Cruelty? or The Forced Change in Mindset!

Planet: Tarsonis

Year:2524

Place: Confederate ??? Academy

The kids strolled out of the arena with saddened yet conflicted looks. They looked to Clark with pity-filled eyes but turned to Sarah with venomous hate. She could feel their anger, rage, and contempt. She could hear the kid's thoughts.

'Why didn't he kill her dad instead?'

'He should've killed her dad.'

'Slowly, painful.'

They wanted him to her. They wanted that boy, Caesar, to kill her father instead. And yet when she looked to the boy with beautiful light grey eyes, she could feel the same hate, contempt, and disgust they had always had against her.

'How does he do it? How does always disregard it all?' Thought Sarah. She wanted to continue crying but didn't get the approval too. Her watery eyes were trained upon Caesar. Who turned the corner heading into the medical center as Clark.

'They don't matter.'

'What is it now?' Sarah hissed towards the long blond-haired light-skinned boy on her right. It...he was Jonathan Samir. And he was one of the only kids who'd willingly speak a word to her.

'They don't matter. That's how he sees it. That's how Caesar sees it. In his eyes, their lives, joy, happiness, anger, hate...feelings. None of it matters. The guards don't matter, Lisa doesn't matter, Kalen, most of the recruits...none of them matter. We'll at least I think that's how he feels, it's kind of hard to tell sometimes.'

Samir's thoughts caused Sarah to pause. And reflect her stance on everything and everyone. 'How do you know?' Asked Sarah, squinting her eyes at Samir's words.

He turned into the changing room, smirking back at the still squinting Sarah. She huffed shifting her eyes towards his feet, trapping them in psionic energy.

'HA!' Yelled Samir. Laughing as he stumbled out of her telekinesis.

'You and Kai are obnoxious.' Murmured Sarah, her eyes watered causing the guards to snap their necks towards her. They watched as she bit her lip while trying to suppress all her pent-up emotions.

'And your petty.' Chimed Kai, walking past her. She knew the boys were trying to cheer her up. Sadly, it was too late, and tears came pouring down.

Most of the children smirked, watching Lisa charge through the hallway as if she had been awaiting the opportunity.

"Recruit x24501, you are hereby sentenced to three days of solitary for unapproved crying. As for the rest of your recruits. You've all earned three more weeks of black bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Lisa's voice was calm, cool, and overly demanding.

And yet, as her words instilled joy and passion amongst some of the longer-standing 7-9-year-old recruits. Samir asked himself. 'Don't these fools realize she's just a scapegoat for them to abuse us?'

'No, they don't. They think all our problems stem from her. They think whatever they've placed in our heads, is her fault. They think she's a spoiled bitch who receives the best of everything. Hell, they don't even understand what solitary is.

They don't know, that every night she gets dragged off to a 5 by 5 cage. They think she's gets taken to paradise, so they release their pent-up hate, anger, and fear upon her.

...The first time I came here they placed me in there for a week and fed me Chau Sara feed. And so, I'm thankful it's not me but you Sarah.'

These thoughts came from Rishul. He leaned alongside the near right wall doing his best to stay out of Lisa's eyesight. Surrounding him were 11 other children.

Rishul looked past Samir to Kai, who had just entered the change room alongside Victoria and a few others.

These others turned out of the room the instant they felt Rishul and his group's intense stares.

'Get on with your point Rishul.' Sneered Samir, his anger clear as day.

'I want you guys to join me. You, Kai, and Victoria.' Thought Rishul coming forward with his hand stretched out. The three scoffed looking upon his outstretched hand, smooth brown skin, and long white hair.

Samir stepped forward, his face filled with disdain. Rishul's group stood up to meet the three, face to face. Samir leaned in, lowering his head to meet Rishul's gaze. 'I said it then, and I'll say it now. I'm not fighting to survive like you and your rat's Rishul. I wanna win! I wanna break whoever's running all of this. And crush their necks with my boots!'

Kai and Victoria stepped forward, their gazes just as fierce. Their eyes trained upon the pale-skinned blond-haired Lokee Haxum and smaller, short brown-haired girl Ivory Borgerson.

'You speak big, but I see no action.' thought Ivory, her accent was thick and old earth Slavic, a rarity in today's day and age.

