‘Draw your weapon.’ Xiu’s voice sounded distant through Olesya’s earplugs.

Olesya flipped the stud on her holster. She drew her pistol along the side of her body. When it reached her chest, she took it with both hands and extended it out toward her target. The pistol’s front and rear sights wobbled. It was a Glock 19, Xiu had told her. It was gray and blocky, but small enough for her sweaty hands.

Xiu walked behind her, watching closely.

Olesya noticed the rangemaster peer over his newspaper. Maybe it was a bit funny to see a teenage girl teach another teenage girl how to fire a live pistol. She wondered if he might intervene, but he seemed more interested in his crossword puzzle.

‘Relax,’ Xiu said. ‘And you can breathe, by the way.’

Olesya inhaled sharply, which made Xiu laugh. The shooting range was indoors and smelled of rubber. Xiu smelled a lot better.

‘Two shots, one after the other,’ Xiu said.

Olesya gripped her pistol with clammy hands. She lined up the sights and carefully squeezed the trigger. The pistol kicked with a dull pop. She sighted her target again, tried to keep her arms still. The pistol was light, but she was getting shaky. The longer she gripped it, the harder it was to aim. She squeezed again.

Xiu was standing beside her, looking at the target. Olesya felt embarrassed. She wasn’t very good. She peered over her pistol and noticed both shots were slightly to the right and lower than the target’s center.

‘Not bad for your first try,’ Xiu said.

Olesya swallowed. ‘I don’t know if I can do this under pressure.’

‘We’ll find out tomorrow.’

‘What happens to me if I’m disqualified?’

Xiu adjusted Olesya’s fingers for her, wrapping the secondary hand further around to support the pistol. ‘You repay your debt.’

Her new grip felt strange. ‘What’s the debt?’

Xiu checked Olesya’s thumbs: now one rested behind the other. ‘No one knows,’ Xiu said. ‘Maybe you work for them or maybe they just kill you.’

Olesya waited for her to laugh or admit she was joking. She didn’t.

‘Relax your shooting hand,’ Xiu said. ‘But keep your supporting hand firm.’

Olesya did as she instructed. ‘Do you really believe that?’

‘It doesn’t matter what I believe.’ Xiu took a step back. ‘Two more rounds.’

With her new grip, Olesya focused on relaxing her shooting hand. She sighted her target and sent two more rounds into it. The recoil was light and the pistol snapped in her grasp.

‘Holster,’ Xiu said.

Olesya pulled the pistol back to her chest, down along her body, into the holster. Xiu must have noticed the smooth movement because she raised her eyebrow.

‘You told me you’ve never handled a pistol,’ Xiu asked.

‘The draw and holster?’ Olesya said. ‘No, but I was watching you.’

Xiu blinked. ‘That was perfect.’ She turned her attention to the target at the end of the range. There were two new holes; they were in the center this time. ‘Better grouping. Last time, your shooting hand was too tight. Your wrist was putting torque to the rounds as you fired.’

‘Torque. What is that word?’ Olesya asked.

Xiu frowned. ‘It’s like turning or twisting. So you’re twisting the pistol with your wrist. Throws off your aim, just enough to miss. It’s a common problem.’

Olesya nodded. Today, she’d learned a new word and how to shoot a pistol.

‘Now you are relaxed.’ Xiu’s hand touched Olesya’s for a moment. ‘Your supporting hand gives you stability.’

‘What if I’m shooting one-handed?’ Olesya asked.

A smile tugged at the corners of Xiu’s mouth. ‘If we make it through tomorrow, I’ll teach you.’

‘Why are you helping me?’ Olesya asked.

Xiu folded her arms. ‘You want the truth? I want to help you.’

‘Do you think that’s why I’m here?’ Olesya asked.

‘I don’t know why they put you in our squad. But if we’re all disqualified from the program, I won’t blame you.’

‘But it will be my fault.’ Olesya felt sick at the thought of it. ‘Maybe I’m not cut out for this sort of thing.’

‘Maybe you’re too scared to step out of line,’ Xiu said.

‘I don’t want to make a mistake.’

Xiu smiled. ‘I think that’s exactly what you should do.’