"Happy Tournament Day"
I looked back and saw Iavan running in my direction. I smiled at her and greeted her back.
"Happy Tournament Day"
I offered her a croissant and she gladly took it. This is the only day of our year that we get to eat croissants. Funny how we get to eat something delicious before we die.
"May the strongest never come from us"
We laughed it off and walked to the auditorium. Inside you'll find students from different classes gathered, chattering with other students they know because who knows, this may be their last time to see each other. We walked right through the crowd to reach our other classmates. I greeted some of the students I've known since grade school but no further contact was made.
They said if you want to survive high school then you have to ignore those that will be in your class which is pretty much impossible especially when the friends you had since kindergarten is with you until 10th grade. I sit down near the walls and face the other friends I have.
"So… any funny scenarios that came up earlier?"
"Well for starters, some kid hysterically made a scene saying she's pregnant so some guards took her away"
"Wow talk about teenage pregnancy"
We laughed it off, I have two friends. Iavan whom I've been friends with since kindergarten and Miisa whom I've met during my middle school years. The three of us do everything together, from writing down notes, criticizing some of the kids in school to practicing some knife-throwing skills, secretly of course. A few minutes later and the speakers inside the Auditorium started ringing off producing that horrible sound.
"Good Morning students, please proceed to your respective lines, the ceremony will start in 30..29..28.."
And the countdown starts. I saw some of the kids from my class heading our way. Our class consists of 42 girls and just 8 boys, yes a very disproportional number for a class. The guys in our class sat across from the girls, and the guy sitting across from me is a tall, brunette masculine guy who has hazel brown eyes, his name is Damian. Contrary to his appearance, he is notoriously known for being a very quiet guy who by the way loves books more than the idea of dating or socializing.
"You're drooling"
I heard Iavan whisper, I instinctively pushed her away.
"I am so not, idiot"
"Whatever you say princess of denial"
She laughed at me and patted my shoulder. I admit those muscles of his are every girl's dream, and when I mean every. I meant me in particular. You can say I have been attracted to him since the start of my senior years. But that attraction is only a fleeting moment that will be gone in a poof.
A little while longer, the school principal walked in the podium, he's wearing one of those overly fashioned suits with over makeup on his face. I do not have a thing for gay people but I totally want to just punch him in the face because of his irritating appearance.
"HELLO, STUDENTS!! HAPPY HERCULEAN TOURNAMENT TO ALL OF YOU"
Followed by a loud silence, he must've sensed it since he proceeded to pick the class number from the magic fishbowl of fate.
"So this is the 6th year of our tournament, CAN YOU JUST IMAGINE THAT HAHAHAHA SIX WHOLE YEARS OF SENDING OUT KIDS TO A BATTLEFIELD WHAT A WONDERFUL DREAM"
"Did he just say what a wonderful dream?"
Miisa whispered behind me, I laughed at her and moved closer to whisper something.
"If this is a dream then the croissant I ate earlier would not still linger in my taste buds"
"Ugh reality"
I looked at her and smiled, I would trade a thousand croissants for the fact that this is a dream but it is not. This is our reality. The principal held up the small paper that consists of every single person's fate here. He slowly unfolded the paper, looked at us, and smiled our way.
"May the strongest rise above you all…
10-Einstein"
I would have thought that this is just a dream, but I was brought back into reality when I felt my whole body shaking. I forgot to mention my class' name, didn't I? Well, unfortunately,10-Einstein is my class. I looked around and saw that all of the students in the auditorium are looking at us.
"Now 10-Einstein please proceed to the school's parking lot, the buses that will send you to your arena are waiting there."
The kids from my class were all stunned, so was I. None of us were making a move which is why the guards rounded us up and literally pushed us out of the auditorium to the hallway leading to the parking lot. We were arranged alphabetically according to the initials of our first name to see if anyone tried to escape.
I searched for Iavan since she's going to be in front and when I finally did, she's not looking anywhere besides the ground. I turned around and saw Miisa doing the same thing. I held her hand and smiled at her.
"It's okay remember at least we have each other"
She nodded at me and smiled back before boarding the bus, I sat near the window at the last row and shrunk myself down the bus seat. Outside I saw the students from the other classes sending us off with those pity-looking eyes. I saw my cousins in 12th grade looking at me with those worried looks in their eyes. Instinctively I looked away and buried my face in the collar of my blouse.
I can't stand the pity in their eyes. I remember how my mom sent me to school earlier, how she and my dad hugged me. How my brother told me that we'll get to watch our favorite shows upon arriving home. While they were doing all of that, the pity never left their eyes.
It's like they're telling me that they love me but they cannot do anything once I die inside the arena because honestly speaking they can't.
It's like they're telling me that I should just surrender to my death.
Little did they know, I have my own plans.