The most horrifying sound rang through my ear drums, burning me from the inside. I tucked my head under the itchy material of my blanket and grumbled into my sheets.

"You'll miss your shower time if you don't get up." Nicole muttered. I lifted one arm out of my blanket and waved her off.

"I will shower later, when the water is warm and the blow dryer works." She laughed.

"You're gonna get caught." She said as her parting gift. But I wasn't going to get caught, I'm careful and why would the staff shower at night when they have the luxury of hot water all throughout the day as well. I closed my eyes, enjoying the extra hour in bed.

At five in the morning I could hear the sirens playing again, reluctantly I pulled myself out of bed and dressed in my camouflage pants, green T-shirt and combat boots. Then I made my way to the field, still fixing my belt as I walked.

Everyone was already performing a marching drill. I spent a few seconds fiddling with my belt before I looked up at the soldiers.

"Halt" Axel shouted, causing everyone to stop in a pin straight line. He turned to me and I remembered my manners, instantly standing up straight, looking ahead with my four fingers pressed on my forehead in a salute. Damn, I'm good today.

"You're late Williams." Axel said deeply, voice full of authority and loud enough for all seven continents to hear.

It didn't skip past me that he was back to addressing me by my surname instead of my first name like last night.

"Sir, yes sir?" I replied but it came out more like a question than an answer.

"Drop and give me twenty." I burst out laughing and behind his back eyes turned towards me in shock.

"Wait you're not joking?" He bent forward, inches away from my face. Nose to nose. Eye to eye. Lips to - I wish.

"Does it look like I'm joking Williams? Drop and give me twenty right here, right now." He practically screamed in my face, it was terrifying. So I dropped to my knees.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five.

I pushed my body up and down pathetically, I had zero arm strength and I could barely do a push up. His eyes watched me struggle, my face getting redder and redder, my arms trembled and I struggled to breathe.

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

I could feel the heavy weight of my body collapsing, I was so unfit. The push-ups I did started to turn into belly flops. Each push up would result in a fall to the ground. But as embarrassing as it was he made me continue, watching each and every attempt I made.

Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.

My hands hurt from the pressure of the grass underneath, my wrists hurt from the strength of holding my body. I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth, focusing on getting through the last hurdle.

Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty.

I jumped to my feet, first looking at the mounds of halted people, luckily their eyes were forced to remain facing ahead. Thankfully they didn't witness my poor attempts at push-ups. Axel on the other hand looked as straight faced as ever.

"That was pathetic. Join the drill." He spat out cruelly. I tightened my belt and fell in line, marching to the sound of his constant call.

He marched us to a swampy looking lake, it stank of dirty water. Over the water were two ropes, one high up and one low down.

"Cross the lake." He called out.

Axel ordered us to go across in accordance to our living quarters, we watched people as they slowly made their way across the lake, keeping their feet steady on the lower rope while they held onto the top rope. Both ropes moved but it was all about mind control and working together as a team to make the ropes as steady as possible. Most managed to cross the lake without falling in.

"Good work." Axel congratulated.

Then it was our turn.

Hannah stepped onto the rope first, only moving small steps to the left. Next Caitlin stepped up, then Nicole, followed by Holly. I joined somewhere in the middle, Dina and Victoria came after me. It was extremely hard but we were doing well and managed to get halfway fairly quickly.

Axel slammed his foot down on the lower rope, he bounced his foot a couple of times, making the rope move uncontrollably.

"What's the matter ladies? Are we feeling a little fragile today?" He quipped up.

Nicole grabbed hold of Holly who grabbed hold of me and before I knew it we all fell like a stack of dominos. Splashing into the murky water beneath.

"Climb out, you failed." Axel shouted with no delight to his voice what so ever but still masked amusement written all over his face.

"It's no wonder we failed! What the fuck? You did that on purpose" I shouted, hauling my way through the debris's towards him. There were a few gasps around the groups and Nicole placed her hand on my arm trying to stop me.

"Williams, drop and give me twenty" Axel shouted.

"No!" I retorted.

He picked out his walkie talkie from his trousers and spoke into it. "This is red dog calling for black sparrow."

A reply came instantaneously. "This is black sparrow answering red dogs call."

"General, gonna need a disciplinary for Williams wrote up immediately." Axel spoke calm and professional. He gestured down to the floor with his eyes, telling me once again to drop and give him twenty. "Do I need to make that two disciplinary slips Williams?" I shook my head. "Then drop and give me twenty." I cast my eyes down, not giving him eye contact.

"Sir, yes sir." I replied, dropping down to the floor and giving him twenty. My body hurt, I was soaking wet with smelly water and generally, I was miserable.

But the thing that got to me the most was that he had actually given me a disciplinary. That was something given directly to the judge and if I got three of them I would be sent to jail immediately.

After another long day in the field he dismissed all except one of us.

"Williams, thirty laps." I placed myself on the starting line, not looking up to see his face. And within seconds I started running hearing the squelch of my sock inside my boot with every step that I took.

I felt like crying except I didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Today he didn't walk or run with me, he just stood back watching, clicking a stupid thing to count every lap that I did.

My thighs chafed with the wetness of my slacks and my body felt heavier with the soaking clothes I wore but I wasn't going to give Lieutenant asshole the satisfaction of seeing me fail. So I ran, I didn't look at him once, I didn't attempt to speak to him once. I just struggled through my laps, quietly, painfully.

"Harper" he called me over after my thirty and hearing my given name on his lips made my blood boil to a burning rage.

"You don't get to call me that." I said sharply. I think he was a little taken aback by my outburst but he kept his face impassive as always.

"Williams" he corrected, standing uniformed. I cast my eyes down, treating him as my Lieutenant because that's all he was. He exhaled deeply. "I'm only doing my job." He tried for a small, uncomfortable smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I've done my thirty, can I leave?" He nodded his head quietly so I turned away from him walking across the track. I got to the entrance when I felt his hand on my arm.

"Wait." I turned back to face him and then remembered I wasn't allowed to look at him so I cast my eyes down. "I—" I waited for his words to follow but there was nothing only the sound of wind blowing in the silence. He sighed again "never mind." He concluded.

I turned away from him, making my way to the living quarters in desperate need of a shower.