Broken by Dawn

Chapter 1

" So are you excited to be the first captain to go to their camp site?" I said to Cardon as she was leaving to go with her troop. "I, well, I should,... well never mind, I mean sure, ya, I might have a little fun." Cardon said to me as she put her hat on and walked of. I knew she couldn't bare it, the stress she has is insane. Especially because she tends to overthink everything. Something she calls "deep thinking". Cardon is only in her second to last year in high school, and not getting support from her family to go on this mission. Nevertheless, they had to send her off even if it might cost Cardon her life.

Other people were in her shoes too. They were taken straight from school. Chosen, I should say, chosen from our school. They all got picked up by this undercover army troop called the Black Hoods. Which was kind of ironic, they were wearing all white and grey. The Black Hoods hand picked students from our high school. Cardon was one of the ones chosen. The Black Hoods took other people too. I can only remember the names from Cardons troop. Which was: Larimar, Cardon's enemy, Kye, Malachite, and Carnelian. Come to think of it, about half the school was taken. O, I'm sorry "chosen".

That was all a week ago, and I'm still in this dime lighted room we got put into when we first came here. Cardon and her group were the first one's to leave. I've been stuck here with no contact with anyone besides the ones in the huge room. There are bunk beds everywhere and it smells of lakes, pine trees, and dead fish. If we're lucky it smells like popcorn. The Black Hoods cook and bring us slop that is supposedly called food. Nobody likes that stuff except Tyed, the one who sleeps under me. I was assigned to camp ground GZ. Cardon and her team was assignedto AZ grounds. It looked like the hardest grounds to even live on. There is a huge lake and the best trees with fresh and ripe fruit and nuts. It I know my veggies there was even a garden of vegetables. The ground to camp on was probably the hardest thing in the history of the world. Nobody knew why she chose to be captain of her clan, I mean team. She was not very liked by her troop at school. So I don't know how it's looking for her at her beautiful perfect camp.

I was sent to go deliver Cardon's team an envelope today. I was assigned messinger by our commander, Commander Pablo. The leader of the Black Hoods. He told me that her troops are feed up with her and she needed to be sent the letter.

"The troops have to gain and have trust in their leader," Commander Pablo stated. "If not, we as a group must change out or get rid of the bad leader. I've heard Cardon is not popular or liked amongst her peers. She has already signed the captain decree or syllabus one might call it. So, she must follow the steps in what she says. It is only fair she gets what she signed up for. She didn't have to Talina, she chose this letters information. She chose to be a captain. It is her fate. You must deliver it to her immediately. Cardon, your friend, has got three weeks."

I wondered what in the heck he was talking about. I know Cardon was not liked, but I didn't think they would still treat her the way they did at school. After all, the "adults" were here to stop them. I even say some of the Commander's Generals get assigned to look out for her at the campground AZ. Well, I guess not. I really want to see what is in the letter. Should I open it? No, no I won't. Besides I already know Cardon will tell me what this stupid letter says. She better tell me!

I had to ride a four wheeler to get to the AZ campground. Transportation was limited. Plus I had to bring Tyed with me and I'm not about to ride in a car with him. Me and Tyed had two of the fastest four wheelers you could imagine. They went so fast that it took two years to get to the campground we are supposed to go to. When normally it takes two hours.

We finally came to the campground after about six hours. We had to make cool down stops for the four wheelers, because they couldn't handle all that motor power.

I found Cardon on a log by a fire. She was cooking fish when I gave her the letter. "First before you read this letter we have to make a deal that you will tell me what it says, ok?" I said very concerned.

"That's fine with me." Cardon argued calmly

She told me that she could barely stand from all the hard work they had her do. "Commander Pablo's Generals had me do most of the work. The boys tried to help me, but the Generals commanded them to make me do the work. I believe it is because Commander Pablo and my dad have some bad history. When my dad was in school, him and his friends bullied Pablo for his strange last name, Agate. My dad said Pablo Agate would leap at a chance to make his life miserable." Cardon told me as she took the fish aff the fire. "Commander Pablo, signed me up for captain for some reason." That's what I was trying to tell you before I left I just didn't know if I should. Anyway, I didn't even read the the requirements. He said he would have one of my friends bring me a message or letter of the main requirement to be a captain. Here you are, and I'm not looking forward to the letter"

I was in shock, but I remembered something. "Wait a second, before I left he said you have three weeks!!! Three weeks before......what?"

Cardon looked at me with her "deep thinking" face, and said, "I don't know, what does the letter say?"

"I don't know Cardon, you have it!!!! Read it, read it!!!" I watched her open the letter and she let out a huge gasp.

"Well what does it say?"I said excitedly.

"I, I ,I can't... I just can't,"Cardon looked into my eyes and put it in her pocket.

"Wait, you can't hide it? What about our deal Cardon?" I said.

"I can't just tell you Talina! I'm sorry, it will hurt everyone here, and you will freakout like you always do when something big happens."

"No I won't, just tell me!!" I shouted.

"What doing on here?" Carnelian said in a playful tone as the other boys gathered.

"Cardon won't tell me what the letter says, that I gave her, which came from the Commander, and she promised that she would tell me what the letter said, and she still didn't, and..." I was saying before rudely interrupted by Kye.

"Dude, chill, but Cardon this crazy loud mouth is right. What does the letter say?"