Aaron fell to the ground as blood welled up at the side of his mouth. His cheek had gone red. He grunted in pain.
    "Well, well. Looks like newbie is being brave!" Some one said from next to him. He shook his head as the world tilted around him.
He got on to his knees and hands. A foot collided with his stomach making him fall over onto his side. Pain erupted through him like when you had the stomach flu. Aaron put his arms around his stomach, gagging but trying not to vomit.
     "That's for cuttin', skinny!" The boy taunted. Aaron gagged but got back on his knees.
      "You should not have cut in front of me then, idiot." He grumbled under his breath with a snort. He shook his head and his light brown hair fell across his right eye. He looked up, breathing hard.
     The boy was big and muscular with black hair and a red face and dark eyes that burned into his skin. He looked angry at that last statement.
      He grabbed Aaron's grey shirt into his huge fist and lifted him up. His toes were just grazing the ground.
      "You listen, and listen good, skinny! I'm the top dog here and you don't question what I do, got it. If you newbies want to live another night, stay out of my way!" He spat in the boy's face and tossed him back on the ground. Aaron glared after him as he stomped away. He shook his head and looked around.
What is wrong with that jerk! He yelled in his head, not wanting another fight. He looked at the crowd of kids and teens around him and he felt embarrassment cloud his thoughts. But none of them were laughing at him, they just stood there looking at him in amazement.
     "Aaron, what in the world were you thinking! I'm hungry but you didn't have to get beat up for it!" Irene scolded him as she walked up with her arms crossed and head held high.
    "I don't want you to go hungry because jerks steal all of the food before we get there, fivey." He rasped as he rubbed his aching stomach. His whole body ached. She just shook her head and hugged him and he flinched.
     "Your very stupid!" She whispered in his ear as he patted her back.
    "Oh, really! I though I was being brave!" He laughed lightly and he stumbled to his feet. He looked down at her and smiled.
     "Your mouth is really bloody, Aaron! Did you lose a tooth." She gasped as she saw his beat up face. He checked his mouth but there were no teeth missing surprisingly.
   "No, but when he nailed me in the cheek, I chopped down on my tongue and took a clump out!" He said with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Irene made a disgusted face at that remark.
     "Gross! Don't give me the details of a fight ever again.blah!" She shook her head with her curly hair flying everywhere. He laughed and rubbed his  cheek. He walked over to his bunk and took out a pack below it. It was a safety pouch. He grabbed a tube of anti-germ serum and rubbed it in his scratchs and bruises. It sent a cool, calming feeling through the aches and he sighed in relief. It could have been worse. He thought as he wiped his bloody mouth and treated his chomped up tongue.
      As he settled down, a ringing sound erupted through out the room. He covered his ears as the the sound split his eardrums. It stopped after a couple of seconds then a man's voice echoed through the room.
      "All children under thirteen, report to door 44-right and line up smallest to tallest." It repeated it two more times as Aaron got up and walked to where kids his age lined up, Irene among them. He pushed his way through the crowd to get to her.
"What's going on?" He huffed as he caught his breath. She raised her shoulders signalling she didn't know.
People pushed by him as he stood there in confusion.
"Come on kid, you are in the back! Your taller!" A kid yelled to him and he felt fear bubble up inside him. He was going to be separated from Irene. Who knows what could happen to her.
"Go on, I'll be fine, twelvey." Irene whispered to him while she grasped his hand. He nodded and walked away to the back of the line. He felt guilt rise in his heart as he saw her looking around for a spot. After a minute or two a girl kindly brought her near the front of the line.
He turned back to facing the girl in front of him. Her long black hair twisting over her shoulders. She was looking at him. His eyes widened and he looked away. She laughed.
"What is your name and how old are you?" She asked him with amusement in her voice.
"I-I'm Aaron, and I am 12." He said looking at her face. She was pale like Irene with beautiful green eyes and red cheeks. Her face was oval with bangs hanging over her left eye.
"Really! Your twelve and you took on that jerk, Jarren! He is seventeen! I'm Mackenzie Bartly. I'm twelve just like you." She held out a hand and he shook it with a small smile.
Aaron looked around. "What do you think we are doing?" He asked.
"Well, they call it The Burning Factor. It is our first test." She responded.
     He felt terror course through him as he thought of the name. The Burning Factor. What are they going to do to us?