A hand jolts me awake, and I smash my fist into it, out of reflex. "Ow! Honestly, Angelica, you HAVE to stop sleeping in class, it hurts us all!"
"Yeah, yeah. Go bitch about it to someone else."
"What happened?" Jessica asked me, concerned. Honestly, my life had been a wreck back then. Most guys enjoyed throwing rocks at me when I walked home alone every day. Girls loved to talk to gossip about how I had apparently had slept with every guy in the school, and my mom was always drunk. And when she was drunk, she was violent. If I was a minute late for school, she would beat me when I got home. When I was late when I got home, I was beaten. If I argued, I was beaten. If I said a thing about my father, who left us, I was beaten. If I didn't make dinner, or had a friend over, I was beaten. If I was caught talking to a guy, I was beaten and called a slut.
"Nothing." I grumbled, and scurried away from her, off to our next class. I met The Mice Man, Burner, Drowner, and Laughy the next day. Best day of my life, back then. Mice Man was a nice, stocky guy with black hair, gelled back. Burner's face was covered with glasses, and he wore a thick black tuxedo, and a bandana around his mouth, and a white fedora. His hair was brown and shaggy. Drowner wore a white tux, with bleached hair, and didn't hide any of his facial features, except his nose. His hand was always covering his nose. Laughy, couldn't stop laughing, and wore normal teenage clothes, and a black backpack. His skin was tan, peeling, and sunburnt, his blue eyes were seeming to be cat like in dimension, and his lips were chapped and red. When I met them, they told me they would be my friends for a little while, until I moved on to stage two. I had just twiddled my curly blonde hair, blinked my blue eyes, and accepted. I regret nothing, except the tests.
The tests were the worst part of joining the Industry. First, you were in a pitch black room, with no walls visible, you had to find a way to climb up the walls, without setting your hand or feet on sharp spikes that would love to make you bleed out with your body jolting, sizzling and groaning if they ever had the chance. Poision lined the walls, you had to feel your way up. They put fifty other people, who didn't want to join in that same room with you at the same time, just for the joy of watching them die. Then, if you got over the wall, you would fall asleep. The air was semi-toxic so you would be knocked out. It smelled like pine needles and fresh ammonia, right from the bottle.
A hand jolts me awake, and I smash my fist into it. "Ugh! You really need to stop sleeping in class! It hurts us both! You've been asleep for two days, it's summer, Angelica!"
"What? No? I was at the Industry and.." I fell asleep again, and awoke in a new, dark, claustrophobic room.
"You know, I don't always need to be in a claustrophobic room! I do well in open spaces and uh..yeah!"
"You know, you passed the tests, Angelica." Said a deep voice, which echoed across the room.
"I-I did?" I asked nervously.
"You did. But now there are some tasks you must complete." I was silent as he said this, until he continued, "First, modify your appearance to make yourself..different. You may have help from another Industry Worker with this. Second, find a name that makes you different. Like Laughy's or Burner's. Then, find a weapon that suits that name, and make sure your look suits the name also. Like Burner's blowtorch, or Laughy's clown mask. Then, you are done with the test. Then comes the fun part." Laughter fills the room.
