Locked In

October 12, 3030 4:26 P.M.         How can someone feel so empty inside? All the events of this past week are starting to finally catch up to me. There’s been so much death. Ashton, Luna, Ryker… my parents. I thought I would be next. Being forced into the Capitol only sealed my fate. Instead of being killed, I was considered worthy. At the time I was grateful to live, but now… Every day, I train from dawn to dusk, with little to no breaks. Any sign of weakness and you’re dead. The only way to survive is to be the best. And I’m going to do everything I can to be the best.          Bennett, Chloe, and Scarlett have been struggling to keep up with everyone. Of course, as newbies, they’ve started at the bottom, but I’m impressed with the progress they’re making. Especially Scarlett.          I work in the training room, counting the minutes until we get a break to go to the cafeteria for food. We’re allowed breakfast at four in the morning, then we train and work until twelve hours later when we get dinner. It was hard for me to break my original routine before this all started, but when your life is on the line, you tend to not care if you skip lunch.         "Keep your guard up, Madison!" my leader, Willow Aldridge, shouts. She's been spotting me, giving me tips. She's the strongest woman I've ever met, and in this past week, we've gotten somewhat close.         I quickly duck from a swinging fist, then strike a punch on my opponent, square in the jaw. Everly Steere-Shah, my opponent, stumbles back for a moment. I feel bad for her, she’s only thirteen and is forced to go through this.         Everly moves to kick me, but I quickly slide away, deflecting her foot with the palms of my hands. She might be young, but she's strong and a fast learner, making her a good opponent.         "Roundhouse kick!" exclaims Aldridge.        Doing as told, I swing my leg, hitting Everly in the head. The girl falls and stays on the mat. Her whole body is trembling, and it takes me a second to realize she's crying. I kneel and help her up, asking if I hit her too hard.         "I'm never going to get in the top twenty," Everly sobs. She looks up at me with watery blue eyes of hers. "They're going to kill me."         I shake my head and brush a few stray hairs out of her freckled face. "You can't give up, Everly. With everything going on, this isn't the time to give up hope. You will get to the top twenty, and you will survive this."         Everly sniffles, and nods her head. In truth, we all need a bit of encouragement to get us through this hell. ***************         "How am I supposed to get into the top twenty when we only have two weeks left?" Chloe demands as she sits down, slamming her tray of food on the table. "It's impossible."         "We can't think like that," I say. "I never thought I would get in the top twenty."         "You were here from the very beginning, though. I got here a couple days later because I decided to listen to Scarlett and tried to leave the city." Chloe starts picking at her food, muttering under her breath, "I wish she never showed up at my house."         I pick at my own food as well. It's the same as the school's, a big blob of grey gunk. "Still mad at Scarlett?"         "Yes."         I sigh. "Why? I mean, what did she do that was so bad?"         Chloe looks up at me, tears glistening her eyes. Whatever it is, it must be important. I’ve never seen Chloe cry. She opens her mouth to answer but closes it as her eyes peer over my shoulder. I turn to find Scarlett and Bennett heading our way. Chloe immediately gets up and walks away. Scarlett frowns, but nonetheless sits across from me and next to Bennett. I can tell Scarlett is holding back some emotions.         "How are you guys doing? Have you moved up any?" I ask the two.         "Fifty-fifth," Bennett replies.         "Fiftieth," Scarlett says, tracing a pattern on the table with her fingers.         "You guys are almost there," I reassure. "Just keep doing what you're doing."         Scarlett sighs. "Madison, you don't understand. We don't have time to jump up that many places in two weeks."         I raise a brow, staring at Scarlett. "How do you know?"         She stays quiet.         "We need to figure out a way out of here," Bennett says after a moment.         "There isn't a way. Trust me, I know. Right now, you two just need to focus on getting into the top twenty before the President decides to unload his guns on you. We’ll figure out something after."         Bennett and Scarlett nod, but I can tell they aren’t happy about it. I mean, who would be?          Karter suddenly takes a seat next to me. "God Almighty, I'm sore." He rubs his neck. "My leader made me throw a hundred knives at a target. And I'm not over exaggerating."         I massage his back. "Did you hit the bullseye each time?"         Karter smiles at me. "You know I did."         Scarlett suddenly gets up and rushes out of the cafeteria. Bennett immediately follows after her. I watch as their figures retreat into the distance.          "Is she okay?" asks Karter.         "Yeah," I say, continuing to massage my friend. "Scarlett is just--" I sigh. "She's just carrying a lot of weight on her shoulders right now. She wants to make sure she and her friends get into the top twenty in time for the next evaluation."         Karter shoves a spoon full of grey gunk into his mouth. With his mouth full, he says, "She shouldn't stress. She's really good." He swallows. "I’ve seen her. If she keeps going at that rate, she might even get into first place."         I raise my brows. "You think she’s that good?"         Karter nods and shoves another spoonful of food into his mouth. "She might even be the best."         I want to be happy for my friend, but Karter’s words strike something in me. If Scarlett does climb her way to first place, I could get knocked down. I’ve worked too hard to stay in the top twenty and no one will keep me from that. And if that means Scarlett doesn’t make it into the twenty, then so be it.