PART 1___Day 1___Pre-Challenge Two: Cellphones

"Okay, everyone! Great job. Before we get on the train, there's one thing you have to do first," Sara said in the bullhorn. "Take out your cellphones, please. They're not allowed this year." The students moaned in protest.

"That ain't fair!" One yelled.

"We had 'em last year," said another.

"Like I said, things are different this year…Not my rules; you can take it up with the school board." Sara said with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

At that moment, a handsome man walked up the steps. He wore a polo shirt and jeans. His green eyes shimmered in the sunlight. It was John Beaux, the girls' soccer coach. He looked like he could be on the cover of GQ Magazine.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, flashing a radiant smile. "It was the Uber's fault."

Some of the senior girls swooned when he walked by them. He was one of the younger male teachers, about thirty years old, and he was in very good shape.

"Actually, you got here just in time," Sara said, handing him a large plastic bin. "We have to collect the cellphones."

"Joy," John said sarcastically.

"Alright. Please make three lines: one in front of me, one in front of Ms. Brunswell, and one in front of Mr. Beaux," said Garrett.

Students scrambled to group with their friends and ran to be near the front of the lines. After the forfeiting and injuries, there were nearly five hundred students, so there were well over one hundred students in each line. Even though Ryan, Greer, and Lu were some of the last to make it up the rock wall, they managed to steal a spot near the middle of Ms. Brunswell's line. Greer saw Zara in Mr. Beaux's line and his heart started to race as if he climbed the wall five more times.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna switch lines," Greer said; he was in a trance again.

"What?" Ryan asked incredulously. He followed Greer's gaze and saw the reason. "Man, don't be stupid. We have a decent spot, and you're gonna have to go all the way to the back of that line. By the time she gets on the train, you won't even be able to sit near her."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point," said Greer, holding his head low.

"I can't believe this! I just got this new iPhone last week!" Lu said, cradling his phone to his chest. He wasn't the only one complaining. Many students begged, pleaded, and flat out tried to bribe the teachers in order to keep their phones.

"Come on! Please? The school board don't have to know," said one student, gripping his phone tightly.

"What if there's an emergency?" another student said. The teachers denied them time after time. Each student got on the train more disappointed than the last.

"Your whining isn't going to help. The sooner y'all get on the train, the sooner we can get going. We have a seven hour trip on our hands," Sara said trying to hurry her line along.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"Did she say seven hours?" asked Greer, raising his eyebrows.

"It's always taken us about two hours," Lu said, suppressing a yawn. They were nearing the front of the line. Many of the students' eyes were bugged out when Ms. Brunswell revealed the news.

"Different location this year, folks. It's bigger…Not my decision," Sara said, shrugging. "Hey! Stop pouting! This is gonna be fun…Instead of being on social media you'll have time to, y'know…be social." The students continued to pout and she sighed.

"They'll get over it eventually," said Garrett. Most of the students in his line were on the train already.

"Hopefully," Sara said, messing with her scarf.

***

Many of the students, the female ones at least, didn't do much complaining in John Beaux's line. They would almost give him their phones willingly. Zara handed over her cellphone, but she didn't quite look John in the eyes. "Hi, I'm Zara. I'm excited about trying out for soccer at the beginning of the school year," she said, looking up at him for a moment.

"Well, I'm always happy to have another player, Zara. What grade will you be entering?" asked Mr. Beaux.

"Ninth grade," she said, smiling.

"We'll have to start you out on the junior varsity team, but if you're good enough, you'll make varsity in no time," he said, sounding sincere.

"Yes, sir," Zara said quietly. John watched as she got onto the train.

There were only a handful of students left, and in Mr. Beaux's line, there was one student who wanted to be last. Her name was Summer Hall. She was extremely intelligent, but in most circumstances, she used her beauty to get what she desired. That was how she ended up on the soccer team; she lacked the talent, but she convinced the coach in other ways.

"Yeah, yeah. Go in front of me," Summer said to a group of students.

"You sure?" one of them asked, surprised that the popular girl was speaking to them.

"Yes…I want to use my phone for a while longer," she said. They moved ahead of her without another word. "You too, Erica," Summer said, looking at her best friend. Erica was the type of friend that did just about whatever Summer told her to do. That was why Summer loved her so much.

Erica frowned a little, then asked in a low voice, "You gonna tell him?"

"Not yet," said Summer, winking. Like she wanted, Summer was the last person in John Beaux's line. "Hey, Beau! Haven't heard from you all sum—"

John shushed her by putting his index finger to his lips. "You know you can't talk to me like that here; someone might hear."

Summer twirled a strand of her aquamarine-colored hair. "Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Of course," he whispered. He held out his hand. He wanted her phone.

"I thought you'd let me keep it," Summer said, batting her eyelashes.

"I'll give it back…I just have to follow protocol right now."

"Thanks, babe," said Summer, handing over her phone. She blew him a kiss before making her way on the train.

John didn't look at her; he was making sure that nobody saw what she was doing.

***

To the teachers' relief, everyone was finally on the train, and they were ready for their long journey. As the train departed, Garrett walked down the long aisle. "Okay, guys…No funny business on this trip, understood? It was tiring enough just to get you on this train," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We will separate y'all if we have to. Don't make us do it."

Some students nodded and that was all Garrett needed to feel satisfied.

"Where are you gonna put our cellphones?" asked a student, pushing up his glasses.

"Of course that's the question you ask… Your cellphones will be safe. When we get to the location, they will be put in a contained area."

"But where—" the student started to ask a question, but he was cut off when Garrett held up his hand.

"That's all you need to know."

