Cam Perez (Boy #22) sat in his seat in his first period class. He was always the first one in all of his classes. Described by many as a geek and a basket case, and as "the kind of guy who would shoot up a school" by Brooke Hiney (Girl #3), Cam was, unsurprisingly, not liked by many of his classmates. Cam was totally oblivious to his classmates' feelings towards him. Whenever they would call him names, push him around, steal his things, Cam knew they were just joking and messing around with him. Friends joked around with each other all the time. That's why Cam smiled when his "friends" Charles Mulindi (Boy #24) and Arianna Johnson (Girl #15) walked into the room.

Charles was originally from Kenya and had moved to the United States when he was twelve years old. Although it was hard for Charles to adjust to his new lifestyle at first, he had eventually been able to fit in at school pretty well. Charles had a decent number of friends, but he was still picked on by a lot of his more popular peers. Whether it was for his accent, his sometimes awkward tendencies, or his long dreadlocks, someone always had a reason to pick on Charles. Charles saw Cam wave at him at as he entered the classroom. Charles smiled and waved but did not bother striking up a conversation with that weirdo.

Arianna was finishing her long-winded speech about the new organic food she had grown in her garden. She was babbling on and on and moving her hands spastically as she finished telling Charles about all of her fresh food. Arianna was a total loser and she knew it. Arianna came from one of the richest families in the area and got almost everything she wanted. However, Arianna didn't care about any of that. Despite all of the fancy clothing Arianna's mother had provided her with, Arianna chose to dress in a style that her family described as trashy. She wore jeans that had holes and rips in them and grungy t-shirts and plaid. Arianna preferred her clothes to be comfortable as opposed to attractive. Her sister, Sara Johnson (Girl #11) was one of the most popular girls in the entire school. Arianna loved her sister, but her sister seemed to not return her feelings. The two never talked, even at home, and Arianna longed to have the friendship that the two girls had had back in their early childhood.

"That's really cool, Arianna," Said Charles, pretending like he had been paying attention.

"You can come over sometime and I can cook you up a great organic meal," Said Arianna as she imagined all the delicious new ingredients she could use to prepare a dish.

"Why don't you just have your cooks prepare your food?" Asked Charles.

"I prefer to do my own cooking," Replied Arianna with slight disdain in her voice.

"You have cooks?" Asked Cam as he forcefully interjected himself into their conversation.

"Yeah, but I don't ever use them," Replied Arianna as she turned her attention back to Charles. "After graduation my sister is going to-"

"How did you become so rich?" Asked Cam as he interrupted Arianna.

"My dad is the CEO of-"

"How much money is your house worth? How many servants do you have? Do you get an allowance?" Cam asked these questions one after another without giving Arianna a chance to respond.

Arianna opened her mouth to respond, but a voice from the door said, "Don't even bother with him."

The voice belonged to Lee Gauron (Boy #10). He was one of Cam's "friends."

"Hey Lee, nice joke buddy," Laughed Cam as he smiled brightly.

"Hey spic," Replied Lee as he walked to the back of the class and sat down in his seat.

Charles cringed at the offensive language that Lee had used, but he looked over and saw that Cam was smiling.

"Funny," Replied Cam as he chuckled. He turned away from Lee and began to focus back on his novel. He was reading a book called Battle Royale. The book had been a commercial success in Japan despite its controversial nature, but it had led to something horrible. A year after the book was published, the government had decided to make The Program a reality. They had picked a random class of Japanese students and forced them to kill each other. Of course there was public outcry, but the government had managed to quell it all. The Japanese government had made The Program much more like a reality show than the novel had portrayed it as. The success of the show in Japan led to other countries deciding to make their own Program. The United Kingdom, France, Egypt, India, and Australia had been the first. By two years after the first Program in Japan, The Program had spread to twenty other countries around the world. And in 2001, the first Program had taken place on U.S. soil. The winner of the first Program had died shortly after the game was over, and there was no winner of the second season as the students had banded together and refused to kill each other. The third season was the first season to produce a winner that managed to stay alive after the whole thing was said and done. There had been an attempt to escape that season (which had almost succeeded) and so the countries around the world had done everything in their power to prevent escape. For one, the metal collars that had been used in the original novel were now replaced by microchips that were implanted under the skin. Being in a danger zone would immediately cause a toxin to be released into the student's body. The islands on which the games took place were also always surrounded by an electric fence. This had proved effective as there had never been an escape since France's 2004 season (the electric fence and chips had been implemented in 2005).

