Alliance

Chapter Three

At first glance, the camp looked like a concrete hell. A daunting, wire fence circled the grey buildings and sidewalks; making the camp feel like a prison. Even the grass inside the fence dimmed to a grey-green.

Only on the inside of the grey paradise was dark and lifeless. The outside world was normal with a sparkling blue lake to the left and a lively green forest to the right.

For the duration of the ride, it was near silent on the bus. Here and there was an occasional whisper of a conversation.

Alec did not take any interest in me. He did not heckle me, speak to me, or even look in my direction. He was mostly quiet like everyone else.

Seeing the camp outside the windows, the bus grew eerily silent.

The camp was intimidating to look at. No doubt everyone was feeling nervous on the bus. The butterflies in my stomach became a swarm of bees. My breakfast and a few bites of my sandwich at lunch threatened to come up.

I glanced over at Alec. His normal cool demeanor was down upon seeing the camp. Fear and a splash of doubt lingered in his eyes.

His eyes flicked to mine. For once in his life, he did not sneer at me. He only looked back at the camp.

If Alec was nervous, we were all doomed.

Or perhaps he had doubts about him being in the Alliance.

Though I was crowned smartest by school teachers, Alec was always a few pegs behind. He was smart enough to join the Alliance. He had the intelligence, the strength, and the stupidity.

The bus entered the concrete courtyard. It drove to the side and parked behind the lines of cadets. They were all in uniform and standing in perfect rows in the middle of the courtyard. Before them stood a group of military officers in navy blue uniforms.

"Exit the bus and stand in line. Wait for further instructions," the voice over the intercom ordered. Everyone launched into action, but no one talked or shoved. 

My classmates and I stood in the last few rows of the very neat, straight lines. There had to be about two hundred cadets.

"Welcome," a voice boomed without restraint in the front. The speaker was out of my line of vision and I did not dare lean over to see him. "I am the Lake Region General, General Whitehill. You have been selected to be a part of the United Regions Military."

General Whitehill came into view as he paced in front of the first row. He looked like how I imagined him. A large waist, groomed from years of sitting behind a desk. His hair already turned grey and wrinkles creased his face. Medals plastered over his navy colored uniform.

"For your time here, you will be placed in barracks. There are four in total: Barrack One, Barrack Two, Barrack Three, and Barrack Four. A group of lieutenants will be training you for the months you will be here. My expectation is for you to graduate from the camp with high marks. Colonel Song will place you in your barrack."

An unseen female officer spoke, "When I call your name, walk forward to your Barrack Lieutenant Leader."

"Sophia Aloran, Barrack One."

"Adam Andrews, Barrack Four."

Graced with shortness, I couldn't see the cadets walk forward. Too many people were in the way, but I imagined them nervously walking to their Barrack Lieutenant Leader. Everyone around me, including myself, was shifting from foot to foot. Everyone but Alec. He stood surefooted. His shoulders wide, head thrown back. The doubt he had on the bus was replaced by his ever present confidence and cool demeanor.

"Natalie Brightly, Barrack Three."

"Jessie Cole, Barrack One."

"Danielle Corbin, Barrack Four."

Cadet after cadet was called forth to stand before their Barrack Lieutenant Leaders to pass some impromptu inspection. After passing the inspection, the cadets stood behind their leaders in neat rows.

"Lewis James, Barrack Two."

"Phillips James, Barrack Two."

As the number of cadets dwindled, I could see the group of officers before us. Fifteen officers stood in navy blue uniforms that marked them as Military Officers. One officer stood off to the side wearing black.

An Alliance officer.

Only Alliance wore black. There was only one reason for him to be here. For Alec. So Alec would get his prize of becoming an Alliance officer. With luck, he would die undercover and never be found.

"Courtney Smith, Barrack Three."

"William Turner, Barrack Two."

Wait, Colonel Song didn't call my name.

"Chase Tyson, Barrack One."

It was as if cold water was thrown over me. My heart raced and my body was sweating everywhere.

Colonel Song was calling us by alphabetical order. And she had bypassed my name. She went from Smith to Turner. Jumping over my name. Or maybe I didn't hear it. I was watching the officers and was not fully listening. There was a chance I missed it.

No.

I was sure she didn't call my name.

My anxiety peaked to a level I did not know was possible. My palms sweated, my lungs took shallow breaths, my heart tried to break free from my tightening chest. I could feel my face turning a bright red as it burned.

The first rule of how to survive basic training was to not stand out. I hadn't even been here for a day and I already broke the most basic rule in the book.

"Alec Whitman, Barrack Two."

Beside me, Alec hesitated. His body swayed a moment before he took a step forward. Not to the Alliance officer but to the Barrack Two Lieutenant Leader.

He wasn't assigned to Alliance.

The last few cadets were called forth and too soon I stood there alone. 

In an open space. 

By myself.

I felt very alone and very vulnerable.

Too many eyes were on me. Too many were calculating me. The officer's, the general's, the cadet's, the Alliance officer's. My body tensed, my breathing ached. So badly, my stomach wanted to free itself, but I kept my jaw shut.

Colonel Song, with her small bird eyes, looked me over before she glanced down at her tablet.

"Melissa Sparrow, Alliance."