Republican Phenoms

Lost Puppy

Daniel

I feel a little lost after classes. I don't really know anybody, and I don't really know my way around this place yet. I walk back to the dorms to drop off my books. My room is on the fifth floor, room 512. I see some of the other students walking through the hallways. They nod at me as I walk by, but they don't really say anything. What are they going to say to a twelve-year-old anyway?

I'm sure that my room would be small compared to gem sector standards, but I don't have to share it with anybody. I have a bed, a desk, a small closet, and a bookshelf. It seems large to me. I guess if I had one, I could put a television on top of the bookshelf. I don't though, and I probably won't any time soon. I give most of my monthly stipend to my family. They need it more than I do.

After I drop off my books, I walk around the campus, getting a feel for the way the campus is laid out. Next to the main quad is the track. Everybody at Drake is assigned to a platoon that they'll stay with for their entire four years here. I've been assigned to platoon 4B. I don't really know what that means, but I do know that tomorrow morning I'm supposed to report bright and early to the track for physical training. We have physical training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and drill (on the quad) on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Other than drill and physical training, I went to all of my classes today, so I already know where everything is. I was in quite a rush today, so I didn't get to take in the beauty of the green areas on campus or notice the stately brick buildings. This is a completely different world than that of Lake, with its crumbling buildings and smell of salt air and garbage.

"Hey kid!" I hear a voice behind me. I turn around. I'm sure that I'm going to be the "kid" on campus for quite a while.

"Hi," I say.

A girl with red curly hair smiles at me. "You're the Wing boy, aren't you?" She's about six inches taller than I am.

"Yeah."

"I saw you on television. I'm Caroline."

I hold out my hand to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you. Are you a freshman?"

"Yeah, this is my first year here. I didn't know whether I'd get into Drake or not, but I did well enough in high school to come here."

I put my hands in my pockets. "Congratulations."

"Well, I didn't get a 1500 on my trial. Not anything close to that."

I shrug. "It's not really anything."

"Not really anything!" She looks dumbfounded. "It's only happened twice in the entire history of the trials!"

"We all have something we're good at," I say. "And things we're not. For example, I'm not good at painting." I grin at her.

She laughs. "Like the Republic needs painters."

"Well, maybe it will someday," I say. "When this war is over. And then, maybe my skills will be useless."

"We're not all going to be painting, even after the war," she says. We're passing Anderson Hall, where the cafeteria is located. "Want to get something to eat?"

"Sure."

The cafeteria is full of delicious looking food. I don't know if I've ever seen so much food in my life. Even better, I can take as much as I want. I know that wouldn't be a good idea, however, because we have to maintain fitness standards while we're at Drake. That was never a problem while living in Lake sector, because we never had enough food, but I'll have to be careful here.