Chapter 2

The thoughts of the boy faded away quickly, as they usually do. I was distracted by Cinder's squealing and her silver nails digging into my hand as we walked alongside the others to our room. Teenagers and Elite wannabes swarmed us, crowded us, pressing closer and closer. I closed my eyes, letting Cinder lead me through this neverending current. I could feel them. Choking me.

I couldn't breathe.

Couldn't see.

Their voices faded away to a dull throbbing in the back of my head and I fought I fought I fought but it kept coming and I saw her

Standing there

Petrified

Watching

Watching as they approached

Though there was no weapon, no rope, nothing to hold her down

They expected her to die with honor and dignity

Like she died for a purpose

And she walked

Into the water

Into death

And

she

didn't

come

back

up.

"Lilly? Lilly!" Someone's hand touched my face, my clammy skin, and I was thrust back into reality. Somehow, I had ended up on the side wall, panting and pressed against the tile. Cinder and Holly were next to me, concern painted in their eyes.

"Are you okay?" Holly asked, reaching for my hand. I moved it behind me, nodding and gasping for breath. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone slink away into another corridor.

A Watcher.

The person who monitors the students. Watching. Looking for any sign of weakness. Oh, God no… Not when I've come this far…

"I don't… like closed spaces," I lied, blinking rapidly. The image of the murky water lapping against the shore floated across my vision and I mentally slapped it away. "Not a big fan of them." Holly and Cinder nodded, understanding.

"Totally," Cinder gushed, placing one palm on her forehead. "God, I am terrified of spiders. If I ever see one, just a little bitty one, I'll pass out."

"I hate needles," Holly confessed, and we started walking again. "One time I was at the Nurse's and I had to get a shot, and I was screaming so much a Soldier literally came into the room and checked to make sure the Nurse wasn't torturing me. Or something. Right then and there, I was sure I was gonna get killed after Finals." Cinder laughed, and I faked a knowing smile. I wanted to scream out my fear.

My phobia.

Just tell them you don't like water, the angel on my right shoulder chided. It won't be so bad. They'll help you get over it. It'll be fine.

I wouldn't, the devil nestled on the left side of my neck contradicted. They already think you don't like closed spaces, which you don't anyway, so it'll be fine.

Sorry angel, I thought glumly. Like always, I go with the devil side.

Dang it.

Yes!

Our dorm mates were waiting for us at the door. A brownish red haired boy was jiggling the doorknob, trying to break in.

"Foxleap, just let us get out the key," Dovewing sighed, leaning against the wall. "Seriously." The boy looked up, an impish grin plastered on his face.

"No way, dovey-lovey. No way. I got this." He glanced at me like he just noticed I arrived, and his grin widened. "I wanna be a hacker for the Capital after I get past Elite," He said to me in a stage whisper. "This is practice." I gave him a sarcastic smile and nodded enthusiastically, my eyes wide.

"Yeah. Okay. You do that."

In truth, I really needed to get inside. My head was still spinning and I needed to sit, but if I knew anything, sitting against the wall wouldn't be a very good idea. A few moments later, Foxleap jumped upwards, yelling triumphantly. The door swung open and we all piled in.

When we walked the first three steps up to the main platform, I sucked in my breath and dropped my bags at my feet.

The room (more like elaborate penthouse) was larger than any other rooms I've had before. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the far wall. Two glass doors guarded a large balcony/terrace with chairs, couches, a fire pit, and a small pool.

I averted my gaze from the clear blue water.

The floor was white marble with gray, jagged streaks jutting through it. In the center of the floor was a white, square rug with multiple couches and chairs on it. A glass coffee table lay in the center with a bowl of fruits and snacks. Off to the side was a large, modern kitchen with three rustic lightbulbs hanging over an island with stools around it. Marble counters wrapped around the space, complete with silver appliances and a built in water dispenser on the fridge door. On the other corner across from the Kitchen was a large glass table, for in-dorm dining. I guess they expected us to be studying and training while we ate.

Which is probably what I will do.

(As you can tell, human interaction isn't my thing.)

On the wall next to us were an electric fireplace I guess and a huge flat-screen TV above it. Then on the left side of the Penthouse was a black, spiral staircase that led to another floor.

Another floor.

Instantly, we all ran towards it. Cindy was first, then me, then a couple boys. Dovewing was last. When we got to the next floor, the boys split up to their bedrooms and bathrooms and the girls went to theirs. When we opened the door, it received a bigger reaction than the main floor itself.

The bedroom was huge.

The floor, like the floor below us, was white marble, except it was a solid white. A blue carpet with a white couch and three white chairs. Again, a glass coffee table was in the middle. Off to the side, there were three bunk beds… except there was only one wide bed on the top. The bottom was an open area with a white counter that served as a desk with drawers and shelves. On the end of the bed, there was a bookshelf and a storage compartment, again, built into the bed. There was a long corkboard on the side. On the other wall, near the door, was another door. I assumed that led to the bathroom.

Again, on one wall there were floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was… indescribable. Rolling mountains like pillows on a bed dotted the land below, full of lush, green trees and cliffs and lakes and it was just beautiful. The forests and the mountains went on and on until they were just dots on the horizon. Then I looked to my left. There, a spiraling white staircase led up to a loft with more beds. I was the first to step foot on the loft and the first to claim a bed.

The beds were like the beds on the floor below me, with an incomplete bunk bed and desks and storage areas and dressers. The comforter was light blue with some white and light green designs. The windows stretched all the way to the corner, so every time I woke I would be bathed in the morning light. I began unpacking immediately as Icecloud, Honeyleaf, and Cindy took spots next to me.

