The Super Enrichment Programme

We ran straight into this trap...

I helped Hale and Nolan manoeuvre Ringwood and Willow into the dormitory and onto bottom bunks before claiming our own bunks.

‘We ran straight into this trap…’ I muttered and Hale nodded.

‘We should have seen it coming really: ‘Something that if you knew, would blow your mind,’’ Nolan replied.

‘I've never been very good with computers… I guess that’s what she meant,’ I whispered, lying back on my bunk and staring at the ceiling.

‘Where’s the bathroom?’ Nolan asked someone I couldn’t see.

‘End of the room, put your clothes in the basket and it washes them for you whilst you have a shower,’ Mr Lee’s voice called out as he walked past the door.

‘Be back in a minute,’ Nolan called as his footsteps faded.

I pulled my bag closer to me and rummaged through, seeing what I had with me. I found eyeliner, powder, lip balm, hair grips, hair bands, a leggings and a thin jumper. I also had on a polka dot skirt, a blue blouse and my favourite white canvas Nikes.

‘GEM!’ Hale called, and I wandered out into the main room to find a table had been set up with sandwiches and other nibbles.

I grabbed a plate and piled some food onto it, only just realising how hungry I was.

I grabbed a chair and pulled it over to where Willow was sat with Luca.

‘Hey,’ I said as I sat down.

‘Hey,’ they both said. We sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes whilst we ate.

‘Weren’t you and Emma best friends?’ Willow asked and I looked up in surprise.

‘Yeah,’ I sighed.

‘Why aren’t you a miner then?’ Luca questioned.

‘I’m not bad,’ I stated, ‘she turned bad unexpectedly after my boyfriend asked me out. If I’d known I would have tried to dissuade her…’ I trailed off, my eyes filling with tears.

‘You’ve got us,’ Willow whispered and I grinned.

‘Awrh thanks! Hale and Nolan are great but they don’t understand girl stuff,’ I replied, wiping away the tears determinedly as I laughed along with the others.

‘Everyone come over please!’ Mr Lee bellowed. We left our plates on our seats as we gathered around his computer. Everyone was there except Ringwood.

‘I’m afraid that Professor Ringwood is in a coma,’ he said, leaving us in a stunned silence. ‘It seems that she put up quite a fight in trying to stop the peasant Miners getting in here. We still have no idea how they knew about this room, but Candy and I are working on it. In the meantime I’m leaving you all to get on with your lives down here in a civil manner until we either breakout, or are let out by Emma. That is all,’ as everyone started to disband I walked up to Mr Lee.

‘How can I help you Gemma?’ He asked, sounding slightly wary.

‘Are there any other rooms down here?’ I asked and he nodded. ‘Do we have access to them?’

‘Let me see,’ he spun around in his chair and started typing rapidly on his computer.

‘There’s a gym and a library, the doors are now open and gym kit can be borrowed from the gym lockers,’ I thanked him and returned to my seat to continue my conversation with Willow and Luca.

‘I’m going to the gym,’ I said after half an hour.

‘There’s a gym down here?’ Willow muttered in question, ‘I thought there were only three rooms down here?’

‘There are 5 rooms, controls centre, the dorm, the cellar, a gym and a library. Are you guys gonna come to the gym?’ I asked and they both nodded, following me into the reasonably large room. There were 5 of everything, bikes, weight sets. You name it, it was there. I led them to the changing room and grabbed a gym kit. We all walked into cubicles identical to those we used for combat training. The kit I’d picked up consisted of a navy vest top and white shorts, with white trainer socks and blue running shoes.

Willow’s kit was the same as mine, but in pink and Luca had a turquoise polo with white shorts.

We made our way over to the bikes and chatted whilst we worked out.

When we had a quick break I found a sound system that was voice controlled.

‘Macklemore Can’t Hold Us,’ I called out clearly, my face breaking into a grin when it started playing.

After another half an hour the door opened to let Hale and Nolan walk in.

‘What’s this?’ Nolan yelled over the top of the music.

‘PAUSE!’ I called out, walking over to him. ‘It’s the gym; take a gym kit out of a blue locker and change,’ I said, pointing them in the direction of the changing room.

They walked in and appeared through the wall minutes later. Both were wearing blue polo’s, white shorts and football socks, with blue trainers.

‘How’d you get the same kit?’ I asked and they shrugged.

‘Lucky pick I guess?’ Nolan muttered as they joined us at weights.