Gifted

Chapter 5

Bret's POV

Four days later

A small ray of moonlight shimmers through the boarded window of the the compound. It is a living hell here, in Helena, Montana. Vigourous training everyday, not enough food, and the only thing I've mad is an enemy

This all started four days ago, when I was being marked. A girl with curly blonde hair and a strong southrrn accent came in and gave me the needle. The pain was intense but only lasted for a minute. When I looked at my shoulder there was a symbol, a circle. It was a circle but it wasn't complete like the pictures in our old school textbooks showed.

They told me I was being deported to some unknown place in Missouri. I asked them if I could see my sister one more time, but they refused. I tried to make a break for it but a guard caught.me and held my wrists behind my back. By now adrenaline had.kicked in, I kicked the man behind me. Apperently it was a good kick because he fell back and groaned another soldier came at me. But I punched him away. I ran, but I wasn't as fast as Clara, a few soldiers surrounded me with their guns loaded. I think they were about to shoot me when the man I had kicked ran in front of me trying to get them to stop.

He explained himself as being the commander of a military unit in the state of Montana and told me I would either come back with him or face the consqueces for disobeying an officals orders.

The next day I was put on a train to Montana. There were three other guys there. They were in my class until they were marked. They probably were just waiting to be deported. I wasn't friends with any of them so I sat by myself the entire 32 hour ride. The only thing on my mind was how Clara was doing and what I could have done to protect her.

A day and a half later we arrived in the Helena station. There was a jeep there to pick us up so we crammed in the back. When we arrived at the basse we were given the same green uniforms the soliders wore back at St. Petersburg. Once changed we were told to report back at the training centre.

At the training centre, the commander gave us each a backpack and told us to run up the side of the smallest nearby mountain and back before midnight. Two of the boys groaned, I lifted the backpack, it was heavy. But not to bad. Clara was about the same weight as the backpack.

I started the hike as the others were just heaving them onto their backs. I was about halfway up the mountain when I heard a scream I ran back down to see one of the boys dangling off the ledge of the mountain. If he slipped he would plummet about 50 feet most likely to his death. The other boys crowded around him trying to grab his outstreched hand. But it was no use he was about six feet down from wherw thw other two were. 

"Help," he cried. I ran over, beside the other guys desperately trying to save him. 

"It's no use they,"one of them cried. I didn't say anything, I just stared at the terrified expression on the fallen boy's face. It reminded me of Clara's on the day we were marked. So I decided to help him.

I slipped off my backpack and opened up the first pouch. Inside was a makeshift tent, and pegs. I opened the second pouch and inside was probably about 15 feet of rope, a gps, and a bag of non perishible food. In the third pouch was a few feet of string, a fishing net, a hammer, and screwdriver and a few fish hooks. Latched onto the outside of the bag was a few pot and pans.

I took two pegs, the rope, the hammer, and the largeat pot I had. I took the rope then hammered it into the ground with the pegs I had a few feet away. Then tied the other end of the rope through one of the handles of the pot. I went over to the edge and lowered the pot down to the boy.  

"Grab the handle without the rope," I shouted down at him 

"You guys," I said to the boys grabbing some of the rope "help pull." They grab a section of the rope each. 

"On the count of three," I said 

"One," 

"Two," 

"Three!" 

We tug with all our might, even with all three of us it is extremely difficult. This soldier isn't exactly light. As his head appear from the ledge I yell for one of the boys to go help him up. Just before he reaches the fallen boy the pegs come undone I felt myself sliding forwards. The boy had now slipped out of sight, out of reach from the boy who was reaching down to help him. If I hadn't done something quick all of us would have fallen off the edge.

Just two feet from the ledge my foot got caught in a gopher hole. Adrenaline had the kicked in and I yank with all my stength. The boy flew up, enough to grab hold of a rock near the edge. The boy who I had sent to help him the first time helps him up. When he let go of the pot handle I let it fall of the cliff. Not even bothering to see where it landed. 

"I could've done, that you know," said someone. I look up. It was the one who had fallen off the cliff 

"I could have helped myself, you just wanna be the hero don't you. Always have the spotlight, like with your little tantrum at the marking office," he spat. Rage bubbled up inside me. I don't know why I even helped this brat in the first place. 

"You think you were so cool at school, playing the antisocial guy, who all the guys go ga-ga over," he said with so much hatred 

"I could have left you dangling over the ledge," I said this is not my area. Clara was always the one who had the way with words. 

"You wouldn't you have to be the hero, it's like you and Clara your always trying to protect her but really you couldn't live without her," he spat. That was my breaking point. I walked up to him grabbed him by th collar and hoisted him up. 

"Don't you dare bring up Clara or so help me I will throw you back over that ledge," I said 

"No you wouldn't, wimp," he laughed. He's right though I wouldn't so I put him down, grabbed my backpack, and left. As I walked away all I could hear was his somewhat evil laugh

The next day they decided to test our fitness level. I managed 100 push-ups, 150 sit-ups, 150 crunches, and 50 suicides. The boys from the other day sneered at me. Probably making jokes, why did people always do this to me? Ever since I started school people would bug me either because they hated me or liked me. Most of them haters, but I had done nothing wrong to deserve it. This is why I needed Clara.

The rest of the day we were given the day off while they recorded our results and assigned us postions. I went back to the bunks while the other guys went to the shooting range. When I got to the bunks I picked up my bag I pulled the pin my mother gave me. I held. it close to my chest it was the only piece of my family I had left, most likely I will remain a faceless soldier for the rest of my life. If I am lucky I might be promoted to a slightly higher rank in a better city. But I will never be known as the person who I am. And worse I will probably never see Clara again.

I hold the green and orange pin in my hands and cry. The moonlight shimmering in from the boarded up window. The truth as finally set in.