Luke’s POV

They read my name out, read out Faye’s and Abbie’s and told me I was having the rest of the day off! This is probably the best day of school ever! Army training; the thing I’ve always dreamed of doing. I don’t want to go into the Army, I just wanted to do the training. The idea of killing someone terrifies me, the idea I could die terrifies me more! I wanted to see how they trained, get the physique, the fitness and become a trainer. I don’t want to look like the geeky guy everyone thinks I am just because my brother is a ‘Jock’ - Just because he plays rugby and football and is muscly and tough. I packed my things together and shoved them in my backpack, flinging it over my shoulder as me, Faye and Abbie walked out of the classroom into the hall where we had been told we were all gathering to be taken to the army assault course.

“Please read and sign these contracts, just basically saying you’re happy to be doing the course to make up government hours and all that…” An army guy says.

“I can’t believe they didn’t fill out a form for me. Those bitches!” Faye was continuing to complain to me as we signed the forms without reading them. To be honest, I couldn’t care. She was trying to ruin my mood.

“Oh will you shut up!” Abbie complained as she read the paper and signed it. “We’ve not even got on the bus yet and you’re already killing me!” I tried to hide the smirk.

“No-one asked you to get involved.” Faye spat.

“Girls, come on! We have to spend a whole day together, can you not just get along?” I asked. I had no idea why they hated each other in the first place, but it was probably something stupid and girly.

“Get along?” Abbie looked over at me with anger in her eyes. “She’s bullied me with her plastic friends for years!” I shot a look to Faye, who suddenly looked like she’d been caught out.

“With good reason!” She said quickly. “She told my last boyfriend I’d cheated on him!” I shot a glare back to Abbie.

“Only because you actually had! I saw you with some other guy! He was a friend of mine!” Abbie shouted, stepping towards Faye, who stood square on to her. I held them apart.

“Girls, you’ll have ample chances to fight later on, we have a whole day of army training ahead!” Some douchebag shouted. He was going on this army training too, but he looked like Justin Bieber! Why on earth would he want to dirty his pretty face?

“Shut up, Tom.” Abbie hissed. “If anyone’s getting beaten up, it’s you.” I sniggered. I couldn’t help it. She was feisty and I liked that. But she was also weird; Quiet and shy when someone wasn’t annoying her. She always kept to herself, and she froze up when I spoke to her on the bus!

“Right guys! Welcome to Army training. This afterschool activity has been set up by the government. You will be trained by actual army recruits, you will endure the army lifestyle and you will be staying in an army camp this week. I’ve told your parents and they are all fine with it.” This guy in head to toe camouflage said as he walked into the room.

“A week? What?” Faye exploded.

“It was in the contract you just signed!” Abbie said in a dumb tone. “If you actually read it.”

“I’m not going on a week of Army training!” Faye said, folding her arms.

“It’s too late now, Miss. You’ve signed the contract. It’s a legal document.” The Army guy said. “Now get on the bus! As of this moment you will be treated like soldiers!” He shouted. We all had to march to the bus, where he ordered us to sit in alphabetical order. This was the first time I found out me and Abbie had similar last names.

“Harrison, Luke.” The Army Officer shouted, pointing to a seat. “Hart, Abbie!” he pointed next to me. She received a glare from Faye as she sat down next to me, offering me a shy smile. The Officer shouted everyone else’s names out, luckily having Faye sitting in front if me.

“Being an Ingram can help me out!” She smiled at me, looking at me through the gap in the chairs. She tries so hard it actually pains me to watch. No-one has ever been so obvious with their love for me. She fancies me, a lot, and probably because she can’t have my brother. She’s too fake to fancy. Me and her as a couple? No!

“Right, we’re on this journey for an hour and a half. Anyone who is out of order will be embarrassed beyond belief when we get there, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” He shouted. A general murmur of yeses could be heard.

“An hour and a half?” Abbie said out loud but to herself.

“Yeah I know, torture before we train, eh?” I laughed.

“I hate coaches too…” She mumbled.

“All squashed together and stuck sitting with people you don’t like?” I asked.

