11 Rigid Physical Training

Its 1600 hrs at the wilderness while heading to the lagoon, northeast of Tikaban, George and his men tried to go across the lagoon where a certain peaceful field was located and its geographically facing the sea. While they reached the destination, the platoon sergeant immediately install himself on his post and signaled the squad leader to dive in to their weekly training. A little while, soldiers from stations 2 and 3 just arrived and hurriedly ran towards the first platoon and right away filled out the second platoon. Two sergeant leaders started to inspect everyone, including the newly arrived recruits. The physical training followed with the rest of the orientation and reminders. While in the cave, Magee woke up and she was looking for the people around.

" Albrecht, are you there? "

" Yes, breakfast is ready now. Come and get some."

" Ah, yes, where are they?"

" They're just somewhere and doin' some stuffs but they'll be here tomorrow. By the way, your water is a bit warm now, go and take a bath first before you join me here in the table. I've got your favorite boiled sayote leaves with lemon and salt as its sauce."

" Wow. Yes, I'll be there in a minute, I like it." Magee was tiptoeing towards the bathroom that Albrecht made for her.

" Careful, it's a bit slippery there." The older brother Albrecht reminded her, not just twice but thrice.

While Albrecht was alone in the kitchen and fixing the table, he has heard a loud blast of canon. Albrecht paused for a while and deeply prayed .

" Lord, please protect my friends and brother in the field now. Shield them with your mercy." His worry increased and thought about them that were mostly unarmed.

Thirty minutes after she came out and she immediately sat on the table fronting him.

" You're my brother. You should have opened up early when I was still in my foster family. I should have showed to you my study room built by Lolo Sibal for me."

" Hmm...I saw it many times. I read almost every book you were fond of. You did not even know that you were spied by a Japanese soldier in that room so before you entered we silenced him, threw and bury him by the river.

" With George?"

" Yes." When it comes to protecting you, George was a crazy warrior, he does not know how to think sometimes."

" My God...I should have taken cared way back then. Honestly, I never thought even once that someone has already intruded my place."

" You should. We are at war and if you are with people, with men, especially soldiers, chances are very high. But you can count on George, hmm, he likes you I know. But the other guy did not know that, Baldur, our eldest. Baldur is very strict and hot-headed but still loving while George is a great guy you know, you can really trust him. So in my absence, you rely on him. Dad has even voted on him before you know it. Its just that his pride is somewhere in Mars, haha."

" Whoah! yes I do, I noticed that too." Magee smiled at him while sipping the 'salabat'.

" Will he suit to your standards." Albrecht teased her.

" Hmm..I don't know. It's not my priority yet. Besides, I'm still young and I am still on the process of absorbing all of your revelations last night, hmm..."

" Obviously. By the way, hey, if I and Baldur will still be alive after this war, you go with us back to States. I can't allow you to stay here alone, your biological family is there and it's reasonable since your foster family were gone. I forgot one thing, your admirer is a full-blooded American too, he's just one block away from our house, haha. I mean it, he likes you a lot."

" Hey! you really teases me loudly ha." Magee complained.

" No one will tease you around, Baldur looks like a tiger and acts like a grandpa. He seldom smile too but he loves you a lot and would always look for your safety and welfare. Twice when George had a flu, because he's allergic when overexposed to water. Baldur was twice my buddy in guarding you from a distance. He's very boring and I kept on yawning, haha. When I cracked jokes he never smile, he's really serious I'm telling you that, just in case. We grew up together."

" That really sounds interesting. So let's just adjust whenever he's not in the right mood, anyway, he's the middle child, you're the eldest and I'm the youngest. This is really a relief, finding out that I have my biological family, a father and brothers mean a lot to me." She smiled.

" Uh, in the next few days, our lives here would have hectic schedules and we might seldom meet in a week. If Dad would arrive, he may send me there in station two. He had plans early on that I must coach one soldier there. Dad had a problem in station two regarding food budget.

" Then...how about me? Albrecht, teach me with self-defense. How is it? Please."

" Don't worry, George, Baldur and I will protect you. Don't think too much about it, you can help us in some other ways but not with the physical training. Did you hear what George had said? you're too light and your wrists are too small. Look, see that, we can even lift you up with just one hand. My advice for you is, you need to eat much and sleep better, okay?" He took Magee's empty coconut shell that serves as plate and he gave her some water to drink.

" Hmm...is that so. I'm too small and weak. So, are you really decided not to teach me with self defense, okay, I got it."

" That sounds rebellious." He sat down and smiled at her.

" It seems that your mind now is filled with so many plans, aha, right? I'm warning you, we have a leader here, in the army we follow orders. If you break the orders of the leader, even if he/she is your family, you will still be punished. It's part of giving a disciplinary action so someone must learn a lesson. Do you like it?"

" Hmm...Ina Lolita always nag at me before and I notice there's a lot that looks like her around."

" Haha, it's because you do what you think you like the most. That's why. Promise me, don't attempt to escape. We'll be dead meat to Dad. He wants you to be safe here, do you get it?"

" Opo."

" They enjoyably spent the whole day with chitchat; they also played sungka and when evening came he was on post to guard her. It was midnight when Magee went out to the bathroom but he saw him with wide eyes asking her.

" Where are you going?" Then he smiled.

" I'll go to the comfort room." She took the candle and brought it there.

" He really suspected that I will escape. I just wanted to see the moon, outside the waterfalls - there's a moonlight, just wanted to breath some fresh air there, outside." She sadly thought then sighed.

" I can hear your sighs from here, what is that for..."

" No, nothing. I'll go back to sleep then." She passed by on his post and left the candle to him.

" Albrecht, what date today?"

" You sleep first, I'll answer that question tomorrow."

" Okay." Then she fell asleep smiling.