“Hold on. So even if I make it, I won’t automatically become a Master?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
His answer feels like a blow to my stomach. Maybe I’m the only one who misunderstood how this program works and that’s why so few Laborers from Culmination didn’t sign up. That’s why Nicholas said I should turn back and go home. Ruth’s words come back to me again. Digging my grave with three sticks of dynamite.
“If you can manage the physical aspect of the obstacles, Heidi, I don’t think you’ll have any problem qualifying for Master status.”
If…that’s all I have? A great big if? Aren’t the physical aspects of the obstacles like ninety percent of it? All I can think is how unfair this is—completely misrepresented. I should have scrutinized the Savage Run rules before I set out on my journey. Before I risked my life. And took Gemma’s.
Nicholas stops by the door before he exits. “When you become free, what’s the first thing you want to do?”
I noticed he said ‘when.’ Right now, it doesn’t feel like ‘when.’ It feels like ‘never.’ But even so, my mind wanders toward the possibility. The opportunities would be endless, at least compared to the possibilities I had before as a Laborer. And it’s kind of scary, like there’s no safety net holding me back. I’ll be able to experience my first kiss, and have children if I want, and even have my heart broken—not that I’d ever allow any guy to get close enough to break it. “I’ve always wanted to…go dancing.”
The right side of his lip twitches. “Well, good night then.” He closes the door.
After I get back in bed, I lie awake, my mind churning with the question Nicholas asked before he left. What will I do? And to that, I fall asleep.
Chapter 9
It takes me a moment to register that there’s an alarm clock going off. Opening my eyes to a dark room, I turn my head toward the sound and see red symbols reading 6:30 a.m. Where am I? My body feels sore and I’m lying on a hard surface. Slowly, it starts to come back to me. I registered for the Savage Run, Sergio took my locket, my father was furious…Nicholas…Arthor…and…Gemma. Remembering that she was shot makes me gasp and my eyes well up with tears. Was it real? She’s dead? I desperately yearn for it to just all be a nightmare. But it isn’t.
I close my eyes and sit for a long while, finally coming to the conclusion that I have to find a way to control my emotions. The only way I know how to do this is to pretend I don’t care. Like I’ve done so many times with my father. Gemma didn’t really mean anything to me. She was just another person who I brushed shoulders with, and I can live just fine without her. I stuff the pain down, deeper and deeper and tell myself Gemma was a good friend, yes, but I’ll be just fine like I was before I met her. The only person I need to care about is myself. I can’t let one friendship lost ruin my life. I have to be rock solid; stronger than anyone, and the only person that can make it happen is me.
Once I feel like I have a hold of my emotions, I sit up. My new Savage Run uniform is lying on the floor. I pick it up and place it back on the bed. I undress, and tightly retie the gauze around my chest, then slip into the new Savage Run uniform. The pattern is the same as the Unifers wear, but the suit is tight fitting and made of stretchy material. A few minutes pass. The door opens and a plate of scrambled eggs and toast is slid into the room, next to the other one that still remains untouched. I pick the plate up and eat it. At least the food is much better than back home, where we never have meat or soft bread.
At a quarter to seven, my door opens. I step into the hallway and trail after thee others all the way to the outside.
When I come outside, I see Nicholas, Arthor, and—ugh—Johnny standing together and conversing. I don’t go over to them. Hundreds of participants are making their way to the Conference Center for the Opening Ceremonies. Some guys are walking with their heads down, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Some are running down the street with their city’s flag, screaming at the top of their lungs. And others are speaking loudly, the excitement in their voices over-exaggerated.
Mai approaches me and studies my face for a while before saying, “You know, life doesn’t always end up the way one imagines.”
“Good morning,” Arthor says with a grin, patting me on the back.
“Hi, good morning,” I say. “Nice outfit.” His matches mine exactly, though he fills out his suit much better than I do.
“Sleep well?” Johnny asks.
