"Isla, we're gonna be late again, I don't wanna be late on the first day." I roll out of bed onto the hard ground. Groaning when my shoulder hits the floor. I walk into my onsweet bathroom, striping off my clothing. My shoulder and face both have massive purple bruises. Well, this is just great. I take a quick shower to cool down my burning injuries. When I'm done I lightly rub concealer onto the bruises, hoping not to hurt myself more. I put on a setting spray so I won't rub it off. I dress myself in a short sleeve lavender shirt, black skinny jeans, gray socks, black combat boots, and my black cropped jacket with lavender stripes on the sleeves. I put on my choker and ring, grab my belongings and race to the driveway.

I place the items in the vehicle and go to look for food, finding nothing. I come back outside and sit in the passenger seat. When my father finally makes it into the driver's seat it's already 7:41am. "How long of a drive is it father?"

"With the speed of this thing, probably an hour at most, we have to be there by nine so we have plenty of time."

"Oh…", I stare out into the desert surrounding us. It looks as if it's closing in on us. It's nice and warm compared to home, but I don't like the scenery, there's almost no plants.

'I know how you feel, the cave seems to close in on me too.'

Silver?

'Yes?'

You can hear my thoughts?!

"Uh, yes, I thought you knew that?'

I didn't, but I'm gonna try to sleep.

'Ok, we'll talk later then, have a good rest.' I place my head against the window and close my eyes.

I wake up, looking to the sky seeing several aircrafts flying in perfect formation. On the ground below them there's a large gray base with several red flags waving at its entrance. I yawn and pinch my check, trying to wake up. "Wow, this place is huge", my eyes light up.

"See, I knew you'd like it."

"Yeah, sure, I definitely like it", I sarcastically reply. My father somehow missed my tone of voice and pulled up to a checkpoint.

"What is your business here?", a blonde guard rudely demands.

"I am Alejandro Patterson, and this is my daughter Isla Patterson." He takes some paper out of the glove compartment and hands them to the man.

"Oh, you're the new communications instructor and his daughter." He hands the papers back and lets us pass through. We find a space to park and walk towards the door of the Garrison. Well, here goes nothing… My father opens the door.

"Welcome Mr. Patterson, Miss Paterson, I am Commander Iverson." This guy is quite tall, or am I just short? I crane my neck to see the man in a gray coat with three gold stripes on his shoulders and a red crescent. Behind him is a girl who looks like she is about two years older than me. She had dark skin and bleached blonde hair in a high bun on her head. She coughed a bit looking innocently at Commander Iverson. "Oh yes, this is Cassandra Morgans, she is going to show you around the Garrison's premises today. She waves excitedly at me with a huge grin on her face. Oh no, please don't tell me she's that type of girl… I gulp as I politely wave back.

"Aww, she's shy that is like so cute!" I wince as she drags me away, father and Iverson laughing at my situation. She shows me the classrooms, research rooms, simulators, cafeteria, and finally the doors. "This one is yours", she points to dorm 231. "Your with, hmm, I think Melissa Fernafin and Orath Sernti."

"Oh, well thank you for showing me around, I guess I should get my items now."

"No need, it's already there", she says while snapping, "I'll see ya around kid!" She takes off, I tilt my head in confusion and lean against the door to my dorm. I wonder how I can get inside. It opened and I fell backwards screaming quietly, I landed on a girl.

"Ohmigoodness, are you are you okay Orath." A high pitched voice says. I look up to see a tanned girl of medium height with stunning amber eyes and dyed bright pink hair staring down at me. "Oh, who're you?", she offers me a hand. She pulls me off of who I'm guessing is Orath.

"I'm so sorry Orath, I'm Isla, your new roommate." I helped her to her feet, "are you okay, I'm so sorry for falling on you."

"Uhm, how do you know my name?"

"Melissa just said it."

"But how do you know her name?"

"Oh, Cassandra told me, she was showing me around."

"Oh, the annoying one, I'm sorry you had to go through that", Melissa says.

"So you're the one with all the stuff?, Orath gestured to the main part of the room.

"Um, I guess so, sorry."

"You say that a lot", Melissa notes. Wow, I've never seen someone like Orath before. She has natural flaming orange hair, desert sand eyes, and light brown skin. "Now follow me, you're room is over here." Melissa helps me to unpack and organize while Orath takes a shower in her room. When we finish setting up my room Orath met us in the main section of the dorm.

"So tell us about yourself", Orath says.

"Well I'm sixteen, I'm from Newfoundland-"

"So that's why you're hard to understand sometimes", Melissa interrupts.

"Anyways, my father is the new communications instructor, and yeah, that's really it, what about you guys?"

Melissa answered first, "well I'm seventeen, from Georgia in the U.S. Tropic District, studying to become a fighter pilot, my favorite colour is pink, and I love Japanese food." She nudged Orath, who hummed in response.

"I'm sixteen, from Egypt, want to become a mechanic, and uh yeah. You're not homophobic, are you?"

"Uh, no I'm not, why?" Orath blushes a tiny bit.

"We're dating!", Melissa almost yells.

