Post by E.N.T on Dec 3, 2005 22:05:52 GMT -5
-collapses- Whew! Spent alot of time on Noriko's past and it's finally done! Sorry if it's kidna crappy, but I'm just really happy it's done. =P Enjoy!
Escaping
“Ugh. Not again.” The voice of the large woman standing a few feet in front of me said, her hand against her forehead, “How far did she go this time?” “Right Down Town. She’s getting a little further each time. But do not worry; our forces will always be on the watch for this one.” Said the police officer who gripped the back of my shirt in a rough manner.
“Alright then.” Muttered the woman, a large night gown covering over herself even though it was the middle of the afternoon.
“Have a good day.” The Police Officer said as he tipped his hat, letting go of me and descending down the front concrete steps.
“Get inside.” The woman hissed as she moved from the door. I looked at the ground as I walked in, an I-want-to-stab-you expression across my face. As soon as the woman closed the door, she turned to me with the same expression I had, “What do you think you’re going to achieve, Thanos? Until you’re eighteen, you’re in my custody. You are my property.” I muttered swears under my breath as my gaze averted to the floor. Who was she to call me property, anyways? I’m a living organism. NOT property. “Next time you try to leave, I’ll have them shoot you.” The woman said in a serious tone. She pointed towards a flight of old and cracked wooden stairs, “Get upstairs and do your tasks like everyone else.” “You mean become a slave like everyone else.” I muttered under my breath as I climbed up the stairs, my paw holding onto the rail as my steps made the stairs creek.
“Errol! You returned!” A small anthro lupe nearly shouted, her voice young and high as she pushed a full laundry basket across the floor, not having the strength to carry it. “Yeah…” I muttered as I stuffed my hands in my pants pockets. My pants were quite worn out and tattered around the bottom. A large baggy black t-shirt covered my torso and came down to just above my knees. Hair came down to mid-back and was quite shaggy from mal-nutrition, the light brown colour it should be starting to grow dark and loose its natural light blue and lilac highlights. I was a light blue colour, lilac strips coming across myself here and there. My red and purple eyes looked at all the working pets. They’re weren’t many of us left, maybe about six. The place we lived in was an orphanage. When people hear the word ‘orphanage’ they usually think of mis-behaving kids being disowned into a horrid place. That was only half true. Not all of us were bad, but the place was a replica of hell. The owner was getting quite old ad only growing more bitter because of it. Since she cannot work any longer, she gets us to do it. Who ever thought work could be this hard? The orphanage is also really poor. The government stopped giving us money because they felt the place was a lost cause. I was only sixteen years of age, yet I had come here maybe about eight years ago. Before this, I had moved from Foster home to foster home. School teachers always called ‘home’ because I wouldn’t pay attention in class, guardians would always punish me for doing the simplest acts, and people at schools or on the streets would threaten to beat me up.
“Errol! ERROL!” The sound of a male ruki broke my train of thought, “You going to get started or what? We can’t do everything ourselves.” I nodded, “Yeah…sorry.” I grabbed a broom and dustpan from the corner and started sweeping, dust rising with every stroke. “You really need to stop spacing out.” The ruki said once more, “Its weird and kind of scary because you don’t blink or anything.” “Yeah…” I muttered mindlessly as I continued to sweep.
Night had fallen quickly it seemed. The room never looked good no matter how hard we would try to clean it. The floorboards were all cracked as well as the walls. Glass did not exist on the window panes and neither did any form of curtains. Cots were set up in an army fashion, no covers on them. I exhaled loudly as my back fell onto my cot, my shoulder blades aching from heavy lifting I had to do earlier. The rest seemed to follow the fashion. “Hey Errol, where did you go today?” Asked the same lupe child from earlier as she sat on the cot next to mine, hugging her knees. I sat up and crossed my legs, my back aching too much to try and make it straight. “I wandered Down Town.” I started, “I was trying to get my Driver’s license.”
“Any luck?” Asked an acara as she tapped her fingers along the floor boredly.
“Well…in a way.” I managed to say. I reached into my pocket and held out a card. It looked exactly like a Driver’s License. I lowered my voice into a whisper, “Had to find the black market to get it, but at least I wouldn’t be pulled over.”
“It says your name is Siska Orvooki.”
“Well, the Police already have me in they’re memories, so I needed a new name.”
“You’re Finnish?”
“I don’t know. I think it might be in my background somewhere. I’ll be sure to check it out when we get out of here.”
“When are we getting out?”
I stood up from my cot and pulled it away from the corner until it met the edge of another. I knelt down as a pulled on a large piece of the floorboard. It came loose and I removed it. A large hole was under it with a ladder going all the way down. “This leads to the basement.” I whispered, “The fat bitch will be going to bed soon. When she does, we climb down. Down there is another tunnel which should get us outside. The front door will still have the locks on, so she would have a hard time trying to find how we got out.”
“GET TO BED!” Boomed a voice which echoed against the blank walls. I quickly put the floorboard loosely over the hole and moved my cot back into place, lying down on it like if nothing had happened. The large woman grunted as she flicked off the light switch and retreated to another floor where her room lied.
