Basic Trainingggg!!!! Is Cara gonna pass?? Read on to find out ;) xxx

CHAPTER 10 – BASIC

The long dreaded first day of Basic Training came like a whip. Cara's eyes flickered open as her alarm clock buzzed. She quickly sat up in bed, not wanting to think about what was waiting in the day ahead.

The glowing numbers on the alarm read 3:43 a.m. as Cara stepped out of her ensuite, eyeballing the filthy rags laid out on the floor that were her uniform. The light blue CHERUB t-shirt and the trousers had black number sixes on them, and they were in horrible condition - there was a rip in the t-shirt and a massive stain on the trousers, Cara didn't want to know where they'd been before. The boots were tattered and dirty, so Cara ended up wearing her own fairly new ones, but she had to wear the rest of the kit as they had her number on them. She hauled the massive pack over her shoulders and walked out of her room with a longing backward glance – she was going to miss her wonderful room.

Cara arrived in the canteen at 3:50 a.m., and was happy to see Andrew already sitting at their usual table. She made her way over with a full tray, and greeted him with a warm smile. She noticed that she Andrew was number five.

They all mopped up their breakfasts and set off on the long walk to the Basic Training Compound at four-thirty, not wanting to arrive late on their first day.

The Compound was located beside the height obstacle course. From what Cara could see, the enclosure was about six times the size of the pitches, consisting of dense forest and lots of mud. It was surrounded by a five-metre-high wire fence. The plain concrete box which would be their virtual 'home' for the next a-hundred days was located near the centre of the compound, amidst huge muddy fields.

They both exchanged good lucks as they paused in front of the door leading into the training hut, before Andrew summoned courage and pushed open the door. The room had no windows and no heating. It contained ten rusty bed frames with thin battered mattresses lining them. They were fifteen minutes early, but there were already three other trainees standing at the end of the beds.

The Head Training Instructor was Pike, Cara was told, and his two assistants were Speaks and Smoke. She studied the three closely as she strode to the bed located on the left side in the centre of the room. Pike was tall and had fair hair and an athletic build. Her friends told Cara that he played the game fair, but making the next hundred days hell for the trainees was his job. His two assistants were both in their early thirties. Speaks was black and shaved bald. Smoke had long blonde hair and blue eyes.

Most of the remaining cherubs arrived within the next ten minutes, except for one slightly overweight dark-skinned boy who ran in just on time. Cara looked to Pike to see how he would punish the boy for being too on time, but instead Smoke stepped forward and yelled at the boy. "What took you so long, wog?!" The boy looked shocked at the outburst and muttered in reply,

"But I'm not late…"

"Did I say you could talk back? I think you look as if you've had enough breakfast already, why don't you go without lunch? Don't worry; it's only thirteen hours until dinner though." Smoke sniggered.

The boy looked like he'd been slapped as he trudged over to bed number four.

"So, now that we've got everyone, I'll make my welcome speech." Pike stepped forward and addressed the whole room. "You awake at 0545, cold shower, dress and run the assault course. At 0700 you will have breakfast, then do physical training until 0900 when school starts. Lessons include Espionage, Language, Weaponry, Karate and Survival Skills. At 1400 you run the assault course again. Lunch is at 1500. You have two more hours of physical training at 1600. At 1800 there will be one hour for you to shower, wash out and hang up your uniform, then clean and polish your boots. Dinner is at 1900, then one hour of homework from 1930 to 2030. You will return to your bed at 2045. Is that clear?"

Everyone was dumbfounded by the time Pike had finished his introduction.

I'll post the next chapter once I get one review? Thanksss :)