Bloodsport:EmilyVIntro2

From Create Your Own Story

Everyone in your class stares up at the PA, confused and hoping that whatever they hear will clear things up.

"...this damned thing on? Oh, there we go. Greetings, everyone. I trust you're all having a fine day, but I'll need you all to come down into your... hmm..."

Everyone looks at one another confused, having never heard the voice on the PA before. You might hate this school, but you're pretty tight with the office staff seeing as you've spent quite a few class periods there just getting away from people. As a result, you know better than practically anyone in the room that even though the staff changes from time to time, the voice you just heard is not a familiar one. It's very commanding, yet it contains an air of frailty. Reassuring yet uncertain. Like an insecure queen. The woman continues to rustle papers, returning after a moment.

"Ah, your gymnasium. Yes, please proceed there immediately. The festivities must begin."

Alison leans in to you as the PA clicks off, whispering to you.

"Emily... what do we do? Everything just got really, really scary. Miss Franks is gone and the window is broken and the lights and and and-"

"Uh... I think we just... have to listen to her?" You whisper back.

"I don't know about you chumps, but I'm headed to the gym. I'll take whatever's down there over the shit we have to do in this class any day." A large, letter-jacket wearing stereotype of a jock bellows, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. A couple of students agree with him and the majority of your class follows, leaving you and Alison behind. The two of you exchange glances, and you stand up.

"Yep. Guess we're headed out after them." You say, starting towards the door as you hear Alison getting up to join you. She stops, though, and turns to look towards the window.

"You comin' too?" She asks to a tall redheaded girl you hadn't noticed that had made her way to the shattered window. She appears to be looking out of the window for an explanation.

"Yeah... hold on." The girl responds, staring out of the window before grabbing her belongings and joining the two of you as you enter the hall.

"Sorry about that. I was trying to figure out what happened with that window." She adds, following close behind. "And with my limited investigatory skills, I've managed to learn that the window was clearly quite broken." She jokes.

You laugh, but Alison stares blankly at the girl and asks "Wasn't that obvious?" before looking to you with a raised eyebrow. The girl laughs and shakes her head, explaining to Alison that it was a joke. As the two begin discussing whether or not the joke was funny, you keep your eyes fixed on the slowest people from your class, heading down the stairs and into the gymnasium after them.

The gym seems to be about half empty when you enter with Alison and the tall girl, whom you overheard introducing herself as "Amy" when Alison asked who she even was to begin with. The three of you head over to an open space on the bleachers and take your seats, watching everyone else come in. You notice Amy seems to be watching the crowd closely, and you ask if she's keeping an eye out for someone.

"Yeah... I'm trying to spot my friend Chrissie. She gets really nervous and really scared really easily. If she isn't here, she's probably holed up in her classroom, hiding..." Amy says, frowning as the last student steps in. You take that to mean that Chrissie never showed, and you take a second to think of whether or not you have anyone named Chrissie in any of your classes. As you're thinking of your last class, the lights dim.

"Ah, thank goodness you're all here today. Not a single one of you missing. Now, I'll have to ask for complete silence while I explain how the rest of your day will play out. I do not wish to repeat myself, so I'd recommend you pay attention now."

That's... strange. They've never dimmed the lights for an assembly before.