The fog crept on the ground, cool and thick. The girl and her dog walked through the mist, small drops of water clinging to her and her companion.
Her long hair swayed in the breeze; tendrils scattered about her. Her skin is golden olive-toned, and her eyes are light brown. The dark brown of her hair is almost black.
She wore her pajamas still with a sleep mask partially on her face. The sleepy panda face with blushes. Kara still had the marks of sleep on her face, perhaps to sneak back into bed after taking Toto for his walk.
Her face scrunched, she walked as mysterious fluctuations of air moved around her. The air molecules visible. Kara's form cuts through the warm sticky taffy of air. She sighed, longing for bed.
She hadn't practiced any new dance moves, and with the competitions coming up, she felt overwhelmed. She needed to practice, you had to be sincere in dance, and with any art- even when unmotivated, you still had to do something! Her hand stretched through the air, and she felt the moisture in the air.
Toto watched disinterested more interested in the nearest smells. His black fur soft and glossy. He had pools of amber for eyes, seeming cartoon-like, a stuffed bear with sad eyes.
She pulled herself out of her reverie, patted her cheeks, and marched back home to get some dancing done. Kara practiced in her room before class, getting her warm-up done.
She hurried to the bus, her lunch bag tied to her book bag; she was off, her tablet in her tote. The bus was yellow and boxy with black markers, and the numbers 235 were embossed on the side.
The school she was going to was part of the military and had an eagle under the numbers. Kara was nervous; this was the first time she was picked for a special project due to her being in ballet and gymnastics. She knew some martial arts, but it was the basics- a few stances.
Kara stared at her schedule. There were a few classrooms she had never been to, and she wanted to get there early so she wasn't late for the new classes.
Her morning started with gym, and she found herself with a class of thirty mixed boys and girls. She was the only dancer... Did they put her in by mistake, argh she worried. She had been assured that dance was part of the lessons, so why was she the only one who could speak up when her dance instructor arrived? Beside her was a serious man dressed in a military uniform.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you were hand-picked by me for this special project. This is a highly competitive competition between you and your classmates; only fifteen of you will be selected. The first requirement is agility. The second is adaptability, and the third is survival. All of you are in a sport, be it dance, skating, football, or kickboxing, to name a few of what your classmates are capable of now.
This is RWS is a robotic war suit, you will be piloting; however, the requirements will be grueling. The first step will be how well you run the mile. Good luck, happy testing. Simply put, we're looking for the child who has the spirit of wind." Mrs. Kale said.
The spirit of wind... What's that? Kara wondered... Before she could ask, Mrs. Kale blew her whistle, and everyone started running on the track. No stretches, just run. She was with monsters, some shot off in full sprints, others paced themselves. The physicality of her classmates was monstrous. Kara swore she saw smoke come out of her classmates' nostrils. She knew she would not be the first but decided to run for the fun of it and joined her classmates in the race.
"What do you think?" Mrs. Kale asked. She was a willowy brunette with a taupe scarf and matching skirt; her blouse, a silky brown nestled in her scarf, was the school crest.
"I think it would be better if we used trained soldiers than young athletes, but we also have a team in our core trying out their own RWS. It should prove to be an interesting experiment to see both results. I'm more interested in the design of the RWS that these athletes will be trying. I heard the units will incorporate different designs to suit their users' strengths. Infused DNA and evolutionary procedures. Do these kids know there is no going back to their regular world? They might as well be in the core branch." He disapproved. This was a cheat. These kids' freedom was taken, the price of war to protect our borders.
This was highly classified intel; all these kids were probably going to the barracks and not home, as they thought. He felt no one was giving these kids a straight answer. What happened if the synchronization failed? The kid could be ruined; they're thirteen-year-old junior high school kids in an academy with a military wing. This project was a cruel joke. How could they compare to the military elite core students? Ridiculous!
His eyes fell on Kara and narrowed that girl doing? Is she doing is that even running? She looked like she was gliding her feet lightly; the other runners were aggressive, while she was enjoying running. "That girl, why?" He asked.
"Her agility. She was born with a lighter bone density than most people here. In some aspects makes her weaker, but it can be a strength when you're covered in an armored suit." Mrs. Kale stated.
"I think it would be better to find tacticians. Intelligent fighters to control the suits rather than focusing on physical dexterity."
"We had in the past, they hesitated... We are looking for instinctual survival." She said calmly.
Kara was one of her top picks; she had high expectations for her. She gave no room for her escape; she was a key participant. Her eyes hardened. "She stays."
"Fine! But I do not approve. You took her into a dark world. I don't think she will thank you for taking her from dancer to soldier." He huffed. "She's hoping to get out."
"She'll never get out. She is like me. I won't let her out of my sight. "
"You were a core student. She is an innocent child. They were all coddled and told they would have normal decent lives." He muttered.
"These are times of war. Things change; they could die in a bombing, or our borders could be overtaken. Did you forget that we have not had a time of peace? These kids are living in a beautiful dream. It's a lie, the sooner they wake up, the better." Mrs. Kale glared. "Good day, Grey."
"I'll make sure to watch your protégée progress." He walked away. She was so darn stuffy sometimes. He laughed on his way out. Why torture, these brats? Let them have the ordinary, why ruin the masquerade? Let them have false peace.