Issy sighed, her energy racing out of her as she dropped her bag to the floor. She looked around while she took her jacket off and decided she might as well get settled in too.
There wasn't much for her to unpack, but it took her a while to organise everything in her room to an order she was happy with. Each of the two longer walls had three shelves with eight boxes on. On the left side looking from the door, Issy separated her clothes into a box on the middle shelf. Uniform. T-shirts. Underwear. Jeans. Hoodies. Pyjamas. Underneath those shelves, she lined up her slippers, a pair of trainers and another pair of combat boots. On the other wall on the middle shelf, she separated the rest of her stuff that she had brought. A couple of books to keep her going. Her tablet, headphones and speaker, along with chargers for those devices and her phone. Her drawing pad with a range of pencils, pens and other types of media.
There was no room either side of her bed to fit anything but in the chest at the end of her bed, she found that it had a few hooks along the left and right sides, and even hooks on the inside of the lid. Issy may not have an armoury hiding underneath her bed at the cabin, but she had found a place where she could create a smaller version. She clipped her gun sheaths onto the hooks running along the sides and then clipped a few of her knives on the lid, pleased when they all fit snugly. With the two remaining knives, she slipped them under each pillow, just in case. She had only brought three leather jackets with her: her patrol jacket, the jacket she's had since initiation and Eric's jacket. A slight frown pulled at her lips at the latter but Issy left it out as she place the other two in the chest.
Issy sat back onto her heels and gazed around her new room.
It was a stark difference to her room back in the compound. It was smaller but she kind of liked the colours. Not that she really had a choice in the matter… And there was no use complaining. It wouldn't get her far…
She clicked her tongue, wondering what to do next. A sudden awkwardness had come over her. How the hell would she be able to live with fifteen other people that she didn't know? How was she supposed to act with them? With her squad and Uri, it was different. She knew them all and was comfortable with them. But fifteen new people all at once?
No, Issy thought, breathing out. I will be fine. Its just like another initiation… Thrown with people you don't know to see if you can work together. It will be fine.
A shiver went through her as she stood up and she pulled on Eric's jacket. there was a loud yell. Issy was out of her room in an instance and running down the stairs to the ground floor. People followed her as she ran but she skidded to a stop at the sight before her once she came to the sitting room looking out to the backyard. Most of the other squaddies and the captains were on the other side of the room. Someone stumbled into her and Issy nearly fell forward until they took a hold of her shoulders and steadied her. The person behind her huffed out a laugh at the scene in front of them, and Issy instantly recognised it as Billy.
In front of them was a sight to behold. Uriah was on the floor next to one of the sofas like he had fallen off it and in his place sat a small kitten. It's coat was a patchwork of black, ginger and white. It's paws were white like little socks and it's chin, neck and underbelly were also white. It's long whiskers shook slightly as it's pink nose twitched. The little kitten stared down at Uriah with curious slate green eyes.
"Artemis." Issy breathed and the kitten's head cocked up in response. Artemis' tail twitched as she stared at Issy before she let out a small meow and jumped off the sofa.
As Artemis walked towards Issy, Uriah pointed at it. "That cat is evil! One moment I was all comfy on the sofa and the next that thing –" Artemis yowled, brushing against Issy's legs. "– came out of nowhere and jumped on me!"
"Well, it did say in the pack she jumps on people from large heights…" Billy snickered from behind her.
Duncan grinned at Uri from where he was leaning against the wall. "I think this is a perfect moment to get your shifts over and done with, don't you?"
Uriah simply glared in response.
xXx
Once again, they were all sat on various sofas and chairs arcing around their captains. Issy was sat between Uriah and Asher, the former leaned away from her when Artemis jumped onto Issy's lap and nuzzled into the jacket. Issy blinked in surprise before her arms circled around the small feline to stop her from falling off.
All of the captains had taken their positions from earlier that day at the very front. Each of them had clipboards with several sheets attached. Each squaddie had either pieces of paper and a pen or their tablets or phones to jot down their shift times. Issy had her phone in her hands and ready.
"Now," Duncan started. "You'll find that for most of you, you'll go from Captain one day to grunt the next to Captain the next day and so on. If either I, Kenna or Clark are in the same group as any of you but you are captain then we will follow your orders. The groups will repeat each week." Duncan then went on telling them all of the times until Issy had a list of her shifts and groupings in front of her.
MONDAY
23:40 to 03:40 – Sector A
Captain – Kenna,
Issy, Asher
11:40 to 15:40 – Sector D
Captain – Cole,
Danny, Issy
TUESDAY
03:40 to 07:40 – Sector F
Captain – Issy,
Asher, Uriah
15:40 to 19:40 – Sector I
Captain – Issy,
Duncan, Levi
WEDNESDAY
07:40 to 11:40 – Sector A
Captain – Tate,
Finley, Issy
19:40 23:40 – Sector F
Captain – Clark,
Erin, Issy
THURSDAY
03:40 to 07:40 – Sector B
Captain – Issy,
Eva, Tate
15:40 to 19:40 – Sector I
Captain – Issy,
Mark, Zak
FRIDAY
03:40 to 07:40 – Sector D
Captain – Calvin,
Uriah, Issy
15:40 to 19:40 – Sector G
Captain – Uriah,
Hector, Issy
SATURDAY
23:40 to 03:40 – Sector E
Captain – Issy,
Tony, Dorian
19:40 to 23:40 – Sector F
Captain – Issy,
Freyah, Xavier
SUNDAY
03:40 to 07:40 – Sector E
Captain – Eva,
Issy, Finley
15:40 to 19:40 – Sector C
Captain – Zak,
Issy, Duncan
A few times Issy had simply blinked in confusion at some of the names until she remembered that they were the real names of her squad. from being so used to calling them by their nicknames, there were moments when she forgot about their real names.
Patrols were to start immediately, even if some of the patrols were half way done. The captains then dismissed them again, telling those that had a patrol to be by the trucks in ten minutes. The rest of them were free to do as they please until their shifts will begin.
As everyone scattered, Issy realised for her very first shift, she'd be captain and honestly, she didn't know if she was ready.