Day 1

Dear Journal ,
One day, just one day here and we get raided. Attacked by the socialists. I didn’t think I would get caught in the first place back at the village. When the soldiers got a hold of me I was shaking. It was unbelievable. To be in the grasp of the soldiers, unable to move, and if I tried to make a run for it; I’d get shot before I could even take half a step. Mother was screaming for me, and I felt terrible because I was the only one left to support the family. I’d hate to see what sort of grief she’s in. Concepcion, though, I hope will be able to take care of the rest. The attack had me trembling with terror. It was the darkest I had ever seen the world, no star to shine any hope. It was like I was blind, alone in the darkness. Lucky for me I had Lolo and Ignacio. Who knows what kind of stupid thing I would have done if it wasn’t for them. There are only really two other people at the camp that I can talk to. Esteban and Juan, the rest are either new recruits like me, or too lost or too involved with their flat black emotionless eyes, and skinny arms and legs. Esteban, a boy training here for the revolution for the past 3 months, about to face a fight against his father, a socialist. How can someone to that? Fight against their own blood? Most of us don’t even have fathers anymore, but Esteban says that his father is dead. The thought of it though, pointing a gun and about to shoot it at my father…This day has been overwhelming now. Most of the time we’re not allowed to even talk here, and have to speak to each other at a whispering level. And the Whistler and Sergeant Diaz, with their venomous eyes, ordering us around, training us to become the muscular and fearless soldiers this country needs. It’s only been one day…and my arms feel like they could fall off, my legs are numb and I ache all over. I feel like I could sleep for weeks, but now really knowing that I’ll never go home again, and see the faces of the people that I know and love; it just makes it harder to fall asleep.