You know how you can never really tell the exact moment when you've woken up? It's like, you're just not sleeping anymore, just laying in your bed until you decide to open your eyes, but you never really know when you actually woke up. We say that once were fully awake and look at the time, well that's the time we woke up. It's isn't, but no one can really know when they switch from asleep to that partially awake but not fully functional state.
Well, I'm laying in my bed now trying to figure this out. Even with my new supercomputer brain, I can't figure it out! It's driving me insane!

"Aria?" Carries voice interrupts my thoughts.

I open my eyes to see her standing over me in her yellow and white pyjamas with her brown hair tied in a messy bun on the top of her head. "Why are you up? You're supposed to be asleep until I drag you out of bed, it's become a tradition."

"Well you slept in!" She laughs.

"What?! What time is it?"

"Eight."

"Oh great," I groan. "Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. I brought you pancakes."

"Thanks!"

"No problem."

I eat my pancakes while Carrie takes a pair of yellow jeans and a white tee-shirt to the bathroom. She comes out just as I've finished the pancakes.

"Your turn!" She smiles.

"Okay.. You're creeping me out."

"Why?"

"You're happy. You're not supposed to be happy before 9am, you don't work that way! What's up? Tell me."

"Nothing!" She laughs.

"It's not nothing. I'm going to take my clothes into the bathroom to get changed and when I come out you'd better tell me what's got you so happy!"

"Not if I'm not here!" She giggles hysterically while grabbing her backpack and running out the door."

I laugh and shake my head at her before closing the door behind me and getting changed. When I'm done and have all my books packed into my bag, it's 8:15. Classes start at 9:30, so I've still got plenty of time. I run out the door and meet Carrie, Melody and Jen at our table in the library. Jason and Nate arrive a few minutes after us.

"So, Math class today. Fun," Jason says sarcastically.

"I know, right?" I laugh.

The Sixteens and Seventeens have classes together, so all of us are in the same morning class.

"So, how're you guys doing with the controlling of the brain and only using the painful power when you need to?" Jen asks with a mouthful of muffin.

"Okay, number one, no food in the library. Number two, stop talking with your mouth full of food, and three, I'm doing okay," Nate grins.

Jen sticks her tongue out at him with pieces of muffin still sticking to it.

"Okay, yeah ew chew Jen!" Carrie laughs. "Oh, and I'm doing okay with it too."

"Me three!" Melody chirps.

Jason and I nod in agreement.

CeCe runs up to us with a large bag over her shoulder. "Oh good I found you!" She says breathlessly. "I have something for the six of you."

"Awesome, presents!" Nate and Jen say at the same time.

CeCe pulls out six iPhone 24s, two yellow and four blue.

"Yes!" We cheer. "Thank you CeCe!"

"Aww no problem!" She gives us the 'aren't-you-adorable' look.

"This is so cool!" Melody grins.

"Oh, can I call my Mom and little sister now?" I ask CeCe excitedly.

A funny look comes over her face and she turns away from me. "No, Aria you can't."

"Oh, um, why not?"

"Because you can't! It's.. The phones only work to call someone within this area," she snaps and walks away.

"Wow. She's never gotten mad before," Melody says slowly.

"Yeah..."

*****

We play with our new phones for a while before a bell goes off alerting us that another class, ours, will be starting in 10 minutes. They give us that long because the place is so big. If it was like an actual school, we'd miss most of class before we arrived at the classroom!

I sit through Math class and try to pay attention without accessing my lightning bolt (what my friends and I are calling the extra memory and brain power) but really, who can pay attention through a whole math class without zoning out! Is there anything more boring than Math?

After Math class we decide to go get changed into sneakers and gym pants and go to the rock climbing wall. The thing is huge! It's like a real sized mountain but with little rainbow rocks to grip. When we're all changed and have walked to the rock climbing wall, it's already almost 11am.

"Well, we can climb for an hour before we need to go for lunch," Nate says from behind me.

We haven't talked much since the night we stayed up watching movies, so I'm glad he came up to me.

"Yep! What do you think we'll be having for lunch?" I ask.

"Lasagna I hope. Remember when the cooks made lasagna last? Oh it was good!"

"Yes! I loved that lasagna! Best I've ever had!" I laugh.

"Wasn't it though! So, did you hear that like 30 more people have been kicked out since the whole lighting bolt thing?"

"Uh, yes Nate I heard. Daily announcements remember?" I say with a grin while pulling my straps for climbing on.

"Oh! Of course!" He laughs.

He starts to say something else when a yell comes from the top of the wall. Two boys, both Nineteens, are screaming at each other and pushing each other.

"They're gonna fall!" Someone screams.

"It's okay, they've got the straps on!" Jason says to the person.

I look up at them and immediately see something wrong. "No Jason it's not okay! The idiots took off their straps when they got to the top!"

I look on in horror as the boy on the left with red hair gets in one final shove. The blonde goes over the edge, pulling his attacker with him.

"They're going to die!" A girl in Nineteen with blonde hair and brown eyes screams, while tears run down her face. They must be friends, and now her friends might die because of a fight they're having. At the very last second, the guards wheel out a large net for them to fall on. When everyone sees that they've hit the net and are okay, sighs of relief fill the air.

"Are they your friends?" I ask the girl.

She wiped tears from her eyes. "No, just him," she points to the blonde.

"I'm sorry," I say sadly. I know what this means. They were fighting and almost killed each other. There is no way they'll be allowed to stay. She won't see her friend until she's eliminated. Or if she wins a spot with the abilities then it could be more than two years before she sees him again.

Nate and I decide to skip rock climbing and go to lunch, and the rest follow suit. I'm about to bite into a piece of pepperoni pizza (the cook said they'd make the lasagna for us tomorrow) when an announcement comes over the PA.

"We know some of you have been wondering how we take out the extra brain power we've imputed when someone is eliminated. If you'd like to see the deactivation process then please follow the guards on either side of the cafeteria doors."

I decide to go watch.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
So, yay I updated fast this time! Only 5 days 😜
I'm really excited about this chapter and the one to follow it! I think things will be getting a little more interesting in Arias world!
Thanks for reading! Thank you so much for 1.4k! It means so much! Please vote and comment if you're liking Infinite so far!
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