Two weeks passed and my ankle finally healed itself. Then it was another week until I started sneaking off again since Stevie refused to let me continue training until I got the nuns to think I was in class some of the time. So, as a rational, understanding and reasonable person, I listened to him and attended school.
After I lost a hand-to-hand combat with him.
Of course I wasn't happy with that. I was fit and ready to get back into action and my best friend, my partner in crime, my comrade since school who got up at 0300 and had a paintball gun fight with me only to end up having to hide in the vents for five hours while the Officers hunted for us was going to make me go to school like the rest of the suffocating children.
I wasn't for that. So I challenged him to a fist-fight, not only to allow me to continue skipping school to attend course but also because I wanted to test out the skills we'd learned before he crushed my foot. That's the problem with training in secret; you only got a dummy to practice with and that's not particularly realistic since it doesn't fight back.
So, engaging in battle was a blast from the past. We used to fight all the time but we'd never had the proper instruction since we used to only go vent-crawling to play tricks, not learn content. Because I used to win sometimes since I was a lot quicker and smaller than him, I reckoned I had a pretty good chance.
I was wrong.
He had the unfair advantage of having a partner who fought back during practice. Also, we'd learned to use weight to our advantage, not our speed or size yet. I argued this point but lost the verbal fight as well since I initiated the physical challenge in the first place.
I'm not entirely sure how I managed to hide most of my bruises from my parents but I'm pretty sure Stevie took pity on me and made up an excuse to explain it all. I'd made a narrow escape, only having to cop table-cleaning in the mess hall for two nights. Of course, Stevie was there to refill the bucket with soap and throw the sponge at me when I missed a spot.
Still, the torturous week ended, slowly, but it ended. I got back into the vents and back into the shipping container next to the yard. I concentrated so hard on combat that I was actually sleeping the entire night instead of waking up after midnight to fail convincing Stevie to replace the paintball gun's paint with fire extinguisher foam. I had a partner to combat with now, Stevie of course, so I was no longer punching a dummy. We tried out new moves on each other during break at the watch tower canopy.
Finally, the day came when I challenged him to another fight. This time, we were evenly matched. He had the weight advantage but I was a lot more agile than him since he didn't do vent-crawling anymore.
We faced off, daring the other to make the first move.
"So Rose, you reckon you've got the skill to beat me now?" He teased.
"Shut up and fight me already," I snorted.
He nodded and ran at me. He launched a kick at my kidneys but I managed to grab his foot and used his momentum to throw him forward. He faltered slightly but kept his balance. I jumped immediately and aimed a punch at his temple but alas, he blocked my arm with his. He tried to twist my arm behind my back but I pulled away from the loop before he could complete the movement. I ducked behind him and went to kick the back of his knees but I missed and hit his calf instead. He turned and brought his elbow down on my head. I dodged at the last second. Making my way in front of him again, I dodged his right hook and slammed my palms into his chest. I couldn't push him over but was able to momentarily stun him. I took this opportunity to pin him and hopefully win the fight. However, as I ran forward, he landed a lucky kick to my side.
I fell to the dust, turning to see him fly at me to finish me off. My body reacted before my mind did. My feet hit his abdomen and threw him across the canopy, giving me time to flip up and land an arm on his throat. I had won.
Almost.
Sure, I had him but he had me too.
"Curse your luck," I choked. He had managed to reach up and close a hand around my neck. "Curse your speed," he spluttered back. So there we were, lying on the ground, waiting for the other to give in.
"I can't breathe," he wheezed. I nodded, unable to respond. "On the count of three, we let go." It was more of an order than a question. I agreed. We counted in our heads then released at the same time.
We dragged ourselves to opposite corners of the fallen tower, catching our breath.
"Call it... a draw?" he coughed. I turned to find him moving up behind me. "Sure," I croaked.
"You've gotten really quick. Muscle memory?" he guessed.
"Yeah," I finally let out. "I reckon you'll ace the combat exams."
Stevie grinned. He held out a hand and we shook.
Over the next two weeks, we eased up on our pranks and focused more on Stevie's upcoming examinations. This was serious stuff that would determine what he'd be doing for the rest of his life. For Stevie and only for Stevie, I attended school as normal and endured it so he could get some decent study done. At night, I didn't wander over to the shelters and wake him up. He told me he needed his sleep so he could stay awake even during the most tedious revision.
During his breaks, he still pleaded for me to help him revise. Despite it being against my best interests, I agreed. At least he didn't have me help him with the boring coursework. He had me help him with stuff like combat.
