Makayla's POV

It is the year, 2046. I stayed inside marking the science tests. All my kids are outside enjoying the nice day that lingered. I work at Whiterock Middle School. Where the killings happened. I try not to think about it too much when I'm here. I teach grade seven math and science. My class is in the portables, the only class in the portables. Recess is about to end before I go back to teaching. I have a daughter and a son. My daughter is named Kyra and she's seventeen years old. My son, Ashton, is fourteen years old. I'm married to my husband, Kylo, one of my classmates from the killings. We still see Ethan and Samantha from the killings twenty seven years ago. We have stuck together since.

The bell rang, looking out into the world beyond, seeing the children running for the door. I remember this exact room was my room when I was in the killings. It felt like it was two years ago when it happened. All grade eighters begging to live. We survivors were pretty lucky.

My kids came in talking as they headed to their desks. It is the last three blocks before school ends. Everyone came in sitting down chatting with their friends. "Take out your books and read." I tell them. They do just that. This class reminds me of my class back in grade seven and eight. My class was rowdy, loud, obnoxious, and fun to be around. I enjoyed that class, my favourite of my school years. A lot of memories were created, and it all happened in this very room. I have so many memories that I can't keep track of them all. Hearing the silence of my class reading made me feel calm. Mrs. Abrack came in impressed by the silent readers in my class. I smile and I'm impressed too. "Hey, I'll need to borrow your hole puncher."

"Sure."

"Thanks."

She took it and left. I hear the other class come signalling that it's time to switch. "You can switch."

My class gathered their belongings and left as the other class came in. The other class took their place. Once they settled in, I made my way up the front to start. "It's test time."

Everyone moaned. "Binders up everyone." Everyone put up their binders. "This test has twenty multiple choices, ten matching and two short answers. Good luck, you'll do well." I handed out the test to each and every one of the kids. I always have high hopes for the kids, even the struggling ones. I went back to my desk once I handed out the papers. The room fell silent again. All I could hear was the pin drop of their pencils. I continued to mark the other classes test to pass the time. I had a couple of students come to me for help for not understanding the questions. A light knock on the door made one of my students get up to answer it. He immediately sat back down as my son, Ashton, came in the room. I look up from marking the test. "Hi honey."

"Hi, mom." he walked over to me. "When I came back in, I found this in my locker. It had your name on it."

"Thanks. Do you know who put it in your locker?"

"No."

"Okay, thanks." He left without another word. As it's not important now, I set it in my bag and continued to mark the tests. With only a few tests left, I couldn't stop thinking about the letter that Ashton gave me. The kids started handing in their test, as some are still writing. Being a good teacher I am, I started marking them. The letter still bothered me. Something about it made me feel uncomfortable. The thought that someone gave my son a letter that is directed towards me, made me feel queasy inside.

"Mss. Flores?" Anna asked.

"Yeah?"

"May I please head to the washroom?"

"Yes."

She left the class quietly. The rest of the students gave me their tests. "Is anyone still writing?" I asked. No one answers. It took almost three blocks for them to write the test. The loudness drew. I let them chat for the remainder of this afternoon. "Pack up your things, you are free to go once the chairs are up." I say when it's time to head out. As the other class left, mine came in with their bags. Waiting two minutes for the bell rang. The two minutes flew by when the bell rang. Everyone is dismissed. Gathering everything up in my bag when Ashton came in.

"Hi Ashton."

"Hi Mom." I'm up and going to gather my things. He sat in my desk chair waiting for me. "How was school?"

"Good." spinning back and forth looking bored. "Ready to go home?" I ask.

"Yes. I had a long, tiring day."

"Was it?"

"Yes." I finished packing my bags, ready to go home. I gesture my head to signal that it's time to go home. I lock the door then walk down the hallway. We didn't say a word on the way to the car. Driving home, Ashton finally speaks. "What did the letter say?"

"I don't know, I haven't opened it yet. Too busy marking tests."

"Okay."

"Why?"

"Just wondering?"

Pulling into the driveway, parking in my spot. We headed into the house. Kyra's not home yet and neither is Kylo. Instead of settling in, I immediately set the bag down, grab the tests to start marking them at the kitchen table. I want to get these done so I won't have to worry about them later. The whole time that I'm marking them, my mind goes elsewhere, more so on the letter. When I took my break, I finally decided to open the letter to see why it's bothering me. I hear Ashton in the bonus room playing on the xbox with his friends. I ripped the envelope open, revealing a small paragraph.

Dear Makayla Flores,

You are proudly chosen to participate in the games. On Tuesday May first to the fifteenth, you will be playing these games, murder games. At nine am at Whiterock Middle School. In those two weeks, you are to survive the whole event to move on with your life. If you get caught by the killer, you are gone. The winners are the ones who survive, will not be bothered and will live on. There will be more details of the day. So pack your things as you will be spending the whole two weeks. Good luck, and thanks for your participation.

From,

The Game Master.

I froze, my mouth opened. In shock. I couldn't move. Everything around me spun, I could barely breathe and concentrate. I started crying. I felt like I was about to pass out. I didn't realize the front door opened until Kylo and Kyra came through the door. "Makayla, what's wrong?" Kylo asked sweetly. I shook my head, not believing that I'm going to go through this again.

"Kyra, go somewhere else, please."

"Why can't I stay here?"

"Because."

I heard her leave. Tears still streaming down my face. "Makayla, please tell me. What's wrong?" His sweet, gentle voice calmed me a bit, but not much. I moved the letter to him as he read. I'm so glad I didn't open this at school. I heard a gasp from him. Then feeling his arms wrapped around me. "Why me?" I asked between sobs.

"I don't know." I feel him bury his face in my hair. "It's going to be okay."

Having him close to me feels really good, makes me feel better. "I can't go through that again. It's a living nightmare." I barely made it out.

"I know . . . I know it is."

We moved towards the couch, sitting in it. I'm curling into his warm body. It felt so long when Kyra and Ashton came into the room. "Why's mom upset?" I heard Ashton ask.

"Well . . . your mother has received something scary."

"Like what?" Kyra asked. Kylo let go of me and waved at the kids. "Look, many years ago, when we were your age, Ashton, and it was a traumatizing event for your mother and I. You know Samantha and Ethan, right?"

They nodded. "They were part of it too. We survived a massive tragic event. A killing spree happened at Whiterock, twenty seven years ago. We were in a class in grade eight, and we got invited to this killing spree, everyone in that class died, as we survived. It's a very tragic and traumatizing event. Not knowing if you're going to live or die . . . it's hard. It was a dark time. Knowing that we lived the killings were fantastic. But knowing that you have to go back again . . . it's a living nightmare. Going back there, it's hard knowing that you probably won't live. It's all in the killers hands and who it gets to kill." Kylo explained everything to the kids. Knowing that I'm going back there, it feels horrible. Of course Tuesday is in four days from now.

I survived it the first time, but I doubt I will the second.