The Chosen: Contest Mechanics

I felt the sun from the window seeps through the curtain, it causes warm tingling sensation on my forehead, It is inevitably cold but the sun rays are warm. I covered my face with my hands. Now I begin to notice how the sun shines too much here. It never awaken me back home. I force myself to stand up and clean myself. 2 days prior to my departure, Father told me to check immediately the glass frame with wooden borders on top of my door, that is where they put the contenders schedule. I go outside to look on my door when someone bumped into me. This is the second time he forced his shoulder to mine. I would have easily ignored it if it's the first time. "Are you blind?" I ask, tucking my hair underneath my bun. "No, but members of the faction 7 are." He replies. I watch as he come near me, lay his hand on top of my door. "Stop it, Alistair. She didn't know. None of the faction 7 contenders know." He says and pulls the boy away from me using his arms entangled in his shoulders. He pushes him away, the boy looked at me one more time, before walking away. "I'm sorry for my friend's attitude, he's really rude when breakfast hasn't been served yet." He says and held out his hand. "He is rude yesterday, what's your excuse, dinner?" I say, completely ignoring his hand. He take his hand away and says, "No, Jetlag. Faction 5 is far." I ignore him and go back into my room to take a proper shower. All I could think of as I watch the water drains is why is that boy named Alistair so rude to me? Is it only to me or does my faction had to do with anything? My parents refused to teach me anything with proper knowledge, I tried to take it out of Mother but she told me she only knows what I know as well, Father knows some but refuses to tell me. I hear an alarm, it sounds so extreme that If I was asleep right now I could have fall over the side of the bed. I run outside change into clothes I can grab and ran towards the main hall. Only 3 of us is there, Alistair and the guy from faction 10. The alarm continues and slowly, one by one they arrive. "Atleast someone had the chance to take a shower." I hear the girl from faction 1 said as soon as she step in the main hall. The headmaster walks the aisle in the middle, in normal clothes that consists of blouse and trousers, She announced, "Good Morning, Contenders, did you enjoy your 1st night here? Did you liked what the centrus has provided?" Cynthia takes a seat and pointed us the seats available, one by one all of us sit. No one answers her question, she waits until faction 1 answers. "When will the actual lectures start?" Faction 1 girl says after she raises her hand. Cynthia looked downwards and smiles, "Ah, let me guess? You're from faction one?" Cynthia says and I noticed how she elongates the word one. The girl nods, again Cynthia replied with a smile. "For the past 17 seasons of the chosen, we let the contenders study the first lectures that was targeted to be studied as a whole. But through season 18th and up to now, 23rd, We started prioritizing the first few weeks for self study. Outline includes the history of our realm, and each your faction's own history." She says looking at everyone's reaction. She crossed her legs on top of the other. I waited for her to continue. I am not sure if this is what I wanted to hear, I wanted to know the history of other factions, not the faction I belong. Cynthia continues her speech, in words I cannot comprehend, but I knew it was not what I wanted. I didn't want any of this. I was slowly pulled back into reality when something hit my back. I looked behind and saw Alistair throwing something at me. The boy from faction 10 noticed and reprimanded him. I wish I had ask his nane earlier because he keeps on defending me. I can't see this boy becoming one of the trainers, if you can't act mature, why are you even here? Even the 7 year old behaves, why can't he? I ignore him, Cynthia continues her speech, she tells us she hopes we like the centrus, but if we miss people from our home, we could ask guides to bring them here, but only one person per contender once a year. Therefore, I can all bring my family here, If I bring one once a year. The headmaster's speech ended, afterwards we are all ask to look at our schedules infront of our door. Amara, the girl from faction 1 rush to her door, the guides notice, she got push at the end of the line. According to the guides, nobody has to outrun each contenders. She for now got push to the end of the line, but the moment she repeats it, It will affect her scoreboard. I reach my door, I wait until everyone of us are at our own door before peeking through the glass frame. I take mine and starts reading it. I am in shock when I flip the page and nothing but a schedule for 1 month is written. I make sure that it was mine before going inside my room.

