Olivia York
Olive waited as the elevator rose, thoughts bouncing around in her mind. Maybe I can survive this one... Ding! Floor one. That's impossible... It's never been done. Ding! Floor two. What if we try something new... Ding! Floor three. Something that's never been done on the Elimination before. Out smart Flavis. A wicked smile was beginning to form on her lips when the final ding interrupted her thoughts and the doors slid open to reveal the hallway. She pushed herself off the elevator wall and moved swiftly into the hall in one fluid motion, footsteps barely audible on the plush red carpet. Her mind still greatly consumed with thoughts of outsmarting the Elimination, formulating a plan, she glanced about lazily for a sign to point her in the direction of 501.
Olive blinked, the feeling of eyes on her bringing her fully out of her thoughts as she whipped her head towards the stairs to catch a girl there, staring. She took in the girls concentration in her knit brows and the downward pull at the corners of her mouth as she watched her. What was she doing? When the girl realized she'd been caught, she shook herself, rustling her dark hair. When she did so, her hair was pushed away from her face some and turned her face to towards her more. Now Olive had a clear view of the porcelain skin surrounded by dark waves. And those eyes. There was no way she was normal with eyes like that. From what Olive could see, there were no animal like qualities about her, but she had heard of special cases. This had to be one for the aqua eyes watching her seemed to pierce right through her, forcing her to look away.
When the girl spoke, it was soft and akward, and Olive looked back at her. Trying not to get stuck on her eyes, she focused instead on her words. Ember. That was her name. She was apparently part of the Elimination too. Olive blinked, thinking about Ember and what her mutation could possilby be as her mouth moved, creating words that only half registered in Olive's mind. By the time Olive realized the girl had asked her a question, she'd been waiting a good three minutes and looked impatient. "Oh!" She gasped and nodded, shaking out her dusty blonde hair. She was nearly the exact opposite of the girl with tanned skin and almost white hair that lay straight instead of curled. It was strange how she could meet someone so completely different from her, but know she was probably feeling the same emotions and dealing with the same problems as she was. Okay so maybe not the same problems, for she probably had someone she had left at home, but the only thing keeping the two of them here was the one small thing they had in common. "My name is Olive. I know they announced me as Olivia, but call me Olive. Guess we'll be forced to get to know eachother pretty soon." She smirked, looking the girl over with ever-wandering golden eyes. "Who knows. Maybe someone will survive this one? Now... I don't mean to be rude, but if you'll excuse me, I have to go make myself look presentable. Or whatever they said." Olive sneered the word, hating the way these city-people looked down on everything that didn't sparkle and hoped that Ember wasn't part of them. "I'll see you at the meeting I guess." And with that, she turned away.
Finding 501 had been easy, and she had to internally smack herself for not registering the fact that five-oh-one was bound to be the first room on floor five. Looking down at the little gold key in her hand, Olive already knew what she'd find on the other side of the door. Her plush prision. When she opened it though, she couldn't help but gawk. The staticy television back in the slums had done this place absolutely no justice. She would have stood there all day with her mouth hanging open at the high gold ceilings and four post velve bed and awning if the door hadn't slammed shut behind her, causing her to jump. "Make myself presentable.." She mumbled as she rifled around the room, looking for something decent to wear. She quickly tossed aside the dresses and skirts, noting that there were no jeans or shorts provided for her to wear. Too bad. I'll just wear my own shorts if I have to. There would be no way anyone would ever make her wear a skirt or makeup like they'd done to some of the other contestants to make sure they were camera-ready until they were to be sent into the trees. It was disgusting how materialized these people were.
Settling for a white blouse with minimal frill and zero flowers, she decided to wash up and found that she had to call someone to show her how to use the shower. The whole thing was rather embarassing and the maid sneered at her, obviously surprised that she had never owned one. On her way out, she gave her one last smirk and Olive, fed up with it, smirked back. "Don't look at me like that. You're a maid." And she slammed the door. After her shower, she dressed in the blouse and her dirty jean shorts and combed through the thick tangle of blonde knots she called hair. This whole proccess left her with a tall, hungrily thin, fox-faced girl who looked somewhat presentable. The jean shorts were what killed the whole thing, but she didn't care, and being done with this, she decided to look around the room some until Flavis called them down to dinner. Where she would meet the man who'd been chasing her in her nightmares for the past two nights as well as the other mutants and criminals that were to be "eliminated."
Corey Turner
Corey woke with a start. His heart drummed wildly in his ears and his body shook rapidly, making his muscles ache. Slowly, he blinked and rolled over, trying to calm himself as his nightmare slowly faded back to reality. He forced himself to stand and glaced around his little room. On the floor lay an old cot that he had just woken on with a thick wool blanket over it. His home wasn't huge, but he was far better off then some people, for he had more then one room and no leaks or cracks. The house was the only thing he'd allowed himself to buy with what was left of his fathers money, because no matter how angry he was with the man, he wasn't going to let himself as well as his ill mother freeze to death. The rest of the three-room home was pretty much empty. No furniture or wall hangings for he refused to buy any. Only him, his mother, and the walls.
The floor groaned in protest and he moved about, splashing some water from the tap on his face. That was another plus. They had plumbing, the little television in the corner could be considered one too if he wasn't going to be on it this year. That little t.v was the only thing that held his mother together some days. Well that, and him. She would sit with her hair shot up all around her face in a tangled mess, a wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and watch the screen with vacant emerald eyes. Corey could remember one year when the Winter Elimination had held a friend of hers from school, and his mother had shrieked and shrieked until he had come to turn it off, leaving her to wander in circles, tugging on her hair. Well this year came the Summer Elimination and his name had been on the list. He could only imagine what would happen.
Corey sighed and let his creaky footsteps echo as he went into his mothers room. She lay on her side with a little photobook clutched to her chest, dreaming peacfully with a lazy grin on her face. This sight nearly brought him to his knees, and he walked over to her and knelt in front of her. "I'm so sorry mom..." He whispered to his sick mothers sleeping form. "If I hadn't..." At this, she woke up, her empty green eyes searching his face.
She pushed the photobook into his hands and whispered. "Come back," before slipping right back into sleep.
"I will." He promised her and placed the photobook gently at her feet, kissing her gently on the forehead. With a sigh, he stood and moved into the bathroom, taking a little tin out of the medicene cabinet. Inside the tin was what was left of his fathers money. Three thousand dollars easy. This is what would provide for his mother until he returned. He would leave her in the care of a friend with specific instructions and, for a thousand dollars, his mother would have protection until he returned for her. After placing the tin beside his mothers bed, he left his home without another glance back and headed for the city.
At the gates of the Preperation hall, he was instructed to make himself presentable and await his meeting with the others and Flavis. This would be the first televised part of the Elimination. With a sigh, he went inside and took the sneers from the counter lady as well as his key. Room 405. On the fourth floor, he found his room and went in. It was elaboratly decorated, but nothing he hadn't seen for he had once lived in a home in the center of the city, making it huge, rich, and sparkling. Looking around the room, he found some clean enough jeans and a white tee. After a quick shower, he changed into these and awaited the call over the speaker next to the door that would tell him where to go for the meeting.