"Yo," Mason called out to his group. "What's..." He looked at Keisha. "You okay, Keish?"

  Keisha was frowning. "You could've killed Thorne."

  Mason shrugged. "I was careful not to hit any vital points. He's fine..."

  Keisha and Jett looked at Levi.

  "He's fine. Chill out, would you?" Levi didn't look up from his book, even as they were walking.

  "See, by the way..." Mason looked at him.

  "Three hundred and nineteen in one minute and three seconds," Levi rambled off.

  "Ooh," Mason punched the air. "Couldn't reach three fifty."

  "Why’d you stop?" Liv asked. Jett looked at her in confusion.

  "What?"

  "What do you mean, ‘Why’d you stop’?" Keisha blurted out.

  "I'm curious," Liv shrugged.

  "I ran out of safe spots," Mason scratched his head.

  "Safe spots?" Mac asked.

  Mason raised his hands and stretched them out, forming a camera lens with his fingers. "Non-vital spots. I knew Keish would throw a fit if I'd injured him mortally."

  "Thanks for keeping me in mind," Keisha rolled her eyes. They got to the debrief room and walked in. The room was filled up, so they went to an empty spot.

  The debrief room was used only once every year. After the annual exams, they gathered there to know their fates; those who'd be safe and those who'd get ejected. It was built in a circular pattern; there was a podium in the middle of the room, and a hologram figure spoke to them.

  "How many ejected?" Mac asked no one in particular.

  "I dunno, we're seventeen..." Jett frowned.

  "Are you though?" Mason jested. He was the only seventeen-year-old in the group...for the next two weeks at least.

  "...who knows how many they're gonna eject," Keisha looked around.

  "Hi Mason." They all turned to see a girl in the Sornel uniform.

  "Alya!" Mason grinned. "What's up?"

  Alya walked up to them, but Liv stepped in between them.

  "Woah, chill Liv," Alya raised her hands up. "I'm just here to say hi."

  Liv glared at her. "You already said ‘hi’ in the morning."

  Levi grinned. He didn't need his right eye to see the jealousy between them. Neither did he need to see the oblivious nature of his best friend.

  "Great to see you again. The year sure flies by, doesn't it?" The hologram turned on, and they saw their female instructor, General Helen.

  "It's that time again. Hope you're all excited to know who gets the cut."

  There was a lack of enthusiasm among the teens, and they didn't bother hiding it.

  "Enough chit-chat," a man's voice came up; General Ralph's. "Review the criteria for passing, and let's get this over with."

  General Helen took out a piece of paper. "After the review of the written exams and the physical evaluation of the duels, an aggregate score of eighty-five point six has been established as a baseline ‘safe score.’ Thus, anybody with a higher score than eight-five point six is safe."

  There was a gasp, and murmurs erupted from every corner of the room.

  "Eighty-five point six??" Keisha was appalled.

  "That's not even a fair score," Alya quipped.

  "Written exam?" Mason turned to Levi. "What exam?"

  "The one we took last week?" Jett eyed him. "The very important exam that I drilled into your brain all day last month?"

  "You didn't write it?" Mac looked at him.

  "He did," Levi put his book in his pocket.

  "I did? Oh thank goodness." Mason exhaled.

  "Shut your mouth. All of you!" General Ralph yelled, and the room got silent.

  "Moving on..." General Helen adjusted her glasses. "The required number shall not exceed twenty."

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  There was complete silence in the room, and no one said a word. Then, a girl started sobbing quietly.

  "Alright, I'll go ahead and call the twenty names. The rest of you know the drill by now..."

  The four squads held their breath and waited for the names to be called.

  "Jett Kaimana." Jett didn't move a muscle; he simply smirked.

  "Olivia Robyn." Liv showed no emotions.

  "Nolan Crey."

  Mason looked at Nolan; he was in Carmyss. And so far, only Carmyss members had been called...

  "Levi Smith.”

  Levi cocked his head to the side. Mason gave his friend a thumbs up.

  “Keisha Hickman.”

  Keisha pumped her fist silently.

  “Eris Vance, Saya Trenn, Vey Tross, Cress Vale, Kairo Ventz, Mira Kael, Mac Fisher, Jun Sato, Rylex Vaan, Jaron Lox, Kaia Solari, Renn Dravik, Ivy Fenlock, Carmen Voss, and Alya Glenn.”

  I got in… Alya smiled at the thought. She was last, but she had gotten in, and that was all that mattered. Wait…

  “Mason…” she looked at him. He didn't get called.

