After Russell's incident, the rest of the military training passed by without any more drama. Just ten days of sweat, yelling and sunburn. But finally, it was over.
Micah stood in front of the mirror, lifting his shirt slightly to check his body. That nasty bruise on his abdomen had faded completely, leaving just a faint shadow where it used to be. The burn scar on his hand had shrunk too, only a thin line now, and the knife wound on his upper arm no longer throbbed when he moved. All in all, he was healing up pretty well.
But what he couldn't ignore was his skin. His face, neck, and arms were several shades darker than before. A deep tan had taken over, despite his applying sunscreen like a maniac every single day.
All that marching and standing in the sun had done its job. At least his skin had not been burned like when he was eight years old.
He squinted closer at his reflection, grimacing. "Ugh… I look like the lost sister of Asena, who was left behind in the desert!"
