Find your faith

Chapter 87: If we just look to each other

Ethan's POV
"Hi Ethanol!" Crystal and Chloe chorused, giving me the nickname only I let them call me. I greeted them back and we started talking as we waited for the rest of the compass to arrive. I started to share about what we did during the China exchange, and the precious jealous Chloe disappeared, now replaced with curiosity for her friends' lives. She was fully present during our conversation.

The compass members appeared one by one, and we all got together to board the MRT to the Padang. Today was our slot to watch the NE show! It was a preview of the National wide NDP before its actual broadcast on 9th August.
On the MRT
YZ's POV
YZ: So how was China?

Ethan: It was fun, except the A Math test in between.

Anika: You told us, but I guess we can't do anything about it. Anyway, what activities did you do during your exchange? Would give me an idea of what to expect.

Crystal: We cooked Nasi Lemak together and there was a school and CCA tour. For the performing arts, they managed to make them understand in one video.

Lucas: ONE VIDEO! bursts into laughter
Padang seats
Chloe's POV
Squeezing through the crowds, we managed to find some seats in the blue sector and sat down. We checked out the goodie bags given to us and then prepared our items to support the show as well as some snacks to eat during the show. Of course, Anika made sure we had the water with us because it was burning at that moment in time.

This year started out in a special way. Of course, the hosts had to bring in the energy and we sung to a choir's performance for the first time in our lives. The pre-parade segment was just as special. This year, there was contemporary dance in the pre-parade segment, which made it even more special.
Nicole's POV
The parade segment soon came, with the parade commander commanding the contingents one. One by one, they lined up to march into the Padang. The land soldiers went on first, followed by the navy, then the police force...eventually, all formed one straight line and it started to make me wonder if there were any students in there.

The Girls' Brigade soon came marching in with their umbrellas, making me sure that almost half of it was students in the show. The Red Lions soon descended down onto the ground, which made us gawk in awe. The best touch? Two of them were female this year.
Anika's POV
The Total Defence segment was my favourite. The six pillars of defence were being demonstrated through professional role-playing, and the use of vehicles just left me stunned, but in a good way. The host's energy in talking about the six pillars came with the light bands on our wrist that can't stop flashing. But we thoroughly enjoyed this edition of the NDP. It made us feel like we were a part of the show, and the show a whole lot more engaging.
Crystal's POV
The performance segment was stunning. The many sub-acts covered so many topics in the show, like our ancestors and the contributions made to build Singapore up or the great food culture in Singapore. All of us were standing up and singing to our hearts' content and since we were in the middle, we knew we pissed some people off. But the others didn't mind one group of 8 singing together, and one asked to take a selfie with all of us, which we agreed to. Apparently, that person was a fan of both Ethan and me. We all started to stand up and sing with passion, our screams coursing through the night.

The night soon came to an end, and we sang the National Anthem and recited the pledge. The finale music played through and we all sang our hearts out. Shine your Light played, causing Ethan, Chloe and me to go hysterical. We gathered together and basically screamed the lyrics over the whole crowd. But I don't mind getting into all these shenanigans because these are my closest friends, and we brave through every moment in the top class together. Yes, even hangouts.