Silence echoed around the room. There was nothing but the firm beat of my heart and the smooth stillness that surrounded me. I held my breath as I took a small step forward. There was something odd about the place. It was empty, yet I felt like I was being squashed. I stood alone in the silence, a sweet light hovering high above my head. The metal walls that lined the outside of the room glared back at me as if I were a stranger. The tall ceiling glanced down at me through miles of atmosphere. I was alone, yet I felt crowded.
Soon enough, I heard a crash and a bang. Spikes popped out of the walls beside me. Ropes fell from the roof, hanging midway down the walls. Small stools slid out at the highest point of the room, ready to be used as stepping stones. Suddenly, a small square of ground beneath me slowly raised me about a meter or two, then water started flowing from the corners of the room, quickly rising closer to me. The whole room became alive as it started attacking me. I jumped and ducked as sharp weapons spiraled across the room. Huge spiked balls fell down from the roof, zooming past me as they fell into the deep pool of water that was forming just inches below my feet. I was surrounded from every angle you could imagine, and yet I was not afraid. I was ready.
***
"Whew, just made it there," I let out a sigh of relief as I grabbed my bottle of water which sat at the bench near the corner of the room.
"Is it hard?" Liz wailed, tugging at my arm. The urge in her voice made it feel like it was the end of the world, but the fear in her eyes was like a cry from far away.
“Liz, it's fine," Bex assured her, "We've been preparing for this our whole life, we've been studying this since we were just little girls; we are ready." Liz glanced in my direction. I gave her a small nod as if to say that Bex was right. We had been preparing for this our whole life. It was the beginning of a whole new lifetime. But only if you survived.
***
The ground was cold. The sun was palely shining. The cold breeze was blowing on our cheeks as we sat in silence in the fields of our school. My eyes wandered around the pale blue sky. The only noise you could hear were the little birds that soared through the air amongst the fluffy white clouds. A sweet scent of nature wafted through the cold winter air.
“Do you think we made it?” her voice sliced the silence. I glanced at Bex. Tears prickled the back of my eyes. This was probably the most important test we had ever done. If we passed, we had a bright future ahead of us. If not, then...
“I hope,” was my only reply.
