I Was Amity...

5

"Everyone up! You got 30 minutes to be in the training room."

I sit up, seeing Four standing in the doorway. I'm the only one who moves, pissing Four off. He picks up a large metal pipe and starts banging it on the door frame. The rest of the initiates practically jump out of their skin from the sudden sound. Four looks at me before heading out the door, his eyes almost showing a hint of amusement.

I get up slowly out of bed. I get dressed in a pair of gray leggings and a black tight tank top. Liam, Olivia, and Calum do the same getting out of bed and getting dressed.

"If we hurry we can still eat before training starts," I tell them.

With that I put my shoes on and put my hair in a ponytail not bothering to brush it.

Olivia grabs my arm and starts dragging me along with her. "Let's go, I'm starving."

I can't help but laugh at her as I'm dragged out the door.

After finishing our food quickly we arrive in the training area with two minutes to spare. I look around noticing only seven of us are standing there, meaning two people are missing. The clock on the wall strikes eight and it's still just the seven of us.

Surprisingly Four doesn't wait for them to show up. "Thankfully, if you are here, you already know how to get on and off a moving train, so I don't need to teach you that." Four is interrupted by the sound of the door slamming open and a boy and girl running in. I turn my attention back to Four who is showing no emotion on his face. "Amy, Scott nice of you to join us," his voice dripping in sarcasm.

Before he can continue the girl, Amy, interrupts him, "Sorry we fell back asleep when you..."

Four cuts her off, "I don't need excuses from either of you. When I say training starts at 8 it starts at eight. Do you understand me?" Scott and Amy don't answer, simply nodding their heads at him. "Now go run 20 laps."

The two look shocked for a second before taking off to do their punishment.

As if nothing had just happened, Four continues, "Initiation is divided into three stages. We will measure your progress and rank you according to your performance in each stage. The stages are not weighed equally in determining your final rank, so it is possible, though difficult, to drastically improve your rank over time. We believe that preparation eradicates cowardice, which we define as the failure to act in the midst of fear. Therefore each stage of initiation is intended to prepare you in a different way. The first stage is primarily physical; the second, primarily emotional; the third, primarily mental."

With that Four leads us to what looks like a gun range. He hands each of us a gun, without giving us any directions.

"But what..." Scott, yawns through his words. "What does firing a gun have to do with... bravery?"

Four flips the gun in his hand, presses the barrel to Scott's forehead, and clicks a bullet into place. Scott freezes with his lips parted, the yawn dead in his mouth. I can hear Olivia suck in her breath next to me as I hold my own, not knowing what Four is going to do.

"Wake. Up," Four snaps. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it." He lowers the gun. Once the immediate threat is gone, Mikey's brown eyes harden. I've never seen Mikey look so angry, so tough. He wasn't embarrassed, he was angry. Four continues, "And to answer your question... you are far less likely to soil your pants and cry for your mother if you're prepared to defend yourself."

Four positions himself in front of one of the targets made from plywood with a red target on it. "This is also information you may need later in stage one. So, watch me."