I decide not to change my clothes since it looks presentable enough to use in my class, and I am only attending my individual classes. I look again through the schedule. I have 15 minutes left before the lecture starts, apparently there is more than just corridors with rooms, quadrangle, and halls. I fix my makeup and go outside. I wanted to scan the place to be able to find my room without difficulty later. I am the only one standing in the corridor right now, maybe all of them decided to run a quick shower since I am the only one who was wet earlier. I see the door from my farthest right open. I wait for the person coming outside. It is the 7 year old kid from faction 8. I approach him.

"Hey." I say, and lifts the corners of my mouth. I wait for a reply and a smile, but the kid only stares at me.

"I am Ernilla, what is your name young one?" I lower my head to look at his young face. Still, no luck in making the kid smile. I see that some of his hair are flying to his eyes. I hate it when it does that in my face, I reach for the hair until someone grabs him. "Did she hurt you? Did the faction 7 hurt you?" I look up to see the voice behind the words. He is shaking the boy while asking him. "You are the one who is hurting me." the kid replies to the boy who is making me even hate it more that I am here. I straighten my back. "Alistair." I say with my lowest tone of voice. I didn't want to sound intimidated. "So you're Ernilla." Alistair says and cross his arms. "Let's go, Alistair." The kid says, he is only in level with Alistair's leg, that is why even when he shakes him, Alistair doesn't budge. He continues to stare at me so I did the same. I recognize his blue eyes. It looks so familiar, when and where, I don't know. The kid stop shaking Alistair's leg. None of us speak until someone came.

"Kahlil, did these two fought again?" The boy from faction 10 says, pointing his fingers on us. That's what his name. Kahlil. Kahlil nodded and stares at us alternately.

"Stop directing you anger to Ernilla, Alistair, I told you a hundred times, She didn't know." Faction 10 says, puts his hand on top of Alistair's shoulder and push him away. Kahlil follows him.

"Treyton." he says, and hold out his hand. I stare at it and he smiles. "Come on, this is the second time around." He continues, I reach his hand and smiles, "I guess I no longer had to introduce myself, You already know my name." We walk side by side until the alarm ring. "I will be at the Rose room in case Alistair bug you again." He says and ran. I did the same.

I arrive at my designated room. Room Tulips. At first I laugh, why would they name rooms after flowers? But I ignore it. Camilla goes inside the room. I watch as she goes for the table, leans in it. I realize that I sat in the middle, when I am the only one. I stand and go infront. She notices. "Good, I don't have to call you on." Camilla says, takes out two thin books and lays infront of me. "Pick one." I look at them, nothing but pure plain gray cover. I wanted to choose base on appearance, but that's out of the choices now. I take the 1st one. "Good choice." Camila says.

Apparently, the two are choices on which history i can study first, our realm, or the history of our faction. I choose the faction.

"Let's begin." She says, gives me a new soft bind book that is much thicker than the manual. I started reading as soon as she speaks. Camilla told me how our faction was created. Our faction started when there are 10 land areas in our realm. According to her, the numbers corresponds to which faction had been established first. Our faction holds the chosen every 3 years since we were located in the middle. Faction 7 owns 20% of the total land area of the whole realm, and since we own that much, we were given the opportunity to host the chosen, but to be fair with others, the other 10% belongs to the northern side. Where our trainers lives, where the contenders get to stay, and where other government officials stay. According to her, once you win a seat in the goverment, you won't get to choose whether or not you will stay. You will have to stay, only those who lost the chosen and those with low ranking positions get to live on the southern side, although according to her, the travel part is exhausting you'll want to stay here. But that, you have a choice.

Camilla started discussing our citizens, how we ended up being the researchers, and our local trainers. Local trainer are the persons who were past trainers, but decided to leave the northern side to govern the southern side. Us. Free election will be made, and the following seats are Mayor, Vice Mayor, Secretary, Treasurer who also functions as the auditor, and lastly, the person who will manage the Human Resource department, the person who oversees the chosen, will choose contenders and the laws beneath it. According to her, the reason the contenders had different ages is the length of years that they had rebelled against the old government, is the required age upon entry. Meaning, faction 7 rebelled for 15 years. Tried to make it out of their own before joining the Treaty of Unison the new government had imposed.

