A/N: This is a prelude to Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I take no credit whatsoever for making up the characters. The plot is all mine though! Enjoy!
1: "It is time," said the principal, Headmaster Wiggins, of Westweather Academy for Troubled Boys, "To start the trials for a new program. Another boarding school for troubled youths such as yourselves has offered to participate in a once in a lifetime exchange program. Fifteen to twenty of you will get to study in Switzerland for six months. But who will it be? It is up to you. Now, before you can eat breakfast and go on to your studies, recite the ten two-letter words you live by."
All the boys at the academy stood and recited in a monotone voice, "If it is to be, it is up to me."
"Very good," Headmaster Wiggins said. "You may eat now." The boys dug into fresh fruits, warm breads, steaming bowls of oatmeal, light pastries, and refreshing drinks. All around the tables, boys were whispering to one another.
"Hey, I bet it's gonna be Ralph!"
"Head boy for three months in a row? Some delinquent he is…"
"So we know it's definitely Ralph, but who else?"
"You know, half of these kids aren't really delinquents. A lot of them have parents who drink, or smoke, or gamble, or…"
"We get it! Now please just shut up!"
"Maybe it'll be Mother Piggy."
"Yeah, there's no way she's troubled! Ha ha! Do you get it? Because he acts like a girl, so I said-."
"We get it!"
Ralph sat with his head facing the floor. He didn't know why he was always head boy. It wasn't like he asked for the "privilege", as Headmaster Wiggins said. Across the room, Daniel was feeling just as bad. He was a boy who, well, wasn't on the thin side of the scale, and had a nurturing attitude towards the younger boys. All the little boys called him "mom" or "mother" or even "mommy", and Daniel didn't mind. But when the boys that were around his age or older began to tease him about is weight and love for the younger boys, he became an outcast. Some of the younger kids began to avoid him so they wouldn't get picked on. Most people forgot his name.
Across the room sat another boy, one who was extremely smart, extremely clever, and extremely not noticed. His name was Simon, but if you asked anyone in the school if they knew Simon, they would say they didn't. He was smarter than Ralph and Piggy, but stayed off the radar. Of course, Jack Merridew had to stand up and make sure people knew his position. "Attention, everyone! I wanted to inform you that I am graciously accepting Headmaster Wiggin's offer to study in Switzerland. Any boys who endorse me will be given the name and phone number of a Swiss model. Thank you." He stepped off of his chair, and a few people clapped. It was unbelievable, Ralph thought, how smug he was.
TWO WEEKS LATER- BREAKFAST- 8:07 AM- THE BEGINNING OF THE END
"And the lucky students are: Ralph, Piggy- I mean David, Jack Merridew, Simon, Sam and Eric, Roger, Maurice, Percival,-" No one bothered paying attention to the rest of the names being called, for they were too busy passing around the money that was lost and earned when placing bets about who would be chosen. Ralph shook his head in disgust. No way could Roger, Maurice, Sam, or Eric be chosen for something that took, well, intellect. But sure enough, the boys listed packed their bags and hopped onto a flight. Thirty-two boys were endorsing Jack, and he assured them that the numbers would come within the first few weeks. While looking out the plane's window, Ralph wondered which one of these boys would be the leader if they were stranded on a deserted island. He settled on Jack or himself. In fact, Ralph almost wished they were on a desert island, free from rules. Sadly, Ralph needed to be careful for what he wished for, because at that moment an alarm blared. The plane was going down.