Badass in Disguise (Shadow) novel Chapter 81

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Badass in Disguise

Chapter 81

“She pushed me!” Megan shrieked, her face contorted with a mixture of pain and rage. “She deliberately tripped me when no one was looking!”

Jennifer immediately backed her up. “I saw it too! She waited until the instructors weren’t watching and then shoved

Megan!”

Before I could respond, several male students stepped forward.

“That’s bullshit,” said a tall guy with glasses who had been running behind us. “I was right there. Morgan didn’t

touch her.”

A guy with scruffy stubble and a Princeton baseball cap nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I saw the whole thing. Megan and Jennifer deliberately moved closer to Morgan’s lane. If anything, they were trying to trip her up.”

Megan’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she doubled down on her accusation. “You’re only defending her because she’s pretty,” she spat.

The guy with stubble rolled his eyes. “I saw exactly what happened. You extended your foot into her lane, but somehow ended up tripping yourself. Not Morgan’s fault you can’t coordinate your own feet.”

Other students began murmuring among themselves, most seeming to side with me. Megan’s expression grew increasingly desperate as she realized her plan was backfiring.

Ford’s eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation, glancing between me and Megan’s reddening knee.

“Medical team,” he called over his shoulder, and two staff members with a first aid kit hurried over. “Take Hayes to the infirmary and check that knee.”

As they helped Megan to her feet, she shot me a venomous glare. “This isn’t over,” she mouthed silently.

I simply raised an eyebrow in response. If she wanted to continue this little war, I was more than equipped to

handle it.

Once Megan was escorted away, Ford blew his whistle. “Final station for today’s physical assessment: rope climb!”

He led us to a section where six thick ropes hung from a metal frame. Most students groaned, their arms trembling from previous exercises. In contrast, I felt perfectly fine–breathing even, muscles warm but not strained.

When my turn came, I gripped the rope and ascended with smooth movements, reaching the top quickly and descending with precision.

“Twenty–six seconds total,” Ford announced, sounding impressed. “New record for freshmen.”

As I rejoined the group, I could sense both admiration and resentment from my peers.

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Chapter 81

“How is she not even tired?‘ one girl whispered.

“Probably on performance enhancers,” another muttered.

When the assessment ended, Ford dismissed everyone for dinner. As the crowd dispersed, he called out to me.

“Miss. Morgan.”

“That was quite a performance today,” Ford said.

I met his gaze evenly. “The best defense is letting your opponent defeat themselves.”

A ghost of a smile flickered across his face. “That’s one way of putting it.”

Author’s POV:

The first day of challenges had ended, leaving most students collapsed in their bunks by nine o’clock. Exhausted bodies lined the barracks, soft snores and occasional groans of muscle pain filling the air.

In the instructor quarters, Sergeant Ford winced as his roommate applied a salve to his left shoulder.

“You should really get this looked at by a doctor, man,” his roommate said, replacing the cap on the medicinal cream. “That old wound isn’t healing right.”

Ford rotated his shoulder carefully, grimacing at the pain. “Doctors gave up on it three years ago. Nothing more they

can do.”

“Still, that race today couldn’t have helped. Who was that girl anyway? Runs like she’s had military training.”

Ford’s expression darkened. “Morgan. Jade Morgan. Something’s off about her, but I can’t place it.”

Their conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock. Ford opened the door to find Jennifer Theodora standing there, looking anxious.

“Sergeant Ford, sir. I need to report something,” she said, her voice quivering with what appeared to be concern. ‘It’s about Morgan. She’s not in her bunk.”

Ford’s eyes narrowed, “What do you mean, ‘not in her bunk“?”

“I went to use the bathroom and noticed her bed was empty,” Jennifer explained. “I checked the bathrooms and common areas, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

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Back in the women’s barracks, several girls huddled near the entrance, whispering excitedly as Jennifer filled them in on the developing situation.

“I told Sergeant Ford she wasn’t here,” Jennifer was saying. “He’s organizing a search party right now.”

“Maybe she snuck out to meet someone,” one girl suggested with a giggle.

“Or maybe she just couldn’t handle the pressure and bailed,” Megan added, her knee now wrapped in a bandage.

Or maybe I just went to the bathroom,” Jade said from the doorway, causing all of them to jump. “Am I tonight’s entertainment topic?”

Jennifer’s face flushed with embarrassment, while Megan’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You weren’t in the bathrooms,” Megan accused. “I checked all of them.”

“Clearly not thoroughly enough,” Jade replied coolly.

Before Megan could respond, heavy footsteps approached, and Sergeant Ford appeared behind Jade, his face stern.

“Morgan,” he said, his voice clipped. “There’s been a report that you were missing from your bunk.”

Jade turned to face him, her expression neutral. “Just a bathroom break, Sergeant. Nothing exciting.”

His eyes searched hers, looking for any sign of deception. “Camp Harrison has strict regulations, Morgan. This isn’t your personal playground.”

“Understood, Sergeant,” Jade replied calmly.

Ford’s walkie–talkie crackled. “Perimeter check complete, sir. No breach detected in any of the boundary sensors or

cameras.”

Ford kept his eyes on Jade as he responded. “Roger that. Stand down the search.” He gave her one last scrutinizing look before turning to address all the women. “Lights out was twenty minutes ago. Anyone not in their bunks in the next sixty seconds will face additional physical training tomorrow.”

The girls scrambled to their beds, the excitement of potential drama replaced by fear of extra push–ups.

The following morning, a large truck loaded with high–end training equipment pulled into Camp Harrison, followed by a sleek black Maybach.

Inside Colonel Edwards‘ office, Ethan Haxton sat across from the camp’s commanding officer, discussing the newly delivered equipment.

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“Princeton’s grateful for your contribution, Mr. Haxton, Colonel Edwards said. “These simulators will significantly enhance our training capabilities.”

Ethan nodded politely. “I’m happy to give back to my alma mater.”

“Any standouts in this year’s class?” Ethan asked casually, though his interest was anything but.

Colonel Edwards shook his head. “Not particularly. It’s still early, of course. They’re all adjusting to the regimen.”

Ethan’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly he wondered if Jade was deliberately keeping a low profile or if news of her exceptional performance simply hadn’t reached the Colonel yet. Knowing her capabilities, he found it hard to believe she hadn’t already distinguished herself.

“Would you be interested in observing today’s training exercises? Colonel Edwards offered. “You could see the freshman class in action.”

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