Road to Entitlement: Five

I almost feel my knees give up on me when I realize that Amara and Marvelus' departure also means we need to get out today or else we miss the chance of Alessia saying goodbye to her mom. I felt a hand on my elbow as I grabbed onto something to lean on.

"Are you okay? Or you always make me catch you?" Treyton says before flashing his widest smile on me. Treyton assisted me back on our table. I was so focused on today's agenda I didn't notice Alessia is already joining us for breakfast, wearing a long sleeve turtleneck, my guess is to hide all of the scars and wounds the ropes had given her.

"Ernilla, are you okay?" Alessia stands up and snatches my elbow from Treyton, Treyton didn't budge and let me face Alessia. I give her a nod before finally facing my meal, in which I no longer have appetite for.

I just stared at Alessia and Alistair, Am I the only one being hit with the realization that in 3 hours the three of us will leave the centrus, takes all the risk of exposure, not even sure what this may result in to.

I continuously stare at Alessia and Alistair, alternately, If I'm betting on anyone to immediately regarding who will first to notice, It is Alessia, since all of this was for her, she might as well think about it 24/7.

But this is why I don't gamble base on looks. Alistair immediately stands up and pulls me and Alessia outside the cafeteria. Alessia and I try with all our might to catch up with him but his legs were too fast.

"That's was it, right? We are also going out along with them?" Alistair asks, holding both of his hands on his hair in shock. I look at Alessia.

"Your call, If we are doing this, You decide." I say, the most of the decision making is from Alessia. If we were to help her, she needs to be a 100 percent sure on seeing her mother one last time. She replies with a nod and I see Treyton behind Alistair, walking towards us.

"Hey, what are you guys up to?" He asks as he suspiciously looks at the three of us.

"Nothing, we just had something to deal with." Alistair says, not sounding anything to hide, with his usual voice.

"You don't pull girls out of breakfast when this was nothing important." Treyton says, approaching Alistair and staring deep in his eyes.

"Maybe it is important, but none of it concerns you." Alistair says, and walks toward Treyton, Treyton moves backward before answering.

"You do know you can just tell me, because I won't easily back off." Treyton says, then stepping infront of Alistair.

"You know what, stop it!" I say, pushing the two of them away from each other.

"We plan on getting out of the centrus today." I say, Alistair and Treyton looks at me at the same time, but not with the same expression written on their faces.

"I don't know why you could easily tell him, you know what we put at stake." Alistair says, before pulling Alessia away from me.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could have joined you." Treyton says, calm and reassuring as ever. But I know in my heart, This is something I shouldn't trust him with.

"Only 3 are allowed to go out, and Alistair already had that spot, and why would I need to tell you?" I ask as I coninue to follow Alistair and Alessia.

"Maybe you don't need it, but I really expected we're that kind of friends who can tell such things to each other." Treyton says, follows my steps as well.

"Well, this isn't my information to tell, but I don't want you bugging and snooping on us because we needed to do something else more important, and that is the only reason why I told you." I say, facing him, gesturing him to stop following me.

"Okay, I get it, I am a display." He says, smiles and walks behind, I walk towards him and taps his shoulder.

"A display?" I ask.

"I am just someone who you can pick up for beautification, and when you don't need, you could easily throw back again in the drawer." He says and walks out.

I snap, I do not treat him like that! I can't believe he would actually make me think I treat him like that. And No, I will not run after him.

I manage to catch up with Alessia and Alistair.

"Hey, I am sorry, I told him so he won't snoop around us, We needed to plan in peace." I say, rolling up my sleeves, looking at the blueprint of the centrus laying on top of a table, in which I had no idea how Alistair gets the hold of.

"How did you-" Alistair stops me.

"Records area, I overheard Amara and Marvelus that that thing exists." He says, completely rolling the blueprint on top of the table.

"So what, we just can easily access that?" I ask looking at the paper.

"Yeah, I still don't know the reason behind that, but yeah." He says, takes another paper sheet below the table, layers it on top of the blue print, attempts to trace it.