An hour had passed. I wasn’t asleep. I promised myself I wouldn’t. The sounds of loud snores finally made a mischievous smile go across my face. I sat up quickly as did the other six. I quietly moved my cot and moved the floor board. Looking down the hole cautiously, I nodded and moved to the side, motioning my hand for the others to start climbing down. As they had all descended and waited at the bottom for me, I stepped onto the ladder until only my head showed onto the floor with our cots. I slide my cot over my head and climbed the rest of the way down. My paws/feet hit the floor without a sound. I moved aside a large cabinet. Even though orphans were mal-nutritioned, we were sure strong from all the ‘slave work’ we had to do. A hole was carved out neatly. I patted the walls of the tunnel just to make sure it was sturdy and sure enough, it was. Pets climbed into the hole and slowly moved. I went last, sliding the cabinet back into place as much as I could so that I could still escape.
As I stepped outside into the cool brisk air, I had the erge to jump around and scream with delight but if I did that, then we would surly be noticed. The city looked like crap and was quite far for Neopia’s heart: Neopia Central. “What now?” Whispered a kougra. “Now for transportation.” I whispered back. I began to move quickly but quietly, the rest mimicking my actions.
We had finally reached a gas station from all our walking. It was quite dark now and less and less people were appearing on the streets. My eyes scanned the area as I tried to look for transportation. Just to my luck, a trucker had pulled in. “Perfect…” I muttered. I turned to look at the others, “When the trucker isn’t looking, you guys will hop into the cargo. Make sure you shut the door tightly and hold on. Leave the rest to me.” We all nodded and dispersed.
As if luck had been stalking me for the whole night, the trucker had walked into the store by the gas station. As I heard the slam off the cargo’s door, I knew it was my cue. I climbed into the driver’s side of the truck and shut the door. I tried to feel for the keys, but noticed that they weren’t there and the truck wasn’t started, “Damn…” I muttered. I walked outside and stood in front of the large truck. I lifted the front cover of the truck and peered inside to see many wires criss-crossing and intertwining. My head disappeared into the front along with my arms as I fiddled with the wires, trying to get the truck to start.
“Hey! HEY!”
The sound of the shouts made me nearly hit my head off of the cover. I peeked out to see the trucker running to his truck. Think, Errol, think! I thought. I quickly reached into my pocket and stuffed a piece of gum into my mouth. I leaned against the truck with a hand on my hip, my elbow resting on the truck, “You’ve gots a nice truck ‘ere.” I said, altering my voice. “Y-yeah…” The trucker said as he began to grow confused. I slammed the cover down on the truck as I slowly walked over to the trucker, a smile on my face, “Can I…check it out?” I asked as I held out my hand, “But I need the keys. The doors are locked.” Of course I knew the doors weren’t locked, but how else were I to get them? The trucker nodded as he dropped the keys into my open palm. “Thank ya par’ner.” I said as I winked. I began to walk over the truck, fiddling with the keys. As soon as my fingers touched the right one, I broke into a run. Opening the door quickly and closing it, flicking down the lock, I shoved the keys into the ignition and started up the truck. “HEY!” The trucker’s voice yelled as he began to run towards the truck. “You may be tough but you’ve gotta be fast, you just got owned so KISS MY ASS!” I yelled through the open window as I pressed my foot on the petal, laughing as I began to drive away into the night.
The Scent of Freedom
After many hours of driving to where ever the road took me, the sun began to rise. Different hues of red, orange, and yellow took over the bottom of the sky and slowly climbed up. The scent of freshly cut grass roamed into my nose as the fields alongside the road had just been tidied. It felt so great to be free! No drowsiness over came me from my happiness. As I looked along the road, my mind began to wonder: Where would I go now? I knew of none of my relatives. Everyone already had plans on where they would go except for me. “Shit…” I muttered to myself since no one could hear me anyways. My eyes shifted to a building on the side of the road. The words across the top of the arched sign matched the ones on the truck. Not knowing what else to do, I turned into the road that led up to the building. I pulled the keys out of the ignition once I parked. Leaning against the wall were a few truckers. They’re attention immediately turned to me. I opened the large door and jumped down from the truck, slamming the door behind me, “I’ve got…whatever it was you needed here.” The truckers nodded as they followed me to the back of the truck. As the tallest one lifted the door, all eyes widened at the sight of the children. I stuttered, before giving the truckers a glare, “You guys are sick!” I forced myself to keep in my laughter as I motioned for the others to get out and follow me.
We had finally arrived at our destination: Neopia Central. “We’re…We’ve made it!” I called out with happiness as I threw my arms in the air, the others ‘whoo!’-ing and running around happily. After saying they’re goodbyes, everyone started to depart to where they’re relatives homes. I was left. I looked all around me as if I could see the answer of what to do. The sound of sobs caught my attention. I turned my head to see a lupe holding an infant on her hip waving goodbye to a man who was in deep green uniform. “E-excuse me!” I called as I ran up to the sniffling woman, “Could you tell me where that man is going?” The woman looked at me as if I were crazy. Looking me up and down she sniffled once more, “Your from out of town, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
”I thought so. That man is my husband. He’s going off to the Army.”
“The army?”
”Yes. The army is low on solders right now so he was called in.”
“Can anyone enlist?”
“I’m not too sure. It matters how desperate they are for recruits.”
“Thanks for the info.” I said as I ran off going in the direction the man had went in.
“Hm…I’m not sure if I could enlist a woman at your age.” Said the man behind a dark wooden desk, the same green uniform on.
“But you’ve gotta let me in!” I protested, stamping my foot on the ground, “I’m skilled!”
“Words and only words. Actions speak words. You’ll have to prove that you can be in the army by going through the standard obstacle course. If you can’t beat that, then there is no way I could let you enlist.” The man said as he stood, “Are you up for it?”
