Revolution: The New World

July 5, 2071

1210 CDT

East Olympia, Olympus's Training Camp

Anna Robinson's Point of View

“Enlighten us, Anna Robinson. What’s it like being one of the high and mighty Royals? What’s it like not having to give a shit about anything? What’s it like being privileged and well-fed? What’s it like not having to know that you’re going to have to fight billions of the undead when you turn eighteen?” Rico interrogates in a hostile tone and intense eye contact. “Oh, wait. You’ll know the answer to that last question in about uh four years.”

“If she even makes it that long,” a girl’s voice in the distance yells, agitating the situation.

That sounded like Lieutenant Nia Esrun? This situation is only going to further escalate. I should take my leave.

“Lay off of her!” Teresa pleads with authority.

Gasp! Rico took my apple! Back away from my face!

“Actually, here’s the most important question I’ve been dying to know. What dumbass thing did you and your family do to be kicked out of the cruisers?” Rico questions in anger as he chews on my apple.

There’s no correct answer to that. The peasant is provoking me and I don’t blame him. I don’t belong here. I don’t even want to be here, but I’m not going to let this piece of filth talk to me like this!

“Back off, Rico!” Luke shouts out.

“Don’t even start with me, Luke,” Rico says in a stern voice as he gets up from his seat. “Stay out of this! I’m just looking out for my fellow squadmate here. Anna, Luke isn’t as innocent as he’s making you believe. He was about to ask you the same exact questions as me, except he was gonna ask you in a nice and friendly way. Let’s just get a few things straight, me and you aren’t friends, and we will never be. The world ain’t nice, space girl, so you better get used to your new environment,” he rudely lectures in a hateful tone.

What a jerk!

“Luke, Teresa, I can’t believe you’re being nice to this piece of shit. Have you forgotten what the Royals did to Rion? How they just abandoned everyone and saved themselves? Why Olympus is making sure we’re fresh and buttered for the zombies?” Rico continues, his voice becoming louder with every word.

“I’m well aware of the world’s history,” Luke responds as he gets out of his seat as well. “The Royals are terrible people.”

I knew I couldn’t trust him.

“But nobody here has even met a Royal until today. Anna may be a Royal, or an ex-Royal now, but I don’t know anything about her. I believe that the Royals are my enemy, and yet I’ve never met one until today. Blindly hating someone I don’t know doesn’t seem right to me, so yeah, you’re right, I was going to ask what you were going to ask. I can’t even stand her presence, but I refuse to take action without making sure that she’s an enemy or a victim like us,” Luke calmly explains as he enters a stare-down with Rico.

Luke? Not good! A crowd is starting to form.

“Well, say something your royalness,” Nia further incites.

I don’t have a choice but to speak now.

“My name is Anna Robinson, the only child of the Robinson family. My family and I were exiled by the Royals and sent to live on Olympus as punishment. I’m deeply sorry for the pain they’ve caused, but my family had nothing to do with that.”

As if I could ever mean that. Peasants are and will perpetually be rubbish. I’ll say anything I must to survive.

“She’s not the enemy, Rico,” Luke supports in a stern tone.

“So that’s supposed to make me feel better? Screw that! Just because she wears our uniform doesn’t mean she’s one of us,” Rico shouts as he flails his arms. “Don’t be so trusting, Luke. She’s been living a carefree life of luxury her whole life until now! She don’t give a shit about us! If she were to die right now, nobody would miss her; in fact, people would celebrate! All Royals deserve to burn in hell. I don’t fucking know her, and her own people don’t give a shit about her either!”

That hurts, but he’s right about everything. Why? Stop crying. You’re not a baby. The crowd is too congested now. I’ve missed my esca-

Ow! My ear! Fuck! It’s bleeding?! Rico punched me so hard that I fell off the damn bench.

“Peasant!” I yell.

Help should be coming soon. Or will it? Who knows? Peasants, all of them.

H-he hit me in my left eye! I-I can’t…

“Rico, stop!” Luke shouts with a push to Rico.

“Luke, if I don’t kill her, someone else here will,” Rico says in a cold tone.

“I can do it!” Nia shouts in excitement.

“Except I’m prepared to accept the consequences, Nia,” Rico quickly clarifies. “Living is hard, and they only make shit worse, so let me do this!”

“The Royals do deserve to suffer, but she’s not our enemy. They could’ve sent her and her family to overthrow the council, but they didn’t! She and her parents are forced to contribute to Olympus, just like everyone else! A Royal wouldn’t be serving in our army. Anna Robinson is not a Royal anymore,” Luke says in a calm yet aggressive manner.

“Dumbass!” Rico snickers.

Rico’s laughter is horrible.

“She’s a cornered cat with no proof! It was her family that destroyed Rion for all we know! You didn’t grow up here, so it’s easy for you to speak on this shit!” Rico cries in tears. “I helplessly watched my family and friends march into a pointless battle my whole life, and soon it’ll be my turn! We gather supplies for the Royals, we reclaim territory for the Royals, and we bend over backward and take it in the ass for the Royals! We’re suffering because of the Royals! Don’t you get it? We’re their bitches. Draft Day is just a countdown to our deaths, and one of those responsible is right in front of me, and you’re telling me not to kill her?! And even if she was somehow innocent, she and her family definitely didn’t do a damn thing to stop their sins! So, what I’m about to do is justice,” he yells out with grief and fury.

