'Damn these fuking kids!' Ellia cursed in frustration. 'They seriously letting her sleep with Aerie and me!' She didn't know why Issac would let this happen. For all they knew, she could be here to kill everyone.
'And Aerie, you're supposed to be on my side...' Ellia mumbled in betrayal. 'I have to teach these guys a lesson...'
Then turning her head towards May, Ellia looked with suspicion. 'There's no way I'm letting this go.'
…
Nightfall quickly stepped in. During that time, nothing much had happened. May had decided to sit beside the pit fire for the entire time to warm herself despite the clothes she had revived from Alex.
From afar, Ellia made sure to keep her eyes on her.
And because of Issac's order, May also entered the igloo they had been staying in for the past few days. Of course, Ellia had repeatedly tried to deny such things from happening but was told to behave by Issac, which further enraged Ellia. 'Behave? Are you seriously telling me to behave like a five-year-old child?!'
Only then did she realize the importance of authority. 'Goddamn… looks like I'm going to have to rise in ranks quickly. After all, I can't be taking orders forever.'
But as of right now, there was nothing Ellia could do. The only thing she could do was lay down on the fur mattress with her guard up.
"Goodnight, big sis…." Aeire mumbled with a yawn, snuggling into her blanket.
Hearing her words, Ellia gave her a look of disbelief. 'Am I her big sis or second lieutenant?' Either way, she didn't mind because, as of right now, the only person with them was May.
"Goodnight…" Ellia replied as she also snuggled into her blanket. It was only May who awkwardly stared at both Ellia and Aeire, wondering if she should also say goodnight. But soon thought against it.
An hour passed, and Aerie and Ellia were in deep. But, of course, Ellia was still wide awake. She was just changing the rhythm of her breathing to make it seem she was actually sleeping.
She didn't care if she didn't get any sleep today; there was just no way she was going to stay unguarded with a stranger inside.
...
An hour after midnight.
A sudden rustle was heard, causing Ellia to widen her eyes, but she didn't dare to move. It was too soon to judge right now. After all, May could have been going to a midnight room bathroom break. But Ellia thought the chance of that happening was pretty low.
After a few moments, Ellia's eyes fixed on the ice wall in front of her. The tiny glow from the portable heater was enough to cast a shadow in this dark room. And because of that, Ellia was scath small movements behind her.
Then suddenly, the shadow lifted an item above Aerie, completely alarming Ellia. She couldn't afford to lay still any longer.
Removing the fur blanket that held her down, she turned around without making any sounds.
The following seance that unfolded in front of Ellia shocked her.
May held a dagger, lifted high into the air, and right below was Aerie. But that wasn't what caused Ellia to furrow her eyebrows. It was the expression she had on her face.
Her eyelids wholly shut, with her eyebrows quivering in unwillingness.
She was going to kill, but her face was full of reluctance and guilt.
May wouldn't be acting this way if she was doing this on her own record, but seeing how she was struggling, it seemed she was being forced. Although it did intrigue Ellia's interests, she was now focused on something else.
"I fucking knew it..." Ellia mumbled as she grabbed May's wrist that held onto the dagger.
"Eep!" May gave a tiny squeak as she opened her eyes, staring right at Ellia.
Strength suddenly left May's legs due to pure fear causing her to fall to her knees.
"I-I-" As May tried to speak, Ellia moved her hand towards May's face and covered her mouth.
Then pulling her hand back, Ellia prepared to smash May's head against the wall.
Noticing her intentions, May started to frail in Ellia's hand, but doing so was useless.
Shack!
The igloo burst open, causing shards of ice to fly out, then came May's head. Her eyes had almost rolled back due to the pain, but Ellia ensured she didn't pass out.
Although it was dark outside, the tiny amount of moonlight made things visible to the bare minimum.
Ellia then forced May to the ground and mounted on her, all while keeping her palm on May's mouth.
Of course, such a loud commotion was bound to wake everyone up. But the first one to awaken was Aerie, who was the closest.
Her eyes were filled with drowsiness and confusion at first, but when she saw Ellia and May, her eyes narrowed. "S-second Lieutenant?! What are you doing to May!"
"She was trying to kill you, Private," Ellia replied with seriousness. "I just saved you just now."
Listing to Ellia's words, Aeire moved her eyes towards May. It seemed she was looking for a sign of denial from May.
