Chapter Five: The Girl Arrives.
'I believed what I was told. I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found something that changed it all...'
And the meek shall inherit the earth...
Rush, 2112
GZ POV
Girl Zero dropped to the ground, pack in hand. She surveyed the area she had been dropped into, taking in every detail. She was ready for anything; she was ready for everything. She had spent years undergoing training Sims just to prepare for this moment. For her Battle Royale. She took in a breath of air, smiling. Her new emotion sensors detected that the fresh oxygen was pleasurable. It had been a LONG time since she had been outside the facility. In fact, the last time she had been outside, she was a normal, un-advanced girl. Unable to fully experience the full range of temperatures. Unable to fully appreciate the feeling of breeze on her skin.
Girl Zero had few memories of her fully human life as Brooklyn; the privileged daughter of Annabeth Greenwalt, the director of the American branch of the Battle Royale. She was only allowed to keep the most necessary experiences; learning how to read, how to ride a bike, and of course, her training. But she did know that it was a hazy life; not clear as life with her altered senses was. She definitely did not miss it.
She brushed her long dark hair out of her eyes, and if she could have, she would have wondered why her technicians kept her hair in the first place. They had altered her to be completely practical in every other way. New waterproof skin to protect against the elements. Night vision lenses inserted behind her eyes. A microchip so that she could easily communicate with The Teacher. So why would they; in a bow to fashion, allow her to keep her long, easily tangled hair? All it did was get in the way. But her reprogramming didn't allow her to question; to wonder. She was programmed to listen; and to kill.
Her head swung around, her eyes locking on to a small movement just beyond the trees. She took her handgun out of its holster, clicking off the safety in one smooth motion. Involuntarily, a thin, heat lens slid over her right eye, allowing her to identify any warm bodied creature in a half mile radius.
There.
Sure enough, a curvaceous brunette sat huddled under a bush, biting her fist in an effort to stop her sobs from escaping. Girl Zero recognized her as Girl One, Heather White. A quick description of the girl flashed before her eyes, telling her that Heather was physically weak and that she had a low endurance level. But she didn't want to fight Heather White. Quicker than anything completely human being could, she aimed and pulled the trigger, letting off a shower of bullets into the girl's head before she even had the chance to look up. It was wasteful, she knew; but Girl Zero knew she didn't really need those bullets. She could cause damage in other ways, ways that were even more pleasurable. She smiled at the thought.
Warning: Bullets low. Warning: Bullets low.
If Girl Zero could have felt annoyance toward her warning system, she would have. But she wasn't programmed to get annoyed. So instead she pulled out her GPS; and asked for the locations of any students with guns.
Three students Located. Girl Fourteen, Riley Kramer. Located 1.2 miles west. Boy Six, James Calvin. Located 1.2 miles west. Boy Thirteen, Daichi Kobayashi. Located .5 Miles North.
Girl Zero faltered. The name Kobayashi sounded hauntingly familiar. It almost felt like family. But then, Girl Zero didn't remember what family was.
She set off in pursuit of Boy Thirteen, sending her straight past two students hidden in the trees.
Dave POV
"Holy mother of Doritos, what the FUCK was that?" David Marcoccia whispered, watching in abject terror as he watched the terrifying girl stalk off. He glanced over at his mute friend Hanna, who had her hand over her mouth, eyes full with tears. She was shaking slightly, her pale blue eyes fixed on the spot where Heather laid, blood creating a halo around her head.
Dave stopped, falling silent as he watched his stoic friend break down at the death of a girl who had never shown her a thing but cruelty. He didn't know what to do; Hanna was the one who comforted him in his weaker moments, not the other way around. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again, looking away from the uncomfortable scene. Then, all of a sudden, he felt a hand grasp his own, and he glanced over to see Hanna griping his hand, her strangely light eyes boring into his own. He smiled at her weakly, and she scooted a little closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she cried. Dave froze, unsure of how to react to her sudden closeness. Eventually, he relaxed, laying his head on top of hers, as they both fell into a troubled sleep.