I nodded, “’Course!” I punched my fist into my open palm, my voice full of determination.
“I’ll blow this whistle when I want you to begin.” The man said as he stood at the side in the grass. I looked at the obstacle course. It didn’t look to hard…more like a playground except more dangerous. The sound of the whistle rung in my ears and I immediately darted off.
After completing all the obstacles, I made my way back over to the man, “So…how’d I do?”
The man looked at his stop watch, “Lets see…they’re were 14 obstacles and you didn’t fail any of them, making it 2 minutes and 49 seconds…whoa.” The man tucked the stop watch into his pocket, “Yep, you’re qualified. Follow me and I’ll get you set up with the paper work and uniforms.”
“Yes!” I shouted happily as I punched my fist into the air. It may have been odd for someone to want to stay at the army, but where else would I go? This place would be one million times better than the orphanage.
I was sure of that.
Three Years Later
Three years had past since I enlisted in the army. To my surprise, it was easy. At least…it was easy for me. I think I had a natural gift for…being yelled at and completing tasks. I had grown quite a bit and I was an adult now, standing at the age of 19. My clothes were all army printed except for the sleeveless black belly top underneath. My attitude had changed almost completely. Before I used to always be getting in trouble…now I was punishing the troublesome ones. My ranks had grown, too. I was now a Sergeant and had my own troops to tend to. My hair was now a healthy light brown and my light blue and lilac highlights had returned, except my hair was worn in a tight bun with a hair net over it. A hat was placed on my head, the coat of arms on the left hand side of it. A casket of arrows was over my back, the olive green strap crossing over my front. A large bow was in my left hand. Strapped onto my left arm was an olive green padding to keep the rope of the bow from whipping me.
I paced back and forth in front of a line of cadets. All were in green uniform and standing at attention. “CADETS!” I yelled, making a few jump from the volume of my voice which could go louder than imaginable, “Let me tell you know that this is no playground. You will address me as Sergeant Thanos and nothing else. I want you to hate me. Every time you speak towards me, I want you to yell. Is that clear?” I yelled out.
“Sir!” The cadets yelled out, even though they were addressing a female.
The sound of giggling caught my attention. I turned my head to see that a young cybunny was laughing. “Do you find something funny?” I yelled as I walked towards the cybunny.
“They addressed you as a man!” The cybunny said in a childish tone as she began to laugh uncontrollably.
I turned my head from the cybunny as I looked at the other cadets, “This here is the perfect example of what I do NOT want to be.”
“Pshaw, you’re no fun!” The cybunny said once more in a childish manner.
I shot a glare at the cybunny. I reached past the cybunny to grab a hold of the scruff of her neck, “You are going to need a lot of discipline and work.” I whispered loudly and harshly at the cybunny. “Everyone else: Retreat to your dorms and study your manuals. When I next see you out here, I expect you to have memorized it. DISMISSED.” I yelled out. The cadets turned and began to march off until they were on the side lines. I looked back at the cybunny, “You’re coming with me.”
“Hey! Lemme go!” The cybunny yelled out as she squirmed in my grasp.
I pulled the Cybunny into an oak furnished office; my office to be exact. Awards, metals, and a few pictures of my past troops were pinned up on the walls. Paper work, pens, and other assorted items messily covered the desk. On either side of the desk were deep green cushioned chairs. I let go of the cybunny and sat on the other side of the desk, “Sit.”
The cybunny hesitated but then followed orders and sat.
I pulled open a drawr from the filing cabinet reveling many forms in different sections. I flipped through until I pulled out a slim folder and shut the drawr. I opened up the file, “So…Silver, Chibi is it?”
“Actually, it’s Chibi Silver.” The cybunny said, “My first name is Chibi.”
“Well, then you obviously don’t know how the army addresses someone.” I said as I glanced up from the files at Chibi, “You are addressed by your last name. Your first name was something your parents give you. It means nothing; just like the titles of high school stereotypes.”
“It means a lot!” Chibi yelled out as she stood. Just as her last name indicated, Chibi had silver tinted fur. Her hair was red with blue tips, but was tied up into a neat bun with a hair net around it. Her orange-yellow eyes glared.
“Sit back down, Silver.” I demanded but not in my usual yelling voice. The cybunny had listened and sat back down, although she looked like she didn’t want to. I kicked my feet up onto my desk and tilted back my chair, “Tell me, Silver, why did you enlist?”
“I was feeling too spoiled at home.” Chibi answered, looking at her paws which rested in her lap, “And my parents never let me be independent. Do you know how annoying and hard it is to live like that?! I swear I could have ripped out all my hair from the stress!” She looked up at me with anger in her eyes, “And your rudeness isn’t helping.”
“Spoiled at home?” I questioned, “Ah…independence: Every teenagers longing. At least, I think every teenager.” I looked at Chibi, “At least you had your parents.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I never had my parents growing up. I had guardians, though, so I guess that was OK.”
”But did they ever let you do anything on your own?”
“Actually…they did.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
I let out a sigh, “I know I appear to be harsh and cold-hearted, but it’s not my intentions. It’s my job. I’m supposed to make you all hate it here so much that when you step onto a battlefield that you want to kill everyone that is not an ally.”
“Why would you choose such a job?!” Chibi yelled out with anger, slamming her fists on the desk, “Do you like making everyone feel like shit?!”
