I woke up and yawned. Someone is trying to tear our door down. I looked at the clock and shrugged at the thought that I'd slept for almost fourteen hours. I ran my hands on my hair and fixed my clothing before I opened the door.
"How can I help you?" I asked, and Minnie's grumpy face welcomed the sight. "Oh, hey."
"Help?" Minnie snorted. "You ditched the game yesterday, and now you're asking how you can help me?"
"We lost, huh," I said and yawned again. Minnie waved a hand in front of her face, grimacing.
"Yuck," Minnie sneered and who's now pinching her nose. "Your breath stinks!"
What's the big idea? You are the one who came barging at my crib this early in the morning!
I scratched my neck and went to the Ladies' shower room located just a couple feet away. I washed my face and gargled water. I went back to my room and just when I thought she had left, I found her waiting for me inside.
"If you came here just to blame everything on me, then you're wasting your time," I told her and grabbed my towel. "I'm not stupid, and I can do simple math. My team eradicated 35% of the enemy. Now tell me, how many did you manage to get wiped out?"
"Why did you quit in the middle of the game?" Minnie asked, infuriated. "We could've won if you hadn't quit. Your teammates said you can detect enemy movements or something."
Wow. Now I have a peculiar ability of some sort. Talk about theatrics!
"Thing is, mate, there's no point crying over spilled milk now, is there?" I decided to go along with the inhuman ability idea, which was a total bull.
"Why did you quit?" she asked, and the question required the brain function for answering 9th-grade math.
And.
"I…" I tried to make an acceptable explanation, but I don't really know what ticked me off. "I don't know. I lost interest. I think."
Minnie exhaled, harshly and I knew she had finally decided to drop the topic. "So, how did they win?" I asked and put the towel back on the rack.
"The survival game went really intense. Loki and I managed to obtain their flag. I guarded his back and fought with the girl defending the flag. She's this Sirita girl, and I didn't realize she's famous until we lost.
"So, you underestimated her?" I asked.
"Nope, she looked strong, and I knew it the moment we crossed paths. I told Loki to concentrate on the flag, and I'd take care of the girl."
"You lost to her, didn't you!?"
She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "It was a draw. Both our vitality ran out. When both of us ran out of ammunition, we had only the knives, of course. And the digital wounds slowly drained our energy. We ran out of time and slumped there. Loki ran back to the base with their flag.
"So, how did we lose?" I asked curiously.
"Their team captain Barrel stole their flag back right before Loki reached the border. And then Ace found him. The two of them fought, weaponless. Ace was winning, but then someone shot him in the head, an injured enemy sniper laying a couple of feet away. The sniper ran out of vitality then Private Stiles's voice thundered throughout the forest through the speakers embedded on tress. It appeared that Barrel was the only one alive, so he hailed the other class as the victors."
Minnie exhaled loudly and glared at me. "The game ended at ten in the evening."
"We took down thirty-five," I said, frowning. "We gave you a very huge lead."
Minnie was mad and red. But she just squirmed, defeated. She knew I was right, and still, they screwed up.
"The class is torn with reprimanding themselves and hating you for making them feel that way," she said and looked at me with her usual cautious eyes. "I came here to tell you before you go and meet them wherever."
"Do you feel the same way they do?" I asked and cleared my throat. I'd hate it if Minnie saw me that way.
"At first, but then I realized that's part of your personality, and I kind of got used to it this past few days. I know that you have the attention span of a toddler."
I stared at her for a while, and instead of complaining, I grinned.
"You know I'm right," she said, pin-wheeling her eyes. "And take that grin off your face."
Minnie and I head to the cafeteria for breakfast. Today's our very first Rest Day, and we have the whole day to slack off.
"What are you getting to eat, mouse?" I asked, squinting at the buffet table. "There's not an ounce of cake!"
Minnie looked as troubled as I am. She turned to the attendant and asked: "Where's the dessert?"
