Chapter 30: Marinah

I arrive at the training room followed by my ever-present guards. Boot isn’t here, so I begin warm-ups and stretches. I struggle though because I feel like all my muscles have turned to bricks. My head has stopped pounding and my stomach is under control at the moment. It doesn’t mean I’m ready for today’s torture. I stretch, teetering to keep my balance, and I know I look like a fool while doing it. A giggle from a small cabinet in the corner alerts me that I’m being watched.

My guards remain outside the open door and they’re not looking in. I slowly walk to the cabinet and peek inside. The large brown eyes that peer back at me seem to sparkle in that “naughty boy I’ve been caught” kind of way. His brown hair comes to mid shoulder and there’s a smudge of dirt beneath one eye. His skin is light burnished brown, from his mother’s Cuban heritage. I lift my finger to my lips giving the age old “quiet” signal.