Joseph had scattered us into groups by some sort of weird arrangement made by the Council. It was hard to see what we were arranged based off, as I saw no similarities in body shapes  or backgrounds. But I didn't really know the people here so I couldn't say much.

We were all assigned a staff to lead us to the rooms where our fates would be decided.

I stood in my group, anxiously awaiting the staff member that would be leading to my success and in some other's case, failure and intense regret. My foot tapped against the floor repeatedly, my lips formed into a thin line with my eyebrows scrunched up. The wastage of time didn't help with my building anxiety.

The sudden silence of the students around me pulled me out of my thoughts. My eyes were glued to cause of the source of attention of the students and their abrupt decorum.

He stood in front of our group, arms crossed. Those cerulean eyes of his leaked no information, his lips pulled into a thin line and his head was held high. It was no wonder that his sudden appearance had demanded silence. I didn't even dare to utter a word.

Our Survival Techniques instructor cleared his throat. "Remember my golden rules and you'll be fine. Now follow me."

Wow! That was so helpful.

I hadn't known the man long enough, but what I did know was he had a nagging habit of releasing utter nonsense from his speaking hole, and rarely allowing sense to seep through. A frown made it's way to my lips. There was still a good chunk of me that was nervous, but Simone's words danced in my head, reminding me everything was going to be okay. With that, we moved.

It had only just occured to me how truly gargantuan this institute was. My mind drifted off to the day I had tried to sneak around and was cought by Simone. I was truly being foolish, but at least by foolishness paid off. We  took several turns before we made it to our elimination room.

The room was vast with desks strategically placed around the room. Each seat was at least two feet from the next. We were all instructed to take our seats and await our test.

Absolute quiet filled the room as we waited patiently for Mr. Orion to assign us our test, whatever it may be. Each second felt like a painful year in the wilderness. I just wanted to get this over with and be done.

Rythmic footsteps snapped me out my thoughts. I looked up to see Mr. Orion was back with a tray full of chips. My breaths evened out and I could feel a good amount of the tension I had felt earlier dissipate. I could do this. Looking around the room, I could see clouds of confusion tormenting some of the trainees. They were still weary and didn't understand our task, but I did. Those were simulation chips. A wave of memories hit from when my dad would use them on me as a form of punishment. My hands clenched. This wasn't the time Alyssa.

Focusing back on the task at hand, I could see Mr. Orion walking up to each student and attaching the pea-sized chips to their necks. Five students later, the strange man stood before me. I angled my neck making it easier for him to attach the chip. He wasted no time attaching the cold metal to my warm skin. I prepared my mind for the effect.

3

2

1

And everything went blank.

I was resting on something cold, something hard, I couldn't quite make out. I ran my hand through this strange material. The musty scent of dust hit my nostril like a bull charging for a red cape. My hands made contact with rough, gravely stone. I knew where I was. I was on a rendezvous with the ground.

Wasting no time at all, I jumped off from the ground and crouched awaiting the dangers that might just be lurking around me.

A black cloak blanketed the sky leaving only two moons as a source of light. Street lights supported the moons on it's mission of illumination, and judiciously placed buildings towered over me. Only the sound of my unsteady breaths met my ears. Though, everywhere seemed quiet, I was not one to be fooled. I wasn't new to this and I knew it would only be a matter of time before whatever my challenge was struck.

My eyes flickered as a woman dressed in white crossed them. She appeared out of no where, running haphazardly. Could this be my challenge, I thought?

My question got answered when five figures emerged from the shadows. Perhaps this was what had caused the woman's fright, I thought.

Each of the figures had wicked glints in their eyes. They were covered in black clothing; perfectly disguising them. The hairs on my neck rose in anticipation.

This must be the test.

The first man approached me. Everything about him radiated danger, from the scar across his left eye to the robotic arm he had. All my senses were at high alert, preparing myself for any attack. He smiled and attempted to flip me over with his leg. I dogded just at the right moment and grabbed his leg leaving him tumbling over. All those years of dad's relentless trainings were finally paying off.

The rest of them took that a sign to strike. Each of them lunged at me, searching for a way to break my resolve. I took stance, preparing for the attack. I had managed to dodge a few blows but nothing was ever that easy. A fist made contact with my skull which sent me diving and my back hit the wall of a building. Blood oozed from my head. The coppery smell hit my noise and I groaned. Shooting myself back up, I searched the area for my attacker; the one that had sent me to have a little conversation with the wall.

My eyes zeroed in on a male with scars decorating his features. He was certainly bigger than me and a little voice in me told me I would probably not win this fight. But Alyssa Stevens was a young woman that did not accept defeat even when all odds were against her.