Just Some Children From The Districts

Chapter Two - First Day of Boot Part 2

Journal Entry: June 21st, 2301

"These kids no longer have a future. This project could have only come from one place: the darkest, most horrible, and most demented corner of President Janson's mind. Many of the staff doubted the project's intentions, but with his lapdogs around, no one could voice their thoughts."

"The soldiers aren't terrible. Lieutenant Riley handpicked all of them, and their loyalty to him surpasses any they have to President Janson. Sadly, Janson himself decided to grace us with his presence today. He said he wanted to 'inspect the stock.' It didn't surprise me from the times I've met him before. What did surprise me was the women he brought with him. Alma Coin was her name; she seemed nice enough, but Lieutenant Riley didn't trust her. Well, he doesn't really trust anyone besides those who earned it, but his judgment hasn't been proved wrong once since I met him."

"Now, it seems the children will return from their first day of morning exercise soon. Any future that was ahead of them is gone now. For many of them, that is a great thing. But they might just be able to forge new futures with the tools that we give them."

– A regretful doctor

As they entered the air-conditioned building, sighs of relief were heard from the members of Alpha Group. Dr. Johnson led them down a long corridor before entering a set of double doors. Percy was expecting more than a few glass tables at the front of the room and empty tables with chairs. When all the children were sat, a few men and women walked in pushing carts with trays of crackers and milk on them.

Seeing what was in front of him, Percy knew he shouldn't expect much more for the rest of the day. Grabbing the stale food, he stared at it before sighing and eating the meager meal. His only relief was the cool milk that helped wash the crackers down into his stomach. But still, knowing that he had to learn something now didn't exactly encourage enthusiasm.

"Ok, you all," Dr. Johnson began. "Before your class starts, let me run you through a breakdown of what your lessons here will consist of. You may be young, but that doesn't mean that you will be taught like children. Each class will begin with a demonstration from these holo-tables. Following that will be a daily rotation of classes: history, math, sciences, reading/writing."

The kids stared at her, taking in what they were told. There were a few quiet groans from a few, but most decided to be quiet and listen; Percy was listening, but he was also groaning at the prospect of being in this room every day and learning the subjects he was told. The only positive he saw was the stale food and air conditioning.

"Umm, Doctor?" A kid in the front said. Percy saw that it was the kid who got hit in the barracks that morning.

"Yes, Cadet 10-1?" she asked in response.

"It's Winston," he said. "Nevermind. I was just wondering how all this stuff is here?"

The question was simple, but it caught the attention of everyone in the room. Dr. Johnson's eyes lost focus as it looked like she started thinking how to respond. Percy thought of the question as well. "Yesterday, she said District 13, didn't she? But how is that possible? There are only twelve districts. I must have heard wrong." As he came to his conclusion, a series of knocks came from the doors at the back of the room.

Dr. Johnson never had a chance to give the person who knocked permission before the doors opened. In walked the man that Percy saw in the vehicle during the run earlier. Getting a better look at his face, he agreed with his earlier assessment; the man looked like a rat.

Beside the man was a woman; his best guess was that she was the one with a bag on her head in the vehicle. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, but her gray eyes made Percy pause when he stared at them. He couldn't explain it, but something about her eyes made him uneasy; it was as if the look they gave was fake. Before she could turn to look at him, he quickly turned back to the rat-like man.

"Dr. Johnson, I do hope that I'm not intruding," the man spoke. There was such sincerity in his voice that Percy thought he actually meant what he was saying. But one look in his eyes showed that he didn't care at all.

"No, not at all, President Janson," she replied, a tight smile on her face." Today's class is just starting. Actually, cadet 10-1 just asked a question that I think you would be able to answer better than I."

Janson kept walking to the front of the room before answering. "And what kind of question do you think I can answer better, Doctor?"

"Well, cadet 10-1 asked how a place like the Glade can exist, especially with our current technology and equipment."

Janson turned around and surveyed the room, looking over each cadet as if trying to find out who cadet 10-1 was. "Well, that isn't a terribly hard question, now is it? The Glade was ordered to be constructed as a home away from home for soldiers before the Dark Days." He looked at the cadets and saw the confusion on all of their faces.

"You will learn what the Dark Days are, but I digress. All of the buildings outside, inside, and the Glade itself were built secretly. Until fifteen years ago, the Glade and its facilities have gone unused. Since the end of the Dark Days, this place has been a closely guarded secret that only the President of District 13 has known. We have secured technology through secret contacts in the districts that risked their lives to provide us with the materials."