“No. I don’t.” I answered truthfully, “I had no where else to go. I was your age then, too, when I enlisted. I’ve lived here since then and my ranks grew.”
“Well no wonder you’re so out of order.”
“No, actually, I’m the most disciplined I’ve ever been right now. Right up until I enlisted, I was rebellious and cruel. I’d steal, get into fights every time I went down the street, play tricks on unsuspecting people, try to set the government buildings on fire, and take out all my anger on others.”
“I don’t believe that at all.” Chibi said as she folded her arms.
“I know…I am a part of the government now. I’ve never liked them, though. The police are even out looking for me right now.”
“They are?”
“Yeah. I killed one of they’re officers long ago and I ran away from the orphanage. They can’t find me, though, because every time I sign paper work I use a different name.”
“What name is that?”
”Siska Orvooki”
“So when you enlisted, that was the name you use?”
“Yep.”
”But haven’t they ever learned the truth since all your troops call you Thanos?”
“Nope. I told them that I didn’t want troops to come assassinate me.”
“You have issues.”
“You never know…”
I spent some time just discussing different matters with Chibi. I started to become a little more serious, “Chibi, you do know that being a cadet is no playground, right?”
The cybunny nodded, “Yep.”
“Then be respectful, and it won’t seem like the worst thing ever. One thing about the army is that you don’t achieve friends. You achieve allies. People here take bullets for those who had fought with them in the war.”
Chibi nodded, “So…can I go now?”
“Yes. Dismissed.”
Weeks had passed. I trained the new cadets the best I could and I could tell they hated it, which was good in the standards.
“Sergeant! Sergeant Thanos!” Shouted a man in a green uniform that ran towards me.
“Yes?” I asked as I looked away from the cadets.
“News from the General. War is declared! All cadets must be rounded up and armed. Set up the lower ranks in the back lines and prepare for battle!”
I gave a single nod and turned my attention to the troops. “Listen up! War has been declared. Double time into the war room. Arm yourselves properly and line up in the back row. Be prepared. Be angry. Kill.”
“ATTENTION!”
All of the troops slammed they’re boots down onto the ground at once, including myself who stood at the front lines with many others. The general stood facing us all. “We separate into different formations and move out in 0600 hours. Do not let us lose! We fight for Neopia Central! The people in the city are depending on us and we can’t let them down! Think of your loved ones and what you would go through for them! MOVE OUT.”
The troops began to disperse in different directions and began to follow different Sergeants. My troops followed behind me in step. They all carried rifles over they’re back and ammo was strapped onto they’re chest. I was the only one equipped with bows and arrows, for I was more skilled in it than a rifle. The casket tapped against my leg as we began walking into a thin forest.
Before I knew it, a shot was fired and the cadet behind me was down.
“TAKE UP ARMS!” I yelled out. The troops pulled the rifles off they’re back and began firing at the enemies which were dressed in a dark blue. I took my position high up in a tree and pulled arrows out of my casket one after the other. As I shot down many of the enemies, it reminded me of past wars. I had experienced three. Two while I was here and I fought in them and once when I was young. My hometown was attacked. They shot my parents before my eyes. Something inside me burst when I saw it. The colour in my eyes swirled and blended. With a yell and spill of tears, a large blast of energy had ran towards the ones that killed my parents and it killed them on the spot. I was left in the middle of a pile of corpses. No where to go…no warmth any longer…
I soon broke out of my thoughts as I heard the cry of pain from a troop below me. I saw they’re body drop dead near the bottom of the tree. I aimed for they’re attacker and shot them through the heart, leaving them in the same condition. This War wasn’t going to be fast…and it wasn’t going to be easy.
It had been many hours. It was 6am in the morning when we started, and now it was 3am; the darkest hour. Chibi and I walked slowly; pressing our backs together to avoid surprise attacks. Not many of either side’s troops were left…but they were still out there.
I let out a yell as I felt something skim through the top of my wrist. There we saw 4 of the enemies lined up on the other side of the river bank. Chibi fired shots while I fired arrows. It was hard to see in the dark, so we couldn’t make out the enemies very well. It was known now that only one of the enemies were standing and I was down to my last arrow. All of a sudden, I heard a shot and felt something tackle me to the ground. As my eyes fixed, I saw Chibi laying limp beside me, a bullet wound through her lower stomach. My eyes widened in horror, “Chibi…”
Chibi coughed up blood and smiled weakly, “Don’t worry…”
Hate filled me faster than water filled a glass. I grabbed my remaining arrow and lifted it to my bow. I aimed for the man across the river. “You may be tough but you’ve gotta be fast…” I muttered. My voice began to grow into a yell, “You just got owned so KISS MY ASS!” I let go of the end of the arrow and watched it strike the enemy between the eyes. The body fell limp to the ground. Dead. The enemies were dead.
We had won.
My attention turned back to the cybunny. Her eyes were closed and blood spilled out of her stomach and the corner of her mouth. “No…Chibi…” I muttered as I felt a tear slip out of the corner of my eye. I reached for her rifle, “No ammo…she did this because she knew the war could be won if I took the last shot…” More tears spilled out of the corners of my eyes as I tossed the rifle into the river, “No! I won’t let you die, Chibi!” I lifted Chibi’s bloody limp body over my shoulder and began running through the dark woods. Twigs and branches scrapped across my arms and legs, but it didn’t matter now. All I could think of was returning the cybunny to safety and to get healed. It was hard to tell the direction I was running in from the never-ending fall of tears fogging up my sight. I just ran. I ran endlessly into the night.
