As dawn broke, Flora Bloom opened her eyes. Besides Cynthia Grant, who was already gone, everyone else was still asleep. Flora shook her head and let out a sigh.
Below the terminal building, thirty soldiers had assembled early, lined up neatly in formation on the open ground as they awaited instructions.
She had heard the noise from downstairs the moment she woke up, yet Milton Adler hadn't sent anyone to hurry them. 'Those soldiers down there probably aren't easy to get along with,' she thought. 'Being late is a major taboo in the military, so they'll probably try to put me in my place any minute now.'
Flora Bloom woke everyone up, then unhurriedly prepared water for them to wash with before they all had bread and milk for breakfast. She filled two backpacks with bread, chocolate, and water, along with six or seven red tomatoes, and handed them to her parents.
