the lives of your teammates. I have no use for you if you're dead; therefore, you must prioritize staying alive.
These are my only rules and conditions. If you accept them, all I require is a simple nod."
Thalia looked at her brother and Tyler. They silently agreed and nodded their heads in unison. "We will follow you to hell and back, Captain," they recited perfectly together. They had practiced their responses back at the training grounds just in case they actually survived the test.
"You cocky little shits. So, you figured you should prepare for overcoming my trial," Dante said, struggling not to crack a smile. "Alright, here is my first order!"
The three of them straightened their backs and stood at attention, ready for orders.
"Go home and get some rest. And for God's sake, please shower! You all smell of sweat and dirt," Dante said, pinching his nose with a smile.
Thalia looked down at her outfit, horrified by what she saw. Her blouse was ripped on the side, her skirt was covered in dirt, and her stockings had large holes in them. The only thing that looked relatively decent was her steel-tipped high-heeled boots.
She didn't even want to think about how she smelled. If it was anything like how Theo smelled right now, she would literally throw up. "I'm going to leave first!" Thalia said, bowing to Dante and refusing to meet his gaze.
She then ran out of the barracks, yelling something as she turned the corner. Dante thought he heard her mention something about burning her clothes. Tyler was the next to excuse himself. Theo bowed to them and began to leave with Tyler.
"Hold up, Theodore," Dante commanded.
"Yes, Captain," Theo froze. No one called him that name except his Tia. How did Dante know his full name? He didn't think anyone at school even knew it.
Dante gestured for Theo to take a seat. "We need to have a little chat."