posted June 27, 2015 10:10 AM            

Okay... to eveyone reading this:

A couple of friends from an RPG board gave me permission to use some of their characters in other RPGs. So this filled up the cast very much. I'll post them soon.

Right now, I need two more female characters. That makes the total number of classmates 36. (Yes, I could use up to 4 characters of two of those friends, so that fills things up!)
I totally do accept any other last-minute characters and no need to go, "Ahh, noo, I had such a good male character in mind!", I'm fine with accepting one more if you really want to.

So Pixie, Lei, anyone else reading and lurking, Randall if you're interested: if you still want to add - a description as detailed as Pixie's and Lei's were will do as well - please write for them soon. Then I'll be able to post the weapon list, all of the other characters from other boards, and start the story!

So exciting!!

Honestly, I haven't managed to get a full cast in years (and yes, it probably says a lot about me that I've tried for an RPG way too many times). So thank you for helping me get started!!

posted June 27, 2015 10:13 AM            

Name: Isaac Duncan

Age: 17/18 (depending on the age of your class)

Looks: Average height, slightly fatter than normal. Brown hair.

Personality: Very open, conscientious and kind. Unguarded and friendly.

Strengths: He's completely unthreatening, and liked by most of the girls.

Weaknesses: He's completely unthreatening, and distrusted by most of the guys.

Bio: He's a sweet guy. The guys mostly assume he's gay because he hangs around with girls. The girls also mostly assume he's gay because he never tries it on. He's actually more asexual - he's averse to sex and the physical relationships (see his upbringing below). Although, he does occasionally find himself obsessing on manga/game characters - Alyx Vance has a place in his heart.
He likes video games, they are just easier to get than reality. He also likes books, comics and every kind of fiction. "Characters" make sense in a way that people never do. He's recently getting into writing stories too - endless, more-or-less grammatical stories about girls who fall in love with vampires (but he's not just ripping off Twilight, cos he thought of it years ago.)

Class relationships: Most the people he calls "friend" are girls. He doesn't really get along with other guys. Guys are just weird and girls are much easier to talk to. Girly-girls in the class will most likely love him.

Family: Raised in the 'burbs by rich hippy parents. No siblings.
Isaac's aging dad was a software guru back in the MIT hacker days. He went on to join a small start-up called Microsoft - but left when it started to feel "corporate." He took a fortune in stock options, and still chats with "Bill" sometimes. Isaac's mother is younger, and idolises hippy culture and strives to realize the age of Aquarius. She loves being with someone who was actually at Woodstock (he actually wasn't, but his friends were, and he's taken all their anecdotes as his own)
Isaac grew up surrounded by latter-day hippy paraphenalia. Naked dancing, tangy smoke, sitar music, anti-government literature, etc. As a child he was almost never seen in clothes. Then there were his parents' "solstice" parties: bonfires and drug-fuelled mayhem where his parents and about a hundred of their friends - sweaty, loose-skinned, surprisingly hairy businessmen/women - relived their hippy youth in the garden, not shy to express "free love" in front of young Isaac.
Isaac grew up to hate all of this. He rebelled and became a well-adjusted, normal, somewhat 'square' child who shuns sex, shuns drugs ("They're not evil - they're just stupid"), loves Taylor Swift, and is politically apathetic. His parents dismiss this as a "phase".

Is your character capable of playing?: Proactively, no. Reactively, yes. He's tougher than people would expect, especially if his friends are threatened.

----

Name: Reza Ahmadi
Age: <same as everyone else>
Bio: He's generally quite a good guy: relaxed and funny and tends to get along with other guys.
In good shape, and naturally sporty, but not in any teams. He sometimes plays soccer at the weekends, and works out at the gym a few times a week (he's sees Victoria Cortez there sometimes - and they say hi. She's a bit less bitchy there, but isn't exactly warm. Although, he sometimes feels like she's watching him).
His parents are from Iran, but he describes himself as 'Persian' - it sounds more enigmatic and less like he's about to blow something up. He is Muslim, and is basically a believer, trying to fit in with prayers and Ramadan and everything, but doesn't define himself by it - certainly wouldn't fit either the 'zealous-fanatic' nor the 'noble-Muslim' tropes - he's a normal guy.
Partly due to his exotic good looks (see below) he has had more than his fair share of attention from the class/school's girls. Being a young, unimaginative guy, this has gone to his head and made him a bit of a ******* . He plays with their feelings just because he can, and he thinks he can get away with just about anything - again because he usually can. He isn't deliberately malicious, just insensitive. He has really hurt some girls, but he doesn't realise it. And he still thinks his broad smile, his low purr, and 'the eyes' will solve everything.
He's not great at school and tends to hang out with the party crowd. He seems to have a natural talent for art, but doesn't put in the work to be really good. He sometimes draws portraits if he thinks it'll get him into someone's panties.
Looks: Average height, on the slim side of muscular, long-ish straight dark hair, with slightly darker features (people typically take him for Italian or Greek).
Quite noticeably attractive, not least because of his light brown eyes (the people that care assume he wears contacts, but they are natural). Overall, he's one of the sexier fish in this small pond. He thinks he's Kourosh Sadeghi (http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3022/5812744789_feedca8161.jpg) - and in this school he probably is. In the wider world, he's just another fairly good looking lad.
Personality: Relaxed, likeable and funny, if a little arrogant.
Strengths: Fit, healthy, and quite strong. Has a casual, easy way about him that means he gets along well with most of the guys in class - except the jealous ones. Girls also like him.
Weaknesses: Relies far too heavily on natural charm - and some of the girls he has a history with just might find themselves with the means, motive and opportunity to settle a score. He's also rather trusting and is certainly no schemer.
Class relationships: Gets along with most guys - due to his sportiness and easy charm.
Reza considers Justin a friend. He's been trying to get Justin into soccer, but it's tough teaching Justin anything without bashing into his ego. Reza's thinks Justin just needs a girl to help him unwind.
Reza doesn't really trust Isaac or 'people like him.'
Reza suspects Victoria is into him.
Reza doesn't really get Andy - though Andy's little brother Ryan has recently started turning up. Ryan's pretty cool for a kid and always shows Reza some respect.
Family: An older sister and two younger brothers. His parents both work, and provide a fairly stable family life for him - not that he's ever really noticed or thought about it much.
Is your character capable of playing?: If sufficiently pushed, he'd react. He wouldn't just let someone kill him or one of his friends.

