It was pretty tall. It also appeared to have been soaked in blood but maybe that was his imagination. Whatever it was, he was not entering the prison his father had brought him to.

"Okay Ivan, we're here. Get out and grab you backpack."

Ivan Braginski looked up at his new "school". He knew it wasn't going to be the best experience ever. And every kid in the United States knew that.

Gisei High School was a school like no other. A combination of middle and high school, it's population had to be large. And everyone knew the truth behind that.

He grabbed his backpack and opened the car door. The fresh winter air hit him as he stepped out. His mother quickly began fussing over his uniform, making sure his tie was tied and that he wasn't too messy. He didn't meet her gaze. This was a death sentence, literally.

"Well, let's go to the office. The principal ought to meet us there."

The three of them climbed the set of stairs that was there. It made Ivan feel uneasy. Most of the schools were built like that, but still… It bothered him.

The secretary smiled at them as they entered the office. His father immediately began a conversation with her. Ivan wanted to ignore them all. Not even his mother's pleading gaze could make him accept his fate. He wasn't born to die, for God's sake! Was this all a game?

The secretary suddenly looked up as a tall, black-haired man entered the office. "Mr. Shido," she said, "the new student has arrived."

Ivan felt the man's gaze look him over. He ignored him and glared at the floor. After what seemed like forever, the man responded by speaking directly to his parents.

"I can assure you that Ivan will be welcomed here by the students here at my school. He's clearly intelligent from his past grades. I can assure you that he will find this school very interesting."

Mr. Braginski looked at his son before replying, "Is there any chances of him surviving?"

Mr. Shido merely smiled. "The students here may be kind and welcoming, but they can be fierce when it comes to the Olympics. If he is smart and makes the correct alliances, then yes, , Ivan will survive high school."

Mrs. Braginksi then hugged her son. "Take care now," she whispered, struggling not to cry. "Survive and good-bye."

Ivan barely managed a nod as he felt guilty for yelling at his mom the other day. She only wanted the best for him. But if doing the best for him involved sacrificing him… Then he couldn't forgive her for condemning him as soon as he was born.

With a last tearful farewell, his mother followed his father out the door, leaving him with the creepy looking principal. He grabbed his backpack tighter, refusing to look up. So when a new voice was heard, he barely reacted.

"Ivan, please look up."

He glared at the principal who still gave him the creeps. There was a student next to him. A girl?

"This is Yao Wang. He'll be your tour guide for today. So grab your stuff and follow him around. And perhaps he might give you some survival tips, if you're lucky." With the last words, he smiled such a menacing smile that sent a chill down Ivan's spine.

To get away from that creepy principal, he followed the boy out to the quad area. It was pretty big. As with most schools, there was a restricted area enclosed by a fence and stand nearby it.

"Hello, I'm Yao Wang. As you already know, I shall be your tour guide for today. Also I shall explain to you a couple things that I think you should know. Follow me."

According to Ivan, they were lost. There were too many hallways and a lot of crazy stuff. The students would stare at him and say friendly hellos, which he tried to return. After a while they reached a courtyard with lots of trees in it. He followed Yao to a wall enclosing a rare sakura tree. Yao sat down on it, so Ivan did as well.

"Okay, what's your name?"

He calmly responded, "Ivan Braginski."

He couldn't take his gaze off the boy. He was so beautiful, so…

"Hello? Ivan? I asked you, are you Russian?"

Tearing his gaze from his beautiful eyes, he looked away for a moment before answering. "Yes."

"So how are schools in Russia?"

"No different than here. Bloodier, though. The hallways usually have lots of blood in them, for the killings extend outside the arena. Everyone wants to live, so they make themselves stronger by shedding the blood of the weak. Horrible. You couldn't drop your guard, not even in the classrooms. The teachers did nothing. No one did. Every day was a struggle for survival. Mom and Dad hoped that it would be less violent in America, so we moved here the first chance we got."

Yao stared at him for a moment, clearly taking in Ivan's words. His expression changed, and for a moment, Ivan spotted sympathy in the depths of his eyes before it vanished.

"Well, it's not so violent here, but it does get violent as the Olympics come closer. The team captains are determined to survive, so we form alliances. We know how to survive, but the principal makes it difficult. Any questions?"

The only question in Ivan's mind was "Will you go out with me?" but he was pretty sure he was going to get heartbroken.

"Umm… what is my schedule?"

"The same as mine."

"Oh."

"Any other questions related to school, not the Olympics?"

"Um… no?"

Yao immediately sprang up and smiled at Ivan. "Well, then follow me! I shall explain to you everything about the Olympics! Follow me!"

Ivan unhappily followed him. He had a bad feeling about the Olympics and his chances of surviving here.