Everyone fell into formation, apprehensive of what the day would bring.

“Another day, another chance to do the right thing," Gage said, beginning her usual pacing in front of the group. "Are you tired?"

"Yes, ma'am," the group said.

"You think you deserve a break today?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well this isn't McDonald's!" the short woman yelled. "And yesterday is going to look like a trip to Disneyland compared to today if I don't get some answers, and I mean right now!" She took two more paces, then said, "All right, I hear who did it and you can all go back to the barracks until lunch. You want to protect your friend, your buddy, the one who's got your back, then you can have a five-mile run followed by two trips through the obstacle course and then another run before lunch. How's that sound? A nice relaxing Sunday or a day of hell?"

Oh please, someone narc Grenner out, Grace thought.

"Must be a day of hell you want then," Gage said. "Now move."

Grace set her tray down and dropped into her seat. "Heard anything?"

"Nothing," Latisha said. "Everyone thinks Grenner or Hathaway did it."

Dipping her French fry into a dollop of ketchup, Grace shook her head. "My money's on Grenner."

"I bet Dawson knows," Latisha said.

"No doubt," Grace said. "But she's not talking either. I can't believe that bitch is smart enough to hide that knife all this time. They've searched the barracks I don't know how many times, and there's no sign of it?"

"It can't be in the barracks," Latisha said. "They've done everything but flip over our uniform lockers."

Grace popped another French fry into her mouth. "Yeah, but they've searched the lockers, right?"

Latisha nodded, then used her fork to swipe two fries from Grace's plate. "Maybe she hid it in a tree somewhere."

"It's gotta be in the barracks," Grace said, pushing her chair back. "I'm gonna take a look."

"I'll go with you," Latisha said.

As Grace and Latisha were leaving, they ran into Jan and Mo.

"You're going in the wrong direction," Jan said. "Lunch is that way."

"We're gonna check the barracks," Grace said.

"Don't waste your time," Mo said. "Viking and Scary checked while we were running our asses off."

"That knife has to be somewhere," Grace said. "Come on, Latisha."

"Hang on, I'll go with you," Jan said.

"What the hell," Mo said, wiggling her glasses. "I'm not really in the mood for Z-burgers anyway."

The group entered the barracks, Latisha staying by the door to stand guard. "Start with the bunk?" Jan asked.

“The locker," Grace said, opening the metal doors.

"I'm taller, I'll check the shelf," Jan said while Grace knelt down and peered at the base.

"You know there's about two or three inches between the bottom and the floor?" she said, banging her knuckles on the metal.

"Unless she made a trap door there's no way to get to it," Mo said. "Those things are too heavy to move."

"No," Grace said, disappointed. "There's no sign of that."

"Nothing here," Jan said. "Maybe Dawson's hiding it?"

"You think Lauren would trust Sally to do that?" Mo asked.

"Well, let's check her bunk too," Jan said.

"Might as well," Grace said, rising to her feet. "How heavy is this anyway?"

"Let's see," Jan said, moving to the side of the locker and pushing on it. "Oh shit, what did they make this out of, lead?"

"Here, I'll help," Mo said. Together they were able to tilt it sideways.

"Hang on," Grace said, dropping to her belly. "I'll look beneath. Can you lift it a little more?"

"It's not like I have anything to hold onto here," Jan said. "Be quick, will ya?"

"It's too dark," Grace said when it was lifted another inch. She reached in, hoping to feel the elusive weapon.

"Look out," Jan said as she lost her grip.

"Ah, damn. Get it off, get it off!" Grace yelped.

"What happened?" Latisha asked as she came running over.

Grace pulled her hand free and sat up. "Fuck. Oh damn, that hurt."

"I'm sorry," Jan said. "It slipped and I didn't know your hand was under there."

There was an indentation across the back of Grace's hand where the metal had pressed into her skin. She slowly flexed her fingers, then made a fist. Damn! She stood up and shoved Grenner's bunk out of the way. "Screw it," she said, grabbing hold of the opposite side of the locker. "Let's tip it."

The heavy metal locker crashed to the floor, the noise echoing throughout the barracks. There on the floor previously hidden by the locker was the sharpened butter knife. "I knew it," Jan said.

"I'll kill her," Grace said angrily.

"Oh shit," Latisha said a split second before the barracks door opened.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Grenner shouted, racing toward her bunk.

"You bitch," Grace said, diving at the larger teen and slamming her shoulder into Grenner's midsection. The force sent them both crashing to the concrete floor. "You could have killed her!" She took a punch in the side, returning it with a solid hit of her own.

"Fuck you!" Grenner spat as she pulled Grace's hair. "Scary's...slut. Oof."

Grace raked her fingers across the other teen's face, forcing Grenner to release the hold on her hair. She heard the sound of bunks moving but could not turn to see what was going on as hands gripped her shirt and jerked her off balance. She tried to roll out of the way but Grenner's boot caught her in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her and forcing Grace to curl up in a defensive position as she fought to regain her breath. Helpless to protect herself, she suffered a painful shot to the back before she heard Jan shout and tackle Grenner. "Ohh," she groaned, slowly rolling to a sitting position. She saw Latisha and Mo keeping Dawson pinned face down on the floor while Jan continued to trade blows with Grenner. Grace pushed herself to her feet, then charged at her enemy. "Bitch!" she yelled, hooking her arm around Grenner's neck. Together with Jan she managed to get the larger teen down to the floor. "Not so tough without your damn knife, are you?" she said, ignoring the shouts and voices behind her. "You have a good laugh when she fell? That give you a fucking thrill?" Grenner reached for her arm, trying to break her grasp, but Grace was too angry to let go. "Huh? You're not laughing now, are you?"

