Time has blurred, and somehow the shower turned to an hour long staring contest with the bathroom tile. But now that she is clean, Honey has wrapped herself in a fluffy white bathrobe and sits at her room’s complimentary desk with a corded phone pressed against her ear.

  Her eyes are still red and puffy, and despite being clean, her hair is frazzled, and there is a band-aid taped to her nose and a bandage wrapped around her hand.

  Her fingers tap impatiently on the desk as the phone rings. The ringing goes on for quite a while, but when the phone is answered, her lips twitch for a brief smile.

  “Tobias Thornton speaking.”

  “Hi, dad, it’s me,” says Honey.

  “Hello Honey. How are you doing? Are you okay?”

  Honey cringes a little bit. She thought she held the despair and anger back, but from the worry in Tobias’s voice, she failed. With that, she sniffles and runs her fingers through her hair.

  “I had a long day,” says Honey.

  “Do tell,” says Tobias.

  “I got into a duel. Lost. Went to the recruitment office. Turned out the documents weren’t in my pouch because someone stole them. Chased the thief. Got into three fights. Now I have three duels tomorrow.” Honey holds up the letter of recommendation and turns it in her hand as if expecting a secret message to appear. “But I did get the letter and genetic receipt back.”

  “I see. And why did you get into a duel so early?” asks Tobias sternly.

  Honey drops the letter to rub her brow. “Someone was saying you evicted their family without cause, so I was defending your honor. I lost the duel, so… yeah, your honor is still in shambles. I’m sorry.”

  “Prunella…”

  Honey stiffens.

  “You did the right thing. Even if you lost, you still defended your family, that is more important than letting them speak ill about us without retaliation of some kind. You’ll get better at dueling with more practice. Which includes more loses, unfortunately.”

  Honey frowns. “I’d rather not lose.”

  “Think of it like this, the duels will help you mentally prepare for the examination. The more you lose, the more flaws you find within yourself, and the more you’re able to adapt. Granted, it is all simulation, but your mind will be prepared, which is important. I remember when I was in the examination course, and the biggest guys with the biggest egos cracked, whereas the humble yet physically weaker with strong heads navigated better. You can be physically fit all you want, but if your mind isn’t prepared, you’re going to be in trouble,” says Tobias.

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  “You were the humble one, weren’t you?” asks Honey with a small smile.

  “No, I was one of the humbled. I was not as big as many of the others, but enough to be problematic. In the end, the examination course knocked some sense into me.”

  “Oh…”

  “Now, who was the one that said I evicted their family without cause?”

  “Rocky Rochefort.”

  Silence.

  Honey waits.

  More silence.

  “Dad?” calls Honey.

  “Rochefort?” says Tobias heavily.

  “Yeah…”

  There is more silence.

  “Dad? Are you okay?” asks Honey.

  “I’m fine. But I should clear this up right now, rather than leaving you in the dark since you’re dealing with a Rochefort,” replies Tobias.

  There is another moment of silence, and Honey’s eyes stare intently ahead as if Tobias is sitting in front of her. When Tobias speaks again, his tone is still heavy but tainted with mourning.

  “The Rocheforts is a family of deviants,” begins Tobias. “I served with Rocky’s parents, Mads Rochefort and Anne Backson, when we were in the EIDF. I trained with them, and we fought side by side in many battles. Our last one was the Battle of Al-Qamar and were among the last to be evacuated before it fell. And when I inherited the Dumas Biodome, I agreed to let Mads and Anne reside at a dwelling for fifty percent of the normal mortgage price. Unfortunately for them, that meant the thirty-year contract was extended to sixty years, but they were fine with that. Or so they said. Anne disappeared shortly after Rocky was born, leaving him with Mads, and Mads stopped paying because he blew his money on drugs and hookers, and he terrorized the neighbors. I finally evicted him when he got into a fight that led to some hospital visits. He hadn’t paid for six months at that point anyway. He had become a menace and financial liability. I had to let him go.”

  “Oh jeez,” says Honey quietly. “Was there anyone else in that house? Rocky said ‘family’, so I’m just curious.”

  “One of the hookers staying at the house had a daughter, but I never got their name. Honestly, only God knows how many children Mads created with all the hookers he bedded while high on drugs. But maybe Rocky considered that unsavory crowd his family?”

  Honey lowers the phone and wipes her face. Her eyes are burning again. Hearing how Rocky’s father royally messed up and put the blame on Tobias and the Thornton family is something that she really cannot let go. Perhaps another chat is in order with Rocky and Emma to get things ironed out for good.

  “Honey? … Prunella?” calls Tobias.

  Honey slowly puts the phone to her ear and takes another moment before speaking again. “That clears up a lot. Thank you.”

  Tobias hesitates. “You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  Honey looks at the hole she punched in the wall. “Maybe some more money? I kind of punched a hole in the wall to the hotel I’m staying at. I haven’t told them, yet, but they’ll definitely find out soon.”

  “Really? Prunella, you better hope they don’t count that against you when you apply tomorrow,” says Tobias sternly.

  Honey cringes, and Tobias keeps talking.

  “Give me the information and I’ll settle the damages.”

  “Thanks,” says Honey meekly. She then gives Tobias the information, and after they say their farewells, Honey hangs up and rubs her face. Then she rests her head on the table and sits there motionless for a few minutes until she decides to properly lay down on her bed.

  There, she uses the remote to turn on the TV and watches cartoons for the rest of the day.

  No Edits Beyond This Point

  not include any current unedited chapters potentially being split up.