We went down in the elevator to level 2 under, meaning it was two under ground level. The boys walked in the same moment as us and Territory 13 stepped in as we stepped out.
"Girls," Bondick said, greeting us kindly. "We'll be working on camouflage first, that means hiding as well." Bondick said to us. "We tested you on what you would do in certain circumstances, training you mentally; let's see if you can do what you say."
I ran over to a blue pot of quick-dry paint that matched the ceiling and coated my hair and skin that would have showed. I also coated the number on my training suit and gave certain bits shine. I heard them counting and they were at twenty, counting down. I shimmied up one of the bars, silently and rested in between the bars and the ceiling and closed my eyes. "Zero, we're going to find you." Lanille said. I knew that the judges were playing along too since I saw them close their eyes the same time that Lanille and Bondick did. "Aha, found you Minks." I heard her say. I risked an open eye and saw that he had hidden in between some of the racks of equipment. I shut it as soon as I saw Lanille's head begin to turn.
"Violet, come on. You won, come out," Minks said. They all were under me, but I could easily flip down without them seeing.
So I did. But with a knife I had taken before, I slipped down unnoticed, but still holding on with my legs, winking at the judges and put the knife around Lanille's neck and whispered in her ear, "Silence is deadly, don't go looking for it." Then I slipped back up in time to see her turn around, but I wasn't there, I was above her. She and Bondick went to look near the racks, and I saw my chance. I hung on to the bars with my legs and pulled Minks up with me. I put my lips to my forefinger signaling silence. He lay down alongside me and stayed quiet, smiling at me.
"Violet," Bondick said turning, his eyes became wide as he turned to where Minks was only seconds before. "Lanille, he's gone. She must have shown him when we had turned around. So she's on that side," he said. Oh gosh, this was funny, the student passes the Master! I was tempted to do a happy dance, but realized I was still flat on the bars.
"We'll close our eyes for a few seconds, you have our word. Come out." Bondick said to us, obviously flustered. As they brought their hands up, I shoved Minks out and he landed on his feet quietly to sound like he tripped out of a bunch of equipment. He then walked up to them and stood with his hands behind his back.
"You didn't say who should come out." Minks pointed out cockily.
"That isn't what we meant. Violet, we'll stop camouflage completely if you don't come out." Lanille threatened. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes scoffing, while Bondick did the same, but he tilted forward.
I did a gymnast's swing from the bars and landed beside Minks as they opened their eyes in astonishment. "Good," I said. "I don't think we need any more training in that area." I had my arm around Minks and was smiling. Minks and I bursted out laughing, and Bondick playfully seized me and spun me around in the air.
"You are too good, but you did tell me." Minks commented. I smiled at this; he really was like a brother.
"Let's see your distance work," Lanille said. I took a bow and quiver full of arrows, Minks a spear. "Step up to this line and shoot when I say," Lanille ordered. I nocked my arrow; Minks hefted the spear over his shoulder. "Now!" she exclaimed. Our weapons flew over thirty feet, both hitting the bulls-eye mark. "Amazing, you two! Really good," Lanille told us.
"We'll now work on hand to hand combat, Minks you're four years older than Violet, right?" Bondick asked. We both nodded, he was a grade older than Ronnie. Lanille gathered us on a mat and said, "No weapons, just you."
"I don't want to hurt her," Minks said empathetically.
"Just try your hardest, if I feel pain, I'll scream," I assured him. Now, I was mad. He underestimated me; no one should have the right to do that to me.
"Ready, set, fight," Bondick said, and we were off. He tried to ram into me, I sidestepped. I did a flip, landed on his back, kicked the back of his knees, he buckled and I did what I did to my sister before; I pulled his arms back in an "X" shape, shoved my shoe tips in his calves and pulled and shoved harder until he yelled. I rolled off him.
"How?" Minks asked, obviously awed while rubbing his arms. I did a knuckle bump with Lanille. "You- you're only eleven, did you put me on pills?"
"I took down my sister also; you just used too much force, so I used that against you. It's physics buddy, learn it, love it." I explained. He still looked unhappy, while I smiled.
"Let's move on!" Bondick exclaimed, trying to change the mood. "Defense, guys, let's see how you do. It'll also count on your Close combat mark. Grab whatever you want, just get the other person in a fatal position for 8 seconds. They get a lower defense mark the longer you hold them down."
I went over and grabbed a knife, Minks took a sword. "Ready, set, go!" Lanille said as we both stood at the edge of the mat. I slid under his legs as he charged, before he could spin, I kicked his sword out of reach. As he tried to retrieve it, I took his hair and held the knife to his neck. He squirmed and freed himself, then I took him down by pulling on his arm; spinning him, pushed him, back facing the ground, pinned his arms with my knees, held his hips down with my feet and had my knife raised above my head in a way that in the arena, someone would usually bring it down.
"Eight," Bondick said as I took myself off Minks. "Onto knots."
"Finally, something I'm good at." Minks said, relieved that he wouldn't have to lose. They told us to do our best knots and we had the book in front of us, but I still didn't get them perfectly. Minks, however, was having the time of his life and making funny faces using the knots so I felt better. It had worked.
"Good, now onto plants." Lanille said. We both aced this, knowing everything, since back home, if the iodine was out, we would have to find plants that would work too.
"Amazing, you two. Now onto "Escape". Please go into the center of the mat," Bondick said. We followed his order and immediately four dirt walls appeared around us. A ceiling encased us, and I spotted two holes, one that could fit me, one to fit Minks. "The better your time, the better your score." I heard Bondick say, as I spotted four knives. The timer starts now!"
I ran to the middle and took two of the knives. "Follow my lead," I yelled to Minks as ferrets poured into the room. He saw me using the knives, ran for his and saw how I was climbing up to a hole in the wall closest to me. The first ferret started to lick him when he found his hole. As he started to climb, more tried jumping up to lick him. To get them off, he had to shake, violently, which scared me; he was already over 15 feet up. He got the last one off and then started to restart his good pace.
I was two pulls up to the hole, and then I just threw myself back, maintaining hold, and ran up the wall, as I slid through the hole, the knives followed. Just as I was about to drop twenty feet in front of Bondick, I shoved the knives in the wall behind. I did the same pace, dropped down, and threw the knives in the floor at Bondick as I jumped six feet down. "Don't ever do that again," I told him. He smiled at me as Minks and Lanille walked around the corner.
The two judges signaled for them to come to where they were standing. I saw them point to us being happy and excited and other feelings of amazement. "You guys," Lanille said as she popped out. "Do you remember how there's that pack that have an alliance and stuff since they are the most skilled, well, you guys are asked to be trained with that group, you need 10.9 to at least get in, by the first day. Minks, you got exactly that. This is so exciting!" she said. Wait, I was going to be a part of that group of the first twelve who go out, since they're the highest score makers? Nah, I'll train with them, see their weaknesses, but I will NOT kill with them. I'll just kill them.
"Lanille, do we have to be part of their group?" I asked, faking nervousness. I just didn't want to waste my time with their dumb attempts to frighten me.
"No, but you get to train with them, it might show you how to make your scores perfect." She told me.
"Let's just do it," Minks told me encouragingly. So I trained with them, reluctantly. Every day training would go like so: 6:00 AM: Training Center. Knot tying first, Defense second, Food third, Climbing last. I only did climbing to keep my limbs nimble for my plan in the arena: to outlive the others. I'll kill if someone goes into my territory, but I'll make it just so that I don't lose any weapons in the process.