-----

Name: Rachel Milewska
Age: (just like the rest)
Looks: Slightly taller than average; long black hair. Her puffy face and broad nose mean she is not conventionally attractive, but she dresses fashionably and uses lots of makeup to create a glamorous look.
Personality: Rachel has a commanding personality and is the natural leader of the popular girls. Some take her attitude to be bossy, but her friends know her as someone who fights her corner and stands up for those she cares about. She's painstakingly created an image of herself as a fashionable, enviable, desirable presence; no one in class would think of having a party without inviting her, and it's taken for granted that her group will come along. In private, however, she is worried that the show will end one day, and that she really doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. Losing her best friend Victoria has made her aware that the good things in her life are awfully fragile. She has few interests besides fashion, The Walking Dead, and tennis.
Strengths: She is a prominent figure in the school's social network - widely liked, or at least respected, and with the leadership skill to use it to her advantage. In Erin she effectively has a loyal bodyguard.
Weaknesses: Not physically strong or used to outdoor activity. Her popularity may make her a target of resentment.
Class relationships: Leader of the popular girls, which includes Erin and (increasingly) Holly, along with 2 other girls. These are her companions and confidantes, and she is fiercely protective of them. However, her best friend was Victoria - until she went cold, for reasons Rachel never really understood. She is deeply hurt by Victoria's new attitude, and wonders what she did to deserve it. Rachel has a lot of respect for Isaac; he goes against his parents' example and does his own thing regardless of what others think.
Family: Of mixed Polish and Irish descent. As the only child of an investor and a lawyer, Rachel grew up spoiled and lonely. Her parents gave her presents rather than time. She lives in a wealthy suburb in a large house in which she has her own room, bathroom and walk-in closet. Her parents give her anything she wants, and she thinks she loves them, but she really doesn't know them all that well.
Is your character capable of playing?: People will assume that the "bitchy" queen of the popular girls will play. She is not a bully, however, and wouldn't choose to hurt others unless they tried to hurt her girls.

----

Name: Jonathan Weller
Age: (duh)
Looks: A bony, freckled face with a long nose; close-cropped brown curls. Lean and toned from volleyball practice. Wears his shirts open, usually with band t-shirts underneath.
Personality: Despite his choice of sports, Jonathan is neither a jock nor a team player; he's shy, polite, and awkward in conversation. He mostly keeps to himself, though he hovers at the edges of different groups. He's trying to come out of his shell, talk to his crush, and be accepted, but he finds it's a long and difficult path.
Strengths: Healthy and fit. Vaguely liked by many, and probably disliked by few. Because of his interest in volleyball, rock music, and games, he actually knows more people in school than most.
Weaknesses: His shyness means he has few real friends. Some people see him as a hopeless sycophant, trying to tag along with anyone who will tolerate him.
Bio: When his parents divorced three years ago, he moved with his mother to his current city, and joined the school he is in now. Around the same time, he found out that he's into guys. He's at peace with it, but hasn't actually told anyone besides his mother, afraid that it will make his life in school very hard.
Class relationships: His best friend is probably Isaac. They hang out a lot in real life and online, talking about games and playing in multiplayer. Aside from Isaac, Jonathan has talked to basically anyone who doesn't mind his awkward ways (Andrew, Holly), but he rarely fits into their cliques.
He used to have a crush on Reza, but when he realised how shallow Reza is and how unpleasant he is to Isaac, his feelings faded. Now he's getting increasingly infatuated with Justin, and is considering switching to the swim team to see more of him.
Family: Parents divorced three years ago; Jonathan rarely sees his father now, though he doesn't hold a grudge against either parent. His mother Sylvia does admin for a local primary school and can support him and his younger sister reasonably well.
Is your character capable of playing?: Only in theory. Jonathan may be physically fit, but he is neither violent nor particularly assertive. He's much more likely to run and hide than to try his hand at playing.

-----

posted June 27, 2015 10:17 AM            

NAME: Ronnie Matthews
AGE: 17
LOOKS: Ronnie is of average height and weight. In nice shape, but not jock-muscular built. He has cropped hair, small eyes. He mostly wears clothes of good quality (which he saved up for for a long time) and is picky with his outfits.

