Mount Raineer

Chapter 1: Jessica Ross

Jessica Ross:

Dear Ms. Ross

We would like to inform you of your current marks here at Woodbrook's Military Correctional Facility for teens. Seeing as you are not allowed electronics, we had to send you this on paper. Please take a look at your average grades below for this semester;

Math: 43%

ELA: 49%

History: 24%

Science: 50%

Gym: 96%

It seems as though you will not be allowed to graduate with these disappointing marks, however, we have decided to give you another chance for college by giving you a shot at our annual physical challenge for a scholarship to college. This is confidential information, as the challenge is very dangerous, so we will have to continue this discussion later this afternoon in my office. Please bring this letter along with you. Congratulations with your outstanding gym mark, it is one of the highest in the school and that is why we find you suitable for this competition.

Yours truly,

General Cornell

"What the hell...?!".

How could I have been chosen out of hundreds of other top standard athletes? I've heard rumors about this challenge before, and apparently, you're sent into a life or death situation, competing against all the top athletes at the school. There's no way I'd be able to stand a chance against them.

I feel the paper slip from my fingers and watch it as it falls onto the concrete floors of my room. I feel my knees weaken so I lean into the wall for support, a sob escaping my throat. My stomach feels as though it has been turned upside down and my heart is racing.

This is not what I want. All I want to do is graduate from this hell hole of a school. I don't want to compete in some stupidly dangerous competition.

I decide that it's best to sleep this off before I end up going on a rampage and I slowly make my way across the room to the metal framed bed. I lie down on the hard mattress and close my eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Before I know it, I'm out cold.

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I wake up, twenty minutes later, with my legs tangled in the sheets of my crappy bed. I kick my legs to untangle them and sit up in my bed, shaking out my head and squeezing my eyes shut.

At first, I think that I just dreamt about getting that letter, but then I see it again. Lying there on the ground, and want to tear it into a billion pieces, but then I realize I have a meeting with the General in 30 minutes. I take in another deep breath and catch a glance at myself in the mirror. My chocolate brown hair is tangled around my face and I have ginormous bags under my stormy-blue eyes. I look terrible. After combing out my hair I apply some makeup under my eyes to cover up the bags just so the General doesn't see how the letter affected me. I don't want to seem weak because to some kids this would be a real honor to be chosen.

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"Hello Ms. Ross I'm so delighted you could make it!" General Cornell says his lips curling into a smirk. I always thought there was something off about him, like he was plotting against me.

"Hi, how are you this afternoon Sir?" I say forcing a smile and sitting down in the seat across from his desk. I try to sound as polite as possible so he won't make me run suicides later tonight.

"I take that you received my letter from earlier this morning."

"I did indeed, I was quite surprised actually Sir..."

"It is mandatory to participate in this challenge unless you want to fail high school and return once again in the fall. First of all, I am going to explain to you the ground rules of this year's event. The annual challenge for this year is to climb Mount Raineer."

My mouth drops open as the words leave his mouth. This can't be happening there is no way in hell that you will catch me climbing a freakin' mountain and camping in the bush. This is not what I expected at all, it's not much of an award for having one the highest gym marks if you ask me.

"Is everything all right Ms. Ross?"

"Oh yes Sir, everything is fine I just did not expect this but I am very grateful for this opportunity!" All I can think is I hope that he believed my lie about me being thankful...

"Alright then let's continue from where we left off. OK, so you will search the mountain until all the scholarships are found. There are five scholarships, so not everyone will be able to get one. The scholarship is for a very highly ranked military school. In fact it is one of the best schools in the country. The scholarships will be hidden in random places on the mountain. There will be 10 contestants divided into 2 teams of 5."

"Sir, what happens if you don't find a scholarship?"

"You will be executed immediately... that is if you haven't already been killed off by another contestant" As soon as I hear those words my heart feels like it has stopped and I can't breathe anymore. Executed is the only word I can hear.

"Ms. Ross this is very confidential, if you tell anybody you will be executed and so will anybody else who knows. I have a little bit of information left to tell you, if you could direct your attention to me for just a little longer you will be free to leave."

How does he want me to direct my attention to him when he just told me I have a 50/50 chance of surviving? I can't process this right now, I just can't... I slide out of my chair angrily and pick up the piece of paper and rip it in half. The General starts to stand up but I throw my shoe at him and hit him dead center in the forehead. What an asshole to do this to us teenagers it's murder! I storm out of his office angrily and run to my dorm quickly before he can catch up to me.

I slam my door shut furiously tears streaming down my cheek once again I am sobbing, trying to catch my breath. I need to calm down before I do something I will regret. The first thing that pops into my mind is to relieve my anger the only way I can do that is with my.... Drugs. I know I shouldn't have this especially in a military school but I managed to smuggle some in. I only use this on rare occasions because I know I have a problem. I go into my underwear drawer and rip open one of my bras which contains some cocaine. I snort some real quickly and already I feel kind of lightheaded. I drift off real quickly and forget about my angry thoughts and fall over onto my bed. Everything suddenly feels calm. I really don't want this feeling to go away. Before I know it guards have already started pounding on my door.