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Cries were heard throughout the hallways of the middle school. There were either cries or cheers of joy or cries of despair no in-between. Though he could tell that the cries of despair were a bit more than the cries of joy. Alfred figured the results were significant, but he wasn’t feeling it. Maybe the fact that he passed the test didn’t hit him or that no one acknowledged him as a course 2 student. His cousin came over to him. “I see that you passed the big exam. I am impressed”, said Matthew. Alfred felt a warmth that began to bubble in his chest, and a hint of a smile slowly graced his lips. “It is pretty rare for a course 2 student to pass the test.” The smile growing on Alfred’s face fell, and Matthew failed to notice. It’s not like Mathew would notice anything that didn’t concern him, Alfred thought. It was average Course 1 student behavior. “We should get going now, I have to tell my parents that I passed,” Mathew said. He walked towards the entrance of the middle school with pride. Alfred followed after.
“We are all so proud of you, Mathew!”, Mathew’s mother exclaimed. Alfred’s parents and Mathew’s parents surrounded Mathew, congratulating him and telling him the I-knew-you-could-do-its and other things along the lines of that. Alfred stopped trying to get someone’s attention a long time ago. He was always the second priority when it came to his cousin, who was the ‘gifted’ child. Alfred quietly went up to his room where it was only him and his musings. There he thought about how he felt about the test and his scores. He was supposed to feel happy that he passed. If his parents saw him like this, they would have probably scolded him. Most likely saying anything along the lines of, “You should be grateful to a course 2 student like you even passed the test!” Though that was only if they even noticed he passed. Alfred sighed. It was disheartening to always be compared to someone ‘smarter’ than you. He was used to the feeling, he doesn’t remember the last time he wasn’t compared to a higher level. It was ironic to him that the person he was compared to so much was the only person who gave him the bare minimum of interaction. He grabbed the journal hidden between his desk and the wall. He opened the journal, but he didn’t read or write anything. The pity party that was his thoughts still had some guests. His introspection moved to society itself. He thought about how your capabilities were decided by a test at the age of six and how it dictated the expectations of a person for the rest of their lives. People like him were always being compared to the ‘gifted’ and how they should be like them. Never would their talents be acknowledged. He went to sleep, but not before hiding his journal. God forbid his parents find out about his most beloved possession.
The next few days were a blur for both Mathew and Alfred. They were part of the 200 students who passed the exam in their district and the top 40 students who passed the exam in the school. The day that the passed students would be addressed is slowly approaching. Alfred was full of anxiety as the day finally came. Mathew was filled with Anxiety instead. The top 40 students were called to the auditorium. As always, the course 2 students were separated by the course 1 student. The course 2 students sat down quietly and never spoke a word. For them, it was better to be quiet. None of the course 2 students wanted to be compared to the course students. The course 1 student walked into the room. Their loud conversations turned into hushed whispers. The volume change could be that they were waiting for the assembly to start.
No, the students didn’t lower their voices due to being respectful. The volume lowered due to the fact that so many course 2 students passed the test. The speaker of the assembly went up on stage. The course 2 students noticed him, but the course 1 students continued to gossip. The speaker tried to signal the attention of the course 1 students, but they continued to talk. “I’ll wait,” the speaker said. The course 2 students are supposed to strive to be course 1 students, yet they act like entitled snobs, Alfred thought. The course 1 students eventually quieted down and the speaker began to introduce himself. “Hello my name is Viktor Braginsky and I am here to speak about the next big step in your lives. The first thing I will cover is the next event you must partake in. None of your teachers have disclosed this event.” The suspense is killing me, Alfred thought. Why can’t this guy get on with the event? “The event is none other than a game, and before you say anything. This isn’t your average game. It is a game to lower the number of people at the top. Only a few of the people here will be able to win this game, so I suggest that you choose your allies wisely. Your actions will have consequences.” Braginsky said. The auditorium erupted into whispers on both sides. Few heard Braginsky’s warning and even fewer chose to head it. He cleared his throat in front of the microphone and everyone quieted down. “The rules go as such, you have 2 weeks to prepare for the game. It is important to be prepared. This could be dangerous.” Braginsky explained. He explained more about the logistics of the event. Alfred felt that Braginsky was acting weird. Every now and then he would hint at something peculiar while he was presenting. He was more concerned about what the games could be. Soon the school day was over and all candidates went home and began to prepare for the event. A handbook was handed out to all candidates.