The attendant reminded me of Miss Trunchbull, an antagonist from a movie I watched when I was three, one of my childhood nightmares. She looked like she got offended by Minnie's question. She leaned down on us and said. "Eat whatever's offered, brat."
Minnie and I stiffened not just because her mouth stinks but also because she just showered us with her saliva. The mouse and the cat scurried away from the grumpy lady, their tails between their legs. As soon as we got to a table and put our trays down, we wiped our faces, sneering in disgust.
"What's up with that old lady?" Minnie asked me and stared at the tray in front of her. "I think I just lost my appetite."
I grabbed my spoon and wished there was not a drop of her saliva in my food. I started digging in. Minnie watched me eat for a while, then sighed. We finished our meal and prayed a silent thanks to God.
"Ace is eating with Loki," Minnie said, and I looked at where she was looking.
They're three tables away from us, west. I bit my lip, remembering what Minnie said about the self-blame idea. To top it all, I saw Bee glaring at me, sitting on the table at ten o clock, probably five yards away from us. She looked fuming, not that it's weird or anything since she's always irritated with something, but now, she's angry with me. I can almost hear her gnashing teeth.
"Let's go?" Minnie asked me. She must've noticed I'm anxious to leave.
Just when we were about to leave with our trays, three kids blocked the path. Then I suddenly felt a lump in my throat when I realized who there was.
Minnie's voice was flat. "Barrel."
"We just came here to thank her," said Barrel and looked at me like he saw some sort of glitch. "I thought we were going to lose since you're definitely a piece that is most… astounding. I was quite troubled when you crushed our fore ploy so easily."
"Oh yeah," I said, and it was probably the most foolish answer there is. Shouldn't I be spouting outsmart remarks in situations like this? I raised an awkward brow and side-glanced Minnie. Say something clever for me, hey.
"You're done?" Minnie said and slammed her tray on the table. I wish she hadn't since it practically caught everyone's attention now.
Barrel laughed. The boy is tall and a little fat-boned in a brutal-looking way. He has a set of small eyes, and they look vicious. Then his laugh settled into a lopsided grin, mocking Minnie. He has both hands inside his pockets like he's confident Minnie would not attempt to attack him, which is entirely rational since if she does, that will only make us sore losers.
"If it isn't for your cowardly deed, we would've lost. If I have money right now, I would've given you a whole lot of it." He continued taunting me. I refused to get affected.
I pulled Minnie back when she stepped forward with a clenched fist. Then he said it.
"Oh well, thank you for throwing the game yesterday," he said, and I stood there frozen.
The cafeteria fell into whispers. I pursed my lips and felt the lump growing in my throat. He's right. It seems that way. I did throw the game.
The three boys walked past us, pushing me out of the way. I don't know what got into me, but I suddenly started laughing. It just felt like it. The situation was rather funny. This reminded me of those times I was still at school.
Minnie looked at me, frowning in confusion. Barrel and his friends turned to me, perplexed.
"What are you laughing at?" Barrel asked, baffled.
"Nothing really," I shrugged. "Just the fact that I didn't see you as the appreciative type, but then here you are paying me a visit, thanking me and all."
Minnie chuckled, and that only increased the crease in Barrel's forehead.
"You must've been really grateful since it would've been next to impossible for you to beat us if I hadn't quit. I mean, how many was it? The people my team took down? I know you know, well enough, the answer to that."
Barrel, fuming and obviously humiliated, stormed back and towered before me. Creek. Creek. Creek. Say his teeth.
"What are you trying to say here, cat?" he asked, so flushed, I think he looked like a red balloon about to burst.
I stepped forward and closed in the distance, meeting his gaze up close. I glared back at him and summoned all the audacity I had in me.
"I think you're pathetic."
The whole canteen fell silent. I can say so since I can hear and feel almost every sound and movement. Monitoring my immediate surrounding has been second nature to me ever since I can remember. And suppose that's the strange ability Minnie mentioned earlier. In that case, I can only say it was something I had paid for dearly.