"Kids, I need you to come with me."

Cam shook the thoughts of The Program out of his head and looked up at the man standing in the doorway of the classroom. It was the principal of their school, Mr. Wright. He had a nervous look on his face and he appeared to be in dealing with quite a bit of stress.

"Where are we going?" Asked Lee in an aggravated tone.

"You four were supposed to report to the auditorium, don't you remember the announcement last week?" Asked Mr. Wright as he fidgeted his hands and swayed side to side.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Said Cam, "I guess that explains why no one else in the class is here yet."

"We're all waiting for you," Said Mr. Wright as his voice suddenly turned angry and his face began to flush red. "Get moving, NOW!"

The four students in the room quickly got up and began to move toward the auditorium. Lee muttered something under his breath as he passed by Mr. Wright. Once the four students were out of the room, Mr. Wright shut off the classroom light and shut the door. God help them. He thought to himself as he followed closely behind the students.

Cam could not stop thinking about how odd this whole situation was. Their school never had anything like this happen. If there was ever an assembly that needed to happen, all of the student body (or at least all students of a certain grade) would meet in the auditorium or the gym. Instead, last week, an announcement had come on at the end of the day and a list of students had their names read off. They were all to report to the auditorium on the morning of the last day of school. Cam had forgotten about this but he was now on his way. He wondered what this could possibly be about. Was it something to do with graduation? The only people whose names had been read out were seniors. They all seemed to represent certain archetypes of the school. All of the big names had been read out, the popular ones like Sara Johnson, the loners like Itzel Janik (Girl #19), and the losers like Charles. Cam, and many of the other students, had no idea that Itzel had died a mere ten minutes ago.

Cam neared the auditorium and a brief thought passed his mind. You're being chosen for The Program. Cam immediately shook the thought away. They would never do something like this. The contestants chosen for The Program were always just gassed on a bus on the way to some sort of fake school trip. Cam decided that this had to be something to do with graduation.

Cam saw Elysia Harder (Girl #1) slowly make her way to the auditorium from the other side of the hallway. She was fairly slow moving down the hallway because of her new crutches. Elysia still did not have the hang of maneuvering with the crutches. She had fallen off of her skateboard and severely damaged one of her legs about a week ago. She had recovered, but was now on crutches (and so close to graduation). Cam waved to her but she pretended not to notice.

The five of them entered the auditorium and they were met with avid conversation. There was chattering all around the room. Cam looked around to try and locate any friends that he could sit with. He looked over and saw Mina Tsai (Girl #13) crying her eyes out while being comforted by Shayna Sull (Girl #17). Mina had tried to leave the school after she had awoken from her fainting. However, she and the other students who were lingering outside were forced back into the school. Mina had screamed and thrown a fit but it was all to no avail. They were forced into the auditorium by the security guards of the school.

Cam decided to just sit in the back with the other four students who had just entered the auditorium with him. Mr. Wright headed to the front of the stage and stared at the students before him. "Everyone quiet down, settle down," He said.

The chatter quieted down a bit but there were still a lot of whisperings. "SHUT UP NOW!" Screamed Mr. Wright. There was an immediate silence

"Ah shit nigga!" Shouted someone from the audience. The students erupted in a roar of laughter.

Mr. Wright glared angrily at Gustavo Hickson (Boy #8), the person who had just yelled out.

"Do you know why you've been called here?" Asked Mr. Wright. He had shifted from nervousness, to anger, and now he was back to his nervous state. "You all represent and personify many of the stereotypical archetypes of high school."

"What the hell does that mean?" Charles asked as he leaned over to Arianna.

"Shut up, idiot, I'm trying to listen," Replied Cam angrily.

"You all would make for a great and diverse cast for a reality television show," Mr. Wright continued.

Cam felt his eyes start to feel heavy. What's going on? Why am I so….so...sleepy? Cam immediately jolted up. No...no...no….it….is...happening. Cam managed to glance over to his left and saw Elysia start to close her eyes.