Escaping
“Ugh. Not again.” The voice of the large woman standing a few feet in front of me said, her hand against her forehead, “How far did she go this time?” “Right Down Town. She’s getting a little further each time. But do not worry; our forces will always be on the watch for this one.” Said the police officer who gripped the back of my shirt in a rough manner.
“Alright then.” Muttered the woman, a large night gown covering over herself even though it was the middle of the afternoon.
“Have a good day.” The Police Officer said as he tipped his hat, letting go of me and descending down the front concrete steps.
“Get inside.” The woman hissed as she moved from the door. I looked at the ground as I walked in, an I-want-to-stab-you expression across my face. As soon as the woman closed the door, she turned to me with the same expression I had, “What do you think you’re going to achieve, Thanos? Until you’re eighteen, you’re in my custody. You are my property.” I muttered swears under my breath as my gaze averted to the floor. Who was she to call me property, anyways? I’m a living organism. NOT property. “Next time you try to leave, I’ll have them shoot you.” The woman said in a serious tone. She pointed towards a flight of old and cracked wooden stairs, “Get upstairs and do your tasks like everyone else.” “You mean become a slave like everyone else.” I muttered under my breath as I climbed up the stairs, my paw holding onto the rail as my steps made the stairs creek.
“Errol! You returned!” A small anthro lupe nearly shouted, her voice young and high as she pushed a full laundry basket across the floor, not having the strength to carry it. “Yeah…” I muttered as I stuffed my hands in my pants pockets. My pants were quite worn out and tattered around the bottom. A large baggy black t-shirt covered my torso and came down to just above my knees. Hair came down to mid-back and was quite shaggy from mal-nutrition, the light brown colour it should be starting to grow dark and loose its natural light blue and lilac highlights. I was a light blue colour, lilac strips coming across myself here and there. My red and purple eyes looked at all the working pets. They’re weren’t many of us left, maybe about six. The place we lived in was an orphanage. When people hear the word ‘orphanage’ they usually think of mis-behaving kids being disowned into a horrid place. That was only half true. Not all of us were bad, but the place was a replica of hell. The owner was getting quite old ad only growing more bitter because of it. Since she cannot work any longer, she gets us to do it. Who ever thought work could be this hard? The orphanage is also really poor. The government stopped giving us money because they felt the place was a lost cause. I was only sixteen years of age, yet I had come here maybe about eight years ago. Before this, I had moved from Foster home to foster home. School teachers always called ‘home’ because I wouldn’t pay attention in class, guardians would always punish me for doing the simplest acts, and people at schools or on the streets would threaten to beat me up.
“Errol! ERROL!” The sound of a male ruki broke my train of thought, “You going to get started or what? We can’t do everything ourselves.” I nodded, “Yeah…sorry.” I grabbed a broom and dustpan from the corner and started sweeping, dust rising with every stroke. “You really need to stop spacing out.” The ruki said once more, “Its weird and kind of scary because you don’t blink or anything.” “Yeah…” I muttered mindlessly as I continued to sweep.
Night had fallen quickly it seemed. The room never looked good no matter how hard we would try to clean it. The floorboards were all cracked as well as the walls. Glass did not exist on the window panes and neither did any form of curtains. Cots were set up in an army fashion, no covers on them. I exhaled loudly as my back fell onto my cot, my shoulder blades aching from heavy lifting I had to do earlier. The rest seemed to follow the fashion. “Hey Errol, where did you go today?” Asked the same lupe child from earlier as she sat on the cot next to mine, hugging her knees. I sat up and crossed my legs, my back aching too much to try and make it straight. “I wandered Down Town.” I started, “I was trying to get my Driver’s license.”
“Any luck?” Asked an acara as she tapped her fingers along the floor boredly.
“Well…in a way.” I managed to say. I reached into my pocket and held out a card. It looked exactly like a Driver’s License. I lowered my voice into a whisper, “Had to find the black market to get it, but at least I wouldn’t be pulled over.”
“It says your name is Siska Orvooki.”
“Well, the Police already have me in they’re memories, so I needed a new name.”
“You’re Finnish?”
“I don’t know. I think it might be in my background somewhere. I’ll be sure to check it out when we get out of here.”
“When are we getting out?”
I stood up from my cot and pulled it away from the corner until it met the edge of another. I knelt down as a pulled on a large piece of the floorboard. It came loose and I removed it. A large hole was under it with a ladder going all the way down. “This leads to the basement.” I whispered, “The fat bitch will be going to bed soon. When she does, we climb down. Down there is another tunnel which should get us outside. The front door will still have the locks on, so she would have a hard time trying to find how we got out.”
“GET TO BED!” Boomed a voice which echoed against the blank walls. I quickly put the floorboard loosely over the hole and moved my cot back into place, lying down on it like if nothing had happened. The large woman grunted as she flicked off the light switch and retreated to another floor where her room lied.
An hour had passed. I wasn’t asleep. I promised myself I wouldn’t. The sounds of loud snores finally made a mischievous smile go across my face. I sat up quickly as did the other six. I quietly moved my cot and moved the floor board. Looking down the hole cautiously, I nodded and moved to the side, motioning my hand for the others to start climbing down. As they had all descended and waited at the bottom for me, I stepped onto the ladder until only my head showed onto the floor with our cots. I slide my cot over my head and climbed the rest of the way down. My paws/feet hit the floor without a sound. I moved aside a large cabinet. Even though orphans were mal-nutritioned, we were sure strong from all the ‘slave work’ we had to do. A hole was carved out neatly. I patted the walls of the tunnel just to make sure it was sturdy and sure enough, it was. Pets climbed into the hole and slowly moved. I went last, sliding the cabinet back into place as much as I could so that I could still escape.
