I came to a halt. I rested my hands on my knees, internally pleading for all this to come to an end. My lungs pleaded for air, my body ached and my skin glistened with sweat. We had done some push-ups, pull-ups and a few exercises that I was unfamiliar with. A reasonable fraction of us kept up and continued jogging around the wide field while there was a small fraction that had stopped to rest or had already past out on the floor. I was a part of that small fraction.

I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the amount of time I had spent enduring this torture, but I couldn't take it anymore. It had crossed my mind that I was just being lazy, but the sight of a few students on the blue grassy field gave me some sort of self validation.

"Get up and keep on jogging!" Mrs. Polaris, our instructor, commanded. Her cold, green eyes were fixed on a male red head laid face flat on the field. So far the woman had proven to be strict and was bent on pushing us to out limits. Trying to avoid Mrs. Polaris shouting at me again, I gathered up a little strength and continued jogging, assuring myself that it would be over soon.

This was the little price I had to pay for skipping the morning jog. Not long after I had left Simone, a voice from the speakers announced that all those who skipped outside were to assemble on the field. Not wanting anymore trouble, I obliged.

I looked around the field and studied my rivals. Most of them were strong, with well defined muscles. You could easily tell them apart. It was like they were structured to fit in, whereas I was being forced to fit in. It almost felt like I was a square being forced into a round hole. Despite that, I knew I had the determination and inner strength to get what it was I wanted.

Shaking my thoughts away, I focused on the goal at hand.

Time passed slowly and we were finally allowed to leave. Mrs. Polaris had left as well as a few other exhausted students. I had decided to stay back, not wanting to go back to my noisy room.

Making my self comfortable as I sat down on the field, I allowed myself to get lost, looking at the beautiful scenery above me as I thought carefully of what I would do next. The sky was covered in soft shades of orange, the sun slowly bade farewell and the clouds seemed to fade away.

Taking in a deep breath, I meditated on the task I was assigned. Massaging my temple with my fingertips, I concluded that I was to act this night.

Having fully rested my mind, I got up and left.

I brought my keycard out of pocket and swiped it against the reader. I grabbed the handle tightly, pushing it open. Trish' baby blue eyes, Lisa's forest green eyes and Chloe's light brown eyes all scanned me. Trish dropped her book down. "Where have you been?!"

"When we saw the others coming in and couldn't find you, we thought you had gotten yourself in trouble," Lisa chimed.

I closed the door behind me. "Well I'm okay. I just decided to stay back for a while."

Lisa exhaled. "I'm just glad you're okay." I smiled in response. Her caring attitude was cute.

"How was the punishment?" Chloe asked as she dressed her bed.

"It was one of the best experiences of my life," I deadpanned, my tone coming off acerbic. Multiple questions bounced back and forth in my head as I eyed this weird specimen. There was something definitely strange about this girl. She skipped the morning jog yesterday, yet she didn't show up for the "punishment" and she's so exhilarated to be a Guardian? And what relationship did she have with Joseph anyway? I couldn't answer any of these questions, but one thing I knew was that I needed to act fast.

I moved to the wardrobe Lisa and I shared, which was right beside my bed. I opened the light brown wardrobe and brought out a yellow nightgown, before I sauntered to the bathroom.

I stripped and entered the shower, allowing the warm water fill with comfort. I washed all the dirt off of me, like it was a hobby. I was in bliss and didn't want it to end but, I had to get dressed and address certain issues.

I got out of the shower and wore the night gown as well as put my new wristwatch back on. Once I was done, I opened the door and entered the room. "Trish," I called, making her drop her novel.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Could you please wake me up tomorrow morning?" I asked, eagerly waiting for a reply. Just like Simone had said earlier, I couldn't mess up again, and she was absolutely right. "Sure," she replied with a small smile.

I smiled back and mouthed a thank you.

I sat on my bed and looked out the window. It was already dark outside, the sun had bade goodbye and the two moons were present and ready to fill in for it.

I laid down and rested my head on the soft pillow with a blue duvet covering my body. I closed my eyes, waiting for the right time to act.

Once I was sure that everyone had fallen asleep, I got up from my bed, making sure I had made no noise. I tip-toed my way to Chloe's side of the room and searched through her things as carefully as I could.

So far I had found nothing useful. It turned out that Chloe had an extensive collection of underwear, even more than her clothes and she was surprisingly good at hiding things. I couldn't give up, though. I took in a deep breath and continued rummaging through her things.

My eyes lit up and heartbeat increased at the small victory. After about 30 minutes of meticulous searching and muttering of curses, I had managed to find the white bag from the other day. I decided against taking it, to avoid any suspicions. Instead, I cut a small paper and poured the multicoloured powder on it and neatly folded it.

Wasting no time at all, I kept the white bag back in the corner I had found it and tried to remove any traces of me ever being near Chloe's things. Satisfied with my work, I turned around with the intention of going back to my bed and welcoming slumber, but fate had other plans.

"What were you doing Alyssa?" Chloe interrogated, her voice groggy.

Slipping the paper that would get me all my answers and perhaps prove that I'm worthy into one of my pockets, I faced Chloe with a forced smile plastered on my face. "Oh, it's nothing," I replied, waving my hand.

She stared at me, her eyes forming slits and a frown etched on my face. "You went through my things." Her voice was calm yet it had a deadly edge to it.

My mouth hung open as I tried to form an excuse, but a rippling scream saved me from the burden.

Worried, both Chloe and I searched for the source of the noise. It had come from Trish. She stood by the window, struck with fear like any movement made was deadly.

Curiously, I moved close to her and looked through the window to see what might have given Trish a fright.

"Oh no." I gasped. My eyes widened at the sight of a student sprawled on the floor, blood traced his skin like it was where it belonged. His skin had become ashy and all life seemed to have gone.