01 June 2119

I didn't sleep well last night. Mostly due to weird dreams I had during the night. I can't remember specific details. However, I do remember using a gun in one of them. The context is very blurry. I don't know why I had a gun or why I was using it...

Every time I pick up a gun, I remember my Papa's words. He believes that guns aren't inherently bad, they don't actually hurt anyone. Humans simply label things as good or bad, to help make sense of the world around them. Humans terrifyingly powerful creatures that can change the weight of any concept with just a simple snap of a finger.

I think I'm starting to understand him a little. I still zone out during his lectures though. But if objects aren't inherently good or bad, then what about humans? What are we? Are we just a bunch of complicated beings constantly making mistakes? Why do we label things? What's the point?

Kira straightened, her golden-brown shoulders jolting as she took a deep breath. It wasn't typical of her to process such deep philosophical questions so early in the morning. Her head was starting to pound. The stress of classes and the increased responsibilities of Cadet Corporal certainly didn't help either. Freedom Military Academy was not merciful.

She adjusted her posture, cracking her neck before continuing her record keeping: Philosophy aside, formation ended earlier than usual today. The Lieutenant was distracted, incredibly sloppy with his orders. He was jittery with his shifty green eyes. This is concerning. The Lieutenant is always so tactical and perfectionistic, he never misses a single detail or makes any mistakes.

Kira tucked a loose strand of jet-black hair behind her ear, not realizing that she had slipped into her pen-biting habit. Why haven't I been informed of anything? As president of the second-class Cadets and Cadet Corporal, she would have hoped to be one of the first to know if anything out of the ordinary had happened. She hated not being a part of the inner circle. Just because she was a Cadet didn't mean she was insignificant. It was lower among the ranks, but this was her academy too. It was frustrating having to depend on others. And how could she be expected to handle her duties if no one bothers to communicate to her?

The bed groaned underneath. A ray of light crept down through the window behind her, bits of dust dancing mystically like fairies. She scrunched her nose while scribbling intently, finishing her last thoughts in her brown leather journal. It was almost 08:00. First period would start soon. Just as she fastened it tight, a singsong tone called her name. "Pajari!"

Sunny stood at the far end of the barracks, leaning against the doorframe. His wavy black hair was unkempt as usual. He's always been bad at tending to it. His navy jacket was slung over his shoulder, hand in his pocket. Even from this distance, she could see the amusement dancing in his dark brown eyes.

She smirked, briskly standing and pausing to salute. "Sergeant."

"At ease cadet, no need for formalities." He nodded in her direction. "Come on, classes are starting up."

She marched his direction with hands behind her back. "First class is just more Russian lessons. Like I need any more of those. I'm practically fluent by now."

"Your confidence never ceases to sway me." He grinned as he moved and embraced her tenderly. She nearly stiffened up but resisted the urge. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Eh, it could've been better." Sunny pulled back to look at her. His arms were still wrapped around her waist. It was a weird sensation to get used to. She wanted to pull away as her eyes glanced around the room. No one was close by, but it was better to be on the safe side. "Still having those weird nightmares. Last night was more intense than usual. I don't understand why I keep having them." Kira's nose twisted in frustration.

Sunny had leaned forward, but Kira pulled away. "Sunny please, not right now."

"Why not?"

"I don't really feel comfortable..."

"There's no one around."

"We have class."

"You just mentioned not wanting to go to class." Silence. "What so I'm not allowed to kiss my girlfriend on the forehead?"

Kira shushed him. "Someone could hear you."

His arms fell away entirely. "What do you mean?"

"You do realize that no one else knows about us..."

Sunny furrowed his brow. "Why can't we just say something? It'd be a lot easier if it were out in the open. I hate having to hide it all the time." He frowned.

"With you being Sergeant and me as Corporal, it would look a little suspicious if people discovered that we were together. People would get the wrong idea."

"What, that we're together, together?" He rubbed his neck and stared at the ceiling. "I don't want to have to be so exclusive. I want to be able to do regular things that a couple does without having to be on the lookout for anyone that might see us. No secrets, you know?"

"Sunny..." Kira sighed. A small pain formed in her chest. "People might be inclined to believe that it would interfere with our duties. Prevent us from properly getting the work done that we need."

"But it doesn't. It won't."

"Not everyone else will think that."

He sighed, ruffling his hair.

Kira looked at her feet. "I just... I don't know if I'm ready for it just yet. I think I need more time."

