Cristen and Levi ducked behind the wall just in time. They could hear a spray of bullets hit the other side. As soon as it was quiet, Cristen leaned around the corner and shot her target with perfect accuracy. They ran to another obstacle as a light started to approach them. Cristen nodded to Levi, and he peeked around the corner before aiming and shooting in the direction of the light. The bullet clattered uselessly to the ground, and he fired again. A dull thunk assured contact with the target. Suddenly, students were frantically looking for cover as bullets started coming from every direction. Levi winced as a rubber projectile hit him in the arm. After a minute, the bullets stopped, and the large room filled with bright light. Students cautiously emerged from their hiding places. A tall woman with brown hair waked in and looked around. "Good job everyone," she said with a slight Australian accent. "Your suits have recorded the number and location of the hits you received, and the targets recorded your aim and precision." All the students filed out of the room, chatting with their friends about how they thought they did. A giggly, blonde girl ran up to Cristen and Levi, smiling. "I actually hit a few targets this time!" Levi immediately gave her a hug. "Savannah, thats great!" Cristen smiled and gave her a high-five. "Good goin', girl!" Savannah bounced on her toes, unable to contain her excitement. "Oh! I almost forgot! Cristen, Maddison wanted to talk to you." 

"Ok. I'll see you guys later." She waved and walked away to find her cousin. She found her ushering the next group of students into the simulation room. "Maddison?" she turned and smiled. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted her in her nice Australian accent. "You did good in there." Cristen shrugged like it was no big deal, but she loved having her cousin's approval. "So, what did you want to talk about?" 

  "Oh, just that. And also give you one tip." Cristen nodded, already knowing what she would say. "You grip your gun too tightly, and it might affect your aim. You need to be comfortable with your firearm." 

   "Ok. Thanks Maddie." She had already known about her tight grip and was fighting to loosen it.

   "No problem, kiddo. Now, go hang out with your friends." Cristen smiled and started to walk away. "Oh, and, uh, no more calling me 'kiddo', ok?" she called over her shoulder. "In your dreams," Maddison called back. 

   Cristen made her way to Levi's dorm where he and Savannah were already waiting. She knocked on the door before waking in. The room was like a mix of a college dorm and a nice hotel room. There was a mini kitchen to left when you first walk in, containing little more than a microwave, a sink, and a few other kitchen appliances. A bed sat in the back corner next to a large desk with a computer. Since Levi didn't have a roommate, he had set up a sitting area where there would usually be another bed. Savannah and Levi were sitting in chairs and drinking tea when Cristen walked in. 

   "Hey Cristen." Levi set down his tea and walked over to the mini kitchen. "Hot chocolate?" 

   "Ooh. Yes, please." she sat next to Savannah while he started making it.

   "I still don't understand why you don't like tea," Savannah joked with her. Cristen shrugged. "Its just not my thing." Savannah rolled her blue eyes playfully. After a minute, Levi brought over a mug of hot chocolate and handed it to Cristen. She brushed her dirty blonde hair out of her eyes and took a sip. "Perfect." 

   The three of them sat together, talking like they always did. They talked about how they did in the simulation, and about their days, and about anything they could think of for almost an hour. There was a break in the conversation as they all thought about what to say next. Levi leaned forward, setting down his mug. "It's been almost two years since we started A.T.T.I.C." Savannah gasped. "Really?" Cristen thought about it for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I guess it has." Savannah looked at  her, surprised. "Aren't you excited, or surprised, or something?" Cristen shrugged. "I was never one for nostalgia." Levi leaned back in his chair. "I still think it's pretty cool." 

   "i didn't say it wasn't", Cristen said. "I'm just not personally  excited about a couple years at a school." Levi shrugged. "You don't have to be. I guess it seems more special to me since i didn't already have family in the government." Savannah's smile disappeared for a just a second before returning. "Hey, do you guys remember what we promised each other on our first day?" she asked. Cristen grinned. "That, I do like to think about." Levi nodded. "Yeah. We said we would always take a bullet for each other if necessary." At the time it had just been a silly children's pact, but all three of them still planned on keeping it. There was a knock on the door and Levi called, "Come in." Maddison poked her head in and smiled. "I thought you would all be here. Just wanted to let you know the the director has some news for you. Said to go to his office tomorrow. I think you kids might be getting a mission." She winked and then left. Savannah started bouncing in her seat and spouting words at a hundred words per minute. "I cant believe it! Do you think it will be a good one? I'm so excited! Cristen, it has to be be good one since he's your uncle, right?" She kept going. Cristen and Levi laughed, used to her energetic rambling. After a minute, she calmed down and blushed slightly. "Sorry. I guess I got a little excited." Levi smiled and grabbed her hand. "You're adorable when you're excited." Cristen groaned jokingly. "Don't you two start getting mushy on me." Savannah giggled. "Get used to it. We may never stop." "Well, you're going to have to bear being away from each other for a little while, because it's almost curfew." Savannah pouted and and they all stood up to say goodbye. Levi gave Savannah a hug, and she kissed him on the cheek. Cristen rolled her eyes and gave Levi a hug. "See you tomorrow. Training in the morning." He groaned. "Yeah, not really looking forward to that." "You'll do fine," she assured him. "Come on Savannah." Savannah gave Levi another kiss before following Cristen back to their dorm.