He raised a hand visibly about to hit me in the face, but before he could, I had already pointed a fork at his neck. Minnie had grabbed his hand from behind, and the boy sitting on the other table had held Barrel's other hand. All of these happened so fast, the crowd gasped in surprise.
"Chief," said the other kid, holding Barrel's hand. I looked and realized it was Thorn. He's looking stern, not an ounce of humor on his face.
"Barrel," I didn't have to look to know whose voice was that. Ace was now standing a couple of feet behind me. Barrel's eyes shifted at him, and he snorted.
"Ace," he answered like a greeting and grinned. I pressed the fork on his neck, and he tensed. I watched him take a careful gulp.
"Let go of them," said Ace. Them?
I took a step back, and we let him go. I have no idea why I am following Ace's orders, but I did what he said willingly. I noticed Barrel's two companions wriggling away from Osprey and Marlo. They just grinned at me when they saw me looking at them. It was odd for them to regard me so cheerfully, especially Osprey. I smiled back at them. Er. It was an awkward smile.
"Leave now," Ace said, and Barrel glared at him, then at me. Without further ado, Barrel's group left. Loki jumped over a table and put an arm over Ace's shoulder.
"The troublemaker appeases trouble!" Loki snickered and raised his hand, miming some sort of poster in the air. "Ace, a better man!"
The kids around guffawed. Ace blushed and then grabbed an empty tray on the table beside him and smacked it on Loki's head.
Twang!
Loki cried in pain, which just made everyone laugh louder. Ace walked out of the canteen in haste, and I watched him leave in amusement. He did something really out of character today.
I looked at Minnie, who's still cackling at Loki, who's rolling on the floor holding his head. I also noticed some of the crowd left the canteen, scowling and irritated. They must be Barrel's classmates. By the time the fun wore off, Minnie and I had left for the library. She said something about looking for a book about military vehicles. She's pretty interested in tanks and aircraft, she said.
We got there at ten o clock. As soon as I saw the line of shelves and the pile of books on the tables, I yawned. It felt like the books ooze sleeping gas on me every time I saw them. Minnie narrowed her eyes at me, and I quickly stifled the yawn. One of the things I learned about Minnie is that wits and cleverness shouldn't be overlooked. That is her life's principle. And since I am branded by Doctor Nigel, a loss case the same way I impressed his class, Minnie made it her life's purpose to turn me into an intellectual. And she had probably made up her mind because I wouldn't be in this snooze haven if not.
I wrote my name on a logbook and continued inside. I followed Minnie around sluggishly. She then paused in front of a shelf and pulled a book. Then she went to the next shelf and picked another one. By the time we got ourselves to one of the tables, I was already feeling dizzy.
"Where's your book?" Minnie asked.
I shrugged. Her expression hardened, she glared at me. "What?" I asked, exasperated.
"I will be reading these, so you may as well read too," she said like I had no other choice.
"No way," I said, snorting, and she raised a brow. She sighed and looked at me like she was not happy at all.
"What are you interested in?" she asked.
"Why do you ask?" I looked at her suspiciously. Then I answered. "Nothing."
"Sure, there's something!" Minnie assumed, and the librarian hushed us. Minnie hid behind the pile of books on the table. "Aren't you interested in computers? Politics?"
"No," I said. I think I have something I'm interested in. "War."
"War?" she repeated as if she might've heard me wrong.
"Yes," I nodded. Minnie paused for a second, and then she scanned the shelves. She then pointed to a shelf and looked at me.
"You'll find books about war on that shelf," she said, and I sighed.
I stood up and complied. Minnie would make me read no matter what I said or did. Saving myself from the trouble of arguing with her, I fetched myself a book. I browsed the shelves, and I read the titles.