The children took in his words with earnestness. Each word to them was another key to the puzzle that was their missing memories.

"Now, you kids probably don't want to hear someone like me waste your time. You have lessons to learn, and I have people to meet in other parts of the Glade. So, please, Dr. Johnson, get back to your lesson, and I will take my leave. Dr. Johnson can answer any similar questions." True to his word, President Janson left the room immediately.

For a few minutes after he was gone, the room was still quiet. Dr. Johnson's face still held the tight smile it gained when President Janson entered the room. Taking the free time to survey the room, Percy looked at the three other people at this table. To his left was Newt, whose eyes kept looking over at the younger blonde girl at the table in front of them. To his right was the kid who kept up with him during the run. Not knowing his name and not wanting to break the silence, Percy leaned forward and looked at the name that was printed on his shirt: MINHO 2-1. Past him was Frypan, and Percy swore he was sleeping with how still his body was; a slight snore confirmed his suspicions.

"Well, let's get to your demonstration for the day." As she spoke, she moved to the tables and motioned the cadets forward. "I suggest you be quiet and pay attention. This recording was made around three hundred years ago by a special division of the United States military, and this demonstration was made by any background details we could find." Looking over the groups of Cadets, Dr. Johnson pressed a button on the center table. The holograms that popped up were shades of gray and white. Percy leaned forward at the sight of soldiers looking so different from the peacekeepers that he remembered.

"It was a different time, a different enemy," a gruff voice spoke from the speakers. "Sixty men from Tier One teams were sent to face down a force of five hundred enemy fighters." Two groups of men appeared on the holo-tables. One group heavily outnumbered the other. Percy had no idea how the smaller group could win. "Their objective was to force the enemy back from a civilian hospital in the Middle East and to keep its occupants alive."

Small projectiles flew between the two groups, and it was easy to guess that they were bullets. Buildings were added to the landscape of the table, and explosions started going off across it. Many of the children were in awe of holograms. The small background sound effects that were added only increased their interest in it. Percy took it all in. He didn't know why, but this was what he wanted to see, something that actually looked interesting to him.

"For three days, those men held their ground. But the enemy's number were too great." Different sections of the table begin to show different parts of the fighting. One section showed a soldier getting shot in the head by an enemy that got too close. Another showed a small section of the smaller group gunning down the enemy from a higher vantage point. "The sixty were cut down to fifteen. They wouldn't last another night, and the enemy knew it."

Soon, the numbers of the small group of sixty began to decrease rapidly. The scene then changed to the fifteen soldiers making a plan in a room inside the hospital. While the words weren't heard, the cadets knew this plan was going to be their last. "Under the cover of darkness, they evacuated the hospital, sending only one of their own to lead the way. The rest returned to the line and took up positions beneath the bodies of their fallen brothers."

Percy watched as the holographic men moved the bodies of the fallen so they could lay among them, under them. Something in the back of his mind told him that something big was going to happen, and looking around the table he was at, a few of the other cadets did as well. "As they lay in wait, the blood from the dead poured over them. The sand stuck to their skin like a shroud, changing them, anointing them."

Watching part of the hologram turn red to form the blood made some cadets turn away. A quick jab from a baton brought their eyes back to the table. The scene changed as dirt blew across, and the enemy appeared once again, walking among the bodies.

"When the enemy drew near, the remaining fourteen rose out of the desert sand. To the enemy, they became hunters that couldn't be seen. Using stealth that the enemy couldn't defend against." Smokey figures rose just like described and attacked. They appeared and disappeared as quickly as they were seen. The figures of the enemy crumbled apart like rocks hit by a sledgehammer.

"When the men ran dry of ammunition, they used their blades. When the blades ran dull, they used their hands." Watching the holographic demonstration, Percy couldn't help but agree with what was said earlier. As the recording said, these weren't just soldiers or hunters but warriors doing everything possible to achieve their objective.

"When the dust had settled, only one of the enemy had survived. He was picked up in the desert, walking aimlessly, traumatized." The cadets watched as the scene changed to a single man walking away from what they knew would become a mass grave. He never stopped walking, even as the scene changed with him. Not until a helicopter picked him up. "He expressed warnings of a force so menacing, so unbeatable, it could only be described as supernatural. He called them… ghosts."

The holo-table then changed to only show one thing: the insignia on the flag in the middle of the Glade—the skull that Lieutenant Riley wore on his mask. As the insignia began to fade, the students went back to their seats. The cadets whispered amongst themselves; many spoke about how cool the hologram was and how they wanted to see it again.

