“Look, I didn’t ask to be picked. None of us did,” a red haired girl snaps from the end of the line.

“Duh,” a tall boy with curly hair intones.

“No, I wasn’t sure, I thought we all volunteered to die,” a big burly man says.

I myself sigh. Idiots. Being the nondescript person I am, nobody has made a single comment to me yet, instead talking across or over me. Which, honestly, works in my favor.

A loud beep echos through the room. The wall directly in front of our lineup slides open, revealing a black pit of nothing.

“The following names are to step forward,” an electronic voice says.

“Vanessa Monticarlo.”

The red haired girl steps forward.

“Emilio Chez.”

A thin, young boy bounds out of line.

“Dayson Rantz.”

A strong, sturdy teenage boy moves forward.

“Lilia Nentom.”

A pissed off looking girl with black hair and brown eyes walks ahead.

“Evangeline Deventon.”

I step forward.

The room waits, as if holding its breath. But the mechanical voice is done. We hear a deep rumbling and the pit before us expands. Soon, the edge of the dark expanse is just a foot away from my combat boots.

“Jump,” the steely voice commands.

“What?” The red haired girl says, looking at the ceiling.

“Jump.”

“Into the freaking black pit?!” The stocky boy exclaims.

“Jump.”

“No way,” the thin boy squeaks.

We hear another rumbling noise and suddenly we’re moving upwards. Now, the five of us stand on the edge of a raised platform, positioned above the pit.

“Jump,” the voice says again.

“From here?!” The strong boy yells out.

He’s visibly uncomfortable now and I see him panicking. There’s a heavy silence for a few beats. Then, someone speaks.

“Screw it,” the girl with black hair says, rolling her eyes.

She crosses her arms across her chest like a mummy and steps calmly off the platform. The rest of us watch in silent shock, while the rest of the line behind us lets out screams of fear.

Eventually, she falls so far into the darkness, we can’t see her plummeting shape anymore. The other three seem wary to jump but I feel her sentiment.

Without speaking a word, I take two steps onto the very edge of the platform. Then a third step into the abyss.