The Academy: Book 2 by Chad Leito Page B

to be changed is that we want you to know what this place is all about.” He forced a laugh as though instructed to do so by an invisible prompter. “The Academy is a humanitarian organization. Now, I can’t be entirely specific, but just know that by moving through the tasks here, you are helping the world to become a better place.”
    The next image that arose was of a gloved hand displaying an uprooted weed.
    “I love this image. The third and final thing that needs to be addressed is that the Academy is about to get a lot more competitive. But we love this, right?
    “ARE WE WARRIORS !?”
    “YES WE ARE!”
    “I can’t reveal all the details now, but this semester’s Task is going to be unlike any before. It’s going to be brutal, giving each of you a better chance than ever before to show your true worth. And it will involve everyone. Fishies through fourth semester students will be competing together.
    “Over 10 billion doll ars were spent on the Task; this is one of the Academy’s biggest undertakings to date. You’re going to be pushed to your physical limits. You will be injured, hungry, and you will suffer dehydration. Many of you will die, and a few will rise through the ranks and prove themselves worthy.
    “We’re about to close out this meeting, but I want to leave you with this: be excited. You have an incredible opportunity to prove yourselves. One more time, now:
    “ARE WE WARRIORS!?”
    “YES WE ARE!”
    “Dismissed.”
    He walked briskly off the stage.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    5
     
    Roxanne’s Sharks
     
     
                  Asa held Charlotte’s letter with trembling hands. He sat in his dark, damp, stone dwelling, and gazed at the word, “Asa,” written in her crisp handwriting upon the envelope. For hours, he had wanted to open up the letter but hadn’t: Teddy hadn’t left Asa’s side since the assembly.
                  Proof of Teddy’s presence had spilled all over the floor; blood was splotched over the entirety of the dwelling’s stone base. The nosebleed that had started during the assembly had turned into a concerning issue: No matter what measures Teddy took to stop the bleed, the slow but perfectly steady trickle continued on. Teddy had tried not breathing out of his nose, tilting his head back, and pinching down on his nares, but nothing seemed to stop the flow of hot red blood.
                  Asa advised that he stay still, but Teddy was so nervous that he had to pace around the small room, pinching his nose. The blood had run from his fingers and down his forearm where it dripped off his elbow, making a mess on the front of his white suit and the floor.
                  After the assembly, they had only been in their dwelling for ten minutes before a message appeared on their armbands stating that the Winggame draft had begun. The now dead Robert King had signed this message, like the last. And it had asked them not to leave until they had been selected.
                  The bleeding continued on, and in the middle of Town team captains were choosing from a list of available students to play on their Winggame teams. Asa and Teddy didn’t expect to be chosen any time soon because of their reputations as dangerous individuals. This assumption proved to be a correct one. At the end of the third hour, Teddy stood up and announced that he couldn’t take it anymore; he was heading to Town, to see if he could receive some sort of medical attention for his nosebleed.
                  Secretly, Asa was elated to hear this. He had been stealing glances at the letter every time that Teddy’s back was turned, and now he ripped open the top of the envelope with trembling hands.
     
     
    Asa,
     
    I’m going to keep this short. I care about y ou; though, I don’t know why. You always have left me. You have never given me a reason to trust you…but you make me happy. This place is dark, and frightening.