PERSONALITY:
Friendly to those he likes and when he's in a good mood, Ronnie likes things to be easy. He acts a bit bratty and especially loves to make fun of everything and anything. His sense of humour hurts quite a bit to be the receiver of (but he doesn't make fun of his friends), and he can give criticism like he should be in the debate club. He's a bit of a rebel, he talks back to teachers he thinks are too uptight, unfair with grades, pulling pranks, and gets in constant trouble. He often complains about school, but will, when home, still do enough of his homework for a pass (which he doesn't tell anyone, of course!).

He's usually calm and patient; when someone annoys him, he just walks away or ignores it, while making fun of that person to his friends behind their backs. Money is a sensitive issue for him, and he can get very annoyed when someone just flaunts what they've got, complaining about them a lot. He's also really bad at dealing with disappointment, then he gets moody and needs time to be by himself. He's however the peacemaker when others are fighting and despite his attitude, of which he's not aware that it's so negative, he prefers a positive atmosphere.

STRENGTHS: He doesn't get angry often, and knows how to walk away from a fight, or something that's escalating. He's in good shape from swimming. Having grown up lower-class, he's used to working hard and works hard for what he really wants. He's also a surprisingly good peacemaker (even teachers have commented on this).

WEAKNESSES: His smoking habit seriously affects his stamina. Becomes very avoidant and walks away quickly when there's a fight coming up or he feels disrespected, and is quite stubborn. When he does get angry, it looks more like a tantrum, which sadly means others don't even take him seriously. Makes fun of the others a lot, which means some won't trust him. Walks away from his problems. Also very moody and can complain about people or things non-stop when he's in one of those moods.

CLASS RELATIONSHIPS: At least that person who gave him the golden advice (preferably them being friends now as well). He has a regular group of friends, but some of his classmates dislike his attitude.

BIO:
After Ronnie's father left the family unexpectedly when he was only 6 years old, life for Ronnie has always been about struggling to make ends meet, saving up, and for him and his mother to grow close. She did everything to make sure her son wasn't short on anything. She's had some dates with other men but it never ended in anything more; too busy with her job and child. Somehow, Ronnie prefers it this way, at least there won't be another possible father figure who can leave again. Her mother taught him the value of money and that if you want something, you work for it. So he did and studied hard and was a model student up to the start of his 3rd year of Junior High. He was made fun of often by the more popular students, but would ignore it, until a very humiliating prank was pulled on him. He was confused about what to do, he didn't want to tell a teacher and be seen as pathetic, so he sat things out.

Then a golden opportunity presented itself when his much wealthier uncle and his family planned on moving from their apartment, and asked if his mother thought of applying to rent it. So they moved, and Ronnie loved it, seeing it as a new start. He used the allowance to save this up for better clothes, and made more of an effort to really talk to others and getting to know them. But he was obtrusive. At first people thought it was awkward, but luckily, one kind soul talked to him, explaining that people would like him if he just didn't try so hard. So Ronnie made an effort to tone himself down. And then things fell into place. He even got a job at a supermarket. But then his grades started to drop. He started smoking when he was 14, at first in an attempt to fit in with his classmates at his old school, but then became more and more addicted to it. He has attempted to quit a couple of times.

He's in the school's swim team with Justin, but is not as good. The 50 meters is his thing; the longer distances he's very bad at (probably the worst in his team, to his embarrassment). He's also African-American.

posted June 28, 2015 12:22 AM            

Emily Jacobson: A green eye ginger she doesn't live up to the stereotypes...she's a reader always escaping into books (and generally given a hard time by peers and adults both as a result, but at least she doesn't need glasses or contacts as some adults say she would if she didn't stop reading so much), including Harry Potter, though lately she's been reading cheesy romantic fiction and dreaming some white (or dark) knight would rescue her from her unpleasant life.

She makes good grades but she's lonely. But she doesn't find most people trustworthy enough to be friends, and the few who she does want to be friends with don't want to be associated with her, so now she'd rather be friends with the characters in her books. Since most people belittle her efforts (and fail to praise her successes) she's become hesitant to try anything because there's so little to gain and so much opportunity for humiliation and bullying against her. She just reads, and this has made her weak and flabby, though she does have a sharp mind (but she's not confident about using her intelligence).

In the game she could discover her shadow side, all that she repressed in herself, and become her own knight...but for awhile she'll depend on others and try to find a protector until she realizes she only has herself.

Lacey Santori:

Perpetually tanned brunette with brown eyes, she's a foster kid after a drug raid destroyed her family when she was 6. Since then she's been through several foster homes, many of them exploitative or abusive, and plenty were also religious though she stopped believing in God (and getting angry at religious people) after "God allowed" her family to be taken and didn't answer her prayers to be reunited with them though she prayed as hard as she could as a misguided foster parent told her to (this is just how she FEELS, not how she puts it into words, just her last prayer to God at age 8 was "**** you, God" and never prayed again). This attitude is sure to wear on the others who are not only normally religious (and would hate being put on the spot of "how did God allow this to happen to you?") but also others who suddenly became religious. She can't pray because she's been there, done that, and knows it doesn't work. (She also doesn't trust anyone else.)

