By the time New Year’s Eve arrived on the mountain, the snow had finally stopped, and the infirmary was full to capacity. Sam had returned semirecovered to her barracks, with only Zoe for companionship. What everyone thought was winter colds had turned into the flu. Even Pappy and Kyros were under the weather and stayed inside their own quarters. The New Year’s Eve party had been canceled and each inhabitant on the mountain slept through the countdown to a bright new year.

It was almost three weeks to the day before everyone was back to normal. Not willing to risk any chances with the recruits’ health, Pappy ordered all outside activities to be put on hold and tightened up the classroom work.

The Christmas decorations were gone, the compound had been cleared of snow. Sam’s elegant sparkly shoes had been found by Alpha. She immediately tossed them in the trash, and the sun came out for days at a time. The air was fragrant with the smell of wet balsam that permeated everything for miles.

The days wore on, one after the other, until a late spring finally arrived in early May, along with the spring rains. Unfortunately, just as the rain arrived, so did the date for the last of the physical trials.

Sam felt confident as did Hawkins as they prepared for the day-long ordeal. They had mastered the wall and the rope months before. Slick, with hours of firearms classes under her belt and more hours of hand and finger exercises, was able to fire the Uzi, the very thing the FBI Academy had failed her for.

Team Three was in a tense but jovial mood as they made their way to the training field. The word performance was said over and over in hushed whispers among the team.

In the days and weeks since Christmas, relationships that were tense and unpredictable had turned to careful respect for one another. While Sam and Pappy weren’t best buddies, they were at least civil to each other.

Sam led her team to the starting point for the ten-mile run. How was it possible, she wondered, for the weather to be almost identical to what it had been during the first trials months ago? She thought about the slippery rope, the muddy wall she hadn’t been able to master, her humiliation, Pappy’s arrogant attitude.

“C’mon, Sam, I know exactly what you’re thinking. That was months ago. This is now. You worked hard, Sam. You proved you can do it. Don’t start off with negative thoughts. We’ve all come a long way. If it rains, it rains, there’s nothing we can do about it. These trials were scheduled months ago, so don’t go thinking Pappy is out to get you. Okay?” Slick said as she playfully punched Sam’s arm.