The Entrance Exam

Chapter 2

(Point of View: Jack Cason)
The next few days were filled with relatives coming to my house saying "good luck" or "I'm so sorry to hear". I even remember someone coming in to say an emotionless "goodbye" and just leave.

A few days past and it was the night before we left, I expected to be very nervous now but instead I felt a bit calm most probably because of the peaceful and quiet night that it was.

I got the backpack I was going to bring along with me to the training. I put some extra clothes in, then a few lucky charms my sister said I should bring and a little token from my dad, a Swiss knife. He got me this knife in the fifth grade, their was a father and son camping trip and in a store that we passed by on the way he got me this.

I keep it not as a reminder of him, but as a reminder of the good old days, when my dad and I were really happy. Actually that day we bought the knife was the same day I first met Saker.

After finishing fixing my bag I got into bed and just like that, I was fast asleep. I woke up the next morning thinking 'finally the dreaded day came, the day I left for training'. I got up ate some breakfast then brushed my teeth, and other normal morning stuff, but I was doing it on a not-so-normal day.

I finally sat on a bench on my family's house's porch then my mom came out telling me stuff like "I know you can make it" or "I believe in you".

When she was letting loose all her sad feelings I just held her shoulder, making her quiet

"I'll be okay mom,"

"I know you will *sniff*, I'll just miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too." I said with a tear streaming down my face.

I could tell that she was thinking the same thing I was thinking 'what if I don't make it'.

Then suddenly I heard a loud roar of an engine coming from a large bus heading towards us, stoping at our driveway.

"Good luck Jack...*sniffle*"

I turned back to see my redhead sister running out of the house to jump/hug me and say her goodbyes. Then my dad came out of the house too, instead of a dramatic and loving goodbye like my mom and my sister's, he just gave me a salute with a smile.

I waved goodbye to my family and got on the bus with my backpack. Inside was a familiar looking man wearing sunglasses in the driver's seat but I was curious why he was wearing the shades even though we were inside and it wasn't that sunny but I didn't ponder on that much because right when I entered the second thing, after the driver, that caught my eye is the group young men and women all talking or sleeping in the bus.

The noise from the talking of the ones awake and the noise from the snoring of the ones asleep was very loud and I was surprised that I didn't hear it earlier.

"Sit down kid, you ain't gonna want me givin you ya first out of many black eyes in training week."

I sat down on the nearest seat to me next to a dark haired girl who, after sitting down, I realized was asleep. I sat down and put my bag down then I realized the sleeping girl wasn't sleeping, she was just putting her head down while listening to music with earphones, I realized this when she put up her head, revealing her earphones, and asking me

"What is your name?"

"Jack Cason, what about you?"

"Isabel Rosa Albertine, but can just call me Isa, fun fact, 'isa', I don't know in what language, means one, so you may call me The One and Only Isa.*giggle*"

Isabel said with an 'as matter of fact' type of tone.

"Okay Isabel, where are you from?"

"Why doesn't anybody just calls me Isa...I like it! *sigh*Anyway, I'm from San Fransisco."

"What this must have been a long ride to get to my place."

"Why, where do you live?"

"What! We were just there!"

"I wasn't really paying attention much."

"*chuckle* I live in Seattle, and I'm guessing we're still here because it's just been a few minutes."

"Ok, now it's my turn to ask you a question."

"Ask away."

"Why do you want to join the army?"

"Honestly, I don't really want to join."

"Then why are you here."

"I'm pressured, but not forced, to go to the army because of my dad, he's a general."

"That's rough. But why don't you just tell your dad 'I don't want to go to the army'?"

"I've wanted to say something like that, it's just, I don't want to look like a disappointment to him. Because his dad was a soldier, and his dad was a soldier, and his dad was a soldier! I just don't need to prove my worth to the judge in the Entrex only but I also need to show my dad my worth."

"I understand."

And we just sat there in awkward silence.