I woke up to the sound of the military horn. I wanted to go back to sleep, but then I suddenly remembered that today was my first day of training. I quickly changed into my new Cadet uniform. The nurse brought breakfast and some paperwork. The paperwork consisted of rules, maps, schedules, reminders; I think you get the idea. My new living quarters were small and very confined. When Alice comes, we'll get to be roommates, but for now, I'm on my own.

I got to the Weaponry Training class right at 6 am.

"Cutting it a little too close there, huh Cadet?" one of the other Cadets said. Everyone started laughing, except for the man hidden in the shadows. He stepped forward and some people stopped when they saw he was in full uniform. I snapped to attention when he yelled,

"WHAT THE HECK do you think you're doing showing off by bullying a fellow Cadet? Most definitely NOT the best way to make first impressions!" the man snarled and gave the Cadet a disapproving look. "Anyway, for those of you who have joined us in the past week, I'm Commander Howlett. However, you can call me Commander or Sir," Commander Howlett said. He started to walk up the aisle as he spoke. "Today will be easy, mostly tours and note taking, but tomorrow we start drills," Commander Howlett said as he stopped in front of me. "Is that understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" we yelled, almost in unison. I got a quick glance of his face before he yelled,

"Dismissed until further notice!"

I went back to my quarters to take notes from our humongous textbooks. Afterwards, I decided to study for tomorrow's drills. I didn't realize how late it had gotten, since the military horn sounded several hours later. I must've fallen asleep when I was studying, but this time, I made sure I was there early.

"Oh! Look who decided to show up today!" the rude Cadet smirked.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Are saying you missed all of the tours yesterday and didn't even know?" he laughed sarcastically. I felt like such an idiot!

"Oh shut up Alex! We're all trying to get used to this," a tall black-haired boy said. I found my spot in line and not a second later, Commander Howlett walked in. Today he was wearing a white T-shirt with his fatigue pants and a Commando hat. Why I noticed this, I have no idea. He started walking down the aisle with a clipboard to take role and when he came to me, he paused.

"Cadet Adams, your absence was noticed yesterday. Drop and give me 20 sit ups!" Commander Howlett barked. I was only on 10 when Alex couldn't contain his obscene laughter. "Something funny to you Cadet...Williams?" Commander Howlett scolded as he double checked the name.

"Yes sir, it only seems fair that absent or tardy Cadets get such harsh punishments," Alex answered.

"Then you should have no problem taking Adam's place. Only you're  going to do 20 push-ups," Commander Howlett said enthusiastically. I smiled to myself as I returned to my spot in line. Something tells me Alex won't last very long.

Today really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Our Commander just stressed how "important" our physical training is during our time here and how a healthy diet contributes to staying fit. By the end of the day, I was exhausted from listening to lectures and went to bed really early. 

I'm starting to get into the routine of things; briefings, lectures, lunch, then drills, free time, and back to bed. Believe it or not, I made a few friends; Max (the guy that stood up to Alex), Katie (a valley girl in desperate need of a trustworthy friend), and Vidia (a badass girl that doesn't except crap from anyone). Today, we all sat together at lunch. "Alex is definitely a jerk," Max complained.

"Don't worry, I'll give him a knuckle sandwich! I just have to wait for the perfect moment," Vidia said with a mischievous smile.

"You were so great today! I mean, I don't know a thing about those grody car engines, but you on the other hand, seriously know everything. Sarah, are you even listening to me?" Katie asked.

"Wait, what? Were you talking to me?" I asked. They all stared at me expectantly. "I didn't sleep well, got too cold," I said trying to sound convincing.

"We'll back off this time, but you don't have to be so secretive. We're friends now remember?" Max said as we went to find a spot to sit at for lunch.

"Damn it! Every seat is taken! I guess we'll have to eat in the hall," Vidia fumed. I quickly scanned the room one more time for empty seats.

"Maybe not, follow me!" I exclaimed. We were almost there when Katie held me back.

"What are you, crazy? We can't sit by the Commander! He's scary."

"Why not? He's all alone," I reasoned.

"It's against the 'unspoken' rules," Max whispered.

"There really isn't any other option and  your over-reacting. Besides, the longer we stand here, the hungrier we're gonna get," Vidia pointed out.

"Oh alright! Just...just don't make eye contact and maybe, by some miracle, he won't pick on us during drills," Katie said defeatedly.

"So, where are you from Katie?" Max asked attempting to change the topic.

"Los Angeles. What about you?" Katie answered proudly.

"Wisconsin, it snows a lot there. Gosh! I got used to the cold so much that I didn't realize how much I would miss it," Max said sadly.

"You can forget all about your little paradises. You'll probably never set foot there ever again," Commander Howlett growled.

"Sorry, we were just trying to lighten the mood," Vidia growled back.

"Where did you come from that made you so salty?" I asked the Commander. Everyone at our table went dead silent.

"What makes you think you can talk to me at all, much less, like that?" Commander Howlett asked sternly. I shrugged.

"I don't know...maybe it's because you're so approachable," I answered sarcastically.

"Careful Cadet, I have a nasty bite," Commander Howlett answered sharply before leaving.

"You certainly showed him," Max said.

"You've got some serious nerve girl," Katie said with an approving smile.

"You've got to watch that attitude of yours," Vidia warned.

"What? I was being honest and it was him who wanted us to shut up," I explained.

Before I knew it, the bell sounded for drills. About halfway through, Commander Howlett made an announcement, "Today we're going to change things up a bit. When we do our push ups and sit ups, whoever lasts the longest from each wins the prize of not doing drills next week and  a vacation. The boys will go first and then the girls. Line up!" I was sure to fail! Push ups aren't my strong point and there's no way I could beat someone like Vidia at situps.

"At least the guys get to go first," I thought as I tried not to get nervous. Max won the push ups and Alex won the sit ups; Now it was our turn. I stopped at 25 push ups when my arms started to feel like jelly. To my surprise, Vidia actually won the push ups, which meant that I still had a winning chance! I was at 30 sit ups when a few girls backed out. At 40 sit ups, 12 girls stopped. When we got to 50, almost everyone else gave up. Only 10 of us were left and I wasn't even out of breath! By the time we got to 70 sit ups, only 4 of us remained. "Almost there, keep going!" I kept telling myself. 90 was really pushing it, but it was just me and one other girl. I was starting to sweat buckets and I could feel the adrenaline rush threatening to make me pass out. At 100 sit ups, she was completely out of breath and couldn't take it anymore.

"WE HAVE A WINNER!" Commander Howlett yelled. As I heard the sound of applause, I collapsed on my back and smiled with victory. "All right, I think that's enough training for one day!" Commander Howlett laughed, "Head back to your quarters." I decided to lay there until everyone else passed by. Maybe then my heart rate would be back to normal? Most everyone had left when Commander Howlett came over, grabbed my arm, and hoisted me up. I almost lost my balance, but he caught me, making it even harder for me to catch my breath. "Easy there!" he said, making sure I could stand on my own 2 feet without needing assistance. "Here, have some water," Commander Howlett offered. I chugged it down in 4 big gulps. "You alright there Cadet?" he asked a little concerned.

"Yeah, just feelin' a little tired," I answered.

"I would feel like that to if I had done all of that! How'd you get that strong?"

"I don't know, maybe from working on my Grandparent's ranch?" I replied.

"You should get back to your quarters, I'll bet the other cadets are waiting for you," Commander Howlett said. Seeing Commander Howlett up close made me feel like I've seen him before, but where?