Hey, sorry this is short, the next chapter is longer. Make sure to check out the polls I put up.

1

Katie Peterson (girl #10) was the third person on the small bus, only behind Spencer Bennett (boy #3) and Brandon Lowe (boy #9) who pushed their way to the front of the line and proceeded to the back of the bus. Katie selected the seat just behind the middle escape door on the right side. Lisa Allen (girl #2), the captain of the girls' basketball team came on next and sat down near the front half alone, her blonde hair pressed up against the back of the chair. The next on was the tall black Ricky Adkins (boy #1) and his equally muscular friends, Kurt Hartman (boy #8), Jacob Tyler (boy #12), and Ryan Walters (boy #13). They filled in the gap between the other boys and her.

"Hey." Kurt said to her as he took the seat directly behind her. She nodded her acknowledgement and turned back around, pretending to be busy with something on her iPod. They started talking about some football game or another as Ruth Campbell (girl #4) and Naomi Coleman (girl #5) took a seat behind the driver's seat. They were nice enough, but kind of crazy about their religion. They acted as if anyone who wasn't perfect went to hell, which was evident in their scowl at Nicholas Green (boy #7) as his scrawny frame boarded the bus and sat across from Lisa. He had long black hair and pierced ears, which was good enough reason for them to not like him. They didn't really talk to anyone besides themselves and sometimes Kelly Dennis (girl #6), who sat next to Lisa and behind Ruth. Her dark skin was naturally flawless and her short black hair remained unwaveringly straight above her slim body covered in a creased blouse and business-like black skirt. She could have been a model if she wasn't so obsessed with her career as president of the 10th grade.

Jacob whistled as Brittney Albert (girl #1) strutted down the aisle with her posse. She chose seats for them all next to the jocks, her redheaded self in front of Jacob and Maria Rodriguez (girl #11) next to her and across the aisle of Ryan, who she kept flirting with. Kristen Jenkins (girl #9) and Nicole Boyd (girl #3) sat in front of them and engaged in the day's gossip.

Javier Cruz (boy #6) sat behind Lisa and the seat next to him was filled with Collette Russo (girl #12). They were both exchange students that had entered into the school two weeks into the first semester. Javier was a shy boy who spent most of his time talking in broken English about soccer. Collette on the other hand used her time to model the newest and most expensive clothes and shoes to the rest of the class, and she never let them forget how rich she was. Her dark brown hair flowed down her pale face in gentle waves, and her dark green eyes seemed to stare into your soul.

John Banks (boy #2) and Martin Coleman (boy #5) took the seat behind Nick. They were hunting partners, and talked about to each other about bucks they had shot. John was really smart though, unlike Martin who struggled to pass each grade level. Kevin Byrd (boy #4) sat by Nick. Kevin wore neon skinny jeans and a white V-neck. He was the school's gay kid, and he certainly got recognized for it by Spencer and Brandon. Jonas Thurman (boy #11) and Owen Miller (boy #10) sat behind Martin and John. Owen was the other nerd boy besides John, and Jonas was the male version of Kelly. That is if she was an average looking white boy. But he was the vice president, and he helped her a lot with her campaign. Lindsay Hughes (girl #8) and Ivy Hines (girl #7) got on board and sat in front of Kristen and Nicole. They started discussing the lead male characters of some book they had read. Katie had never been much for reading. She preferred listening to Metallica and rock climbing. The bus was full, except for the seat next to Katie. Donna Yarber (girl #13) was the last to get on. She looked around the short bus walked up to Katie.

"Can I sit here please?" She mumbled. There was nowhere else to sit, Katie nodded and moved over to make room for the large girl. Donna was wearing a stained grey hoodie and jeans with a hole in the right knee and she smelled faintly of smoke and cats. Katie was the closest thing to a friend she had, and Katie did her best to be friendly to her.

The bus started up and Donna looked down and Katie put her ear buds in and turned on some Metallica. She stared out the window as they went to the colonial farm. Katie hadn't really wanted to go, but it got her out of geometry so she figured it would be worth it. She rested her head against the window and felt her eyes droop. Why was she suddenly so tired? She looked over at Donna and noticed that she was asleep. What was going on? Her eyes closed and they didn't open for a while.

Jonas Thurman woke up in a cold dark room.

"Where are we?" He heard a scared female voice ask.

"What's going on!?" said an angry male voice somewhere in front of him. Then he realized that he was on a metal chair. He tried to stand up but he was handcuffed to it, and it seemed to be bolted to the floor somehow. The room got louder as more and more people woke up.

"Quiet down!" said the stern voice of a man. The room silenced. Who was he? The lights came on and they saw a clean-shaven broad shouldered man with a crew cut. The chairs were in two groups facing the front, the boys on the right, the girls on the left.

"Where the hell are we?"

"What is this?"

"Who are you?"

The man sat in a chair in front of the room. The windows were boarded up so that the only light was the light coming from the florescent lights hanging above them.

"Quiet!" He roared. "All will be explained shortly."

Then three soldiers walked in carrying big guns. The room fell silent and then their teacher, Mrs. Daphne walked in. She was paler than usual and she tripped while coming in. What was going on?

"Hello students." She said shakily. "Congratulations! Your class has the honor of being the class selected to participate in this year's Program."

Some students gasped, and the rest began to murmur. The Program? But that was a myth… wasn't it?

"Silence!" The man yelled. The class became quiet again.

"Thank you, Mr. Randolph. Now, as I was saying, you have been selected for this year's Program. Very soon, you will be released into the playing area. You will each be given a pack that contains food, water, a compass, a map, a flashlight, and a randomly selected… weapon."

The class once again broke into murmuring but silenced as the man opened his mouth.

"You will use this weapon to kill each of your classmates until only one remains."

"What if we don't want to?" yelled Spencer Bennett in the front row.

"If no one is killed within any consecutive twenty-four hour period then everyone's collar will explode." She said. Jonas, along with the rest of the class felt their necks, and sure enough there was a metal band around it. A girl screamed but Mrs. Daphne kept on talking. "The collar on your neck will also explode if you try to remove it, leave the boundaries of the playing area, or enter a restricted area. Restricted areas and their activation times will be announced at noon and midnight, along with a list of the dead. The radio tower, which we are in currently, and the rest of Section D1, will become a danger zone half an hour after the last person leaves it. Remember, this is a great honor and you should honor your country by playing your hardest. Remember, only one can win. Now Mr. Rudolph will call you out by name and let you enter the playing area in two minute intervals."

"Thank you Mrs. Daphne, that was excellent. Now, time to begin. Good luck to you all!" He said almost cheerfully. A soldier brought in a cart with twenty-six black duffel bags.

"Richard Adkins!"