As I stepped outside into the cool brisk air, I had the erge to jump around and scream with delight but if I did that, then we would surly be noticed. The city looked like crap and was quite far for Neopia’s heart: Neopia Central. “What now?” Whispered a kougra. “Now for transportation.” I whispered back. I began to move quickly but quietly, the rest mimicking my actions.
We had finally reached a gas station from all our walking. It was quite dark now and less and less people were appearing on the streets. My eyes scanned the area as I tried to look for transportation. Just to my luck, a trucker had pulled in. “Perfect…” I muttered. I turned to look at the others, “When the trucker isn’t looking, you guys will hop into the cargo. Make sure you shut the door tightly and hold on. Leave the rest to me.” We all nodded and dispersed.
As if luck had been stalking me for the whole night, the trucker had walked into the store by the gas station. As I heard the slam off the cargo’s door, I knew it was my cue. I climbed into the driver’s side of the truck and shut the door. I tried to feel for the keys, but noticed that they weren’t there and the truck wasn’t started, “Damn…” I muttered. I walked outside and stood in front of the large truck. I lifted the front cover of the truck and peered inside to see many wires criss-crossing and intertwining. My head disappeared into the front along with my arms as I fiddled with the wires, trying to get the truck to start.
“Hey! HEY!”
The sound of the shouts made me nearly hit my head off of the cover. I peeked out to see the trucker running to his truck. Think, Errol, think! I thought. I quickly reached into my pocket and stuffed a piece of gum into my mouth. I leaned against the truck with a hand on my hip, my elbow resting on the truck, “You’ve gots a nice truck ‘ere.” I said, altering my voice. “Y-yeah…” The trucker said as he began to grow confused. I slammed the cover down on the truck as I slowly walked over to the trucker, a smile on my face, “Can I…check it out?” I asked as I held out my hand, “But I need the keys. The doors are locked.” Of course I knew the doors weren’t locked, but how else were I to get them? The trucker nodded as he dropped the keys into my open palm. “Thank ya par’ner.” I said as I winked. I began to walk over the truck, fiddling with the keys. As soon as my fingers touched the right one, I broke into a run. Opening the door quickly and closing it, flicking down the lock, I shoved the keys into the ignition and started up the truck. “HEY!” The trucker’s voice yelled as he began to run towards the truck. “You may be tough but you’ve gotta be fast, you just got owned so KISS MY ASS!” I yelled through the open window as I pressed my foot on the petal, laughing as I began to drive away into the night.
The Scent of Freedom
After many hours of driving to where ever the road took me, the sun began to rise. Different hues of red, orange, and yellow took over the bottom of the sky and slowly climbed up. The scent of freshly cut grass roamed into my nose as the fields alongside the road had just been tidied. It felt so great to be free! No drowsiness over came me from my happiness. As I looked along the road, my mind began to wonder: Where would I go now? I knew of none of my relatives. Everyone already had plans on where they would go except for me. “Shit…” I muttered to myself since no one could hear me anyways. My eyes shifted to a building on the side of the road. The words across the top of the arched sign matched the ones on the truck. Not knowing what else to do, I turned into the road that led up to the building. I pulled the keys out of the ignition once I parked. Leaning against the wall were a few truckers. They’re attention immediately turned to me. I opened the large door and jumped down from the truck, slamming the door behind me, “I’ve got…whatever it was you needed here.” The truckers nodded as they followed me to the back of the truck. As the tallest one lifted the door, all eyes widened at the sight of the children. I stuttered, before giving the truckers a glare, “You guys are sick!” I forced myself to keep in my laughter as I motioned for the others to get out and follow me.
We had finally arrived at our destination: Neopia Central. “We’re…We’ve made it!” I called out with happiness as I threw my arms in the air, the others ‘whoo!’-ing and running around happily. After saying they’re goodbyes, everyone started to depart to where they’re relatives homes. I was left. I looked all around me as if I could see the answer of what to do. The sound of sobs caught my attention. I turned my head to see a lupe holding an infant on her hip waving goodbye to a man who was in deep green uniform. “E-excuse me!” I called as I ran up to the sniffling woman, “Could you tell me where that man is going?” The woman looked at me as if I were crazy. Looking me up and down she sniffled once more, “Your from out of town, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
”I thought so. That man is my husband. He’s going off to the Army.”
“The army?”
”Yes. The army is low on solders right now so he was called in.”
“Can anyone enlist?”
“I’m not too sure. It matters how desperate they are for recruits.”
“Thanks for the info.” I said as I ran off going in the direction the man had went in.
“Hm…I’m not sure if I could enlist a woman at your age.” Said the man behind a dark wooden desk, the same green uniform on.
“But you’ve gotta let me in!” I protested, stamping my foot on the ground, “I’m skilled!”
“Words and only words. Actions speak words. You’ll have to prove that you can be in the army by going through the standard obstacle course. If you can’t beat that, then there is no way I could let you enlist.” The man said as he stood, “Are you up for it?”
I nodded, “’Course!” I punched my fist into my open palm, my voice full of determination.