Ada POV
Ada rolled her eyes as she watched the tiny mixed girl leap into her boyfriend's arms; the two of them kissing passionately. They were really ridiculous; their reunion overdone and fake. In a few years they would hate each other, fighting over every last thing until they were forced to break up. She didn't allow herself to stop and think that neither of them would make it to see next week, let alone next year. She walked up the steps to the large warehouse that was apparently the 'American Camp' nudging the front door open slowly. She wasn't at all sure that she should be here. Because although they couldn't hurt her now, she was sure that once they were down to ten that they would turn her into Swiss cheese upon sight. She slipped in quietly, glad that most of the students had their backs turned, warming their hands in front of a cast iron stove. She could make out the forms of Jackson and Harley, huddled up on a bed together and conversing with a tall blonde girl that she recognized as one of the transfers. By the stove stood Kennedy Lipton and her group of 'preps' James and a tall, blonde boy whose name escaped her. The brainless brunette they usually hung out with, Feather something or another, was not present. And in the very back, by herself, was Charlie.
Ada repressed the urge to run to her, to press her lips into hers like they had done so many times before. But she stopped herself, Charlie and she had not parted on good terms.
At that very moment, the angry punk girl turned around to face her, her icy eyes assessing her coolly. It wasn't anything like the looks Ada was used to getting from her long-time girlfriend, cold instead of warm and passionate. It hurt her, but she didn't show it, breaking eye contact and making her way over to Harley and Jackson, who she thought would be the least likely to send her away.
"So," She said plopping down in front of them, "There any grub around here?"
She was met by the silent stares, and she wasn't surprised. It was probably the first semi-friendly thing she had ever said to them. Jackson eyed her warily as he passed her a can of cold peaches. She gave him a small smile, and greedily slurped the rest of them down; she was starving. She was aware of their eyes on her as she set the can down.
"Thanks," she mumbled, getting up and making her way across the room.
The warehouse was set up like a large studio apartment, a kitchen on one end, followed by what looked like a storage area, followed by a few rows of small twin beds. She set her bag down on one of them, wondering why the Teachers had given them such a nice place to die. She shook the thought off, leaning back on the bed to think.
Almost unconsciously, her eyes wandered over to Charlie, who was sitting as close as she could to the stove without being noticed by Kennedy and them. Now that she thought no one was watching her, her eyes were wide and scared, traveling around the room nervously. A few nasty bruises were forming on her face and limbs, and Ada couldn't tell whether they were from falling or fighting. She again fought the urge to go over to her, to assess and treat her wounds. The urge to wrap her arms around hers. It created an empty ache in the pit of her stomach, and she turned her head away, staring at the blank white wall. Why did she have to have gotten involved with that dumb prep school boy? He had meant nothing to her, an empty, brainless, fuck. Nothing like what she had with Charlie. But she had been so angry, so shocked that Charlie could have betrayed her in the way that she did. That she-
"Hey. Ada. Can we… Talk?"
She rolled over, hope rising in her chest. But it wasn't Charlie perched on the edge of the bed.
"What?" She asked, rolling back over, ignoring Vincent's presence.
"Listen, don't take this as an 'I want to be friends with you', or anything, but thank you. You saved Zoe's life back there, and that l owe you for. So, if you ever really need anything, just ask, ta?"
She grunted in reply, tears in her eyes.
"Yeah. Sure. Whatever. 'Ta'"
She gritted her eyes closed as he got off the bed. He had gotten her hopes up, for a moment she had thought he was Charlie. Her sweet Charlie.
She made herself promise not to get her hopes up again.
Harley POV
Harley didn't understand what Jackson's problem was, as he got up off the bed, his face redder than a beet. She had never known him to be as judgmental as he was being towards Riley. She looked up at the pretty blonde, her face red.
"Listen, I'm sorry about him. I don't know what his problem is."
Riley looked down at the bed.
"His 'problem' is me. And I should be YOU'RE problem too. I've killed people, Harley. And not just that girl in the woods. I had to kill to win."
Harley shook her head, placing an arm on the soft skin of her shoulder,
"No, you killed to survive. Because you had to. I don't think you're a bad person, Riley."
Harley thought she saw a flash of what looked like amusement in the girl's eyes, but she shrugged it off.
"I mean it."
Riley looked up, her blue eyes meeting Harley's green.
"Thank you."
The girls were interrupted by the screeching of what sounded like a microphone. Everyone ran to the window, to see a large loudspeaker perched outside. After some crackling, they all heard their principal's familiar voice.
"Good Afternoon, students. It is currently five o'clock on day one, and time for the daily casualty report. We will read out the names of your fallen classmates in order of time of death."
