Valley Of The Falcons

***CHAPTER IX*** (SAVANNAH)

I was woken up by the sound of an alarm clock coming from the electronic clock right above my bed. Was it time to get up already? Last night, I had the most incredible sleep. It was heavy, dreamless and rejuvenating. It left me with a sense of renewal. However, despite that fresh energy, anxiety creeped in as soon as I remembered what was waiting for me today.

What challenges was I going to face? How was I going to blend in? The uncertainty of it tightened a knot in my stomach. Part of me wanted to just give up, to refuse to take part in the whole circus and let them kill me. I convinced myself I was going to fail that training anyway. But deep inside I knew that I was not ready to die yet. I had to give it a try.

Promptly getting dressed and ready, when the door unlocked at exactly eight o clock, I followed the signs to the cafeteria. Situated on the same floor as my bedroom, it was only a few minutes' walk. When I entered, it was already full of people sitting in small groups, chatting and laughing, like they knew each other very well. I have grabbed a tray and joined a queue to the buffet. The smell of food was making me hungry. After picking a few bits from a large selection of cereals, breads, cooked meats, eggs and smoothies, I have found myself a single table in the corner and began to eat. There was another girl sat on her own, only a few tables away from mine. She looked slightly nervous, glancing around but trying not to make eye contact. She put her head down when I noticed she was looking. Was it because she was new, like me? Was it also her first day? I was curious but I did not have the courage to approach her and ask about it.

Dead on 9 o'clock, a guy dressed like a security guard appeared at the door and started calling out names. My heart accelerated as I heard mine. As I reluctantly approached a group already gathered at the exit, he passed me a small slip with three different looking pills.

"These supplements will help you keep up with the exercise regime until your body gets stronger and is able to handle it independently. We strongly recommend that you take them even if you consider yourself outstandingly fit."

I was not going to argue. These must have been the tablets that Lou was telling me about. I needed all the help that I could get. I was not fit and physical education was always my biggest nightmare. Having popped them all in my mouth, I swallowed without hesitation and followed the group to the assembly room.

There were about twenty of us there, all shy and looking a little uncertain. None of us knew what to expect. We were greeted by Leo, Ryan, a girl called Heidi and another guy whose nickname was Cobra. I could not hear his real name as I was distracted by the two guys in front of me trying to argue about which one of the coaches looked like the biggest badass. After quick introductions, we were divided into smaller groups of five and were told that from now on, we would always have our classes together. We were supposed to train and support each other. On my team, there were two other girls and two boys. At first, we stood there all quiet and apprehensive until Leo, Ryan and Cobra took off with other groups and we were left alone with Heidi who started listing all the classes. She was one of our four instructors and I could not stop staring at her. I was amazed by her incredible beauty. She had an amazing skin, free from any imperfections, long, jet-black hair and intensive green eyes. Her slim silhouette with gentle but toned muscles and confident posture would make her stand out amongst any crowd. She spoke with a very soft voice but there was a lot of power in it. After finishing brief description of each class, she has shown us the map of the place and a floorplan.

"You are allowed to wander anywhere you want on this floor and the one below during break times and after classes up until seven p.m. Dead on seven, you are expected to be in your rooms and the doors will be locked automatically until next morning. There are clocks everywhere so there is no excuse for lateness. If you are caught out, you will be punished. Also, in case you are tempted to go anywhere else, you will not be able to. Each door is programmed to read your chip number so until you get more privileges, you are confined to these two floors.