Adaptation and Evolution (Book Two of the EDSOR Military Academy Trilogy)

Chapter 10- Tara Leighton

Just as I was about to close the damaged lightbulb that kept flickering so I could sleep, I heard soft footsteps penetrate the silence. My ears pricked to the immediate sound.

I hurriedly switched off the light and lay under bunker bed one to see what was going on. A tall and lanky girl was toughly pushed inside. She was wearing a cotton white t-shirt that seemed to be drenched with her sweat and smeared with blood. She had so many open cuts on her arms and bruises on her face. She was panting as she steadied herself against the pillar of bunker bed one.

“B-but mam. I really need help to stanch the bleeding. You could at least give me some….”, she stuttered as I saw some of the blood from her nose trickle down my outstretched hand. I winced in disgust.

“If you continue complaining, then there will be no dinner for you. Remember, Choosing Ceremony on Sunday. Be at the DTASC building at 7:00 am or you will be camp-less. Understand?”, a woman’s low voice echoed throughout the small room.

She clenched some of the mattress cloth as she nodded. “Y-yes mam….”

The door shut itself with a loud Bang! That did it! What was this kind of injustice?

I propped myself up the bunker bed. There was no pillow or blanket to comfort me. I faced the terrified girl. “Hey”, I slowly said.

“H-hi. Are you a survivor too?”, she shyly asked as she wiped some blood off her nose. I tore a piece of my brown jumper and handed it to her. “Yeah I am. You look hurt and wounded. Someone ought to dress your wounds”, I frankly said, too tired to sugarcoat my words.

I think I was suffering from vertigo as my mind started its hallucinations. I placed my fingers to my temples to massage my brain. It was no use at all.

This time, I got a full view of her face. Hadn’t it been scarred, she would have looked prettier. Her black braids startled me as they made her look like an 80’s indie fan who loved the Beatles more than anything. There were some smoke bombs sticking out of her pocket. I thought EMA personnel never allowed that!

She caught sight of me looking at the side pocket of her jeans. The right side of her jeans were charred with fire. It looked like she had just come out from an epic videogame involving dragons and Skyrim stuff. “I smuggled the smoke bombs here”, she concluded. Witty kid.

“Did you take any provisions during the test?”, I asked, eager to know what she took.

“No, I didn’t. They were distractions. The Head leaders set that up to find out who would fall for the trap. Those provisions are good, but if one starts a brawl the rest would follow. I go by the saying “the freeman follows the path of the lone wolf”. You gotta stand out to make the leaders recognize you”, she said. I only realized she didn’t stutter a single word.

“It seems like you know the roots here”, I smiled.

She shrugged. “I used my brain. How about you?”

I didn’t want to tell her anything. But information’s expendable anyway. “Well, I forgot about the provisions. I was shot in my right shoulder so I focused on that first”

She nodded as she thrust out her right hand to mine. “Tara Leighton”, she smirked. What happened to all that stuttering and insecurity problems?

I gripped her hand with mine. It was a firm one. “Jamie Stark”, I laughed. She was my first friend in this weird psychopath school.