Chapter 7:
19 March 2019
Basic Training loomed.
It was the night before the start. Nobody was allowed to discuss what the program involved - not officially - but people had dropped enough hints to give them a basis to prepare.
Piper sat cross-legged in her room with Henry, Jasper, and Imogen. They were planning, strategizing.
"You've hidden everything you need, haven't you?", Imogen asked.
"We have", they all replied, Jasper adding, "Alarm clocks too."
They'd even shaved their heads the day before—an unspoken sign of commitment, camaraderie, and readiness.
Over the past month, they'd pushed themselves harder in fitness drills, holding planks and balance positions far longer than required, practicing under icy showers and harsh winds. They weren't just preparing their bodies - they were hardening their minds.
At six forty-five, they ran through one final review of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Henry had great endurance but disliked heights a bit. Imogen was sharp but struggled with hand-to-hand combat. Piper, fast and focused, had trouble staying calm when others got emotional. They built silent promises into their plan: to support one another, to adapt, to push through.
By seven, the meeting adjourned. Everyone returned to their rooms, nerves taut, excitement buzzing like electricity in the air.
Piper lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind flipping between terror and anticipation.
Whatever Basic Training held, one thing was certain.
She wasn't facing it alone.
A/N: All chapters edited and improved as of 24 Apr 2025 - don't know if I'll ever add more chapters, though I'm open to ideas. My writing is still pretty bad, though not as horrible as it was when I first wrote this when I was little. Honestly, I'm not really interested in this kind of stuff anymore, but I recently found my notes again and decided I had to do something when I re-read the story. I sort of tried to stay true to the intentions I had back then, so certain elements are still there.