Percy went through the rest of the lesson, barely listening. His thoughts were crowded by what he had just watched. That insignia was here, yet it existed over three hundred years ago. Looking around, a few others seemed to be lost in thought as well. Knowing that whatever conclusion he came to would probably be wrong, Percy leaned back and listened to Dr. Johnson instruct them on what she called basic math.

When Lieutenant Boggs told them that they would run two miles to the 'playground', Percy expected some swings and maybe a slide. What was in front of him was not that. They ran out of the north wall, which opened just like the east wall. The two-mile run made Percy want to fall down and never get up again. His body hurt in places he didn't know could hurt.

"Alright, cadets, this is the playground," Boggs called out. "Every few days, you will be brought here for a training exercise. Before we start, you will be split into teams of four, and your team will go through the playground as fast as you possibly can. If you put in any less effort, we can tell. Now, listen for your names." He looked out to the cadets and was pleased when everyone was listening.

"You understand?" When no one spoke, he continued. "12-1, 2-1, 12-3, and 11-1. You are Blue Team! You have three minutes to analyze the course. Your objective is to ring the bell located in the playground, then return here and report to the instructors. When your three minutes are up, you better start." A digital clock by the start line turned on and began a countdown.

Percy walked up to the start line with three other boys. It was who he sat with during class today: Newt, Frypan, and Minho. "I'm Perseus, 12-1." He decided to introduce himself. Everything about the Glade was foreign; might as well try to make some friends from the kids in the same situation.

"Siggy, 11-1. But you can call me Frypan."

"Newt, 12-3."

"Names Minho, 2-1."

After introductions were done, the four turned to look at the 'playground' to find a path to the bell. Within the forest they currently stood in, was another forest of wooden poles. Each was twenty meters tall, with bridges and rope nets stretching between them. Percy eyed them as they swayed in the wind and crisscrossed one another, becoming a maze in the air. Multiple metal poles and knotted climbing ropes led to different suspended platforms and swings. What struck odd for the team of four was the system of pulleys and ropes tied to large baskets; the baskets were big enough to hold an adult.

Percy didn't know what to make of any of it. Boggs said to analyze the course, but with how much the bridges and nets swayed, he couldn't find a way through the course. Looking over at his team, Frypan looked about as lost as a person who had never left home, and Newt's face was in a frown of confusion. Minho, though, confused Percy; he looked as calm as one could ever be.

"Follow me," Minho voice out. "I found a way through." Without a word, the boy took off in a sprint. It was only then that Percy noticed that they only had ten seconds left to analyze. Looking back at Minho, he was already at the first cargo net and climbing.

The three boys quickly ran after their teammate to follow his lead. By the time the three got to the top of the net, Minho had already crossed the bridge leading to another platform. Just as Frypan was about to step on the bridge, danger alarms started blaring in Percy's head; as quick as he could, he pulled the larger boy back. His sense of danger was proven when a large gust blew through the area, making the bridge flip over.

Looking at the now twisted bridge, Percy began thinking of a plan. "Ok, guys, I think I know what we have to do. The bridge is just wide enough that we can still use it if we use the rope of the side facing up." Seeing the confused face of Frypan made Percy lose hope slightly, but Newt seemed to know what he was talking about. Deciding that maybe if Frypan saw him do it, he put his idea into motion.

Percy grabbed the top rope and pulled on it to see if it would hold his weight. Slowly, he began using the lower rope as a tightrope to walk on. As he was making his way across, he made the mistake of looking down. His only assurance that the twenty-foot drop wouldn't hurt him was the pool of water at the bottom of the course. Steeling his nerves, he made the rest of the way across and was thankful that Minho had stayed there to pull him up. Looking back, he was glad that Newt and Frypan followed his lead and were making their way across.

"We need to climb the rope," Minho told him.

"What?" Percy was confused. Minho pointed over his shoulder, and Percy saw what he meant. The bell they were supposed to ring was on a pole ten meters above them, connected to a knotted rope and a slide that led down into the water. "Alright, I think we can do that."

Minho was skeptically looking in the direction of Newt. Percy guessed that it was because he was one of the skinniest of the cadets. Waving Minho off, Percy moved to help Newt and Frypan up when they reached them.

Surprising both of them, Newt understood what needed to be done and climbed the rope first. He wasn't the fastest, but he reached the bell and swung over to the slide. Minho went next, and then Frypan followed. Frypan surprised Percy with the speed at which he climbed the rope. It was as if he climbed every day of his life. When Percy finally reached the bell and rang it, he lept to the slide, with only hitting the water on his mind.