"Give me the pencil, I don't know if you are trying to trace it, or that is a kid's drawing, I bet Kahlil could draw even better." Alessia says, pushing Alistair away from the table. We wait as she traces the blueprint beautifully.

"Wow." I stare in awe. Alessia flashes me her proudest smile before saying,

"Well, I wanted to be an Architect. But, Chosen happens, and now I wanted to be a trainer." She says. Alistair snatches the pen from Alessia.

"We are currently here, and I studied this last night, it will take us about 10 minutes to reach the southern gate using this route." Alistair says, drawing the path on the blueprint.

"Now I get it why you wanted to trace the thing." I say attempting to study the places we will pass through to get to the southern gate.

"Yes, and I had doubts if they will realize it missing, so if we return it, we still have our own copy." Alistair says.

"We need a backup plan." Alessia says, pinpoints to the red square on the blue print.

"That is the holding area." Treyton says.

"Yes i know, but see this logo here." Alessia points the logo on the right side of the red square, in documenting blueprint, that means the place has cameras in it." Alessia says.

I look at Alistair. "That means, not only will they show us inside the holding area." I say.

"But they will also film us going in there." Alistair countinues. He attempts to erase that writings, but it only ruins the work of Alessia, he pulls the drawer of the table, takes out a yellow bright colored pen, traces the first path and labels it plan "A" and puts an "X" beside it.

Alessia looks at the blueprint, attempts to find another traces of cameras. According to Dion, he can only hack the cameras inside the holding area,we can't risk the camera beside the holding area, broadcasting our whole departure, ahead of the said departure of Amara and Marvelus.

I try to think of possible scenarios where this could go wrong, while the two of them plans delicately how we are going to reach the southern gate.

"The facilitators." I say, both of them looked at me but returned their gaze on the blueprint.

"No, the facilitators, we have to make sure none of them was roaming around if we need to make a clear path." I say, I turn around and pick my phone up.

Before Dion can even say hello, I speak up. "Can you access the list of facilitators that will roam around the holding area later?" I say, circling the area. I hear him say okay, keyboard typing before finally answering.

"Camila Vega, and Diel Esguerro." I look at Alistair. I am relieved that it is Camila, but i am not relieved to hear that Treyton's Facilitator will be incharge later. That means I have to coordinate with Treyton, and I didn't want him to be involved. I drop the phone call.

"Camila Vega and Diel Esguerro." I say, coming to them.

"How do we distract them?" Alessia asks, lifting the pencil she is holding to raise her hand.

"I could easily ask Camila, I guess?" I say, scratching my head, Camila has been nice, but I don't know if she will react the same way.

"No." A full one head straight no, I have never heard Alistair in that tone.

"We will not ask any help from the facilitators, It will backfire to us." He continues, took the pencil away from Alessia and starts staring again at the blueprint.

"There must be a way to exit the area without letting them know, there has to be." He says, slowly studying all the logos written in the blueprint.

"These legends has got to mean something." Alessia points out all the tiny drawings that doesn't look like a stair, a door or a fire extinguisher.

"I think I know how." I say, picked up my phone and video calls Dion. Alessia and Alistair looks amazed.

"I don't know that, that does that." Alessia says, pointing my phone with an index finger.

"You don't know phones does this?" I ask while I wait for Dion to answer.

"Not all factions can afford phones. We do but it doesn't do that." Alistair replies,

"I've never even touched a phone, I barely own a functioning television." Alessia says, with eyes fixated on the phone.

"Well, consider yourself owning one now." I tell Alessia, and winks. She replies with a smile.

Dion answers and the first thing he sees is Alistair.

"Okay, did you get transformed into another gender, Ernilla?" He asks, I laugh before facing the camera.

"Hello! This is Alistair," I say, pointing Alistair, then immediately pulls Alessia into the frame. "And this is Alessia." Alistair takes turn into looking at me and Dion.

"It is true, you do all have red hair." Alistair ask, then picks up a strand of my hair and combing it with his fingers.

Why it is true that majority of us do own red hair, I think mine was Auburn Red and Dion's more like chestnut brown.

"We need to understand this legends." Alistair says, raising the blueprint to make sure that Dion sees it.