After 3 straight hours of lecture I am finally given the permission to take my lunch. I walk slowly, grasping the floor with my feet, as if they will lead me to the cafeteria. I let my intuition lead me there. I see the contenders, some of them are already having lunch, some are in line over the food section. I wait for the last person to leave the line before going in. I take my chosen food, Beef with vegetables, white rice and what I think is a bottled lemon juice and looks into place where I could be eating. I didn't know that they already had time to bond seeing this people already had grouped themselves together. I walk the aisle while looking at them. Alstair is together with Treyton, Kahlil and the girl who I recognize as the faction 6 contender. I look on the other side and saw that Amara, the girl from faction 1 is together with the boy from faction 2. I think the other two people they are with are from faction 3 and 4. What shocks me is the girl from faction 9 is eating with them. I take the empty table across their table. Two tables far away from both of them and silently eat. I scoop rice and put beef on top when Amara approach me. Amara stares as I continue to eat, completely ignoring her. Amara rolls her eyes. As I put food in my mouth, eventually, all of them are now in my table. I look at Alistair's grin over their table, ignore it and continue eating, Amara seems to dislike the fact that I completely ignores them and only fixate my eyes on my meal.

All of them does the same, as if eating with me is the only important thing, as if I didn't have to talk for other people to recognize I was sitting with them, or they were sitting with me. I am about to eat my last piece of brocolli until I feel a cold splash of liquid on my back. It reach my brocolli who is now soaked in water. I feel my spine begins to get mad, I slam my fist on the table. I look behind me and see Alistair laughing, A fist lands on his face. I've had it with his words, but I do not need this. We are all adjusting here and I don't see the point why they have to show me their superiority. Alistair rubs his jaw, walks towards me, but Mr. "Saves me always but never had the balls to stand up against Alistair" iTreyton, stops him. "It is your fault, you deserve that punch." I hear him say. I wrinkled my hair, I am intensely wet that the liquid that came out of the hair soaks my shoes too. Now I realize that this isn't water, This is coconut juice. I walk away slowly, hoping someone would dare to even defend me, but nobody did.

I burrow my face in my pillow, cry helplessly how I wish I am not here, I am at home helping father's research, or I am at school, walking the corridors with Dion, looking at everyone else while they talk about crushes, subjects we thought is the hardest given the current curriculum. But then again, I am not. I am here, I am here soak in coconut juice, not even caring whether it will make my bed smell. I just know I needed a good cry. I force myself to stand up, drag my wet body towards the restroom and begins to take a shower. I ignore all other thoughts, but I decided to no longer attend my afternoon class. After taking a shower I again burrow my head in the pillow, I didn't mind anything else, not even the knocks on my door.

"Ernilla." I hear a voice, try to recognize who's voice was that from. Camilla.

She must have questions on why i didn't continue my class on her.

"Ernilla, I have keys on your room, I wilk go inside, even if you don't want to. But now I am asking you to say yes." She continues. Her words getting louder. I ignore her.

I hear my doorknob turn. There is Camilla, not even waiting a few minutes before invading my privacy. I sit up, while she sits on the side of my bed.

"I heard what they did to you, Are you okay?" I don't know why She even bothers to ask, my pillow is soaking wet, I realize i didn't even get tissues, and my red eyes explain everything. I return my head on my pillow. "You know, you're not the only one who they got mean to." She says, I stand up again as soon as I hear her. "What?" I ask fixing my self and starts listening to her. Camilla go near me and starts brushing my hair out of my face with her fingers. "I was once like you, I am my season's contender." She says, leaving me gasping.

"You're also from faction 7?" I say enthusiasticly, She nods.

"You got bullied too?" She nods again.

"You were thrown coconut juice, I was thrown a bowl of soup, a really hot one, on my first day." She says before giggling. I slide myself forward to be near her.

"Only I didn't dwell on my capabilities and cry here." She says smiling.

"What did you do?" I say, lying on my back, I use my arm as foundation and puts my head on top to look at her.

