Tommy took Leon's spot in the cot next to Spite while Leon woke in the stuffy pantry. There was plenty to be done before the Unity recruits came to the mess hall for breakfast.

Alfred was snoring softly on the cot next to Leon. Glorious cake covered him. Leon shouted, "Alfred wake up!" What's this stuff?" He squished some between his fingers. "Wake up old man! Did you make angel food cake then have a party last night?"

Alfred stirred. "What are you blubbering about?" Noticing his new white bed-covering he understood. "No my good man. This is food from our friend."

Tommy asked, "You mean?"

"Yes King Rophe himself. Go on and eat it. I don't think either of us will be needing to eat finger stew today!"

As Leon voraciously ate, what tasted like, scrambled eggs and bacon Alfred's wheels were turning. "What if we incorporated this precious food into this morning's breakfast somehow?" Taking a bite of eggs benedict Alfred plotted. "We could add it to the oatmeal... perhaps it could make the young troops stronger?"

Now eating a juicy turkey burger, with lettuce tomato and avocado, Leon asked, "Do you think it's a good idea to mix perfection with imperfection?"

Alfred laughed. "I don't think our cooking's all that bad!"

"That's not what I mean... if we make our enemy stronger it's not very wise. Somehow we need to use this gift to teach the others the truth." Leon gathered the rest of the cake pieces and filled up an empty flour sack.

"I see what you are saying..." Alfred marveled at his young friend's growing wisdom. "But how do we use it to our advantage?"

"Not to our advantage but the King's... I'm not sure but the one thing my Nana always told me was, 'We waste everything and the Author wastes nothing.'"

Alfred wondered how Marina was doing. The last time he'd saw her he had rescued his childhood sweetheart from a death cruise. He supposed she was hidden underground somewhere plotting an overdue revolution.

"I've got it!" Alfred jumped up from his cot. We give it to whomever the King tells us to!"

King Rophe smiled at his beloved. How he enjoyed when his children had vision and boldness.

Alfred continued, "When we're scooping out the oatmeal this morning we'll have two batches: the one with the King's food in it and one without. We will be given a sign... I'm not sure what the sign will be but we will know it when we see it."  Alfred pointed to his head and then to his heart.

Excited, the two hurried to get the breakfast underway. Leon boiled two large pots of water and then added oats and a dash of salt to both. Once the mush on the right was bubbling he dumped in the flour sack of heavenly bread.  After stirring it in you couldn't tell which was which. But both Leon and Alfred knew and soon so would some of the soldiers.

Reluctantly the young soldiers filed up to the kitchen counter with a metal tray in hand. Alfred waited for a sign but none came. He slopped scoops of the regular oatmeal into the tray's compartments while Leon plopped down a piece of stale bread.

Two dozen hungry soldiers went by until finally they had their sign. Tommy Thompson approached the cooks. He nodded with his bruised chin towards Alfred. He never let on he knew him. It seemed safer that way.  Alfred gave a slight nod in agreement.

A holographic-type, orange-yellow flame hovered just over Tommy's head. No one seemed to notice the flame except for Alfred and Leon.

Alfred scooped up a clump of supernatural oatmeal and whispered to Tommy, "Eat it all. You're going to need it." Plop! It didn't look very appetizing to Tommy.  After cleaning out the piss pots two days in a row he wasn't sure he could get even a spoonful of the gray mush down.

More tired blank faced boys filed passed the dynamic duo for breakfast... only seven soldiers sported flames—one of them being Private Niles! Seven out of two hundred and seventy. Not good, but the King knew it was a a good start.

—-

Trone thought, "If you can't beat 'em join 'em. " He finally began passing the miraculous food instructed.

Now it was Trone's turn to be frustrated. Whenever he landed a ball of dough in cage number 4 these obnoxious conjoined sisters devoured them. They were joined at the hip literally. Other than this genetic defect they were smart as a whip and the fastest ones in their cage. You'd think they'd be used to taking turns but girl A and girl B fought miserably over the last morsel. They both sported two jet-black pony tails which hit each other in the face when either one turned their head. Maybe they weren't too bright after all!

"I'm warning you girls if you don't pass the food you won't like what'll happen!" Trone picked up another clump, wound up his pitch and slammed girl A in the face. Bull's-eye! Immediately it turned into a cloud of flies. "Will you pass it now?" he taunted. Suddenly persuaded, the girls did their part and continued the food chain. With each new cage came a familiar struggle until, finally, all 20 cages had food.

Izzy climbed to the top and asked for one person to represent each cage. One by one a leader emerged and ascended the chain link fence. In cage 2 it was JM the webbed girl, in cage 3 it was Trone the burned boy, in cage 4 it was the conjoined twins named Misty (short for Mistake) and so on until each cage had a leader.

Izzy warned them, "Before you get a mouthful of maggots I'd like to explain this is supernatural food. It's a gift from a friend. An invisible author who is the writer of everything good. He has sent this food to strengthen us as well as to show us his glory. He has nothing to prove and does this simply out of his mercy. If you want to accept him and his gifts go ahead and eat. If you don't believe I'm warning you not to eat."

All the children stood perfectly still. Even baby Lacey did not stir. Each cage contained a pile of the white goodness. It appeared as if they were part of a snowman building contest. Every child checked their heart to see if they believed in what they could not see. Remembering the Warrior Ghosts gave even the skeptics the spiritual nudge they needed. After several minutes they ate with childlike faith and it was glorious!

Before the guards entered every spec of food was gone. Even the pieces that had fallen outside the cages had mysteriously vanished into a puff of white smoke. Unbeknownst to the guards the inmates were all full and the swill they slopped into their cages would go untouched.

Usually the kids charged at the rancid oils and sugars like wild animals, but not today. Today was different.

They were different.

-End of Chapter 21-

Author's note: It's fun being different isn't it? We all are! Not even twins are exactly the same! Today, enjoy your individuality! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. 💛