*---Mission Brief ---*

After that weird competition, Tom seemed to disappear. Our prizes were plastic medals. PLASTIC medals! My bed seemed to be as hard as a rock, but what made it better, was that when I woke up tossing and turning, I was able to look out of my window and see the glorious ocean. I didn't realize that I spent an hour staring out the window, just thinking.

Morning assembly was at 7, and after that, breakfast. Jayce was right, the food wasn't anything to be raved about, but I heard stories of the slop they served up at St. Hope's before it was turned into a boarding school, and let's just say they were lucky they only had to eat it once a day.

I look around the table silently. Everyone's eating. Snobby - whose name is Leah, (she very reluctantly relinquished it to me) chats to her crowd of admirers, with her curly auburn hair up in a pony tail. Jayce slides in next to me with his heap of food. "So, enjoyed your first day?" He asks.

"Yeah, it's OK. Better when I know people. But school is school." I spoon the mush around my plate. "You weren't kidding about the food here. I could cook better than this."

"Please." He says with a straight face.

***

Our first class - would have to be Maths, of course. I pull out my book, not looking forward to it. "Excuse me, miss?" Jayce raises his hand. "I left my book in my dorm."

"Alright, you may leave." The teacher consents. I sigh, wishing that I'd left MY book in my dorm, when he walks past me and I see a note on the table. I unfold it slowly, making sure no one is looking.

"make up an excuse to leave and meet me outside the door. Be quick. We don't have time for questions but everything will be explained"

Strange... I think to myself. "Miss, I need to.. I don't feel well." I say, stuttering a bit.

"Alright, Amber, you can take art in second if you're up for it."

I get out of there fast, and almost bump into Jayce outside. "So..." I get out before the door opens and Leah steps out.

"Can someone explain to me...?" Leah starts, but before we can ask. Jayce shoves us both down the hallway.

"Follow me." He instructs, not waiting to give us an explanation. Leah and I look at one another but follow him anyway, curious. He winds down the hallways and then makes a sudden right.

"We're in... the storage room." Leah says disdainfully.

"Yes. Exactly." He stands beside a door marked "caretaker's store cupboard" and then slides the top part off a power point, revealing something that looks like a thumb scanner. He puts his thumb on it, it gives a beep and he pushes the door open. "Coming?"

"It's not going to blow up, is it?" Leah asks, stepping in carefully. As soon as the door shuts, he pulls on what looks like  a broom. there's a whooshing sound and the floor drops out from underneath us. It takes me a second to realize that we're in an elevator, and it's heading down. Fast.