The Grothlins

Chapter XIX - The Forest

One day, after his field training, Rem was again early. He knew that he will be waiting for hours before Marybeth and the rest arrive. So, he went to the defense shooting area to spend some time.

After spending 15 minutes of running, dodging and shooting knives, Rem took a rest at the back of a huge boulder. He thought of formulating different strategies and at the same challenging himself. He decided to drop all his daggers and will just use the materials around him. He then picked rocks, ropes, pieces of woods, metals and a lot more.

While collecting some more materials, Rem noticed something unusual in between two boulders. So, he reached for it. He smiled seeing that it was a book about computer – coding, peripherals, and much more. Upon closely checking, it was published just a few months ago.

Rem inspected it and just saw a marker-written code "C1201". But, he doesn't care if someone owned it. What he know was that he would love to read what's inside and he's excited about it. So, he just let one machine hit him five times to stop his training. He hid the book inside his suit, sneaked through the dome, then to his room and kept the book somewhere safe. Afterward, he took a bath so no one will suspect.

That night, after they were asked to go inside their corresponding rooms, Rem immediately opened the book and read it. Despite he was only using the light passing through his window, he didn't care. Hours after, he just realized that he was already sleepy. He also found out that he was already on the 200th page. He took a rest.

The next training day, Dricks and Jimmy said to Rem that the defense shooting will only be done twice a week while the field training will be pulled after the feast. He got excited thinking that he will be training with Marybeth, Tatiana, Dreyford, and Randolph.

But, he was wrong.

After the earliest meal, Tatiana, Dreyford, and Randolph were asked to wear their Arkiman suit and instructed that they will go straight outside.

Rem was confused. He felt his heart was pounding and felt something strange with the development. However, he still went through the training. When he was on the field, he can't help but stare through the forest. At lunch, he and Marybeth were both quiet and he knew she was also nervous.

For their forest training, they were asked to wear their green shirt and camouflage pants. They were ordered to just go outside the dome where their new trainers were waiting. From afar, Rem noticed a woman and a guy dressed in military outfits.

"Good morning trainees," said the smiling woman.

She was about 5-foot-2 inches, medium built, brown eyes and dark hair like those of Asian Americans.

"Ms. Anderson, Bradley will be your teacher," said the woman who gave her partner a light punch on his arm. "And Mr. Burrows, I am Jacklyn and I will be your forest tour guide."

"Ms. Anderson, we have to start now," said Bradley.

Bradley was tall, about 6-foot-3 in height, coming from black American descent, medium built but his muscles were bulging from his tight shirt, his lips are thick. He had fierce looks.

Rem again found a breath of fresh air knowing that he will be trained by a woman. While walking to the entrance of the forest, he can't help but glance at her thinking how a woman that size can go through the forest.

Rem and Jacklyn stopped right in front of the entrance while Bradley and Marybeth continued to walk.

"Mr. Burrows, my main job here is to teach you how to survive in a forest," said Jacklyn. "Every day, we will go through the forest. I will explain the plants and animals that can help you or endanger you. I will also teach you how to look for shelter and since I know the fact that you are already a sharpshooter, I won't teach you too much hunting."