Free Camp Wacko: The Drones of Summer by Faith Wilkins

life really is. Things nearly fell apart after her passing. Now I want Dustin to have the same thing I did. And he will have that, with you.”
    That strange smile of his began to form again as he focused on me now. “Lilith, you have been put through many tests. I think you are almost ready for what’s to come.”
    I let this sink in for a minute, wondering just what the heck I was being tested for.
    As if reading my mind, Dr. Wackerson began to speak. “After my wife died, I quit my job and locked myself in my only sanctuary, my lab. Surprisingly, a lab is a very good place to think.”
    He chuckled at his own lame joke. “I soon came up with an idea. These countries, where they use children as soldiers. They might be onto something. Children are the most creative, active, and clever creatures on earth. What if we all had kids fighting our wars and fixing our problems? It would give the adults time to focus on other pressing matters. Being the resourceful man that I am, I pulled some strings and suddenly had schools popping up all over the nation. All over the world.” He beamed at me. “I have my own army now, growing bigger and stronger by the day. You see, Lilith, everything is almost complete. In a matter of months, possibly a matter of weeks, you will all be unleashed onto mankind. First this wonderful state of California, then the country, and after that, the world.” His expression had turned gleeful now.
    I smiled weakly. This man obviously had a screw loose. Before I went running for my life, one question still remained that I was dying to ask. What exactly did he have in mind for me and Dustin?
    Of course, the answer was that he wanted us to lead his precious army. As soon as we were old enough, he said, we would be married to strengthen the bond.
    Most importantly, Dr. Wacko was confident he had enough people to make a strong army. Plans for world domination would be set as soon as possible. Once his own students were trained, there would be a mandatory call for all children eight years old and up to report to the many training camps he had stationed all over the nation. Parents had to obey, otherwise the consequences would be unspeakably cruel. The government would keep databases of every household and the number and ages of children within that household. If a family made the terrible misjudgment of trying to hide their children or fight against the new laws, officials would have the right to invade their homes and search for the missing children, proceeding to punish the family until the whereabouts of those children were released.
    What about the president? Dustin’s father had a plan for that one as well. He already had people working for him in the Secret Service who would be ready to take the proper action when necessary. Of course, certain rights set by the Constitution would have to be overridden. His plan for saving mankind was more important than the mere framework of our whole democratic government. Besides, the system that Dr. Wackerson favored sounded more like a militaristic dictatorship.
    The man seemed to truly believe that under his control, the world would be a better place. After the minor chaos caused by the takeover, we would eventually find peace within all nations. More focus would be put on the education of children both physically and mentally. Through the brilliant minds that would surely develop from this plan, we would finally be able to find the answers to questions we’ve been asking for decades. We could reverse the damages of climate change, increase job growth by tenfold, and even bring an end to world hunger. It all sounded to me like justification for the terrible things he was saying. This whole spiel left me speechless. It was the craziest thing I had ever heard. How could a man so brilliant be so…? Well, there really weren’t any words to describe this guy.
    “What about Cameron?” I blurted, interrupting him. “How come she didn’t fit your