The Pit

Chapter 9 - Induction

It has been almost two weeks now since I first entered the Pit. The jobs we are assigned all suck. There are people who build cabins and other buildings to allow the Pit to hold more people. Messy and a lot of the bigger guys got assigned to be builders, their work is slow and tough. Of course they try to do as little work as possible, but the witch's commandos keep a close eye on them. Each of them carry guns and they make sure we know it. I am pretty sure they get about one building done a year, if that.

Mik and Regan were both assigned to mess duty. All they do is clean up after meals, help cook and get everything laid out. They have a pretty easy job, so they have a bunch of free time. There are many other jobs that are being done and some of them are just terrible like those who have to clean up after fights break out and must haul people back to the infirmary. Rumor is that if you get hurt real bad you can get out, but that hasn't happened yet. There was one kid who got his arm broken, they still didn't take him out. No one knows how but when he came back out, it wasn't broken anymore. The giant purple cast on his arm got him out of work for a while though.

I get a "special" job according to Ms. Crimson along with three other people because we each did something to catch her eye. Mine was the elevator and the others, I have no clue what they did.

We are the errand kids. All we do is run around our section of the camp doing odd jobs. If one of the officers needs something, they ask us and we have to do it. Mostly it's messages because apparently reception sucks and phones are almost useless down here. There is the occasional delivery we must make, but other than that it's a waiting game. We start after breakfast and go until dinner starts. After breakfast we each go to our separate waiting area and wait for orders. One person has to sit in the office building, another in the center of the cabins, someone is by the elevator entrance, and I sit by the creek all day. Which if you think about it, it's not too bad especially on days where I have to only deliver a few messages. Bad days are when I am constantly running around giving message after message. Then dinner comes around and my day is done.

Most days my thoughts wander as I run back and forth or just sit by the creek staring into its surface. I don't know if I would yet consider the people I have met my friends or not. They are criminals just like me and I don't know if I can trust them or not. I mean each of us lies, cheats, and killed. None of us are good, we all have to live with what we have done, but some of them are great. All of my roommates are open except none of us have asked each other about how we got here or our lives before the Pit, basically life starts once you step on that bus. Not one of us has had the courage to bring it up to one another. I am defiantly curious, but I don't want them to ask me, so the conversation rests in the back of each of our minds, yet not a word is spilled. However, we did ask each person's rank. Mik, Aya, and Sophie are all rank one and Regan is two; the same as me.

Mik and Regan both are amazing. Laughter fills each of us as we talk whenever we are together. Sure, I like each of the other girls in my cabin, but I'm not as close to them. Sophie and Aya are really close, always together like they are in their own little world. It took me a few days to realize it and when I did it was only an assumption until Regan asked them directly.

"Are you guys dating?" she asked them once out of the blue when all of us were outside sitting on the picnic table.

They both looked guiltily at one another before Aya spoke up. "Yeah, been for a while now."

Then Sophie being the shy girl she is whispered, "We are afraid you guys wouldn't accept us, so we kept it to ourselves."

"I wanted to tell y'all, but Sophie wanted to keep it secret."

We all nodded at them and each of us understood why they wanted it kept quiet. There are some really terrible people who are against lesbians and I really hate how people can't just let them be without giving them shit about it. It made me feel even happier when all of us agreed that it was great they found one another. Sophie still wasn't comfortable with a lot of people knowing, so we are all keeping it down about them. It's their business, so they can tell people when they are ready until then my lips are sealed.