Marked

When Yalina announced Hector would be her new assistant coach, Rachel’s nerves of steel turned to butter.

She hadn’t seen him since the night he’d kissed her and then called it a mistake.

The urge to flee the room rose in her but after her daring confrontation with Yalina, she couldn’t quit now more than ever.

She would not let that woman be right.

“Pick your feet up. Come on, that’s pathetic!”

Yalina had them running an obstacle course of pure torture. Diving under barbed wire, climbing fifteen foot walls and running laps around a room made to look like an outdoor field until their lungs felt like they would explode.

Rachel struggled at the wall, her freshly injured hand protesting every time she tried to climb.

Yalina’s eyes watched from across the room as if waiting for Rachel to give her even the smallest reason to take her out of drill. But if Rachel had gotten anything from her mother, it had been her stubbornness.

She took the small towel slung over her neck and wrapped her bandaged hand with it to create a cushion. This made getting her hand into the holes in the wall more difficult but she made her way up painstakingly.

Beside her, Hector instructed people on the proper technique to scale a wall with a rope and she dreaded that after this course, that’s where she had to go next.

Putting one foot after the other, she finally made it to the top of the wall, with her hand screaming in agony. She gritted her teeth and pushed through it, knowing she just had to make it through today. She’d resolved to taking things one day at a time but right now that seemed impossible.

The temptation to quit roared it’s ugly head inside her for the second time that day.

“Get to the next course, Wilson.” Yalina yelled up to Rachel.

Rachel descended the ladder on the other side and jogged her way--slowly--towards Hector’s station, all the while keeping her head ducked low to avoid looking at him. Three walls, similar to the one she’d just finished scaling stood in front of her but instead of having footholds, these were merely decorated with a single, brown rope.

She looked at the two other climbers and then at the empty wall that seemed to taunt her with the promise of pain. Slipping on a pair of gloves sitting on a pillar beside the rope station, she readied herself for what was to be a grueling climb.

“Rachel, hey, what happened to your hand?” Hector asked, coming up beside her.

She focused on the rope held between her hands as she replied. “It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure you should be doing this? Maybe you should let that heal first.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Rachel tested the strength of the rope.

It seemed to hold so she placed one boot against the wall. When she went to lift her second boot off the ground, her hand protested with a sharp pain that made her suck in a painful gasp and loose her grip.

She dropped to the ground on her backside.

Hector wrapped his hand around her elbow and pulled her to her feet. “You are not fine. Let me see.”

Rachel pulled her hand away and finally looked at him.

His eyes were wrinkled with worry and the way his curly hair tickled his cheeks made her breath catch in her throat.

Then she remembered Yalina and him kissing and she was unable to hide the bitterness that seeped into her voice when she spoke. “What do you care?”

His mouth opened in surprise and she hated the hurt look that came over his face.

Before she could apologize, Yalina interrupted.

“What’s going on here?”

“Rachel is injured. I don’t think she should be at drill.”

Yalina shrugged. “I told her we could send her somewhere else but she didn’t want to. She wants to be here.”

“I’m fine,” Rachel said, exasperated.

“Then prove it.”

“Yalina-” Hector began but she cut him off with a raise of her hand, eyebrows raising expectantly.

“Go on then, Wilson. You insisted on being here and you’re not getting any special treatment so you’d better get over that wall if you don’t want to lose any points.”

Gritting her teeth, Rachel wrapped her hands around the rope again. The bandage that doctor Everest had placed on her hand was stiff but allowed for minimal flexibility. It was made out of a blue fiber that adhered to her like a second skin, the cool mesh easing some of the burning in her hand, but not by much.

Still, on the climb up she had to rely mostly on the strength of her good hand. She was a few feet up when the rope slipped down her bandage and she lost her hold.

Air rushed around her and rather than feel pain when she landed on her back, she felt anger.

Frustrated, she slapped the ground with her good hand.

When Hector was at her side in an instant but she brushed off his hands and scrambled onto her feet all by herself.

Yalina glared at her with arms crossed over her chest with a look of triumph on her face that Rachel wished she could slap off.

“Alright, that’s it. You’re not doing this today.” Hector said.

“If she leaves drill, she’s done. There’s no room for quitters on my team.”

“I’m not leaving.” Rachel said.

“Yes you are.” He grabbed Rachel’s arm and then turned to Yalina. “And she’s coming back to your class tomorrow.”

They began to argue in Spanish and though Rachel didn’t know any Spanish, she understood enough to know Yalina was calling her an idiot.

“Why are you so worried about this one, anyway?”

“Because she’s my friend and what you’re doing here is wrong.” He replied.

Somehow, being called his friend felt worse than being called an idiot.

Hector ran a tanned hand across his face and sighed. “Lina, please. Will you do this? For me?” Unleashing the full force of his brooding eyes on her, Yalina faltered, the hard mask slipping from her face.

Rachel couldn’t blame her, either- that look left her breathless too.

Without another word, he steered Rachel out of the training room, past a red-faced Yalina and past all the other trainees that eyed her with envy.

