My next class goes by pretty smoothly, and after lunch I use the free period I didn't know existed to go to the library.

I drag myself to the last class of the day, attracting weird looks from people as I shuffle my feet over the floor like a half-dead corpse. Even though it's the only class I have with all of my friends, it's still the one that I'm dreading the most.

Physical education.

Sure it's called something different here. Combat training. But when you get right down to it, what will I be doing? Exercising. My least favorite activity. Sure I may look like I enjoy exercise, with what Marley always called an "athletic figure." I think my figure should be called couch potato. Or maybe Netflix junkie.

Point is, I hate anything to do with working out. And I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.

I sigh loudly, attracting weird looks from other people going to class. Zoe pops up next to me, startling the bejeezus out of me.

"God Zo. Don't sneak up on people like that. You're going to give someone a heart attack." I say, clutching my chest and breathing heavily.

"Pff," She scoffs. "You just need some time to get used to it."

I roll my eyes.

"Anyway, what were you sighing about Kyla?" Zoe puts her hands on her hips. "I haven't even told you anything yet."

I groan. Zo's going to hold this over my head forever. "I hate exercise." She starts to laugh until my brain processes what she said. "Wait! Tell me what?"

Zoe's giggling stops. "Um. It's nothing. Just that Damien might also teach this class?" She starts walking faster to the training hall, like she can escape me.

Oh no she doesn't. I pick up my pace until I'm side by side with Zoe. "Come on." I whine. "He teaches two classes?"

Maybe I'm being a baby, but I think I get a pass. The one guy I despise, just happens to be my teacher? And twice? The universe is definitely punishing me for something.

Zoe shrugs. "He used to teach just this one." A grin spreads over her face. "Maybe he teaches two classes just for you."

I glare at her. "You're horrible, Zo. Sick in the head." I wave my pointer finger around my ear in a slow spiral.

She flips her hair and waggles her multicolored fingernails at me. "I know. But you love me anyway."

I swear I hear her muttering as we keep walking. "Wish he'd do that for me."

***

Combat class seems to have a large group of athletic students, at least from what I can see from the crowd headed towards the hall. The girls all have long toned limbs, and the guys look like they could all benchpress two of me. I grimace. Just the crowd I needed to showcase how much of a failure I am at sports. Lovely.

We make it to the training hall with time to spare. Damien hasn't even arrived yet. Zoe and I go over to where the students are clustered and wait. Will and Sean join us, hair mussed. I grin at them. Could they have made it any more obvious?

I hear snippets of the conversations from around me, and they don't give me very much hope for the class.

"God if he makes us do drills again." A scowling guy complains to his friend, who couldn't be more disinterested.

"My hands are still sore from yesterday!" A girl waves her fingers in the face of some guy who's pretending to pay attention. Probably her boyfriend.

"Isn't that the girl from the club?" I don't see who is speaking, but my face flames at the reference to last night. So I have a reputation now. Great.

"So, Kyla," Will drawls, "I happen to know that you hate running. How excited are you for a whole class dedicated to exercise?"

I glare at him. "Well, that answers that question," Sean says, laughing.

I slap them both on the shoulders. "Cut it out."

A split second before the boys can come up with a retort, Damien strides into the classroom, effectively silencing the chatter. He's changed since first class, and is now wearing a long black cloak over a skin tight outfit. I glance at Zoe and catch her staring. Hmm. Maybe there's something there?

Damien stops in front of us, placing a hand on the wire of one of the boxing rings. "Hello class. As you know, there have been a large number of Alters discovered lately."

Zoe whispers to me. "We knew, but none of them are enrolled. There's a bet going that they're locked up in a dungeon under the institute." I'm puzzled until Damien continues.

"Unfortunately, they were also found by the T.A.K. squad." Gasps sound from around the room, but as usual for Damien, he ignores them. "The Squad has killed most of them, but a few have been taken to their base for experimentation."

"Mr. Blackwood?" A small female voice pipes up from the back of the room. "How could the squad contain Alters? You need special power-dampening cuffs, don't you?"

Damien looks peeved, as if he didn't want to answer the question. "Good question, Miss Brown. You are very much correct. You do need the cuffs to contain an Alter. Unfortunately, a shipment of these cuffs to the Institute was intercepted very recently. We have reasons to believe the squad has them."

I shudder. I can't imagine what it must be like for those poor kids. Trapped with people who want them dead, stripped of one of their best means of protection. A thought passes through my mind. If cuffs were stolen from Metis, then the girl with hair like fire might not have been at the Institute. She might have been trapped at the Squad's base.

"I've been instructed to send out a team of my best students to try and rescue the captured Alters," Damien continues. "Starting today, we will have a short tournament. It will last 3 days, and the top seven participants will be chosen to go on this mission. Only the best of the best will make it that far."

A muscled bunch of boys start talking excitedly, punctuating their words with smirks and obscene gestures. From the amount of eyes that snapped to them as Damien finished talking, they're probably going to win. I do a quick headcount. There's only five of them, so there's still room for others.

Like me.

I need to go on that mission. I voice my thoughts to Zoe and she looks at me like I've suddenly started speaking German.

"You know that the tournament will include lots of exercise, right?" She whispers. I nod. "Weren't you just saying that you hate exercise?"

I shrug. "What I may or may not have told you means nothing now. I need to go."

