This school is psychotic

"105 candidates dead and six injured." Heat blasted Raine's face in the early hours of the morning as she stared at the pile of corpses with her mouth agape.

Her vision was becoming blurry and her eyes heavy as she carefully searched for a red thick hoodie or tight jeans.

That was what Arinze wore, but she couldn't find them. Was he burnt to ashes or smashed like a potato from that fall that they didn't bother picking up his remains?

She would have at least buried his body if she found it.

"There she is, the orange-haired guy that killed his friend."

*Me?* Raine thought as she stared in the direction of the clustering ladies and men pointing at her with very disgusted looks.

"If you are still interested in watching the clip of how the dead candidates were killed, or how they murdered themselves, the videotape is still with the principal. You are welcome to ask for it anytime," Alpha Gabriel announced with a huge smile, standing next to those dead bodies like it didn't freak him out. As if he got pleasure from looking at them.

I was standing within the crowd with my gaze down. Thanks to Arinze I passed the test, but I've no single idea what skill these folks possess and how the hell I'm going to deal with them. They all looked like they could eat me up any minute.

"No need to feel guilty. It's a weakness that could get you killed," Alpha Gabriel said smoothly. "The weak have been screened out. Congratulations, first years. Don't you feel good hearing that?" His gaze met mine and he smirked.

It was a knowing smirk and yet a very confusing one. Did he recognise her?

She waved the thought out of her mind. There was no way he'd recognise her when Arinze, who even stayed up close to her, couldn't tell she wasn't a guy.

There was a huge applause among the candidates. Being called first years must have triggered that part of their emotions I thought they had buried and instead buried their empathy.

"Yes! That's exactly how you should feel about this. You didn't die and that's all that matters. Soon you'd become the elites. No one would be able to crush you anymore. The Apex Trial Academy provides you with power, connection, and every single skill you need to defeat a pack and make it yours. For the ladies," Alpha Gabriel continued, his voice laced with amusement, "you'll prove yourselves just like the men. Here, strength isn't given, it's taken. If you're weak, you will be discarded. If you're strong, you will rise."

Raine felt the weight of his words settle in her chest. She had barely survived last night, barely made it through that blood-soaked trial, and now she had to act like this was just another morning in a world where death was routine. She forced herself to swallow the bile creeping up her throat.

"On the notice board down there, your dormitories have been assigned to you according to your skill."

The applause continued, filling the air like a sickening anthem of survival. Raine's hands clenched into fists at her sides. If she wanted to live, and find out who was behind this madness, she had to play along.

Alpha Gabriel's golden eyes flicked toward her again, sharp as daggers. "Training begins at sundown. Rest if you need to, or don't—your choice."

She watched as everyone dispersed in pairs. Girls with their clique and boys with theirs. Funny enough, she noticed that the girls were intentionally avoiding mingling with any guy, and it was just too obvious to guess why. They probably didn't want to miss their chance with an Alpha because they were busy dating a lowlife.

Raine exhaled slowly, pressing her nails into her palms to keep her hands from shaking at the reality that if she didn't find a way to blend in, she'd end up like the bodies smoldering in the morning heat.

She turned toward the notice board, shoving past a group of girls whispering behind their hands.

"She should've died too."

"Bet she cheated her way through."

"Who cares? She won't last the week."

Raine ignored them, swallowing the burning anger rising in her chest. She scanned the list, searching for her name.

Rowan Vale – Dormitory Sector C.

Sector C. That meant she wasn't placed with the top ranks, but she wasn't at the bottom either. A neutral zone. Good.