Through Daniel’s Eyes (A Glimpse of Authority)

I knew the results even before they were posted. It was one of the advantages of being the commander's son. My father seemed happy with my results. The exams were quite easy for me. Another perk of being his son was the physical and intelligence training you receive at a young age. My father always pointed out the importance of tactics. When he told me the night before about the passers being put in squads, I wanted to know who my teammates were. Later that night, I broke into my father's study and turned on his computer. I was asked a password. Despite my father being wise and clever, he was pretty easy to read. I typed in the date that came to mind. Bingo. I searched his computer for information. I was able to find the file and clicked on it. I was placed in squad fourteen. Surprisingly, Clarisse passed the exams and was in the same squad. She's the daughter of one of the minister's advisers. I've known her since we were little. The other two were Erika Meyer and Michael Berlinch. I've never heard of their family names before. I figured it wouldn't hurt to know what kind of people I'll be working with.

I opened Michael Berlinch's profile first. He was an orphan. His parents were part of the rebellious group which led a large-scale uprising against the government twenty years ago. He was only two when the war broke out in the north. Ever since he was born, he had been in his aunt's care. After the rebels were captured, some including his parents killed, the damage caused by the war was so severe. His aunt lost her livelihood and he was sent to the orphanage. In the notes, it was stated that he's a very loud and talkative boy. He often got into fights too. I closed his file and opened Erika Meyer's. She was from the same orphanage as Michael. She was from that village, the village destroyed by the giant spider ten years ago. It seemed like she had a peaceful life with her family. Her father was a farmer and her mother a seamstress. She had an older brother who was an excellent student. They all died when the spider wreaked havoc. She was eight when it happened which means she was old enough to remember the tragedy. According to the notes, she's introverted but often got caught up in trouble, specifically physical fights, together with her best friend, who if I may guess, must be Michael. So the two of them were troublemakers. Sigh. I wondered how to deal with them. I had to pass the survival test. I needed to join to Black Thorns. But with those two on my squad, it'd be a challenge. Although, I'm willing to accept it. A challenge would make things more fun. I closed the file and turned off the computer. I slowly put the chair the way it was and got out of the study. I locked the door behind me and went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up early and prepared myself for the upcoming challenge. I made my way to the academy and saw the crowd of students in front of the information board. I searched the crowd for my "teammates", they weren't there. They must have changed their minds, I thought. I walked around the campus to pass the time and saw not just Michael and Erika, but Clarisse as well, in the middle of a fight. So early in the morning and the troublemakers were already in a mess. I ran towards them and arrived just in time to stop Erika from hitting Tyler Moris' face. Putting a bruise on his face would have meant trouble. He's the son of the head of the intelligence unit. Guess he didn't turn out to be as wise as his father. I threatened him and his "bodyguards" to leave or face disciplinary action before they were even fully accepted. He cursed, and then left. Of course he knew it wasn't a bluff. Erika pulled her arm out of my grip. Pathetic. She stared back at me. She looked mad, probably because I stopped her fight. She opened her mouth but Clarisse stepped in. She apologized and explained the situation. The expression on Erika's face I found very amusing. She hated me. I fought back a laugh. Then we heard the announcement to assemble in the field. I gave Erika and Michael a scolding glare then walked away. Interesting. Very interesting.