Zoe rolls her eyes at me. "Don't come crying to me when you start embracing your new love of exercise." She smirks. "If you do then... you have to finally do movie night with me.

"I won't."

***

I feel like eating my words after the tournament begins. First contest? Weights.

I've never tried to lift anything heavier than a stack of pizza boxes, or maybe a bag of library books, so I had no clue how to do it. Damien demonstrated the correct stance, but I felt like a carnival mirror, warping his actions into a comical display.

"No, Miss Barnes. That is incorrect." He strides over and kneels, repositioning my foot. "Your left foot should go like this, with the toes pointing away from you." He stands. "Mirror that stance on your right side."

I do and instantly feel a lot more balanced. "Bend your knees slightly to test how secure your stance is."

I lower into a mini squat and Damien appraises me. "Good form. Now have a partner determine how much you can hold up."

Zoe runs over, grinning. "I got 150 pounds. What about you?"

"I haven't done my test yet. Can you do whatever the partner section is?" I ask.

"Sure one second." She runs over to the weights, and a few minutes later a force starts pushing on my arms. "That's 30 pounds. Do you think you can do more?"

I judge how heavy the weight is. It isn't that bad. "Yeah. I can do a few more."

The process continues until Zoe has to wheel the weight cart over and I feel like the weight is going to smash me into the floor. "That's enough," I choke out, knees bent to take the brunt of it.

Zoe glances at the label and her eyes widen. "205 pounds?" She whistles. "For someone who hates exercise, you sure are good at it."

"Get Damien." I wheeze. "Needs to record score."

She runs off and returns with him by her side.

"A good effort Miss Barnes. 205 pounds is not a shabby first attempt." Damien sounds surprised, and maybe even a little pleased. I flush with pride and strain. He turns to Zoe. "Take it off of her now."

The strain is taken off of my shoulders and I stretch out my sore muscles, waiting for the top scores of the day to be announced.

A screen rolls down from the rafters, and one by one names flash onto it's surface. Jasper Hobbes: 310 pounds.

A burly boy smirks at his friends, ignoring the slaps on the back and congratulations. Six more names flash on the screen, but I don't recognize any of them. They're followed by the same sort of cheering.

But then a name I didn't expect to see flashes onto the screen. Kyla Barnes: 205 pounds.

Zoe squeals and launches herself at me. "Kyla! You might actually have a shot of making it to this mission."

"I sure hope so." I mutter.

***

I place seventh for laps. I don't know where that puts me, except for to sleep. I'm totally exhausted. I have a reason for disliking exercise, it's just too much of a commitment. It affects you in all sorts of ways— saps your energy, makes your muscles sore, and above all, it makes me want a latte with about 27 shots in it.

I'm beat.

Unfortunately, I make the mistake of complaining to Zoe while we're eating, and she instantly reminds me of the deal. "Ha! You have to do movie night now."

"Oh shoot." I completely forgot about the fact that I wasn't supposed to whine to Zo. Now I'll have to stay up even longer.

Will sits down next to Sean. "What's wrong?" The question is directed to me, probably because I look like dejected poop.

Zoe answers. "Kyla has to do movie night. Which means you guys have to as well."

Will rolls his eyes. "Aren't you going to complain about how annoying Sean and I are getting like you did last time?"

Zoe narrows her eyes at him and huffs. "No. That was one time, so you don't have to make a big deal out of it." She turns to me. "They totally were being annoying. Pointing at characters in the movie and saying that it was each other. Feeding each other ice cream." She crosses her arms. "We get it, you guys are gay."

Sean flicks a pepperoni at Zoe. It misses and lands on her plate. "Yes, hon, we are gay. And our super advanced gaydar is telling us that you are one jealous girl."

Will butts in. "Yeah, you just wish that it was you and what's-his-face doing all the things we're doing."

I play along. "Oooh, who is Zoe crushing on?"

Zoe jumps in front of Will and covers his mouth with her hands. "That's enough of that mister. You're in time out now." Will slumps his shoulders dramatically. Zoe removes her hands and chastises him. "You know that things said during the movie night stay between us."

Will just chuckles and puts his arm around Sean.

Zoe sighs. "Well, I guess that I have to tell you eventually, because someone," She shoots a pointed look at Will, "spilled the beans. It's not happening right now though." She thinks about it for a second then claps her hands. "Ooh! I know. I'll tell you during movie night."

I shrug. I've already been roped into movie night. Might as well go all out and enjoy it. I've never been on the giving side of friendly teasing. Just the receiving end of some unfriendly words.

"Fine. When and where do I meet you?"

Zoe shakes her head, waving her pointer finger in my face. "No, no, no. You don't come over to my room. We're all coming to your room."

I raise my eyebrows. "Okay then, so when do I expect you?"

"You can't expect us, Kyla." Will exclaims. "Movie night is always spontaneous! You can't plan fun." He says plan like someone might say rotting garbage or flesh-eating spider.

I raise my hands up in surrender. "Ok! I guess I'll just wait and see."

A/N: I actually started rewriting this chapter, but then I realized that I hadn't put it up on here yet. That's why it's actually pretty long, lol. I suppose this lets you guys get an idea of what the rewrite will be like...without knowing any of the plot changes or actually important stuff the rewrite has.

Please remember to comment or vote if you liked this chapter!

(god I sound like a cringey youtuber)