The boy didn't give me his name, so I thought for sure he was long gone.
"Cal!" I heard a familiar voice.
"Cal! It's me!" The voice continued. I turned to look and could see the boy from yesterday. We chatted for a little while, some of my new or old friends slowly arriving with us.
In the end, Kayla, Markus, Byul, Pika, Michi, The Boy, and I were all there.
We all talked and were all enjoying ourselves. With Kayla joking around, Markus preforming his "magic tricks", Byul was reading a book, seemingly unbothered by the loud noises, Michi was painting each and everyone of us, Pika was stuffing her face with chips and snacks, and The Boy and I continued chatting, I learned more quotes and even got to know him better.
I learned his name as well, which he spoke loudly while saying it, showing just how much he liked his own name.
"Montano!" He puffed his cheeks so much I thought he might just fly away. "People like to call me Mon, Monty, Mono, Montan. Whatever you like best!"
Everyone went silent and began speaking different nicknames for Montano.
"Monty works nicely I'd say." I said, pointing at him playfully. He smiled wider and looked like the happiest human being in the whole world.
***
I was leaving the bathroom at around Midnight when someone ran at me. I nearly had a heartattack as I jumped back and raised my hand at them.
"Wait! Don't shoot me!" Kayla yelled, stopping in her tracks and raising her hands in the air. I sighed, feeling a bit relieved.
"What are you doing out here so late? Were you stalking me?"
She nodded.
Great, she was stalking me.
"I needed to chat with you away from everyone else." She said, "You are holding everything inside aren't you? Cal... you can talk to me..." She continued.
"I know. I'm just feeling a little weird. I'm seeing things is all."
"That's never good. C'mon, let's go to the nurse's tent."
"No. I don't need to be prescribed with a medication and labeled crazy." I said, pushing the idea away.
"Plus we don't have time. Montano wants us to wake up early to explore Kioka City some more. I need some sleep." I said, walking away.
I felt a pressure and suddenly I was anchored in my spot. I looked down, and could see Kayla had her face pressed against my chest.
"You're warm, you know that? That means you're alive. Act like it." She said quietly, her hands wrapped around me and it seemed that she was crying.
"Do you know how many people we had to kill?! Those people had families and maybe even had children or wives, husbands! We killed them... they're dead!" Kayla said.
I guess... it wasn't just me.
I felt my eyes watering. I pulled her closer and hugged her back, wrapping my arms around her as well. We both continued crying in the dimly lit path filled with leaves, where I made one... horrid promise.
"I'll make whoever did this pay... whoever decided to send us out... I'll kill them! We are children! Not soldiers!"
***
The sound of chatter and railed buses powered by electricity, which was constantly buzzing. That was mostly all we heard in the main city. Kioka City was much prettier away from the fences. It had a radiant shine and people walking, smiling and enjoying their lives.
"Woah! Let's go try some food there!" Montano yelled, pointing at a nearby restaurant. It didn't take Pika a second longer to get over to the restaurant.
***
The restaurant had a nice ambience to it, a style not like any other. Shades of pink mixed with shades of purple, a nice calming song played over the speakers and it was dimly lighted, which felt nice on our eyes.
When you entered the restaurant, you would see a few seats, the counter where you make your orders, and some more seats obscured by blurred glass. Taking in a small whiff of air blessed my nostrils with something familiar. Something I could faintly remember my mother cooking for me.
Everyone was saying their orders, and I was looking through the menu displayed on the wall on bright LED TV screens.
"I'll have the Kioku Special." I said, thanking the person at the counter as we walked away.
***
Before our food arrived, people were already being so kind to us. Someone gave up an extra chair so everyone could fit at one table, a woman with her baby taught us a little bit about knitting, two men gave us money randomly, and it seemed that it wasn't only us either, everyone was being a little too kind with each other.
"So this is Kioka City?!" Montano asked, amazed. "These people are so kind! I thought this would be like Mindora!"
"You've been to Mindora?" Markus asked, seemingly intrigued.
"Why of course! I am from there. Recently my family had to take one of the many trains to get to Kioka City, and that's kinda where I go to school now!" Montano said, smiling.
"Yes, me and Montano actually know each other quite well." Michi said, sounding quite fancy as always. "We are both in the Arts Club, not to be mistaken with Art Club."
"What's the difference?" Kayla asked while Pika complained about the similarity in the names of the clubs.
"Arts Club is more than just Art, it's all types of Arts. Poetry, Sculpting, Theater, etc. Honestly, it has more members than the Art Club." He explained.
"Why are there two Art Clubs then?" Byul questioned, it seemed to pique his interest.
"Arts Club was created by the school, and Art Club was created by a student who disliked the name Arts being for more than just Art. Tsk tsk, what an imbecile." Michi said, closing his eyes while also dramatically putting his hand up.
Most of us laughed, but Byul was no longer paying attention, he was instead just reading his book, ignoring the answer given to him from Michi.