"Momma?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Could you tell me another story?"

The woman peeked over her shoulder at the closed bedroom door before returning her eyes to her daughter, "Which one would you like to hear?"

"The one about that special place you told me about."

A smile slowly grew on the mother's lips, "You mean Solla Sollew?" The little girl nodded excitedly before the woman began, "There's a faraway land so the stories all tell, somewhere beyond the horizon. If we can find it, then all will be well. Troubles there are few..."


"Miss Korbich?" Audrey's head shot up, awaking from the dream-like memory. "We've arrived."

Audrey remained silent in the passenger seat of the car as the vehicle pulled up to her new dwelling (She refused to call it "home."). The convertible had parked in front of a castle of gray bricks and barbed-wire. She had heard stories about this place and she never thought her father would be serious enough to send her here. General Schmitz was not easy on anyone, no matter the age, gender or physical skill.

And now here she was, at fifteen-years-old, sent to a rumored living Hell for not being the ideal daughter her father wanted.

She would give anything for the chance to slap him in the face.

Audrey stepped out of the car and stared up at the building that seemed to almost skyrocket to the clouds. If her mother was there, she would've joked about the "beasties" that might be locked away inside.

Then again, if her mother was there, Audrey probably wouldn't be at the Military Academy in the first place.

"Get moving, Korbich!" A harsh shove in her back forced her to start walking towards the dark fortress. Once inside, the doors quickly slammed shut behind her. No turning back from here.

She barely paid attention to the formalities the General attempted to give her. She was too distracted by her own efforts not to cry. Crying would show weakness. She would not show this man any weakness.

She didn't like Schmitz, but she didn't blame him for them having to deal with one another. She had her father to thank for that. Still, that didn't exactly mean she had to enjoy the General's presence.

"Stand up straight, Private!" She obeyed, meeting eyes with the window behind him and trying to avoid looking at him in the eye. "Now you know why you're here, right?"

"I'm assuming that you'll tell me anyway," Audrey replied, her voice as dry and sour as she could manage.

The General gave her an angered look, his voice sounding like the growl of some mythical beast, "You are to address me as 'sir' and answer with a 'yes' or 'no', understand?"

She forced it out of her mouth, "Yes, sir."

"Now do you know why you are here?"

"No, sir." But you'd still probably tell me anyway, Audrey thought.

"You're here because of your Thinking. Thinking, as you may or may not know, is dangerous to our society and as General, it is up to me to extinguish the problem before it creates an even bigger problem. You've already caused possible monetary damage to private property with yours, and it's shocking that a girl your age has possessed this..." He struggled to find the proper word, "...disease for so long. So your father had no choice but to bring you to me. Is that clear?"

"Yes." She purposely didn't add a "sir," the mentioning of her father made it difficult to contain all of her frustration.

The General bent down to meet eyes with her and she bravely looked at them back, "Be aware, Private, that just because you're a Chairman's kid does not mean things are gonna be any different for you. You'll receive the same treatment as all of the other privates here, no questions asked. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Audrey spat out.

"Good." The General turned her back to her, walking towards the hallway ahead. "Now if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the bunkroom. Your fellow privates will be joining you later today. This will be your one and only day off from training unless you're deemed fit to deserve it."

"Understood, sir." He stopped to give her a dark look for saying anything but "yes" before resuming his walk once more. Audrey stared at the floor as she followed, the echo of the General's well-polished shoes and the building's poor air-ventilation filling her ears.

When they arrived, the General opened the door for her, the rusty metal screeching loudly from lack of proper care. Bunk beds were lined up side-by-side in rows, reaching all the way to the end of the room. Sloppily-made bedding indicated which beds were already taken by the current residents. There were few left available except for a few at the back of the bunkroom. She felt something forced into her hands and saw that the General had given her all the basic essentials for getting by in this place, including a uniform and a set of plain gray pajamas.

"Pick whichever available bunk you'd like, but don't get too comfy," Schmitz said, "You won't be spending much time in here." He pointed at a door a few rooms over, "Showers and toilets are in there, lights out at ten." He began walking away, not even meeting eyes with the small brunette, "Get some sleep while you can, Private. You're gonna need it."

Audrey didn't even bother to look at him. She just stood there as the footsteps faded away. After having a moment to take in everything, she picked a bunk in the farthest corner of the room and sat down with a "plop."

And the tears quietly came.


When she was sure that her child was asleep, the mother got up and opened the bedroom door.

She smiled back at her child, "Goodnight, sweetie." The woman stepped out and carefully shut the door behind her. When she turned towards the hallway, a shock went down her spine.

"Honey," her husband began. "We need to have a talk."