As for her biological family she did talk to her mother outside of prison off and on when she was 13-14 as her mother was paroled but her mother was never fit to take her in...no one would hire a convicted drug dealer at a wage she could live on (nor did anyone want to rent or sell to her as she lacked a credit history and people assume she's just going to start dealing again) AND pay the fees to the state (though her parole officer did suggest dancing nude so that she could pay her parole fees as well as make a living but she was considered too old and worn looking, nevertheless that her mother's parole officer tried to make it happen angers Lacey as well) and finally got busted for stealing (to pay the fees) and Lacey totally hates the state now.

Her father joined a gang to survive and has committed murder and assaults for them which has kept him in prison to this day. She talked to him once in a blue moon and exchanged letters but her recent foster parents decided she needed to break off any contact and not allowed her to do so and returned all letters from her mom and dad to sender. This, too, makes her furious.

You know, maybe killing some people could vent some steam...and be good practice!

posted June 28, 2015 12:35 AM            

America would want to show the world America is the boss, and the government can't give the foreign kid a pass (even if this was a slip up on their part, possibly even a diabolic trick of a hacker or someone in the government doing whatever to disrupt the games or at least create a distraction to do something even more significant) when the other parents would howl bloody murder over it that their own children couldn't get out of it, and so on. (One emotional plea by an ambassador could be made to take the American kid currently in another country and release theirs, though it would be noble if the parents of the foreign exchange student refused to do that saying that as furious and worried that are over their child they can't knowingly send another child to such a match as that would make them as despicable as the Americans.)

posted June 28, 2015 12:39 AM            

It doesn't really matter that he didn't really attend, his friends did and that suggests he's the same age.

Granted, that means the father was in his 40s when Isaac was conceived and that's possible...but not likely...unless his mother is younger and he's her biological child but not his.

posted June 28, 2015 05:25 PM            

It also seems that a running theme is the multiple characters that have “hacker” like parents as well as some the kids too… so I'm looking forward to see if any of that becomes a major factor in a possible escape/sabotage of the games as Pix suggested, which could be a good angle to explore.

I know in the actual BR movie, hacking was a core part of how the kids gained control of the game so to speak, so I suppose its not anything revolutionary as a concept… Yet utilizing the technology of the 2015 era such as iPhone’s/SG’s, Drones... Google earth, Live Twitter feeds, or Twitch streams of the games might really open it up to the rest of the world and add fuel to the more political and moral aspects surrounding this idea… and how a modern day society reacts and responds to the carnage.

Congrats on reaching a full BR class!

posted June 29, 2015 05:45 PM            

GemBird, there aren't any zealots in the class, but I like the suggestion. Over 70? That's got to be the supervisor then!

Pixie, I thought about the exchange student for a long time, and at first I was against adding another student to the class. But then I read your ideas for how it would affect the image of the government - making someone who's not even part of the class play anyway - and I think I have an idea. I'm still trying to work out the profile -- not to make him too much like Kawada or Kiriyama in the film.

I've settled on a Chinese student, taking into account what a user on another board said, and on his last name (Li, making him boy #6 >_> Kiriyama comparisons will come, I just know it), but the rest of his name is what I'm having trouble with.

Do any of you have any ideas for a common name for a Chinese teenage boy? Else I'll look at the cast for a movie and look up the baby name or something.

I'll type up what I had in mind for him:

Has attended Castle Rock High School (nod to the original story) for 3 weeks and is still fairly new to the class. Has made only one friend so far, and is painfully aware of being a loner in class - everyone else having their groups and connections. Though he hangs with one solid group (which includes said friend), he's not really close to any of them. Feels like he's looking at everyone from the outside looking in. Speaks decent English, having studied it for a while, but struggles with the material at school, which is just beyond his level right now. His father is a diplomat (who had the connections, like with the ambassey suggesting to make a plea for getting him back in exchange for the American classmate) who has taught him most of the English he knows. Comes from a good family, never had any difficulties money-wise. The only thing he could say is that his parents are very busy (but who isn't?) and he often has to spend evenings alone, trying to do his homework. When they are at home, however, they support him with whatever he wants to do (as long as it's not crime of course), and they raise him in a positive atmosphere, always trying to encourage him (they're only strict when they have to be) and are there for him when he gets a bad grade. He knows he can count on them. Secretly, he suffers from homesickness and is having doubts about continuing his studies here in America. He's still adjusting to the new environment. His personality is gentle, polite, quiet and inquisitive. He genuinely likes studying, as much as the material kills him. Doesn't make a fuss, stays out of trouble and out of any personal drama his classmates are going through. Back in China, he played tennis often, though not in a club but would go with a friend and both their dads in weekends. He's also artistic and you'll often catch him draw something, and he especially loves painting.

(I named him after a friend from classes here, who is temporarily staying here and came here from China for work.)

Lei, yes, I do want to mention technology in the story, especially if people watch the show and will of course comment on it to their friends, etc. On the island, the government may have taken some measurements so not all technology works, though.

posted July 03, 2015 03:59 AM            

As much as I love the idea of an exchange student, I realized I can't make it work. I've sat down, researched, and I just can't come up with a good name (I didn't know there were so many name rules). Since I'm having doubts, I'm not doing the idea - it's too easy to go wrong right?

posted July 03, 2015 11:13 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by meissieri:
Okay... can't reply to everyone right now, so just two things

---

I didn't see this earlier...IDK if it just didn't show up on my screen the first (and last, before now) time I checked (that happens sometimes) or if someone else posted in this forum soon after and I made the mistake of not realizing two threads had been bumped instead of one.

