Book 1 The Beginning Part 1 section 2

2

Mason was deemed ready to leave the hospital after a few days, he was physically fine and he had obtained at least a veneer of stability when it came to his emotions, so it was decided that he should go onto the next phase of his life.

The morning of his release from the hospital he was told to go down to the front sitting room and wait. As he entered the sitting room he saw a tall man in uniform stand up and walk towards him. “Mason Reid?” the man asked and Mason nodded, he had known what was going to happen, everyone, even the youngest of children knew the fate of the Federation orphans. Since the virus struck down all but a third of the world’s population 300 hundred years before and an enemy of unknown origin appeared the Federation of the Remnants had been running out of troops. In desperation the Federation formed the first Academy where the growing number of orphans were housed, for the privilege of living under the government’s roof the boys and girls were required to first train for and then serve in the military for five years. “Sergeant Pike,” the man said holding out his hand, half his face was a patchwork of scars and he was missing his right leg, he had been sent to serve at the Academy until his Five was over and he was content to do the small tasks he was given. “I’ve been asked to escort you to the Academy, are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Mason said ignoring the proffered hand and Pike nodded, he moved off with the boy behind him moving awkwardly on his crutch. Leading the way out of the Hospital and through the gardens Pike stopped at the gate that separated the Hospital Grounds from that of the Academy, there he had Mason put his right palm on the scanner. “If you want somewhere nice to sit, you can come here…that’s as long as you play nice, if you make trouble the right is revoked, got it?” he said and Mason nodded.

After they passed through the gate Pike led the way up to the Administration building and followed him inside, waiting while Mason entered the office of the Commander. When Mason walked into the room he found the Commander on the phone so he waited patiently until the man looked over to him and gestured to a seat. “I’ve got a new recruit, I’ll talk to you later,” he said into the phone and then hung it up turning to face the waiting boy. “You must be Mason Reid,” he said. “I’m sorry for your loss, you’re father was a great man and much deserved his retirement, I’m sorry that he didn’t get to enjoy it.”

“He…he enjoyed it while he could sir,” Mason said his eyes distant. “He always said that he was thankful for being home,” he said.

“At least he had some time then,” the Commander said. “Now as to you, you do understand that from now until the end of your 18th year you are in the state’s charge? Do you also understand that after that time you are required to serve five years in the Federation Army before being giving the chance to either join normal society or re-enlist?” he asked.

“Yes Sir,” Mason said nodding.

“Because this is your first day you will not be required to attend classes or training until tomorrow, instead Sergeant Pike will take you to meet the Principal of the Education section of the Academy and then proceed to give you a tour, do you have any questions?”

“No Sir,” Mason said shaking his head.

“Good, now listen to Sargent Pike, he was once where you are now,” The Commander said.

When he had left the office he was met by Pike who lead him through the administration building until they reached another office, again he waited outside as Mason entered. The man behind the desk was the Commander’s polar opposite, bespectacled and podgy where the Commander had been lean and keen eyed. Looking up from his desk the short man smiled.

“Hello,” the Principal said. “You’d be Mason Reid,” he said looking at a book that lay in front of him. “It says here that you’re thirteen so that means that in another school you will have been year nine, is that correct?”

“Yes Sir,” Mason said, this all felt so strange, somehow unreal and he forced himself to pay attention. This was real and he had to put aside his feelings of grief that made everything distant.

“No, no not Sir,” the Principal said. “That’s all well and fine for the Commander but I am a civilian, call me Mr Tomas,” he said adjusting his glasses. “Because of your age we will place you in with some of the other first years, the Sergeant will show you where to go. I guess that’s all,” he said dismissing the boy and Mason walked from the room and allowed Pike to lead him where he will. After he had finished the tour he was led to the largest building in the compound, the Barracks stood 8 stories tall and his room was located on the 5th floor.

After being shown the code to unlock the door Mason entered the room that would be his home for the next five years and said goodbye to Pike. Looking around the room the first thing he noticed was that the farthest wall was covered completely in pictures, the next thing that came to his attention was that a familiar suitcase was resting on one of the other beds, walking over to it he sank down onto the floor. The grief that he had held away from himself as he tried to get through the day overwhelmed him and he started to cry, harsh sobs wracked his frame and he put his head onto his drawn up knees and sat there shuddering.

The door opened but Mason didn’t look up, even when someone else entered the room, for that moment he was beyond caring. The boy who entered stood silent and watched, he was small and painfully thin, dark of hair and eye with a nervous manner. Standing silently he was reluctant to interrupt the other boy’s grief, he himself couldn’t clearly remember the loss of his parents but he knew that there wasn’t any way to make the pain go away. Minutes past as the boy stood, caught between wanting to leave the other boy alone and wanting in some way to help until he sighed and began to walk forwards grabbing a box of tissues on the way before kneeling beside the sobbing boy. Pulling out a tissue he handed it to Mason and sat quietly as the larger boy blew his nose.

After a while the sobbing subsided and a change came over Mason, his eyes opened and the other boy winced, there was something other than grief in the other’s gaze, it seemed as if the grieving was done replaced with a scary kind of resolve. “They’re dead, I miss them but I can’t live mourning them, I can’t so I won’t, I’ll get on with my life,” he said wiping was his tears, he was talking to himself but the other boy nodded slightly at the words and offered another tissue which Mason used to wipe up the last of his tears. “Thanks,” he said to the boy who hastily stood up and went to the bed with all the pictures. “You’re right, it would be a good time to go to bed, we’ve got a long day ahead of us,” he said walking over to where his suitcase waited, he decided against unpacking and instead put it on the floor and lay down on the bed, he was asleep before his head even touched the pillow.

In the middle of the night Mason’s roommate sat up, threw the bed covers off before rising slowly to his feet and walked across the room with a loose limbed, slow gait, his eyes open but unseeing. Reaching the door, he opened it and stumbled out into the hall, all through this process Mason slept, caught in the sleep that only those who were both emotionally and physically exhausted ever experience.