"Okay! Sit back and enjoy the ride! Read, sleep…Just remember not to crowd the restrooms. There is limited space. If anyone wants snacks or water, just ask us. We have five carts full," Sara said, clapping her hands together. When she saw that nobody was really listening, she took her seat.

Greer took out his sketchbook and started to doodle. Lu leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. His natural color was just now returning to him; he no longer looked sick.

"Hey, MC? Look, Summer's sitting up there," Ryan said. He saw a flash of blue hair in one of the seats in front of him.

Greer looked up at Ryan. "Dude…You talk about me? You're the one who needs to get a life," he said, tapping his pencil against his sketchbook. "She's popular, she's a junior, and I think she has a thing for Mr. Beaux."

Ryan cleared his throat. "That's just a rumor…All the girls have a thing for him, anyway," he said, crossing his arms. "I think I have a chance with her this year…I'm gonna make quarterback for sure. I'm tellin' you." He sounded confident.

"Yeah, okay," Greer said, rolling his eyes. He looked up to see Summer putting her hair up in a ponytail; she was laughing at something Chase said. Sure, she's pretty, but she's got nothin' on Zara. He began to doodle again and realized that he was drawing Zara's face: her eyes, her freckles, her button nose. Embarrassed, he started to erase, and his sketchbook fell to the floor.

"Yo!" Lu huffed. The noise startled him awake. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. "We there yet?"

"Naw, man," Greer said, picking up his sketchbook. "We probably have about five hours to go."

"Oh," Lu said, closing his eyes again.

Greer finished erasing and started drawing something else: random shapes and patterns. He wanted to keep his mind occupied. At this point, students started to ask about food.

Sara came down the aisle with a cart. "We have PB&J's, apple slices, and chips."

Greer got a packet of apple slices and chips, Ryan got a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and tossed Lu one as well. Lu squirmed a little but he didn't wake up.

Sara was nearing the end of the aisle when she got to Zara. She was going to take a sandwich, but she hesitated. "What type of bread is this?" Zara asked.

"It's wheat, honey. The school wants us to have healthier options."

"Oh, I'm allergic," she said, putting the sandwich back and grabbing a pack of apple slices.

"Oh, well, we'll make sure you don't come into contact with any, then," Sara said. "Here." She handed her another pack of apples.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

***

"Okay! Let's go," John said, hustling kids off the train. "Gotta early start tomorrow."

They had finally made it to The Post: Retreat & Recreational Center. It was just after dusk: The burnt orange of the sunset and the cobalt blue of the sky began to mingle together.

"Yes, very early. Five a.m.," Sara agreed, nodding her head. The students were shocked, but they continued to file out of the train.

"The faster you can get off this train, the faster you can get to that hot pizza we ordered!" John shouted.

The students moved with purpose. Some began to shove. One of them was Chase; he pushed the boy who asked about the cellphones. The boy moved to the side without protest, but Sara didn't like the aggressiveness.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sara said, taking off her glasses. "We'll have none of that!"

"We had pizza sent here?" Garrett asked, covering his mouth so the kids wouldn't hear.

"No…Just told them that so they would move a little faster," John said, smiling slightly.

Garrett laughed and grabbed one of the cellphone-bins. "Well, it seems like it worked."

There were ten acres of land: fields of dry grass on one side with some sort of obstacle course, and a large greenhouse on the other side. The Post itself was located in the middle. It didn't look too inviting; just an ash-grey building. Sara typed in a code on her phone, and the large automatic doors swung open. "Open sesame!" yelled Sara, outstretching her arms. All the students rushed in, ready to eat.

"Hey! I don't smell any pizza," Chase said, scratching his head.

"Come along. The cafeteria is this way," Sara said, leading the students through the building. On the inside, the building seemed much more spacious. The cafeteria resembled one that would be found in a high school. Row upon row of long tables and a designated area for the food to be prepared and served.

"Sorry, guys. No pizza," Garrett confessed.

"But we do have pre-packaged, nutritious meals!" Sara said, doing jazz hands. The students lost most of their enthusiasm, but they took the standard cafeteria food gratefully. "Not much time for socializing tonight…Eat and then it's time for y'all to get some rest."

"I don't even care that this looks like sludge; I'm hungry!" Lu said, digging into his food immediately.

"You wouldn't be so hungry if you ate on the train," Ryan said, using a fork to probe the contents in his container.

Greer didn't have any food in front of him. Once again, his eyes were searching the crowd for Zara. And there she was, making her way over to him and his friends.

"There's your girl," Lu said, winking at Greer.

"Shut up," Greer said, wiping his palms on his pants. He began to fidget. Calm down. It's just a girl. He gulped when she sat down next to him.

"Hi again," Zara said in a timid but clear voice.

Greer scooted over a bit so she would have more room. "H-hey…How was the rock climbing?" Greer said trying to not move his hands. Rock climbing? What a stupid question! Everyone hated that!

Lu raised his eyebrows at him but didn't say anything. Of course, Lu's experience with the wall wasn't the best.

"It was okay," she said, nibbling on a piece of celery. "I mean, it was hard at first, but once I got up there, it wasn't so bad."

"That's what I said!" Ryan said. He was content when people agreed with him.

Zara smiled at him. "I was mostly concerned about everyone else, you know? It looked like a lot of people got hurt," she said, chewing slowly.

Wow…Beautiful and thoughtful. "Yeah…That was sad," Greer said somberly.

"Well, the good news is it can't get any worse than that," said Ryan.

"Okay, everyone!" Sara called into her bullhorn. "Finish up. Time to wash up and get some sleep. Your official meet-and-greet starts tomorrow," she said, twirling around.