NINE
You had taken the first steps towards being accepted by the authorities. The instances when you were punished gradually diminished before disappearing altogether. The hours of training also lessened after Sergeant Antar elected you to accompany him on his rounds. You alone had shown such skill with the whip and cane, a skill many of the aides envied. As a reward, you were given your own whip, which you could carry wherever you went, ready for use whenever Sergeant Antar gave the order.
You were even given the right to use it without Sergeant Antar’s permission on a few occasions, such as when one of the recruits took too long to wake up at the appropriate time to scratch himself. You would go over and crack the whip over his head, or lash him across his back until he got up. That wh