We'd had a few more little battles since the last to help him develop his skills. One day, I actually beat him. I stood proudly over him, my foot on the back of his head.
"Well, well, well, look who's triumphed this time!" I grinned. He turned his head so he could see me out of the corner of his eye.
"Alright, fine. You win. Now let me up."
I reached down and pulled him to his feet. He brushed the dust off his uniform as I waltzed around the canopy, my arms up in the air.
"Haha! Who says the little guy can't win?"
"I get it, Rose."
"I kicked your sorry little ass!"
"Okay, yes you did."
"Not even-"
"Rose!"
I stopped and looked over at him. He was rubbing the back of his head and gazing back looking slightly bothered. "You beat me, big deal, now will you shut up?"
I was taken aback. I folded my arms and glared at the ground. "Jeez, you don't have to be a sore loser," I muttered.
"Well you don't need to brag so much," he retorted.
We stood there, scowling at one another. After a while, I softened. "Sorry, I guess I got too cocky," I admitted.
Stevie had cooled off as well and now looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry I snapped."
I just shrugged. "I deserved it anyway."
He gave me his usual half-smile. "So tell me, how'd you do it?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
He rolled his eyes. "Come on, Rose."
"Oh, right," I smiled head awkwardly. "Well, I noticed you always use your strength at the expense of accuracy. And yes, you're one of the bigger guys so most of the time you can pull it off but when your opponent is quick, accuracy is key. Your power is useless if you can't land anything on them. So what I did, since any heavy stuff I use against you would be like punching a brick wall, was aim for your vital points."
He scratched the back of his neck doubtfully. "Isn't that a little too accurate? After all, they recommend that kind of stuff to guys like Flick and Johnston."
Flick and Johnston were the two smallest recruits in Stevie's course. Flick was an underage, meaning he volunteered into the military before he'd turned 18, thus he was shorter than me and Johnston, another underage, was even shorter. I stuck my hands on my hips and smirked. "That's the advantage to being big like you. You'll never be as fast as the smaller guys but you still have the ability to use their techniques. Others have little to no chance to use brute force to push around people like you."
He considered this. After a minute or two of thinking, he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Alright, I believe you. But now you're gonna have to show me how to hit vital points because I can't learn on my own." I smiled. "Haha, you're learning from me for once!" I laughed, unable to resist making fun of him just a little bit. He rolled his eyes and grinned back. "Well go on then; teach me your oh-so-wise ways," he said sarcastically.
After another hour of combat practice, we both left the canopy of the fallen watch tower covered in bruises. Stevie had almost knocked me out cold with an accidental punch to the head. He said I was shorter than he remembered which earned him a kick in the guts from me. We decided to take some of the paintball guns and practice shooting out on the exercise yard. Walking down the left of the clearway, we passed a few of Stevie's course friends. I was slightly envious of Stevie's popularity but I knew he'd always put me first. I didn't need anyone else with him around but that didn't stop me from clenching my fists as the recruits joked about with him.
I let Stevie enter the main building to borrow the paintball guns while I ransacked the attic for some decent targets. It would've been great if we could've use the ones intended for the examinations but they were stashed somewhere in the main block. I found an old target in the shape of a human's head and torso that had seen better days but it was better than nothing. I dragged it out to the yard and placed it near the wire fence. Stevie approached with the two weapons. I walked up to him and took one then we both went into the middle of the yard. I sat down on the concrete as Stevie kneeled and aimed for his first shot.
He was pretty good at short distance but his aim only got worse the further away his target was from him. Normally, I'd make a joke about him needing glasses but I wasn't feeling up to it. He seemed to have noticed for after his sixth or seventh shot, he turned to me.
"What's wrong?" He asked, lowering his weapon. I looked up at him, feigning confusion.
"Nothing," I said, clearing my expression. He stared for a bit then sighed. He lifted up his gun again to shoot. "I hate it when you do that," he muttered.
"Do what?" I asked.
"That thing where you 'blank out'. One second you look just as depressed as a suicidal soldier then suddenly you're unreadable. I can't tell what you're thinking." He pulled the trigger, missing the target by a long shot. The paint splattered on the wire fence. He cursed under his breath. I smiled and picked up my gun.
"Here, watch this," I said, laying down on my stomach. I balanced the gun on the ground and adjusted my grip. Squeezing my left eye shut, I focused on my target and pulled the trigger. The paintball burst on the shoulder of the target. Stevie laughed. "Wow, I'm so impressed," he said sarcastically. I looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean? That's exactly where I was aiming." I got up and let him have a look at my position. He gave an approving nod. "That's amazing. Nice clean shot through the shoulder. Although traditionally we'd aim for the head or the chest." I scratched the back of my neck. "I know, but..." I trailed off. Stevie nodded. "It's all good. You know, you're-" he paused to reconsider his words. "Go on," I encouraged. He bit his lip but continued anyway. "You, well, you share some similarities with your mother."
