Happy Training

"Okay class, Pop Quiz"

We heard from the unexpectedly cheerful female voice..

A hidden male figure In all black removed the cloth cover over our heads revealing a confused bunch of us. All different and varying in ages, shapes, colors and languages. The now intensely bright lit room did not resemble a classroom but an obstacle course that was viewed to be the size of at least 3 indoor football fields. With confusing faces and after a long pause of observational awareness of our new surroundings, all of our attention was on her. Noticing our confused, frightened, curious gazes she continues.

“Who can tell me how many fish are in the fish tank?”

“I’m sorry, how many what are in the what? How about you start by telling us who the fu2k you are and where we are!” Shouts a boy with such dark black hair that it appears to be purple.

Hmm I guess we found the loud mouth of the group I think to myself, but at least he said what we were all thinking. The unnervingly bubbly woman's expressions and demeanor were unchanged.

*SHLICH, CLICK - WHoOSH BOUMP*

In a matter of seconds we all felt shock, fear and intrigue as we saw a wooden arrow with yellow orange and green feathers glide through the air. The boy's sudden screams of agony alerted us to the torn hole in his left ear releasing a trail of blood puddling on his shoulder and the ground next to our feet. Gasps filled the room. His bottom ear lobe had been pierced straight through by the arrow, leaving a bloody and star-shaped hole, giving birth to the nickname that would define him around the camp, Stargauge. Tears began to form in his eyes from the sudden jolt of pain and shock. Despite his efforts to hide his anger his face became a cherry red and the aura around him became attractively dangerous.

“Oh calm down” comments ‘Ms. Sunshine’ as she notices his shift from fear to anger. “It’s not that bad and honestly you look better with it. A battlescar, your first of many. However, you speak so rudely like that again and the next arrow will be through your eye.”

“Now, Ill ask all of you again, I’m pretty sure someone will be able to answer my question. How many fish are in the fish tank?”

Caught off guard by the screams, arrows and blood we all forgot about the pop quiz and just like a real pop quiz this question came out of nowhere and made absolutely no sense. But I knew the answer, during their demonstration of dominance and strength it provided me with enough stalling time to peer around the room. The fish tank was right next to the tall covered hidden man with the bow and arrow standing right next to ‘Ms. Bright and cheery’. Noticing the darting motion of my eyes from the tank to the people around me and the covered figure next to her, she looked directly at me with such an intense and expecting glare that I felt an disturbing feeling that my blood would be spilled next if I refused to answer or played dumb. “I counted 37, maybe 38 fish if there’s one sleeping in the treasure chest in the bottom left corner of the tank.”

“That's correct.” She remarks cheerfully, “Now you get to go first, let’s see how good your aim is.”

She instructs me to stand next to the hidden figure and he provides me with his bow and the same type of arrows he previously used to strike Stargauge. Only wielding this type of weapon three times in my life I was determined to prove myself as worthy for fear of a worse fate in these unknown hands. My hands began to shake and I instinctively looked towards Stargauge who was watching me as intensely as I was thinking of him. I drew back the arrow hitting 5 inches above the target. Embarrassed, I try to explain myself to the onlooking crowd of my fearful peers and the judgmental group of adults.

“I’m not that good at bow and arrows but I can shoot a gun and with far better aim” Faking the confidence in my voice to prove im more courageous than I feel.

“Yeah, a monkey can shoot a gun with good aim,” ‘Ms. Sunshine’ says as she removes the bow from my hands and begins to hand it to Stargauge. “Your turn, let's see what you got.”

Stargauge’s eyes fixed on me after he loaded the arrow. There was something fierce in his gaze that made it difficult to distinguish if he was feeling passionate interest for me or deathly competition towards me. He moves forward and all in one solid flowing motion he draws back the arrow and hits a perfect bullseye. He turns back with a smirk and the first sign of light and calmness I've seen in his eyes since I first saw him in the past few minutes. His shoulders sat back and his muscular frame stood back and tall showing pride in his skill and strength.

“Good” barks ‘Ms. Lightbulb’ “but you didn't spot the fish tank or how many fish there are.” You get 7 points awarded for agility and you,” she points to me, “you get 10 points for perception."

A young girl who looked to be a few years younger than me around the age of fourteen begins crying. Unfortunately, there was no sympathy from the hidden figure and loud gasps and tears filled the crowd as others took on fetal position as the strong cloaked man pulled out another arrow and placed it in his bow pointing at the fear stricken child. Stargauge and I took on defensive stances and covered the girl, who was embracing a boy around the same age with the same facial features. We all feared the worse as each tear ran down the young girls face while the hidden figure was readying his weapon. Then we heard the strangest of sounds that sent chills down my spine. A ghastly hearty laugh that echoed like thunder in the empty space around us. The girls crying seized but so did all movement from every soul in the crowd. I hadn't realized that Stargauge and I were holding hands until I saw the burning death glare focused on our hands from 'Ms. Smiley face'.

"If I was y’all I wouldn't get romantically involved." She continues, shifting her gaze to look at all the kidnapped individuals. "You will all be put in groups of five. You will all need your entire team to be able to do what these two 'warriors' did with their perception and agility but you must all do it flawlessly, if ya’ll want to get out of here alive which….” she pauses and looks me directly in the eye "not everyone will… " ‘Ms. Bubbly's’ face changed from unnerving sweetness to a dangerous and soulless smile that darkened her eyes sending goosebumps up the back of our necks and down the side of our arms. Her aura changing to something monsterous she slyly adds, "get out alive that is."

Slowly turning her body around she begins walking towards the far end of the field, her heels clacking loudly. She turns halfway around and looking over her right shoulder with a sneaky terrifying smile adds her closing statement to us all.

“Happy Training, young grasshoppers”.