The Captive Land

Chapter Thirteen

Back to Lydia's POV

Lucy and I walk out of the hut and head through the rows and rows of dormitories. The lucky little buggers that are in the huts at the back (from hut 80ish to 112) get to the lunch area first. I'm going to make a rule that the doors aren't opened until everyone is there. I shall let the littlest go first, then work my way up the age groups. 14 year old boys get hungry, I know, but they need to learn to be gentlemen.

We come to a stone building. I realise that it is part of the tower I saw from my cell. The actual tower is just a lookout, from what Lucy says. I plan to go up there one night.

We go into the building, and into a cue for food. The room is bigger than anticipated, its larger than it looks inside from the outside.The noise level is beyond comprehension. Just imagine, you're at one of your school camps, eating a meal, and times the noise level by 100. Wait, maybe 1000. Let's just say 500.

It takes a while to get to the front, but Lucy and I talk while we wait. When we do pick up our plates, there is a wrap there, simply waiting to be filled. The bench with toppings is very long, and the containers with the fillings in them are wide and deep. Lucy tells me that the huts are rostered on different meals:

BREAKFAST: 7am

Roster 1: hut __, cooking and scullery, report at 6am.

Roster 2: hut __, washing up/scullery, approx 8am.

MORNING TEA: 10:30 am

Roster: hut __, Report at 10am and 11am

LUNCH: 1pm

Roster 1: hut __, cooking, serving and scullery, report at 11am

Roster 2: hut __, scullery, approx 2pm

AFTERNOON TEA: 4pm

Roster: report at 3:30pm and 4:30pm

DINNER: 7pm

Roster 1: hut __, cooking, serving and scullery, report at 5:45pm

Roster 2: hut __, clean and pack up, approx 8-9pm

~

There are helpers and cooks there in the kitchen, they do the most part of everything, but we are still required to help.

I had a chicken wrap with carrot, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and a dash of salsa. Yum!

When we trailed back into the hut Lucy explained everything to me. It took a couple of hours to explain it. Here it is in simplified form:

The meals are run as such (above). During the day, 3-5 year olds are in preschool/transition, and 6-18 year olds are put in school. In short, I am in year 11, as normal. School starts at 9am, then morning tea is at 10:30, classes continue 'till 1, then resume at 2:30, and continue until 4. People who are on the after morning tea roster don't have to have the middle session.

We have free time in the afternoons until dinner, we are supposed to use it for study and homework, but most people just have it for fun. There is a library here too, with a study room attached, but most people just use the library for studying.

We have weekends off, although we still have the meal roster.

"I like to think of this as just another school camp, but on a larger scale." says Lucy to me.

"I'll try to think of it that way." I sigh.

~

Lucy introduces me to everyone in our hut. Here is a 'brief' list of everyone and their descriptions: (note the inverted commas " "😂)

LUCY, BETH, HOLLY AND CAITLIN have already been introduced.

JULIA: 3 yrs, German, grey eyes, blonde hair.

JAIDE: 19, Italian, blue eyes, black hair.

TIA: 13, French, dark honey hair, green eyes, sister to Lauren. ( tia_davis12 )

REBECCA: 8, Austrian, grey-brown hair, red-brown eyes.

CHARLOTTE: 11, English, blonde hair, hazel eyes, twin to Chloe

CHLOE: 11, English, blonde hair, hazel eyes, twin to Charlotte.

AVA: 14, blonde hair with dyed brown ends, blue eyes, Swedish

LAUREN: 6, French, brown hair, green eyes, sister to Tia

OLIVIA: 12, German, red hair, blue-black eyes

MOLLIE: 9, Switz, green eyes, blonde hair

~

Lucky today is Saturday. Lucy has put up a roster on our wall of when our hut is on meal duties- the date, time, and meal we are on. Oh, and Sunday is cleaning day.

Tomorrow I begin to learn how to run this place...

Sorry for the long chapter guys. I'm sorry if this is boring you, but I'm getting to the exciting part! I think I'm about halfway through so watch out! I may have already told you this but there is going to be a sequel! Haven't written it yet but watch out for it😉!

Thanks for reading,

xoxo Chloe