Then finally releasing the strength from her grip, Ellia gave May a chance to speak. She thought it was the best idea after seeing a serious face on the always intimated Aerie.
"It's... true..." May said, with remorse in her voice. Tears flowed down her cheeks, which she quickly hid with her hand. "I'm so sorry..."
Aerie stared at May in disbelief. "W-why did you..."
"I had no choice, okay?!" May shouted. At this point, the rest of squad 32 had gathered, especially Issac, who looked at Ellia as if he had made a big mistake. "I was ordered to do it!"
"By who?" Ellia questioned.
"By my instructor," May replied, causing everyone to squint their eyes in bafflement. Did her instructor have some grudge towards Aerie or something?
"Don't just tell us that! Tell us why!" Ellia yelled, urging May to keep talking.
"Okay! Okay!" May threw her hands up in fright before talking again. "This training exercise is just a ruse! This damn training exercise is a test! A test to see whether you could protect! You had to protect her!" May scram, pointing at Aerie.
While listening to her words, a specific phrase played inside of Ellia's head. "If I see a single scratch on private Hayes by the end of the training, then you simply fail! And by failing, I mean getting kicked out of Everwhite! So do whatever it takes to keep her safe!"
'It did raise some suspicions when he explicitly talked about not letting a single scratch on Aerie, but I didn't think it would turn out to be something like this...'
"I'm so sorry... so sorry..." May's sobbing was heard by everyone, causing them to dart back at her. "I didn't want to do it... it was a to pass the test."
Clap! Clap! Clap!
A sudden clapping noise came from the darkness of the forest, drawing everyone's attention to the general location of the sound. It got closer by the second until it finally reviled itself.
A drone with a blue holographic of a man underneath, just from the uniform, everyone knew it was an instructor.
"Well, happy for you... you pass!" He said before finally stopping his applause.
Hearing the familiar voice, May quickly wiped away her tears and shot up. Ellia also got up and gazed at the hologram.
"W-what do you mean?" May inquired, perplexed. As far as she knew, she had failed to complete the task assigned to her by her instructor.
"You passed the test. What else is there to say?"
"B-but why?"
The instructor sighed as he shook his head. "What is a soldier's number one priority?"
The sudden question baffled May. "Uhhh..."
"Following orders faithfully." Ellia cut in, which caused a smile on the instructor's face.
"Correct! A soldier's number one priority is to follow orders. If one cannot follow a simple order, then we, the imperial army nor Everwhite, need use for such fools."
May's face was puzzled. She passed the test because she chose to carry out her instructor's order to kill Aerie.
"That's why everyone else passes!" Another excited shout came from the trees above. When everyone looked up, they noticed a familiar face. It was instructor James who was perched on a long tree branch, looking down on everyone.
"...!" Since when was he there?!" Ellia yelled inwardly, her gaze fixed on James. Then the phenomenon that happened next shocked Elia even more.
James's figure blurred before disappearing, then reappeared on ground level in an instant.
"Teleportation?" Issac muttered with a look of amazement.
'Teleportation?!' Ellia continued to shout. 'Is that some sort of magic?! It's gotta be magic, right?'
"Ah, if it isn't the-" The holographic instructor spoke but was quickly stopped by James.
"I don't go by that name anymore," James spoke, then turned around to squad 32. "Well, I enjoyed watching you for five days, so why don't you return to your barracks?"
"Wait, what?" Were done just like that?" Own spoke in excitement. "Not like I'm complaining."
"Oh yea, before you go..." James added, causing everyone to give Owen the nasty eye. "That girl will be with us from now on," James said while pointing at May.
"Huh...? Why?" Alex asked.
"Her squad members are all dead except that guy in the back." The holographic instructor explained while looking over at the intact igloo. "His injuries are too much, so he'll be medically discharged. So that leaves only May, and with that, she'll be joining you guys from now on."
"I understand." Issac quickly spoke as he stepped forward
"Good, now enjoy a day worth of vacation." The holographic instructor said before disappearing into thin air.
Watching the drone fly off, May awkwardly looked back down at Aerie. "I-I- ummm..."
"It's okay!" Aerie spoke healthy as she held onto May's hand.
May's eyes started to tear; then, with a bright smile, she thanked Aerie. "Aerie, thank you."