Status: In Progress
It's Just a Game
5.
Mr. Vaeda and Mrs. Ray led me and Juliet out of the office and down the hallway, toward the busing station. My head was spinning.
"Listen to me, Rosie." Mr. Vaeda put his hand on my shoulder. "The likelihood of you facing Juliet in one of the challenges is slim to none, to take care of yourself. You have to stay safe." He said it quiet enough that Juliet couldn't hear him, but I knew what he was saying. He didn't think she'd make it, so I'd have to fend for myself. He tousled my hair, eyes smiling sadly.
The doors opened and two men wearing earcorders and ties walked in to herd us onto our bus. One of them grabbed Juliet and she started to cry. "Let go of her!" I shook myself away from Mr. Vaeda and punched the Game Collector in the nose. His hands let go the moment mine impacted with a loud crack
Juliet ran into my arms, clinging to me. I held her, my fingers getting lost in her short black hair. "Rosie..." The two men tore us away from one another, both of us putting up a fight.
"You listen to me, Jules! I promise, no matter what, you will make it out of this alive!"
We were put in separate bunkers. I guess they figured that if I couldn't see her, I wouldn't fight back. On a normal day they would be wrong, but today was simply abnormal.
It hit me like a train that this was really happening. My eyes wandered to the window of my cart, which would have looked onto a hallway had it not been blocked by a guard. They must have considered me a flight risk
I curled up in my seat and allowed myself a good cry. I was so consumed with anger back at the school that I was forgetting to have other feelings about it. A wave of loneliness overcame me when I thought of all that I was leaving behind, because I knew for a fact that I would not make it out alive.
My mother, always all smiles, had woken me up only this morning. Did she know what fate her daughter would encounter at school that day?
Charlie, too. At least with him I could rest easy. The last thing I ever said to him was, "I love you." A smile infected my face. That seemed very right to me. I wondered if the administration would buzz his bracelet, or how he'd react when he found out... I hadn't really thought too much of it in the years that I knew him, but knowing now that I would never be able to marry him was devastating.
I was never going to go to college, or become a teacher, or raise a family. All the dreams I'd had since I was just a little kid were swept from under me like they meant nothing. Most little girls wanted to be princesses, but I wanted to be an English teacher. I'd known it since I'd read my first book.
That got me thinking about Mr. Vaeda. As big of a crush on him as I had, I knew that I was probably just another student to him and I certainly wasn't a figure of interest in a non student-teacher relationship. It was likely that he'd forget about me in a year or two.
After all the years that I'd spent hating this game... now I was becoming a part of it.
I watched buildings fly past the window in a
blur. I didn't know how long it would take to get to the House. I didn't know what to expect when I got there. I just let my forehead rest against the cool glass and slowly fell into sleep.
"Listen to me, Rosie." Mr. Vaeda put his hand on my shoulder. "The likelihood of you facing Juliet in one of the challenges is slim to none, to take care of yourself. You have to stay safe." He said it quiet enough that Juliet couldn't hear him, but I knew what he was saying. He didn't think she'd make it, so I'd have to fend for myself. He tousled my hair, eyes smiling sadly.
The doors opened and two men wearing earcorders and ties walked in to herd us onto our bus. One of them grabbed Juliet and she started to cry. "Let go of her!" I shook myself away from Mr. Vaeda and punched the Game Collector in the nose. His hands let go the moment mine impacted with a loud crack
Juliet ran into my arms, clinging to me. I held her, my fingers getting lost in her short black hair. "Rosie..." The two men tore us away from one another, both of us putting up a fight.
"You listen to me, Jules! I promise, no matter what, you will make it out of this alive!"
We were put in separate bunkers. I guess they figured that if I couldn't see her, I wouldn't fight back. On a normal day they would be wrong, but today was simply abnormal.
It hit me like a train that this was really happening. My eyes wandered to the window of my cart, which would have looked onto a hallway had it not been blocked by a guard. They must have considered me a flight risk
I curled up in my seat and allowed myself a good cry. I was so consumed with anger back at the school that I was forgetting to have other feelings about it. A wave of loneliness overcame me when I thought of all that I was leaving behind, because I knew for a fact that I would not make it out alive.
My mother, always all smiles, had woken me up only this morning. Did she know what fate her daughter would encounter at school that day?
Charlie, too. At least with him I could rest easy. The last thing I ever said to him was, "I love you." A smile infected my face. That seemed very right to me. I wondered if the administration would buzz his bracelet, or how he'd react when he found out... I hadn't really thought too much of it in the years that I knew him, but knowing now that I would never be able to marry him was devastating.
I was never going to go to college, or become a teacher, or raise a family. All the dreams I'd had since I was just a little kid were swept from under me like they meant nothing. Most little girls wanted to be princesses, but I wanted to be an English teacher. I'd known it since I'd read my first book.
That got me thinking about Mr. Vaeda. As big of a crush on him as I had, I knew that I was probably just another student to him and I certainly wasn't a figure of interest in a non student-teacher relationship. It was likely that he'd forget about me in a year or two.
After all the years that I'd spent hating this game... now I was becoming a part of it.
I watched buildings fly past the window in a
blur. I didn't know how long it would take to get to the House. I didn't know what to expect when I got there. I just let my forehead rest against the cool glass and slowly fell into sleep.