Chapter Five:

I stood staring at the bus in front of me. It was huge reaching about four or five metres high. The large doors of the bus were closed and they slowly opened as Carter and I stood before it. I stared inside the bus and saw the bus driver sitting at his seat and stared at us with a toothy grin.

"Ah heya chub's," he said smiling, "you wanna pop your bags in the trump?"

He spoke while still smiling at us which I wasn't sure was even possible but he clearly showed that it could happen.

Before I could respond I saw Carter next to me shake his head politely. "No we are alright thanks," he said kindly to him but an edge of defiance was heard in his tone which made the bus driver gulp slightly.

"Alrigh', why don't ya pop on in and we can get this show on the road."

I nodded in response and took a step up onto the bus hesitantly before stepping up the rest of the steps confidently since I could hear there were others here.

As I reached the top of the ever so high and mighty stairs I looked down the aisles to find them half full. There were already so many kids in here. Realising that Carter was behind me and waiting for my move I started walking down the aisle.

As I walked, I passed two girls sitting next to each other, one painting her nails and the other reading a magazine. Across from them sat a guy who seemed to be a goth having spiky black hair, a nose ring and wore all black clothes, he sat next to some girl with multi-coloured hair and didn't really care about the guy.

Further behind them where everyone had sat themselves in completely random seats were more pairs. Walking by I warily watched where I was going and made a clear observantion of them. If I were to go against them at one stage, why not scout them out as well.

Moving back I felt Carter nudge the small of my back with his hands and I turned to him to see him gesturing his head to a pair of seats which were behind a girl and a boy who seemed like they were twins.

I sat down on the seat closest to the aisle before pushing my way to the window seat. Carter sat beside me and none of us bothered with the seat belts. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them and turned to lean my head on my knees and gazed out my window only to regret doing it.

Out the window all cameras were pointed our way and the whole town was staring at us and started shouting something. I couldn't really hear what they were saying since all the windows were all shut so the air conditioning could keep the bus cool.

I then took my head off my knees and turned to look the other way at Carter. He had his head leaned back and let out a loud breath staring at the air conditioning compartment. After staring at it for a few seconds he decided to lift his hand and started to adjust the settings on it and when he was satisfied he brought his hand back down, but not without brushing it through his hair.

Suddenly I came to the realisation that whenever Carter would brush his hand through his hair he was either nervous, baffled, or angry. It seemed to be an unconscious habit he has picked up.

Now when I think about it within the last week every bad moment we had I can recall that he had brushed his fingers through his hair at least once with each event.

I unconscious continued to stare at him as I was deep into my thoughts when suddenly that smirk of his appeared on his lips and he turned his head from looking straight towards me, the smirk clearly on his face because of me.

He leaned towards me and stopped just inches from my face making me feel slightly uncomfortable. "Am I really that good looking?"

I simply rolled my eyes and drifted my gaze to the people sitting across from us. He noticed this and pulled away and leaned against his seat again but still had his signature smirk dancing across his face slightly.

"Hi," I heard suddenly as the bus started to pull out of the school. Everyone waved from outside and I struggled to quickly put a smile onto my face and I ended up forcing it out to reassure everyone.

The voice was said from in front of me and I turned my gaze which was still staring out the window, some how expecting to wake up from this dreadful nightmare and saw the girl in front of me smiling.

Expect the smile wasn't real. It was one of those smiles you would give someone to intimidate them and make them feel weak and threatened.

Instead of returning the smile back to her I just raised my brows in disbelief and waited for her to cut to the chase.

If anything she looked surprised. She probably thought that she could scare me and make me feel intimidated by the competition.

"So you two were... chosen?" She said glancing at Carter with a neutral look then turned her gaze to me and her expression immediately dropped as if trying to psych me out for making me think why I would get chosen in the first place.

"Didn't think I was here for a field trip now did I?" I retorted.

She simply let out a small laugh and clapped her hand on her brothers shoulder. I didn't even know why I thought they were twins, obviously they were. The girl still laughing at what I had said brushed back her jet black hair which hung a little lower then her shoulders whereas her brother had his dark hair pushed down and brushed in a style which you would associate with smart people. Known as nerds.

The girl laughed a bit more staring at me with bitterness in her pale green eyes before stopping and giving me another one of her fake smiles.

"I'm Rebecca Myers, and this is my twin brother Jaylen Myers."

Jaylen simply nodded his head at us before glancing back down at the book he was reading.

Rebecca then glanced at me expectedly and somehow from beside me Carter knew I wasn't going to reply with the right answer spoke up.

"I'm Carter and this is Bryce," he said kindly to her which really irked me since I already considered her an enemy. It wasn't that she looked like a mean person but it was a gut feeling really. Especially with the attitude she gave, but who knows? It could be like one of those cliche novels where the mean girl has a backstory and once it is let out everyone accepts her and apologises profoundly for ever judging her.

