Tyler
Tyler hated the orphanage. Blank white walls, blank faces, or worse yet, pity. Pity. He didn't need anyone's pity. As soon as he could he would be out of there anyway.
Maybe someone would have adopted him. But Tyler wouldn't stick around to find out. As a four, then five, then six year old, odds were some gushy childless couple would come in, look at him, break down in tears, and rush him 'home'. Happily ever after. He could just see it. Nope he would tell himself. NOT happily ever after. Wherever 'home' would be, he doubted it would be near the woods. And that was where he really wanted to be.
Sure, the orphanage was unbearably dull. But Tyler wasn't often in the orphanage. Why should he be, with that tantalizing forest so close? Climbing the fence, he would run. As soon as he was surrounded by trees, he was safe. Safe to climb, run, jump. Safe to gaze up at the far off leaves at the very top of the trees. He could catch minnows, race after rabbits, try to imitate bird calls. He could go swimming in small creeks, swing around trees on 'borrowed' rope, and pick sweet tasting berries. Tyler loved the forest. It was a part of him, in a place of his heart rarely inhabited for a child so young.
But then the sun would go down. And Tyler would trudge back to the glaringly white orphanage. He would climb back over the fence. Then, after dinner, he would do whatever punishment he was given for running away. Again. Strangely enough, the punishments never stopped him, and the people at the orphanage didn't seem to care. They didn't care about much.
This day, though. This day was different. As he climbed down into the small yard, there was a stranger there. Some woman. She looked up as he approached. "Oh. Are you Tyler?" A sullen look on his face, Tyler nodded as he past her into the orphanage. If she was looking to adopt him, he was not going to seem like some nice little abandoned kid. "Not so fast" the woman continued, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I just need to talk to you. It shouldn't take long. Your dinner is out here too." Shrugging, Tyler walked over to the table. He could see his food there.
As he dug into his dinner, the woman started talking. "So, Tyler, do you like the woods?" He nodded. "And you go out there every day?" Another nod. "Do you get punished for leaving?" A grin this time, followed by "Yep". "Yet you keep leaving. "Yep."
Later that evening, one of the pity-faced people who worked there walked up to him as he mopped the floor- again. "Tyler. Aren't you excited! You actually get to leave tomorrow." His heart felt like it skipped a beat. "What?" "Sure." The lady seemed overjoyed to be the bearer or 'good' news. "That lady is picking you up tomorrow at eight in the morning. You better be here, too." Tyler's eyes widened with each word. "After all," she finished, "plenty of little boys would practically kill to get into Battle School." Wait a minute. Tyler thought to himself. Battle School? Isn't that in space?