I slow down once I'm sure no one is following me, by someone meaning Kalen, and pause outside my director's door.

"If you have any more instructions for me, or a time limit, now would be the perfect time to tell me," I whisper under my breath, hoping the strange little boy is still listening in on my thoughts.

Sadly, no reply comes, so I sigh and knock on Christians door. I wait for a second before he opens, but he doesn't see me standing there, as he opens while holding and reading something on his TekPad.

"I didn't expect you back so soon. I'm glad you made up your mind. We will have to be careful, so that no one..." he looks up from his TekPad, shutting up instantly when he sees who it is at his door. Obviously, I wasn't the person he was expecting.

"Brianna, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he says, though it does little to hide the panic in his voice.

I look at him quizzically.

"Is everything alright?" I ask, and he just waves a dismissive hand in my direction.

"Yes, yes of course, I was just expecting someone else. The board is having a meeting this afternoon and I had something I needed to tell one of its members."

That makes sense, no wonder he panicked when he saw me standing there, having heard what he said. Most of the board activities are top secret, kept that way for the trainee's protection. So I nod and step into his office when he makes his way back over to his desk.

He is back to wearing his usual green suit, but I notice a strange patch covering his shoulder. When he sits down in his chair I also catch the way he keeps his arm close to his body, moving stiffly, almost as if he were in pain.

"Did you get hurt?" I ask, and when he notices me staring at his shoulder he shifts his body, putting his arm behind his back to hide the patch as best as he can.

"It's just a little scratch I got a few days back when Daniel and I were sparring, nothing for you to worry about. Even I need to brush up on my training from time to time."

I nod, pressing my lips together. Something isn't right here, but I can't seem to put my finger on it. But I shake those thoughts aside. I have more important things to worry about right now.

"You see, sir," I start, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk and folding my hands in my lap, picking at the skin around my nails nervously.

"During our missions one of the trainees from the Krift compound got seriously injured. She and her team are currently at the Oakland hospital, and we were hoping you could let us go and see them."

Christian raises an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly, so I plow on before he decides to interrupt.

"We developed a strong bond while working with them, and we just want to make sure that she is okay. It would only be for a couple of hours."

I clench my hands together as I wait for his answer.

"You know the rules, Brianna," he says, rubbing the top of his head. "You aren't supposed to leave the compound unless it's on official business."

I nod, putting the palms of my hands together and bringing them up to my chest, in a praying motion.

"Please sir, let us go."

My director watches me with a steady gaze, dark brown eyes staring straight into my soul, and the hand he was using to rub his head now runs down the length of his face, and he sighs, staring at the table before he looks at me again.

"I'm not sure Brianna, it's times like these when we need everyone at the compound. Especially now that we know that Dominic" He pauses, almost like the name pains him "Is out there, with a target painted on his nieces back. You should all be here, keeping her safe."

"I know," I say, "but she is already safe just by being here. We will be careful, and at the first sign of trouble we will come right back. I promise, just please, let us make sure she is okay."

Christian sighs again, closing his eyes, shoulders slumping slightly.

"Four hours," he says, and I try not to let him see the huge smile that threatens to spread across my face.

"You have four hours to see your teammate and then I want you back here."

I hold back the urge to salute and give my director a reassuring smile.

"That's all the time we need sir, thank you."

Christian smiles at me, a fatherly gesture that makes me miss my own a little less, knowing that this man is looking out for all of us and worried about our wellbeing. He dismisses me, leaning back in his large leather chair, and I pretend not to notice the way he grimaces when he has to move his arm to shift in his seat. He should really have that checked out at the med center. I'll have to remember to tell Daniel to go a bit easier on him next time.

I race back to our dorm, trying not to bump into any trainees on my way, sprinting down the halls at top speed. I pass through the common room, where I spot Jack and Dean chatting with another noble year, and I wave at them when they acknowledge my presence with a slight incline of their heads.

I make it to our dorm and push open the door, pausing when I find Cassie and Mara on the floor laughing, while Kalen, Jayson, and Diana all make ridiculous gestures and movements in front of them.

"Umm, what's going on?" I ask, a smile spreading across my face at my friend's laughter. Kalen's laugh has always been the most contagious, it's one of the things I like most about him.

I remember once, in one of our more boring classes, he told me he could cry on command. The topic suddenly came up when we were talking about one of my favorite actors, who was in a very sad movie and thus was crying nearly the entire film. I told Kalen how I didn't know how they managed to cry without actually being sad, and he said that what they did was child's play. I couldn't pass up the chance and told him to do it there and then, certain he wouldn't have the guts to do it. Three minutes later and I was the one crying from laughter as a single tear manages to roll down his cheek, while the people around us looked at us as if we were crazy. The mentor even asked Kalen what was wrong, which made me laugh even harder. Maybe they all thought I was being insensitive as I laughed while my friend cried. Either way he started laughing as well, and it was the best sound I had heard in my entire life. We ended up being thrown out of class, but I couldn't find it in myself to care.

So now I watch as he and my friends laugh while Diana just smiles at their reactions.

"Diana has never played charades," says Cassie in between giggles, "and you were taking a while anyway, so we decided to teach her."

She comes to sit with me on the sofa, laughter dying down, and when it finally does, they all look at me expectantly, hope shining in their eyes.

"So? Did he let us go?" Asks Jayson

All it takes is one nod from me and they all start cheering, as Cassie fist pumps the air and Mara claps her hands with glee.

"We have four hours, so I suggest we get a move on. Diana, you can stay here if you want, or you can wander around. We will be back soon."

The president's daughter nods, getting up to follow us out of the room.

"I think I'm going to ask Christian to tell me more about my uncle. I still have some questions I want him to answer."

"He was expecting someone when I went to talk to him," I tell her, pausing, "so I don't know if he will be able to see you now."

Diana's eyes widen a fraction as she bites her lip, and I notice the way she flickers her eyes at me nervously.

"Oh, well I bet it will be fine, if he is with someone, I will just go another time." She smiles, but it seems forced.

Okay?

I wave at her when we have to take two different corridors to get to our destinations, Diana going left to Christian's office while we head right.

"It should take us about an hour to get there, which means we have two hours to see them at the hospital and an hour to get back," says Kalen, walking out of the compound and heading into the van.

"That's actually quite a lot of time," he says, climbing into the back with me. "How did you manage to convince him to let us go?"

I shrug. I was still trying to figure that part out myself.