The children walk in single file line onto the platform and form columns. A man with one purple and one red star face the crowd of children before speaking up,"Welcome to the Ranch. You will be led around by you senior soldiers to memorize the layout of the island. They will tell you everything you need to know and if you have any questions, ask them. You will be given two days to get accustomed to your new environment. Good luck."
Murmurs start filling the room. Worries and shaky voices can be heard amount the crowd of children. A whiny voice speaks up,"When can I go home?"
The man stares at the child for a moment, scaring the boy, before saying,"You will be living here from now on, so you better get used to it." He then marches away and soldiers with no stars step forward.
The soldiers lead their own groups through different tunnels. The groups are separated by what train capsule the children were in.
The soldier in charge of Kai and Tih's group speaks up after separating from the others,"Welcome to the Ranch! It might seem scary at first, but you'll quickly get used to it." He says in a straightforward but comforting way.
"What kind of place is this?" One of the children ask.
"Hmm...how to explain. We're on an island called the Ranch that's not on any known maps and is only known to a select few, including us, that live on it. Children are brought in from all over the world to grow up on the island. Once one reaches the age of fifty, they get to leave the island. But before that age, were never allowed to leave."
"Never?! So we'll be stuck on a small island until we're adults!?" Another kid shouts.
The man laughs,"Haha, No of course not. You're sorely underestimating the island. The Ranch is large enough to house over a million residents, ya know." Then the man says in an almost inaudible tone,"and you'll have to survive till that age first..."
The children's eyes grow wide,"A, A million!! Are you for real?!"
"Yep! And the housing for soldiers doesn't even make up half the island!"
"WOAHHH!" The children start getting excited as they start to imagine their new living environment.
The group made their way up ground as sunlight shined in their eyes. Used to the darkness of the ocean, the children squinted as they followed the soldier along a trail. "Well anyways, we can talk about that later. For now, I need to show you around so you don't get lost when I leave you alone later. There's a trail that passes through all the important places on the island, so we'll take that. Let's see...its about...so we should do half today and half tomorrow. Ok! Let's stop by the housing district first so you guys can drop off your luggage."
The children walked west for about half an hour until they reached a cluster of small, stacked houses that looked similar to two-story apartments big enough to fit four people. The soldier stopped in front of a large, electronic board. He took one of the IDs from the group and inserted it through a slot.
Information about the child quickly loaded onto the screen, including name, age, date of birth, status, wallet, housing number, etc. As the information appeared on screen, the soldier exclaimed,"Wow! Looks like I was lucky enough to grab the best group. Getting a sixty percent completion is pretty good. During my trial, I was only able to snatch a forty-seven percent. So...ok everyone, we're heading to housing district A. It looks like you're guys luck is pretty good too, getting the district closest to the cafeteria.
The soldier led the group along the edge of district B and headed north to housing district A. Some children admired the beautiful sea to their left, a ocean that they've never seen before because of the area they lived in previously.
Tih also observed the waves, including the people admiring those waves. He watched without expression at the group of children, no one could tell what he was thinking.
~~~
...hungry
~~~
Yes, he was hungry. Tih has only eaten the bare minimum over the past month. Now that he got the sleep he so very needed, it was time to fill his belly, but food was no where in sight. He didn't say this out loud though, as it didn't really matter to him if he ate or not.
Kai, on the other hand, made his hunger well-known. "Hey mister! Once we drop our bags off, can we get something to eat? I haven't eaten all day and I'm suuuper hungry!"
The soldier that looked to be a couple years older than Kai agreed," Of course! I was already planning to take all of you there afterwards anyways. Ah, that's right! I haven't given my name yet. You all can call me Private Scott. If you have any questions in the future, just come ask me." A small smile emerged upon the plain face of the soldier. Adjusting the cap covering his shaved head, he said,"We should quicken our pace if we want to get there before all the food is gone."
"Do they not make enough food for everyone?" Asked one of the children.
"They do, but with the influx of new children, they have to estimate how many more meals they need to make-"
Kai cut Private Scott off to finish his sentence,"Ah! So there might not be enough for all the incoming people!"
"Exactly, so let's hurry up everyone! We'll move into a light jog!" The soldier yelled so the children in the back could hear as well.
Like this, a a small crowd of children, led by a slightly older man, jogged towards their destination.
After an undetermined amount of time, a group of sweaty and tired children reached a cluster of small apartments. They walked towards a tall, metal gate that encompassed the housing district.
"Here we are! As we enter, swipe your card along the side of this machine over here." Private Scott pointed to an electronic board, similar to the one they saw at the other housing district. "You'll see these at every entrance, everywhere on the island, so don't lose your ID."