“I’ll blow this whistle when I want you to begin.” The man said as he stood at the side in the grass. I looked at the obstacle course. It didn’t look to hard…more like a playground except more dangerous. The sound of the whistle rung in my ears and I immediately darted off.
After completing all the obstacles, I made my way back over to the man, “So…how’d I do?”
The man looked at his stop watch, “Lets see…they’re were 14 obstacles and you didn’t fail any of them, making it 2 minutes and 49 seconds…whoa.” The man tucked the stop watch into his pocket, “Yep, you’re qualified. Follow me and I’ll get you set up with the paper work and uniforms.”
“Yes!” I shouted happily as I punched my fist into the air. It may have been odd for someone to want to stay at the army, but where else would I go? This place would be one million times better than the orphanage.
I was sure of that.
Three Years Later
Three years had past since I enlisted in the army. To my surprise, it was easy. At least…it was easy for me. I think I had a natural gift for…being yelled at and completing tasks. I had grown quite a bit and I was an adult now, standing at the age of 19. My clothes were all army printed except for the sleeveless black belly top underneath. My attitude had changed almost completely. Before I used to always be getting in trouble…now I was punishing the troublesome ones. My ranks had grown, too. I was now a Sergeant and had my own troops to tend to. My hair was now a healthy light brown and my light blue and lilac highlights had returned, except my hair was worn in a tight bun with a hair net over it. A hat was placed on my head, the coat of arms on the left hand side of it. A casket of arrows was over my back, the olive green strap crossing over my front. A large bow was in my left hand. Strapped onto my left arm was an olive green padding to keep the rope of the bow from whipping me.
I paced back and forth in front of a line of cadets. All were in green uniform and standing at attention. “CADETS!” I yelled, making a few jump from the volume of my voice which could go louder than imaginable, “Let me tell you know that this is no playground. You will address me as Sergeant Thanos and nothing else. I want you to hate me. Every time you speak towards me, I want you to yell. Is that clear?” I yelled out.
“Sir!” The cadets yelled out, even though they were addressing a female.
The sound of giggling caught my attention. I turned my head to see that a young cybunny was laughing. “Do you find something funny?” I yelled as I walked towards the cybunny.
“They addressed you as a man!” The cybunny said in a childish tone as she began to laugh uncontrollably.
I turned my head from the cybunny as I looked at the other cadets, “This here is the perfect example of what I do NOT want to be.”
“Pshaw, you’re no fun!” The cybunny said once more in a childish manner.
I shot a glare at the cybunny. I reached past the cybunny to grab a hold of the scruff of her neck, “You are going to need a lot of discipline and work.” I whispered loudly and harshly at the cybunny. “Everyone else: Retreat to your dorms and study your manuals. When I next see you out here, I expect you to have memorized it. DISMISSED.” I yelled out. The cadets turned and began to march off until they were on the side lines. I looked back at the cybunny, “You’re coming with me.”
“Hey! Lemme go!” The cybunny yelled out as she squirmed in my grasp.
I pulled the Cybunny into an oak furnished office; my office to be exact. Awards, metals, and a few pictures of my past troops were pinned up on the walls. Paper work, pens, and other assorted items messily covered the desk. On either side of the desk were deep green cushioned chairs. I let go of the cybunny and sat on the other side of the desk, “Sit.”
The cybunny hesitated but then followed orders and sat.
I pulled open a drawr from the filing cabinet reveling many forms in different sections. I flipped through until I pulled out a slim folder and shut the drawr. I opened up the file, “So…Silver, Chibi is it?”
“Actually, it’s Chibi Silver.” The cybunny said, “My first name is Chibi.”
“Well, then you obviously don’t know how the army addresses someone.” I said as I glanced up from the files at Chibi, “You are addressed by your last name. Your first name was something your parents give you. It means nothing; just like the titles of high school stereotypes.”
“It means a lot!” Chibi yelled out as she stood. Just as her last name indicated, Chibi had silver tinted fur. Her hair was red with blue tips, but was tied up into a neat bun with a hair net around it. Her orange-yellow eyes glared.
“Sit back down, Silver.” I demanded but not in my usual yelling voice. The cybunny had listened and sat back down, although she looked like she didn’t want to. I kicked my feet up onto my desk and tilted back my chair, “Tell me, Silver, why did you enlist?”
“I was feeling too spoiled at home.” Chibi answered, looking at her paws which rested in her lap, “And my parents never let me be independent. Do you know how annoying and hard it is to live like that?! I swear I could have ripped out all my hair from the stress!” She looked up at me with anger in her eyes, “And your rudeness isn’t helping.”
“Spoiled at home?” I questioned, “Ah…independence: Every teenagers longing. At least, I think every teenager.” I looked at Chibi, “At least you had your parents.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I never had my parents growing up. I had guardians, though, so I guess that was OK.”
”But did they ever let you do anything on your own?”
“Actually…they did.”
“Yeah. That’s what I thought.”
I let out a sigh, “I know I appear to be harsh and cold-hearted, but it’s not my intentions. It’s my job. I’m supposed to make you all hate it here so much that when you step onto a battlefield that you want to kill everyone that is not an ally.”
“Why would you choose such a job?!” Chibi yelled out with anger, slamming her fists on the desk, “Do you like making everyone feel like shit?!”
“No. I don’t.” I answered truthfully, “I had no where else to go. I was your age then, too, when I enlisted. I’ve lived here since then and my ranks grew.”