Anyway, I wouldn't think China would be good anyway, because in the novel at least Japan is head of the Republic of Greater East Asia (this is where I got the term "GEA") which I took to mean that they finally took Korea and probably part (if not all) of China and SE Asia (I don't know if it gets explained, either, but some ideas how Japan could rule that area are so horrifying--and possible, and also not necessarily Japan's fault save in how they extreme they reacted to the crisis--that it could explain how they became such a police state in addition to become the supreme power in that part of the world, to prevent similar tragedies, and this would also make America fearful enough to degrade into a similar police state, especially if say some Koreans or Chinese agents accidentally or maliciously spread something over here like say a viral weapon, and btw Japan has some cutting edge biotech companies themselves).

Names of boys could be acquired looking up Cantopop boy bands, and if any weren't assimilated into GEA then I'd think it would be Hong Kong (for multiple reasons, including Japan wanting a "free city" to do some secret biz on the side).

posted July 16, 2015 05:46 PM            

The first chapter is ready! Enjoy!
-----------------------------

Well, with this change made, the chapter is ready! I'm posting this before I get second thoughts and start agonizing over this thing again.
-------------

Chapter 1:

They were slowly coming to. Mr Eddie McGraw, a tanned, greying man in his 70’s, looked over at the students that were slumped down on the floor in front of him. A new class. Same rules as last year. The gassing on the bus had gone smoothly: nobody waking up early or having trouble succumbing to the gas, no, this year, everyone just slipped away one by one. Made it just a whole lot easier putting on their collars and putting on their army suits over their regular clothes.

Honestly, he had his reasons for doing this. One was just having been the one assigned for the job. He knew better than to resist: he’d seen how that had turned out with his colleague, Robinette, before being asked to take his place instead.

Poor Robinette. That was all he could say about it – they’d worked together for a year, it’d be cold not to feel some sort of remorse for him (or the family he left behind). He’d died for what he believed in, yes, that was a nice way of putting it, distracting him from what had truly happened. But what could McGraw say? He just wasn’t like that. Not that strong, not that rebellious. And then it was McGraw’s turn. He’d always had mixed feelings on the Program: yes, sometimes it was a sign from the universe or God that it was time to prove being a good citizen of America.

But as he was standing right here behind his desk, his throat thickened at the thought of having to tell those poor kids. All except for one were going to die. All kids. Teenagers. Not even adults. So many futures were going to be ruined. What was he going to say to them? What in the world could he possibly say to make that better? He just prayed to himself he wouldn’t have to bring the news to their families later (once was enough, he thought, trying to push away the image of a mother crying and screaming at him, “You can’t do that to my boy!”) – though he knew he’d have to; it was part of the job as a supervisor. It was days like this that he hated his damn job. Why couldn’t they have picked somebody else? This morning, while waking up, he’d hoped and prayed he’d be waking up sick, incapable of going to work. But unfortunately, God thought otherwise.

But now he had to focus: boy and girl #16, Jonathan Weller and Mariah Stephenson were the first. They had just woken up. Mariah slowly came to, sprawled out on her stomach, looking around her slowly. She pressed a hand against her forehead, letting out a groggy noise. Still confused by the gas. She coughed a couple of times, then noticed Jonathan, and crawled over towards him. Earl watched them whisper to each other, taking another look around as their whispering became more panicked.

“Sir, what’s going on?” Jonathan said slowly, doubts clear through his voice. “Who are you? Where are we?”

“Shy and more socially awkward nature” his file had said, Earl remembered reading it. Apparently he’d been trying to get out of his comfort zone at school by talking to people more.

“I am Mr Earl McGraw,” he replied, “and I will be your supervisor for the next couple of days.”

“Supervisor?”

Now, Mariah had sat up. A frown formed onto her face. “For what?”

“You will find out when everyone else has woken up.”

“But—”

Earl shook his head and just waited. “Patience, Miss Stephenson.”

Lucky – if you could call it lucky – for Jonathan and Mariah, their classmates all started to come to one by one. It didn’t take long for those two to notice something odd about their necks. Jonathan put a hand against it and his eyes widened finding a collar strapped around it.

“What—wh—” His voice died down and he gasped, pointing at Mariah. “You too?”

Now Mariah also felt around her neck and came to the same conclusion. The two of them glanced around the classroom and Mariah immediately went to the body close to her, belonging to her best friend Isabella Curtis (girl #3). She wiped some of her long hair from her face to find a collar around her neck as well. Meanwhile, Jonathan was checking on his best friend, Isaac Duncan (boy #3) and found the same thing. He stood beside him, not knowing what to do, only to kneel down and try to stir him. “Isaac. Isaac, c’mon, wake up.”

Mariah was shaking Isabella, who didn’t respond. Then she ran over towards the next person, Andrew Kensington (boy #5), class president, who was curled up, his shoulders looking surprisingly stiff. She shook him, shouting his name, before moving onto the boy right next to him, Sean Li (boy #6).

“Mariah?” a small voice called out from behind her. Isabella had woken up, shooting up until she was sitting on the floor. She began panting, shivering as she realized she didn’t know where she was.

Mariah rushed over to her and whimpered. “Your neck… Izzy, just look.”

Immediately suspicious, Isabella brought up a hand and gasped when she also discovered her collar.

