SG Vol. 1 pt. 20

Despite how sore their bodies had to have been at the start of the run, they managed to get through it more easily than they did yesterday. So, I added an extra lap. That did the trick and got them to start slowing down. They all looked so relieved as soon as they finished the final lap, but then I added another one.

This might be awakening a sadistic side within me. I was never one for all that fetish shit, but there is something enjoyable about making these brats suffer and trying their hardest.

Maybe that’s why my instructor got high heels and a whip. It awoke something in her.

Too bad Kate would never want anything like that. She might be fucking crazy in bed, but she’s vanilla. Then again, so am I. Until now, maybe.

After running, I took them back to the range and set an even higher goal for them with farther-away targets, had them train in close quarters combat some more – just repeating the techniques I taught them yesterday, and then went over the absolute most basics of basics when it comes to piloting. They looked annoyed and bored having to go over the basics again, but I won’t let them get into a unit if they can’t memorize every single thing about piloting one. No matter how common sense it might be, no matter how simple the concepts are, and no matter how many times they’ve been taught it before, I am going to go through everything with them.

They all made it through to the end of the day.

And then I went home while making sure to evade that annoying mechanic.

Now, I’m exhausted from my own exercise and don’t want to move.

The news says that damn hurricane increased to category four strength, so things might get annoying around here if it really hits us directly like it’s predicted to. But at this point, nobody really cares. It’s just annoying. Power might go out for civilians in all non-essential districts for a few days, but that’s it.

When your entire country is stuck in one state and on some ships, having a damn good building code for dangerous weather is important.

At least that new, floating city concept out there is finally going to get its first real test. I’m not looking forward to the riots if this one fails, too. Engineers are busting their asses trying to get shit to work, and rioters just fucking complain and cry when it doesn’t work.

I could never go into politics. Too much bullshit to deal with. Even advancing in rank sounds like a major pain in the ass. Hell, dealing with cadets all day instead of just being on the front lines is already annoying.

“Papa,” Naomi says, sitting next to me on the couch with an earbud in one ear to listen to music.

“What’s up?” I ask her.

“Why are you grumpy?”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“You keep grumbling and sighing. I know how to tell when you’re grumpy!”

Attentive little angel. Pays more attention to me than I do.

Kate walks in with a box under her arm that’s making one of my favorite sounds: the sound of bottles clanking together. “Want one?” she asks me as soon as she sees me staring at the box.

“Yeah,” I answer before returning my attention to Naomi. “I’m not grumpy. Just annoyed that unappreciative people don’t—”

“Seriously? As soon as I get in?” Kate asks.

“I’m talking about rioters. Not you.”

She gives me a dirty look and continues to the kitchen.

“Oh! Papa! I forgot to tell you something!” Naomi says, changing the subject. I can tell when she’s purposely changing the subject because she always starts off with, “Oh! Papa!”

She’s too smart for her age.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“I got kissed today!” Naomi answers.

…

…

…

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“Haah? Who? Where? Where do they live?” I ask her. “Did you call the military police? Just tell me where he is and me and Tabs will go over and—” I get cut off from Kate handing me an opened bottle.

“You’re so silly, papa. He kissed my hand since I bumped it really hard on the wall!” Naomi explains.

I look down at her hand and see a bruised bump on it.

That fucking wall needs torn down.

“Stop thinking about taking your anger out on the wall, you dumbie,” Kate says, sitting down on the couch next to me and actually watching her language for once. Guess she’s in one of her rare not-total-bitch moods.

“What’s the boy like?” I ask Naomi.

“Really nice! He sits next to me in class,” Naomi answers.

I might have to call her teacher to get their seats rearranged.

“Mom! How was your day?” Naomi asks.

“It was fine,” Kate answers. “Just made coffee for six hours straight. Same as every other day.” She sighs and starts on her own bottle.

I join her in drinking. I can’t drink too much since Naomi is here, but I won’t stop Kate from drinking as much as she wants. The more she drinks, the more tolerable she becomes. Thank fuck.

“Is Grandma at her friend’s again?” Naomi asks.

“Yeah. They’re having some candle party or something like that,” I answer.

“Is a candle party like a candy party? Oh! Can we have a candy party?”

“We can have any party you want.”

“I want to fill the tub with candy and eat it all!”

Imagining Naomi sitting in a bathtub full of candy is pretty cute. I might have to seriously throw a candy party just for her.

“You’re going to lose all your teeth before you’re twenty with how many sweets you eat,” Kate says.

“I’ll get fake teeth like old people have!” Naomi declares.

Maybe I won’t be throwing her a candy party after all. A little bit of candy won’t hurt her, though.

The television switches to an emergency alert system broadcast. Our phones light up and blare the warning sound, too.

Kate and I don’t react too much since we can see that it’s just a message placing us under an official hurricane warning, but Naomi grabs my shirt and buries her face against my chest.

“Are they coming again?” Naomi asks, the fear in her voice making me want to smash every piece of technology blaring this warning.

“It’s just a storm warning, angel. Don’t worry,” I tell her, petting the back of her head to try and comfort her. Her entire body is shaking.

The warning noises get replaced by the robotic voice of an announcer explaining the current situation and listing off which counties and islands will be affected.

“See? It’s alright,” I tell her.

Naomi whines, “I hate that sound…”

“I know, but it’s just to keep us safe.” Though, they really should fucking use a different tone for “demons are coming to try and kill us all” and “it’s going to be windy and rainy.”

Naomi’s still shaking sniffling. “Ca-can I sleep with you tonight?” she asks.

“Of course you can. Right, Kate?”

“Yeah,” Kate says, her voice low. “You can sleep in our bed.” She might not be panicking and scared like Naomi, but with what happened – I know that this sound brings back bad memories for most of us on this island.

I really hope that Mom didn’t hear the warning. But, she’s with her friends, so they should be able to calm her down if she did.

“Do – do you promise it’s just a storm?” Naomi asks.

“Did you hear them say anything else? I promise that it’s just a storm, angel,” I answer.

“You’re not going to leave, right? Right?”

“Right. Promise. Look, how about we throw that candy party for you while the storm hits us? We won’t be able to go out, so we’ll have a party for you here.”

“I don’t want a party, I just don’t want you to go…”

“I’m not.”

“You’re never allowed to leave again!” she shouts, her small hands tightly clutching my shirt.

“I….” How am I supposed to reply to that? I wish I could stay with her and never have to leave again, but it’s not that simple. I don’t want to say that I won’t since I can’t promise that. But… I’ve never seen her this worked up before. “I won’t, Naomi.”

“Promise? You have to promise!”

Kate holds my hand.

“Promise,” I lie. If it’s to make her feel better… a little lie is worth it.

Naomi instantly cheers up and smiles.

Half of me feels like the biggest piece of shit in the world for making a promise I might not be able to keep, but the other half of me is just relieved that she’s smiling again.

I wouldn’t have had to make that promise in the first place if they would have just used a fucking different signal for weather announcements. Dumbasses.