The Fight for Freedom (Book One in the EDSOR Military Academy Trilogy)

Chapter 16- A Chat With Trevor and Peter

A siren was heard from the speakers as I rubbed my eyes. Oh right. We all had combat classes.

“All students, please report to the Xavier Gymnasium. At once, right now, immediately!”, Ms Militante’s voice boomed from the speakers. That was a deafening sound that almost ruptured my ear drums. I didn’t have time to take a bath anymore so in an attempt to be well-groomed, I splashed water all over my shivering naked body. This is my personal diary and the reader must realize that this is also a war document. I am not being an Anne Frank but I do feel like I am stuck in a Ghetto. This war simply takes away our grooming and being refined. We all need to toughen up and be like men. Goodbye, Home Economics. I’ll start dreading you again after the war if I ever survive.

I wear my simple blue ICA camp t-shirt and head off to the Xavier Gymnasium. I was jogging…which is weird because I only sprint.

“Morning Jesse”, Gerard huffed as he appeared beside me. He colored his hair brown because he was trying to imitate some anime dude from a Japanese show. He ruffled it. “The architecture of the fortress is going well. The engineers and workers can finish this in a week. Malcolm’s already making the illustrations for the garrisons and armory”. He tried to catch up with my speed. He was thin, cute and lanky which made him kind of lovable in a kiddy way.

“Thank you, Gerard”, I saluted him. It was a gesture of respect. “W-why are you saluting me?”

I grinned. “I don’t deserve to be treated like this. I believe there is someone better than me”

“But Mike chose you. You can’t just back out. If you b-back out, I’ll back out too. I pledge my loyalty to you, prez”

Wow. That was intense. I never knew he’d say that. Of all people, I thought he would be the ever gullible anime geek whom everybody bullied. Looks like he’s grown up in this war. To top it all off, he placed his two fingers in his right hand to his chest and grinned at me. “I pledge loyalty to Mike but since he passed my loyalty to you, I obey him”. So his loyalty lies with Mike who merely assigned him to follow me. Great.

“What do you think we’re supposed to do with Ms Militante? I’ve never been under her before”

“She gives us back breaking lessons”, Gerard answered with his eyebrows arching down. “Emphasis on the back-breaking”

When we got to the location, I was amazed that we were five minutes early. Peter and Trevor were discussing something in front of us.

“Trevor, listen to me! There are only five thousand volunteers willing to be pressured for battle. Most of them are men and they’re so lazy. We’ll never get through this war alive!”, Peter exclaimed, waving his hands up in the air.

“Peter, that’s because women don’t volunteer to help out at all. They’d rather gossip and sleep in their cozy beds because men do all the work. As you know, there are 35 percent girls here”

“Leave it to a girl to mess things up. I’ve tried persuading them. I’d end up getting chased. Its no use”

“Good morning Commandants”, I interrupt them. I was absolutely irritated at their sexist remarks.

Both of them salute me. I nod in acceptance. I straighten my posture and look at them with a straight face. “Is there anything bothering you?”

“Yes Miss Hope”, Trevor quickly said. “We have quite a big problem with the women. Perhaps a speech would empower them all”

I turned pale. He knew I hated crowds. I then felt blood rush up to my face. “Isn’t there another way to force them to? Use your charm on them”, I glared at Peter, who was staring into space.

“It backfired against me. Since we’re the ones assigned for combat training, we’ll try to pursue as many girls to join”, Trevor said, sighing. Peter chuckled. “When he tried to use his charm on a couple of assassins, they chased him”, Peter laughed.

“Hey, its not my fault I am so adorable”, Trevor shrugged.

“We’ll get back to you, President. Once we take this dude to a psychiatrist”, Peter said.

“Good. Come back to me with the statistics”