Wren watched as her mother's car disappeared into the thick forest, the sound of the engine fading into the distance. She was later escorted to a line of students of her age, tall, slim, fat, and all sorts of shapes. Some had blank expressions on their faces, resigning themselves to their fate, while others, like herself, looked scared and abandoned.
The morning sunlight cast long shadows behind them, making their silhouettes seem ominous. She stood in front of a girl who was only an inch taller than her. The girl's long hair was the prettiest yellow that shimmered under the morning sunlight, like strands of gold.
From Wren's side, she could smell the girl's rosy shampoo and body fragrance, a sweet and gentle scent that seemed out of place in this foreboding environment. The girl wore a silk dress that seemed to match her skin tone, the fabric rustling softly as she moved. As if sensing she was being gawked at, the girl turned her back to Wren and instantly was captivated by Wren's flawless beauty. If Wren thought the stranger girl had the prettiest back, her face was much more alluring. She shyly said, "Hi." But the girl only glanced at her once, before swiftly turning when the burly man from the gate came forward.
He stood in front of the main hall, his menacing expression making the children's hearts skip a beat. His eyes seemed to bore into their souls, as if searching for any sign of weakness. The teachers lurking around the hall seemed to be watching with an air of superiority, their faces expressionless, but their eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. The burly man took a microphone, his voice cold and calculating.
"Welcome, children, to your nightmare. This is not just a school for playing around carelessly, no way. At this school, you would be raised as junior assassins, you would live a terrible life, and if you can't keep up, it only means death. We don't raise weaklings; you get it. You know the rules, right? No long hair, no tears, no noise-making, no messiness, no singing, no emotions, no dependency, no showing of affections, no glasses, and most importantly, no laughter. If you are able to live up to this, you are saved, but if you don't, we have special needs for naughty children." As he spoke, the curtains behind him fell, and a transparent tank was revealed, filled with sharks and a boy. The tank was large, with thick glass walls that seemed to amplify the boy's screams. The sharks swam around him, their sharp teeth glinting in the light, their cold, dead eyes fixed on their prey.
The boy looked frightened, and he kept slamming against the glass, the sound echoing through the hall like a desperate cry for help. The children's faces were pale, their eyes wide with fear. Some of them trembled, while others seemed frozen in place, unable to move or look away. Wren felt her heart racing, her breath catching in her throat. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The burly man continued, his voice dripping with malice.
"You know what this lad did." The children nodded slowly, their eyes fixed on the gruesome scene. "Good, he laughed during lunch period, and this is his punishment, swimming with the fishes." When he finished, everyone watched in horror as the sharks in the tank pulled one of the boy's arms off and bit it deviously.
The scream of the boy echoed in everyone's ears, sending shivers down the spines of the children. The sound was like a knife cutting through the air, making Wren's skin crawl. The once sobbing children immediately dried their tears, afraid they would be next. The air was thick with tension, and the smell of fear hung heavy over the group. Seeing the reaction he wanted was accomplished, the burly man called for a staff to remove the boy and replace his left arm with a metal arm, a disgusting sight to look at, before they took him away.
The clanking of the metal arm against the floor was like a death knell, a reminder of what lay ahead for those who failed to comply. The burly man's expression seemed to grow even more menacing as he continued, "Each one of you would be taken to different departments and changed yearly, so don't think there would be friend-making here. On the battlefield, there are no friends. They are just enemies and competitors. At the end of each year, a competition would be held to test who is the strongest. The weakest would become a guinea pig for the scientist in the department."
...
The burly man gestured a scientist aborad, who brought out a children who was treated as a guinea pig.
He seemed to grow elflike ears, his eyes bulging out of their sockets, and his body seemed to be covered in strange, gruesome markings. His skin was a deep, purplish hue, and it looked like it was stretched too tight over his bones. The sight was like something out of a nightmare, making Wren's stomach churn with revulsion.
"Do you all want to end up like this?" The burly man asked, his voice dripping with menace. The children nodded frantically, their eyes wide with fear. Some of them seemed to be on the verge of tears, while others looked like they were about to faint. The burly man's expression seemed to relax slightly, as if he was satisfied with the reaction he had gotten.
"Good," he said. "I'm glad you understand the stakes. Now, let's get started. You will be taken to your respective departments, where you will begin your training. Remember, the strongest will survive, and the weakest will perish." With that, the children were led out of the hall, each one looking more terrified than the last.
Wren was escorted out of the hall, her heart heavy with fear and uncertainty. She glanced at the girl standing next to her, and saw that she was trembling slightly. As they walked, Wren couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead for her. Would she be strong enough to survive in this place? Or would she become one of the guinea pigs, subjected to the whims of the scientists? The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she quickened her pace, trying to keep up with the others.