I found myself crouching behind a precast cement shed with my back pressed against its rough sun-heated walls. The wind had stopped and I could finally make out some sign of life other than my own. Although I was curious I stayed put, unsure of why I felt this way but I stayed hidden, my body seemed more aware of the situation than I did. I heard the voices of other people, it was difficult to make out how many of them there were but their voices were clear enough to understand the gist of their conversation. They sounded young, predominantly male, and mostly likely senior students. Even though my body protested I forced myself to peer behind the cement wall. I still hadn’t spotted any teachers and unfortunately not my sister either. Instead, I saw the figures of the students I was eavesdropping on. They wore a similar uniform to me but theirs had an orange trim while ours was purple. 

“Hey, are Ә¿°ᵛ˘ ready for finals? ›˘´ˆ≤ our last assignment 𝈇˘ˆӘ¢ϐ˘ æ┍ ≤æ¢   °¿°ᵛ˘Ә¿æɲ˘ to graduate.” said one of the students excitedly as he dangled off his friends' shoulders. They were armed with military-grade rifles, which casually hung like a bookbag on their sides. 

Why would high school students need guns for an assignment and what the fuck is the assignment? I thought to myself. This school is so weird and I don’t even know if it's an actual school, I just need to find Azlyn and get out of here. 

As I scanned the area for any possible exit another student joined the group. She passed around fist-sized glass orbs with concentrated gas inside them and delivered the last bit of instructions for their “assignment”. I didn’t bother sticking around to strain myself for any more information, I've heard enough to know that I’m not safe here. In the corner of my eye, I spotted a sliver of my sister's bandana and her large puffy ponytail. Even if I only saw it for a moment the familiarity was undeniable. 

I found her chatting away and giggling with a group of kids her age, some of them I recognized but most were new faces. I can’t understand how she makes friends so easily, especially in this unsettling place. Everyone was so relaxed. 

I pulled her aside.