I scowled. "I'm nothing like that heartless killer."
"I know, I know," Stevie said quickly. "I mean, she's pretty famous for her accuracy. That's why she's assessing the weapons course. Obviously you've inherited that from her." I cooled off slightly. "I guess," I agreed grudgingly.
"You've also got her short temper," he muttered under his breath.
"What'd you say?" I flared up, picking up my weapon and aiming it at him.
"Calm, calm, calm!" He yelled, shielding his face. "I meant you have her... determination. Yes! Determination!" I lowered my gun and shoved it into Stevie's hands then stomped off towards the target. He sprinted to catch up to me.
"Come on Rose, are you really that angry about it?" He asked incredulously. I stopped and turned on him. "Well-" I began, ready to start an argument. However, he was giving me a look as if to say quit being such a baby. I sighed and picked up the target. "I guess not. But you know me, I don't like being associated with my parents. Even though I seem a lot like my mother, in reality, she's a murderer and I'm not. Got that?" He nodded. "Good," I snapped, dragging the target back to the attic. I felt him staring after me but I didn't look back. However, I swore I heard him mumble something like "She's got her mother's autocratic nature too."
The testing began way too soon. I begged my partner to let me help him. However, being the manly man he was, he refused to let me steal a mini radio so I could help him with answers he couldn't remember.
Despite Stevie banning me from being there to lend a hand, he didn't stop me from spying on the assessments. Not like he could, anyway. He didn't even know I was there. After lying in the vents through two exams, I gave up spying on the theory stuff. All I got out of it was a few extra hours of sleep and punishment. It really gave no indication of how well or how badly Stevie was doing at all. However, there was no way I was going to miss the combat exams.
I was afraid Stevie would make me leave if he knew I was watching so I didn't hide in the shipping container. Instead, I climbed the water pipe on the side of the latrines then leapt onto the roof of the shelters. I laid down on its corrugated metal so I wouldn't be spotted.
Then the fights commenced.
All the recruits were paired up with those of equal size and weight. The pairs would take the middle of the yard and fight until someone either submitted or was knocked out. I watched the battles take place, critiquing everyone's technique. So, in my opinion, the better one wasn't always the one who didn't submit.
When it came to Stevie's face-off, I paid special attention. I was fascinated by how serious and determined he looked, yet how he was so calm. It was as if he were assessing his opponent, calculating their strength and locating their weakness. I was so captivated; I didn't realise he'd looked up slightly and began staring at me straight in the eye. I came out of the trance and tilted my head to the side.
Crap, he spotted me.
I thought he was going to shake his head, forcing me to leave with his steely gaze. Instead, he just smirked and looked away.
I was confused but not for long. The two soldiers engaged in battle, throwing punch after kick in an attempt to make the other give in. They moved so fast I almost lost track of who had the upper hand. It seemed like any other test in the beginning but something caught my attention this time. Stevie was moving slower than normally which wasn't good for him. His opponent was getting more hits than he should. However, every time Stevie managed to land a hit, it certainly showed on his opponent. It got really close. I found myself almost falling off the roof in anticipation. Both of them were getting tired and it appeared as if this would never end. Eventually it did, just not in the way I expected.
I leapt off the shelter roof onto the infirmary roof and slid down its wall. I couldn't risk being sent away by the nurses so I went in through the window. In one bed lay the unconscious opposition and in another...
"Stevie!" I hissed. He didn't stir. I tip-toed over and poked his face. Still nothing. "Forgive me if this hurts," I said and raised my arm above my head. His eyes popped open and clasped my hand. "God Rose, can't a man have five minutes peace without being beaten up?"
I grinned. "What happened out there? You two just went all out and then bam! You're both out cold."
He rolled his eyes and I couldn't tell if he was falling back asleep or pointing out my insolence. "Can we discuss this later? I wish I really was out cold right now."
I nodded but added "You fought weirdly. It was accurate but you were really slow. Was it really worth the risk?"
His eyes closed and his head rolled to the side.
"That's your fault," he mumbled.
It was a couple of days after the big knockout before he found out the results of his examinations. I couldn't see his expression from the vents so I had no idea of whether he flunked or passed with flying colours. I make sure to corner him after lunch since he wanted to eat with the guys from his course.
