Today was Saturday. At last I could sleep in and do what I  want. The second I tried to move a muscle, searing hot pain shot through me. The aftermath of competitive drills really hurts, but is so worth it!

I took one step out of my door and jumped back at the startling noise of people yelling, "Surprise!" at me first thing in the morning. Katie grabbed my arm and scooted me away. "I hope the girls and I didn't scare you too much," Katie teased.

"No, not really. What's this all about?" I asked confused.

"For winning yesterday, dah! We did the same thing for Vidia and Max. A few 'losers' thought it was only fair if Alex got the same treatment to, so I let them  do it," Katie explained.

"Hey! There you are!" Max called as he and Vidia walked up to us.

"Whose idea was this?" Vidia asked yawning.

"I think it was Chelsea's idea. No wait, maybe it was Bella's? I can't remember! But we waited 'til all of you went to bed and planned to do something fun for a change," Katie told us.

"So...today is like one big party for all of the winners?" Max asked as he pieced things together.

"Pretty much," Katie said.

Breakfast was actually fairly good compared to what they've been feeding us lately. I guess it's because like Katie said, today was one big party and, as the winners, we got to choose between going home for 3 days, or to the beach. I chose to go home to see my Dad, catch up with Alice since she won't be here for another 2 weeks, and maybe even find my brother. We don't leave until Monday, but I found out that we have to be "escorted" to our desired vacations. So not looking forward to that. Thankfully, Alex didn't bother us, at least not today. However, at lunch, he was boasting so loudly that Bella had to scream to shut him up! Everyone pretty much scattered after that. I got bored and decided to explore, but I gave up when literally, everyone wanted to find me just to say "Congratulations." Feeling like a celebrity is great and all, but I don't like being followed by crazy fans. I just wanted to be alone and thought it would be best to head back to my quarters. I took a little known hallway thinking I wouldn't run into anyone. Sure enough, Commander Howlett, of all people, walked by. I didn't want to be rude, so I acknowledged the fact that he was there.

"Commander," I said nicely, but curtly. He shot me a cold glare and replied,

"Cadet," he said in an annoyed undertone. What did I ever do to him to deserve that?

Finally, I was alone for the first time all day! I did a little research on the military's database and double checked that the coordinates I had would actually lead me to a building and not some dead end. I must've drifted off because I awoke to the sound of Vidia rapidly knocking on my door. "Sarah, wake up! Your missing dinner!" Vidia yelled.

"OK! Im awake now! I'll be out in a minute," I yelled back as I slipped a shirt over my black tank top.

"What were you doing in there? You've been gone for a few hours," Vidia asked.

"I was...I think I was reading? Honestly, I can't remember! I drifted off," I answered.

"Oh, well um..people have been looking around for you. Max told them you had a headache from all the excitement and was resting," Vidia said uncertainly. I don't blame her since I lied straight to her face.

"Did your 'headache' go away?" Max asked as he lead us to our table with already waiting food.

  "Yes, I feel much better. Thank you for scaring my fans away," I said with a thankful smile.  

After dinner, Max, Vidia, and I played a card game while Katie caught up with Chelsea and Bella on all the latest gossip. On Saturday nights, everyone kind of hangs around until it starts to get late. Before too long, I spotted Katie making her way over to me. "Sarah! You've got to come over here!" Katie called.

"Well, I was about to lose anyway," I said as I revealed my cards. As I walked away, I heard what was left of the game.

"Hey...that means I win!" Max shouted happily.

"No fair!" Vidia yelled angrily.

"What's up?" I asked Katie as I followed her through the small crowds. I couldn't help but notice Commander Howlett letting off some steam on the punching bags.

"There's someone that's been dying to meet you since the challenge," Katie said as we came to a stop. "Sarah, this is Jake, Jake this is Sarah, in person," Katie introduced us, beaming with a huge smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jake," I said as we shook hands.

"Oh believe me, the pleasure is all mine!" Jake answered, clearly overjoyed. I turned to talk to Katie, but she had disappeared. I followed Jake to an empty table; Apparently, he wanted to sit and talk. "That must've been really hard for you to do," Jake started.

"What, the sit ups? Nothing I haven't done before, although, I did push my limits," I said.

"You know, I've been waiting a while for this moment," Jake said quietly as he shifted uncomfortably. "I wanted to tell you that I think your eyes sparkle like diamonds, your hair looks like silk, and I see sparks fly every time you smile." On no he didn't! I stood up too abruptly and people nearby stopped to stare. I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart and wanted to throw up. I turned and sprinted away.

"What? What did I say or do that was so wrong?" Jake asked hurt. As I raced past everyone, I could feel Commander Howlett stare at me until I disappeared into the hallway. I didn't stop running until I was in the safety of my quarters. I couldn't stop the big tears from flowing all over the place. I knew Jake was only trying to compliment me, but it felt more like a punch to the stomach. I haven't thought about anything that has to do with love since Peter and I broke up. Because everything happened so fast, I haven't had time to take in and process what happened to us and the pain that came with it. I ended up crying myself to sleep.

I was in a car driving and I drove for quite some time and suddenly found myself in a forest. I was just outside of a clearing that had a building smack dab in the middle of it. I was spying on the building for awhile before getting a closer look and jumped the fence. The next moment, I was in a hallway walking towards a door labeled number 13. I was almost there when an arm grabbed my waist and pulled me back. I kicked and flailed around , trying to break free, screaming, "No! Let me go!" My heart rate started to go up really fast as I realized I was being dragged away. I felt so desperate to get to whatever was inside of door 13, yet I had no idea what I was after. I woke up gasping for air. "It was just a dream," I whispered to myself. There was a knock at the door.

"Anybody awake in there?" It was Max.

"Yeah, I'm awake now," I answered annoyed.

"We leave in an hour; be sure you're ready," Max informed me. I quickly got dressed and packed a bag. I didn't really have time to eat, so I hoped whoever was escorting me would stop for a snack.

Everyone was already there when I walked in. "Well! Look who decided to join us!" Alex said sarcastically; I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, we can assign escorts," one of the younger Commanders explained. "Vidia, your with May, Max gets Carter, Alex is with me, and Sarah, you're stuck with Howlett." Oh great, I was in for a long ride.

"Are you ok? I never saw you at dinner and you skipped breakfast," Vidia asked.

"I'm fine Vidia, and Max, sorry for snapping at you earlier," I apologized.

"Cadets, we don't have all day. Let's get a move on it!" Carter barked.