Perfect School

"You are naive if that is what you view this as." Dub snorted and dropped his stance. "Someone ignorant like yerself has no place in this." Without another word he stormed off, making no move to be stealthy as he crashed through the underbrush.

I forced myself to my feet, holding onto my stomach where his hit had landed. "He's right..." I murmured softly.

Jonah:

I ignored her words but turned my glare on her. “What the hell was that, Kira?” I demanded coldly, looking at her with crossed arms and disdain in my face.

I looked up at him for a long moment before shaking my head and still partially bent over started walking off. I figured it would be pointless to speak to him in this state, as he didn't seem interested in listening to my words.

Jonah:

I didn't bother following her, I was more than a little annoyed at this point. Nothing was going as planned. I made my was back to the entrance. There was nothing I could do at this point, and I no longer felt the need to aid Kira.

I hid until the alarm called me back in. I let them check me for any paint, going so far as to stand under a UV light which would have made even washed off paint glaringly obvious on my body. But without being hit I simply was given a pass and sent off. I made my way to the cabin holding back the pain to stand straight.

Jonah:

I found Kira at the cabin after the scores had been announced. I was beaten by one point, coming in second. And Kira won her side of the round.

I had ended up in my room, laying on the bed with laptop playing music beside me as I let my thoughts wander.

Jonah:

I grabbed something to snack on before going to her door. I could hear the music playing but I listened for a moment if I could tell what else she was doing. After a minute I knocked on the door.

His knock opened the door, the door having been left partially open. I didn't react more than a single eye opening to glance at who it was before closing and resuming my quiet meditation.

Jonah:

I leaned against the door frame, not taking a step into her room. My arms were crossed as I watched her with a cool expression, giving her a chance to speak if she would.

In the end I opened my eyes and sat up, crossing my legs and setting my hands on my knees. I turned to face him before resuming the position as I watched him without speaking.

Jonah:

“Kira, what was that about?” I asked finally when it was clear she would say nothing until I spoke first.

"It is the world you are stepping into Jonah. You seem cocky, arrogant even that you are more skilled than everyone else in this competition. But what you just saw is the life you are entering. It doesn't matter if the tactics are underhanded. If what happens is cruel or too much. We are assassins. The only thing that matters is completing the objective or getting rid of the target." I spoke clearly, eyes never leaving his face. "In this instance, people like Dub are more experienced than me and in this instance I am more experienced than you. What else did you expect to happen Jonah?"

Jonah:

My eyes narrowed. "I expected you to fight back. I didn't expect you to simply take it. I'm not responsible for saving you, I have to be able to rely on you to handle yourself. I have your back, but I don't want to have to worry about you being capable. This isn't the real deal Kira, this is a mostly safe practice run. And today you did not impress me ." I paused for a moment. "You say you're more experienced than me, yet, ask yourself, who would have died today if it had been the real world?

I didn't respond, couldn't respond. He was correct. Had this been real I would have died today. "Do you have my back? ". I asked him softly after several long moments. " do you have my back or am I another stepping stone for your ambition."

Jonah:

I was taken aback. "I've got your back Kira, it serves me to do so. What else matters? Do you truly care what my motives are? You've made it very clear I'm not your friend." I answered her. She was partly right, it did feed my ambition, but there was another part to it as well, something even I didn't fully understand.

"It doesn't matter. I've told you before that I view myself as nothing more than a tool and weapon to be used. Friendship doesn't come into that. I am only here to obey orders." I said while still watching him carefully.

Jonah:

"Then you shouldn't care if I use you to further my own goals." I said simply with a shrug of my shoulder. I wanted to see her reaction, but I thought it better made my point to turn and leave. She already know what I said I wanted of her, let her think what she would. But it pleased me to think it would bother her if I didn't care.

I let him go, staying silent as I stared at his back until he was out of sight. Slowly I got up out of bed and closed the door. I kept my hand pressed to the door as I tried to understand what was going on inside of me. He was right, I knew he was. And yet I couldn't understand why he was upset. Shaking my head I returned to my bed and shut off the music.

Jonah:

I was right in how I handled myself, I knew. I may have be arrogant but I knew the extent of my capabilities, they were not over stated in my mind. Kira may be right that I do not fully know her world, but on the ground, I was sure I would excel. She mentioned it many times. Perhaps it was time to dial down the confidence and replace it with some humility. Would that appease her? And furthermore, would it please Marie, my ultimate target?

All of this would going through my head when I left Kira. I went for a walk alone, which had been my routine the past couple days. I would not be entirely the same when I returned to the school, I knew that. Self reflection turned up much these few days, not to mention the progress with Kira.

For the first time I thought about my team at the school and how I might better direct them into the perfect unit. And Emily, something had to be done to cut her soiled personality from her. That would be a challenge to work on when I returned.

I rested for a bit longer before abandoning my place to return to the porch swing. This time I had a book with me, and as I lazily swung, propelled by a single foot, I let my mind wander.

Jonah:

The next day was the third to final task: endurance. Thirty miles timed by the slowest team mate. Had I been doing it alone, I would have been comfortable and a likely choice to win. Endurance was something I had worked on to get back to training with Kira. But I wouldn't be doing it alone, my teammate, Kira of course, was my concern. There was a reason in the tasks so far, she had the least amount of moving around. Endurance was her one major weakness. Without seeing the course, I had no way of knowing what areas I could help her in, but I was determined to make this go as easily as possible.

The second I heard about the third task I had sighed and resigned myself to it. Endurance was something I'd had to struggle with. I had a limit to what I could do before my body simply gave out. Too much movement, too much energy and I collapsed. The question wasn't a matter of a what point, but simply when would I. I felt good though, but that meant nothing in the long run, but it gave me some semblance of a baseline to work from.

Jonah:

As we walked to the beginning I started to voice my game plan. “If there are no obstacles, I can carry you on my back. I know it wont be smooth the entire time, but that will save your energy until you need it. You're small, It wont hinder me much at all.” I said quietly, so no one could listen in. As far as they knew, Kira was invincible, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"You want to carry me for possibly thirty miles?" I asked with an arched brow. I didn't look at him but instead studied the entrance of the course ahead. I hated to admit it, but it was probably the best course of action, though certainly not the most comfortable on either end.