"Oh, I did cry, only I cried at them." She says then winks. I try to comprehend her words. But none came to mind.

"I will go now, I will give you this day for you, but you need to see me tomorrow." She says and I watch as her footsteps get weaker and she then disappear.

Dinner time came and what she said still bugs my mind. I don't know what she says, she cry at them. I cried at them, that was her words. I wanted to not show up on the cafeteria today, but I am really hungry. I wasn't told I was allowed to get food sent to me. My stomach keeps on growling and I knew I had to eat. Cried at them. Again, her words bug me. I go outside, hoping some of them are done eating and I will only had to deal with some of them.

Arriving, it come to my surprise to see the only group that was inside the cafeteria are the unprivileged group, which I decided on calling the group of Alistair and his servants. All of the privileged group had gone out of sight. Maybe they didn't want to be associated with them after what they did to me. They wanted me to be part of their group after all.

I ignore them and went ahead to the food section. My gaze fixated on the center as I take food. I try to oversee Alistair, I almost drop my food when I saw how big his bruise is. It almost calms me. "Looks like someone didn't call for food like her group did." I hear someone say behind my back. I want to ignore him again. I was taught by my father not to go around punching people. I know my wrist strength, but I didn't know theirs, my bruise might end up being twice as big as I had given. Plus, I am allowed to call for food? That idea should be broadcast! If I knew that I was allowed, I wouldn't have come so far. I take spoon and fork, sit on chosen table but Alistair seems to follow me. "What, you'll ignore me, You already punch me, show me a little bit more of your attitude. Show all of us." He says and sits infront of me. That's it, I had enough, My stomach keeps on growling and I just wanted to eat in peace! That's when it hit me. She cried at them. She cried at them! I let out a huge breather. Alistair seems to be baffled, I ignore him now that i am completely understanding Camilla, I will not let this unprivileged boy step over me.

"What are you grinning about?" He asks attempts to stand up, I interrupt him by slamming my palms on the table.

"You keep on telling me to show my attitude because i punch you? You tell me! What are your thoughts when you pour me that juice?" I say, I see how my words had impact on them.

"Now you won't answer, I ignored you twice, you keep on provoking me, that showed my attitude! Now tell me what showed yours?" I say, slowly running out of appetite. I look around, nobody wanted to speak up to me. The bruise on Alistair's face must have decrease their bravery. I stood up. My father thought me to control my anger, I only have to poke my knife enough to show blood, but not enough for them to bleed out of death. I stand up before saying my last words.

"You have misdirected anger towards me, I get that. But you need to understand, me being mad at you is caused by you. It is only directed at you." I use a different tone this time. Calmly left the place. Nobody say a word. I sleep out the hunger, mentally preparing myself that tomorrow, I had to face them after my breakdown.

The sun shining in my face had become my newest alarm clock. I hurriedly go inside the shower, I wouldn't want another alarm going on without me being able to clean myself. I can not ignore the hunger in me so even if I wanted to try calling for a meal, I foresee that it will take a while. I run towards the cafeteria, not minding any person who might bump into me and pick out my breakfast. When I am done and I no longer feel the hungry beast in me. I walk back to my room and wait for the alarm. I didn't want to mingle with anyone else since last night, either the guilt of lashing out to them is eating me, or the victory that I had feel after shouting at them.

I prepare the things I needed for Camilla's class before heading out, as I got out of my room I see Treyton, one foot on top of the wall and one leg supporting his whole body. I hear this silent whisper in my head that I should just be nice to him. Afterall, he was the only person who tries to stop Alistair from being rude to me. I ignore that thought, walk fast towards the room I was assigned to, Treyton run behind me. "Hey," He calls, again I ignore it, fortunately, the alarm rings and Treyton left me alone.

