My body was still raw from the past weeks' rigorous training... And yet, here I am running on the field thinking about the book that lies inside the library.
Private Diaz was scolding us about how flaccid our baby muscles had become just by giving us a day of rest.
"You lousy losers!" he shouted, and that did it. "I heard some of you lost against the other class the other week?!" I thought this soldier had decided to drop that incident, but I guess I was wrong.
I groaned ruefully. And when I turned at the others, I found them with grim expressions.
"I am teaching a bunch of losers!" Private Diaz continued, and I could hear some of the kids giggled. The five hundred kids' only joint class is Private Diaz's cardio class. The whispers followed, which was quite normal.
"It's true then," said a kid behind me to his friend. "Ace's class lost to Sarita's."
"Some guy named Barrel led Sirita's class to victory, they say," answered his friend.
"Who's that?" asked another. "I've never heard of him before."
"Whoever he is, he's someone to be wary of."
"The first guy who beat Ace!" someone cheered. "Someone beat the Prodigy!"
They were ecstatic. The kids around are no classmates of mine, so of course, they're happy. And besides, why can't anyone notice that Barrel's class barely won?
Because they still won.
Someone tsked beside me, and I found Ace there. I cleared my throat scared, not because I felt intimidated but because he looked like he would beat the kids in front of us down. When I grabbed his elbow to pin him in place, he seemed about to do just that.
"What's the big--- "he snapped but then when he saw me, his eyes narrowed. He freed his arm but did not run.
"Calm down," I said, and he just snorted. "Anger and impatience will draw you into rash actions that will just make you look feral and foolish."
I said with calm serenity, which I promised myself after reading the book. Still, for some reason, I feel pretentious doing it. Maybe it takes time to feel natural. Fake it until you make it. Isn't that the thing these days?
"What?!" Ace asked, angrily and I sighed.
"What I'm trying to say is, when you're angry, take no action," and I bit my lip. "Nothing good will come out of it."
"Says the one who left the game without any valid reason," Ace pushed me back. It was light, but I stepped on another runner's foot, so I fell down. What Ace did to me made my eyes widen in shock. Not with pain, no. It's just that I didn't expect Ace to treat me like this. I really thought we were friends and just in a silly children's quarrel, so we're not talking to each other. But to push me? The gall!
Not that I'm gonna complain or something.
The other kids who were passing by halted and started to pry.
"…look, Ace is bullying someone again!" I heard a kid say, and Ace must've heard it too because he suddenly looked angrier.
I don't know why I'm not standing up even though I want to. I felt a hand land on my shoulder, and I found Minnie. She pulled me up only to fall down again. It appeared that I sprained my foot like that time in the forest.
"Ace!" Minnie snarled at him when she saw my swollen ankle.
Ace was staring at the foot, and my eyes narrowed at him accusingly. That's right, look at what you did.
"The losers are starting to fight each other," someone said. We ignored whoever said that.
But Barrel still approached with more friends this time. He must've realized that his two bodyguards yesterday were inept. "Go on. Give us a nice show."
I still tried to stand up, but even though Minnie helped me to stand upright, I still couldn't walk.
"Why don't you bring her to the infirmary now," said a girl from behind us. When I turned to look, I saw that girl named Sirita. "And Barrel? Please learn to shut up." She looked tall even though she's not really. She has Bee's aura, the aura of a she-dragon, though she looked more humble and likable.
"What? Are you one of Ace's groupies now, Sirita?" he asked, jealousy in his voice.
Is Barrel using the Polarity Strategy? He definitely looked like he was hoarding enemies.
Ace pushed Minnie away and lifted me up. It was so sudden that I gasped when my feet left the ground. Minnie was supposed to complain when we heard Barrel coo.
"Ah, young love," said he in a dream-like voice and turned to Sirita. "Still a groupie?"
Sirita just sighed. "Are you done being a jerk?"
Barrel took a step forward only to bump against another kid. Everyone gasped at the puny kid who was so oblivious to his surrounding. that he was now lying on the floor was no surprise. I heard Minnie murmur, "What an idiot."
The kid looked around. Suddenly, he looked green. Barrel picked him up. And then Bee and Loki arrived. Sirita snorted at the sight of her.
On the other hand, Loki went to free the puny kid from Barrel's grasp.
"Come on, dude," said Loki. "Let go of the kid."
Bee taunted Sirita. "Listen to the goody-two-shoes, Barrel. She's so scary everyone ought to listen."
Evidently, they share a shared animosity. Suddenly, the two girls had locked palms and pushed each other like sumo wrestlers. Minnie scared that the Private nearby would come over and catch the commotion, tried to thwart the fight.
"Hey, cut it out, you," Minnie told Bee.
With Ace carrying me amid two hostile groups, Professor Diaz found us. And in no time at all, we were sent for detention. It appears that the campsite is making a sweep of the forest in the afternoon, and Private Diaz wants us to help.
We were heading towards the barracks when I decided to dash to the library. Luckily, no one notices me make a detour. I decided to reread the book I read the other week, so I grabbed the book and borrowed it from the librarian.
By the time I got back to the barracks, my classmates had already geared up. I scurried as fast as I could and slid the book inside my backpack.
"Where have you been?" asked Minnie, scrutinizing me.
"Why? Did I miss something?" I asked, ignoring her inquiry.