  Levi was genuinely concerned for once. “Dude…”

  They looked at Mason, and Keisha spoke first.

  “You didn't make it…?” She was worried.

  “Who said I didn't?” Mason smiled. He wasn't worried at all. “Relax, okay? They're not done yet.”

  “You dummy!!” Liv punched him. “They finished the twenty names already!! Why didn't you make it?! Why…” she choked.

  “Quiet over there. This isn't daycare; you're old enough to understand not everyone makes the cut.”

  There were murmurs. Had Mason's luck finally run out?

  “That completes the twenty names. The rest of you, file out...”

  Levi raised his blindfold. “What's going on?”

  “...is what I would say, but Commander Darren has something to say.”

  Commander Darren appeared in the hologram. “Hello, is this thing on? Oh, it is.”

  Mason chuckled, and everyone turned to him. “Sorry,” he grinned.

  “Mason Ramirez,” Commander Darren looked at him.

  “Yes, sir!” He straightened up.

  “Step forward,” he commanded, to which Mason stepped out.

  Levi peered at Commander Darren. “Put that eye of yours away, Smith.”

  “Tch!” Levi frowned and covered his eye. What are they hiding… he thought.

  “General Helen, the baseline score is eighty-five point six, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Alright,” Commander Darren picked up a paper. “This is the official rankings, so I'll go over it. Ten Carmyss members, eight Embrin, and two Sornel. The twentieth member is Alya Glenn, with a score of eighty six.”

  Alya steadied her breath.

  “The next person, who is the twenty-first, had a score of eighty-five point seven.”

  Levi grinned. “Son of a…” he understood it now.

  “Mason Ramirez had a higher score than the baseline score. That being said, he is safe… mathematically.”

  Mason raised a brow at his group.

  Liv smiled and wiped her tears away. Once again, he managed to–

  “Why does he get in?!” Thorne yelled. “This isn't fair! The rules state that only twenty people get in! Isn't this preferential treatment?”

  Why didn't I end him while I had the chance? Mason thought.

  Commander Darren peered at him. “Thorne Kel, do you know your score?”

  “I… I”

  “Fifty. That's your score…”

  “With all due respect, sir…” Jett spoke up. “Why does Mason get in?”

  Commander Darren turned to him.

  “I speak for myself, not for any ejected person. I want to know why Mason Ramirez is in contention for the twenty.”

  Levi and Keisha flipped their heads to him. “What are you doing?” Levi asked him, but Jett didn't bat an eyelid.

  “The rules state that only twenty people remain.”

  “That's the second rule, dumbass,” Mason turned around to Jett. “The first states that anyone with a higher score of eighty-five point six remains. Sorry to disappoint you, but I made it.”

  Jett frowned. “Is that so? You didn't make it. There's no extra spot for you. Alya’s score is too high for you to reach, so her spot is valid.”

  “Jett…” Alya folded her fists.

  “We understand you have complaints,” Commander Darren nodded. “It also gave us officials a headache in deciding on what action to take. Thus, we reported this to The Order.”

  The Order… Mason thought. They contacted The Order just because of that?

  “The Order told us what to do. If Mason is to remain, he must win a one-on-one battle against the highest-ranking member in the facility, which so happens to be…”

  Jett! Mason whipped his head to Jett.

  “Precisely. An all-out duel, no holding back.”

  “Killing?” Jett asked.

  Killing? Everyone turned to him.

  Levi held Jett’s collar. “You wanna repeat that shit?”

  "Back off!" Jett pushed him off. "This is war, not some kumbaya-loving crap."

  "Oh, so we're killing now, huh? Have you killed someone before?" Levi raised his hand to his blindfold, but Mason stopped him.

  "Let go," Levi looked at Mason.

  Mason frowned. "Dude, don't worry about it. He's clean."

  "How do you..."

  "He's clean." Mason's eyes were steeled. Levi scoffed and released his hand.

  "Knock it off!" General Ralph said. "Both of you, to the simulator room."

  Jett walked out of the room, and Mason followed him.

  "Mason!" He turned around and saw Keisha jog over to him. She handed him his gloves.

  "I stopped by your room. It's a mess in there," her voice wasn't steady. She was holding back the tears.

  Mason smiled. "Thanks," he collected them. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

  "I know you will, but don't overdo it. Please? And try not to kill him," she said.

  Mason nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said and walked out of the room.