'She's right Kai, Victoria. What's the point of studying the cameras and their motion sensors? When you can't even sneak out after bedtime. Or did you forget about the glass cages that rise out from around our beds?' Chimed Darron. Next to Rishul, he was the smallest of the group.

'Says the fools who spend all day kiss the preceptors asses. How's that going by the way? Did you achieve anything, yet?' Kai's words caused the group to glower in shame.

'Oh, and what about your leader?' Snapped Rishul.

'What's targeting Clark going to do? Come on, tell me? You guys aren't stupid. We've all realized that he's been egging on Clark. And using strategies and combat class to do so! Kalen may not see it. But we do. So what does that achieve? I mean all he's done is create a rift between the recruits. Like, some of them call us the Elites! And think we some hotshot club who enforces the preceptor's will. While others are actively seeking to join, said hotshot club!'

Rishul's group nodded in agreement. While Kai and Samir looked away in shame. But stopped when Victoria began to voice her opinion. 'Nobody here can blame Caesar when we've all played a role in the growing divided.

Every day they watch us succeed, and every day they feel like trash. Every day the preceptors push us further and further. And yet, every day we're the ones who succeed. When we're not making them feel like they're less than nothing.

You guys--Oh, sorry. Rishul and family. Are make them feel like they're less than nothing, with your constant berating, death stares, and holier than thou attitude. Now that I think about it, you guys might hold more blame than he does.

I mean yeah, he targets Clark. But whose the group that's made Clark so relatable, huh?

…

...

Oh, can't answer now!? Do you need some help? It's you guys.'

Victoria's thoughts hit deep, forcing everybody to pause and take one look within themselves. Kai turned towards her asking. 'Why do you think he's turning Clark into some majorly sympathetic figure?' His eyebrow raised, and curiosity was evident.

Everybody went silent but when they heard.

'That sounds like a martyr to me.' Their heads snapped towards the entrance where a long, smoky-grey-haired girl stood.

'Who are you, and what do you mean?' Said Samir. His hand rose, pulling the girl towards his grip.

Lokee caught her, eyeing her with his cold, dead baby blue eyes. 'Who are you, and what do you mean?' He repeated as the others closed in,

'W-w-well. The other day, Mr.Quackenbush was expanding on the history of the confederacy. And he paused to talk about the great men and women who sacrificed their lives to unite the confederacy during times of war or strife. He labeled some of them martyrs and to me, that sounds kind of like what Caesar doing with Clark..it's kinda neat.'

The group's hostility faded. Lokee dropped the girl, while Samir's eyebrow rose before asking. 'You do realize that class teaches fake history right?'

The girl's mouth widened, her eyes teared. 'Really?' asked the girl in disbelief...Mr.Quackenbush was her favorite teacher.

Victoria's eyes shined, elated by this discovery. 'That's genius!' She thought, hopping up and down.

'Motion sensors.' grown Samir.

'Oh, fuck um. Caesar's a genius! Turning Clark into a martyr. Ooooh, I love it! I love it!' The others looked on, confused at Victoria's joy.

'Explain...girl.' Thought Lokee towards the long, grey-haired girl.

'Her name's Ingrid Popovich, Lokee. And as you know, the preceptors are slowly breaking everyone down, while they brainwash us using Confederacy propaganda. So, It's safe to say. Caesar's first plan is to turn Clark into this mythical figurehead, prompting the preceptors to kill him and display his brutalized corpse. Which will act as the rallying point for all the kids.' Thought Kai, smiling ear to ear, leaning closer towards Rishul.

'That's a survival plan. A really great Survival plan. But still...A SURVIVAL PLAN.' emphasized Rishul.

Victoria scoffed pulling Ingred as she turned away. 'He said Caesar's first plan, Rishul. And besides. The genius of this plan is the fact that you have to cooperate...we all do. Due to our previous actions. And if we don't...everybody gets whatever neural logical device they planted into our heads set to maximum! Get it? We'll be no different than Sarah.'

Samir and Kai turned, following the girls out with a smirk. Their condescending looks burned into Rishul and his group's hearts. As two thoughts entered the group's mind.

'Caesar, that motherfucker! And god, Sarah was right! Those two are so irritating.' Though Darron.

'Leave it. We can't do shit. And maybe they were right, maybe we should be trying to win instead of just surviving.' Thought Samir, gaining the nods of his group.