CHAPTER TWO:
The smell of copper filled my nostrils, causing me to wake up curiously. I moved my feet to get out of bed but felt something damp near my feet. I flung my covers on the ground and groaned. That cut from that bug? Yeah I had completely forgotten about it and all the blood had stained my sheets, and probably my mattress too.
I stood up quickly and regretted it; I was dizzy from the small blood loss. When my vision stopped being hazy I looked at the clock. Yes! I had an hour to clean myself up. It was only 7 and we didn't need to be up until 8.
I stripped my bed of its sheets and soundlessly opened the door, so I wouldn't wake Margret.
I had just closed the door when the pain hit me. Sucking in a pained breath I figured I'd have to limp. As I limped through the empty hallway I realized today was probably not going to be a good day. How was I going to get through the trials with a hurt foot?
Throwing my dirty sheets in the bucket in front of the bathroom, I hopped over to a faucet and laid my leg on the sink. At first the cold water made me wince, but soon enough my cut was looking good as new.
As I was applying a bandage, someone walked in the bathroom.
"Whoa…what happened?"
I turned around and laughed when I saw my friend Brooke.
"I stepped on a metal bug in the shower, it was the weirdest thing," I informed her.
Brooke has long, curly brown hair and sass that could put any high school mean girl to shame. She also has a twin brother name Brett. The only reason you can tell them apart is that they are different genders.
"Do you think it escaped from the trials? I heard they actually made iron fey this year," Brooke thought aloud.
I shuddered, iron fey were more like humans than normal fey, but they were still just as dangerous, if not more so.
"I don't know maybe, I've never heard of any of their inventions escaping though," I said.
I lifted my bandaged foot off the counter, satisfied with my work.
"Why are you up so early?" I asked as I washed my hands.
Brooke shrugged; she never really had a reason for doing anything.
It was silent for a second and I could faintly hear people in the hallway, shuffling out of their rooms to face the day.
"Well I better get going," I stated," see you later!"
We did our secret handshake that we've had since we were ten, and I left the bathroom, my foot only slowing me down a little. I yawned as I opened the door to my room. Margret, as usual, was half asleep as she got out the standard clothes for the trials.
"Hey sleepyhead," I laughed.
She threw a pillow at me but my reflexes were on alert today and I caught it. The clock read 7:45 and I knew we had to get a move on. I jumped over a pile of junk, ignoring the pain in my foot as landed on it, opening the bottom drawer on my dresser that held trial clothes from all way back to when I was 8.
Before putting on the black unitard, it was made of all black stretchy, mesh like material; I slathered lotion on my body. The body suit went from my neck to my toes and last year I had gotten this huge rash that wouldn't go away for a week.
Never again.
Margret opened our mini fridge and took out two bottles of purple, glittering liquid, throwing one to me. I drank it and closed my eyes in bliss. The affects quickly wore off and I threw the bottle in the trash. Once a week we had to drink this glittering liquid. It, in a way, strengthens all of our senses and expanded our life span every time we drank it.
So we were basically immortal; if we didn't get killed.
I got on the ground and did a few routine pushups and crunches, to warm up my muscles.
"ok," Margret said, tying her hair in a ponytail," you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be" I sighed.
We walked out of our room and I put our key under the mat after I locked the door.
Margret was assigned to take the test first, and since I had to go through the maze first, we went our separate ways.
I walked over to a man I reconigized, but never remembered his name, and he me a piece of paper attached to a clip board. He showed me an empty seat and I sat down, eyeing the paper with a small smile. I could fill this form out with my eyes closed.
Name: Ellie may Jensen
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 120 lbs
Date of birth…
Yada yada yada.
I jumped up when I was finished, ready to get the show on the road.
I had just handed in my form when someone called my name.
"Hey Brett." I smiled.
He came up along side of me and we started to walk to the elevator that would take us to the trials.
Brett had brown hair and green eyes like Brooke. He had a nose ring that everyone was bugging him about to get removed; something could get caught very easily.
"You ready to kick some fake fey butt?" He grinned.
I snorted, when was I not ready?
"I'm just a little worried about the maze portion," I admitted.
Now it was Brett's turn to snort.
"That's the easiest part! If you're smart enough." He teased.
I punched him in the arm but I had to crack a smile.
We reached the large silver elevators that never seemed to get rusty even though they had been around for centuries.
"Ladies first," Brett said.
I stepped onto the familiar elevator with a sigh. We had to go down one by one. I waved as the doors closed and I was alone. The trials always make me nervous, though I'd never admit it. I knew it wasn't real….but sometimes it really felt like it.
The elevator screeched to a half and I stepped on the metal floor. I came into 'the waiting room' you could call it. There were a bunch of identical chairs facing a clear window.
Inside was where the trials were held. Each age division had a different task and right now it was my divisions turn. Even though I'm 15, I was put into the 16 age category, because they thought I was that good.
And today my abilities were being put to the test.
I took the next available seat in the second row next to a girl named Sarah. She gave me a small smile, which I returned.
The remaining people in front of me began to disappear until it was only me and Sarah left. No one had come in after me and I wondered if Brett was already gone, since the boys and girls were separated.
Sarah's name was called and I wished her good luck as she walked away.
"And then there was one…" I muttered to myself.
What felt like only a moment later my name was called over the intercom.
"Ellie Jensen."
It almost sounded like a question.
I rose from my seat and pushed open the two double doors, although they seemed to open without me touching them. I adjusted my body suit; all of a sudden it had become itchy.
At the end of the hallway a women in a bright colored business suit was waiting for me.
She reminded me of Effie from the hunger games.
"You ready?" She asked excitedly.
I nodded. Ready was only one way to describe what I was feeling.
She gripped my shoulder," Good luck!"
I walked through the open door and into the trials. There were 2 parts. An endurance portion and a written test.
I took my first step into the maze. I had picked up the few weapons they had given us on our way in. I tucked the hunting knife into my belt and carried the bow and arrow in front of me.
The maze was a series of tall hedges, paths going in all directions, the leaves and branches constantly moving.
I heard a faint snicker towards the right path so I went left. A cool wind hit my exposed skin and I shivered. I heard birds chirp and creatures running but I knew they weren't real. I always made myself think it was real though, otherwise I wouldn't take it as seriously.
A ruffling in the bushes caught my attention and before I knew it something was lunging at me.
I flung myself to the side in the nik of time. It was an iron fey. It looked like a larger version of the bug I had stepped on in the shower. It was still small, but deadly. And it could fly.
The bug flew at me at lightning speeds and I flung my knife at me, grinned when I heard metal against metal. The bug faltered a little and soon fell to the ground when I threw a rock at it. I stepped on it a few times before running away in case it was still alive. I was a little shaken from the attack, knowing that there was much worse out there. I kept myself going with the thought that I had won the first battle.
The trees seemed to whisper to me and the branches were reaching out to me, as if to grab me. I tripped over a lazy snake, kicking it out of my way.
The next obstacle didn't even bother with the element of surprise.
I was splashing water on my face when a face erupted from the waves. I leapt back, my bow armed a moment later.
A siren.
She had turquoise hair that probably went to her toes, excuse me, tail. Her eyes were as back as a starless night and her teeth weren't as pointy as I expected. She wore two oyster shells as a bra and she looked at me curiously.
"I'm Claire, want to be friends?" She spoke.
Her words sounded more like a song than anything. I felt a tugging at the back of my mind, pondering on how nice the water looked. I knew that the more she spoke, the more I would want to go into the water.
This was exactly what she wanted.
"I have all the friends I need." I replied.
Then my arrow plunged into her chest.