Defying Terror

Chapter XVIII

Slater J. Tross, O.L.C

August 14th, 2030, 11:39 am

The calm morning sun supervises the backyard as the gathering of recruits have scattered to the various stations throughout the wide space. The heat isn't as strong as it was yesterday, but it is borderline unmanageable. Clouds are nowhere to be found, with the only traces of them being over the horizon. It stormed last night, leaving the grounds of the headquarters cooler than before.

I watch as the surface of the pool glimmers like diamonds from the sunlight. The water surges as recruits break the barrier to the air, and the rest of the pool is disordered. Its arctic blue glow is the same hue as the sky, as are the oceans on the shores of Sabul. It's a bit on the chilly side, though, which should feel nice against the heat.

I decided to head to the swimming trials this morning with my new friend, CJ Martin. He had gone to the fighting training yesterday and was planning on moving on to the pools today. I don't know if I could have said the same, but I'm glad that I'm tagging along with him. He makes this whole experience more enjoyable than I imagined.

CJ is a pretty cool dude. We talked after dinner last night, following that brief encounter with Luke. He sleeps in the same bunk room as me, and his bed is located three to the right of Don Weller, from where I am stationed. He said that he wanted to choke the twins and their boss in their sleep, which he had to reiterate so that I understood that he was joking. He doesn't like resulting to violence so quickly. "At least wait for them to swing their t-rex arms before you fight back," he jested.

He admits that he has some popularity at school, though he has some things that he's not very open about. He's on the football team, a wide receiver, and loves going to parties; throwing them, too. He doesn't like telling anyone that he calls himself a "nerd", and used to be made fun of for liking books. His favorite pastime is reading, which doesn't go over well with his teammates. He could read two books in a week, he brags. I could read two books in a year.

Before lights-out last night, I looked across the aisle and saw him with a book in his lap, while the rest of the buffoons in the room were bouncing off the walls. I don't know how he could concentrate with so much noise. He told me that he had three younger siblings, so I'm sure he's used to the disturbances. I'm not the reading type, but it seems much better than doing something mindless... like a bunch of seventeen-year-old boys having a pillow fight.

At breakfast earlier this morning, CJ told me something that tied it all up in a nice little bow. As it turns out, he is expected to make it into the top ten of the class. The athletic side, the intellectual side, plus the emotional and mental strength; it makes sense now. He joined the Imperial Guard because the option was recommended to him by a recruiter that visited Stanville. He was given the choice to have a mentor for the summer, and if he went through with it, it's very likely he would've been paired with the Captain.

But no. Here he is, silently boasting confidence. No weight on his shoulders.

CJ offered to try out the trial before I do today. From the looks of it, and what Private O'Shea explained, the test is just how long you can stay underwater. So far, no one has surpassed forty-seven seconds. I'm not so sure that I could go that long. Private O'Shea says that he's disappointed that no one can reach at least a minute, and no one is heading to lunch until someone makes it. CJ knows he can do it.

"It's really not that hard, you know," He describes, observing the swimmers as they pace around the pool. "Your lungs may burn, but you have to get past that. Then, it's easy."

I glance at him, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure that's drowning, CJ. The "easy part" is dying."

"Exactly my point. Dying is way too easy to do. You have to fight through it."