As the water hit him, he let its calmness envelop him. Wishing he could stay in the water forever, he was slightly upset when Minho yelled at him to hurry up and get back to the finish line. So, with an upset sigh, Percy wadded through the water to the edge before running with his team to the finish line. After they reported to the instructors, they watched as another team was called up.

"Red Team!" Boggs yelled out like earlier. "10-1, 11-3, 12-2, and 11-2. Same as with Blue Team. Three minutes to analyze the course, ring the bell, get back here, and report."

Percy and his team didn't say much to each other. Frypan was busy trying to wring the water out of his top, Minho kept looking over the course, and Newt was too busy watching the blonde girl from Red Team. Deciding he could find out more about his team later, Percy looked into the forest. While trees were all he saw, there was a calmness to it. So lost in it, he could have sworn that he saw a flash of silver run between some of the trees but put it up to getting dizzy from a lack of water.

Turning back to the course, Red Team took a different route. Theirs consisted of a series of platforms they had to jump between. While they were going slower than his team, Percy thought they wouldn't be much more than a minute behind Blue Team.

As time went on and other teams went through, Percy noticed a few of the instructors holding clipboards. Walking over to one, he wanted to ask what was on them but was pushed back by an instructor with a baton. As he walked back, he spotted Minho with a smirk on his face.

"What's with the look," Percy asked him.

"Nothing, just watching you try to see what the instructors are doing."

Percy didn't understand what he meant and asked him again. "No, you look like you just got a prize that no one else did."

A chuckle escaped Minho, and those near enough to hear turned toward him. "Well, if you really want to know, it's simple. I already saw what was on their boards. It's nothing special, just notes about us."

Percy thought about what he had said. "Why would they take notes?" Percy thought that the solution would be easy, but his young mind couldn't fathom why the instructors were taking notes on them. Before he could voice his thoughts, the last team passed the finish line. Water was brought to the last team as Boggs walked forward.

"Alright, it's time to run back to the Glade." Boggs looked out at the cadets and was surprised that he heard no groans this time, but he put it up to them being too tired. "Fall in."

Throughout the entire run back to the Glade, Percy had one thing on his mind: dinner. Last night, they were given some turkey, and it was on his mind again. Just thinking about it made his stomach rumble.

After grabbing his food, Percy went to sit down with his new team. Not much was said at first, all of them too busy stuffing their faces with food and water. Looking around the hall, the other teams were doing the same.

"I know you," Newt said.

"Hwah," was Percy's intelligent response with his mouth full. "I mean, huh," he replied after he swallowed his food.

"I know you," Newt reiterated, "Or at least I knew you. Memory gone and all." His weak laugh caught the attention of their other two team members.

"Oh, well, I don't remember much. But I did get a flash of a memory, I think." Percy tried to think back to what he remembered. "I don't remember exactly. There was me, you, and that blonde from Red Team. Peacekeepers were mad at us."

"That girl is my younger sister, Sonya," Newt said as he looked at her table. She turned around and waved at him. "I just remember us running through a run-down place. If my guess about the numbers after our names is correct, it must be District 12."

Percy thought about what Newt had said. If it was true, then that meant there were kids from every district. He didn't know how that was possible, though. Kids couldn't just start disappearing, and no one notice it happen.

"How did they get us, though?" Frypan asked the table. "They would have had to get past the peacekeepers." Percy agreed with him. People had to have noticed that kids across the districts went missing.

"It's obvious if you think hard enough." Everyone turned to Minho, who had stayed quiet until then. "That guy who showed up for our first lesson, President Janson. He was talking about it but didn't say everything." Percy thought back to it but didn't remember much of what the man said. His mind was too occupied by the hologram demonstration.

"You're right," Newt said. "He mentioned contacts throughout the districts. But why were we taken?"

Everyone gained a thoughtful look until Percy remembered something. "Dr. Johnson called us orphans. I might not remember what an orphan is, but from what I do remember, it wasn't a good way to live."

Looks of recognition crossed the faces of the other three. Percy guessed that they were trying to remember what they could. If they were as bad as the life he and Newt lived, then maybe there was a reason no one cared if they disappeared or not. Any conversation after that was few and just snippets of memories. Before they knew it, they had finished their food, and the instructors started ushering them back to their barracks.

As they prepared to sleep, thoughts of what their lives in the districts could have been like circled their minds. With one last look around the dark barracks, Percy laid down and fell asleep.

