Today was officially my first day as an initiated member of the Rebellion. After last night's tough goodbyes with my loved ones, Gaia showed me around my new apartment unit. It was a nice and quaint little furnished studio, something that I would imagine a college dorm would look like. It felt rather lonely sleeping alone for the first time in my life in a strange new place, and I had a hard time sleeping after the day's events. It felt like, even though I was a small person with no significant background or characteristics, I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. The Rebellion was relying on me as their key piece of their plan to overthrow the government, and the president, or dictator, I should say, more than likely wants me dead for conspiring with them. Not only that, but he threatened to harm my family, too. I felt like I was too mundane and insignificant for all this to be happening to me, and yet, two of the most powerful forces in the country have begged to differ by making me put my life at stake. It was so unfair.
I spent the entirety of the night drowning in my somber and sorrowful emotions. It was hard leaving behind my family and hometown when I decided to move to Epron, but it was a whole other thing telling them white lies that I was safe and happy, when in reality I may never speak to them again and I was putting my life at risk. I longed for Cathesia so bad. My life used to be so normal. Sure, I grew up in a poor family, but I was happy. I missed going out late at night on Saturdays with Ezra to catch frogs at the marshes. I missed being in school and being able to learn new things. I missed my old job at the convenience store, where I was greeted by familiar customers. I miss the smell of freshly cooked rice my mom would make whenever I got back home from work. Now it seemed as if I had taken all those simple memories for granted.
I ended up drifting off to sleep by focusing on the sound of the air vents in the apartment. The hushed noise of air gently blowing through the metal slots was able to relax my mind a little and give me some rest for the next day. When I awoke to the sound of an alarm, which, if it were up to me, I wouldn't have, but it's mandated for everyone to have a set alarm in their room, I groggily slipped out of bed and walked over to the mini table standing a few feet away. When Gaia showed me around the studio room, she explained that everyone in the Rebellion follows a tight personal schedule that is posted on a piece of paper in their rooms.
0700: Wake up and get ready
0730: Breakfast at dining hall (3rd floor)
0800: Report to training station (basement floor)
1130: Lunch at dining hall
1200: Report to training station
1430: Evaluation (4th floor room 411)
1600: Personal time
1800: Dinner at dining hall
1830: Return to dorms
The schedule looked overall overwhelming with the amount of training and work. I didn't mind as much, since I've been used to working and studying my whole life, but I didn't necessarily love the amount of training I'd be doing, and from what Gaia said, most of my training was going to be physical. I was somewhat toned from doing heavy lifting at work, going on weekly runs, and helping out on the fields sometimes, but looking at the hours I'd be doing training looked strenuous. Knowing my parents, they would tell me not to complain too much. They've been doing hard labor under the sun for more than twenty years, so I know that this is something I should be more than willing to do, even more so for their sake.
I went over to the bathroom sink to splash water on my face. When looking at myself in the mirror after a while of not being able to do so, I finally noticed how gaunt I looked. I had dark circles under my eyes and my skin looked paler than usual. I assessed the items in the bathroom cabinet. I was provided with things such as hair and skin care and feminine products, but I didn't feel like getting ready. Nonetheless, I forced myself to brush my hair and my teeth and went over to the closet.
When I opened the doors, it was stocked full of plain black and white tops ranging from tees, tank tops, and long sleeves, and black sweatpants, shorts, and sneakers of various sizes were provided. I slipped into a black tank top and sweatpants and tied my long hair into a ponytail before leaving my room.
There were elevators on every floor, but they were shut off due to not having any maintenance for them, so everyone had to use the stairs. As I started exiting the building, there were a few others who were already heading to the central hub. A few others who noticed me stared as I walked by, and others only spared a glance before minding their business again. I followed the crowd as they headed inside the building and upstairs to the third floor. As I walked up the stairs, I looked up and noticed just how much walking you had to do to go a few floors higher. I don't know how people manage to walk up and down several flights of stairs everyday.