At the same time, a groan came from the other side of the room as Kenny Young (boy #19) came to, nudging his friend Ronnie Matthews (boy #10) lying next to him. Lucy Panchette (girl #13), lying close to them, had also woken up and shrieked when she didn’t recognize the room, then shrieked again when discovering her collar. She started yanking and Earl wanted to warn her, but thankfully, her friend Taylor Farcett (girl #4) also woke up and called out to her. She was distracted for now. From another side of the room, a couple of girls had started sobbing while two of them (girl #10, Rachel Milewska and girl #12, Joanna Oakey) tried to comfort them, confusion written all over their faces.

Near the front of the classroom, Emily Jacobson (girl #6), a girl whose file described her as a loner and obsessed with reading, was sitting by herself, her legs pulled up to her chin as she tried to calm herself down.

When the last person had come to (Artie Henson, boy #4), McGraw clapped his hands and called for silence. There was still a lot of whispering going on, voices buzzing through the room.

“May I have your attention?”

The buzzing still didn’t quiet down, so he knew this called for certain measurements. He grabbed a ruler and slammed it against the blackboard, the noise ripping through the room. That made people stop. 38 faces looked up and then at him.

“Welcome, all of you.” He paused to take a breath and maybe for a dramatic touch. “Welcome to Battle Royale.”

This caused all the whispers to start again. People were raising their voices, screaming things in shock and confusion. He could hear several loud ‘no’s.

“This can’t be!” Lucy shouted, her forehead creased. Instead of shocked, scared or confused, she actually looked angry. “My parents... my dad—” She paused briefly to stress the next few words. “—Lucas Panchette, one of the most well-known attorneys here, he’s my dad, he’d never let this happen!”

She was staring at McGraw so harshly she didn’t catch Ronnie Matthews rolling his eyes behind her, and mumbling something to Kenny.

“He will sue you,” she shouted, pointing her finger at McGraw, “he will sue your f*cking *ss and you’ll be in big trouble, Mr—whatever your name is. Stupid redneck.”

“Then you can tell him I’ll be waiting,” he replied, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Then snickered. “Oh, wait, you can’t. The only way you’ll be seeing your father again is if you win this competition.”

“Winning…?”

Had she not heard of the Program before? Oh well, did he know every show that was broadcasted on TV? Not really.

“When everyone else is dead.”

This message sent a loud gasp through the room. Even Lucy blinked, appearing fazed, not knowing what to say to that. Behind her, Taylor grabbed her arm, pleading with her.

“Please, Luce, don’t do this.”

But she shrugged her friend off. “You sick ******* !”

McGraw couldn’t suppress a groan. Please, not again. He’d gone through this before with his last class, where a guy kept attacking him, leaving him no choice but to order one of his soldiers to shoot him. Dead. He didn’t want to have to do that again. None of these students would probably ever believe it, but he hated doing it. He hated having to look someone in the eye before having them be killed. No matter who it was, they would always show it. In the last second of their lives, their eyes would show fear. A flicker of it, but definitely fear.

And as if God had heard his prayers, someone else draw the attention towards themselves, taking it away from the cussing Lucy. Later, Lucy would have to thank her lucky stars for having a friend in her class despite her spoiled, defiant attitude. If she hadn’t, she would’ve started an argument with McGraw until he’d have no other choice but to silence her. Or glad for any of the others who now came forward.

“Sir?” Sean Li said shyly, taking a small step towards him. McGraw could see his knees buckle. That kid was so not made for this game. “Sir, I’m sick.”

McGraw sighed, then took a look at the boy anyway. He indeed was extremely pale and unstable on his feet. Behind him, it even looked like he may have thrown up. God, he hated that, too. There was always someone he’d feel sorry for, someone he really wouldn’t want to go to battle…

“And I can’t either,” Taylor cried out. Apparently she’d changed her mind about speaking up, encouraged by Sean and his valid excuse. “I’m…” she looked down, as if thinking of whether she should say it or not. “I’m pregnant.”

One guy shook his head, annoyed. Some of the girls in Rachel and Joanna’s group gasped. One of them, a small but cute, young-looking girl, even whimpered ‘no’, and then something else, probably not intended to say that out loud. McGraw recognized her from a picture in his file: girl #1, Erin Carmichael.

“Would you like to tell all of us what you wanted to say?” McGraw told her.

The girl clammed up, trembling.

“She doesn’t,” Rachel said, meaning to help her. “And seriously, you can’t send a pregnant girl out there!”

“Yes,” Taylor added, sounding relieved to have some back-up, nodding heavily at Rachel and Erin. “Sir, my baby—”

“Just shut up! Shut up with those excuses!” The boy who had rolled his eyes, Gavin McCoy (boy #8), shouted, clearly not buying Taylor’s story one bit. “Geez. Can you be any more obvious? You’re not even showing!” Then glared at Sean. “And you too. You really think he’s going to let you out of here?”

But the spark had been lit. Even Sean seemed to have gained the courage to speak up again.

“Sir, please,” Sean pleaded, shaking his head in disbelief, “I’m sick, I called in sick for the trip this morning.”

McGraw paused. “And yet they insisted you come here, didn’t they?”

Now, boy #5, Andrew “Andy” Kensington, the class president, took a few steps forward in support of Sean.

