"Would you shut up already!?" he barked, his death-glare landing squarely on Balair.
"You bloody ego-lifting freak!" Sergeant Hansen screamed as he shot up from the grass, fuming as he stomped toward the boy, fists clenched like he was about to hold a very hands-on conversation.
Beep! Beep!
A sharp alert came from his AulWris just as he was about to reach Balair. His steps slowed as the last of the cadets assigned to Platoon Six finally arrived.
Sigh.
He let out a breath, the beeping stopping along with his steps. It was almost like he was calming himself down — the boys looking on, confused by the sudden shift in his mood.
"Sixth Platoon, gather round me," Sergeant Hansen finally called out. The twenty cadets assigned to his unit shuffled over, some more hesitant than others.
"Wow! Well that was scary," Balair whispered to Dustin, who was already praying silently to be disassociated from him.
"Reminds me a lot of my mom whenever she gets pissed at my dad. Scary stuff," Balair added, still whispering — not realizing the figure now looming behind him.
Crack!
A resounding knock echoed around Balair's skull. It was the sergeant. He'd had enough. Already more work than usual on Day One. Most cadets would usually be scared stiff just by seeing his name. But not this one. He glanced around — yep, usual terrified faces — then back at the boy still reeling in front of him. Just looking at him made his blood boil.
"I'm already too tired to split you people into squads," he said, face buried in his palms.
"Mall, you'll be a squad leader," he said, pointing straight at Dustin.
"You over there... Urmm, Torren. Second squad leader," he said with little care or thought.
"And you, muscle-head — you're with Mall."
Dustin didn't respond — only looked on, accepting his fate. A single invisible tear might've dropped.
And just like that, Sergeant Hansen quickly sorted the cadets into two squads — ten now standing behind each newly assigned leader.
"Squad leaders are meant to pick out assistants, blah blah blah — you can read all that on your AulWris. It's in the Personnel Guide, digital book. Read it on your own time. Oh yeah, and you'll need to submit your forms so the squads will officially be recognized — and a bunch of other documentation. It's all there, just look it up," he said, barely keeping himself from dozing off again.
He paused, like something else had slipped his mind.
"Oh yes, the most important thing: try your damn best to avoid clashes with other squads or platoons. I can't have anyone dying on me again in the first week," he muttered, almost more to himself.
"Can't have HQ dragging me back in," he added under his breath.
"Anyways, at least for the first two weeks, don't get involved in squad battles. I'd prefer if you didn't ever get into them, but hey, life. You'll need those to rise up in here, but whatever — that's it. Be good. Urmm... assemble with your squadmates later and finalize things. You're dismissed," he finished, walking off without waiting for replies.
Balair, finally free from the sergeant's clutches, let out a dramatic sigh of relief and turned to face Dustin.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot there, squad leader. My name's Balair Heskell, and I'm a Medium," he said calmly — the knock on his head seemingly knocking him out of gym mode.
"And I'm Dustin of the House Mall. I'm a Spirit Adapter," Dustin replied. He didn't like introducing himself that way, but with Balair suddenly formal and eyes on him, he didn't really have much choice.
"Since we're doing introductions, why don't I join in?" a voice cut in — it was Torren, the other cadet given the squad leader title. He walked over casually.
"I am Torren of the House Wraithe, and I'm a Spirit Augmentor. Nice seeing you again, Dustin," he said, offering a handshake, which Dustin returned — though confused.
Whispers stirred at the mention of his house — this was turning into a gathering of high houses. But who was Balair, then, to be standing among them?
Dustin squinted slightly. He didn't remember Torren. His memory was nearly photographic, thanks to his Gift. He should've remembered him — though he did know the name Wraithe.
"So... Sergeant Hansen, huh?" Torren said, pulling back his hand with a grin. "How lucky are we to end up in the Graveyard's platoon?"
"Quite lucky, I guess," Dustin said. "Anyway, why don't we head to the mess hall? We can talk more there and submit the squad documents after."
"Oh yeah, sure. I'm starving," Torren replied, smiling.
Balair's eyes lit up — finally a topic he could participate actively in. Dustin, noticing this, turned to face the rest of the cadets who were still standing around.
"Dismissed until further notice!" he announced.
"You'll be notified through your AulWris when it's time to gather again."
And with that, the cadets dispersed. The trio followed suit, walking off toward the mess hall.