I've always been looked down on and called many names since childhood. I could recall the words of even the criminals till this very day. "Child of a Traitor," they said."Be careful. He might steal your things someday, and you won't even know it."I can still picture the scornful look of resentment they gave me, and it didn't matter to them whether it was my father or myself who was guilty. Their fingers, their fits of anger, their fears and their frustration were all targeted at my mother and me. All they knew was that I was a product of a man everyone hated, but I've always wanted to know just what was his sin to make everyone hate one man so much. My mother used to tell me, "Ande, no matter what happens, all you have to focus on is how to survive in this hell hole; don't worry about anything thing else."I used to think she said those words to me to protect me from hating this cruel life, but I began to doubt her words as it seemed to me that she might have had some ulterior mot
I couldn't sleep a wink after that conversation. The only thing I could worry about was how I would get around this situation. On the one hand, I knew about my father's actions, whose purpose and goal seemed contradictory, forcing me to pick between siding with my father or striking a deal with the enemy. "Ha! What am I going to do?" I sigh, my arms spread wide on my bed. I can barely gather my thoughts from these weird spiderwebs of mysteries, yet I seem to be the centre of it all. On the other hand, people are waiting to kill me. This is just fucked up. "You look sour. Is there a problem?" I heard Ethan ask. I raised my head a bit to take a proper look at him. Ethan, who had just returned from the meeting to discuss whatever was to happen to me, looked tired as he dragged his feet inside the room, only to crash upon his bed with a loud groan. "Not really, I should be asking you, you're the one who went for the meeting so you could discuss my fate, and you're the one who look
“Since you're so desperate to get attention, then we'll help you with that.”I'm tossed like a rug into our classroom, and I hear the door lock behind me. Knowing what this means, I succumb to my fate and help myself to an empty seat. “Now I've done it,” I murmur. Despite knowing I would get into serious trouble, I still opened my mouth and let out those words, and now I'm being left to face the consequences. No one was on my side. Well, it's not like I expected better anyway. Irritated, I click my tongue. My only regret was not taking things a bit too far. If I had my way, even just a bit, I would have been more satisfied with this punishment.“I should have punched him in the face,” I voice my regrets. There was no sound whatsoever and no one to talk to. The silence would be the end of me if boredom didn't get to me first...>Hearing the slightest noise, I spring up to my feet and start tracing the sound. It was coming from the door. This was strange. I was sure that, if an
Chris POV.I lay awake staring at the ceiling in my room. The opportunity I had waited for had arrived at last; it was at my fingertips, and all I had to do was grab onto it. "Just maybe, he might be out there waiting for me as well," I muttered. It happened when I was much younger. A young boy with dreams to be recognised, a child with ambitions to fulfil, that was who my older brother was. Garfield Williams, one of Division Eight's most significant successes, was a child guaranteed to be the best wherever he went. My parents, seeing what a bright child he was, were determined to make sure he was selected for the Elite Academy because who wouldn't want their child to be enlisted as one of Earth's most excellent protectors? An honour it was to die to own the battlefield? Williams was ready to sacrifice his life for humanity. "I'll do my best and become an Elite; that way, I'll feel much better knowing that you, mother and father are safe in Division One," he told me whenever I a
It was the beginning of the worst day of my life, and I had never expected or dreamt that things would ever go that way. Not in the slightest. The last thing I remembered before that day was simple: my parents had told me they would head over to Division One to see my brother, and that was it. Since they hadn't heard of him after he got recruited and since he didn't make the Elites as well, they were hoping to be at least able to hear from him, but I never saw them again. When I opened my eyes, the first thought that came into my head was that I was not at home, an unfamiliar ceiling with an unfamiliar scent lingering around. I knew something was wrong. I sat upright and came face to face with reality. My instinct was right. This was not my house. Bang! Bang!! Bang!!!"Everybody up!"The alarming sound of iron beating another came as a shock, but what was more shocking was the fact that I was not alone. I didn't realise it at first, probably because I was too busy trying to pro
The dimly lit corridor feels oppressive, the shadows casting an ominous pall over the scene. My mind races as I process Chris's startling revelation. His family was kidnapped and forced to work as weapons makers for the Elites - it's a discovery beyond my imagination.My gaze narrows, my typically calm demeanour giving way to outrage. "This is... unbelievable," I murmur, my brow furrowed. "How could they do something like this?" I hissed, my hands tightening into fists at my sides. I snarl, my eyes burning furiously, "Why would they do something like this?!"Chris's expression is grave, but his eyes reflect the same fire in mine. "That's how the world is Ande," he whispers, shrugging lazily, "there's a whole lot of cruelty in this world, evil, wicked humans, right until I left, I never saw my family, I heard the adults base on a different camp." He says sardonically."And you hope to find my father who could probably hold the secret of Division one?" I ask, confusion lacing my tone.C
