Jaden was roused from his sleep by a familiar voice. "Hey Jaden, Jaden!" the voice whispered urgently in the darkness.
He groggily reached for his bedside lamp, fumbling with the switch until the room was illuminated. He blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes, and then saw his father standing in the doorway.
"Come on, dad, it's midnight," Jaden muttered, rubbing his eyes.
"I know, now get your ass out of bed and come with me," Jack said, already turning to walk out of the room.
Jaden followed, still feeling drowsy, as his father led him through the woods. The sound of nocturnal animals filled the air, and Jaden's imagination ran wild as he peered into the darkness.
"Why are we here, Dad?" he asked, feeling a little creeped out.
Jack didn't answer at first, continuing to lead his son towards the river that glistened in the moonlight. They finally reached their destination, and Jack stood silently, staring at the water.
"Join me, son," he said, finally turning to face Jaden.
Jaden hesitated, but then moved to stand next to his father. He shivered in the chilly air, wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.
"I come here every night to remind myself what peace feels like," Jack said softly. "I'm not concerned about the world—you and your mother are my world. If I fight for the world tomorrow, I fight for you guys."
Jaden looked up at his father, sensing the sadness in his voice. "Dad, are you okay?" he asked, feeling a pang of worry.
Jack smiled down at him, then reached up to unfasten the dog tag from around his neck. He held it out to Jaden.
"Here, take it. You're a soldier now, like me. Protect your mum while I'm gone," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Jaden took the chain from his father, feeling the weight of the dog tag in his hand. "Another mission?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
Jack nodded. "Yeah."
"When will you be back?" Jaden asked, his voice catching.
"I don't know, but I promise I'll come back home," Jack said, laying a hand on Jaden's shoulder.
Jaden hugged his father tightly, feeling a mix of sadness and pride. They stood together in silence, staring out at the peaceful river.
____
"Jack Craig's your father?" Miss Thompson asked, her eyes wide in realization.
"Yes, how do you know my father?" Jaden asked in confusion.
"Doesn't everyone know him?" Miss Thompson replied, discovering she had slipped.
"No, I don't think so" Jaden responded, glaring at Miss Thompson suspiciously.
"Oh" Miss Thompson said, looking away.
"Alright, you can leave now Jaden" Miss Thompson said.
Jaden stood up and walked out of the office.
Miss Thompson stared at Jaden's back as he walked out of the office.
'No wonder he looked so familiar' Miss Thompson thought as Jaden closed the door behind him.
Jaden walked out of Miss Thompson's office, heading towards his classroom. As he walked through the school hallway, Jaden could literally feel the stares and occasional whispers between students. It was obvious they were talking about him.
He was trying his best to not let it get to him.
As he walked, he spotted Drake coming from the opposite direction of the hallway with a smirk on his face.
"You finally showed how useless you are" Drake sneered, walking past him with a chuckle.
Jaden gritted his teeth and kept walking, refusing to react. Ever since their last encounter, Drake had been strictly prohibited from getting too close to Jaden or Alex for more than five seconds. It was clear that he was following that rule, but for how long?
Arriving at his classroom, Jaden slumped in his chair, closing is eyes, trying to digest everything that had just happened. It was obvious Miss Thompson was keeping something from him.
"So, what happened in her office?" Alex asked, breaking Jaden's train of thought.
Jaden opened his eyes and let out a heavy sigh before responding, "It's just school stuff. I'm way behind."
"Yeah," Alex replied with a nod.
"Did you hear the latest?" Alex asked, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
"What's that?" Jaden asked, sitting up in his seat.
"We all have to join the military after high school," Alex said.
"What do you mean, and why the hell are you so happy?" Jaden asked, his confusion evident.
"Well, we'd be in the military together. You know, my father wouldn't let me join the military in a normal circumstances" Alex explained.
"It's mandatory for everyone," He added
Jaden's mind raced. "Something's not right," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, his brow furrowed.
"Don't you see it? Why would the military suddenly start recruiting teenagers?" Jaden asked, trying to make his point.
"Well, there's a terrorist group causing unrest in the country," Alex said.
"That's not a good enough reason for the military to start recruiting teenagers. Something's up, I know it," Jaden said with conviction.
School went on normally with classes going as expected. Jaden tried his to stay updated with lectures, but with the information he got from Alex, it was proving difficult.
____
His father's voice echoed in Jaden's mind, "Take care of your mum." He jolted awake, drenched in sweat, and fumbled to turn on the bedside lamp. The soft glow illuminated the cluttered room, littered with books and papers.
Sluggishly, Jaden got out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He shuffled over to his desk and opened his laptop. As he scrolled through various public articles, his gaze landed on one that made his expression shift.
"Who are these guys?" Jaden muttered to himself, intrigued and suspicious.
With a piece of tape over his webcam, Jaden switched to a dark-themed browser and visited a different website. His search for "TERRORIST GROUP IN THALASSIA" yielded a page full of videos, and he clicked on the first one.
A figure wearing a dark joker mask and hood addressed the camera with a deep, tampered voice. "We know you. We understand you. You have been ignored, seen as useless because of how powerless you are. We have the capacity to make you powerful beyond your wildest dream, giving you the power to fight against the military that deemed you useless. Join us today in our course to help others like you, giving them the power to always fight back."
Jaden watched the video intently, his mind racing with questions. "This group is also recruiting," he muttered. "And they're targeting people like me, with low or no power at all. But fighting against the military? What are they thinking?"
As Jaden continued to mull over the situation, his expression shifted again. "It doesn't matter if they're able to recruit many people, unless… unless they have something the military doesn't have."
Slumping back in his chair, Jaden tried to piece everything together. The puzzle was far from complete, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.
***