When It Rains

Chapter Six - WTF?!

My legs want to become roots and I have to wrench them out of the ground with every step. My whole body droops like a plant without water as I struggle to make it 11 kilometres. As I crest a snowy hill, I look down and see searchlight beams zig zagging all over the base.

They must have found Trunken! Or at least be hunting for him.

Relief surges through me, giving me a shot of adrenaline. My feet are mine again and I run as fast as I can to the bunkers. When I arrive at the finish line, I notice no one seems to be in bed. In fact, all the cadets are standing in line and at attention under intense field lights.

While I walk to my place in the formation, I hear people whispering as I pass.

"She's the one."

"That's her."

"I'm going to get you for this."

I snap my head to the left to see who hissed those words. A woman glares at me so hard that I'd rather just get punched and get it over with. What did I do?

I slip beside Nesta, giving them a sideways glance. Surely, they'll give me a clue as to what's going on. But they stare straight ahead.

Crinae is at the front with a black crop and a look that I know means she's pissed off. She sucks in her cheeks and purses her lips like a fish while at the same time, wiggling her nose. It's a feat that's nearly impossible yet she pulls it off.

"Cadets!" she shouts into the mass of quivering people. "One of us tonight has disobeyed regulations."

Thwack!

The crack of the whip startles me and I jump.

"One cadet has dishonoured us all," Crinae says. "She has broken the rules and broken our trust."

I wish Ms. Perfect-globalgov would hurry up. My wool uniform is drenched in sweat and it's making me cold and uncomfortable. I'd love to take off these itchy clothes and dive into my sleeping bag.

"I'm sad to say," continues my sister, "that none of you will be getting any sleep tonight due to these unfortunate circumstances."

Get to the point, lady.

"We all," Crinae coughs. "Well, most of us know that using our Aeternian skills to aid us in a military exercise is prohibited."

A wave of anxiety hits my chest. I'm no longer cold.

"We must not," says Crinae. "Nah, ever, rely on our abilities to get us past a challenge."

She's talking about me. I clamp my teeth together and squeeze my jaw. Criane is not done. It's all I do to stop myself from shouting at my sister to shut up about me.

"This kind of disrespectful behaviour cannot be tolerated," says Crinae. "When one cadet does something wrong, you all do something wrong. Therefore, you will all be punished as one."

Silence. No groans or mutters or chatter erupt into the night. I watch the person in front of me roll their fingers into fists.

"You will all go into the mess hall," says Crinae, pointing to the large structure looming out of the searchlights. "Break into groups of six and then discuss why it is imperative to follow the eight pillars of our esteemed government. You may go now."

The cadets, including me, trot towards the mess hall. My whole body is quivering with rage, sadness and exhaustion. Crinae could have simply come to me to ask for an explanation. She knows Trunken was on the premises. She knows I'm on edge.

She doesn't care. She only cares about being in charge and in control of her small GlobalGov cadets. Crinae is using me to make an example for the entire corps.