said with a relieved tone.
“That sounds great,” Jamie said, a small smile on her face.
“Well?” Liam asked, looking at me.
“Yeah. That sounds good,” I replied, my hands in my lap.
“Then it’s settled. We’re all on the same team, even if we aren’t actually together,” Liam said, smiling.
I looked at him, admiring his strength, his courage, his willingness to work as a team, even if we all wouldn’t be together in the competition. Part of me hoped that he would be my partner, but another part of me hoped for someone else, anyone else. I didn’t know why I had this feeling about him, but for some reason I almost felt as if I couldn’t count on him.
Chapter Five
Fiftee n minutes had passed and Christian still wasn’t back, giving us no true indication of how long he’d be gone or when we’d advance to our first stage of training. Not only that, but I still had no clue where we’d be staying during this entire ordeal. They’d never shown the participant housing during any year, at least not that I’d ever seen, and while it was still morning, I’d at least have liked to know if we’d be sleeping on the floor to make us all a little bit more hungry for the win.
“Well, if we’re going to be looking out for one another, maybe we should get to know each other just a little bit. If you all are interested,” I said.
“What were you thinking?” Liam asked.
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe just a little about you, what you do, if you have any family, that sort of thing. Just so that we can maybe bond a little bit more,” I said.
“Why don’t you start?” Liam suggested.
“Well,” I said, rubbing my hands together, “my name is Alexia Meyers. I’m seventeen years old, and I have a horrible job at a restaurant with a boss who couldn’t care less about me or any of the other people working there. As a matter of fact, I’m sure he’s already fired me since I’ve been drafted into this competition, which I’m not sure if I’m sad about or not. As for my living situation, I live at home with my mother and sister, I’m very close to both of them, and I guess that’s about it. Not exactly exciting, but that’s my life.”
“Did you do any schooling?” Matthew asked.
“Just the required bit, nothing more, if that’s what you’re wondering. I guess I just never really felt like I had a chance to, you know, with how poor we are and all. Not working full time, or close to it, isn’t an option,” I said.
“So, if you win, are you going to wish for that? For a way to go to school? Maybe they’d give you a stipend or something so that you could focus on your studies,” Matthew said.
“No, I don’t think I’d waste it on that. Not that an education is worthless or not important, but I just think I’d want something a little more…grand,” I said.
“Like what?” Jamie asked.
“I’m not sure. I guess I haven’t thought about it a ton,” I said, shrugging my shoulders a little.
“I know what I’d wish for,” Matthew said, smiling.
“What’s that?” Liam asked.
“A new place for my family and I. Imagine how great that would be, living in one of those new, giant skyscrapers, surrounded by rich people and celebrities. That would be the dream. You know those places are kept up, unlike what we have now,” he said.
“What’s your family like?” I asked.
“Well, my children are grown, but my wife and I deserve a break after all we’ve been through. We’ve lived in the same place forever. It holds a lot of memories, but it isn’t in the best shape, though it is in a decent part of the city. I think I’d give my son the place to fix up. It’s better than his current place, and my daughter isn’t interested in it anyway. It’s too much work for her and her husband. But I’d love a new place to invite them over to, the grandkids too, all of us huddled around the table, looking out the floor to ceiling windows and seeing people look like ants below.
“That sounds great,” Jamie said, a small smile on her face.
“Well?” Liam asked, looking at me.
“Yeah. That sounds good,” I replied, my hands in my lap.
“Then it’s settled. We’re all on the same team, even if we aren’t actually together,” Liam said, smiling.
I looked at him, admiring his strength, his courage, his willingness to work as a team, even if we all wouldn’t be together in the competition. Part of me hoped that he would be my partner, but another part of me hoped for someone else, anyone else. I didn’t know why I had this feeling about him, but for some reason I almost felt as if I couldn’t count on him.
Chapter Five
Fiftee n minutes had passed and Christian still wasn’t back, giving us no true indication of how long he’d be gone or when we’d advance to our first stage of training. Not only that, but I still had no clue where we’d be staying during this entire ordeal. They’d never shown the participant housing during any year, at least not that I’d ever seen, and while it was still morning, I’d at least have liked to know if we’d be sleeping on the floor to make us all a little bit more hungry for the win.
“Well, if we’re going to be looking out for one another, maybe we should get to know each other just a little bit. If you all are interested,” I said.
“What were you thinking?” Liam asked.
“Well, I don’t know. Maybe just a little about you, what you do, if you have any family, that sort of thing. Just so that we can maybe bond a little bit more,” I said.
“Why don’t you start?” Liam suggested.
“Well,” I said, rubbing my hands together, “my name is Alexia Meyers. I’m seventeen years old, and I have a horrible job at a restaurant with a boss who couldn’t care less about me or any of the other people working there. As a matter of fact, I’m sure he’s already fired me since I’ve been drafted into this competition, which I’m not sure if I’m sad about or not. As for my living situation, I live at home with my mother and sister, I’m very close to both of them, and I guess that’s about it. Not exactly exciting, but that’s my life.”
“Did you do any schooling?” Matthew asked.
“Just the required bit, nothing more, if that’s what you’re wondering. I guess I just never really felt like I had a chance to, you know, with how poor we are and all. Not working full time, or close to it, isn’t an option,” I said.
“So, if you win, are you going to wish for that? For a way to go to school? Maybe they’d give you a stipend or something so that you could focus on your studies,” Matthew said.
“No, I don’t think I’d waste it on that. Not that an education is worthless or not important, but I just think I’d want something a little more…grand,” I said.
“Like what?” Jamie asked.
“I’m not sure. I guess I haven’t thought about it a ton,” I said, shrugging my shoulders a little.
“I know what I’d wish for,” Matthew said, smiling.
“What’s that?” Liam asked.
“A new place for my family and I. Imagine how great that would be, living in one of those new, giant skyscrapers, surrounded by rich people and celebrities. That would be the dream. You know those places are kept up, unlike what we have now,” he said.
“What’s your family like?” I asked.
“Well, my children are grown, but my wife and I deserve a break after all we’ve been through. We’ve lived in the same place forever. It holds a lot of memories, but it isn’t in the best shape, though it is in a decent part of the city. I think I’d give my son the place to fix up. It’s better than his current place, and my daughter isn’t interested in it anyway. It’s too much work for her and her husband. But I’d love a new place to invite them over to, the grandkids too, all of us huddled around the table, looking out the floor to ceiling windows and seeing people look like ants below.
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