“Yeah something like that…” She hesitated. “Well maybe not the last bit.” Faye tutted.

“Oh please!” She rolled her eyes. “Get a life, Abbie!”

“Mine’s better than yours. At least mine isn’t fake.” Abbie replied.

“Guys, please?” I interrupt. “Unless you two wanna be embarrassed?”

“I wouldn’t even care!” Abbie hissed.

“Abbie… Please!” I begged. “A whole week together, let’s just try and get along…”

***

We pulled up to the army camp and my stomach was knotting. I was nervous. Could I handle it? I was the weediest looking guy here. I bet Abbie and Faye had more strength in them that I had in me. We’d sat in silence the whole time, and that allowed me to sit there thinking about how this was probably a bad idea and I should have picked sports.

“You’re going to live like soldiers, eat like soldiers, train like soldiers and sleep like soldiers. Understood?” The officer shouted as we exited the bus, joining another group of ten. “I want you in groups of four. There are four girls on this training session, I don’t want more than two in a group. Now!” He shouted as me, Faye and Abbie remained standing beside each other and Tom walked over to us.

“Looks like an easy group!” He smiled evilly.

“Please… Faye’s little finger has more strength than you, Tom, you twat.” Abbie crossed her arms.

“Really, you little shit?” He replied, shoving her backwards. I held her back as she jumped at him. “Mhh, that’s what I thought. Need someone else to help you.”

“I’m helping you.” I turned round to him. “Don’t want you to get beaten up on your first day!” I smirked.

“You four over there, behave!” The officer shouted over to us and we immediately stood like military soldiers. “Right, today, in your fours we shall see who is the quickest, the strongest, the cleverest and the sullenest.   The group you’ve just put yourself in? They’re gonna be the only people you see this week. Say goodbye to the other groups. You’ll be staying in group camps, far apart from each other. There will be missions and there will be tasks and you’re just going to have to do them! When this week is over we’ll know what you need training in the most. You understand?” We all looked blankly at each other, well Abbie just stared at her feet. Another few officers walked out with a bunch of students we’d never seen before and ordered them to stand in groups, two of them joining the leftovers from out school. There were about 40 of us now. 10 groups and I wasn’t going to see any of them again. This seemed so strange. The officers split up and one went with each group. The one that stood with us scared me. He was 6ft 3, more muscle on him that all the students put together, the glare from his brown eyes showed he had no emotion; like he’d killed too many people to have feelings any more…

“What are your names?” His gruff, rough voice asked.

“Faye.”

“Tom.”

“Luke.” I answered as we all looked over to Abbie, still staring at her feet.

“I asked your name!” He demanded. She didn’t answer. He walked over to her and lifted her head with his hands, making her stare him in the eye. “What is your name?”

“Abbie.” She finally said.

“Right. Faye, Abbie, Tom, Luke… My name is Jonny. I’m gonna be the only other person you see. I’m gonna tell you what you need to do and you’re gonna do it. I say jump, you ask how high. Got it?” We all nodded. He walked us to a jeep and we drove into the forest, arriving at a small campsite. “This is where you four are going to live. Get used to it. You guys may as well get on or this is gonna be a difficult few days.” He jumped out of the car and chucked a few bags out on the ground as we got out. “There’s your stuff, see you later.” He jumped back in the car and it drove off, leaving a cloud of dust and dirt behind him.

“What the hell?” Faye asked.

“This isn’t what I signed up for!” Tom whinged.

“Yeah I know. It’s weird! We sign up for army training and we’re suddenly whisked off with a bunch of random other people our age, split into groups and told we need to live in this?!” I point around.

“Something’s not right. Army training is just running round an assault course with a fitness instructor. These are real army men. They’ve killed people. And they’re training us… Which means we’re gonna kill people too…” Abbie said, mystically.

“Oh shut up, Abbie! You talk so much shit!” Faye shouts.

“If I’m wrong, fine. If I’m not, you’ll be the first to cop it.” She threatened, staring Faye down. A chill ran down my spine. What if she was right?