"That is a vent." He points out to I don't know whether it is the 1st line or the 2nd line.

"The first one or the second one." Alistair asks, staring at the drawing.

"Second one. The first one is specific for rooms that had room ones underneath. What are these questions for?" Dion says, only I then realize he is not working from home. He is working from somewhere I am not familiar of.

"They had rooms underneath?" Alistair asks, then looks at both of us. He stares for quite a while before I realized what he meant.

"Oh! Okay okay!" I come near the camera, attempts to shut the video call. I could hear Dion asks what's happening before dropping the call.

"If we could find the entrance to the rooms underneath, we could cross that and get out of the area without being seen by anyone." I say, and looks at Alessia. She seem confuse, but then she snap—

"Okay! Okay! We could do this!"

We all leave the place altogether, skip the morning class. Alessia asks if we will be needing to prepare a bag, I shrug because honestly, I don't even see myself leaving this place without permission, but I still take the smallest bag I own, stuff it with only necessary things, I realized, If I were to run away from facilitators or anyone, a big bag will only hold me down. After packing, I take a quick lie down. I left my door slightly open and see Alistair packing, he too had a small bag.

As we prepare our luggage, we meet up at Alessia's room, Alessia's bag is what Alistair and I had prepared combined in size. I wanted to reprimand her, but when she say that there are so many things she wanted her siblings to experience in the centrus, but she could only take so little, I shrug off that thought.

We decided to go to the holding area early, but when we don't if the camera's are already running, I phoned Dion to ask to keep it shut, He say it is shut, it will only be opened once the ceremony starts.

When we arrived, it took Alistair 10 minutes to open the floor door, We drop our bags below, and I help him close, I thought it would lessen the time, but it didn't.

All of us are gathered at the same place when we first met the headmistress. Amara and Marvelus are now at the stage. Funny how people will be condemning them for what they did, but yet, Amara and Marvelus are well dressed.

A red girl came onto the stage, I narrow my eyes to see if it was Camila, but other than the red hair, there is no other distinguishing feature. She walks towards the mike, and taps in, an high pitch sound is created.

"Good Morning," She says, then glances on her wrist to check her watch, "And although I would like to welcome you all to notice the departure of Amara and Marvelus, I know that some of you will not find comfort in this," She looks back at Amara and Marvelus, sitting behind her.

"Some of you might, but that doesn't mean you will say goodbye to them. Because as they leave the premises of the centrus, you will be asked to stay at some place else." She walks towards the other side of the stage dragging the mike along with her.

"I want you all to know me as Safiya, but, You will only see me, if a contender will leave despite finishing the duration of the chosen. And trust, me, you will not want to see me mostly." Safiya goes back to Amara and Marvelus, each she hold out her hand. She welcomes them to the center stage.

"Now, stand up." At first I wasn't sure who she is commanding to, but when people are already up, I stand up as well.

"Bid your final good bye, to Faction 1 and 2's contenders, Goodbye, Amara and Marvelus."

All of us say our goodbye, each of us take turns into staring at them. None of us had the strength to utter even one word, even me. We walk towards the exit. I look back again one more time. And I saw Amara crying, Safiya, who I kinda hoped would help her cheer up, stares coldly at the camera light infront.

It is already starting, they are already broadcasting us. I look around and see dozens of cameras pointed at us. The lens are all focused on is, which means my family is seeing me from every angle. I wanted to break free from the line. I wanted to run towards the cameras. I wanted to call out Mom and Dad, I am about to turn around when I saw Alistair beside me. I lean into him as i feel my body collapse. The anxiety of having the whole realm watch us got me spinning. Only then I noticed, to be able to be beside me, he had to break the line.

"I know, I wanted to do the same. I wanted my family to see me. Not all of us have those techy phones. I wanted to them to see me. But we all know, we are only allowed to do what they told us to." He says, He slowly walks behind me, his hands completely fixated on my arms.

"But later, we are doing something that was not forced onto us, and I will take gratitude for that. Even if it's not because of me." He continues.

I look behind and look up.

I thought I will not be shaken. But he is right.

We are only allowed to do what they told us too.