The Soldier

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

All is silent until Officer Aura asks, "Are you two okay?" The look on his face is darker than before. As if he's going to murder someone. I can understand that Officer Aura is angry. Jon and some other cadets did not follow orders, but to want to murder someone...

"Yes, Officer." Leslie answers. I try to too, but for some reason, my tongue won't budge to find the words. I can only slowly nod my head.

Jacob's cold gray eyes are pointed directly at me, and it must be my imagination, but they soften.

The pain in my stomach ripples even more, threatening me to finally let it go so it can take over my body, and make my vision fade.

It does.

+ + +

"Good, you're finally awake!" Leslie cheers, pressing a damp cloth against my forehead.

She helps me sit up, trying to keep me from shaking. A hammer, heated by a forger's fire coals, is beating against my forehead. I bite my lips, to keep from screaming out in agony.

The room's moving in circles. Never stopping. Like, I'm a little kid's merry-go-round, and someone hasn't gotten the message to stop moving it. Like, the world has finally spun off its axis and is going to go crashing down in a black hole like a bomb.

"Whoa, June." Leslie's still trying to hold me steady, but it's not working.

But that's when I'm finally able to notice that he's there too. Officer Aura.

The world slowly begins to turn back to its normal speed.

Jacob Aura is checking my temperature, holding some silver device to my arm and forehead. My heart begins to slow as I have my eyes focus on the boy, searching his face for recognition. If he does, he's a good at acting like he's never seen before until I came to Camp One. I can't find anything in those stormy gray eyes of Officer Aura. It's what I thought before. He doesn't remember me, but that's not going to stop me. I will make him remember, just like he made me remember.

"It's a Reeler." he says, noticing my curiosity. "Almost thought you were never going to wake up, Castor." Officer Aura states, bringing the device to my finger. "This is going to sting a little." The device ejects a silver needle point that he, after wiping my left index finger with a disinfectant wipe, injects it into my tender skin.

Leslie looks away, covering her eyes. "Ugh, I hate needles! Tell me when it's done." She moves a distance away from Officer Aura and me. The sound she makes is so ridiculous, I begin to laugh. The two of them look at me as if I've sprouted spikes on my forehead, but I keep on laughing, as Officer Aura draws some of my blood in to a plastic, clear tube.

"Hold still, June." he says, and I gasp.

He's never been so informal with me. It's not custom.

"What? It does! What's so funny?" Leslie frowns, trying to cover up Officer Aura's comment. She can't hide it. She starts laughing too.

Now Officer Aura is staring at the both of us, his straight, pale blonde eyebrows raised. "Do you soldiers find blood funny?" There is a half grin on his face.

It's not really funny, we both know this. But there is an awkwardness in the air.

"No, sir." Leslie and I say in unison too fast, but there's still a grin on his face.

He takes the needle from my finger, then lets the blood travel down a tube to the silver device pot. "You should be fine now. We had to take a sample of blood, then redo it, while checking you temperature."

"You were out for a whole day." Leslie adds.

The room gets quiet. Cold air rushes through. At least, it feels like it. Officer Aura leaves once he's gotten the silver box and device into a slot so it can be taken to the Lab Division. (It is required by law, that whenever a citizen is sick, a blood sample must be taken to be recorded.) I don't know why, but that's another unexplained law the North haves us following. It's unreasonable, but there's no point in not doing it. I have too many people I care about at stake. There's no telling what the Lab Division might do to get their way.

Before he leaves, Officer Aura says, "Testing is tomorrow. You two might as well get some sleep." Then he shifts his eyes to Leslie... I swear, because by the time he says, "Good luck to you, Soldiers." I know something is up.

I only speak when the door is closed shut, and I've made sure Officer Aura has completely gone away.

"Yeah, good luck tomorrow." I say to Leslie, my lips turned up slightly up into a grim smile.

Leslie scowls at me, her fists clenched. "Good luck? You know I'm not going to pass. You've passed at everything since we've been at this camp! It's obvious. You can't get sent Home! You're the President's daughter! It would be high treason if that happened to you. Rich people in the North of New Rome get that sort of treatment. If you're poor like me, you're on your won!" Leslie spits, her mouth pinched as if all she tastes is something scornful; something like me.

I'm stunned. It's like she slapped me cold. "Les-"

"No! Good luck to you, Castor!" she interrupts.

Then my best friend turns around, walks out the door, and slams it shut behind her. I hear her stomp down the wooden steps.

I'm still shocked. I forgot, but she's right. They can't send me Home, then if I fail, they'd keep me as a housekeeper, or something, never as a soldier. Camp One's funds would be taken away. Not only that, but, the Lab Division would have all the officers, commanders, generals, executed by firearm, including Officer Aura.

I can understand Leslie's burning envy.

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