He must have followed Arthor over here. Is he talking to me—actually being civil? “Uh…yes.” I wait for his next sarcastic remark. But it doesn’t come. I remember Arthor’s comment yesterday, how he said that ‘everyone’s afraid.’ Maybe Johnny is afraid, too, and he becomes nice when he is fearful. Could be very useful during the obstacles.
A guy with bleached white hair struts past us, pumping his fists into the air, chanting, “I’m a savage! I’m a savage!” He moves in a jittery way, like he’s downed one too many coffees or something. Maybe nerves—might be his way of dealing with what’s about to transpire.
Another registrar walks up to Nicholas and I step a little closer to listen in on their conversation.
“I have some pretty ambitious participants, you?” the registrar says.
“A few.”
“What about that Joseph of yours?”
“He’s a good guy.”
“But how come you let him register, I mean…you don’t really think he’ll make it, do you? All you can do is feel sorry for the little guy.”
Nicholas catches me looking at him, but he doesn’t break eye contact. “He may be little, but he’s smart. And he knows that all the things he needs to succeed are within the obstacles themselves.”
I should look away, but there’s something about looking into his eyes that makes me not want to.
“Well, smarts will only get you so far,” the registrar refutes. “That’s Cory, an Advisor from Asolo.” He points to the guy with the white hair. “Cory’s Master father, fell in love with an Advisor, and they had him. He wants to make his father proud and complete the Savage Run so he’ll be a Master, too, and after this he’s planning on running for office and working for President Volkov.”
“Interesting. Excuse me,” Nicholas says to the registrar and walks toward Mai. “Mai, will you escort everyone to the Conference Center? I’ll be right there with Joseph.” Mai nods, and they start walking down the road, merging with all the other participants. We start to walk after the others, but at a much slower pace. “Mai insisted I tell you that during the first obstacle—the marathon—the landmines are rigged to go off at one hundred and fifty pounds. She thought it might help you feel better about everything.”
“Mai said that?”
“Yes.”
It’s strange that she’d insist on that. But then again, she is a woman. “Taking orders from her now?” I tease.
“Not usually. But I thought it would be a good thing for you to know,” he says.
I weigh one hundred and five pounds, and he must know this from my fake ID card. It was one of the things Sergio didn’t change. So why is he telling me…oh. If I team up with anyone else, I could be blown to bits if the other participant steps on a landmine. Most likely, I’m the only one here who weighs less than a hundred and fifty pounds. If I run alone, I’m pretty much guaranteed that I’ll make the first obstacle.
I tuck an imaginary stray hair behind my ear. “I don’t think it’s fair that you’re telling me this.”
“Nothing in life is fair. You are free to use the information anyway you want. I know it may not be completely fair, but things are complicated.” He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again. Then he opens his mouth again. “I don’t like anything about Savage Run or the creators of it. My father sells it as an opportunity for freedom, when in reality, it’s just another way to gain control.”
Whoa, what does that mean? I slow down a little. His comment almost makes me think that he’s planning against his father. Should I believe h
im? “So why did you choose to work as one of the registrars if you’re so opposed to it?”
He exhales at length. “It’s the only way I can help.”
“Help?”
“My father wanted me to be the venture manager, but I would have shown my disgust for this program too openly so I declined and told him I’d rather work in the trenches getting to know the participants—the lower classes.”
Either he’s really great at lying or he’s actually telling the truth.
We stop in front of the Conference Center, a huge white dome that glitters, and hundreds of participants and their representatives are making their way in through different doors.
Nicholas’s eyes turn intense. “Listen, I…I think you just might have a chance to make it through the first phase. The way that it’s set up, one doesn’t have to be strong to survive—only smart. Strength will only get you so far; intelligence will get you all the way.”
He thinks I’m smart?
“And stay away from Johnny if you can help it. I don’t trust him,” he says flatly, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Yeah, he hates my guts.
