Badass in Disguise
<b>Chapter </b><b>79 </b>
The rm red at 5:30 AM, though I’d been awake for nearly an hour already. I put on the simple athletic clothes I’did out the night before. When I arrived at the meeting point, we were all given orange Princeton t–shirts and ck athletic pants to wear over our clothes.
I caught myself checking my weapons out of habit before remembering I wasn’t carrying any<b>. </b><i>Civilian </i>mode, <b>I </b>reminded myself. My own words to Ethanst night echoed in my head: ‘If I chose to be a student, I should act like one. He had responded with amusement, as if he couldn’t quite picture me following rules and ying team- building games.
The residence hall buzzed with nervous energy as sleepy freshmen stumbled toward the buses lined up outside. I joined the stream of orange–d students, my small duffel bag containing only the essentials.
“That’s her!” I heard someone whisper as I approached theputer science department’s designated bus.
The chatter immediately died down as I stepped onto the bus. Forty pairs of eyes turned to stare at me<b>, </b>conversation. halting mid–sentence. I scanned the faces, recognizing a few from orientation.
“Holy shit, it really is her, someone muttered from the back.
I found an empty seat, ignoring the continued stares.
‘Damn, she’s even prettier in person, someone whispered behind me.
‘I know, right? I thought Megan was hot, but she doesn’t evenpare.‘
‘Wait, is that the girl from the Tiger Board post? The one everyone’s been talking about?‘
‘Yeah, Jade Morgan. Did you see those photos someone posted from the dining hall yesterday?‘
Jennifer, sitting a few rows ahead, turned around with a scowl. ‘I barely recognized her from those blurry pictures<b>,</b>‘ she said loudly. ‘Unlike some people, I don’t need filters on my GroupMe photos.‘
A guy nearby snorted. ‘Sure, Jennifer. That’s why you lookedpletely different when you got on the bus. We almost didn’t recognize you without your sixyers of Photoshop.‘
Laughter rippled through the bus as Jennifer’s face reddened. She shot me a venomous re before turning back
around.
I <b>kept </b>my expression neutral and turned my attention to the window, though I could still feel dozens of eyes on me.
“All right, freshmen!” <b>A </b>faculty advisor pped his hands at the front of the bus. “We’re heading to Camp Harrison for the annual Princeton Freshman Challenge. It’s about an hour drive, so getfortable<b>.</b><b>” </b>
The military training facility came into view after exactly fifty–seven minutes of driving. It wasn’t particrly impressive–standard obstacle courses, rappelling towers, and a series of low buildings that probably housed barracks and ssrooms. What interested me more were the armed personnel at the entrance. They weren’t regr army; their stance and equipment suggested private contractors or reservists.
As we filed off the buses, a tall man with a crew cut and perfect posture addressed the group. “Wee to Camp Harrison, freshmen. I’m Sergeant Ford, retired Marine Corps, and I’ll be your head instructor for the next three
days.”
“The Princeton Freshman Challenge is a tradition dating back decades. You’ll be participating in team–building exercises, physical challenges, and survival skills training that will prepare you for the rigors of academic life.”
I scanned the perimeter automatically, noting security cameras, patrol patterns, and the M9 Beretta handgun carried by one of the younger guards. His grip was all wrong–thumb too high on the slide, finger hovering near the trigger instead of extended along the frame. Amateur mistake that could lead to an idental discharge.
“Something interesting about my men, Miss…?” Sergeant Ford was suddenly standing in front of me, eyes narrowed.
I hadn’t realized I’d been staring. “Morgan. Jade Morgan.”
“Well, Miss Morgan, see something fascinating?”
I could have lied, yed dumb like a normal college freshman. Instead, I nodded toward the young guard. “His grip. is incorrect. Increases risk of idental discharge by approximately thirty percent.”
Ford’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes. “Follow your group to the barracks, Miss.
Morgan.”
I rejoined my ssmates, who were already struggling to navigate the facility with their campus maps. Megan rolled her eyes when she saw me approach.
“Great, it’s Miss Perfect. I suppose you know exactly where we’re supposed to go?”
I nced at the map, memorized it in seconds, and nodded. “Building C, east side of thepound.”
“Oh, so you’re a military expert now too?” Jennifer snickered.
I shrugged and started walking in the correct direction. After a moment’s hesitation, the rest of the group followed.
Twenty minutester, after dropping off our belongings at the barracks, we assembled at the central training ground. I’d led our group directly to Building C earlier, much to Megan’s annoyance<b>, </b>who had loudly proimed I was just getting lucky‘ with directions.
Sergeant Ford paced in front of us, exining the rules. “For the next three days, you will function as a unit. You will eat together, train together, and solve problems together. This is about building the teamwork skills you’ll need to seed at Princeton.”
12:19 Mon, Sep <b>22 </b><ul><li><b></b>>)) </li></ul>
He pointed to a collection box. “All electronics and any items not essential to training go in here. You’ll get them back when you leave.”
Students groaned but began emptying their pockets. I handed over my phone but made no move to remove my
watch.
“All items, Miss Morgan, Ford said, singling me out. “Including that timepiece.”
“No,” I said simply.
The crowd went silent. Ford’s eyebrows shot up.
“Excuse me?”
“The watch stays with me, I said. “It’s valuable and easily damaged. I’ll take it back to the barracks after we’re
dismissed.”
62
“You have five minutes to return that watch to your quarters and rejoin the group,” Ford said, checking his own
watch. “Starting now.”
The students around me exchanged nces. The barracks were at least a ten–minute round trip at a normal pace.
I smiled slightly. “Three minutes is plenty. But that’s boring.” I cocked my head. “How about this? I’ll race you there. If you win, you get my watch. If I win, you return my phone you just collected.”
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