The Story Of Soldiers

Chapter 36

Another day, the teams were taken out into the forest, and the day was shaping up to be good.
Green Alpha was up a ways ahead of them, most likely Ashton's doing in an attempt to keep Blue Alpha away from Red Alpha.

Mason shoved Mia, "I'm smarter than you!"
Mia pushed her brother back, "Nuh-uh! I got a better grade than you on the last test!"
"No, you didn't!"

"Shut up you two," James snapped impatiently, "You got the same grade."
Mia opened her mouth to protest but quickly silenced herself when James shot her a glare.

Green Alpha was silent after that.
"The river is so fast," Kaze said obliviously.
"You don't say?" Kai replied sarcastically.

Kaze looked confused for a moment, before laughing along with the rest.
"Well, the currents are very quick," said Aayan.

"I kinda wanna swim in it," Kira remarked.
"Same," Colleen said.
"You shouldn't do that," Kahsbi said, "I heard somewhere that currents are stronger than they look. Right Aayan?"

Aayan nodded, "Agreed. Currents appear far slower than they actually are."
"There you go with that fancy phrasing," Jay laughed.

"That wasn't fancy?" Kamlyn said confusedly.
Jay shrugged, "You get my point."

Kira stared into the river as they walked along the bank, mesmerized by the swirling water. They wondered what it would be like to he inside. Would it drown them quickly, would Kira even know what was happening?

"Keep up," Diaz called to the team that had trailed behind, though he stopped just the next moment.
Robinson was also with them, and once the teams had gathered into a contained group she stood before them and began to speak.

"As I'm sure you have been learning, currents can be very strong," Robinson began, "Mind your step. Even at this point, one of the weakest in the river, it would be all too easy for one of you to fall in and be swept away."

Diaz stepped up beside his sister, "Does anyone want to explain why currents are so dangerous? 780?"
Ace cleared his throat, an air of cool confidence practically dripping off him.

"Water is far more powerful than some give it credit for. It can easily drag even the strongest swimmers down, and drown them," Ace explained, "That and fighting against the current is nearly impossible. Especially a stronger one like this."

Diaz nodded, "Very good 780."
That was one thing Kaze hated about Ace. He was an asshole, but when it came down to it, Ace was still very smart.
Ace got perfect scores on nearly every test, every assignment, as he would often point out.

It seemed as though Ace had everyone wrapped around his finger. He was cunning, a smooth talker, cold, and calculating. Ace could even be called manipulative.

Kaze had to admit it was impressive how seamlessly Ace had turned nearly everyone in the base against them. One day everyone was just...suddenly on them, burning hatred into them.

"Mememe," Jay mocked quietly, being sure to keep his voice down as to not be caught.
Kai stifled a laugh, covering his mouth quickly.
Colleen joined in, making her voice higher pitched to mock him, "Ohhh look I'm so smart."

"Stupid idiot," Kira whispered.
"Aren't those kinda the same thing?" Kaze asked.
Jay shrugged, "Eh, who cares."
"Don't be rude, guys," Aayan said reluctantly.

"He was way ruder to us first," Kamlyn challenged, and the others voiced their approval.
Kahsbi, who had been previously silent, "He's so annoying. I hate him!"

"Let's move along now," Diaz called, making their way up the river.
They walked for a few minutes, Kira watching carefully as the river slowly became faster and faster.