The Brooke

Beginning

Are you ready for the Pinnacle Race? The helicopters have landed. 

Enjoy reading XD

WE ALL WALKED SILENTLY into the extremely cold weather of the Brooke.

No one dared to question anything.

Everyone carrying down their own burden of thoughts and emotions with them as they stepped forward.

Soon Lucy, Emily and Kyle joined me in the hiking.

We started with small conversations, depleting the tension and fear in the atmosphere.

One of Kyle's friends, Brandon, also joined out little group.

We made silly jokes and teased each other as we walked.

It seemed like we have been walking for hours. But I knew it was just over twenty minutes or something.

I glanced back at others. Some of them were also walking into little groups like ours.

The earlier silence was gone now, filled with tense and forced conversation. But nonetheless, a better and lighter atmosphere.

Few of the contestants were still too much lost into their dreaded misery to walk with others.

Jared and other seniors were walking totally alone. Some of them were scared while others, like Jared had a blank expression on their face.

I thought only those who weren't broken were chosen for the Games.

I guess I was wrong.

But looking at them, they still seemed more humane now than being the perfect robots and puppets back at school.

From all the other batches, I noticed, every contestant chosen was a lively participant.

Maybe these five were the most unbroken students from the senior batch.

But looking at Jared, I refused to believe it. And I refused my mind to wander to where it always went when I saw Jared's face.

I couldn't afford to panic right now.

Delos and Gracie were also walking alone. I waved at both of them and gestured to come ahead and join us.

Gracie came with a shy smile while Delos waved back. I think he needed more time. Maybe he was really scared and wanted to be alone.

I encouraged Gracie to join us in our childish joke-marathon going on.

She was actually a good joke teller, only she forgot the punch line every now and then.

After what seemed like an hour of walking, we finally reached a sign board.

It was wooden, stuck in the snow like a traffic sign board found on the sidewalks.

Black paint spread over it that spelled out LEVEL 1 ahead, with an arrow indicating forward.

"I guess that means more walking." Lucy stated.

Many of us groaned in displeasure. My feet were also beginning to ache now.

The weather was getting unbearable by each minute. I could feel my fingers already starting to go numb.

I forgot to pack gloves! 

With no other option provided, we kept going forward.

I heard the others- scattered in group of two's and three's- just a few steps behind us, were also whining and groaning as they passed the sign board.