The next morning, I could tell something was off the moment I woke up. There was a strange tension in the air, thicker than usual. It wasn't the usual routine. Something had shifted. The guards were louder in the hallway, their footsteps echoing through the sterile space.

The door to our dorm opened with a loud clang, and a group of guards entered. Their expressions were colder than normal, more rigid. One of them barked out an order, the sound harsh and final.

"You're being moved. Gather your things and follow."

Moved? To where? Aiden shot me a glance, his confusion obvious. No one bothered to ask questions, though. We knew better by now. I grabbed my bag—half-filled with snack wrappers and junk food I'd been hoarding—and followed the guards down the long, gray hallways. As we walked, I felt a flicker of something close to annoyance, but not fear. It wasn't nerves. It was just the irritation of change, of having to deal with more uncertainty when I was already settled into the monotony of this place.

They led us through parts of the building I hadn't seen before—twisting corridors, rooms I didn't even know existed. Each turn felt like they were intentionally trying to disorient us. They were definitely messing with us. Whatever was happening, it was clear they wanted us on edge.

The guards stopped in front of a heavy metal door, shoving it open with a loud creak. We stepped inside, and I was met with a sea of new faces— to my surprise, some seemed older, some younger. Boys and girls all looking just as confused and irritated as we were. And just like that, I wasn't the only girl in the group anymore.

We were packed into the room like cattle, and a tall, severe-looking man stood at the front, his presence commanding attention. He looked down at us like we were nothing more than data points in a larger experiment.

"Welcome to the next phase of the Program," he began, his voice flat, cold. "From now on, things will be… different. This isn't about observation anymore. This is about endurance. We will be eliminating 20% of you by the end of today."

His words hung in the air for a moment, met by silence from the group. There was no gasp of fear, no murmur of shock. Maybe everyone was too stunned, or maybe they were too numb to care anymore. As for me? I barely blinked. It wasn't like I had any emotional investment in what happened next in general. I did entertain the thought of how ridiculous this all sounded though.

The man continued, "You'll face challenges—some mental, some physical—but make no mistake, this isn't a game. There are no second chances. If you fail one challenge, you will be removed. That is the only rule."

I crossed my arms, shifting my weight onto one leg. The fact that they were vague about what would happen to those "removed" didn't sit well with me. They were obviously toying with us, dragging us into deeper parts of the building, it felt… irritating.

The man barely gave us time to process before he spoke again. "The first challenge begins now."

The guards moved quickly, separating us into groups of four. I didn't recognize two of the faces in my group, but to my mild relief, Aiden was there. He stood beside me, his face as blank as always, though I could sense the tension radiating from him. The other two were strangers—a tall, brooding guy with a shaved head, and a girl with wide, nervous eyes who looked like she hadn't slept in days.

The guards herded us down another hall and shoved us into a small, dimly lit room. It was bare, except for four chairs placed in a circle around a single light bulb that hung from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows across the walls.

We sat down, none of us speaking. The silence stretched on for what felt like hours, and then a mechanical voice crackled to life over a hidden speaker.

"In this challenge, you will confront yourselves. You will each be asked a set of questions. Answer honestly, or you will face elimination. Remember: 20% of you will not make it past this room. Good luck."

My jaw tightened. A mental challenge? They were playing head games now. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms, trying not to roll my eyes at the theatrics.

The light flickered, then went out. For a moment, we were plunged into complete darkness. When it flickered back on, it was dimmer, casting long, distorted shadows across the room.

The first question came, directed at the girl with the wide eyes. The voice was flat, monotone. "What are you most afraid of?"

The girl shifted in her seat, glancing nervously at the rest of us. Her hands trembled slightly. "I—I don't know," she stammered. "Maybe… being forgotten? Dying alone?"

The light above her flickered once, and she let out a small, shaky breath, as if she'd passed the first part of the test.

Then it was the brooding guy's turn. "What do you regret most in life?" the voice asked.

He stared ahead, his expression cold. "Trusting the wrong people," he said, his voice low and even. The light flickered again, but it stayed on. He passed.

Now it was Aiden's turn. "What is your greatest weakness?"

Aiden swallowed, his eyes flicking toward me for a brief second before he answered. "Caring too much," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The light above him flickered, but it stayed on.

And then it was my turn.

The mechanical voice echoed through the room, as cold and detached as ever. "What do you care about the most?"

I almost laughed. Care? That was a joke. I looked around the room at the others, at Aiden's tense posture and the girl's shaking hands. It was ridiculous how much they let this place get to them. How much they let anything get to them.

"Nothing," I said, leaning back in my chair, arms still crossed. "I don't care about anything."

The light above me flickered, casting long shadows across my face. For a moment, I thought it might go out completely, but then it stayed on. The voice didn't say anything more.

The silence stretched on again, but this time it was heavier, more oppressive. I could feel the weight of the room pressing down on us, like we were being judged, evaluated, dissected. The questions went on, until they didn't and we were faced with a drawn out pause for what felt like hours. No one dared to break the silence.

Suddenly, the door opened, and two guards entered. They didn't say anything, didn't explain what was happening. They just grabbed the girl with the wide eyes and dragged her out of the room without a word. She didn't even struggle, just went limp in their grasp.

We were left in the dim light, the emptiness of her absence hanging in the air. One down. Three left.

Aiden glanced at me, his face tight with unease. I shrugged. "Guess that's 20%," I muttered under my breath.

After a while the door opened again, and we were led back into a hallway, toward whatever was next. I didn't know what they had planned for us. I didn't care.

But whatever it was, there was a feeling that things would only get darker from here.