Throughout the rest of the week, the cadets got used to their daily routines. Exercises in the morning with one hundred reps of each, followed by their two-mile run. Class wasn't terrible, but no kid wanted to be stuck in class. It was clear that everyone enjoyed the holographic demonstrations the most.

Percy and his team took their time to analyze the new course that was on the Playground. The amount of bridges decreased, but the rope-and-pulley systems appeared more complicated. Looking over at Minho, he saw the calculating look he had been growing accustomed to seeing.

Looking back at the course, he spotted the bell; it now hung from a pole that was twenty meters taller than every other pole. That didn't bother him. What bothered him was that Lieutenant Riley said today would be a race between all seven teams. Whichever team lost today wouldn't get dinner, and Percy didn't want to be last.

"Do you see it?" Minho voiced. Percy turned to look at Minho and saw him staring at him.

"See what," Percy asked. He was looking at the same course Minho was but obviously not seeing the same thing he did.

"Looks like I gotta lead us again," he said with a sigh. "Alright, I got a plan. Don't look, but there is a basket that leads right to the bell. If we get their first, then we win." The others found no fault with the plan and expected him to say more. "Percy and I are the two fastest out of all the cadets. If we outrun everyone and get there first, we can hold the rest back."

The other three nodded their heads in agreement before he spoke again. "But that won't work for long. So Frypan, we're gonna need you and Newt to hurry after us."

"I'm not fast, but I'm strong," the boy from eleven spoke. "So don't worry about me. And Newt has already proved what he can do."

"Alright then, get ready to run."

The four boys moved to the starting line as Lieutenant Riley approached everyone. No one dared to move as the mysterious man looked over them all. While his sunglasses might have covered his eyes, the feeling of his stare was felt. A stillness rolled over the cadets as the man pulled a firearm from his waist and aimed it toward the sky. The deafening silence was broken by a shot being fired, but no one knew what to do.

While most were frozen in shock from the action, Minho wasn't as affected. He sprinted off, and Percy and a few others ran after him. As Percy ran, trying to beat the other few that chased after Minho, he got a nostalgic feeling. It was as if he had been running for years, but right now, there seemed to be a lack of urgency he thought should be there. To him, this was just a race with a prize, but a prick in the back of his mind made him think more should be at stake.

"Percy, run!"

Hearing his name, he focused on what was in front of him and saw Minho had made it to the bucket. The problem was two other boys outran him and were trying to pull him out of it. Increasing his pace, he shoulder-rushed one of the kids and sent him flying to the ground. Thankfully, this was enough for Minho to push the other kid away. Getting in the bucket, both prepared to hold back any other who tried to take them out while Newt and Frypan were running.

Looking back toward the start, both saw that everyone else had broken out of their stupor and were sprinting towards them. The bad thing was that while Newt was at the front, Frypan was not. It didn't take long for more of the cadets to arrive. They tried their best to push them back, and thankfully, Newt joined them in the effort.

A wild hit landed on Minho's face and sent him to the back of the bucket. Looking over in that direction, Percy wasn't surprised to see pale green eyes and a scrunched face looking at him. It was Gally, a six-year-old boy who was surprisingly strong for his age. His sour attitude quickly made him disliked among the cadets. He didn't have to swing back at him as Frypan's bigger frame appeared and tackled the boy.

Hurrying to pick up Minho, Percy almost got hit by the boy he tackled earlier, if not for Frypan jumping in the bucket and taking the punch. "Grab the rope!" the boy yelled. Not needing to be told twice, all four grabbed the rope and began the arduous task of raising the bucket. The four groaned as they pulled the rope; it didn't matter how much they pulled; the progress was slow.

In his peripheral vision, Percy saw some of the other groups start on alternate routes to the top. Telling his team, the four being pulling with vigor. Eight hands began working as one, and the bucket accelerated to the bell. The four got there just before the Red and Cyan Teams. Each boy rang the bell and jumped to the metal pole beside it. As soon as their feet touched the ground, they were heading in the direction of Lieutenant Riley and the finish line.

Crossing the line filled Blue Team with joy as they knew they would get dinner tonight. Percy heard Newt rejoice under his breath as Red Team crossed the line. He then remembered that Newt's younger sister was on that team. Minho let out an audible laugh when it was Gally and Green Team that came in last.

As soon as the cadets finished dinner and went to bed, Percy had only one thought. "This is only the beginning. I can feel it." He was asleep the moment his tired body hit the bed.