I head to room tulips and wait for Camilla to arrive. She greets me good morning before starting her lectures. She must have notice that I am not listening. Camilla face me forward, "I see you are not listening, but I hope you would listen to this." She says, pointing her PowerPoint presentation, the titles say, "Faction 7 as the center of all factions." I wrinkle my eyebrows in question, why would I want to listen to this lecture? But I ignore it, fix myself and fixate my eyes on the screen. Camila starts discussing how out of all factions, we are the richest, and how the odds are always with us. Faction 7 is literally in center of our realm, where all trades happens. Faction 7 also serves as the capital of our realm. Apparently, our realm is call Decilanda, Almost sounding as a woman because our first leader is a woman, and since we consists of 10 divisions, Deci was put as a suffix. However, after the revolution came, Our realm no longer functions as a whole, thus the birth of each faction, and when the revolution ended, all of the factions wanted to have the equal chance of reigning our realm, thus the birth of contenders. The elders believed that we needed a young mind to govern our realm, but still they wanted to punish each faction for the rebellion, thus the birth of the age requirement of each factions.

The name Decilanda is changed to Regalimen, the latin word for realm, which the trainers refer to as Regals, since the the number of female leaders started to increase, the word men since to put them off. I am so deep in the lectures, these type of history aren't taught inside our school, only the natural resources are taught, and some of our history. But none of this. As per Camilla's words, only the contenders get to know this since after 3 years, they are trained to govern regals.

"Now, I'm sure you had questions in your mind, on why they are mean to you." Camilla says and clicks the next slide button on her remote. The screen flash the following no of tally, among them, the highest numbers of trainers came from faction 7.

"I was also one of the winners, during my season." Camilla proudly says.

"Now, all the other factions are allowed to discuss the world of other faction, but not us. Faction 5, during their season of victory, their trainer, once fought with the other trainers, saying that the chosen is rigged, saying that we often allow faction 7 representatives to win since, we were the richest faction." She continues, pacing the front area of the room, my eyes follows her.

"Of course, our trainer, won't want us to be stepped on, so our trainer imposed a law. That none of the faction 7 contenders will have any idea of how the chosen works. It settled the existing trainers war, but until faction 7 starts winning again. It starts to arise." She ends but the lunch alarm has rang. Now I didn't want to eat. I wanted to hear more. She laughs at me and force me to eat, as she will continue the lecture earlier.

Absent mindedly, I take my lunch. I couldn't believe it, I didn't know this. Any of this. Only then I remember, that is why Alistair is angry at me. He is a member of faction 5! Based on my memory, Faction 5 is ranked as 7 on the number of trainers they had produce. Our faction ranks 1. I start to feel this hollow guilt eat me. Not only did the history justified Alistair's anger, but now I think I have something to apologize to Alistair. Even though I am never incharge of anything other than my father's research. Half of me wanted to apologize, half of me wanted to wait for Alistair's apologize, then I will. The latter wins.

I return to my assigned room, my mind is so occupied of the things Camilla had discuss, I didn't even notice how only the privileged faction are here, the unprivileged faction aren't. Fortunately, it sided on me since i didn't want to deal with Alistair right now. I wait for Camilla again, I glance at my watch. I am 15 minutes early for our 1 hour lunch break. I review my notes, still mesmerize about the fact that all of this existed, and I have to be a contender in order to know all of this.

The day ended with Camilla bombarding me with information, some of which my brain can not even handle. I go straight ahead to my room, I am about to put my keys in when I see a shadow at the end of my corridor. "Treyton? Is that you?" I call out, the shadow starts to approach me, revealing Alistair.

"Alistair." I say. He approach me slowly.

"Hey." He says, I continue putting my keys but didn't turn the knob.

"I wanted to apologize..." He says, as I am about to reach the doorknob. I face him.

"I've been thinking, and you were right, I misdirected my anger towards you, when in fact, I know better, I should have not." He says, leans in on the wall. Before continuing his speech. "It's just, in our faction, everyone was supposed to hate 7. You played our trainer. So, maybe it's pass on to generation, and again. I'm sorry."

I stare at him, trying to decipher whether his apologies are real. But the fact that he made the first move, real or not, I needed to be kind. "Okay, i'm sorry too if I lash out on you, Who wouldn't when you poured juice on me." I say. He smiles and hold out his hand.

"Friends?" He say.

"Friends." I agree and takes his hand.