“Well no wonder you’re so out of order.”
“No, actually, I’m the most disciplined I’ve ever been right now. Right up until I enlisted, I was rebellious and cruel. I’d steal, get into fights every time I went down the street, play tricks on unsuspecting people, try to set the government buildings on fire, and take out all my anger on others.”
“I don’t believe that at all.” Chibi said as she folded her arms.
“I know…I am a part of the government now. I’ve never liked them, though. The police are even out looking for me right now.”
“They are?”
“Yeah. I killed one of they’re officers long ago and I ran away from the orphanage. They can’t find me, though, because every time I sign paper work I use a different name.”
“What name is that?”
”Siska Orvooki”
“So when you enlisted, that was the name you use?”
“Yep.”
”But haven’t they ever learned the truth since all your troops call you Thanos?”
“Nope. I told them that I didn’t want troops to come assassinate me.”
“You have issues.”
“You never know…”
I spent some time just discussing different matters with Chibi. I started to become a little more serious, “Chibi, you do know that being a cadet is no playground, right?”
The cybunny nodded, “Yep.”
“Then be respectful, and it won’t seem like the worst thing ever. One thing about the army is that you don’t achieve friends. You achieve allies. People here take bullets for those who had fought with them in the war.”
Chibi nodded, “So…can I go now?”
“Yes. Dismissed.”
Weeks had passed. I trained the new cadets the best I could and I could tell they hated it, which was good in the standards.
“Sergeant! Sergeant Thanos!” Shouted a man in a green uniform that ran towards me.
“Yes?” I asked as I looked away from the cadets.
“News from the General. War is declared! All cadets must be rounded up and armed. Set up the lower ranks in the back lines and prepare for battle!”
I gave a single nod and turned my attention to the troops. “Listen up! War has been declared. Double time into the war room. Arm yourselves properly and line up in the back row. Be prepared. Be angry. Kill.”
“ATTENTION!”
All of the troops slammed they’re boots down onto the ground at once, including myself who stood at the front lines with many others. The general stood facing us all. “We separate into different formations and move out in 0600 hours. Do not let us lose! We fight for Neopia Central! The people in the city are depending on us and we can’t let them down! Think of your loved ones and what you would go through for them! MOVE OUT.”
The troops began to disperse in different directions and began to follow different Sergeants. My troops followed behind me in step. They all carried rifles over they’re back and ammo was strapped onto they’re chest. I was the only one equipped with bows and arrows, for I was more skilled in it than a rifle. The casket tapped against my leg as we began walking into a thin forest.
Before I knew it, a shot was fired and the cadet behind me was down.
“TAKE UP ARMS!” I yelled out. The troops pulled the rifles off they’re back and began firing at the enemies which were dressed in a dark blue. I took my position high up in a tree and pulled arrows out of my casket one after the other. As I shot down many of the enemies, it reminded me of past wars. I had experienced three. Two while I was here and I fought in them and once when I was young. My hometown was attacked. They shot my parents before my eyes. Something inside me burst when I saw it. The colour in my eyes swirled and blended. With a yell and spill of tears, a large blast of energy had ran towards the ones that killed my parents and it killed them on the spot. I was left in the middle of a pile of corpses. No where to go…no warmth any longer…
I soon broke out of my thoughts as I heard the cry of pain from a troop below me. I saw they’re body drop dead near the bottom of the tree. I aimed for they’re attacker and shot them through the heart, leaving them in the same condition. This War wasn’t going to be fast…and it wasn’t going to be easy.
It had been many hours. It was 6am in the morning when we started, and now it was 3am; the darkest hour. Chibi and I walked slowly; pressing our backs together to avoid surprise attacks. Not many of either side’s troops were left…but they were still out there.
I let out a yell as I felt something skim through the top of my wrist. There we saw 4 of the enemies lined up on the other side of the river bank. Chibi fired shots while I fired arrows. It was hard to see in the dark, so we couldn’t make out the enemies very well. It was known now that only one of the enemies were standing and I was down to my last arrow. All of a sudden, I heard a shot and felt something tackle me to the ground. As my eyes fixed, I saw Chibi laying limp beside me, a bullet wound through her lower stomach. My eyes widened in horror, “Chibi…”
Chibi coughed up blood and smiled weakly, “Don’t worry…”
Hate filled me faster than water filled a glass. I grabbed my remaining arrow and lifted it to my bow. I aimed for the man across the river. “You may be tough but you’ve gotta be fast…” I muttered. My voice began to grow into a yell, “You just got owned so KISS MY ASS!” I let go of the end of the arrow and watched it strike the enemy between the eyes. The body fell limp to the ground. Dead. The enemies were dead.
We had won.
My attention turned back to the cybunny. Her eyes were closed and blood spilled out of her stomach and the corner of her mouth. “No…Chibi…” I muttered as I felt a tear slip out of the corner of my eye. I reached for her rifle, “No ammo…she did this because she knew the war could be won if I took the last shot…” More tears spilled out of the corners of my eyes as I tossed the rifle into the river, “No! I won’t let you die, Chibi!” I lifted Chibi’s bloody limp body over my shoulder and began running through the dark woods. Twigs and branches scrapped across my arms and legs, but it didn’t matter now. All I could think of was returning the cybunny to safety and to get healed. It was hard to tell the direction I was running in from the never-ending fall of tears fogging up my sight. I just ran. I ran endlessly into the night.