"Shh, Melissa, we don't want anyone else to find out, the others will make fun of us", Orath whispers sternly.

"It's fine", Melissa hugs Orath.

"I thought our society was accepting of lgbtq+?"

"Well not as much as they should be", Orath mumbles blushing even more.

"Oh, they are in Canada I guess."

"Well, we should start heading to the cafeteria, it's 12:06pm, do you want to sit with us? Normally it's just us two, so you wouldn't have to meet anyone new."

"Melissa, she should change into her uniform first."

"Oh yeah, I'll go do that now, thanks."

Orath pov

I drag Melissa into my room. "I get the feeling she's hiding something."

"Well, we just met her, you can't expect her to immediately open up.

"I guess so, I do feel that she's trustworthy, but we'll see."

"Uh guys, where are you?", we both rush out of my room. We see Isla in the orange uniform with a gold stripe on the shoulders. Melissa grabs both of our hands and pulls us to the cafeteria. Well, she is always hungry, what can I expect?

We line up behind several other students, but we quickly reach the front "Do you want chicken or beans?", a pale boy with black hair asks me annoyed. I think I remember him getting in trouble, this must be the punishment.

"Um, chicken please."

"Greek or caesar salad?"

"Greek."

What drink?"

"Orange juice", he places a tray on the counter and asks Melissa what she wants. Once Isla finishes getting her food, we sit down at a table towards the back of the cafeteria. We eat in silence until the dreaded Cassandra shows up with her annoying personality.

"Isla, what are you doing with them? Come sit with me and my friends." The table ahead of us starts yelling and waving. Me and Melissa glance at Isla, wondering if she'd leave us. "Do you really have to think about this, the answer is obvious."

"You're right Cassandra, the answer is obvious." Cassandra smirks, anticipating a new member to her cult of 'cool people'. "Yep, please leave, your disturbing the peace", Cassandra groans in rage.

"Ugh, you just made a terrible choice and an enemy." She storms off back to where she came from.

"Ahh, thanks for staying with us", Melissa hugs Isla while I rub my ears. Why does Melissa always have to be so loud? After lunch we go back to our dorms, me and Melissa work on extra classwork. I have no idea what Isla's doing, but she's in her room.

Isla pov

After we get back to the dorm from supper, we say our goodnights, I take a relaxing hot shower. I clean off all the makeup, my bruises are still very purple and turning yellow at the edges. Well, I guess that's good. Hmm, I wonder if Silver can hear me.

'Yes, I can, how was your first day?'

Yeah, I think I may have made a couple friends, hopefully they stay.

'I really hope so, you could use some friends.'

My phone goes off. Wait a second Silver.

'Sure.'

"Hello father, do you need anything?"

"Si, can you meet me at my room?"

"Yes what number is it?"

"It's dorm 13."

"I will be right there father."

'He better not hurt you again or I swear.'

I put on my casual clothes and put the hood over my face to hide the bruise. After walking down the hall for about ten minutes I find dorm 13. I knock on the door, it quickly opening, my father drags me inside slamming the door. The scent of beer wafting out of his mouth, making me want to puke. Oh no he's drunk again. "You good for nothing brat, you should have been doing something useful today instead of running around with those idiots."

"Th-there was nothing for me to d-do father."

"Nonsense there's always something you can do." He swings his left arm into my side. I gasp, not expecting the blow. He swings again, narrowly missing my chin. "Ugh." I dodge another swing, which makes him really upset. Smiling intently, he runs me over, stomping all over me. Somehow he is still sober enough to hear some people outside of the room.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, let's check if everything is okay in there." Someone knocks on the door, my father picking me up and stuffing me in the closet.

"I'm coming", I hear the sound of the door opening. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, we just heard a loud thud from here and were wondering if you were okay."

"Oh, thank you, I'm fine, just tripped over some boxes, moving problems y'know."

All three of them laugh, the door closes and my father opens the closet, me falling out onto the floor. "You get out of here now and do not let anyone know what happened", he says severely. I nod and get out of there as quickly as I can. Thankfully when I got back to my dorm neither Melissa nor Orath come out.

I change into a lavender nightgown with a star pattern and a high neck. I'm exhausted, better go to sleep, tomorrow's my first day of classes. I crawl into the bed, the hard mattress under me barely moving under my weight. I drift into a nightmare, which plagued me the entire night.

"Isla, we have to go for breakfast!", Melissa pounds on my door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming", I change into the orange, white and gray uniform, the belt hurting my injured body significantly. Almost forgetting to cover the bruises with concealer, I run out of the dorm chasing after Orath and Melissa who had already left without me.

Looking around the cafeteria, I see them sitting at the same table we had for the past two meals. I line up behind a girl with black hair and tan skin, it quickly becoming my turn to receive food. "What would you like?", a bored looking girl with ginger hair and pale skin asks. I look down at the food.

"Can I have toast, hash browns, and orange juice please?"

"Sure", she hands the tray over to me. I take it to the table where my friends are. Friends, that sounds nice.

