War is a Deceitful Thing

Chapter 1

It was just another normal day at the nail factory. The nails had given me the gift of many cuts on my hands already, but I was used to it. This is the most boring job in the world. I glanced up at the sign that I know by heart. It read:

Those who go into the commander's room without authorization

Will be fired immediately.

I sighed. If you worked at the nail factory long enough, all the tasks the commander asked you to perform became mindless. That is exactly what happened to me.

"I am going out for lunch," Commander Thyme said to one of the guards. "Not a single person can enter my room, same as always." Yes, same as always. Every single day when Thyme left, my enemy Tierra would go into the commander's room and steal one thing or another and frame someone else for it. Only Basil and Penelope(also known as my best friends) knew how much I despised her.

Sometimes, my friends and I placed bets. Once morning, I placed twenty greenbacks that a girl named Marisol would be blamed. She and Tierra had been having a feud lately. After work that day, I received twenty greenbacks from all of my friends at the nail factory.

I watched her bribe the guard. "See you tonight," she said as she winked at him. Disgusting. As she walked into the room, something snapped inside of me and I walked up to the guard.

"I have had enough of you and all the other guards letting her in there just because you fancy her!" His cold, brown eyes looked into my white ones. "We lose an employee a day because of her! Do you know what that means?" I didn't wait for him to respond. "Someday, you will have to do what I am doing instead of just standing around all day. You will get cuts all over you and it is all because of her!" I screamed at him. I took a deep breath and walked back to my station, my red haired ponytail swinging as I walked. As if on perfect timing, Commander Thyme walked back into the room.

"What was all that noise?" he yelled in his deep voice. I wanted to become invisible right then. The guard looked me right in the eye.

"Nothing," he said to him. My mouth dropped open. Tierra, who somehow appeared next to me piped up.

"She was yelling at Guard Mattias over there for no particular reason! It was really scary," she said. I glared at her. She began to cry the fakest tears of them all.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Tierra. It won't happen again," Commander said. "You two, follow me." Head held high, I followed Commander Thyme into his room.

"My two best employees, fighting it out in front of everyone to see. This is not what I expect from you two." Commander Thyme looked me in the eye. "I'm afraid I am going to have to fire both of you." My eyes grew wide. This job was my only source of income(besides the bets), earning me eighteen greenbacks a week! How was I supposed to pay my taxes and get food without this job? Commander Thyme must have sensed my distress. "I will line another job up for you, but it might take a few weeks."

"Sir, I have no place to live," Mattias said. "Where will I live, on the streets?"

"No, I will have you room with Miss Rosemarie here until you get your jobs." What? My house barely has enough room for me, let alone a roommate! "I'll send you off with this week's pay. Do not come begging for money, you hear?"

"Yes, sir," Mattias and I said in unision. We got up and left into the deserted streets of Eyjan, with all of our coworkers staring at us as we went.

Mattias and I walked to my house in the empty center city in silence. Every now and then, he would kick a rock into the street or jump in a puddle in the middle of the road, soaking his backpack and his legs as he did. Finally, he decided to speak up.

"So, Rosemarrie," he exaggerated my name, "where is this supposed house you live in?"

"It's across from the Central Building," I replied, hoping that would end the conversation. It did not.

"How big is it? Do I get my own bed? What's in your fridge?" He asked questions like that for maybe ten minutes.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" I said as I opened the door to my humble home. On the left was my double bed, covers and sheets thrown everywhere. On the right was the dining table and rundown couch and matching chair. Straight ahead of the front door was the kitchen. Well, what I call a kitchen. It consisted of a mini fridge, an oven I found on the street, and a table that my father had when he was little. I looked over at Mattias.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"It's um, nice, I guess," he replied.

"You can be honest," I said laughing.

"No, I'm serious. It's much better than living in a dorm with a the other guards at the nail factory. I watched him as he cautiously walked around my humble home. He glanced at the fridge longingly.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. His face reddened, embarrassed that I noticed him looking at the fridge.

"Yeah, a little."

"Mattias, you could've told me that." I walked over to the fridge and got out a packet of dried strawberries. "Here, have some." I threw the packet at him.

"Thanks," he said. He seemed to be more comfortable with me because he threw his backpack on the floor and sat down on the couch. I grabbed a strawberry packet for myself and got out a book and started working in a math book my rich cousin Penelope sent me.

After about an hour, I sensed him staring at me.

"What?!" I yelled, I immediately regretted it.

"Nothing," he blushed, "It's just that you do math so quickly. What page did you start on today?"

"Page twenty," I replied.

"Answer me this, what page are you on now?"

"Page forty-five," I said. Now it was my turn to blush.

"Why haven't they had you tested for the Mathgov yet?" Our city, Eyjan, had a league of unbelievably smart mathematicians that were called the Mathgov. They were often granted the opportunity to become president.

"You know that they don't let poor people get in the Mathgov. Besides, I'm probably not smart enough anyway."

"You're too modest."

"Whatever." We must've been there for hours just doing math, until we fell asleep.

I woke up to someone or something pounding on my makeshift door.

"Woah, woah, woah, you're gonna break my door!" I said as I opened it. I stood face-to-face with someone's chest. I slowly looked up. My eyes must've bulged out of my eyes. "Y-y-you're from the milit-t-t-t-tary." The man grabbed me and put a blindfold on me. I could hear Mattias struggling against the man.

"Rosemarie!" he yelled. Then, everything went black.