"I'm telling you Payton, the cop called it in as a prank and loaded Jr. Cadet Walker into his car. He just drove off with him! I saw the whole thing from the shadows." Aster explained frantically. "I tried to follow after them but I couldn't keep up on foot."
"Well I don't know how you're going to track him down. If he wasn't brought in through proper channels, that's kidnapping and it's definitely not going to be on the books." Payton replied. His mother was a police officer so he knew a lot about the system, but he'd never heard of such strange behavior. It was definitely concerning.
"Can you look the officer up by badge number? He said he was 'Officer 115' when he was speaking to dispatch." Aster pleaded.
"Sure, I can check my Mom's Law Enforcement Directory... Officer 115 would be Emmanuel Stevens." Payton replied brightly.
"Have you heard of him before?" Aster asked, trying to quell his desperation.
"Uh, yeah actually." Payton replied thoughtfully. "I went to his house a few months ago during that huge storm. I was part of a search party that was looking for a missing teen who fell in the creek on his property. He's got, like, some kind of high security boarding school thing going on. You know, the giant fenced compound on Emony Blvd.?"
"I thought that was an elephant sanctuary."
"Nope; boarding school. It was in the newspapers and everything. We actually found the kid five miles downstream... He was fine."
"That's probably where he took Jr. Cadet Walker then."
"Well, maybe it was legitimate though. Maybe it was a social services kind of deal..."
"No, I'm telling you this is all wrong. There was some serious shit going on last night... I know it sounds crazy but, it was stuff I can't explain, like real life magic. We're talking clothes come to life. Physical Transformation, Sleeping spells... Real out there stuff!" Aster said bracing himself for the impending incredulity.
"Hey, I believe you Man. The supernatural is for real, and dangerous. The discovery channel is full of paranormal investigation series. I watch them all the time... You can't explain that stuff, but it's definitely real... You actually saw clothes come to life?"
"Well, no I didn't see that exactly, I mean Jr. Cadet Walker said it happened, and the clothes wouldn't come off... And I saw him fall asleep out of nowhere..."
"Oh." Payton replied disappointedly. "What about the physical transformation?"
"His hair. It shrank back into his head! It changed to one of those military style cuts." Aster replied desperately hoping it sounded as crazy as he remembered it looking.
"Short hair, huh? It's not much, but you're right; it is inexplicable... Maybe not daytime tv worthy, but I'll grant it definitely sounds more paranormal and less like social services." Payton granted
"Right. Now we gotta get in there and find out what's going on and don't tell anybody about this, especially your Mom. That cop already lied to dispatch and tried to put a trace on my phone. We need to be smart if we have any chance of getting Jr. Cadet Walker back."
"Ok. I hear you. I've got an idea. They've only got one guard that I've ever seen. Let's meet there tomorrow morning at 10. We'll arrive separately so they won't know we're together. You crouch in front of the wall and I'll set off some fireworks as a distraction. Then when the guard comes out to stop the commotion, you bolt inside and hide beyond the treeline. After that, it's up to you."
"Thanks man. I'll see you tomorrow."
Aster showered and went to bed. He wouldn't be sleeping well. He was too concerned about his friend. Had he done the wrong thing by leaving him? If he had stayed, would he have been taken as well, or would the kidnapping have been avoided all together? He couldn't change that now. All he could do was mount a rescue.
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Aster hadn't fallen asleep until at least 4am. He couldn't get his mind off of what had happened, racked by guilt over leaving Jr. Cadet Walker. He was still exhausted but the planned time for the break in was soon approaching. He quickly showered again and dressed himself in muted colors. Hopefully it would allow him to blend in with the trees once he got inside.
Arriving at the facility on Emony, he approached the gate from the West. He knew Payton would come from the East and he'd definitely set up his display from the other side of the street. Payton wouldn't have any problems getting away. He'd just have to distract the guard for a brief moment so Aster could quickly slip inside.