'It sure does, my girl is finally growing up.' I laugh at her remark, causing some cadets to point and laugh at me talking to 'myself'. I sit down next to Orath and begin to eat.

A tall woman with short platinum blonde hair in a gray uniform similar to Commander Iverson's stands up on a raised platform. "Cadets, you have a new new communications instructor, Mr. Patterson, would you please stand up." Father stands up and waves to the crowd. "He will be taking over Mr. Kalanies position and will be using the same classroom he did." she steps down from the platform and the chatter starts up again.

"So that's your father Isla?", Melissa asks. I nod, still chewing my hash browns.

"How do our classes work?"

"Did you bring the binder you got yesterday?"

"Um no, was I supposed to?"

"Yes, you better go get it now, classes start soon." I dump out my tray and rush back to the dorm.

'You always were a forgetful one Isla.'

Don't rub it in Silver. I search through my room, looking through the items I received from the Garrison the day before. Finally getting a hold of the binder, I walk to the door, tripping and falling flat on my face. Pain rushes through my abdomen, I force myself up from the ground. I walk out of the dorm, running back to the cafeteria. No one's here?! Oh no, this is bad, my father is going to be so upset.

'Calm yourself paladin, it will be okay, what class do you have first?'

I have a class in the flight simulator with Commander Iverson.

'The girl showed you that place, correct?

Yeah, I think so…

'So try and remember where it is.'

Thanks Silver, I don't know where I'd be without you.

"You would probably be dead my friend.

That is very likely. I go down the hallway on the left from the doors of the cafeteria. I pass many classrooms full of people staring at me concerned for me. I guess being late must be a serious offense. I finally reach the flight simulator room, I knock on the door, a commander with brown hair and glasses opening it for me. "Um, how can I help you cadet?"

This isn't Commander Iverson's flight simulator is it?", I sigh. I am going to be so late.

"It's not, but thankfully for you, it's right behind you." The cadets behind him are holding their mouths, trying not to laugh at me.

"Thank you sir", he closes the door and I knock on the one behind me.

"You are late cadet." I look up at him and salute. I hope this is the proper time for that.

"I'm sorry sir, I got lost, I'm new."

"This is understandable, but not acceptable, I will pardon you this time, but I will assign a student to take you to all of your classes today. Can I see your schedule?" I nod and hand it over to him, he goes around to all of the other cadets who had to pause their simulator. He brings a brown haired cadet over to me, "this is Lance McClain, you have the same schedule, he'll bring you to your classes today, sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's fine sir, we'll have a great time, right uh?"

"Isla, Isla Patterson."

"Pretty girl, pretty name, what can I expect."

"I think he was talking to the girl, not you McClain", a boy with blonde hair yells. Lance looks at his feet.

"Enough cadets, let's start that simulator again." Lance and six other cadets line up at a long desk with a screen in front of it. They put on helmets and the training starts. About thirty seconds later a boy crashes, he yelps and spins around holding his head. The next person to crash was a brunette girl with long hair, she just mumbled to herself and joined the rest of us. After a minute, a boy crashes and stomps away from the desk, slamming his helmet on it. Soon after another guy crashes and swears, Commander Iverson had a junior officer who was in the room take him to a discipline office. I hear a scream and turned around to see a girl walk away from the simulator. Then Lance crashes he steps away groaning in frustration. The last person in the simulator lands perfectly and takes off his helmet, smirking at the ones who failed. "That was terrible cadets, not all of you are going to become pilots, but in case of an emergency you must know how to fly." "okay, Jenkins, Hernerd, Zenox, Patterson, Albert, Kerbera, and Garrett lineup. I will explain this to you Patterson, this is part of a test to see who we should put in which division, in February we will place you in your group."

"Okay", I go to the end of the line, beside a boy with dark skin and black hair. We put on our helmets and take the controls. The boy beside me puffs out his cheeks and crashes thirty-six seconds in, he clasps his hands over his mouth and runs away. Another crashes, then another, until there were only three of us left. Thank you Silver for all the practice.

'You're welcome.'

"Agh!", I crash. Silver, really?

'Well you were talking to me, sorta.'

Maybe while I'm in class don't bother me.

'Good idea.'

After class, Lance takes my arm and links it with his. I turn my head to look at him, "what are you doing?"

"Well I have to bring you to your next class, don't want you to get lost again."

"Don't get condescending McClain."

Lance pov

Condescending? What is that supposed to mean? "Okay." My next lesson is with Mr. Patterson, he's doing communications in the old guys class. "So is your father a commander or officer or something like that.

She stiffens up at my question. Oh no, what did I do wrong? "Uhm, being honest I have no idea, you'll have to ask him." Who wouldn't know something like that. Huh, this girl is weird. We reach the classroom, it's door is thankfully still open. I start to enter the room and she pulls her arm out of mine. What's up with her? I sit down next to the window at the front. I can't miss any of this, it could be the difference between staying and leaving the Garrison. The girl, Isla I think sits down at the desk next to me.

"So I did make a good impression after all?" Did I say that out loud?

"Uhm, I don't know but this is the only desk left at the front." Oh…