Kel and I stood shoulder to shoulder in the messy group that was the Tower's newest recruits. All of us were fresh-faced high school graduates unused to the uniform and uncertain about what lay ahead of us for the next two years. Unlike the others, Kel and I bore the silver Gemma pins on our lapel, not medals of honor but tokens of discrimination. The whispers around us weren't particularly quiet, and those that stood closest to us shied away. As the drill sergeant approached alongside two other officers, the group quieted.

"This is disgraceful. What kind of ragtag lines are these? Line up properly and stand at attention!" she yelled. We scrambled to form lines as she glared at us. Her stare was downright venomous when she met my gaze. The other officers watched with disapproving looks. I could read their faces as their gazes darted from Kel's pin to my own: Two of them?

The drill sergeant paced a line in front of us. "Shoddy work, but we'll shape you up soon enough. I am Officer Daega. You're here to become soldiers, and we're going to give you the training to do just that." She ground to a halt in front of me. "As for you Gemma — I don't think you should even be allowed here among good, righteous citizens of this city. Your presence is a threat to us all."

I let her words wash over me — I'd heard it all a thousand times before. It stung, but it was like being pricked with a needle where skin had calloused. Daega sneered when she got no reaction from me and shifted to Kel.

"However, the law says you are here to do work as a soldier. Rest assured, you will work. You will do twice what everyone else does. You will be first to take the hardest tasks and last to receive meals." Daega's voice carried. The rest of the group exchanged glances with one another and in their expressions was relief. They were not going to be at the bottom of the barrel, because the Gemma would be the ones crushed under the weight of training. Daega smiled. "See how generous I am? If you do your work properly, then you won't have to face circumstances like these Gemma."

She spat the last word as if it was tar on her tongue, but there was a glimmer in her eye as she watched Kel. I could see it the same as her — while Kel's face remained neutral, his jaw had tightened and at his sides, his hands had curled into fists. A smirk played across Daega's face. I felt a cold anger rising within me.

"Why, thank you," I cut in as bitingly as I could, "Twice the practice means we will be twice as good as everyone else. It is heartening to see how you would willingly spend more time with us Gemma."

The silence that descended spoke volumes more than when the drill sergeant had yelled at us. The other recruits shuffled their feet as the accompanying officers exchanged glances. Kel stared with wide-eyed amazement. The smile on Daega's face was frozen in place, but when I met her gaze, I could see the fury burning in her eyes. I lifted my chin ever so slightly.

"You will address me as ma'am," Daega said, her voice cold, cutting through the silence like a knife. "Get on the ground and give me fifty push-ups. Both you and your friend." She made a gesture with her fingers and one of the officers stepped forward. "Corporal Ravi, oversee them while I tend to our new recruits."

"Yes ma'am," Ravi replied briskly. He gazed at Kel and I with stony eyes. "Do as she says, recruits."

We did the push-ups, though not without straining. Neither Kel nor I had been particularly fit before, Kel preferring to exercise only on occasion while I preferred the comfort of my books, and this would be the first of many rude wake-up calls to our untrained muscles. My arms burned once I finished and got to my feet, and I had a feeling that they would only hurt more the next morning.

Our extra push-ups meant Kel and I missed the tour and overview with Daega, so Ravi gave us a brief rundown. He showed us the training grounds and barracks, discussed the rules and curfew, and introduced us to other officers.

Ravi was leading us through an empty hall when he spoke up. "My little sister is Gemma," he said, not looking at us, "She's eight years old and the sweetest person I know. But because she can coax a flower into bloom with her voice, her life is so much harder." He glanced our way, his lips pressed in a thin line. "There are one or two others here that think the same as I do. We can't do much to help but ... know that not everyone here hates you."

It was a small peace offering, but it was welcome after that morning's disastrous introduction with Daega. Kel spoke for both of us as he gave a tentative smile. "Thank you."

Eventually, Kel and I rejoined the rest of the recruit group where we did exercises together. These were some simple fitness tests, like timed sprints, push-ups, and squats, but Daega kept her promise: Kel and I were given more work than the other recruits, and we were always last to finish. As such, with twilight closing in, Kel and I were last to answer the dinner bell.

We walked into the mess hall with aching limbs, too exhausted to notice the whispers and watchful eyes of the others as we entered. Neither of us spoke much as we grabbed trays, got our food, and sat down at an empty table. I chewed on a bland piece of buttered bread while Kel stared at a wall, deep in thought. Under the table, I nudged his foot to prompt him to eat, and he did, taking his fork and stabbing it into a piece of broccoli.