The morning light filters through the barred windows, casting a dull glow over the cramped dormitory. My eyes flutter open, my mind still foggy with the remnants of a restless sleep.I sit up on my cot, the thin mattress creaking beneath me. Around me, the other students are beginning to stir, their voices hushed and expressions tense. I can feel the weight of their unease, the uncertainty of what the day holds.As I swing my legs over the side of the bed, my gaze drifts to the door, beyond which lies the unknown. My thoughts drift back to my conversation with Chris the previous night, his words still echoing."There's more going on here than they tell us, Ande. I've tried to piece it together, but they're always one step ahead."I frown, my brow furrowing as I try to understand it all. Chris had sounded so convinced, his eyes burning with a determination that I couldn't help but admire. But what if he's right? What if there's more to this twisted game than we've been led to believe?I
The air is thick with tension as I make my way through the bustling hall of the command centre. My keen eyes scan the faces of my fellow students, searching for any sign of the elusive Valerie. Finally, I spot her - a striking figure with fiery red hair and a mischievous glint in her eye. This must be Ethan's cousin, whom I've been tasked with working alongside the other helpers.I approach Valerie cautiously, unsure of what to expect. "Valerie," I say, my voice level and composed. "I'm Ande. It's a pleasure to meet you."Valerie turns to face me, a coy smile playing on her lips. "Well, well, if it isn't the infamous Ande," she purrs, circling me like a predator. "Ethan's told me all about you. I must say, I'm intrigued." She leans in closer, her breath tickling my ear. "I hope we can work well together."I nod in response. I have no interest in whatever game Valerie seems to be playing. Survival is my only concern.Valerie pouts, pulling back, her expression going sour, "You're no fu
"We're not your enemies. We're students, too. We escaped the school just like you." I hesitated, my grip loosening. "Prove it," I demanded. "How do we know you're telling the truth?" At last they took off the mask from their faces, they looked nothing older than eighteen at most, but I wasn't going to be fooled, definitely not by their appearance especially. We pointed the guns at them, cold sweat dripped all over my face but that wasn't enough to make me tremble, at least I wouldn't allow myself to fall victim to such trickery. “No problem, no problem, I'll prove it, I'll show you that we mean no harm I swear,” the female of the group yelled. “Please, just back off with the gun a bit, that thing's dangerous and I doubt you even know how to hold them properly which makes it more dangerous.” Was she mocking us or what? I couldn't make due with it. I took a quick look at her and her colleagues behind us. They didn't seem to have any sort of weapon on them and they didn't retali
I could hardly believe my eyes at first, but that was the honest truth apparently, and just like that, we had finally escaped the school, but freedom felt like a distant memory as we trudged through the arid landscape. Where we would go from here, that was the next question. Amid the celebration and excitement from my classmates I looked around, something didn't feel right, not in the slightest, but what was it? Suddenly, it occurred to me to look ahead as if I surveyed the land. "Does anyone have a binocular?" I asked. "A binoculars? I think I got one while we were escaping, it was amongst the staff gadgets," someone said. At once it struck me. Why exactly would they need such in the first place? The more I puzzled about this uneasy feeling the more restless I felt. The girl handed over the device with a bothered look on her face. I grabbed hold of the device and peered through. Scanning- Scanning- The coast looked clear, crystal clear however, what was this cloud of dus
(Diego's POV)I dart through the shifting corridors of the maze, my heart pounding in my chest as I try not to lose sight of the others. The disorienting twists and turns of this twisted landscape make it difficult to keep my bearings.And I'm finding it harder and harder to keep on going.As I watch my classmates struggle to cross the swaying platforms, a seed of doubt begins to take root in my mind. Something about this whole scenario doesn't feel right. The way the walls shift and the floors move - it's almost as if it's an illusion, a trick of the mind.I take a step back, studying the maze around us more closely. The patterns on the walls seem to shimmer and distort, and the very air feels charged with an unnatural energy. Narrowing my eyes, I focus my senses, trying to pierce through the deception.Suddenly, a flicker of movement catches my eye, and I whirl around to see a shimmering figure in the distance. It's the teacher, I'm sure of it. A wild surge of anger rises within me
(Ande's POV)We wait patiently for Ethan in the game room, the few of us that are still free, trying to cross check if we have everything. It was almost….. peaceful.Alas, things were not meant to be, as the world around us suddenly shifts and distorts.I grip the railing as the building contorts before my eyes, the once familiar corridors and classrooms twisting and distorting like a kaleidoscope. The floors seem to shift beneath my feet, and I struggle to maintain my balance as the world around me turns upside down. "What's happening?" I shout, my voice laced with panic as I glance at my teammates. Ava clings to the wall, her eyes wide with terror, while Chris braces himself against a doorframe, his knuckles turning white.A sinister chuckle echoes through the disorienting space, and I feel a chill run down my spine. "Did you really think you could escape me so easily?" The teacher's voice, dripping with malice, surrounds us.I whirl around, searching for the source of the sound.
