The Ace of Swords

Chapter 3

The first thing I hear when I wake up is Callie's soft snoring. Lyn and Sophie are whispering to one another again. Do they ever need sleep? They whisper loud enough for me to hear them, but not loud enough for me to understand. I look over my shoulder at Dawn. She has a little drool going down her cheeks and her brown hair is now matted in the back. Her head is on Callie's back and her hand is on my stomach. She moves around a lot in her sleep.

I shift out of our pile which seems to be how we fall asleep every night. I take in the room around me. It's larger than the pit and the air is fresher. The walls are still concrete and there are two windows. Both of them are barred and too high for us to see out of. I feel the other two girls shift as they slowly stir awake. Callie opens one eye and stretches out.

The door is thrust open and Sanders walks in. This forces the other two to wake up faster. Sanders looks at all of us with a smile. It's not a scary smile but I still don't like him.

"Let's go ladies. Time for breakfast," he says as another man joins him in the doorway. This one has sandy blonde hair and deep brown eyes. He seems kind enough.

As we follow the two of them out of the door two other men come up behind us. The girls don't notice because they are too busy wiping the sleep from their eyes. I'm surprised they can even walk. They look like they'll collapse at any second and fall asleep in the floor. We are paraded down the hall and shoved into a large room. There are people everywhere. I count at least thirty. Boys and girls of varying ages. All are rugged and dirty looking and they all wear the same clothes I am. The only difference being they have bands tied around their arms right above the elbow. They all have different colors. There are greens, reds, blues, oranges, and yellows.

There are five tables. Each arm band color has its own table except for the one at the end and the greens. The greens are scattered across the room. Some sit with the Reds, some with orange, and some with blues. The last table has no arm bands like us. Sanders and the other guards push us towards that table.

"The serving wenches will be around in a sec. We will be back to collect you in half an hour. Got it," he doesn't wait for a reply. He just walks away talking to the other guards. They stand across the room. They all sit about five feet from each other. There are seven on each wall.

I look at the boys at our table. The one next to me has hastily shaved brown hair that matches the other's hair. His eyes were a deep brown. He has some freckles splattered across his face and was currently looking at me with eerily familiar puppy dog eyes.

"Where's my sister. They said that all the girls would come in at the same time. Where is she!" The boy screeched. It suddenly hit me. He was Enya's brother, Erin I think his name was.

We all looked down at our feet refusing to answer. Lyn and Sophie sneer as they veer off to the Orange table. I'm not sure what orange means but Lyn has always worn the Orange band ever since she moved in last summer. I have a feeling that I won't like it when I find out.

"Why won't you answer me! She's not dead she can't just die. She is better than that. She is tough and always makes it through," he bangs his fist in the table. I see tears gathering in his eyes. He doesn't seem too stable. I start to scoot my chair over.

"She didn't make it. She was too weak to pass the test they put us through. I wanted to help her, but couldn't risk is both being killed. It's my fault I should have at least tried to save her," I whisper. He looks at me icily and his puppy brown eyes fill with hate.

Before he yells at me again an older lady wearing a yellow band comes to the table with food. I think she rivals the dinosaurs in age and the food she brings is just a pile of mushy stuff. It can't even be considered food. This stuff looks worse than school food. I can barely tell what it's supposed to be. I choke it down trying hard not to taste any of it. The water they laid in front of me was slightly brown color and had debris floating inside of it. They may as well have gotten out of a puddle on the ground. I still drink all of it. If I die it's on them.