"A reality television show like The American Program!" Finished Mr. Wright. By that time he knew that the sleeping gas would be taking effect and that there was nothing that could be done. Soldiers already began to enter and were checking to make sure all of the students were there and accounted for.

"Sir, there is a student missing," Said one of the soldiers, "Girl Number 19 Itzel Janik is not here."

"She was hit by a car this morning," Replied Mr. Wright with no emotion in his voice.

"Sir, the numbers are going to be uneven now," The soldier said as other soldiers began to move the unconscious students to a bus that would transport them to the island.

"That won't be a problem," Replied a new man as he walked out onto the auditorium stage. The new man stuck his hand out and Mr. Wright shook it. "My name is Tony Parsons, I'm the director in charge of this season. You've done your job, you can go back to your office."

Mr. Wright nodded. He had no words to say. The fact that his school had been randomly selected for this year's Program had frustrated and saddened him to no end. He only wished that the students who didn't make it to the end would die quickly without much suffering.

Tony Parsons stared without emotion at the lumps of masses that were scattered before him. The forty-nine students whose lives were about to be ruined. Parsons looked as one of the students began to stir. It was a male contestant, the one who had yelled out at in the auditorium. Gustavo shook his head and quickly looked around. Gustavo noticed that he was in a classroom, but it was a classroom that he did not recognize. That's when he looked to the front and noticed Parsons standing there.

"What the fuck is going on?" Asked Gustavo. Parsons said nothing.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?" Yelled Gustavo. At this point most of the other students began to wake up. There were whisperings and mutterings all around which eventually turned into an uproar. A lone scream pierced the air.

"Yes, yes, settle down," Said Parsons as he saw the look of panic come across the face of all the students.

"Where the hell are we?" Asked Mina Tsai as she stared sadly at Parsons.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm sure you've all seen this show before. You guys are the lucky contestants for this year's Program!"

Many of the students screamed. The others were too shocked and afraid to react at all.

"Don't even think about freaking out or running around," Said Parsons as he snapped his fingers and a line of soldiers entered the classroom. He pulled out a gun from his inside his jacket. "If anybody tries anything we won't hesitate to kill you."

"Oh hell no!" Shouted Gustavo. He immediately rushed forward and punched one of the soldiers in the face.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Shouted Cam Perez.

One of the other soldiers immediately hit Gustavo with the butt of his rifle. The others all aimed their guns at him. Gustavo shrunk back, but the anger didn't leave his face.

"Go on, fucking shoot me you pussy faggots!" Shouted Gustavo. Parsons motioned for the soldiers to lower their guns.

"You know, people like you are the reason this Program happens," Said Parsons. "Ignorant little thugs who will never amount to anything. Do you hear me? You won't amount to anything!"

"Fuck you," Said Gustavo.

"Why do you insist on acting out, Gustavo?" Asked Parsons. "Do you think it was because your dad left your pregnant mother before you were even born? Do you think it's because of growing up in that tiny little apartment with your ten siblings? Do you think it's because deep down inside you know you're a worthless sack of shit? What do you think?"

Gustavo screamed in rage and charged at Parsons. The soldiers blocked his way and pointed their guns at Gustavo again.

"No, no," Said Parsons, "Allow me." Parsons pushed past the soldiers and stared Gustavo straight in the eyes.

Gustavo immediately threw a punch but Parsons blocked it. "You are a pathetic leech on society. No one will miss you." Parsons put the gun against Gustavo's forehead and without another word calmly pulled the trigger. Gustavo's body fell straight backwards and landed right in front of Cam. He screamed.

Many of the students backed up as far as they could. Screams echoed throughout the classroom and many of the students began to cry profusely.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Cried Rosanna Morani (Girl #7) as she made her way to the front of the crowd and began weeping over the body of her now deceased boyfriend. Cam grabbed her and pulled her back into the crowd. He knew what happened to people who didn't conform to what the instructor had to say.

"I'm sure you all know how this works," Said Parsons as glanced around the room.

Mina had turned her back to Parsons and was on the ground crying in the corner. Parsons chose to ignore her.

