I wish I could say I was blissfully warm and highly comfortable but that would be a grave lie.

My bed itched my body to shreds and the springs of my mattress dug into my back. Nevertheless when the alarms started ringing out like an air raid siren my eyes opened wide and I jolted upright in my bed.

"Are we under attack?" I screeched frantically.

Holly laughed as she rubbed her tired eyes. "It's four AM, first light and our turn to shower. You better hurry up, you get five minutes to shower and wash before we need to vacate and be on the field." She grabbed her shower caddy from the side and made her way towards the door.

Four o'clock in the morning! What is this insanity? Why would anyone wake up at this time willingly?

I let my feet hit the floor and I gathered up my clothes, towel and my own shower caddy. Slowly making my way to the shower block.

A line of my roommates stood outside and I dragged my fatigued self to the back of the line, waiting patiently for my turn.

The shower room was tiny, three brick cubicles with a moldy blue shower curtain across the front of each one.

I stepped inside, really conscious of my bare feet standing on a floor that probably wasn't highly hygienic then I turned the silver shower knob allowing the water to trickle down.

"Fuck!" I shouted, darting out the way of the running water and falling backwards into the curtain.

"Yeah, it's cold." Holly laughed.

"Cold? It's freaking ice water!" I stepped back behind the curtain, concealing my nakedness from the other girls and it took me a few seconds to pluck up the courage to step beneath the water again.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." I chanted to myself as I washed my body at super speed. I decided not to wash my hair. It didn't need it and I couldn't bare the water on my skin.

I stepped out, wrapping the towel around myself. Another girl occupied the shower right after me and I dressed with chattering teeth and a shivering body.

It wasn't long before I had consumed a single apple and was waiting on a muddy field with the rest of the recruits.

There were hundreds of them, all standing up straight in a line, staring straight ahead. It was a mixed gender group and I noted some of the guys checking me out but then I can't say my own eyes didn't wander either.

"Attention" Lieutenant Hotty called out from the front. The lines of people stood straighter and brought their arms up into a salute.

I copied them, probably not performing it as well as them. He walked in between each row, halting at each person to look down at their uniform.

Then he got to me and slowly I brought my eyes up to meet his. It was almost miss-able but his whole body froze and his eyes widened a few millimetres.

They were alive with a burning flame, except this wasn't like the warmth of a hearth, instead like an intensely hot wildfire, growing larger and more out of control. Axel blinked slowly before moving onto the next person.

I half expected him to call me out on my lack of respect so it surprised me when he didn't. What I didn't anticipate was how he made up for me stepping out of line.

It was under the blistering heat of an August sky, he barked orders at us left right and center. Forcing us to work our way through an intense obstacle course. We climbed over things, under things, through mud. We lifted heavy objects, climbed ropes and ran the track so many times.

I literally surpassed the feeling of dying and just landed right on dead. The sun started falling from the sky, my whole body ached in places I didn't even know existed and I swear I lost at least five stone from today's exercises.

"I need a long soak in a hot bubble bath." I told Caitlin who lay on her back facing the stars, panting to regulate her breathing.

"Attention!" Lieutenant Demon shouted.

She quickly jumped to her feet like it was no issue whatsoever. I clambered to mine, struggling to find my own footing and swaying from side to side.

It hurt to stand up straight.

It hurt to raise my hand to salute.

It hurt to exist.

"Clear out." He ordered.

Sighs of relief spread around the recruits and they immediately marched away. I fell into step eager for my bed, marching with every last remaining energy that I had.

"Not you Williams." His voice shouted. "Fall out of line." He ordered, pointing to his side.

He waited for the field to clear until it was just him and me alone. His eyes graciously searched my body and I barely had the strength to hold myself up.

He chuckled to himself, it was so uncharacteristic that I was fascinated.

As if he remembered himself he stood up straight and cleared his throat, wiping the smile away from his face completely. Now he was back to being both commanding and serious.

"I would tell you to be 'at ease' right now but you're not standing to attention." He pointed out in a stern but quieter voice.

"You have my full attention, what do you want?" I replied with a sigh, too tired for his bullshit.

I wasn't keeping up the code of conduct, I was looking directly at him and my attitude was anything but obeying. He didn't like that.

"You owe me fifteen laps." His usual high volume level was back.

"You can't be serious? You nearly killed me out there today. I can't do fifteen more laps, you can kiss my ass."

His eyebrows raised in surprise and then he stepped closer, towering over me with his height and closing me in with his abs.

"That's enough Williams."

If Neil Armstrong were stood on the moon right now he would hear Axels voice without needing to strain his ears.

"I'm going easy on you because it's your first day but you disrespected me and now you need to complete your fifteen laps or it will be a disciplinary for you."

I looked towards the track, it was intimidatingly long. I would be out here for another hour for sure.

"I can't do it. I'm too sore and I'm covered in mud, I need to shower and go to bed."

There was a desperate plea in the tone of my voice. I begged, feeling like he was definitely winning at this 'I'll show him who is boss game.'

"You shower at four hundred hours, no other time. You need to complete the laps, I cannot back out of a punishment."

I really didn't feel like I could do it, my legs felt unattached to my body, he was asking for the impossible.

"I'll run with you." He offered and for some reason I thought that would be even worse but I nodded allowing him to rein over his new found dominance over me.

I ran but my legs barely moved. If any onlookers were watching me right now I would appear to be moving in slow motion.

"Pick up the pace Williams." Axel shouted from a few yards ahead.

"I can't do it." I complained, stopping for a break on my third lap. He walked back towards me.

"It needs completing. We will walk." He gestured for me to get going again and painfully I moved my feet against the ground.

He walked right beside me, neither of us speaking a word to one another for a whole lap.

"Ten more to go." He pointed out cheerfully. I groaned and I swear there was a smile hidden in there somewhere from him.

"Bootcamp isn't that hard you know. You'll find it easier when your overall fitness improves but for the love of God learn the respectables or you'll always get given punishments."

I didn't answer him, his voice annoyed me.

I wanted my bed.

"No eye contact. Keep your head lowered at all times unless you're standing to attention, then look straight ahead."

I looked at him instinctively and he shook his head at me in disbelief.

Clearly I can't be taught, it's natural human fucking instinct to look at someone.

"Don't answer back." He continued. "Reply with Sir, yes Sir to absolutely everything. Always dress in full uniform when around ranked officers. Do not break the rules. Any questions?"

I looked up to face him again, his eyes glowed with irritation because I couldn't just follow his simple instructions. But I had a question on the tip of my tongue and I wanted to assess his facial expression when I asked it.

"Is it true you're not allowed to fuck the recruits?"