I'll Be Good

3

A loud clanging noise wakes me up. I push myself up and step out of bed. The light goes on and I see Eric and Four standing by the door, slamming a screwdriver against and empty bunk bed. 'We want you at eight in the training room,' Four says and they leave. I look at my watch. It's seven now. I grab some clothes and go into the bathroom.

Ross and I enter the dining hall, both wearing the same black shirt, black jeans and combat boots. We sit opposite each other and eat a muffin.

'Slept well?' I ask him.

'Yeah,' he says.' It was weird though, sleeping with so many in one room. You?'

'I slept okay. But so many people were breathing around you. I can't wait until we can get a place of our own.'

Ross laughs. 'True.'

The girl with the bowl cut, her name is Tori, sits down next to me.

'Hi,' she says.

'Hello,' Ross and I both say.

'You two don't mind me sitting here?'

'Oh no,' I say. She smiles at me.

'You two knew each other already?' She asks.

'Yeah,' Ross says.

'Are you two a couple?'

'Oh no,' Ross and I say quickly. She starts laughing at our reaction.

'Oh, look. Four and Eric are leaving. I think we should follow them, cause I have no idea where the hell the training room should be,' Tori says.

'You're right,' Ross says. We stand up and follow our instructors.

-

When everyone is in the training room Four begins. 'Today you will learn the basics of fighting, but first I will teach you how to use a gun.' He walks to a door in the back of the room and goes through it. We all follow him. On one side of the room are targets. Close to a door is a table with guns. Four grabs one and goes to stand in front of a target. 'I'm only showing you once, so pay attention.' He gets ready and I try to take everything in. He shoots and barely misses the bullseye. I hear Mo whistle behind me. 'Your turn,' Four says to us now.

Everyone walks to the table with guns, some faster than others. I fold my hands over the handle and pick it up. It's weird and I feel very powerful. I choose the target between Tori and Ross. I try to stand exactly how Four was standing and bring the gun up. I pull the trigger and with a loud bang the bullet goes. The power of the shot pushes me back and I have to take a step to keep standing. I missed the target completely.

'Pathetic,' I hear behind me and I turn around. Eric is standing right behind me.

'That was my first shot ever,' I say weakly.

'Yeah, and it was pathetic,' he says. I frown and turn back to the target. I try again and again. I'm very, very bad at this. Sure, it is my first time doing this, but everyone has already hit the target and I didn't. My stomach hurts. I feel Eric's eyes on me every time I miss again.

-

It's lunch time and my arms feel heavy. I walk with Tori and Ross to the dining hall we where the last ones in the training room and helped putting everything back. The other initiates already are having lunch.
We sit down together.

'You know, you two are the only kids that I think are actually nice people. The others are all or mean or stupid,' Tori says. Ross laughs.

'Really? How can you know that, we're just here for a couple hours?'