Number Seven

Chapter 6

"Hey...hey...wake up," something echoes in the air. My eyes ease open to a blurry face and the familiar feeling of the morning muscles waking up in my body. Then, I see him staring at me, with that wonderboy smirk slapped on his face. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead." 

I groan, sending him a disapproving look, and roll over on my side, in hopes to erase him from my morning memory. A chill sinks into my skin as soon as my blanket is stripped from my body. Oh, he's one of those.

The second I go to retrieve my warm sheet of comfort, a hand latches onto my wrist, dragging me toward the edge of the bed. At this point, I might as well drop to the floor. Let reality smash my face into pieces. Just when I find myself at the edge of that long cliff, ready to fall, I'm turned around and held out under my waist. My once squeezed shut eyes wink open and confront his.

His arm is looped around my waist and his hand is attached to the back of my leg, keeping me from falling to my anticlimactic death. Our chests are barely touching. His face is inches away. "Morning, gorgeous." I feel my face turn red too fast for my liking and flip out of his grasp, landing on the hard floor and jumping to my feet. He laughs at my straightforward outburst, making the most out of this embarrassing moment. "Better get dressed if you want breakfast." A pair of sweatpants and a spandex long sleeve are thrown my way before he makes his exit.

It's Monday. They're making us keep track of the days, by accident or on purpose, I'll never know, but the reminder only drives me further into an abyss of absolute insanity. Apparently, the first week was an introduction to us newcomers of how this place works and test to see where our capabilities lie. Today is the day I'll be joining my permanent regimen until the moment I leave this wretched place.

"Alright, weaklings, listen up," Jinx yells. She, among others, falls under the category of the first few people I hear in the morning. "Last week was your warm-up, but this is where things get serious." She begins pacing around the room. All of us are standing in the gymnasium, surrounded by mats, pull-up bars, and other tedious forms of torture I have no interest in describing. "I will not tolerate slack, complaints, or tiredness. You will do as I say, when I say, or face the consequences." Her overpowering path of authority confronts me. "Especially you, Forty-nine."

A heart-heavy weight pulls down on my chest and all I can do is sigh internally. She leans forward by my ear, creating a side conversation away from the rest of the group. "I have a strong feeling that those stockings you wore yesterday didn't rip because of some measly little bush."

My eyes jerk open just the slightest. What does she spend her time doing? Going through our underwear and checking who ripped their pants or something?

"You're under my jurisdiction, Forty-nine, meaning I can do whatever I want with you. So don't go thinking you're going to be the lucky one getting the easy way out. I'm going to drive you a hundred times harder than I did in that sorry excuse for a training unit." I look her dead in the eyes, expressionless to her words. Numb to her aggressive afflictions. She continues digging out her path of superiority, bringing the attention back to the rest of the unit. "Laps," she orders, gesturing toward the vast gym floor we're standing on. Being here is such a pain. It almost makes me want to gouge my eyes out.

Across the room I find Seven catching my gaze. His "I told you so" face says all that needs to be said with his arms crossed and his body leaned up against the wall.

"Get a move on, Forty-nine." The gaze I hold with him shatters as I drag myself into doing her bidding.

I notice some of the kids from last week's group in this unit. Two of them are the redhead from the bus and the psychotic chick from the obstacle. Both give me glances with completely different sensations. She desperately wants to land a punch in my face while plump and perverted keeps checking me out.