GENERAL'S DAUGHTER

Chapter Two

Flossie Yvelle Villamor

8:40AM

We were in a field, right next to the Elbe River. It was where all the new cadets were meeting up. I was scanning the crowd, looking for Sarah. I knew she had to be here somewhere. Where she is? Everyone was in their groups, so I started looking for my group. Sa hindi kalayuan nakita ko sina Layla at Miya, mga naging kasama ko sila sa training ko sa Berlin at naging kaibigan na rin. Mabilis akong naglakad para lapitan sila.

"Miya! Layla!" I yelled. They turned around and smiled when they saw me.

"You guys been here long?" I asked.

"Yeah, the rest of our group isn't here yet," Layla said.

I glanced at my wristwatch. We had about twenty minutes before things kicked off. I looked up at the sky. It was overcast, but there is no fog. A thick, black cloud was hanging over the western horizon of Lower Saxony. That dark cloud was gonna be here before 11:00 AM, especially with the wind blowing this way. I'd checked the weather earlier, and the rain was supposed to start at 11:00 AM, so we needed to be across the Elbe River before then.

The Elbe River was a beast, 300 to 500 meters wide depending on the spot, water level and the current. If I'm a professional swimmer, it would take me 20 to 23 minutes, assuming the current wasn’t too strong. Kagabi habang naka check-in ako sa Hotel nagpractice akong lumangoy sa swimming pool ng hotel at sinubukan kong orasan ang sarili ko. At tingin ko makakatawid ako sa kabila kahit na may backpack ako.

Nahintuan ako sa pag-iisip ng biglang may yumakap saakin mula sa likuran ko, paglingon ko Sarah, she was smiling.

"Good morning Flossie."

"Good morning. Ready ka na?" Tanong ko kay Sarah pero agad syang napaismid. Napakunot tuloy ang noo ko. Did I say something wrong?

"Palagi mo nalang ako tinatanong kung ready na ako? Can you ever ask me if I'm okay?" Her voice with a hint of petulance. I chuckled and shrugged.

"Guys, I heard they're reshuffling the teams. They're gonna split us up into four groups."

"What? So we’re gonna be separated?" Miya's face fell. Bumaling ako ng tingin kay Sarah. So this meant it was possible we wouldn’t be on the same team. Sarah hugged Layla, nalulungkot sya dahil gusto pa rin nya magkakasama kami ng team kaso hindi naman kami ang masusunod. We're just a cadets at ang pagsunod sa instructions and commands ng Condottiere namin ang pinaka-mahalaga.

I scan the surroundings, and looked at the other groups who were entering this year as a new cadets just like us. They looked fit, and you could tell they were experienced with physical trainings, just by looking at their body built. Ang iba sa kanila mukang magkakakilala pa.

If I wasn't mistaken, some of them were the daughter and son of elite people, Air Force Generals, Marine Commander and others were from royal families, like that guy. If I’m not mistaken, he’s the son of Marquez Maximo and Lady Elizabeth, the duke and duchess of Barcelona, Spain. The girl next to him is the daughter of the Prince of Denmark and Royal Mistress Madame Agnes Soledad. Her name is Camilla. Napanood ko sya noon sa isang TV program, nag guesting sya, and she's incredibly beautiful.