“Sir, you can’t make him play. He’s ill, he’s at a disadvantage. And Taylor is pregnant. That’s unfair to the others.”

(Taylor smiled widely at him. Oh, yes, he remembered. Her file had said something about being obsessed with boys. Sure she’d smiled when Rachel and Erin supported her, but not this widely after Andy mentioned her.)

Yes, and I would’ve loved to get to use that excuse, too, McGraw thought, grinding his teeth. He knew it was mean to think, but he did. He closed his eyes for a moment. Remember the rules: nobody can leave the island before having played until the end. If he let this guy talk him into it, and showing remorse, that would not only open the door to anyone else coming with an excuse, it could also cost him a lot as well. Again, he just wasn’t ready for that. He didn’t want this. Everyone was making it so hard for him – the job or morality? Sorry, Robinette. I guess I’m just not like you.

He opened his eyes again and decided to play hard. With a swift move, he brought his hands to the back of his belt and pulled out an object he’d been concealing under his shirt up until now…

… And Andy’s eyes widened in shock, the boy backing off slowly. He put up his hands, as expected, to try and pacify McGraw. To his right, Sean winced while several girls let out a shriek (Andy’s friend from Student Council, Isabella Curtis, was one of them, screaming, “No!”). Despite that, McGraw kept his finger rested on the trigger of his gun. No, he wouldn’t shoot, but those kids didn’t know that. Please let it be enough to get him to back off.

“Whoa! Sir, sorry. Just please, don’t.”

Don’t make me do this. The strain was getting to him. No offence to Andy, Sean or any of the others who had challenged him.

“This is not up for debate, Mr Kensington,” McGraw replied, “though I know how good you are at them.”

“Fine, fine,” he conceded. “I’ll be just – like, over there.” He gestured behind him, then moving back to the rest of his classmates while whispering a “sorry” to Sean and “I tried”, who replied with a quick nod, though his face was blank. Lucy also seemed to have given up for now, grudgingly, her arms crossed and tossing him a harsh stare that gave him goosebumps.

McGraw cleared his throat, letting his eyes slide across the room of students. “Anyone else got anything to say?”

Dead silence. Even the wind outside could be heard. Erin whimpered while holding onto Joanna for support.

“Thought so.” He put the gun back and turned to the screen behind him. “So let’s go over the rules, shall we? First one’s one I already talked about: you can only leave this island once all the others are dead. Yes, you will have to kill each other.”

A shriek filled the room. Erin slumped down the wall, grabbing her head and rocking herself. Rachel went to sit down with her, her own mouth agape. Joanna was stammering something, while the other two girls in their group, cheerleaders Holly Healy (girl #5) and Chloe Lewis (girl #8) let out a nervous laugh. Sean had curled up to a ball while Andy, sitting right next to him, didn’t move a muscle. Isabella and Mariah were sitting next to them, holding onto each other for support, but wise enough not to make a sound. Mariah gestured at Isaac to join them, who did. Jonathan, now with friend Fox Doyle (boy #2), gulped, glancing at them and then they crawled over towards Isaac, Andy, Sean and the girls.

However, some people seemed to take the news more easily, such as Sasha Miller (girl #11), who listened to the instructions carefully, eyes narrowing at him. Alex Thornton (boy #13) ignored the majority of his classmates. He was a jock who sustained an old knee injury that made him struggle with sports more, though he covered it up well. Zach Reid a very, for the lack of better words, pretty-looking boy (boy #11) whispered something to Mandy Tointon (girl #18) and Samantha Tanaka (girl #17), as if they were discussing something. Well, said discussions would have to happen outside of the classroom.

In order to draw them back towards the lesson, he turned on a projector hanging in front of the classroom, showing an image of an island on a grid.

“As you can see, you are on an island. Far away, believe me. So no, you won’t be able to swim back if any of you got that idea. The sea is also a danger zone: anyone caught attempting to escape will be killed immediately.” He took a small breath. “How? By these collars. All of you are wearing one and they are waterproof, shockproof, damage proof and all other kinds of proof you can think of. Tampering with them will make them explode.”

That sent a wave of shock through the room. Nearly the whole class gasped, whispering to each other.

“Attention, please. I know this is a lot to hear for you, and some of you may think this is just a joke…” He gave a piercing look at boy #18, Jack Wilson, whose file had said he was a prankster. Just in case he wouldn’t take it seriously. “…but I can assure you, it’s true.”

He went over towards his desk and pulled out a drawer, producing another collar. He placed it on the desk and then gave it a yank. Then quickly moved to the back of the classroom. The soldiers also got out of the way quickly. Everyone was riveted to the collar, which started beeping, a red light flashing on and off.

“Now, all of you, stay back…”

Beep. Beep. Beep beep beep…

BOOM!

Screams filled the room. Fox, Jonathan and Isaac, who had been unfortunate enough to be sitting closest to the desk all ducked for cover, throwing themselves to the floor, shielding their faces with their arms. One piece of broken collar embedded itself into the wall only a few inches above Fox, whose eyes glanced upwards shivering. No doubt he realized how close of a call that had been.

Poor Sean Li had stumbled towards the back of the classroom, backing into the wall while whispering something to himself. On the other side of the room, Erin had grabbed Rachel for protection, who was staring at the scene in shock. Holly was just shaking her head, not wanting to believe what she was seeing, while Joanna had clasped a hand over her mouth and Chloe burst to tears – Joanna responded to it by putting an arm around her.