"What happens if we do?" A worried voice sounds in between the panting children trying to catch their breath.
"Haha, then your screwed!" He laughs it off like a joke, but all the children listening feel chills run down their back.
The children enter one by one, stopping briefly to look over as much information on the electronic board as they can, including their latest test scores.
The wheezing Kai enters first," Sigh, first I have to do push-ups, then I have to jog for like three hours!! Is this a boot camp or am I just super unlucky?!" He swipes his ID card, then exclaims,"Woah! Ninety-five percent! Not to shabby, if I do say so myself."
Next is the peaceful Tih, who hasn't even broken a sweat. He swipes his card and follows the other after only glancing at the screen.
"Hey, Tih, what did you get? You must have gotten a pretty good score right?" Kai walks side by side with the child as they, along with the rest of the group, followed the soldier deeper into the district.
Tih answers Kai with a blank expression, staring at him with his full attention to let Kai know that he's listening and not ignoring him. This is a habit he's picked up from his old life at the orphanage, but only the old man understood his pure intentions. The rest of the workers thought it, he was creepy.
Kai was not fazed by the unnerving stare," That other guy really named you well didn't he, Tih." If he wasn't looking at the expressionless face of the child at this moment, Kai would have completely missed the small nod Tih gave him. "You like it too? That's good cuz I'm pretty sure, with or without your approval, that soldier has enough power to make that your new name."
While Kai continues chatting, the group made their way into the center of district A. Standing in front of a large, single-story building, Private Scott opened the door and walked in. Gesturing with a wave, he said," Follow me."
The small crowd of children entered the spacious building. Curious glances move around the room as the children hear the yell of Private Scott," HEY JAX! Get over here!" The yell startled the children.
A few moments later, a disheveled man drags himself into the room. Scratching his messy hair, he grumbles in a deep voice,"I'm up, I'm up. What do you want Scott." Eyes half closed, he slumps into a nearby couch, not noticing the children climbed together in the room.
Private Scott rubs his eyes tiredly,"𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝘅, please carry yourself with dignity. You were supposed to meet us at the gate."
"Us?" Only now does the man groggily open his eyes. Seeing the children in the room, he reacts in a flat, gruff voice," Oh. That was today."
"Yes. Yes, it was certainly today." Private Scott says with a dark face.
Scratching his ashy grey stubble, the man on the couch lazily raises his hands in the air as a sign of defeat," Ok, ok."
As the man, Major Jax, takes his time getting up from the couch, Private Scott introduces him. "Sigh, this is Major Jax. He's the warden of housing district A. He will go over everything you need to know. I'll be leaving for the time being, but I should be back by the time you're all settled down." After saying that, he leaves the building, letting the children fend for themselves.
The man named Jax, who's supposedly a Major, finally gets off the couch and stands in front of the group, letting the children see his large frame. With overwhelming height, the children have to stretch their necks to meet eyes with the bulky looking man. It's only now that some of the children could notice the shiny silver star on his chest pocket. Covered in muscle, the man emits a lazy vibe, contrary to expectations.
"So, uhh...you'll be living here from now on. Shower facilities are at different sections in the district. Your room numbers are on your ID and...I think that's about it. Go explore. Shoo." He waves the children away and walks back toward the inner room he first appeared from.
"Ah, Wait! Are you not going to show us around?" One of the children quickly exclaim.
"Ha! What, you want me to babysit you?" The man turns to give the child a smug smirk.
"N-no but-" The man provocation works.
"Then you don't need me." He shrugs and walks away.
Some children start worriedly murmuring to themselves. Others walk to a nearby electronic board to swipe their ID, including Kai and the child.
Kai and Tih were exceptionally lucky enough to be placed in the same room, G213 top floor. By the time they left the building, most of the other children had already played 'follow the leader' and lined up to swipe their ID.
Walking down the road, Kai and Tih looks at the street signs they noticed when the group first arrived. Kai easily recalled all the signs they passed and worked out a map in his head for the surrounding area. "Tih, Tih, I know which way to go so follow me!" Kai pulled the children along as he followed the route he worked out in his head.
As they walked down the streets covered left and right with mirrored building that could confuse any newcomers, they noticed that there weren't that many people around. Of course it wasn't to the extent of being a ghost town. As they walked towards their destination, occasionally turning corners, they would pass by others in those black military outfits, each having their own reaction.
"Newbies?" One young man said as he looked at the children that weren't wearing uniforms.
"Looks like it." Said the guy next to him.
