"My lady," said Ning's voice in her ear and his arms supporting her. "Take it easy. Here. Sit back down."
Stacey allowed him to help her sit back down on the picnic rug. When had he arrived? She hadn't heard his footstep.
"You've been exempted from any more training today," Ning told her, letting her go. "I only just found out that they left you sleeping here alone and hurried over to check on you. Imiliana distracted the guards who were meant to be with you and got them involved with something else. Then a trainee injured themselves and the doctor got called away. The guards'll be punished for leaving you alone later. Everything ok?"
"Yes," Stacey nodded. "Probably just a bit dehydrated. Don't punish the other guards too much. It's not their fault."
"Yes, it is. We are your guards. Not your assistant's. I'll help you over to the doctor's office to rest more and to get checked again later," Ning said. "There's been news of a few unfamiliar beastmen roaming the outskirts of town again, so don't stay on your own outside. Just in case."
"Ok."
"Drink more water and pump your ankles before you get up again," Ning instructed.
Stacey did as she was told. She was surprised to find she was not as dizzy when she got back up again. There was no need for Ning to support her.
On their way back into the building, they passed by Imiliana who was joining in the trainee's exercises by the side and out of sight of the cameras.
"Slacker," she muttered when Stacey passed by. "Attention seeker."
Stacey ignored her, gritting her teeth. She noticed Ning's jaw had tightened as well. She noticed how three of her guards were helping the staff move something heavy in the background. Ning shook his head and his jaw tightened once more.
Stacey looked at Ning with raised eyebrows.
"Yes," Ning pressed his lips together into a thin line. "I've reported her. My lord contacted her father who called her on the phone to clarify her situation. Lord Huo advised you to ignore her. She'll be moved into a different room but she has permission to stay among the trainees. He said not to expect her to do her actual job. She is in truth, only here for the experience. Nothing else."
The doctor advised Stacey to have some afternoon tea and rest. If she felt up to it, she could recommence her studies of the Tadpole language, history and law.
There was tea and scones with jam and whipped cream for afternoon tea. There were also scones with whipped cream cheese or grilled cheese with bits - almost like a pizza. The scones were slightly crisp on the outside while soft and fluffy on the inside. They were the best scones Stacey had ever had.
There was also chiffon sponge cake, what looked like mini pavlovas and trifle. They were not overly sweet and all had wonderful textures. If only she wasn't trying to lose weight.
Stacey wondered how the trainees were supposed to maintain their figures when they were fed such fattening, sugary foods. Perhaps the other trainees burned all the calories away with their training. In that case, she should eat less until her body could handle more training.
After eating, Stacey had another nap, after which Tutor Carraway pulled her into a classroom for a lesson on the Tadpole language. The tutor didn't seem too upset that Stacey had forgotten everything. Stacey became engrossed with learning such that the two of them lost track of time.
The sun had set and the lights had been turned on for a long time before Stacey and Tutor Carraway awoke from their intensive study session. Stacey's brain felt comfortably stuffed full of information and she felt quite satisfied with the amount they had managed to get through. Maybe she had learned so quickly because she had learned it before.
"Great Arches of Iris," exclaimed Tutor Carraway. "Look at the time. It's nearly lights out. We've missed dinner. Why did no one come and interrupt us?"
They heard a commotion outside the building and Tutor Carraway walked over to peer out the window. It was hard to see outside because the lights in the room reflected off the glass. Stacey stood up to follow but after a few steps, it was like the lights in her head had turned out. She fell with a heavy thump.
Her bodyguard on duty, Zuo, rushed to her side, while talking into his radio. Tutor Carraway turned around to see what was going on and flapped flustered hands.
Stacey sat up and groaned, rubbing her head.
"The doctor's busy with the skirmish outside," Zuo told her. "He won't be able to come. In the meantime, you and Tutor Carraway are to remain with me in this room."
"I'm fine," Stacey shrugged, allowing Zuo to help her to sit on a chair.
"What's going on outside?" Tutor Carraway asked, looking out the window again. "Who are they fighting?"
"It's a feral raid," Zuo informed them. "The local beastmen alerted the town when they noticed the ferals trying to sneak in. They have come to help the town fight them off. None of the trainees have been hurt and they're all safely in their rooms. The staff and locals are doing their best."
Stacey stood up to go have a look.
"Sit down, my lady," Zuo pulled her and Tutor Carraway back. "You're safer here. It's not safe by the windows. Come away from the windows, sir."
Something with bared fangs and wings crashed into the window and Zuo hurried to turn off the room light. Something struck the head of the fanged creature, splattering the glass with blood. Tutor Carraway scooted away from the window back to the table he had been sharing with Stacey.
"What's a feral?" Stacey asked.
"They're drifting misfits and bandits with abnormal tastes and poor morals. Beastmen and humans who are the outcasts of society. They raid small towns and villages for food and resources. They especially like to target places that have recently had battles because it means that the defenses of that place will be more relaxed. It's probably why they've come. And hearing there's a large number of teenagers here, they've also probably come to try and capture some young ones," Zuo explained. "Battles with ferals are far more dangerous and fast-paced than normal battles. They don't care if their targets are male or female, old, young, alive or dead. They're disgusting, selfish monsters driven by lust and the need for pleasure. They like to cause as much damage and carnage as they can, and they don't care for their captives at all. Their captives seldom survive very long."
"It's very likely that after this, the whole program will be moved back to CC or something where it's safer," Tutor Carraway contemplated. "There are no ferals there and the beastmen in CC are a part of society. They don't have battles like they do in these regional and rural places. It's been too eventful this year. It's a pity. The program has been run here for the past three years. The town will lose a lot of income without us."
Stacey shivered.
"Since we're stuck here," Tutor Carraway said. "Would you like to rest? Perhaps I can go get us some dinner."
"No leaving the room. We aren't to move about," Zuo told the tutor, "but I'll ask if someone can bring us something to eat. You should stay here just in case the ferals break into the building. My lady, you should try and rest while you can."
With the noise coming from outside and her jittery nerves, Stacey couldn't sleep. Neither could Tutor Carraway. In the end they started chatting and Tutor Carraway began telling her about historical events and explaining how Tadpole laws were gradually developed and came into being. The Tutor Carraway's storytelling was excellent and Stacey soon found herself immersed in the lesson despite the dark classroom.
She didn't even realise when she had fallen asleep.
What sounded like gunshots rang out, jolting her awake with a yell. Stacey panicked, not knowing where she was or what was going on. In her dream, she had been chased. Chased and caught and then… She couldn't breathe and struggled to escape.