"Let...go."

"Not so funny now, huh?" Grace asked through gritted teeth, tightening her hold.

"Grace, let go," Jan said, tugging on her arm. It took both hands but she finally separated them, Grenner rolling away and gasping for air while Grace held her midsection and trembled with anger.

"They're coming," Rosetti said. When the doors opened, Mo and Latisha released Dawson.

"The knife is right here, ma'am," Mo said, pointing by the fallen locker when Carey and Instructor Donaldson entered. Gage followed, taking several girls aside to find out what happened.

"I don't know anything about it, ma'am." Grenner said as she got to her feet. "They must have planted it there."

"No we didn't," Jan said as Grace got to her knees, then used the bunk to stand up. "We tipped the locker over and it was there, ma'am."

Carey walked over and picked up the knife. Even from the distance Grace could see the tightening in her mentor's jaw. "Instructor Donaldson, take Grenner to my office and keep her there."

"Let's go," the blonde instructor said, grabbing the teen by the arm. "It's a setup," Grenner protested. "Waters and Bowen, they put it there."

"Just get moving," Donaldson said, pushing Grenner toward the door. Mitchell arrived, stopping at the entrance to get updated by the other instructor.

"Dawson!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Where did the knife come from?"

"No idea, ma'am."

"You had your chance," Carey said, putting the knife in her back pocket and reaching for the teen. "Let's go. Instructor Gage, take those two." She pointed at Grace and Jan.

"The rest of you get this place cleaned up," Instructor Mitchell said.

"We're in trouble," Jan whispered.

"Not a word," Gage said. "Not a sound from either of you until I ask you a question, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," they said.

"All right," Gage said after Jan and Grace gave their versions of what happened. "Bowen, go back to the barracks and help the others clean up the mess you helped make."

"Yes, ma'am."

Great, Grace thought as Jan left the room. I am in so much trouble.

"I can only assume there's a clone of you that sits in my Anger Management class," Gage said.

"She tried to kill Instructor Carey, ma'am," Grace said.

"First of all, I don't think a fall into a swamp is going to kill anyone," Gage said. "And that still doesn't give you the right to put your hands on someone else, no matter how mad you get. You know that."

"I know, ma'am," Grace said.

"You may think that we don't know what's going on outside the classrooms," Gage said. "But I know a great deal more than you think. I know you've been labeled by Lauren and her friends as Scary's bitch."

Grace nodded. "It's just talk, ma'am."

"Does it bother you?"

"No, ma'am, they're just trying to get a rise out of me."

"Looks like it worked," Gage said. "You could have seriously hurt her when you choked her."

"She shouldn't have cut that rope, ma'am."

"Would you be this upset if someone else had been on the rope when it broke?" Gage asked.

"I...I don't know, ma'am," Grace said. "I guess it would depend on who it was."

Gage stopped pacing and sat down on the folding chair. "Instructor Carey doesn't need you to fight her battles."

"I know, ma'am. It's just that..." Grace put her elbows on her thighs and buried her face in her hands. "I can't explain it. You wouldn't understand, ma'am,"

"It really must be a clone that goes to AM if you don't think that I'm capable of listening and understanding. What's going on, Grace?"

"I can't talk to you about it, ma'am."

"Then talk to Instructor Carey."

Grace snorted. "I definitely can't talk to her about it."

"Is the problem with her?"

With her? It is her. "It's my problem to deal with, ma'am. You can't help me."

"Grace, if you need to talk, I'm here," Gage said.

"Do you have to tell her what we talk about?"

Gage reached out and pulled Grace's hands away, forcing her to look at her. "If it involved hurting yourself or someone else, yes I would."

I'm already hurting. Every time I look at her. "I like Instructor Carey." Taking a chance, she looked up at Gage. "I mean I really like her."

"I see," Gage said. "Have you talked to her about this?"

Grace shook her head. "No way. She'd kick me to the infirmary until graduation." She rubbed her hands together. "Please don't say anything to her."

"What are you going to do?"

Grace shrugged. "What can I do? She'd never be interested in me."

"Probably not," Gage said. "You can't change that."

"So what do I do?"

"My first suggestion is to talk to Instructor Carey about this."

Grace shook her head. "I can't do that," she said. "It's my problem."

"Then you need to learn to accept the things you cannot change," Gage said. "You can't make her love you." She put her hand on the teen's shoulder.

"Yes, ma'am. I know that."

Gage shook her head. "Okay, Waters, I'll let Instructor Carey decide what your punishment will be for fighting. Now go on."

"Yes, ma'am."

Grace slowly walked to the cabin, unsure of what mood Carey would be in after the fight. Opening the door, she spotted the dark-haired woman sitting in the recliner. "Hello, ma'am," she said, hesitating by the door.

"Think I’m about to drop you for a hundred pushups, don't you?"

Grace nodded and closed the door. "At least."

"I should," Carey said, rising from her chair. "You had no business fighting." She stopped in front of Grace and cupped her chin. "I will tell you that I'm very disappointed in you for that." She ran her finger along the length of the scratch on Grace's face. "You're on restriction until graduation. Now go in the bathroom and put some antiseptic on that cut so it doesn't get infected."

"Carey?" Grace lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."