“Today is the day you become men. Today we will sort the weak from the strong to decipher your rank.” Her words rang out over the waiting army of cadets that were standing in the space craft. She spoke with confidence for the youngest commander ever, she looked around thirteen years old, a mockery to the cadets.
A male voice spoke out. “What is a child doing leading an army?”
The girl looked up from her clipboard, her dirty blonde hair was braided over her right shoulder, and her eyes studied the crowd. They were startling, dark grey with pupils ringed with amber. They flickered onto the man that spoke and turned stormy. When she spoke her voice sounded as sharp as broken glass.
“Name, Cadet?” Her tone implied it was more of an order than a question.
“Robert Glafin” He responded smugly. She dropped her clipboard on the table, startling everyone with the loud bang of metal dropping on metal. She strolled over to, the guy, Robert.
“Ah yes, the Generals son. I have heard a lot about you Mr Glafin.” She spoke with soft clarity in her words as if her worst suspicions had been confirmed, “I suppose I should introduce myself to you all, my name is Amelia Banks and I will be your commanding officer from now onwards. Understood?” We all nodded our heads, it was quite a funny sight if you looked around. Five hundred men all at the mercy of a child, myself included. Amelia looked as if she, herself, was trying to suppress a smile. She continued to talk “some of you may have heard my name before. And now to answer your question Mr Glafin, I am a thirteen year old girl, ‘a child’ as you so wonderfully put it. I am leading an army because I am the best person for the job. Anymore questions?”
He took this as a signal to be arrogant and stupid “What could you have possibly done to be better than me?” I tried my hardest not to full out face palm, I kind of expected her to snap, but no. She spoke calmly and quietly at him. Not to him, at him.
“I am not one to gloat Mr Glafin but if you do insist. When I was eleven They came, the ones who wanted our planet. It was all over the news, Massacres everywhere, bombs going off and at the time we were still at war with ourselves over silly, petty problems. I was terrified. People turned to flee to the spaceships. Then they invaded town after town. No one survived their wrath. They then went after my town, in England, where I had lived my whole life. They burnt it to the ground murdered my friends, my family.” Her voice was bitter and harsh like a cold winter gale. “I took on an army of them, searching for weaknesses in their armour. I escaped but only just. I had burns and guts and bullet wounds I was dying. They found me a week later in the woods, collapsed in the snow, turning it red. They healed me. Then they inflicted more pain, then I was healed again. The tortures got worse, acid, wild animals, floggings, knives, guns, fire, and brandings. I have so many scars that remind me of the pain.” As she spoke I realised that she was right about the scars. They curled out of her uniform around her neck, her face and her hands. “I managed to escape when I was at my strongest, when I’d been healed. I took on most of the soldiers at the base because after a year of watching them and being tortured by them I figured out their weaknesses. All of them. When I’d escaped I ran and I hid. I mourned my friends, my sister, and my parents. Then the army found me, I don’t know how they did it. Your father, General Glafin, took me in, he healed my wounds but I will always wake up screaming in the memories. He made me take this job, it was not my choice and I will not stand here as you question my authority.” We all stood in shock as she returned to her place at the front of the room. Richard stood there with his mouth wide open. She looked up from her clipboard. “Close your mouth you’ll catch flies.” She said with a smirk.
“Now back to business. I will not be pleased if there are any more interruptions. Okay?” We all nodded our heads vigorously. “Training will consist of two parts; Physical and emotional. You are all under my command however I am allowed to pick three Lieutenants to work as my second in commands, they will also be above you. I believe that none of you will survive how I did. I believe you are weak and stupid.” Thanks for the vote of confidence. “However that must change for us to win this war. None of you are soldiers yet because war makes its own soldiers. I was reborn as a soldier. You will but you must have brains as well as brawn.” She said this whilst glaring at Richard Glafin. “However Brawn is still important.” This was aimed at me. “Let’s start training cadets.”
Maybe I should introduce myself. I am Dexter George. I am an unordinary sixteen year old boy. Before I came to the Galacta space craft I was living in one of the many safe houses, my parents are still alive. I was sent up here out of need; I felt as though I was useless, just sitting there, no help whatsoever. Then I heard her story: The story of Amelia Banks. It inspired to do something, so I signed up for the army. I had no idea she would be my commander. I was astonished when she spoke about her time with the others. That’s what we call them: The Others. I have no clue what they are. What they look like. Or what they want. Only one person does and she is my commander. Apparently whenever she tries to talk about it she breaks down. I can’t possibly imagine what could be so horrible that it makes the strongest person I’ve ever met break down.