"You will each take one of these packs which is supplied with water, bread, a map, a compass, a flashlight, and a randomly assigned weapon. The weapons this year are a little bit different. There are less guns than usual and more...unique weapons. We can't just have everyone shooting everyone, what's the fun of that?"

"What's the fun in any of this? Fuck the government and fuck y-"

Rosanna was cut off as Parsons fired his gun into the air. "You're lucky two contestants are already dead. I would not hesitate to shoot you otherwise. As I was saying, only a few guns will be issued as weapons this year, so you guys will need to be creative with your kills. There may be a few...prizes scattered about the island. You'll be rewarded for going out and looking for these and not just hiding in one place. So now I will-" Parsons stopped as he glanced at the packs the students would soon be taking.

"Sir, what's the matter?" Asked one the soldiers.

"There are only forty-eight contestants now, "Said Parsons, "And there are fifty bags. You know what? I'll make this interesting. Who wants one of the extra bags?"

Immediately a hand was raised. It belonged to Horatio Washington (Boy #20). "I'll take both of the extras," He said.

"No, you just get one," Replied Parsons, "We're going to give the other bag to a girl. So, what girl wants it?"

Nobody moved a muscle. The room was cloaked in silence for a solid ten seconds. Finally a soft voice said, "I'll take it." It was Rosanna, the girlfriend of the late Gustavo Hickson.

Parsons smiled. "Excellent," He replied. He marked something down on his clipboard and then looked back up at the students. "I always prefer for these orientations to be short and brief. There's no point in boring the audience. They want to see the gameplay, they want to see you little bastards get out there and fight for the honor of holding the title of winner of The Program. Are you excited, students?" No one responded. "Let's get started then. I will select a slip of paper from this bowl. Whoever's class number is on this slip will be the first to leave. We will then alternate boy, girl, boy, girl until all of you are gone." Parsons reached his hand into the bowl and stared out at the students before him. The majority of their faces were filled with fear. A few of the students were crying or had been crying. But he noticed a look of glee on the faces of a few students. There were also a few apathetic stares. Those with apathetic stares scared him the most. They're the unpredictable ones. Parsons pulled the piece of paper out of the bowl. "The first person leaving the school will be Boy #24. That'd be you, Mr. Mulindi.

Charles Mulindi felt all eyes turn on him. His legs felt like they were being weighed down by cement. He couldn't force himself to move. Charles felt like he was going to be sick. He had heard about The Program at a young age (like most kids had) and knew that he would be safe in Kenya. However, his father's job had forced him to move to the United States where he knew he was at risk. Charles never really bothered worrying about it though, the odds of being chosen were not likely.

These people aren't my friends. They're going to kill me. Charles gulped as these thoughts ran through his mind. He slowly made his way to the front and grabbed a pack. He then sprinted out the door and into the unknown.

48 Students Remaining

Boys:

1. Barrett Seale

2. Jarrod Fraumeni

3. Tiger Hembrow

4. Linden Biscay

5. Darren Tabor

6. Ramsey Awad

7. Dale Eccles

8. Gustavo Hickson

9. Jack Paden

10. Lee Gauron

11. Caydon Qian

12. Oliver Haque

13. Carter Koenig

14. Perry Singel

15. Bastian Rakkhit

16. Milo Gibbon

17. Jed Moore

18. Emilio Cammelli

19. Shadrach Smith

20. Horatio Washington

21. Red Tosteson

22. Cam Perez

23. Alvin McCalsin

24. Charles Mulindi

25. Armando Stepler

Girls

1. Elysia Harder

2. Saphira De costa

3. Brooke Hiney

4. Shamira Cotton

5. Ethel Greene

6. Jeanine Scimone

7. Rosanna Morani

8. Lynette Cascella

9. Nigella Smith

10. Tula Chancler

11. Sara Johnson

12. Tiara Walker

13. Mina Tsai

14. Olivia Hume

15. Arianna Johnson

16. Griselda Jones

17. Shayna Sull

18. Lindsay Soccorso

19. Itzel Janik

20. Kalia Dorey

21. Missy Kressin

22. Roberta Hernandez

23. Bernice Hope

24. Sheila Gualtieri

25. Kasey Caputo