FIVE

I tossed and turned in my bed. I can't sleep because I'm not used to my bed not being soft. Their mattress is very thin here. Everyone even sleeps together. The boys' room is separate from the girls'. Each room has a number to which group you belong. And unfortunately. My groupmate is Rhodora. I don't really bother about her, but she is very annoying in my eyes. I don't fight with her, but she looks at me, as if she wants to stab me with a knife because she's so annoyed with me. Oh my! Whatever!

Good thing now, Rhodora is not here in the room. I don't know where she went. I am not her mother to watch over her for twenty-four hours.

I lay down and looked up. I was even more disappointed because I couldn't see the ceiling but the bottom of the bed. Who made this bedframe? Double deck. I'm under the bed. Am I really that unlucky? I was raised a princess and then this is my only bed in the camp? Apart from the foam being hard, there are still a lot of mosquitoes! And the place is so hot! Is there no air condition here? Does this place no longer have the budget for them to install air conditioning? Gosh! The heat is deadly. I might be the first to die from the heat. There is no proper ventilation.

I got up and decided to leave the room. I even saw my fellow trainee sleep well. Are they still sleeping in the heat around them? Amazing! For me, I can't.

A cold wind greeted me outside. I hugged myself. I don't have a jacket with me. I don't have anything with me. Only Pocholo gave me my basic needs. Like toiletries, even underwear, and I don't know where he got it from. Fortunately, I saw that he had bought new undies because otherwise, I wouldn't wear the underwear that Pocholo gave me.

I feel hopeless. I don't even have money. I only depend on the food that is available here in the camp. The other foods taste bad. But I have no choice but to eat them. Good thing my stomach doesn't hurt. My intestine is too sensitive. My stomach usually only accepts steaks or caviar. And, of course, my favorite milk.

While walking inside the camp, I thought of a bright idea. What if I escape from here now? Maybe no one will see me because they are already asleep. It's ten in the evening, so for sure they're fast asleep.

"Yeah, that's right! I'm really brilliant" I said to myself.

I saw a dark part of the camp. I think this is a great spot to escape. I really can't handle it if I stay here for a few more days.I was about to take a step when I heard a footstep at the same time as my foot stepped on the ground. I got nervous. Is ghosting a trend here at camp? I repeated my step and, like before, someone followed me. I closed my eyes.My heart beat fast.

"W-who are you? Are you a ghost? I'm delicious, but don't eat me! You can't afford me!" I said weakly to the ghost. If it was a ghost that followed me.

I opened my eyes when someone chuckled softly behind me. I looked at him in fear. I saw Pocholo's laughing face. This Pocholo is bullshit. He will kill me with fear!

"Is there something funny?" I asked bluntly.

"Nothing. You're funny. What are you doing here in the dark?" he said. Pocholo looked around. Clueless.

"You don't have to know anymore"

"Maybe you'll escape, right?"

"W-what?" I stutter. Pocholo might even report me to the tiger-looking Commander Apollo Madrid. I still haven't forgotten what he did to me earlier in the swimming pool. During the entire duration of our training, he always scolded me. Yes, I don't know how to swim, so I don't know what he wants me to learn. But anyway, I don't want to talk about him or think about him.

"You're going to escape. Don't you know that if you're caught, you'll be punished by our commander? You know it's illegal but you're still doing it."

"What do you care? When Apollo finds out that I'm going to escape, you are the one to blame"

"Why me?"

"Why not you?And why are you here too? are you following me?" I was annoyed to ask again.

"I'm not"

In the silence of the whole night, Pocholo and I turned to the side of the camp. We heard someone hissing. The hissing repeated again when we couldn't see who was hissing at us. I was still nervous that we might be caught. Until we see Rhodora. She was sitting on a big rock at the side of the camp. She also has fellow trainees beside her. Two men and two women. She is like a queen sitting on a big rock. Her leg was up and her elbow was resting on it.

Even though the night was dark, I still saw her grinning at us. I raised an eyebrow at her. It looks like this Rhodora is going to fight with me again. She looks at me as if she was looking for a fight.

"What?" I hissed.

"What are you doing here in the dark part of the camp? Are you going to perform a miracle? Or are you two going to escape?"

"What do you care? We don't even care about you, so don't bother us" I said.

She grinned again.

"Tsk,tsk..based on the look on your faces, you two will escape. What will Commander Apollo's punishment be if I report you?"

"Go ahead, try-" I was cut off when Pocholo blocked my front. He went in front of me to protect me from Rhordora.

"If you do that, we will also report you. You know that drinking is not allowed during the duration of our training inside the camp" said Pocholo. I looked in Rhodora's direction. Then I confirmed that they were drinking alcohol!

Oh my gosh!

"Go ahead, try it" Rhodora challenged him. I could feel Pocholo's nervousness in front of me. He was afraid of Rhodora.

"I-I'm not kidding Rhodora" and Pocholo stammered even more!

Rhodora's colleagues laughed at Pocholo's stuttering. The two men stood up. They rub their fists together. Intended to beat us. We both stepped back.

"Weak" she mocked us. If Pocholo hadn't gotten involved in my mess, I might have pulled Rhodora's hair out of sheer annoyance.

Rhodora signaled her companions to stop approaching us. I'm still not sure that we're safe, even though she stopped the two men from beating us.

"Okey, what if ..I won't report you. But on one condition:"

"W-what was it?" Pocholo said.

"Drink with us. Join us here. You won't leave until we run out of alcohol. What? Deal? If not, I'm easy to talk to."

Pocholo peeked at me behind his back. I slowly nodded. Sign that I agree. I don't want to be beaten by them. Even if I don't drink alcohol, I can handle it. My beautiful face is better than being beaten. It's hard to be ugly in the world.

"Deal", Pocholo and I answered together.

"Good. Nice choice. You two are easy to talk to" Rhodora said happily. I just don't know if she is really happy that Pocholo and I agreed. It's hard to trust traitors.