Etiquette

Lesson 14

MONDAY

"Wake up ladies! We're losing daylight as I speak!"

You looked up from your book as Tina groaned and covered her face with her pillow. As you moved to get off your bed, you heard a loud whistle from outside.

"Oh my god, what on earth is that?" Tina yelled, blindly throwing her pillow to the door. She missed, the pillow instead knocking over the nightstand at the head of your bed. You watched as the array of books and reading lights fell to the floor, stepping over them on the way to the door.

You opened the door, looking outside to see a woman in black shorts and a red windbreaker yelling and blowing a whistle hanging from around her neck. Her hair was a dark brown, getting lighter at the tips. Her tight curls fell to her shoulders, and her dark skin was almost flawless.

"Rise and shine, people! We've got things to do, people to meet!"

You waved at her as she stepped in front of your dorm, "Excuse me, what is the meaning of this?"

She turned to face you, "Surprising to see one of you up so early. We're starting the fitness portion of the exam. If we don't want to be running in ninety-degree weather we better get moving!"

You laughed nervously, "I'll tell them that."

She nodded, whipping her head around and yelling into a megaphone she had in her hand, "Let's get a move on, people!"

You rubbed your ear, closing the door softly. You turned around, catching Tina sprawled on the floor, her feet on the bed, her hands blindly trying to put your books back on the nightstand. You sighed, crouching down to help her get up and sit on the bed. Her hair was tangled in front of her face, and she mumbled incoherent words to you as you stood up to get the others.

It didn't take long for everyone to assemble in the courtyard, the woman from earlier pacing in front.

"Alright, ladies! You're going to follow me to the courts, where I'll explain what we're going to be doing the next couple of days. Make sure to pay attention."

Everyone was respectfully silent during the walk, whispers of awe at palace grounds few and short. When everyone was indoors, they circled around, making sure everyone had a view of the speaker.

She smiled warmly, "Okay! Before we start, I want to introduce myself. My name is Kayla Matthews, and you will all refer to me by my last name. I have been working with the royal family for ten years now, and don't accept slackers. We're not going to throw you in the middle of a stadium and ask you to run a 10K, there will be conditioning and training to make sure no one gets hurt. Any questions before I continue?"

A few girls raised their hands, but went unseen as Miss Matthews stared at her clipboard, "The first day will be testing your strengths and dividing you all into even teams, you will most likely not be in a group with your dorm members. Remember, this is an individual competition. Day three will be one-on-one games, with instruction on how to play them on day two. Days four and five will be the team sports, so make sure you pull your weight or else your lack of interest will be officially noted.

"The sports you will be playing will be announced in the packets you'll all be receiving soon. It contains instructions and rules for all of the activities and games. You are expected to read it. Attendance is mandatory even if you're not participating, unless you are injured or ill and have been given permission to sit out by the royal physician. Are my instructions clear? Very well then, everyone find a mat, we're going to start the evaluation."

Everyone found themselves their own mat, half of the girls getting in place for sit ups while the other half were there to hold their feet down and count. Tina asked if you could count for her first.