When I was finished, the sun was setting, so I climbed down the loft and back onto the main floor. Several of my dormmates were hanging out in the Living Room area, watching cartoons and laughing. I plopped down next to Honeyleaf and watched as some old character, a cat named Gumball, hung out with his best friend, a fish named Darwin.

"Are we going down to the Cafe to eat?" I asked Honeyleaf, hoping for her to say no. She did.

"Nah. There was an announcement a few minutes ago; they want us to like, get to know each other." Dovewing, who was sitting next to her, giggled.

"Uh-huh. Right."

I rolled my eyes and continued to watch.

After a couple minutes, two guys sat down next to me on the floor. One, the guy named Foxleap, subtly leaned against my legs and I annoyingly shoved him away. He laughed and turned around to face me, as did the other guy, Lionblaze.

"Foxleap," He said, holding out his hand. I tentatively went to shake it when something burst out at me and I jumped backward, surprised. A miniature, plastic snake had popped out of his sleeve and shrieked. Or maybe I shrieked. Foxleap laughed again and handed me a candy bar. "Here," He offered. "No tricks. Just a treat." I shot him a small, grateful smile and took it, biting into the soft deliciousness.

"What even is this show, anyways?" A guy complained. I recognized him as one of the Doctor interns, Jay, Holly and Leo's brother. "TV, show us the latest War footage." Instantly, the screen disappeared and reappeared with a different image. A different video. Stats and death rates scrolled down the screen on the right-hand side and we all watched in silence as Venice was bombed down to a collapsed shell of a city. We watched as women and children and crippled people were shot down in Germany and Russia and Iraq and Brazil, all because they weren't strong enough. If you were a man, and if you could run and shoot a gun, you would be sent to the frontlines. Jay listened to the shouts and pow pow pow and the ploom ploom BOOM of the bombs with a tilt of his head before he finally said, "TV, shut off." It did.

Foxleap was the first to stand.

"I'm hungry. Can anyone cook? I'm in the mood for hamburgers… and maybe a slice of cake."

Dovewing and I cooked with the food in the fridge and pantry - she made a miniature cake for Foxleap and I made the 20 hamburgers in case anyone wanted extra.

"I say we all get acquainted," Foxleap announced, digging into his first of three burgers. "My name is Foxleap. I'm a Level 10 and I will be THE FIRST - well, actually not the first… I'm gonna be a Hacker for the Capital." Icecloud rolled her eyes and took a bite out of his chocolate cake.

"Excuse my brother," She groaned, putting her fork down. "I'm Icecloud."

"Bumblestripe."

"Jayfeather."

"Birchfall."

"Cinderheart."

"Honeyleaf."

"Ivypool."

"Lionblaze."

"Hollyleaf."

"Dovewing."

"Mousewhisker."

"Foxleap again!"

I had been so intent on chewing my burger that I did not realize that the line had come down to me. Foxleap was sitting next to me, grinning, his eyes twinkling. I swallowed my bite and blushed.

"Sorry, was I supposed to talk? I'm Lilyfrost. Call my Lilly." The kid named Mousewhisker frowned.

"Lilyfrost? I don't know a Lilyfrost. Were you in our Level last year? I knew that there was a Lilyheart in like, the generation before us. Don't know who she is." My heart pounding inside my chest, my throat, my head, I shrugged and looked away.

"I dunno. My sister and I were in the generation I guess. I got moved up 'cause I was… qualified. She didn't."

"Did they say you could visit her?" Lionblaze asked, chewing. "Like, that would suck if I moved up and Jay stayed behind." His brother shoved him. Holly gave me an anxious look and I gave her a slight shake of the head.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Dovewing suddenly blurted, and my head shot towards her. The little brat raised an eyebrow. "Your sister. She's dead, right? And then you did something… and you got moved up. Am I right?" I swallowed. Hard. Dovewing smirked. Suddenly, both Cinderheart and Honeyleaf got up and hugged me. When they pulled away I looked at them quizzingly. They shared a knowing look.

"Our little brother died when he was a paw," Cindy confessed, massaging the back of her neck. "Yeah. He wasn't strong enough, and he got sick, and…"

"How'd she die?" Birchfall asked once Cindy and Honeyleaf had sat down. "Your sister. How'd she die? And like, why?" Holly punched him in the shoulder. I set my burger down and looked at my plate, trying to hold back the tears.

"She failed her swimming test. They drowned her. Well actually… you know how they do it, don't you?" Everyone shook their heads. A lump formed in my throat and my head grew hot. "So you don't. I had to watch. I had to watch every single murder because… the Soldiers don't kill them. Machines don't kill them. No one kills them. They do it themselves."

"What do you mean?" Icecloud asked softly. Foxleap hasn't said a word since I began talking. I cocked my head.

"They… they don't exactly kill themselves. They have to do it. But the Soldiers don't really do anything. The person himself or herself has to pull the trigger. Has to… refuse to come out of the water. The Soldiers, the teachers, the Guards, they expect us that we think we die for a reason. But…"

"Then what did you do?" Dovewing blinked, folding her arms against her chest. "You're younger than us. You said it yourself, you moved up a Level. What did you do?"

"Dove, that's enough," Her sister, Ivypool snapped. "Shut up."

"I killed someone," I answered suddenly, standing up. Everyone froze. "I killed someone. They told me what I had to do, and I didn't have to. I didn't have to. I didn't have to. But I killed someone." And with that, I walked away and out onto the balcony, breathing in the fresh, cool air of the North.