Acrylical Situation

Chapter 4

     The first quarter of the school year was more than halfway completed and this was about that time the school district would start to issue district tests. So, school getting annoying. Megan didn't mind it, though. She was a well rounded student and all these little district tests didn't faze her at all. She was really looking forward to the dance that was coming up this coming week.

     What was ironic was that Megan wasn't enjoying her 2D art class. She always seemed to doubt herself on her skills and what made it worse was that Ms.Rodriguez has assigned the class to do large self-portraits on wood. Megan wasn't comfortable with that idea. Also, it seemed as if Ms.Rodriguez and Megan didn't get along. This whole situation increased her preference for 3D art.

     If was strand time already and Megan had 2D that day. Ms. Rodriguez's room was a pretty chill room. The lights were always dimmed (even though Freddy didn't like it sometimes because he would say that he couldn't see shit.) The studio had a beautiful layout of large metal tables and stools. The cabinets and shelves were nicely organized with papers, pencils , brushes, etc. I had a very nice environment.

      Everybody seemed to be busy. They were all hard at work. Megan was dozing off to sleep, the white noise music, the constant sound of brushes swishing in the water was hypnotic. Her eyes were shutting when all of a sudden the teacher's office phone started to ring and shortly was followed by the footsteps of Ms.Rodriguez trailing off to answer it.

     "Let's go. Principal Schell is calling on an emergency assembly." Ms.Rodriguez said, with a very dry tone, as if she couldn't say it fully because something was blocking her voice.

     All of the highschool students were in the hallway, their voices muffled by unfocused attention. Megan was a serving through the window how cloudy and gloomy it was outside. The students started crowding into the gymnasium and seating themselves in the bleachers. All the students divided themselves into their corresponding Strands.

     Megan sat down, confused, she had no idea what was going on. Freddy was sitting down next to her and he was shaking his right knee up and down, he had a nervous look to him.

     "Freddy, what the fuck is going on?" Megan asked. He didn't even look at her, when all of a sudden they were interrupted by a voice down at the gym floor. It was Principal Schell. She was a tall woman wearing a white dress suit. She was walking towards a table in the middle of the gym with seven trays that appeared to be holding white cards in them.

     "Welcome students of the Fine Arts Academy! I'm sorry to have interrupted you all in your Strand classes, but this is very important." Schell said with a very sincere voice. "I called you all here today because we are going to do something that hasn't been done at this academy in a very long time." She took a short pause to look around the gym. "We are going to have a reapportionment of sorts that we like to call the " Phantom Lottery."

     Some people started to mutter and look around, but Megan still had no idea what was going on.

     "What this consists of is," Schell gestured for the Strand Directors to come pick up a tray. "Five students from each Strand will compete in a tournament that will take as long as you make it to last." By this time the trays were being passed within the groups.

     "As the tray reaches you, pick a card, do not open it at all, I will instruct you to when you will be able to open it. If you win this competition for your Strand, your Strand will earn a significant budget increase, and most importantly this Academy, for the coming years. But this competition always has a permanent loss. This competition is a competition to the death." Schell said, toneless.

     Megan went cold. Her hands started trembling with the white card in her hands. Miguel grabbed her hand, in an effort to comfort her.

     "Let's begin, shall we. When I call on your strand, I want you to open up your card. If your card has a black dot in the middle, unfortunately, you have been chosen to compete. If you are chosen all I need you to do is stand up. So, in alphabetical order, we will start with the Art Strand!" Schell smiled. The eerie silence of the gym was cut off with the opening of the white cards.

     Megan looked around to see her friends opening up their cards. She saw Noah in a row below her exhaling a sigh of relief. Megan was just about to open her card up when she heard a faint sobbing. Stephanie was wiping her tears away and slowly stood up.

     "Stephanie!" Schell said, almost congratulating her. "Come on down!" Stephanie was frozen in her place and her faint sobs could be heard throughout the gym. Freddy interrupted, he couldn't handle the pain that she was going through.

     "No! No! I'll take her place!" he yelled.

     "Very well, come on down." Principal Schell ordered.

     The rest of the "winners" started coming forward after this.

      "Yuliana!"

     "Riley!"

     "Miguel!"

     The competitors of the Art Strand we looking upon the rest waiting for the last teammate to come forward. Megan's hands were shaking uncontrollably. She couldn't process her life being wasted on a game that will lead to her death. She was on the verge of tears and she finally opened her card. In it,was a black dot that was like a wrecking ball that broke the wall that contained her tears. As her tears rolled down her face, she saw Noah, but all he did was break eye contact and hid with the rest of unrecognizable heads. So much detest for Noah was growing inside of Megan. He was a coward that only cared for himself.

    Megan stood up and walked down with her head held high and she could see that her friends and teammates supported her. She was going to get really close to these selected individuals now. And now she was prepared to whatever was coming her way.

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oohh boy! this story finna get interesting now! I'll introduce the other Strand competitors in the next chapter! Keep y'alls eyes peeled!