Alfred and Mathew went home. Mathew didn’t prepare for the event much. He had confidence in his abilities. He was naturally athletic and he was a course 1 student. Alfred took the time to prepare. He decided to go through his journal and train his body for the event. The handbook listed too many dangers for the game to be simple. The handbook went over the rules and restrictions of the game. It went over some of the things that Braginsky went over and more. The introduction of the handbook summarized what the game was. The game was a simple game of hide and seek with 40 players and one Seeker. There would only be one Seeker throughout the whole duration of the game, which is a week. After the introduction were the rules. The rules stated that candidates would get a day's headstart to hide around the site. Then the Seeker would be released into the site. Students could use anything on the site and do whatever they needed to do to win. If the Seeker ever catches one of the students then their spot and education would be terminated. At this point, the majority of the students reading the handbook would stop. Alfred was not part of the majority, Mathew was. He read the handbook and planned accordingly. Alfred thought it was stupid to let a bunch of hormonal 15-year-olds do whatever they wanted. It would help him in the end, so he cared less about that.
The day of the exam arrived and the candidates went to the site of the game. The site was a large place that simulated a forest, a neighborhood, and a city. There are many hiding spots and the school is rich. He never got to experience the luxury of being in the school since he is a course 2 student. My best bet is to go to a place with a small number of people, Alfred thought. Staying around with a lot of people will get me caught quicker. I should also gather food and water and find a way to carry them with me without wasting energy. It is better to gather resources while there is still peace. Then I should find a hiding spot. Alfred carried out his plans. He first tried to find a travel bag to store food and water that could last him two and a half weeks by himself and 1 and a half weeks with two people. It never hurts to be prepared. He gathered bottled water and non-perishables. He then took out the map of the site. The city was the closest to the entrance, so the Seeker would go there first. After that was a suburban neighborhood. Alfred decided not to hide there because when the Seeker goes to the city, the candidates would run into the neighborhood. The best hiding spot would be in the forest then. It was a good thing I went through a nature phase back when I was younger. Alfred’s thoughts got caught off when he bumped into someone. He was quick to apologize to the person when he realized that it was his cousin. “Why do you have a bag with you?” asked Mathew. “I just like being prepared”, Alfred answered. Mathew failed to notice how Alfred's voice was a little cold towards him. “You don’t need to do all that stuff, just hide in the city. It’s comfortable and there are many hiding spots”, said Mathew. “The city is a great place to hide until a stampede comes because the Seeker enters the city,” Alfred retorted. “You do you”, Mathew said nonchalantly. “You do have a point about the stampede part. I’ll stay with you for now and then I’ll leave.” Alfred reluctantly agreed. The two cousins began to walk near the entrance of the city. “So, where are you going?” Mathew tried to break the silence between them. “I’m trying to get to the part of the neighborhood that is close to the forest,” Alfred answered him. Mathew tried to continue the conversation, but Alfred ignored him. They settled down in a house and waited for the next day.
The next day came and it was time for the Seeker to enter the site. As Alfred predicted, the Seeker started in the city. The candidates who underestimated the Seeker got terminated first. Gunshots and screams began to fill the city. Most of the candidates residing in the city ran deeper into the site. Some of the students froze because of their fright. Not everyone was fortunate enough to escape the city. The Seeker had control over the city and cut off the urban and suburban sections of the site. The remaining candidates were filled with dread. They were slowly killed off in numerous ways, some died quickly and some died slowly. Not one person died the same way except for candidates who were shot. Mathew and Alfred heard about the commotion from the city. Mathew felt sick to the stomach, but Alfred didn’t bat an eye. Mathew turned to Alfred and was shocked to see Alfred unfazed. “Why aren’t you even fazed, Alfred? People died!”Mathew questioned Alfred. “Multiple reasons actually. The first reason is that it was in the Handbook. The handbook mentioned that people would die and it was hinted multiple times that the game would be dangerous”, Alfred said. To say that Mathew was shocked by Alfred’s answer was an understatement. He was so shocked by his behavior that he could barely even say a word. Mathew didn’t feel safe around Alfred, but it was clear that he knew the rules. His best bet for survival was to stay with Alfred for the time being.
Days passed by and more people got terminated. Soon the last day arrived. Half of the candidates were found by the Seeker. Mathew traveled around the site with Alfred. He became desensitized to the death around him. The bodies were taken, but the evidence of death remained. Alfred was fed up with his cousin. Mathew decided to stay with Alfred yet he questioned every decision he made. Classic course 1 and course 2 student interaction. “Why do we have to move around so much?” Mathew complained, “It is because the Seeker won’t find us. If we move around a lot and be stealthy, then the Seeker will have a hard time finding us.” Alfred answered. Mathew continued to complain more. Mathew’s complaints caused Alfred to become irritated. This escalated into an argument quickly. Mathew didn’t want to follow a student who he was told looked up to students like him and that he was the example. Mathew thought that he was supposed to be the leader. Alfred got irritated because Mathew was not acting remotely grateful that he let him stay and let him use his resources. The argument turned into a physical fight and Alfred got tired of his cousin. He ran away from Mathew only to come back with a metal pipe.
The Seeker heard the sounds of a fight and went towards the sound. Instead of meeting two candidates soon to meet their demise, he was met with a corpse with an almost unrecognizable face. The Seeker never saw the person before. The Seeker identified the corpse as a course 1 student, Mathew. Next to him has a metal pipe.