Aster sat crouched low beneath the main gate wall. He could see Payton 40 yards away, right where he expected him to be and right on time. Payton ignited a small fuse and as the fireworks started to fly across the street and over the fence, he began cheering and whooping to grab the guard"s attention. Aster could hear the gate opening. It was working. The guard was being drawn out into the street! He prepared himself to run for it, but as the guard cleared the gate he suddenly turned sharply, directly toward Aster!
Aster was stunned... The guard shouldn't have known Aster was even there, and if he did, he shouldn't have cared. Aster wasn't doing anything wrong. He turned to run but the Guard was too fast and grabbed him forcefully.
"Cadet, you are outside the compound without permission. This is a class three rule violation. Place your hands behind your back." The Guard said monotonously.
"I'm not a Cadet. I'm just a guy! I was just sitting here minding my own business. This is a public space!"
"This is a class three rule violation." The Guard repeated, binding Asters arms together behind him with zip ties.
"Hey, what are you doing to him! Leave him alone!" Payton shouted, running to Aster's aid.
The Guard turned back to the gate, dragging Aster along with him while Aster struggled against him.
"Civilian, Return to your activities. This Cadet has been implicated in a class three rule violation. His welfare is not your concern." The Guard said to Payton mindlessly.
Payton ran into the Guard trying to break his grip on Aster. The guard pushed him away easily, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Civilian, Return to your activities." The Guard repeated.
The Guard forcefully pulled Aster beyond the gate, despite his struggles, and sealed it tightly behind them.
The Guard led Aster over to a military style ATV and instructed him to sit. He refused but was forced into a seating position anyway. The Guard zip tied his hands to the back of the ATV and forced his legs to straddle the seat strapping them in place with large industrial Velcro straps. He found that he was completely immobilized on the ATV. He couldn't even stand. He continued to struggle in anger and frustration.
"I'm not a Cadet you GOON! My name is Aster Campbell, look it up in your student directory or whatever it is you use. I don't go to school here. I go to fricken East Shores Consolidated Elementary school! I'm on summer vacation!" Aster shouted, desperate to get through to the man.
The Guard turned to him and seemed to sniff the air around him thoughtfully.
"Cadet Status Confirmed" He said, retreating into his guard house.
"What the hell?!" Aster shouted after him. "You didn't even check your records!"
"What should I do?!" Payton asked from outside the gate
"I don't know... You should get out of here. You could still get in trouble for the fireworks... I'm innocent, so we just need to get this straightened out. Tell my parents I'm being detained." Aster replied with growing frustration
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Aster couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. Since Payton had left, he'd been sitting alone on the ATV with no response from the guard shack as though he'd been forgotten. His shouts and demands always went unheeded.
After what seemed like hours, a familiar SUV finally rolled up to the front gate. It was his parents! The guard opened the gate and proceeded to greet his father at his car window.
"Good afternoon Sir, I assume you're this boy's father?" The Guard asked with a friendly demeanor that Aster had never witnessed before.
He couldn't hear everything from their conversation but it sounded like they were talking about a misunderstanding and about sorting it out with the man in charge of the facility. That sounded promising.... His parents were permitted to drive in and passed Aster without a word. From what he could see, they did not look happy. Why was he being ignored?
Eventually the guard got a phone call. After finishing his conversation the guard ducked out of the guard shack and joined Aster on the ATV. He started the motor and they began to drive farther into the compound following the main road.
The guard ignored all of Aster's questions as well as his requests to be released from his bindings. Soon they arrived at a normal suburban house in the middle of the property. His parents were standing outside with a large muscular man. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.
"Mom, Dad!" he shouted. "I don't know what's going on. I wasn't doing anything wrong, I was just sitting outside the gate minding my own business!"
The guard freed his legs and cut him loose from the back of the ATV, but left his arms bound together behind his back.
"We know sweetie. This whole thing was just a misunderstanding. You see, they thought you were enrolled here as a Cadet but it was just a silly mix-up." His Mom said reassuringly.
Aster breathed a sigh of relief, maybe things weren't as nefarious here as he feared.
"You see, they thought your enrollment date was the 13th, but we hadn't intended for you to start until the 18th. I guess they got a little ahead of themselves" She said with a breathy laugh.
