Alivia POV

I was late by a minute and three seconds.

That was a minute and three seconds that I had lost of conditioning.

My dad was standing there, leaning against the main doors of Gallagher. Girl walked around us, heading upstairs to their rooms.

Jake passed me and gave me a look like "What are you up to now?", but I didn't acknowledge it. "We're going to wait till everyone is in their perspective rooms Alivia, then we will head out to the barn."

I nodded and then turned to look at the girls who passed.

Some turned to look at me with interest, the younger ones looked at me with curiosity, and my classmates didn't give me a single glance.

Except for my roommates. One look from Reb and I knew she was going to drill me with questions later.

I pulled my eyes away from hers and then looked at my dad. He stood there, staring straight ahead, not looking at anyone or anything in particular.

I knew he was thinking of something.

A hand brushed mine and I looked up to see Trace walked past. I closed a fist around the rough paper in my hand and then opened my hand. I unfolded the paper.

Do well.

"He's good," my dad said, more so to himself than me.

"How do you think he knew?"

"The boy has barely left you out of his sight since you got back. He always wants to know what you're doing, where you are, who you're with. He had bugs in your room and your friends are constantly watching you…why wouldn't he know?"

"Sounds like you've been watching him," I said quietly.

Of course he heard, spies hear everything.

"You may have been with that boy while….you were being tortured…but you're still a teenage girl, he's still a teenage boy, and I am still your father. I'm going to watch him."

He turned, opened the door, and walked out.

I sighed and followed him.

[{Line Break}]

"The first thing you need to know Alivia is that you are not ready at all. You black out, you are off balance, you can't hold yourself when doing too much physical activities for long, and you get tired too easily. Some people say you're not ready to start P&E yet."

He leaned back against the wall of the P&E barn.

"I know that if you keep an operative out of commission for a while….they start to go bad, no matter how young." "That's why you're helping me condition," I said, meeting his gaze.

"Yes."

I stood up straighter. I needed this badly. I had to get myself ready.

"We will meet every night until I deem you as ready. I will give your mother a note that you can go back to P&E class. Other than that you are to not do any physical activities with anyone unless needed to save your life."

He reached forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Alivia, if you ever find yourself in a position where you have to use your body to save yourself, it better be inside this mansion, otherwise you should not be outside the walls of Gallagher ever. Do you understand?"

He was hurting my wrist and I wanted to pull away but I couldn't.

So all I said was "Yes sir" and he let go.

"We're going to start with the basics. One hundred pushups now."

I got down and started to do pushups.

When I hit seventy I started to slow down and the pain settled.

I knew this was going to be a long night.

Trace POV

Alivia practically dragged herself into the dining hall today.

Her eyes were half closed and she moved slowly like she hadn't slept in a week.

I stood up and guided her over to our table.

"Someone must have overworked themselves last night," Reb laughed. Alivia nodded and dropped her head on the table.

"Alivia Goode, remove your head from the table," Madame Dabney yelled from the head table.

Liv picked her head up and leaned against my shoulder. I grinned at Alex and Dondre. They shook with laughter.

"What exactly did your dad do to you last night," Kodi asked. "Basics," she mumbled. Kodi and Reb shared a worried look.

"Basics?"

Alivia nodded again. "You're saying…pushups and sit-ups did this to you," Reb asked.

I looked down at Liv and she pushed me back. She laid her head down on my lap and passed out in seconds.

"I think you should take her up to her room Trace."

I held up my arm with the cast on it and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay then. I'll take her up to her room," Dondre offered.

Reb kissed his cheek and he smiled at her.

I lifted Alivia with one arm and held her against me.

She groaned and Dondre pulled her out of the seat. He picked her up bridal style and started to walk out the dining hall. I followed them all the way up the stairs.

I opened up the girls' room door and he slipped inside and laid her on the bed.

I walked past him and sat down next to her.

She curled into a ball and buried her face into my side.I reached out and slowly stroked her smiled and mumbled something.

I leaned down to hear but she stopped talking.

I kissed her forehead and went to stand up when I realized she had hooked a finger through one of my belt loops. I smiled and sat back down.

"I love you," I whispered, knowing she was asleep.

I sat there, next to my girl, not wanting to leave her again.