The Girl with Butterfly Wings | ✔️

15. Let's Recruit

.Cameron.

     "Are you sure about this? The last time we attack, we had a humiliating defeat. I swear I saw them laughing their-"

     "Cameron!" Mason stood on a table in the middle of the mall. His expression quite serious as he hushed me. "I've thought long and hard on the matter. I don't want to risk more lives than we have to but..." Mason struggled to find the right words, "but... wars cost us.. uh."

     Alexis finished his sentence, "But that's the cost of war." Mason nodded and Alexis turned to the people. "We have to accept that they aren't going to come easy at us. We've got to be prepared and patient. We cannot let fear overcome our lives by just staying here and hiding. To insure our victory we must stay strong, brave and never give in."

     "We are asking for recruits, anyone willing to sacrifice for the common good." Mason looked into the mumbling crowd. He bit his lip waiting, a look of pleading crossed his face. No one seemed willingly to step forward. Husbands and teens not wanting to leave their families behind.

     The crowd started to disburse as if the small preach was over but I raised my hands into the air, "Hey! You guys are being cowards! You are hiding and waiting while some of us actually want to end this. Risking others lives to save your skin. Instead we should die for a purpose! A cause! Rather then waiting for death to come to the doorstep."

     "Cameron! Your only going to make this worse," Mason stepped down, placing a hand on my shoulder. It was harsh I know but it's the truth. And you know sometimes the truth hurts. I shrugged him off looking at a young man.

     "What's stopping you young sir? What did you do before all of this?" I placed a hand on his shoulder. The crowd watched the two of us.

     The young man shocked by the sudden random out burst stumbled, "I.. uh.. was a athletic teacher. Also coached baseball."

     "Hmm a coach you say?" I looked to the small boy that stood by his feet as I knelt next to the little boy. "Does your daddy teach you baseball?"

     The young boy's bright blond hair grew over his face and he pushed it aside, revealing his blue sparkling eyes, "Yeah!"

     I smiled, "Is he good at teaching you how to play?"

     The little boy nodded, "Daddy's really nice and helps me a lot. All the older kids thinks he's really cool and so far they've almost won every game."

     I stood up looking at the boys father, "You know we could always use a coach. How are we suppose to keep people in fit without someone leading them? What do you say?"

     The father looked at the son and then me, "I think Ryan's stretching it just..." He closes he's eyes before chuckling. "What do I got to lose? Considered me recruited."

     "That's the spirit!" Cameron shook hands and fist bumped Ryan. Few people made their way up to us, telling us that they'd be willing to help out. I turned to Mason and Alexis with a smile.

     Mason seemed impressed. He clasped his hands together, "Let's get you all to training."

*****

     Mason stood in front of each new recruits and older ones. Each person had ditched their old outfit for more flexible and stronger outfit. Men and women stood silent waiting for an order.

    "First I'd like to thank each of you for volunteering. As Alexis said before, the TSAC is wanting war and war is what we're going to give them."

    The coach stepped forward and Mason place a hand on his shoulder. "This is your physical instructor. He'll be here to train you to your breaking point. Alexis," Alexis looked up surprised and Mason waved her over, "She'll be here to teach you how to master your gifts and shoot."

     Alexis seemed to frown slightly but then quickly smiled, "So who's ready to start training?"

     "Hey Cameron, I need some help with gathering information. You mind helping?" Mason turned to face me. The large group of soon-to-be-trained soldiers walked off, with Alexis behind them.

     I nodded, "Are we really going to war? Couldn't we just do more protests or talk with the person in charge?"

     "I'm afraid this is the only choice left. If I thought there was another choice id take it."

     A weird feeling of guilt passed through me almost as if it was our fault. That the people who die today and the following days are our fault. Sure. I am afraid to die but if it helps our future generations in peace then maybe dying isn't so bad. I shook the weird thoughts off. No one is dying why am I thinking this?

     "Hey, Cameron, you in there?" Mason waved a hand in my face snapping the thoughts out of my head. I shove his hand away.

     "Yeah I'm fine. You said we're gathering information. I guessing on TSAC right?" I assumed as we stepped out of the training room.

     He nodded, "Yep. I need you to find at least one person that knows anything about the base."

     I frowned at him as we walked into the center. Voices bouncing off the walls filling the room with chatter. They're had to be more than 100 people. Maybe even more. "You want me to find someone at of all these people? Are you crazy?! That'll take me all day!"

     "Than it's best you start moving," He pats me on the shoulder before walking off.

     Great.