Gulp. He pulled out a switchblade!

“Wait a second,” Rico ponders. “You’re all so similar, so it’s no fucking wonder you feel the need to coddle her. Your guardian is the she-devil, and nobody wants Teresa on their squad because she’s dead weight. Our superiors only put her on Squad Sonya out of pity. And speaking of Sonya, she’s from The Scorpion Kingdom, you dunce! Black Scorpions can’t be trusted! She’s only here because the fucking she-devil vouches for her, but I refuse to go into battle with that bitch.”

You punched him right in the jaw, Luke!

“Is that the best you got?!” Rico screams in anger, followed by him spitting out blood.

“AW SHIT!” The crowd roars in excitement.

“You hit just like the bitches you live with, but you can’t fight, so I won’t even waste time kicking your ass! Stand in my way, and I’ll have Nia dig up a grave for two!” Rico loudly threatens.

Gasp! Rico cut him under his right eye! Fight back, Luke!

Rico tackled Luke to the ground!

Get up, Luke! Wait. What’s that?!

“I’ll give you three seconds to drop the blade before I break off your fingers and feed them to you in front of what little family you have left,” Sonya says in a calm, yet fierce tone, with a knife placed on Rico’s throat from behind.

“Ok!” Rico quickly complies.

“Fuck with my friends again, and I’ll make sure you wish you were dead. We’re on the same side dipshit, but I can change that in an instant if you do this shit again. If we were enemies in this situation, I’d tie you up and cut off your dick to feed it to the undead for hurting my friend. I would keep you alive and healthy, though, because there are still skillful surgeons around, and I know exactly where to get extra blood. I’d go after your family next, but not before cutting out your tongue, leaving you dickless and speechless,” Sonya threatens as she leans closer and closer to his right ear. “I’m sure I can make Doctor Shinka make the officials look the other way before I do this. She’ll probably even assist me if she hears what you did to her poor Luke,” she continues in a sinister tone. “If she gets her hands on you, you’ll be begging to get tortured by me instead. Nod slowly if you understand.”

A knife to the throat will make even the worst of people obey.

“Teresa is way smarter than you can ever dream to imagine, so think twice before judging her on appearance again,” Sonya explains. “As for Anna, as she said, she and her family had nothing to do with what the Royals did, so leave her alone and do your job as a squad leader. I don’t fucking know Anna, and I wasn’t going to help her regardless if she was innocent until you dragged me, Luke, and Teresa, into it. You’re right that she has no proof, so if I ever find out that she was lying, I’ll kill her myself. Now we’re going to get up slowly and explain to our superiors that we all just got a little too rowdy during lunchtime, and people got hurt, got it?”

“Hey! Who’s messing with us, Sonya? Whose ass needs beating today? Shit, is that Rico?” A loud girl screams above the noisy crowd.

Sonya Grey is frightening, but she saved my life even if it wasn’t her intention.

*

1 Month Later

August 5, 2071

1200 CDT

Olympia’s General Hospital, Outskirts of Olympia

*

Sigh. I suppose I should text Li while I wait for the doctor.

Li, I learnt some new things this month. As we already know, most of the peasants are scum, but the odd ones are quite friendly. My injuries have hospitalized me for two weeks. My squad leader, Rico, was suspended from military training for a month for his actions. Nobody has dared to harass or assault me anymore after this… beatdown. Although constant glares and whispers are nuisances that will never disappear.

I think it’s because of the strange group I’ve befriended. We aren’t in the same squad and probably never will be, but I’m somewhat happy to know that I’m not the only pariah here and can eat lunch with them every day.

My squadmates have ceased their verbal harassment; however, we are far from friends. Rico was the same after his return. I absolutely loathe him, and he feels the same. Despite that, I sort of understand his anger, but that didn’t mean he had to take it out on my elegantly fantastic face!

Nobody believes that my family and I had nothing to do with Rion! Even if we wanted to stop it, speaking out against our saviors is a big no-no!

I honestly didn’t care about The New World or the eight Kingdoms, because it didn’t affect me. I was selfish, but I wasn’t the one who had to fight the zombies until now.

I’m starting to think that maybe… the Royals aren’t as mint as I thought, but I’d rather be up there than down here any day of the week. That wish will never change. The Police Force has been protecting my parents and me after Rico’s assault.

My goals now are to finish military training and survive the four years so I can return to Olympia and join the Police Force.

Members of the Police Force have the highest chances of becoming a Royal if they do a superb job and know the right people. I’m capable of achieving such a task, and my focus has been on working harder to escape this awful kingdom with my family.

Speaking of parents, I stopped giving my father a hard time and apologised for acting out. Rico is a jerk, but he must’ve beaten some of the brattiness out of me. My mum hasn’t been doing too well, mentally. She hardly talks anymore and rarely eats or cooks. She does her duties as a citizen and spends her free time in slumber. She must hate it here more than me, and I’m worried sick about her.

My new lunch buddies, Teresa Young, Sonya Grey, and Luke Miller have my eternal thanks. Luke is quite adorable, but no way am I getting between him and Sonya. This is a ridiculous question, Li, but do you think there’s a chance for a Royal to befriend a peasant?