The sunlight pierced through the window as it lit the room.
All of us were preparing to march.
Wearing our uniforms and looking fit and clean as possible.
I looked at myself in the mirror.
The rifles sling strapped around my shoulder and arms.
The sharp contrast of my clothes.
The pouches strapped around my hips.
And the backpack on my spine.
I looked at my face thoroughly.
"I should have showered yesterday or at least wash my hair cause I look absolute shit!" I said to myself.
"Yeah, no joke, I can still smell the earth on you."
I looked at my side to see Lena fully dressed in her uniform.
"Thanks... have you seen my helmet?" I asked.
"No idea, if you lost it then you need to get a new one in the armory as well as the fact that you will have to pay for the loss." She chuckled lightly.
"Right... Lena, how do I look in this?" I fully displayed myself, trying to get her opinion on this.
She looked closely, examining every detail as if she was our instructor.
"Like um... wait... Ah yes! You're like the bottom of a shoe. Been through everything and it definitely shows!" Lena wheezed after saying her corny joke as I watched in annoyance.
Looking around, Tomas and Wesley had a conversation with each other.
"Hey guys! How do I look?" I asked.
Tomas and Wesley turned around to see.
Within a single glance, they said.
"Like a mirror in a abandoned house, technically useful but way too dirty to trust yourself what you see." Just like Lena, they wheezed.
"Uh huh." I was yet again disappointed.
Looking at the mirror again, I just decided not to care.
I mean what's the worst that could happen.
I licked my fingers and used it to fix my hair.
"Perfect!" I proudly looked at myself.
Lena just gazed at me as if she was right about to burst out laughing.
"Any problem?" I asked.
"What!? No! Of course not!" Lena turned her face around, not trying to show her expression.
But I clearly knew what she was trying to hide.
"Goddammit, has anyone seen my helmet!" I yelled.
Hermann: "Nah uh."
Tobias: "Nope."
Paul: "Never."
Everyone's reply were the same.
"Everyone! They're telling us to go out!" Amelia come out of the doorway.
"Wait! I need to find my helmet!" I panicked.
"Here! Here!"
Someone said behind me.
Turning around, it was Mara coming towards me with a helmet on her hands.
Raising her arms, she placed it down right on my head.
"Ow!" I stuttered.
Lifting up my helmet, I saw Mara with a serious expression.
"Next time. Don't ever lose it. Got it?" She stated.
"Uh-um... Yes. Thanks by the way." I said.
"Right." Without even reacting, she just moved on which dumbstruck me for a second due to her indifference but I quickly snapped back to reality and headed out.
Outside, the sun bathed all of us.
Lighting up the entire sky.
But the sun didn't just lit up the day.
Oh no.
The moment I stepped in the sunlight.
My head started to shoot out sweat.
Heating up my clothes and trapping the heat inside.
The hot air baked us like bread being made in an oven.
"Gosh it's hot today!" Otto said.
"How the hell are we going to march from here to Drunard! We're going to be burned alive before we even get there!" Paul said.
"I know! We're going to be barbecued alive!" Tobias followed.
"Has anyone seen Gideon?" Wesley stated.
Immediately that struck me like lightning.
Where was he anyway?
I looked around my surroundings only not to see him anywhere.
"I'll head back inside!" I said before I dashed back inside.
Back in my dorms.
I saw Gideon sitting in his bed all the way back of the room.
"Gideon! We need to go! Our superiors is going to kill us if we don't line up!" I yelled.
But Gideon didn't react.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
Stepping in, I slowly walked towards him.
"Gideon?"
Getting close to him, I saw his hands shaking violently.
His breath inconsistent and heavy.
Seeing this, I saw right next to him.
"Look... if I have to be honest, I really don't know what to say right now. I um... I'm scared as well you know. All of us are but that doesn't bring us down. It just makes us move forward... okay to be honest I had no idea what I just said." I chuckled lightly at my own words.
And Gideon chuckled as well about what I said.
"That didn't help at all but... thanks." He stood up from his bed and I followed.
He slowly took a deep breathe and slowly exhaled.
Calming himself down, he looked at me and nodded.
I nodded and back and headed out.
Outside, I saw every soldier lined up neatly together in this camp.
"Quick! We have to line up before they arrive." I said and dashed.
Gideon followed right next to me.
Seeing him run without any effort almost made my proud.
He has always lacked behind but now him running right beside me.
Someone he could not do for years was impressive.
"Hurry guys!" Amelia quickly gestured us to hurry as she was lined up.
Tomas and Wesley moved away from each other and giving us space to line up.
Just in time, we made it.
"Phew! We made it. good thing the superiors haven't arrived yet." Gideon said.
"Yeah or else we would have been fu-"
"DETACHMENT!" A women yelled out.
Every soldier immediately stopped talking and fixed their posture.
My spines straight and my heads forward.
But what I saw astonished all of us.
It was our instructor. Franziska.
All dirtied up and mud all over her.
Has she been sleeping in that pit for the whole day!?
All of us gulped.
"Detachment! I'll kill you all for what you've done!" She screamed in frustration.
Her movement was fast and getting closer to us.
She's actually going to kill us!
I screamed inside my head, rethinking of my entire life choices.
"Get out right no-"
"Franziska! What the hell are you doing!"
The instructor turned around and saluted.
"Superiors! I wasn't exp-"
"Expecting? We'll be going on a march today! What the hell are you doing with those clothes! Did you forget what happens today! You're supposed to be our flag bearer so we wanted you in your utmost cleanest! But this is what you bring!" He yelled whilst he sat on his horse.
"But sir!"
"Enough! I don't want anything to here from you! I'm demoting you right fucking now! I'll give the flag to someone else instead." He cut her off, not even giving her a change to speak.
"But sir! They were the on-"
"Did you even hear what I said!? Leave!"
"B-b-but-"
"NOW!"
Franziska grinded her teethes together.
She gazed at all of us in pure anger.
Her eyes on fire, I could almost feel the sheer aura coming from her.
But she knew she could not do anything.
She sucked all her rage up and left.
Holy fucking shit! She left us alive! Thank the lords!
I secretly prayed inside my head.
"Everyone! In formation!" The superior officers commanded.
Without a thought, we followed his orders.
Getting ourself in formation and marched.