Trident Trials: The Glimmer

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

I sauntered down the hallway to the cafeteria, which, over just the first couple of days, quickly became one of my favorite places. The workload of the first couple of days took quite the toll on my body. I didn't expect to find out this quickly that I was as out of shape as I am. I found myself hungry so much of day. My body seemed to burn calories faster than I could put them in. I hoped that this training and eating schedule that I was on would bulk me up the level that some of the other applicants were at from the very first day. I honestly didn't match up at all with these guys, which made me wonder how I'd even made it into the program.

The food here wasn't the most impressive, but by the time that I got in to eat, it almost didn't matter. I found that about half the other people here with me basically as hungry as I was. Of course, half of these people were well off enough to hire their own chefs, but this didn't bother me much because again, I really didn't mind the food. The recipes were simple. They mostly comprised lean protein and vegetables. It wasn't exciting at all, but it was the food I knew I would need to make it through. The vitamins and protein would help replenish my body with the nutrients that I required to keep on this schedule. I really enjoyed simple meals like this when I felt I was in a rush. It just so happened that recently I always felt as though I was in a rush to go somewhere or do something.

The cafeteria was giant, much larger than I imagined. The inside, much like most of the other buildings except the trainees' building, was a dull white. Everywhere looked like a recently fallen snow with splatters of color thrown on it. Colors differed depending on the building and what they used it for. Everything had a color code system. The things that symbol sorted didn't out were labeled with colors. The areas of the base that weren't labeled weren't places we could access. I was told that after completing enough training that we moved on to the next level of training and then and it would make perfect sense. I was sure of that, but it had only been three days, and we were still in the introduction phase of training. The cafeteria was also open 24 hours a day, simply for the convenience of the trainees that were on such different and crazy schedules that didn't allow them to eat at normal times. We were told that the longer we stayed here and succeeded, the more our schedules would change and get complicated. It was all supposed to be part of the training process. Many of the jobs that Trident offered operated on unusual schedules and the more that we were used to it now, the better we would be when we worked them.

The seating was very unusual. The seating I was expecting was more like a traditional school cafeteria setting. They had designated sections for people who wanted to work during their time eating. Each area looked a little different. The ones who were working while they ate had workstations that were set up like multifunctional desks. Others were just standard tables, and some were more private for those who were having a hard time adjusting to the rigorous schedule that this job training required. There were counselors placed in those private rooms to talk through issues with people, and also to make sure that they were actually eating. The company wasn't stupid and realized that if their trainees didn't eat, then they wouldn't make it far.

I went up to the counter to order my usual, a salad that was packed with protein, a bowl of fruit, and a protein smoothie. The server at the counter knew my name because of the amount of food that I ordered every day. Either that or the worker memorized everyone's name that came through here. That would've been twice as impressive, but I doubted that was the case. This was my third stop in here today and it wouldn't be my last by far. I learned to plan meals and snacks around the activities that I would be doing. I found if I didn't then I would get to an exercise based class or training and felt sick. I spent my first day running and lifting while feeling sick to my stomach. It wasn't an experience that I was interested in doing again. So, now I planned my meals and snacks around a very specific schedule.