Chapter 27 - Punishment

Maeisha flopped onto her bed in exhaustion that night after they came back from the training ground.

After a while she pulled herself up as she went looking for Roi, Celaena and the others.

The dorm room was noisy and most students were lying on their beds with lack of energy.

Together they left the dorm room and came to the entrance where there were chairs for students to sit on and chat.

"I thought that the training I did with my family warriors would prepare but nope." Roi murmured as he sat down tiredly.

"What was the purpose of today's training?" Celaena wearily sat down slowly.

"Punishment!" Maei said with confidence. "No one beside us answered them when they gave us orders."

"Why are we answering them?" Violet rubbed her sore wrist.

The others had introduced themselves to each other before and knowing that Roi was more knowledgeable had quickly picked up answering like the other three, though they didn't know why.

"Because its what they want. They want us to answer them and acknowledge their orders." Roi explained and the others nodded.

"More than likely we will have to do it again tomorrow. Why haven't the others realised that?" Massen complained.

Another group left the dorms and noticed them right then.

"Well if it isn't the yes sir and no sir group." The boy joked and got chuckles from his group.

The five understood then that it was because of students like him that other students were hesitant to answer the instructors.

'What morons!' They thought as they exchanged glances.

Nikka chose that moment to walk in their area.

Maei and the others quickly got to their feet and paid attention to him as he walked to the center of their common area.

"LIGHTS OUT IN TWENTY MINUTES" he shouted towards the dorm rooms.

"Yes sir!" Maei and the others answered while some others groaned in response.

Nikka turned to them, gave them a small nod and a smile before turning around and leaving.

"Think that was in approval for our actions today?" Massen asked.

She nodded as there simply was no other reason for Nikka's approval.

"Wake up is at 6:00am" Roi said as he read tomorrow's schedule on the pad.

"Set your alarms for 5:30am, get dressed, make your beds and organise your things neatly." Maei said.

She grilled Roi about other things his families warriors paid attention to and how they trained. Maybe they could have some idea about how to behave in the following days by copying them.

The others nodded and went to work on their pads to set the alarm. Afterwards they freshend up and went to their assigned beds to get ready for lights out.

A few days later Sol watched from a vantage point above the training ground.

Maeisha's group had steadily grown to twelve members and as a group they were still the only ones to understand the purpose of this training.

They were currently having a break. Nikka came to stand next to Sol to watch them.

"We might actually have problems with this batch." Sol observed seriously.

Generally by now more than half the students would have cottoned on to the saying of yes sir and nor sir. However only twelve had gotten it and now were being teased by their classmates because of it.

"So, the twelve who get it, who do you think their wing leader will be?" Nikka inquired.

"Maeisha, see how they gather around with her in the center." Sol answered and Nikka nodded.

"I should know by now not to question you." Nikka frowned. "Do you think having Roi is giving them an advantage?"

Sol shook his head, "Too much has changed from his grandfather's generation and his brothers won't tell him anything. However Maei is clever. My son has met her before and told me that she is different. Lorcan told him that not only has she finished her level 2 studies but that everyday she would run to learn from her grandfather about other things."

"That is high praise coming from your emotionless son."

Sol looked at him irritated by his comment before continuing, "The instructors who were monitoring their dorm room told me that she has questioned Roi to find out what she knew and made sure to pass it on to her wing. Roi is not the only one from a military family. There are others as well, the only difference is they didn't use that to their advantage. Give them the form up command and let's see what they do."

Nikka nodded and checked his watch to see the time for their break. He walked back down to the training field.

He bellowed, "FORM UP!!"

It was an order they hadn't heard before but Sol was right.

Her wing of twelve students fell into a wing formation with her as the marker while the others just glanced around not understanding.

Nikka glanced to Maei's wing before he glared at the other students to get them to move into groups as well.

Later that day as they drank water and waited for their turn to run the obstacle course Roi asked Maei. "Do you think we did the right thing?"

He was referring to two things.

First when they fell into wing formation on order and the second when Maei decided that they were going to run the course as a group while others were tackling the course as individuals or pairs.

"What is the purpose of Battle School?" She asked.

"Obey orders, learning our strengths and weaknesses, and teamwork." Roi answered his own question and sighed in relief after realising it.

Maeisha had already guessed that the next three months were for building their teamwork as well as strengthening their bodies.....