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Oh God, oh God, Joanna thought to herself as she tried to comfort Chloe while unable to tear herself away from the desk, which was ruined from the explosion. It’s real. Damn, girl, this is all real and you’re gonna die if you don’t do as he says.

While everyone always thought of her as bubbly and air-headed, truth was that she did know when things were serious – such as now. Reality was slowly sinking in with her.

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McGraw waited patiently until everyone had calmed down. Well, at least enough to continue the instructions.

“And next time, this will be your head. So don’t try to go and tamper with it, just leave your collar where it is, okay?”

He went to put on a video of a Japanese woman talking enthusiastically. She showed them about the weapons they’d receive and ran them through all the rules of the game.

“As you’ve heard, you will start with a survival bag. It contains food, water, a map of the island, a pen, a flashlight, a compass, a fleece blanket, a mini first-aid kit and a weapon that has been picked randomly. Any questions?”

Kenny raised his hand.

“Yes?”

“I need to go to the bathroom. Really, really bad.”

“Nice try. You can go when I call out your name.”

Now Zach Reid raised his hand. “When do we leave?”

“Let’s see…” He checked his watch. 10:40 PM. “The game will officially start at midnight. That’ll be in about an hour and a half – 76 minutes to be exact. At that point, you will all have left the building and this will become a permanent danger zone.”

“You will be called out in alphabetical order, boy, girl, boy, girl, and so on. Everyone has two minutes to leave the school before I call out the next person. The game will start as soon as you are outside. However, we will start our clock once the last person here – that’d be you, Miss Wick – has left the building. So… it’s up to you. Do you think it’s an advantage to leave early or not?”

The class didn’t reply. They had spread out to their groups of friends, trying to find some sort of support in each other.

“Well, someone’s about to find out. Boy #1, Reza Ahmadi, please step forward.”

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From the left of the room, the boy stood up, mouthing, “Me?” His friend Justin Turner, boy #14, who was standing behind him looked nervous, but put a hand on his shoulder in support.

“Come up here, boy. Come and get your bags.”

“Just do it, dude,” Justin whispered to him, the hand on his shoulder tightening slightly, “he’s got a gun.”

Reza looked behind him and nodded, whispering something only his friend could hear. Then he walked over to the front of the classroom, taking the bags that a large soldier handed over to him.

“As you can see,” McGraw said, “you all get to keep your personal items. We have only put them in a different kind of bag for all of you. Girls, you may also take your purses with you, should you want to.”

Meanwhile, Reza turned back to the class one more time. He was known for his charm, but even he seemed to not want to try to talk his way out of it anymore. Not after Andy had failed, too. Still, he wanted to say something to the class. He noticed Victoria Cortez (girl #2) looking at him in particular. Was that a good sign for him? He knew he had stepped all over some girls’ feelings here in class (though not Victoria’s, they only really talked at the local gym), but that was all in the past, right? Right? Erin would leave right after him, sure she'd want to make up, wouldn't she?

But first, better just get out of here. Those soldiers and McGraw having a gun made him very nervous – for a good reason. But what should he say to the class? There was a high chance he would not see them again. Ahh. Goodbyes were so much easier in the normal world.

Without fights. Without having to kill each other. So he just went with the friendliest thing he could come up with.

“Well, good luck everyone.”

And then he turned around and sped up to a jog, disappearing from the classroom.

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“Girl #1, Erin Carmichael!”

Even McGraw couldn’t believe how quickly the last 2 minutes had passed. He wondered what the first guy had chosen to do.

Now, this girl looked so not ready. She was small, thin and had looked terrified all the way throughout the instructions. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat, then when she managed to let out some breaths again, they were wheezy. Her eyes darted between the soldiers, him, and her friends. She was standing with a group of girls, like the aforementioned Joanna, Rachel, Holly and Chloe.

“Jo? Rach?” Her eyes glistened as she grabbed them, tears welling up. “Jo, I’m scared.”

“Miss Carmicheal, we don’t have all day.”

Erin walked backwards towards the soldiers, her grip on her friends slipping slowly, the last kind of real security she’d have in a long time. Then got over to get her bags, staring back at her friends. She was trembling all over. Then burst into sobs while running off.

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One by one, they all left, some taking the news better than others. A long time had passed until Erica Wick (girl #19), a tomboy part of the girls swim team with Mandy, was left alone in the classroom. Having sat in silence after Kenny had left, she went to get her bags quickly and with ease. She looked around her and stopped when she was looking at him.

“Guess I’m up for a real trip out there, aren’t I?,” she said, voice laced with sarcasm. “Just the thing I thought would happen going on this trip.”

“Good luck in the game,” he replied, feeling bad for her for having had to watch everyone leave. Luckily she seemed to be coping well, possibly because of her background with sports. Or was she, really?

He watched as she sped up and nearly raced out of the classroom, obviously tired of sitting around here. Honestly, the bunker was just an idea of being safe, there were soldiers everywhere and he hoped these students realized that.

Checking his watch, he waited just a little more, watching the hands both joining at the 12. He nodded at the nearest soldier.

“Midnight. Set the timer.”

Now the game had officially begun.

posted July 20, 2015 03:00 PM            

Good stuff meissieri, looking forward to chapter 2!