"What? You never mentioned anything about that? When did you even hear about this place? Why would you send me to school here in the middle of summer?" Aster said, beginning to lose it.
"Well, you know we don't give you enough of our time, Aster. It's hard with both of us working. We felt you deserved better supervision. Besides this is one of the top educational facilities in the country! Officer Stevens here has shown us his standardized testing records and they are phenomenal. They have anticipated placement of the entire student body at West Point Military Academy. That's simply unheard of! You're going to learn a lot here. The best part is, they can take you on as a new student today! I guess little mix-ups can work out for the best sometimes, huh?" She said with a bright, maybe vacant smile
"Dad! You're not OK with this are you?" Aster pleaded.
"You haven't given us a lot of options, Aster. Sneaking out at night. Skipping school. Vandalism. Officer Stevens even tells us you were charged with making prank calls to 911 and for illegal dumping! Son, if we don't put you here, I'm afraid where you'll end up." His Dad said disapprovingly.
"That was a legitimate call, and illegal dumping is a bogus charge. I didn't dump that body in the alley he just passed out there." Aster said defensively.
"What body?" His mother asked with a gasp.
"The charge was for abandoning my step ladder behind a restaurant, Aster! Now you're involved with people passing out in alleys? What is it, drugs, alcohol?! You know what? I don't want to hear it Aster. We're at our wits' end. This has been a long time coming."
"I don't believe this. Can you at least free my arms?" Aster requested reasonably.
"Yes, by all means. We have plenty more should the need arise." the Officer said with a nod. The guard set his arms loose at which point Aster instantly attempted to flee. The Guard pinned him down effortlessly and immediately fastened his arms back in place.
"Why don't we have a little tour, I think you'll find our facilities to be exceptionally lavish." The Officer said, unphased by the feeble escape attempt.
Aster was forcefully guided into the house following behind the rest of the group. They passed through the main entryway into a sparse dining area with a pair of wooden picnic tables and matching wooden benches. One of the tables was half covered with boxes containing some kind of freeze-dried shelf-stable meals. The only appliance in the room for preparing the meals was a vintage electric coffee percolator.
"As you can see the kitchen is fully stocked with all of the nutrition a growing boy needs. Our Cadets love the wide selection of pre-prepared options, and don't worry, it's always all-you-can-eat. Of course nothing compares to a home cooked meal. Right Mom?" The Officer said grinning. His mother blushed appreciatively.
"This is it? Those are like, boxes of emergency rations and water! Prisoners on death row eat better than that." Aster proclaimed in shock.
"Aster! Show some respect." His Mom chided. "I apologize for him Officer, he doesn't always appreciate the food he's given. He's always been a picky eater."
"Not to worry. We understand, and we're eager to develop his pallet." The officer replied reassuringly. "In addition to serving as a dining hall for our world class cuisine, this room also doubles as our student's correspondence learning center. Our curriculum is highly accelerated and extremely challenging. We eschew the modern convenience of computerized education for a more classical atmosphere. All work must be completed in perfect calligraphy using fountain pens. Any factual error or mistake in letter-form, spelling, grammar, or syntax must be corrected by restarting the assignment from the beginning. This of course encourages our Cadets to never commit mistakes to paper. still, no matter how many mistakes they do make, they're always given adequate time to make it right."
"Sounds like a good way of getting out of physical activity for the whole day." Aster thought to himself.
They proceeded upstairs to the senior cadet barracks. A palpable funk permeated the entire room but Aster's parents seemed unaffected.
"This is where our Senior Cadets spend their nights and their evening free time. It's a pleasant intimate setting. The sleeping quarters are here and the bathing facilities are through there. The boys enjoy rough housing and socializing in the open floor plan. Each Cadet is provided with all the clothing and amenities they need. No need to bring anything from home."
"Very nice." His dad said, nodding approvingly. "Not a lot of clutter like in your room Aster."
"It's hard to have clutter in an empty room. just what amenities are there here? I don't see pillows or blankets and the beds aren't even padded."
"We meet all our Cadet's needs, of course. If you truly require something, you'll have it. Rest assured." The Officer stated proudly.