“You didn’t need to do that,” Rachel finally said as she pulled away from him. They stepped into an elevator that descended at a slow pace, effectively tapping her in with the one person who stirred all sorts of confusing emotions within her- the newest being an uncharacteristic jealousy.

“There’s so much going on right now, Rachel. The last thing I need is to worry about you too.”

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden.” The doors slid open and Rachel walked away from him, knowing very well she was being petty but unable to stop herself.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just want to know that you’re alright--hey, can you please hold on?”

Rachel spun on him. “Just leave me alone. You clearly have much more important things to worry about,” she gestured with her arm back the way they’d come. “Like your long lost lover for example.”

Understanding washed over his face and she felt embarrassed to have put all her jealousy out on display like that. Not wanting to make an even bigger fool of herself, she turned around again but he caught her wrist and pulled her to him where she collided against his sturdy chest.

*“Dios mio,” He sighed. “Let me tell you the whole story before you start making your own conclusions. Yalina, she’s-”

“I saw you kiss her.” Rachel accused.

“She kissed me.” He patiently corrected, pulling her closer by the wrists when she tried to pull away. “I had no idea you saw that. If you’ll just let me explain--”

“You don’t owe me any explanations.”

“I guess you’re right,” He said, rubbing the back of his neck while his other hand held on to her wrist. “But I want to give you one.”

Rachel faltered, and not just at his words, when one of his hands lifted, tentatively, as if to stroke her cheek. Instead, he brushed the strands that had escaped from her pony tail behind her ear.

His touch sent electricity coursing through her body and being centimeters away from him was making it hard to breathe. An inexplicable urge to kiss him or slap him, maybe slap him then kiss him, rushed through her.

“Is it okay if I give you an explanation, Rachel?”

“It really doesn’t matter. Could you please just let me go?”

“Is that what you really want?”

She swallowed hard, looking away.

With his index finger under her chin, he turned her face to look at him.

Her heart thrummed in her neck, her entire body flushed not with anger but with an aching desire to kiss him.

“No,” She finally whispered, voice hoarse.

“Good. Because I don’t want that either.”

Slowly, and with his eyes on hers, Hector’s hand wound into her ponytail, snapping the elastic band. As it fell around her shoulders, she remembered that he liked the color of her hair, in time for his fingers to thread through it.

"There, that's better." He murmured, eyes darting down to her mouth.

In a second, he closed the space between them and pressed his lips to hers.

Any protest she may have had died as his lips brushed hers, once, twice, her body melting against him, strong arms encircling her, pressing the pounding of his heart against her chest.

His familiar woodsy, clean scent made her drunk and she placed her good hand against his cheek to steady herself. In that moment, it was easy to forget Yalina and the mark, it was easy to forget everything except Hector’s mouth.

After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers.

They were both out of breath and she was pleased to feel the erratic pumping of his heart and know that she hadn’t been the only one affected by their kiss.

“It was unfair of me to kiss you the other night and leave.” He said. “It wasn’t for the reasons you’re thinking. It wasn’t because I don’t care about you. It wasn’t even because of Yalina or anyone else.”

“Then why?” She whispered.

He pulled back slightly to look at her and God did his gaze burn into her like no other.

“This world we live in, Rachel--I can’t handle losing any more people.”

Releasing her and placing his hands on her shoulders, he shot her a level look with his earnest brown eyes.

“Believe me, for the longest time, I tried not to care for you.” He admitted. “It scared the hell out of me. Still does.”

“I could die tomorrow, or you, it’s true.” Rachel admitted. “But...can’t we just live in the moment?”

“That’s hard for me,” He replied, with a breathy laugh. “I’m a planner, I like to plan things but for you, I’m willing to try.”

His palm raked across her cheek. “I look at you, Rachel, and I feel this deep peace...so to hell with being scared.”

“I feel... nervous.” She admitted.

His eyebrows crinkled. “Now? Why?”

“No, I mean, when I’m around you. I’m nervous in a way that’s confusing and makes my heart beat faster and I guess what I’m trying to say is--”

“That you care?” He offered with a smirk.

“Yes,” she replied, cheeks flushing red. “Yes, I care.”

“Good. Then you have a right to know that Yalina is someone from my past. But that was a long time ago and it doesn’t affect anything for me here and now.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” She said. “I had no right to react that way.”

He shrugged. “I kinda liked it to be honest. I’ve never seen you jealous before.”

Flushing, she stammered but he didn’t let her speak.

“It’s a good look on you.”

“Stop it,” she muttered, still red hot but smiling.

As he scanned her face, the furrow in his brow she’d come to associate with concern returned.

“Earlier, you said there was so much going on. Is everything ok?”

“I don’t want to get your hopes up,” he said. “But you deserve to know.”

“What is it?” She asked, her back straightening. The tone of his voice had changed and he looked over his shoulder toward the elevator, eyebrows drawn with worry.

“Yalina shared something classified with me.”

“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“They found survivors, Rachel. In the forest. They found a some of our people. I thought you should know; in case your mother is among them.”

*My God

A/N Lets chat about Rachel and Hector and that kiss! Who do you think will be among the compound survivors?