There was a pause, and Harley grasped her new friend's hand. PLEASE let it not be Hanna, she thought, or Dave.
"Richie Williams."
She heard a small sob, and turned around to see Zion Little put a hand over his mouth.
"Chikifuji Mana"
Harley didn't see the small smile that lit Riley's face.
"Nozaki Hiraga."
No one responded.
"Oono Tomomi"
"Tanada Fumio"
"Heather White"
Kennedy screamed, burying her head into James' chest, her sobs filling the room.
"And finally, Taketo Yeshimoto. Now, what some of you may not know, is that Mr. Yeshimoto died killing our esteemed teacher, Setsuko Okagwa."
Kennedy stopped crying, and the room was silent.
"Obviously, we had to find a way to punish this heinous crime. We have sent in a Forty-first girl to… Even the playing field for you all. We hope you all enjoy her. You have four days left. Good luck."
The speaker fizzled out.
A/N: EEEEEEEEEE! What do you all think? Anyone ship RileyHarley? Or do you think she's leading her on for her own dark purposes? (Dun, Dun, Duhhhhh) And what about Girl Zero? When will she attack next? And will Charlie forgive Ada? Review with what you think!
Italics= dead
*=died during prologue
Girl Zero: No Name (Searching for Daichi Kobayashi)
Boy One: Kevin Finch (Lost in the woods looking for the American Camp.)
Girl One: Heather White (Shot multiple times by Girl Zero.)
Boy Two: Julian Cole (At the American Camp)
Girl Two: Zoe Baxter (At the American Camp)
Boy Three: Tadaharu Ito (Hiding near lake)
Girl Three: Hanna Everett (Sleeping in a tree with David Marcoccia)
Boy Four: Vincent Shields (At the American Camp)
Girl Four: Amayo Akemi (At the Japanese Camp)
Boy Five: Marcus Blackwell (By the lake, searching for Ayumi Sato)
Girl Five: Yoshiko Akemi At Japanese Camp)
Boy Six: James Calvin (At the American Camp)
Girl Six: Charlene Further (At the American Camp)
Boy Seven: David Marcoccia (Hiding in a tree with Hanna Everett)
Girl Seven: Ayano Maruyama (At Japanese Camp)
Boy Eight: Kaoru Taminaka (At Japanese Camp)
Girl Eight: Tomomi Oono (Fell off a cliff during fight with Marcus Blackwell)
Boy Nine: Benjirou Daichi (Hiding in woods with Akihiro Settae)
Girl Nine: Maiko Ando (At Japanese Camp)
Boy Ten: Fumio Tanada (Jumped off a cliff after Tomomi Oono)
Girl Ten: Minori Yoshido (At Japanese Camp)
Boy Eleven: Akihiro Settae (Hiding in woods with Benjiro Daichi)
Girl Eleven:Keiko Nishimura (At Japanese Camp)
Boy Twelve: Zion Little (Hiding in the woods by the lake.)
Girl Twelve: Kennedy Lipton (At the American Camp.)
Boy Thirteen: Daichi Kobayashi (Hiding close to the Japanese Camp)
Girl Thirteen: Yoshiko Akemi (At Japanese Camp)
Boy Fourteen: Jotaro Nozaki (At the Japanese Camp)
Girl Fourteen: Riley Kramer (At the American Camp.)
Boy Fifteen: Hiraga Nozaki (shot with arrows by Adelaide Angelus)
Girl Fifteen: Harley Alexander (At the American Camp)
Boy Sixteen: Richie Williams (gunned down by Yoshiko Akemi)
Girl Sixteen: Mana Chikifuji (shot and stabbed by Riley Kramer)
Boy Seventeen: Ito Settae* (exploded by Setsuko Ogawa)
Girl Seventeen: Adelaide Angelus (At the American Camp)
Boy Eighteen: Zion Little (At the American Camp)
Girl Eighteen: Zara Mckenzie* (shot down by soldiers)
Boy Eighteen: Jackson Riddleston (At the American Camp.)
Boy Nineteen: Harrison McBride* (Shot down by soldiers)
Girl Nineteen: Ayumi Sato (At the lake, looking for Marcus Blackwell)
Boy Twenty: Taketo Yeshimoto (Shot down by soldiers)
Girl Twenty: Mariko Sato (At the Japanese Camp)