"Just that the puny little kid is that kid, remember the first time my cake got crushed?" she said, and I turned to look at him. Indeed, he was the kid whom Ace's friends threw on top of our table the other day. Minnie approached him, and I had no choice but to follow her. Why Minnie is so impulsive, I have no idea. There's something vaguely familiar with the kid, though.
"Hey, bud," she greeted and walked with him. I decided to stay behind them. I may be fine, but I am not an expert at making friends. The kid is not just small but scrawny, too. He's practically a bully magnet. And since he looked like he's pretty aware of that, he jumped like a cat when Minnie made her greeting.
"Ha-Hi," he stammered and focused his gaze on the ground.
"I'm Minnie, and the girl behind is Meow," she said smiling, but the effort was useless since the boy wouldn't even see the friendly grin.
"I know you both," he said nervously. "I know who all of you are." He made a sweeping look around the room and took a gulp.
"Uh-huh," Minnie said, and I can see how she's fishing out for words to reply. She was silent for a few seconds, and then she said:
"What's your name?" Of course, the very reason for this conversation.
"I'm Eagle," he said, simply like he's scared of continuing further with the conversation.
"Well, Eagle, it's nice to make an acquaintance. If you need help on anything, you can come to us to be of assistance."
To that, the kid finally looked at her, then at me. He looked like he was expecting something… From the way I see it, he's more suspicious of us now that we've approached him and did nothing.
Being the number one kid in our psychology class, Minnie picked this up and said. "We will not hurt or bully you, Eagle. We are sincerely offering you our friendship."
"And in return?" he asked, looking at her like he's expecting her to rob him of his valuables.
"Just friendship," Minnie said and smiled. "You don't pay for friendship."
Although Minnie means well, Eagle doesn't seem to see this. But he accepted it anyway. I really don't get this. I really don't.
Friendship should be found, not offered.
At last, we've arrived at where the soldiers for the patrol are huddling up. The adults gave us a look, and then they asked us to come over. Although it is evident that they were expecting us, it doesn't mean we were welcome.
"What a huge patrol," Minnie murmured, and I couldn't agree more. There are about a hundred soldiers. I didn't know there were this many soldiers inside the base. They were all unfamiliar faces.
"Where do you think they came from?" I asked Minnie, but she just shook her head. She's probably wondering the same thing.
"I can see other kids," Minnie said, and I followed her gaze. Indeed, about fifty yards away from us was another group of students. And it's a whole class.
We noticed Eagle stiffen at the sight of them. Minnie gave me a knowing look.
Eagle's classmates.
The kid must be being bullied by them too. Eagle doesn't belong in this place-- this much is obvious.
Lieutenant Margeary approached the front and summoned all his team captains in front.
"All the kids fall in line and group your little asses into eight members," said the lieutenant. "Join the group of your choosing. The team captain will be responsible for your welfare. We will tolerate no insubordination. Do so, and you'd be whipped as punishment."
"Whipped?" it was Loki who spoke. "I'd hate that."
"At last, something you fear comes into the picture," it was Bee who answered. The two of them chuckled. Minnie looked at me and shrugged. Right, who likes getting whipped anyway?
Ace turned to Barrel with a nod. Barrel, looking stern, turned to us, and Ace did the same. "There are eight of us. We're in a team of our own. Does everyone agree?"
No one disagreed, so Ace walked towards a team captain. Everyone followed him quietly. I caught Eagle looking at me. He quickly looked away when I turned to return his gaze. It seemed that the familiarity was mutual. He knows me.
We found ourselves under Private Bones' tutelage. He is bald and a bit huge. I watched him move and recognized that his physique did not make him sluggish. And when I saw him lift his gear with a hand knew that he was pretty strong.
He looks like a grizzly. And has its aura as well.
We fell in line and joined his team of fifteen full-grown soldiers. He regarded us with a look of disappointment and criticism. Evidently, he doesn't want kids for infantries. What's with the severity? We're just going to march the woods. We're not into war, so rest assured these kids will not hinder you, sir. I thought, staring at him keenly.
Like he read my mind, he turned to his little soldiers. "If you are thinking that patrolling the area is your ordinary walk at the park, then you are mistaken."
We didn't speak, and every one of us stiffened. I was not the only one guilty of the same idea. I cleared my throat nervously. The least I want is to burden myself with the captain's hostility.
"This patrol's solitary purpose is to locate the base of the rebels," he said, pacing in front and confronting everyone's gaze with a glare. "We had been searching for them for years and found no one yet from time to time. Our soldiers are robbed and killed."
Now, we're talking. I felt the thudding in my chest and realized I was feeling scared.
"A team of five soldiers was patrolling near the border last night. They never returned."
Bee shot a hand in the air. Loki put a palm on his face in embarrassment. I, on the other hand, was trying to suppress a grin. Like Minnie, Bee has her own impulsiveness. And Loki is the one suffering from it.
"What do you think happened to them, sir? Any hunches?"
"It's either some wild beast took them or something more intelligent."
"You mean human? Like the rebels you mentioned?" she asked, with wide eyes.
"Maybe," he said simply. The lieutenant's voice thundered, and everyone turned their attention to her.
"Quick march!" she said, and the gates opened. And when I say gates, there's three. I never knew that the wall beside the colossal gate was no wall but a chain of gates. So the once narrow passage became wide, and the units started to march in every direction. The lieutenant remained standing by the gates with some soldiers. I didn't know then that this patrol would put the base in terrible danger. For someone hiding not far away saw the massive gate while peeping into his binoculars. He grinned lopsidedly and hurried back to his people.