The Game

Prep Day Introduction

Matt's alarm goes off in the morning and I sit up. I teeter on the edge of the couch and rub my eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head," Matt says to me from his perch at the edge of his bed. I groan and sit up straight stretching. "Couch not comfortable?"

"What time is it?"

"Don't worry you've got plenty of time to get ready for our meeting today." I look up and see Matt dressed in a t-shirt and running shorts. He notices me looking at him. He offers an explanation, "I run in the morning."

"Nice," I look over at the clock and it's only 6am, it's not 5am but I guess he does wake up early. I push myself off the couch and go and climb into my bed sighing happily. These beds are very comfortable. I can't believe I missed out on the first night in this.

"Okay, I'm headed out. I'll see you at the mess hall." I give a grunt in response and I hear the door shut after he leaves.

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I must have fallen back asleep because the next thing I hear is banging on my door and someone calling my name.

"Natalie! Are you in there??" Tom's voice reaches my ears and I jump out of bed. I run to the door and fling it open for him. Tom looks relieved that I'm still here and I'm grateful he is serious about us sticking together. I turn around to go get changed, disappearing into my closet while Tom comes into the room. "We don't have to be there for another half hour but I thought it would be good to be ready early. Just in case."

"Thanks, Tom." I say from the closet as I quickly change into some form fitting green pants and pull on a blank tank top. Emily always called me Kim Possible in this outfit. She didn't know how right she was. I chuckle to myself and slide my phone into one of my side pockets along with my room and building key.

When I exit my closet, Tom is standing patiently by the couch.

"Where's Matt?" Tom asks just as the door opens and Matt comes strolling in.

"Hey KP, and this must be Ron Stoppable." Matt grins at me and Tom looks confused then takes on my outfit.

"I think he's more of a Wade than a Ron," I comment then gesture for Tom to get moving.

"See you guys at the Mess Hall!" Matt calls after us , still laughing a little. Tom and I head out the door and Tom is quiet for a few seconds.

"Oh like from Kim Possible. That's who you look like." Tom laughs and I smack him playfully. I guess we all watched Kim Possible back in the day. "I always admired Wade. Hey, I guess we are kind of like them."

I snort and keep walking down the stairs of Skinker. I may look like Kim Possible in this outfit but that's pretty much where the similarities stop.

"Are you nervous for our first day? I know the first mission doesn't start until tomorrow but I'm nervous." Tom is about to begin rambling even more but I cut him off.

"This is good. Today we get to know more about our first mission. I'm assuming they'll start us out with something light. Probably not super easy but I think we have a pretty decent team." I try to reassure him and he looks a little less worried as we enter the Main Hall and head to the Mess Hall.

When we get to the Mess Hall, a lot of Seniors are already there. We're all still early so the janitorial staff is still cleaning up from the earlier crowd or underclassmen. Some of the seniors are helping clean, eager to get started and needing something to do to keep them from getting too nervous. Tom and I join in, offering our help.

Before long everything is cleared away and we begin helping arrange the room with seven larger tables that are set for a family style breakfast. The tables begin to fill up and Tom and I make our way over to Team 7. Jamison is seated between Cassidy and Theran and the three of them are talking to each other. They all look ready for today, although Jamison keeps yawning.