"How did you go?" I yelled for the fourth time. He wouldn't disclose anything and I was getting very impatient. Maybe he was trying to phrase it right? Did he fail?
We'd walked over to the fallen watchtower without even realising where we were going. It was pure habit.
"Well," he eventually said, "I got a pretty average mark for most of the theory stuff. Survival, navigation, logistics, strategy and tactics was better. Espionage and weapons were my specialty; I got into the top ten for that. And combat..." he trailed off. I punched him in the arm, glaring at him for stopping.
"...I got the top mark."
"Yes! Yes, I knew it! You did it!" I cheered. I hugged him, elated that he'd done so well. When I tried to pull away, he wouldn't let go.
"Uh, Stevie, are you alright?" I lifted my head and saw he was upset. "Why aren't you celebrating? I don't care if you brag, I wasn't the one who lost to you."
He sighed. "There's a downside to doing really well in the fields I specialized in. As of next week, I'm being moved to an allied base."
I stumbled, which explained why he didn't let go. My fingers dug into the sleeves of his uniform and I gritted my teeth.
"Don't you get a choice though? Isn't it like you get a year or something sitting around home base doing rounds until you really have to get up and do something?"
He looked down at me sadly. "No."
I pushed away. "Well this is a load of crap! How quickly do they want to send you to your death?" I stopped and glared at him as if he were the only one to blame. "Is it only you?" I said accusingly.
He shook his head. "No, there's nine others."
I threw my hands up in the air. "Even better! Kill off ten of your best recruits, that's how we'll end the war!"
Stevie came up behind me and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Rose..."
"Don't 'Rose' me!" I snapped, throwing off his hand. "Are you gonna let them do this to you?"
He smiled, exhaling loudly. "Do you really think I'll die that quickly out there?"
I bit my lip. "Well, no..."
"Then what are you really worried about?"
I did my best to keep a straight face. I folded my arms and paced around, hoping I seemed indifferent. "I'm not worried. You know me, I just think... this war... really..." I began to take deeper breaths. My composure wasn't holding. I felt my hands start shaking and folded my arms tighter.
"Rose."
I turned around and saw Stevie just standing there, arms open. There was no point pretending. I went up and hugged him, burying my head in his chest. His embrace felt safe and I didn't want him to let go.
On the day he was set to move, I crawled under the heavy canvas of one of the trucks they were to head off in. I'd made a plan. I was going to go too.
That was until Stevie stuck his head under the canvas.
"I thought it was odd that you didn't show up to say goodbye."
I frowned at him. "Look, neither of us has been outside the fence and it's not fair you have to leave!"
"I know, I know. Listen Rose, you have to stay here. Who knows how much trouble you'll get into if you get caught or what'll happen if the truck gets blasted on the way," he said softly.
"I don't care! I've trained just as hard as any of those other recruits, I'll be fine! Please Stevie, you're my only friend. Who am I supposed to bother at the crack of dawn? Who'll cover for me when I forget to take the mice out of Monotony's boots? All the jokes we were gonna play ain't gonna happen if you're not here."
He didn't say anything. Eventually, he gave me what he hoped was his usual smile.
"I guess we'll just have to grow up then."
We pulled faces at that statement. Us? Grow up? Never. However, given the circumstances, we really had no choice but to accept reality, albeit an awful one. He lifted me out of the truck and set me on the ground.
"I know, I'll just enlist now and see if I can get moved too," I said.
"No," he responded firmly, "No Rose, your belief was that you'd evade contributing to the cause of war for as long as possible. You're not going to break that now, not after all this. Promise me you won't. Just this, please, for me"
My heart sank but I knew he was just looking out for my best interests. Reluctantly, I nodded.
Then I burst into tears.
He patted my back, trying to reassure me. When that didn't work, he came up with an idea.
"Tell you what, I'll write to you. Since it's an allied base, they'll have to send reports in every so often. We'll just have to find a way to sneak in our own mail that way," he said, searching my face for any sign of reconciliation. At first, I wasn't sure. Then I agreed. It was the closest I would be able to get during the war.
I laughed. "We stick together through thick and thin..." I started.
"And no one will get in our way, not even the higher-ups," he finished.
The guys being transported to the allied base climbed into ones of the trucks. They roared to life and began moving slowly forward. I stood back and remembered one last thing.
"You better not forget me!" I shouted over the engines.
"I won't as long as long as you don't forget me! I promise, if I get the choice or if the war ends, I'll be back!" Stevie shouted. I yelled my assent even though I doubted he'd get either of those chances.
As those vehicle left the compound, it didn't just take my only friend. It took my childhood.
PmWdy [