Northwest Southeast

~Tania~

Ever since I ate a piece of gum my friend offered me, I've wanted to buy a piece myself. It's not like I'm obsessed, no, definitely not. I haven't gotten a chance to do things like her anytime. No gym uniform, no trademarked pants, no anything! It's like no one wants me to have anything. I try to convince myself otherwise, a wasted effort of mine. I tie my shoelaces, or really, some long strips of plastic I found at home, to tie my shoes. They were an old pair, from my grandma and dusty about to break down, kind of shoes. It was the sixth period, and we had a gym today. The gym teacher yelled at us to get in a line, and our class just obliged. We did some warm ups, stretching,  jumping, and a bit of running. The teacher told us to stop and sit down.

"We have an annual game, called Compass, like you all should know. We need four people to compete for the four spots of that game. REMEMBER! This is a glorious and honorary sport. So have good Sportsmanship if you lose." We all stared blankly at each other, waiting for that 'glorious' volunteer to appear. I sneaked a few steps in my crouching position towards the change rooms, and the teacher yelled and singled me out. "OKAY! TANIA! You are going to be one of the volunteers for this year." He pats you on the back and sends a shiver down your back. You know you just visibly flinched, by the way your class is murmuring and talking about you. You tell the teacher you don't want to, and you don't have the time to either. 

Your family is- no that's mean. Okay, admit it. My family is so poor, I barely got into a public school! I work 2 jobs outside of school, dish washer and server. We have this cafe down the street, started by children and run by children. That's the only way I could have gotten money to support myself. Not that my parents don't support me, it's just that it's hard to support a family of 5 if every person relies on the mom and the dad. I'm the middle child, so it's expected that I do things well and take care of myself. My older brother Lian, doesn't do much. He gets to play games with his friends while I do homework. 

My little sister Odi, a 3rd grade mastermind, (Who apparently her IQ sits at 110) ditches us from time to time for her Science Club. She joins clubs and makes them so well known, it's - like fake. I'm the only one not spoiled, not smart, but just downright poor. A very sad combination for a girl that barely knows how to do grade 1 math. So I guess the prize of the game-Compass- is a good thing for me? 

No-no, don't get confused. I'm not willingly playing this stupid game. It's for kindergarteners anyway. The only reason I'm not bugging Mr. Teren is because of the prize money. Every year, the game Compass is set to action by The ARK. The ARK controls everything, from gambling to police work, from the army to the government. It's like a net that has you trapped for your lifetime. The only way out, is to win.

I mean. . . 200 million dollars isn't that hard to win, is it? 

No. It's very hard. The game is set in a different place each year, varying from the arctic to the desert. It's a matter of luck and popularity that you win. You would need people to support you, not money-wise. It's like a popularity game. If you have the crowd's heart, you are given items to sabotage others or help yourself. Last year's winner, Jenna Skye Hobbins, bought a mansion at the age of 13. The ARK this year wants 4 people from each school, to compete, and then only one person moves to the actual game. Currently, the only countries capable of moving on are China, Australia, France, and Canada. 

It's simple, for the country-wide competition. 3 rounds; Fitness, Smartness, and Talent.  Fitness is a simple game, where each person hangs on a monkey bar like pole. There can be up to hundreds even thousands of contestants, and the last 100 on the bar move on. Smartness is like an IQ test. You are given a random group of people, normally groups of 10, and you complete a 50 page Exam. The time Limit is merely 20 minutes, giving each double-sided sheet about 4 minutes each person. It's not going to be 1+1=2, it's Calculus, Algebra and rational numbers, Writing an essay,  and out of an ordinary expert questionnaire. 

Talent, oh talent. It's a very tough case and not known to be the most stable round. Sometimes, it is the talent of survival. Throw you in a vast jungle, if you survive, yay. If not. . .well I'm putting on my black dress for you. This year, it's announced that the last round is an escape room. They will leave you there for 3 days. If you make it past the 3 days of torture, you are given a chance to go to the actual game. 

The game begins when The ARK smiles.