I followed the others into the dining room, and it immediately reminded me of a school cafeteria, except instead of students, it was filled with people of many different ages and backgrounds. I got in line and watched as androids loaded up foods on plates and placed them on a conveyor belt behind a counter. The android servers reminded me of the ones from elementary school, and I felt a little comfort and nostalgia seeing them.
I grabbed a tray and started feeling a little anxious walking past tables. There wasn't a feeling of cliques like in school, but it felt intimidating as curious eyes peered at me, and I wasn't necessarily comfortable with the attention of strangers.
"Evelyn!"
I looked ahead towards my right and saw Gaia waving at me enthusiastically with Braxton and Doriyan sitting with her. Feeling slightly more at ease, I made my way to their table.
"So how was your first night here?" Gaia asked when I sat down.
"It was... a bit disorienting." I admitted.
Doriyan peered over at me. "You look awful. I mean, no offense, but you don't look healthy. It looks like you got a lack of sleep last night and that the lack of sun is finally catching up to you. Not to worry, though; our supply chain always makes sure we're stocked up on plenty of vitamin D-rich foods. You should eat those eggs as much as you can."
I looked down at my tray of scrambled eggs, milk, bread, ham, and an orange. "How do you guys even get your hands on this food? I mean, isn't it hard to obtain this stuff underground?"
Doriyan opened his mouth to answer, but Gaia cut him off. "I can answer that. It's because after the fallout happened, Epron had to adapt to getting new food sources. They've learned how to create agricultural farms using imported soils and solar-powered colored LED lights to grow crops. However, due to the recovery of technology we've lost after the war, we've been able to engineer more synthetic foods. As for animals, they are hard to come by, so our meat and animal produce are either synthetic or are naturally underground. For instance, that milk is soy, and that ham on your plate is made primarily from pig cells."
Braxton rolled his eyes. "God, you are such a nerd. Can't you let a man eat in peace?" Braxton's eyes flicked up at me. "Evelyn, you're not a nerd like them, right? I've been dying to have a friend that's normal."
"Ignore him," Evelyn said. "Braxton is not a morning person. He'll be normal by the time training starts."
I looked down at my food again, feeling a little bit less appetizing, but forced myself to take a bite. At that moment, I realized how hungry I was and noticed the food didn't taste bad at all. I had cleared my plate in no time.
"Evelyn," Doriyan suddenly said. "You're looking a little pale and washed out. You should come visit me in the infirmary on the ground floor to receive some vitamins during your free time."
I nodded. I didn't protest because I have honestly been feeling fatigued and dull lately. I wasn't sure if it was due to my stress, a lack of nutrients, or both. However, as I ate and conversed with my peers, I started feeling a bit better than I had earlier.
When breakfast was over, training was next. Since I'd be learning under Braxton, I followed him to the basement with a few others. When we arrived, I took notice of the vast room around me. Every inch of the floor was covered in mats, and a few androids and VR machines stood in different parts of the room. On another side of the room, weapons of all sorts, from blades to bo staffs, and protective gear lined all around the room.
Braxton gestured for me to stand with the others as he and an older-looking man took front and center in the middle of the room.
"Alright, listen up, everyone." The older man's voice boomed throughout the room. "As you know, my name is Specialist Clark, and I oversee the combat facilities. As you may have noticed, there is a new face among us. Her name is Evelyn, and I expect you all to treat her with the same respect as you would treat yourselves." His steel blue eyes landed on me. "Anong, since you are new, Braxton will be training you personally until you catch up with the rest."
I glanced at Braxton and saw that he finally looked a bit more awake and focused. He stood proudly with his muscular arms folded in front of him, and suddenly I was a little intimidated. He didn't seem like the annoying brat I usually saw him as anymore.
Braxton walked over to me and gave me a cheeky smile. "Looks like you're gonna be with me for a while, kid. And trust me, I'm gonna turn you into one of the best damn soldiers the Rebellion can offer."
I swallowed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I didn't know what he meant. Only much later would it occur to me how heavy his promise was.