Chapter 102 On bended knees

Chapter 102 On bended knees

\[Charlotte's POV\]
I haven't had a chance to set things straight with grandma. Lately, it's always been about me and I feel selfish. How do I cope with everything that's happening? I'm so scared. My chest hurts and I wince as I clutched my shirt.
"Charlotte, are you okay?" Levi quizzed with a worried look on his face.
I steady my breathing by inhaling and exhaling. The pain subsided and I felt weak.
Levi pulled me into his arms. 'It's going to be okay.'
He repeated till I fell asleep.

I woke up at 7 : 12 am to the sound of Kanye West's Power.
'Oh my God.' I palmed my face. My head ached terribly as though I was having a hangover. But I don't remember drinking last night.
'Hey, Charlotte !' Margo yelled over the resounding music.
I gave her a questioning look and she reduced the volume.
'Sorry.' She walked to where I laid on the bed, her long flowery gown sweeping the floor.
'What's the occasion?' I sat up on the bed, looking around for Levi.
'Nothing much.' She grinned.
Something's up. I can feel it.
Margo took my hands and pulled me out of bed. 'Let's just say today's exam won't be as difficult as we thought it would.'
I inquired, confused. 'Why?:
'Because it's CBT and in 10 minutes, we'll be done.' Margo willed me out of the room and we came out of the corridor.
'But you didn't study for the Spanish exam. How will it be easy?' I rubbed my free hand on my face.
'Don't worry. Grace knows Spanish like the back of her hand. We'll kill this.' Margo giggled as we started to run.


The kitchen was pretty crowded. Levi, Jacob, and Mikey were making breakfast and they all looked hot in their aprons.
'Hey.' I greeted them with a smile as I sat on the counter.
'Good morning.' Levi greeted me with a kiss. It tasted like strawberry. Did he eat strawberries?
'What's taking so long? I'm famished.' Stacy laid upside down on the couch.
'My stomach is singing a melody that I don't like.' Adira clutched her stomach.
'Guys, it's just a few minutes past 7 and you're all hungry. That sounds pretty abnormal to me.' George walked in with a glass of milk in hand.
'You're crazy.' Both Adira and Stacy launched a pillow at him and he dodged them successfully. However, his glass did not. It fell from his hands.
'Uh-oh. Someone was pretty clumsy this morning.' Margo gave him a mischievous smile and he laughed.
Georgie has a frown on his face. I remember him saying he likes taking a glass of milk every morning.
'Uh-oh. He's gonna hurt us.' Adira giggled.
Georgie let it pass and went to grab a mop.
Margo told him. 'I'll help. Don't worry.'
When both of them walked away, Lenin cupped his hand over his mouth. 'Am I hearing 5 minutes in heaven?'
'You're an odd one this morning for thinking that.' Scottie scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Lenin pinched his eyelids. "Between you and I, who has the most sex appeal?"
Scottie cleared his throat. 'Nothing to see or hear here.
Lenin snaked his arm around his shoulder. 'Don't act all timid now. When we're together, you don't do that.'
Scottie pushed away from him. 'I have to use the bathroom.'
Lenin went after him. 'Get back here. I'm not done with you.'
Everyone giggled as they both left the room.
Levi served me a plate of scrambled eggs and toasted bread with a cup of coffee to add.
'Thanks.' I smile at him.
Adira scoffs. 'It seems like we're invisible to you huh.'
Levi rolls his eyes. 'As your perfect eyes can see, I'm not the only chef around here.'
Adira walked to the kitchen counter. 'Feed me. Now.'
Mikey gave a fake salute. 'Sir, yes, sir.'
I couldn't help but giggle throughout that morning. The gang was pretty fun to be with but each time I remember grandma is in the basement, a shiver runs down my spine.


\[Selena's POV\]
It's the last day of exams and the students are getting ready to enter the hall. Ratcliff and Gale come up beside me, each flanking my sides.
'They're a handful. These kids.' Gale said playfully as the trio watched the kids march into the CBT hall.
'You can say that again.' Ratcliff cracked his knuckles and pockets his hands.
I turned to look at them both. 'Are arrangements for Project Bloodhound ready?'
Gale nods slowly, unsure of his decision but Ratcliff gave me a thumbs up.
'The students aren't aware of the new game. There's been a change in plans. What happens when their parents watch the entire thing.' Gale babble about. I tolerated it for some moments before I told him to shut up.
"We don't discuss it in public. The walls have ears.' I glared at him.
The clock read 9 : 30 am. The exam was to begin.
'I'll invigilate the students myself.' I walked past them.
Gale might think I'm a bit too brittle with him but that's my own way of discipline. I do that so my pupils won't be led astray. It's exactly what you're thinking, dearest gentle reader. I was tough on my sister while training her.
It was just Mattie (Mathilda) and I while we were growing up. We had both lost our father in a tragic car accident and our mom was never around - perks of being an American soldier. Mattie and I practically raised ourselves. We had no relatives to go to nor any friends to stay with. We lived everyday with whatever penny our mom sent for us. Life was hell. I didn't go to school but I wanted Mattie to. She was so brilliant. Always acing every test and exam. I couldn't let her talent go to waste. That later did coz our mom returned one day and told us to pack up. When we did, she drove us straight to camp and left us. Not just any camp. An army camp. Turns out she'd registered our names into the program. We were stuck there.
Imagine living as though you were a prisoner. In fact our lives weren't ours anymore. We slept when told to, ate when told to, even used the loo when told to. We were practically slaves and our mom didn't care. She was our squad commander. She made sure we trained our asses off to the point we bleed.
Her favourite motto was "We break our bones till all our scars bleed gold."
Apparently, we all bleed but it wasn't gold. At one point, I couldn't take it anymore. One night, I grabbed Mattie and we tried to run but we were caught and served the dirtiest, most brutal punishment - being whipped till our backs cracked as we pushed trailer tires in the scoring sun. I struggled to push the tires twice my size but Mattie couldn't. She gave up. She screamed at our commander that she quit. The woman beat down on my sister and when I tried to intervene, they beat me up too. Everything happened so fast. I wasn't sure of what I had seen but all I know is that in the next moment, Mattie was hovering over the woman. There was blood on her hands. Our commander was on the floor, lifeless. Her eyes and mouth were wide open and blood pooled at her head. Mattie had killed her.
I didn't know what happened that night but Mattie changed. She stopped eating or sleeping. All she did was train when told to and even when she wasn't told. She literally became a machine and I was jealous. Killing our commander made some kind of Terminator and here I was, sucking up in the bleachers. I had to get the glory for myself. One night, I put a sleeping draft in Mattie's tea and gave it to her. Once she drank and fell asleep, I carried her into the back of the van moving dead bodies of trainees back to their families. I told myself I did it for her own good but deep down, I knew it wasn't.
I returned to camp, expecting loads of questions about my sister but none came. A note was found in her bunk. Turns out she had been planning to escape. I found it strange when no one went after her. She was top of our team but they didn't bat an eye. Even mom didn't care. All eyes were laid on me. I finally got the attention I wanted but my life was never the same. I tasted pain and death. After our training, I was recruited by an organization. Their name was unknown to me but all I knew was the founder pays a million dollars to anyone who volunteers to work in his school. It seemed far-fetched to me and everyone else but I agreed along with 4 others. We were cleaned up and given new names, identities, money, a house, a life. A new life. The 5 of us became principals of the Founder's school - Alan Institute, some posh school for rich kids. I thought I'd become a principal to actually do administrative work until the day I witnessed Hide and Seek. Holy shit. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. Every training and rudimentary class I went through in the army played out before my eyes.