Your Game To Play ━━ Grayson Hawthorne [the Inheritance Games]

CHAP. ONE

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✧ ˚ · .ACHLYSSE

     I WAS NEVER GOOD AT GAMES. My sister was the one who liked them the most. When my sister and I were just kids, we played a lot of games. The Quiet Game. The Who Can Make Their Cookie Last Longer? Game.

Our longest-lasting game was called I Have A Secret, Mommy always said that everyone should have at least one secret. We guessed each other's secrets. I knew she had a lot of secrets, secrets that were never meant to be told. Ignorance is a bliss.

We played every week, right up until we were fifteen and one of Mommy's secrets landed her in the hospital. Then, she was gone.

Chess was a game my sister, Avery, loved. I never liked chess, I sucked at it. It was a game that required a lot of thinking and I would always doze off trying to play. Now I'm here, watching my sister play chess at the park.

"Do we have homework?" I wondered until a voice dragged me out of my thoughts. "Your move, princess." Harry said "I don't have all day." 

    "Not a princess." Avery retorted, sliding one of her knights into place. "Your move, Old man." I snorted as Harry scowled at her. We didn't actually know how old he was, it was just a nickname to tease him with.

           We didn't know much about Harry, he was just the homeless guy that Avery played chess with at the park. "You," Harry grumbled, eyeing the board, "are a horrible person." A few moves later, Avery had won.

"Checkmate." "You know what that means, Harry." I teased. Harry shot us a dirty look "I have to let you buy me breakfast." Avery gloated, "It's good to be queen."

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

We were going to be late, like

 usual. But against all odds, we made it to class, barely. A few minutes passed by when suddenly we were called into the office. Avery and I shared a look, confusion apparent in both our faces.

    "Avery, Achlysse," Principal Altman greeted in a tone that was not very warm "Have a seat." He folded his hands on the desk " I assume you both know why you're here."

   We don't, in fact I wanted to ask you why we're here, Principal Atlman I wanted to say "Sorry," Avery said "but we don't." Principal Altman went silent for a moment, then presented a stapled stack of paper.

    "This is the physics test you took yesterday." "okay," I said. I was confused as to why he showed us the test. We did take it yesterday and it was a test that Avery and I actually studied for. "Mr. Yates graded the tests, Avery, Achlysse. Both of yours were the only perfect scores."

     "Isn't that a great thing?" I asked. "Not exactly, Mr. Yates creates exams to challenge his students' abilities. In twenty years, he's never given a perfect score, let alone two. Do you see the problem?"

He couldn't possibly think..

  "A teacher who designs tests most of his students can't pass?" Avery replied. "You two are great students. Quite good, given your circumstances. But you don't exactly have a history of setting the curve." Excuse me?? I shouted in my mind.

      I knew where this was going. "I am not without sympathy for your situation, but I need you two to be straight with me" Principal Altman stared at Avery and I in the eyes intensely.

                   "Were you aware that Mr. Yates keeps copies of all his exams on the cloud?" He thought we cheated. He stayed sitting there, staring us down and I never felt more uncomfortable than now. "What're you saying, Principal Altman?" I asked pointedly, I couldn't take it anymore. 

     "Are you fans of calculated risks, Mr. And Ms. Grambs?" Are you fucking kidding me? I was getting angrier, I'm sure Avery was too. "We didn't cheat." Avery stated. "We studied."  

          I could hear her holding back her anger. But who wouldn't be in this situation? We made time between shifts, other classes and even studied until the crack of dawn.

Mr. Yates was infamous for his impossible tests. For once, we wanted to see how far we could go, instead of cutting it close like usual.

This was what we got for our effort, because people like us didn't ace impossible exams, according to Principal Altman. 

   "We'll take the test again, we'll get the same grade." I tried to hide my anger but I'm sure you could practically hear it dripping from my words. "You can put us in separate rooms if you think we'll try to help each other." I added.

"And what would you say if Mr. Yates had prepared a new exam? All new questions, every bit as difficult as the first." Avery didn't hesitate. "I'll take it, We'll take it."

                "That can be arranged tomorrow during third period, but I have to want you both that this will go significantly better for you if⎯" "Now."  Avery and I synced.

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.・゜-: ✧ :Note!

    Hello!! Thanks for finishing the first chapter. Updates will be slow since this is my first published work not exactly my First work hehe.. Constructive criticism is welcomed! I hope to improve my writing on my own without having the book as reference by the time I finish writing this book.