"Are you guys seriously looking at this room? I can barely breath in here. The stench is overwhelming! And don't you see the safety issues? This room is a death trap, a fire hazard. There's no window. A habitable room requires a second egress. This place isn't even up to code!"
"Actually," The Officer stated, "We use alternative means of code compliance."
"There you are, Aster; alternative means." His Dad said, satisfied.
"What does that even mean?" Aster demanded
"Aster, honey, it means they're compliant with the code. Stop being difficult." His mother said dismissively "And as far as the smell goes, I'm sure you'll adjust. I honestly don't think this room smells any worse then your room back home."
"MOM!" Aster shouted indignantly
"It's alright sweetie. There's nothing unusual about the way you smell. You just don't realize how strong it is, that's all. It's a natural part of being a young man. And there aren't any girls here so you don't need to worry about feeling embarrassed. The other boys all have the same problem. You'll fit right in; don't worry." His mom said gently.
Aster felt deflated at his parents oblivious behavior. They seemed to be able to justify and accept anything that was presented to them.
The group was guided next across the hall into the Junior Cadet barracks. The room was a mirror image of the Senior Cadets room but 2/3 the size, only having accommodations for two cadets.
"This is where you'll be staying, Aster. You have one very eager roommate who has just joined us named Jr. Cadet Walker. I'm sure you two will become good friends in time."
"Jr. Cadet Walker?" His Mother asked intrigued. "Isn't that Sheena's boy, Sheena from community theater... Remember Bert, we vacationed with them in the Poconos? Why, Aster has been friends with Jr. Cadet Walker for years now." She said pleased with the arrangement. "Now you see Aster, you have everything you need here. Even your best friend!"
Aster was flooded with a mix of emotions. He was relieved to have found his friend but daunted by the situation they were both mixed up in. His parents were acting nuts and he felt like he was losing complete control of his life. He didn't want to go to boarding school. When had that ever been on the table? Nothing made sense here.
"I need to lie down." Aster said weekly.
"Looks like the boy's overwhelmed by everything we have to offer. Perhaps we should cut the tour short for today." The Officer suggested
"Fine by me." His Dad said eagerly "I was sold on this place the moment we saw the dining hall. Some of those menu items really looked tasty, eh Aster?" He asked, rubbing his hands together greedily.
"It's a wonderful school." His mom said. "I don't see any reason not to leave him in your capable hands. Goodbye sweetheart. We can't wait to see your graduation ceremony.``
With that his parents were led out of the room by the Officer. His own escort stood by his side while he rested on his new cot. He stared blankly, numbly contemplating his future... as a Cadet.
"Well, that was a lovely interaction." The Officer said returning to the room "Your parents are such nice, charming people."
"Thanks." Aster said sarcastically, continuing to stare blankly into space. "Maybe you'll even meet them one day."
"Well now, what do you say we get you situated." The Officer suggested eagerly. "Let's have the zip ties back off, Watch Commander Benniford".
"You're not worried that I'll just try to escape again?" Aster asked doubtfully
"Oh no, those were just for your parent's benefit. Now that they're gone we can drop all that pretense."
The guard reached behind Aster's back and removed the zip ties freeing his arms once again, but he was curious to see where this was going so he stood his ground, for now.
"There we are." The Officer said encouragingly "Your friend has been outside chopping wood all morning. I'm sure he'd appreciate your help with his task. Many hands make light work."
Aster was no longer interested in seeing where this was going. "No thanks!" he said charging for the door.
"Atten-Hut!"
Aster was forcefully drawn into the attention position. He brought his heals together sharply on line, with the toes pointing out equally, forming an angle of forty-five degrees. His body weight came to rest evenly on the heels and balls of both feet. His legs snapped straight with the knees remaining unlocked. His body was held erect with the hips level, chest lifted and arched, and the shoulders squared neatly. His head was held erect with his face pointed straight to the front and the chin drawn in so that the alignment of the head and neck remained vertical. His arms hung straight without stiffness. His fingers curled in a relaxed fission; the tips of his thumbs touching the first joint of his forefingers gently. He would not move until directed.