Into the fire, A firsthand Account of the extraordinary Battle in Afghan War by Dakota Meyer, Bing West
500 Days, Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars- Kurt Eichenwald
The War for crown and Empire
There are all sorts of books about wars here. I paused in front of a book that I deemed the most interesting.
I pulled it out of the shelf and stared at it, contemplating whether to get on with it or not. I can choose a much thinner book…
The 33 Strategies of War- Robert Greene
I stared at it for a while, and then I shrugged the thought and went back to the table. Minnie ignored me and didn't even look up to see what I got. She's too engrossed with the book that I think she wouldn't even notice me leaving. I glanced at the book again and decided to start reading.
I started to read the Preface of the book. And the sooner my eyes began to soar through the book's pages, the sooner I felt new. I've never thought of an enemy disguised as a friend before. But then I only have one. I glanced at Minnie. Is she an enemy? And then the book said enemies often offer help but are really empty promises. I realized Minnie was no enemy. When the book started talking about sociologists and psychologists stating that in the beginning, tribal wars were brutal and referred to as some kind of ritual of violence about heroism and strength, I thought:
This is how I think!--that wars are full of fighting and brutality. That to win, you need to be strong.
Yet this is no more. This was where the term strategy popped up. I continued to read the Preface and realized how wrongly most people approach life. One must worship Athena, not Ares. And suppose my Greek mythology facts are correct. In that case, Athena is to Wisdom, a strategic goddess of war, while Ares is to fight, battle, fighting… all brute and blood. For you to win, you must learn how to choose your battles. Charging into enemy lines unprepared and weaponless is self-destructive. I realized how anger could make you look pathetic and revolting. Drowning yourself in anger can make you look laughable. I don't want to drown myself in shame. No one does. A decision was then formulated in my head. I am banishing anger from my emotion bank. Or at least, give a conscious effort to practice serenity.
Before I knew it, the book had swallowed me in. When I lifted my gaze, I realized it was time for the library to close, and there was no time left to borrow it from the librarian.
"You're pretty engrossed in it," Minnie said. I didn't want to part with the book, but I had to.
"Be right back," I told her and returned the book to the shelf. When I got back, I asked Minnie what time it was.
"Five," she said.
"We skipped lunch," I sneered.
"We skipped lunch." She nodded, and we went back to the cafeteria to get something to eat. We were quiet along the way, which is okay with me since my brain was preoccupied.
They think ahead toward their long-term goals, decide which fights to avoid and which are inevitable, know how to control and channel their emotions. They do so with indirection and subtle maneuver when forced to fight, making their manipulations hard to trace.
I've read this part probably five times before I went on. And now it is stuck in my head. For some odd reason, I find this part foreboding. According to Greene, strategic warriors operate this way.
"The life of man upon earth is warfare," I didn't know I just quoted Vegetius until Minnie turned to me, frowning.
"What?"
"Why do you think we still lost to Barrel even though we had the advantage?" I asked, thinking of something, but I didn't know how to get it out.
"If you're asking just to laugh at us, then I won't---"
"I'm not!" I said, cutting her off.
"Well, when you left," she was scowling, trying to remember. "Everything just started to turn in his favor. Like every step we take, we get close to going down. But when Ace left the base, we started to, you know… salvage ourselves."
"Is it like… being maneuvered?" I asked, and Minnie looked at me like I had just turned toad on her.
"If this is the effect of reading a book, then I'm stoked," she said and shook my hand, congratulating me with an imagined achievement. "You're vocabulary and way of thinking had improved!"
"Well? Answer me damn it," I said and took my hand back.
"Yes," Minnie nodded, and we continued walking. "That Barrel is quite shrewd. He was always one step ahead of us. If it hadn't been for Ace and his strength, we wouldn't have lasted long."
Barrel, a strategic warrior in the flesh.
I should be wary of him. If he really is like what I read in the book, I just furnished myself the worst enemy in the garrison. Damn. I really need to finish that book.
One must now his enemy.
And I must know how mine thinks.