GENERAL'S DAUGHTER

Chapter One

Flossie Yvelle Villamor

(Flossie at 17 years old)

It was a bright day, the air crisp and cool in Berlin, Germany. I lay stretched out on the grass, beneath the shade of a sprawling tree. Bago ako ipadala ni Dada sa AMO training sa Lower Saxony as a new cadet for this year, I had to undergo a physical training regimen, and today marked exactly one year since I began. Well, it wasn't exactly what I wanted, at hindi rin gusto ni Mommy na maging mercenary ako kagaya ni Dada kaso walang pwedeng sumuway sa utos ni Dada as she's the head of our family, and her word is law.

Bumangon ako nang marinig ko ang boses ni Sarah. Tinatawag na nya ako. Kanina kasi sa training camp ng Drachèn iniwan ko sya habang nakikipagkwentuhan sa iba pa naming makakasama na pumasok sa AMO. Unlike me, Sarah dreamed of becoming a mercenary, just like her parents. Tito Greg and Tita Coline. But, Tita Coline is no longer with them. They weren't together for long, but for Sarah, Tita Coline was always her mom.

In fact, palagi pa rin nyang tinititigan yung family pictures nila noong nag-birthday sya sa Aizenberg Home Shelter even though her stepmother tells her to stop mentioning Aunt Coline's name in their house. Sometimes iniisip ko na isa sa dahilan kaya gustong pumasok ni Sarah sa AMO kasi para makaalis sya sa control ng stepmother nya. I know that's her biggest stress.

"Haist! Kanina pa kita hinahanap Flossie." Nakapameywang sya sa harapan ko habang nakataas ang isang kilay.

"Just taking a break," I laughed, "You never know, this might be the last time we see peace and quiet before things get crazy." I stood up and bent down, tying the laces of my combat boots.

"Bumalik na tayo dun, nag-uwian na kaya sila. Command Sergeant Chen said it was a half-day, remember? We're supposed to get home early to pack up our things," Sermon ni Sarah. She straightened up her body and pulled the black rubber band out of her hair, letting her black, curly hair, which reached her shoulders, fall loose. She wrinkled her nose at saka sya napa'ismid. I smiled as I stared at her small and delicate nose. Even her lips with naturally full pouted in annoyance. Hmm, her face hadn't changed a bit since we were ten. She's pretty... Beautiful even.

"Nakaready na ba yung gamit mo?" Tanong ko sa kanya.

"Yep, Dad brought it to Lower Saxony yesterday. What about you?"

"Yeah, my luggage is getting delivered tomorrow morning. I'll just take my backpack with me." Sagot ko habang sabay kaming naglalakad pabalik sa Drachèn base.

Lower Saxony, in the northern part of Germany, is where the largest Aizenberg Mansion of AMO stands. All the new cadets train and study there until they become full-fledged mercenaries. Well, the difference between ordinary mercenaries and AMO mercenaries is huge.

Ordinary mercenaries get paid to fight wars, while AMO mercenaries get paid to fight wars and deal with huge, global syndicates that even the State can't handle. They pass those problems on to AMO, and AMO hunts them down. And the only way you can do it is to kill them. Kill to save, kill so you don't get killed. That's what Dada always tells me.

Nang makabalik kami ni Sarah sa base, kinuha lang namin ang bag namin at nagbihis para magpalit ng casual clothing then saka kami muling naglakad palabas ng Drachèn base. It's pretty strict going out from Drachèn training camp, but even stricter coming in. If physical training starts at 4:00 AM, you need to be here by 3:00 AM or 3:30 AM because there are a bunch of checkpoints you have to go through before you can even enter the Drachèn base.