(Ande's POV)After washing out the blood from my clothes, I looked down with a heavy sigh of disbelief, I could not believe that this was what I had been reduced to. A monster, perhaps. "We have to go," Chris said to me, his hand upon my shoulder. Yes, there was somewhere we had to be and I refused to let anything come in the way of my freedom, not even myself. Chris and I rejoin the others. The students from the lab are gathered, their faces etched with a mixture of fear and anticipation. They couldn't possibly reject me and I knew that, I was one of them and they were just like me, we had the same substance or whatever it was that was put in me running through their veins, they couldn't possibly bail on me. "Ande," one of them says, her voice tinged with relief. "We've been trying to make sense of what happened back there."As I explain what I found in the lab and the chip I retrieved, their expressions shift from confusion to horror."So they were trying to turn us into desti
(Ande's POV)I shake my head, refusing to believe what they're telling me. "No, I can't have done this. There must be some mistake." I couldn't accept that in the slightest bit, how could everything turn out this way, we had come so far and yet this was supposed to be the result?No, it couldn't possibly be this way. "Ande, listen to us," Ethan says, his tone urgent however I looked away from him, the last thing I wanted on my plate was someone to interfere with how I felt but he was persistent an attribute that I had hated for quite a while now. "We all felt... different, after what happened in the lab. And now, with what's happened here... we can't risk staying any longer. For our own safety, and for yours."I want to protest, to demand answers, but the fear in their eyes gives me pause. I took a deep sigh, surely this wasn't the end of everything, I knew there had to be some sort of way but the opportunity seemed difficult to come by. "I understand but I'm sure there's a cure
(Ande's POV)Ethan's head snaps up, his eyes wide with fear. "No, please, Ande! I swear, I won't do anything like that again. I'm with you, all the way. You can trust me, I promise.," he said, while desperately leaning to us for trust. I hold his gaze, searching for any hint of doubt or deception. After a long moment, I nod slowly. "Alright, Ethan. I'm going to hold you to that promise. We can't afford any more risks, not when we're so close to freedom."Ethan nods, his shoulders slumping with relief. "I understand, Ande. I won't let you down, I swear it."Before I can say more, Jay suddenly interrupts us, his gaze strangely vacant as he clutches the sleeve of my shirt. "Ande," he says, "Ande…""Jay, what's wrong?" I ask, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You seem... different."Jay turns to me, his eyes clouded with an almost otherworldly intensity. "We need to go back to the school," he says, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's important, Ande. We have to leave go back now."I'
I'm in my office when a guard bursts into my office, breathless and wide-eyed. "Sir, there's an urgent joint summit being called. You're expected to attend immediately."I let out a frustrated sigh. These summits always mean more demands and red tape to deal with. "Can't they handle this without me for once?" I grumble.The guard shakes his head. "I'm afraid not, sir. They've specifically requested your presence."I groan in frustration, slamming the files shut. The benefactors - those stupidity wealthy elites who oversee the Games - are the bane of my existence. "Unbelievable. Can't they see I'm up to my neck in work here? We're still recovering from the disastrous events of the last Games."The guard shifts nervously. "I'm afraid they won't take no for an answer, sir. They said it's non-negotiable."I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a migraine coming on. "Fine, fine. Tell them I'll be there momentarily." As the guard scurries off, I mutter a string of curses under my breath.
There is a dismembered hand lying on the floor, partially obscured by the doorway. My stomach lurches at the gruesome sight, bile rising in my throat.The skin is pale, the fingers contorted, and there's still fresh blood pooling around it. I freeze, my eyes fixed on the grisly scene.Ethan and the others hadn't noticed it by the looks of things, their focus probably only on getting into the school undetected. But I can't tear my gaze away. Something about the hand catches my eye - it appears to be clutching a small electronic device, a tablet of some kind. Swallowing hard, I slowly approach the severed limb. I need to get a closer look. Crouching down, I carefully pry the fingers open and retrieve the tablet, wincing at the sticky, warm sensation of the blood on my skin. My heart is pounding as I examine the device, realizing it's emitting some kind of frequency. An idea struck. Quickly, I pull out my jammer and connect it to the tablet, grinning as I gain access to the video.