"I didn't hear a last name now did I?" She asked seeming intrigued and leaned towards Carter towering over her seat and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

Carter sighed before turning to me and saw an irritated look on my face since it was clear that I didn't like her. With this look, his eyes lit up and he turned back to Rebecca with a smirk lighting his face and immediately I knew what he was going to do and why and I just became even more irritated.

"Carter Millers," he said seductively and winked at her. "And my friend here, yeah, the one with the slightly grouched face is Bryce—"

He was then cut off because the elbow to his stomach but then the bus, having amazing timing, hit a pot hole making it lurch upward where I fell off balance and my elbow landed into his lap. Quite hardly.

"Fuck," he suddenly screamed and leaned down holding his stomach tightly.

"Sorry, sorry," I said to him repeatedly and felt a slight blush rise to my face.

"It's okay," he gritted out staring at me with raw pain written on his face.

Rebecca thought this was an appropriate time to start laughing. She laughed for about a few minutes and Carter had finally stopped hurting and leaned back in his seat more relaxed now when she stopped.

"Well you are going to regret coming to his competition," she said to us staring at the each of us in the eye individually before continuing, "you don't stand a chance." And she let out another venomous laugh.

I didn't say anything in return not bothering to correct her statement.

"Parce que nous allons te botter les fesses," she randomly said turning back to face the front and finally sat into her seat.

"What does that mean?" I asked confused and curious at the same time.

"Because we are going to kick your asses," she replied back and I felt my blood boil, "you didn't understand? Another reason why you are not going to make it through this competition. Oh and by the way, that was French." She said looking back at me smugly.

"Vete a la mierda," I replied back to her after a moment.

"What?" Rebecca asked in confusion and turned back to look at me. "What's that mean?"

I stared her into the eye and answered her question truthfully.

"Go fuck yourself."

She stared at me in shock and rage. From my left I heard Carter let out a few snickers and clearly Rebecca heard since her sharp gaze then quickly darted towards him. He then quickly ducked his head so she wouldn't see his face.

"Oh, and that was Spanish."

• • •

It's been about an hour since my first interaction with Rebecca, or anyone in this competition and I knew if this was how it was going to be with everyone I would consider shooting myself.

I may be able to defend myself because I have the confidence as others say, or maybe even the gut, could also be the self pride, but even I wouldn't want to be having confrontations with everyone just like I had with Rebecca.

After I had loudly told Rebecca off I realised the whole bus watched our interaction and started laughing and I could swear out of the corner or my eye that there was a flickering shine of a red light and when I looked I could swear there was a tiny camera set up.

I told Carter about it, whispering to him and he nodded in agreement saying that it would make sense for there to be a camera. Where this is a game of death for us, they, as in the government, found that not only were the games were made to control population but they also found it as some kind of way to show power to people and may even be some sort of entertainment to them that they are in full control and that there is nothing we could do about it.

I stare out the window the whole time and eventually lost track of where we were heading or even where we are. Everything seemed to be a blur of trees flying by at the speed we were going, or the farming fields which were scattered with different coloured sheep, horses, cows, and pigs.

I never really had left my home town as much only traveling to different places in the same state but never really leaving it. Our hometown Redlake was located near the edge of the state and my family mostly went more inland the state for holidays and trips but now, I was ninety five percent sure that we were long gone of the state and into a new one.

New land, new territory.

As we continued driving and I was lost in my thoughts which seemed to have lasted for hours and suddenly felt the bus slow down and finally came to a stop.

Pulling my head off the window where I was leaning it against I looked around to find us in a beat down petrol station, looking like it was in real need of a renovation, there were quite a few cars and I knew that we weren't as isolated as I thought.

The bus bus driver then stood up with purpose and we all paid attention to him after observing the trees and forest behind the petrol station, suggesting that this might one of those places you see on the news where you would see a bear breaking into the petrol for some food.

"Alrigh' y'all, I needa filla up the bus and while I am doin' that, you kids can take y'all much desired bathroom breaks and go hit up one a those fast food places. All meals are free courtesy of us, so all y'all crazy kids go crazy and eat as your hearts condemn."

He finished speaking in the half Aussie and southern accent, I'm still debating on what's it actually is, and walked out of the bus and started playing with the petrol before putting it into the bus and started to fill her up.

Carter then stood up and motioned me to come and I did. We both grabbed our bags and brought it with us, not trusting anyone and we got off the bus.

After walking a few metres away we looked at our options to eat from.

McDonald's, KFC, Hungry Jacks, or Dominos.

I turned to Carter after glancing at all four fast food restaurants and he turned to face me. We stared at each other for a bit waiting for the other person to suggest where they would go but no one spoke up.

My stomach rumbled and Carter laughed as I laughed along with him.

"Well then, we better go and start eating," he said and Carter then gestured to one of the fast food places and I nodded eagerly and took off for it.

He couldn't have picked a better one.