Once we enter the dome, Nicholas and I press through the crowd of young men until we catch up with the others. The dome ceiling looks as tall as the heavens, and hundreds of voices echo off the walls. I decide it’s safest to walk next to Arthor, and he smiles at me when he sees me. Passing other participants, I’m certain a few of them look at me with disdain, but I throw the thought from my mind. I’m just being overly paranoid. I’m hardly important enough that they would be thinking about me right now; they’re probably just stressed about the long days ahead.
“I get the feeling imps receive extra perks,” Johnny sneers, appearing out of nowhere. He walks uncomfortably close to me, shoving me just enough so I lose my balance and stumble.
He does have a point. Nicholas did tell me about how the landmines won’t detonate under my weight.
“Why are you trying so hard to make yourself look stronger and more superior?” Arthor asks Johnny.
“I’m not trying to make myself look stronger and more superior. I am stronger and more superior. Thing is, it makes me angry when another participant gets an unfair advantage over me,” Johnny says, shoving me a little harder so I go tumbling toward the ground. Fortunately, Arthor catches me.
“Come on, man,” Arthor says, helping me find my balance. “Give him some slack.”
“Slack? Are you serious? Are you on the imp’s side? Don’t you see that Joseph is receiving preferential treatment?”
“Just drop it,” Arthor says.
“Hey, I’m just speaking up for everyone,” Johnny says. “This is ridiculous. Seriously…” He huffs, but thankfully he shuts up and walks ahead to the front of our group.
We take our seats on the tenth row, with me sitting between Arthor and Nicholas. There are ten chairs on the stage and a stand where I’m sure President Volkov will be speaking from. The hall fills up quickly as participants funnel in from every direction, their voices so loud I can’t hear what Mai is trying to say to me even though she sits right next to Nicholas. When the clock on the wall reads 7:30 a.m., a trumpet march blasts through the speakers. I almost swallow my tongue. I recognize the upbeat melody as the one they played before each Savage Run pre-event newscast. The apothecaries would be glued to the radio whenever I came to pick up medicine. My father wouldn’t be caught dead listening to it or reading about it in the paper. But I do wonder if he’s watching now, cursing my name, or if he’s rotting away in some prison, cursing my name. Surely he must hate me so much more after what I did to him. I never did anything to deserve his contempt more. And I’m to blame, of course.
The music fades and a representative with silver hair and an athletic build walks onto the stage, taking his place behind the stand. “Welcome to the Savage Run!” he says. “My name is Otto Jensen, or O.J. and I am the official host of the Savage Run. On this premier day of this event, we have put together a small audiovisual of the ten most memorable moments in Newland obstacle course history that inspired the obstacles in the Savage Run. I hope it will motivate all you participants here today. Enjoy!”
The lights fade and a projection pops up right in front of my eyes, accompanied by a dangerous tune. The first contender, a fierce-looking golden-haired boy, appears on my screen. Screaming, he wrestles an alligator to the ground with his bare hands. Finally with one snap, the boy cracks the alligator’s jaw open, splitting it in two. The image melts into the next one. A boy with black hair and skin appears on my screen. The boy is one of many, clinging onto a tightrope above a glacier, inching himself forward. Bodies lie frozen below, their lifeless, blue faces staring up into the heavens. I close my eyes to escape the image, feeling my stomach churn with nausea. The images continue, each one more disturbing than the next and I have a hard time keeping my eyes on the screen. The ninth image is of a grossly muscular boy, nothing like I’ve ever seen, and he was a contestant in the Death by Nature obstacle course Nicholas spoke about. The boy runs alongside other competitors in a jungle. Tigers are chasing them. But then he does something unexpected. He finds a sharp stick and starts stabbing the others in the stomach with it, their blood running down their abdomens and legs. Tigers attack out of nowhere, being drawn to the scent of fresh blood. Fast-forward and the muscle-bound boy runs ahead and crosses the finish line first, his arms raised in victory.