"It's already that time of year, huh?" A man said to himself as he eyed the two boys.
Since Tih was being dragged along by Kai, who was focused on being their GPS, the child was able to put their full attention onto observing his surrounding.
He watched the men that passed by, looked at their body build, their uniforms, they way they walked, hidden emotions in their eyes. The child observed the structure of the identical looking two-story building, looking at their layout and sizes that seem to be around seventeen meters squared per story, and the numbers on the door. They ranged from zero to the hundreds, restarting each time they passed another street with a sign that showed a single letter.
Eventually the two reached a sign with the letter G. Bypassing the sign, they continued to walk pass building until they reached an apartment building with the number 212. They climbed up the short stairs at the side of the build and stood in front of a door with the numbers 213. "Here we are!" Kai turned to Tih and shined a smile. He looked like a puppy
waiting for a complement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
puppy...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The child remembered the time when the old man brought home an abandoned dog went he went to the city. He tried to remember what the children did when they praised the puppy and told him he was a good boy.
Tih tried to copy their movements as his fingers touched Kai dirty blond hair. The child's small hand rubbed through Kai's already tousled hair, face expressionless.
Kai's expression goes blank before," Pfhhhahaha!! This, haha, this is too much! Really too cute! You're trying to thank me right? Haha, really too good!" Kai bends over laughing.
Before, because Kai was taller than the child, Tih had to raise his hand up to reach the top of Kai head. Now that Kai was hunched over, trying to reel in his laughter, the child no longer had to stretch his arm into the air.
He continues to rub the thick, surfer hair, becoming more comfortable with the act of petting, the child even starts to find the act soothing.
Kai calms down after a minute of petting and stands back up to his full height, causing Tih's hand to fall back to its side. Kai wipes an imaginary tear as he says," You really are too interesting! Rubbing other people's hair like that, not a lot of people would do that, you know. Some would consider you quite the oddball, though I probably shouldn't be talking haha! We should head in and check out new living space out now." Kai turns to slide his ID card through a card reader attached to the wall.
The door clicks open and he walks inside, followed by Tih after he swiped his card. The two enter the apartment and split up to look around.
The largest room contains two wooden nightstands next to their own twin-sized beds on opposite sides of the room. The room also has two wooden drawers for clothes and a large closet divided in two. A slightly smaller room contains a shower, toilet, sink, mirror cabinet, and even a small washer and dryer stacked on top of each other. That's the entire layout of the apartment. The apartments have all the bare essentials with nothing extra.
Walking over to their individual beds, they discover familiar looking black uniforms and caps. Kai picked his up,"Woah! These are so cool! I was really hoping to get my own after I first saw it on a soldier." He started undressing with a bright smile on his face.
The child also picked his up and noticed it was his exact size. He went to the bathroom and slipped it on. The suit fit snugly on his body like it was made specifically for him. He slid the cap over his head and walked out.
"Woah, you look good! I think it suits you!" The newly dressed Kai says. His lean, childlike body is still taller than Tih's and so is his uniform. A different sized suit that fits Kai perfectly.
After the two finish changing, they start to unpack their belongings and Kai starts chattering,"So what did you bring? They didn't really tell us what to pack, but since we were only allowed to bring one bag, I only packed the things I really needed." Kai starts pulling out a mess of disorganized, unfolded clothes tangled around wires and mangled electronic trinkets you would find in a landfill. He starts stuffing his cabinet with everything in his bag before tossing the empty bag into the closet.
On the other side of the room, the child opens his suitcase that was packed by he old man, and finds neatly folded clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, soap, and any other basic necessities. Tih moves around the room, putting each item in their respective place. This takes a little longer than Kai's haphazardly throwing everything into a drawer, so while the child is unpacking, Kai continues to ramble on. "Oh, I didn't even think about things like shampoo. Your stuff is really tidy. Are you one of those neat freaks, cuz I've never been good at cleaning after myself...Ah! But if it really bothers you, I can try my best to stay clean." Tih continues unpacking in silence. "Hmm, ok how bout this. If it bothers you, say something. If it doesn't, stay silent. hehe." Tih doesn't say anything. Kai claps his hands together,"It's settled then! Nice rooming with you!" Kai shines a bright smile like he's just solved the world's hardest math problem.
Just as Tih finished hanging his last shirt, *Grumble* a sound comes from Kai's stomach. Tih turns his head to see a bashful Kai say,"haha...Looks like I'm hungrier than I thought I was. I think we should head back now and meet up with the rest of the group." And with that, they both leave their apartment to retrace their steps back to the large building in the middle of the district.