Level Up

Chapter six

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Chapter six

Collette's POV

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When the lights to our bunker switch on I realize I only slept half of the night.

"I want everyone's pretty faces in the white room in ten minutes. The door will be locked then and no one else will be allowed in. Your docents are waiting." Someone's voice pierces the air and startles my previously calm heart. I stare at the ceiling for a minute remembering where I am.

Rosaline kicks the edge of the bed and I sit up scanning the room. Eddy sits on his bed, his knees awkwardly high because of the height of his bed and he rubs his face in deep thought. The color has drained from his face though it looks better from the night before. Ela is already dressed and is waiting by the door for Eddy.

I quickly slip on my clothes and brush the mats out of my hair. Rosaline and I jog after a docent to the white room in complete silence. Rosaline decides to break it though.

"Where'd you run off to?" I laugh bitterly and cock my head toward her. "I was itching for some new enemies. What happened to you? One minute you were there and the next you were gone." Rosaline cracks a large grin. "I went to see the upholders." "Upholders?" I ask.

"Gosh Collette, did you learn anything while you were on level three?" I slow to a complete stop. "I don't think I was ever on level three, Rosaline." Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise and our docent notices we stopped.

"We are coming!"I yell to our docent. He nods and turns back again. "I don't know anything Rosaline. Just please keep this a secret. I've got to find help before someone finds out."

Rosaline gapes at me and without another word she chases after our docent. "Rosaline," I curse under my breath.

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The white room turned out to be white as expected. Everyone's 'ooh's' and 'ahh's' echo along the walls. A couple of pundit appear in my vision with welcoming smiles.

"As a new shipment of transfers, you will all work in this room until you've passed our evaluation. After the white room, you will either be sent to level one, or you will advance in your jobs."

"First things first," the man on the right glances to the woman on the left and ushers for her. "This is Portia and I am Coach. Please refer to us by these names and nothing else. Now everybody, against the wall."

Coach walks up and down the row switching people around in the line. I catch onto the fact that he knows everyone by name as he makes his way through the line. Rosaline passes me without looking my way and is a few people behind me.

"What is your name?" Coach stalks over with a thick drawl, a chart in hand. "I don't recognize you," he clarifies. "Collette Gardener," I respond. He flips through the endless amount of files connected to the chart and shows one to me. There's no picture next to my name and most everything is blank. He flips up another sheet to a kid named Travis and every little detail is filled out.

"What is the meaning of this?" I shrug my shoulders and open my mouth to answer but he beats me to it. "Where did you come from?" Coach demands of me. "I worked in the background on level one," I defend and someone at the front of the line snorts.

Coach grabs my arm, pulls me from the line and drags me further back. "I won't accept any lies. Now stay here and don't move until you're told to," he commands menacingly. A few kids from the front of the line break out into laughter including both Eddy and Ela.