Is this the kind of thing I’ll be up against? That I’ll have to revert to so I can stay alive? I look over at Nicholas who isn’t even watching the screen directly in front of his face. Instead he’s looking down at his hands in his lap.
The final top ten episode appears on the screen and I immediately recognize Tristan, Arthor’s brother, as the boy climbing a snow-covered cliff. I glance over at Arthor again whose lips draw to a line and he looks away from the screen. He knows what’s coming. This is the moment his brother died. I look back to the screen, not really wanting to watch, but unable to tear my eyes away.
Climbing the steep cliff, Tristan finally arrives at the top with the Culmination flag in his hand. A redheaded participant makes it to the top, and seeing Tristan, he immediately lunges for him, punching him again and again until blood flows from his mouth and nose. Why would he be doing this and why is this clip being shown? I close my eyes for a second and when I open them, somehow Tristan has flipped the boy onto his back, straddling him. The boy kicks his feet against the back of Tristan’s head and they roll to the edge of the mountainside, the redheaded boy ending up dangling over the edge, above the icy water one hundred and fifty feet below. The boy screams, and for a moment, Tristan hesitates. Then he reaches his hand out to help the boy and hauls him up, but this act of kindness, of complete selflessness, costs him everything and the boy pushes Tristan off the cliff into the water below, sending him to his death. My screen closes and the lights in the hall turn on. I look over at Arthor again and he has his eyes closed. Instinctively, I reach for his hand, but before I touch him, I withdraw it. I’m not sure if he sees it, but his eyes open.
“Savage Run was designed with these events in mind and to challenge both the body and the mind so participants are adequately tested, proving that they are suitable to join the superior Class-1 Master race. I believe every single participant here today has the seeds of greatness deep within him. It is the responsibility of each of you to bring that greatness out in yourself. Just remember, we created this program because we believe in you. And now, finally, for the moment you have all been waiting for!” O.J. says. “Please welcome President Volkov and the representatives of the official participating countries, the generous benefactors of the Savage Run!”
The crowd erupts into applause and I clap along with them, but not because I’m excited. My thoughts are still on Tristan and how with one decision, his life was over. Hopefully, I don’t meet his fate, too. I want to say to Arthor that his brother did the honorable thing, and that that’s what was most important. But he’s dead. I
s doing the honorable thing the most important? Or is it to do whatever it takes to stay alive?
President Volkov strides onto the stage, his bald head catching the light of the follow spots. He welcomes us brave souls, telling us we should be so proud to be the few who still believe in the ideal of liberty and strength. This opportunity, he says, was made for us and for anyone who ever had a dream in their hearts.
I look over at Nicholas and when his eyes find mine, they are full of quiet bitterness. Seeing him in such close proximity to his father, it becomes obvious to me that he wasn’t lying about how he feels. I can see it in the way his whole body tenses and in the way his eyes smolder. To anyone else, he might just look tough and proud—it’s easy to miss the subtle contempt in his eyes. But it’s there. Very much so.
“Before I reveal in which nations the obstacles will be taking place,” President Volkov says. “I’d like to personally thank the leaders who voted in favor of hosting my program. Most politicians know that sporting events rarely produce a financial gain, which is unfortunate. However, when a country becomes involved in supporting an event such as this one, research shows that there is a measurable increase in happiness among the nation’s citizens. The excitement and partying will infuse fun into the otherwise dreary, day-to-day routine. And who isn’t looking for more happiness in life?” He pauses and ambles across the stage.
And oil, is all I can think.
“Most people don’t really want true freedom because it requires a hundred times more than living in bondage. But you Savages, you know what freedom costs, and you aren’t afraid to embrace it! And now for the grand reveal!”
The moment of truth. When all will be revealed to me. But there’s someone missing, and I feel weak without her. Afraid. Alone. Gemma should have been here with me now—she deserved it more than anyone. Why do some lose it all? I chew the inside of my mouth until I can taste blood—anything to keep my thoughts from going back to Gemma.
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