"Hey, we've talked about this." The frown on his face deepened. "I thought we agreed we'd give this a try."

"I did. We are."

"Then why does it always feel like you're making excuses? Like you don't want to commit?"

Kira felt her anger begin to rise, her honey eyes intensifying. "I'm not making excuses, Sunny. But we still have responsibilities. Those come first. Our relationship shouldn't be interfering with them."

Sunny was about to speak but sighed instead. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up. This isn't a great start to the day." He ruffled his hair with eyes cast downward.

She stopped and took a breath. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have gotten so worked up." Her cheeks burned as she turned aside. Quickly she stood on her toes and pecked him on the cheek before brushing past him out the door. "Move your feet, Cho. I'm sure Yvie's wondering where we are."

Kira didn't have to see his face to know he was beaming and giddy, a big smirk on his face. "On it, Pajari."

----- ♠︎ -----

Classes moved slower than usual. Kira was excelling in her Russian and Korean as usual, but fortunately for her, the instructor deliberately challenges the students on a regular basis. Her new class on different types and classes of weaponry was exciting. She was particularly fond of chemical warfare, appreciating the wide variety of options. Nuclear though seemed a bit too intense, even for her.

Kira quickly moved into her routine, swiftly from one place to the next. After her two language classes was History. The instructor lectured endlessly about the Great War. She muttered to herself. This was pointless to her; she'd learned about the war millions of times. He must've been reviewing because the anniversary of the beginning of the war was approaching in a few weeks. His voice was like muffled cotton as she doodled in her journal, unaware of her surroundings. She was fond of flowers, particularly dandelions. Her thin pencil rubbed vigorously against her lined paper as she focused intently on a detailed bouquet.

"Pajari!"

Her finger paused, head snapping up to see her instructor. His piercing blue eyes were staring daggers. "Up on cloud nine are we, Cadet?"

"No, sir."

"Okay then. Tell me, what triggered the third world war?"

"It was in 2100 when Russia and North Korea bombed the United States. It's considered one of the worst bombings in American history."

His eyebrow arched. "Alright. What cities were bombed during that year?"

"New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C were victims of the assault, sir."

Snickers filled the room, but Kira paid no mind. This was common knowledge. Why should she have to pay attention to the same material she's learned year after year?

The instructor's eyes grew wide. "And what the hell is so funny to the rest of you?" They quieted, not wanting to suffer the same fate as Kira. He looked back at her. "Alright, smartass. 10 years later, in 2110. What happened?"

"Combined armed forces from Russia and North Korea invaded the United States. The President and Vice President were killed. Bombs were triggered in the local D.C. area. Everyone left in the White House was either killed for noncompliance or taken as a prisoner of war. The government was completely overthrown."

He scowled. "Alright. Then what?"

"What do you mean?"

The instructor crossed his arms behind him. "What happened to the U.S. afterward, Cadet?"

"Well, it's no longer referred to as the United States of America. It's now been founded under a new name, Newfound Russian Federation, or NRF for short." Kira smirked. If his goal had been to embarrass her, he failed miserably. "Since then, there's a huge divide between Americans and Non-Americans, which is determined by natural and legal citizenship. Americans live in perpetual fear of prejudice and discrimination, having to succumb to strict obedience and now a communist nation. Each republic, or "state" per the original term, is subjected to the same civil rules fashioned by the NRF federal government."

Kira leaned back. The instructor unfolded his arms from behind. "You think you're so smart, huh?"

"But was I correct, sir?"

He grunted and turned back to the chalkboard. "Just stop daydreaming, Pajari."

The day picked up the pace after History. She finished off her day in the worst class possible: calculus. Kira hated math with a passion. She was grateful that she was at least a quick learner, but that didn't make it any easier to bear through. As usual, the lovely Isa was a complete know-it-all. When she curled her lips and pointed her nose upwards, you knew that Isa had the answer. She always had something to say. It didn't help that the girl was extremely proficient in mathematics. Top of the class in fact.

Kira snarled to herself, letting her emotions get the best of her and getting distracted from the class material on anti-derivatives. The instructor snapped her out of her spell, criticizing and humiliating her in front of the class. Her cheeks burned furiously as her fists clenched. The entire class started to giggle. This infuriated the teacher and he threatened the class itself. In the midst of the silence, Isa smugly answered his previous question. He grumpily returned back to the chalkboard. In Kira's peripheral, she could see Isa smiling, the beauty mark on her cheek playing at her. Smartass.

----- ♠︎ -----