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Jeon Jeongguk
It takes 21 days to develop a habit. In our case, it took just two short weeks.
In just 21 days, a lot had changed. Faces grew thinner and hollow whilst muscle began to build, excited voices from before had now dulled to silence, and the friendliness and late night chatter in the dorms had become a silence so hostile it could challenge the temperatures on the other side of the walls. What was once a tight-knit group of friends, became a team with its own little groups; not meaning that we'd keep a distance from each other, it was just that beyond the airy laughs and jokes, we all knew we wanted each other gone to secure our place. To my luck, Taeyong, Yoongi and Akira stuck by me. When training got too intense, when people from other houses tried it with me, or just when I was down, I had them with me.
Other houses thought to come for us because, in a sense, we were at an advantage. Despite seeming harmless, Jooheon was skilled & precise with every weapon given to him - even if those were only his hands. He was passing that down to the rest of us and we were doing well, while simultaneously being accused of having it easy.
If anything it just makes him push us to our very limits countless times in 12 hours, that leading to the birth of my latest habit. Or maybe two. I had learnt to walk fast, like I had a purpose, a place to be, something to do. And of course, I trained myself to sleep anywhere possible.
However, today sleep was pushed aside.
After reading over one of six letters I had received from the Dynasty, I got up at 5am, opting to take a jog to warm up before I hit the pool. It was silent, 20 minutes until everybody woke up. I dived inside, the water taking me in and closing over me like a blanket of inner peace. For seconds, I let myself float before I started a butterfly stroke across the length of the pool, multiple times.
Today was the first day of eliminations, in which 50 of us would leave. Some of us would be leaving to return home, to their lives. I would be leaving straight to my execution if I failed to stay, the letter stated. A part of me wanted to quit, to leave and hopefully see my parents again and just rest.
But the part of me that had developed over my stay at the palace wanted to stay, to make it and to fulfil my ultimate task. Perhaps, by then, the Dynasty will cease to exist and I could just live my life as a peaceful guard, making the most by doing the least.
I floated, eyes on the glass ceiling as the dark blue sky quickly became a lighter shade. In 14 hours, when we finish, I'll know in which side of the line I stand on.
"Big day, eh?" My eyes immediately flicked to the side, a guy sat on the edge. I started to tread water whilst scanning him, but his expression remained blank.
"Yeah, it is." I replied after a while.
"I try not to stress about it - stress gives me spots, but I'm sure I'll be okay," he muttered to himself. "but don't get me wrong! You will too!"
