23 : Lists

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What we want the government to believe:

1. A Hundred Numbers is a harmless facility simply researching on possible extraordinary happeinings (i.e. above-Nines existing).

2. We (the above-Nines) have not been found yet.

3. In the case that they find out about us, A Hundred Numbers will tell them they are experimenting on us.

What we want the parents to believe:

1. We are guinea pigs testing out the conditions of a new school that can be the second one in the community.

2. We'll be here for only a year. (I suspect we'll be here for much longer.)

3. We'll be allowed to go home once a month to visit them (irrelevant to me as it's not like I'm returning home to a family member).

What we (the above-Nines) think:

1. Devon Cobbs is harmless but Beatrice Dobson cannot be trusted.

2. Well, I don't really know because we're all different and I don't speak to them enough to find out their views

The truth: ????????????????

The above is what I have gathered from the first week. With that, I have discovered other features of this headquarters, such as the indoor swimming pool on level one, the same as our dorms, the indoor park on level two and the huge indoor stadium on level three.

After breakfast, we are brought to this stadium for the first time instead of going to the classroom for lessons.

The stadium is circular, with hundreds of seats surrounding the rectangular field in the middle. I wonder who will occupy the seats since there's only about a hundred people working in A Hundred Numbers (interesting). The field is bordered with a running track.

The entire stadium is indoors and air-conditioned but the glaring lights fixed in the high ceiling give a sunlight-doused feel.

There is a broad man about thirty years of age wearing track pants and a gray sweatshirt with a whistle around his neck waiting in the middle of the field. At his feet is a mysterious large box.

As we go closer to the man, he suddenly blows on the whistle and barks, "Stand in a line in front of me right now!"

The shock makes us hesitate for a moment, then we start scrambling to comply.

When all nine of us are in a line, the man yells, "Too slow! You are all too slow! How will you survive in this world?!"

Devon stands a few steps away, hiding a smile. He may find this amusing but we most certainly do not.

"You will address me as Coach," the man shouts. "Change into your training attire and come back in five minutes!"

He indicates the box in front of him. Everyone rushes to it and when we get our hands on the clothes with our name labels on it, we run to the nearby washrooms to change.

The attire is made up of a long sleeved jersey along with track pants. The entire outfit differs in colour according to the owner. Mine is white. Linnet's is blue, Cady's is purple and Fleur's is red.

We hurry out to the empty field after changing, the boys following soon after. We line up like before while the coach does a head count. Just as he yells out, "One's not here," Kev runs out to the field and joins the line.

His tracksuit is bright pink. We want to laugh, but the coach snaps, "For being late, three extra laps for you, Pink. Everyone! Line up according to the rainbow! Black and White, off to the side!"

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