A shadow fell over us as someone approached our table. Soup sloshed and sprayed across Kel and I, covering our uniforms with pieces of potatoes and onions and ruining our half-eaten meals. I stared, stunned, while Kel grabbed napkins to dry himself off. He shot a glare at the man who stood beside our table, his now-empty soup bowl held loosely in his hand. The name on his lapel spelled 'Bardo' and his brown hair had so much gel in it that it still held up after a day's worth of exercise.

"Oops," Bardo said, "I tripped." He had very obviously not tripped. He watched Kel and I with a raised brow, chin tilted so he was looking down his nose at us. I gripped the edge of the table and took in a long breath, holding back some choice words, then reached for napkins as well.

"Apologize," Kel snapped, tossing aside a wet wad of soupy napkins and reaching for fresh ones.

Bardo shrugged. "It was an accident," he said, and walked away. A twittering of whispers arose from the other tables. Kel balled up the soup-filled napkins, stood, and threw them at the back of Bardo's head. The napkin ball landed with a satisfying wet smack.

The mess hall went utterly silent. Bardo reached up and peeled away the mushy mess, the haughty look in his eyes turning bellicose. He turned, maybe to throw it back or to spout obscenities at us, but was stopped by a voice over his shoulder.

"Wolff, Sciarra," it said. I clenched my jaw as I saw who it was — Daega. She narrowed her eyes. "I see you've learned none of the lessons taught today. Causing fights and turning on your comrades — you Gemma are all cut from the same cloth."

Kel glared. "If you'd actually seen what had happened, you'd know that —"

"I know what I saw, and I saw you, Wolff, harassing Bardo."

"That bastard is the one who —"

"You and Sciarra will be in charge of cleaning the entire mess hall," Daega ordered, raising her voice as she spoke over Kel's protests. "I want it spotless before you turn in. No questions."

"But —"

"'Yes, ma'am'," Daega said.

Kel's fist curled at his sides. "Yes, ma'am," he grated out. Daega gave a short nod before turning, Bardo following behind like a lost puppy. Kel dug his nails into the table, his fingertips turning white.

In the time he'd been arguing, I had kept silent, not because I wasn't angry, but because I was focusing my anger on a different task. Daega and Bardo had been too busy focusing on Kel to notice what I'd been doing while placidly dabbing napkins on my uniform.

The laces of Bardo's combat boots trailed behind him, undone with a bit of telekinesis on my part. He was walking rather close to Daega. I nudged one of the laces under Daega's boot as Bardo took a step.

I will admit it was most gratifying to hear him fall with a heavy thump, sprawled across the concrete floor, nearly pushing over Daega in the process.

Daega managed to keep on her feet and immediately saw the problem. She stepped away and flashed Bardo an irritated glare. "Tie your laces properly, recruit," she said, before storming off, leaving Bardo flushed with embarrassment.

I turned my gaze back down to my soup-stained uniform. Kel, who had turned to gaze at the commotion, raised an eyebrow at me. He must have seen the hint of a smile on my face and guessed what I'd done, because he rolled his eyes and grinned.

We stayed behind to clean up the mess hall, as ordered. And while I don't remember much of the task itself, I won't forget how Kel hummed as he worked, singing one of those old songs from his mothers' generation, voice echoing off the walls and rising to the rafters.

Since we were last to arrive, which I suspected with a sinking feeling in my gut would be the pattern for the next couple years, Kel and I got the bunks in the dark, slightly drafty corner. By that point in the day, though, we were too exhausted to care, and there were far too many hostile gazes on us to raise an outcry. I crawled under the covers and passed out almost immediately.

It was only when I was awoken with a bucket of ice-cold water thrown in my face that I realized that the war between us and the other recruits would also last the full two years of military service.

Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since I last posted and I apologize. I've been swamped by exams and an upcoming co-op, and to be honest, my interest has shifted towards other projects (like playing Genshin Impact ... but also other hobbies I have) . I doubt I'll be able to make the ONC round 3 deadline on time haha (bruh I have so much to write, the deadlines like four days from now). 

Uh, aside from that announcement, some notes on the chapter! Firstly, I literally have no idea how the military works, so everything here is speculative and pretty much based off movies and media, so I'm sorry for any inconsistencies haha.

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