“Ghk —!”
I was jerked awake as my head slammed into the seat in front of me. I'd been hunched over, using that seat as a head rest while I napped, but apparently a certain pothole had had other plans for me.
How long had we been on this bus now? I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see that it was at least daytime now. We'd left the city so early in the morning that it was still pitch black out when we hit the road. Getting together a group of seventeen teenagers at that time of morning probably wasn't the best idea, as no one said a word to one another as we sleepily boarded the bus. Now, however, I could hear a low mumble from the other students —my new classmates— attempting to make small talk with one another.
In honor of being the first class to enter Prospect's Summit, we'd been given a seven-day, all-expense paid trip to some ski resort in the mountains. Instead of going through orientation at the school itself, we'd be doing all of our bonding and preparations this week.
I leaned back against my seat, still feeling pretty groggy. I turned to the person I had been sitting next to —an oddly dressed girl with a very cute face— and she smiled at me.
I opened my mouth to chat with her, but no sound came.
— Huh?
Suddenly, my vision started growing fuzzy, and the sounds around me distorted so that everything sounded very far away. A faint ringing in my ears was growing louder by the second, and I began to grow dizzy.
The girl's mouth seemed to be moving, but everything was so hazy, I couldn't hear her or read her lips. What’s going on...?
That was the last thought I had before our Ski Trip of Mutual Killing began.
--
When I awoke again, I realized that I was no longer on the bus. I was tucked into a nice bed, with a soft blanket covered in little penguins.
It took me a moment before I sat up and looked around. A hotel room? How did I get here?
Oh, that's right. I must've passed out on the bus! That would explain the weird spell I'd had. We must have reached the resort shortly after that, and someone carried my unconscious body to my room. Some of the guys on that bus had looked pretty huge—they would have been strong enough to carry me, probably.
But... why had I passed out? I made sure to eat breakfast this morning, so it couldn't have been hunger… Or maybe it was just the change in altitude...?
I shook my head, letting the thought pass. Didn't matter. I was awake now, so I should go catch up with my class before I missed something important, like talking to that cute girl from the bus.
I tossed the penguin blanket off my body and got out of the bed. I examined my room: A bed, nightstand, lamp, dresser, mirror, fireplace, and a door which I assumed led to a bathroom. Basic, but functional. The room was pretty spacious, which was nice. If the rest of the resort ended up sucking, at least the lodging was nice.
I pulled my phone from the phone holder on my belt to check the time. It was almost noon! I opened up a new text message to send to my parents, telling them that we'd arrived safely, but noticed that I had no service. Tch! I knew this trip would be in the middle of nowhere, but no cell service? Really? I put the phone back in its holder in order to take it with me; somewhere in this lodge had to have service, right?
Quickly, I glanced at the mirror, attempting to fix my bed head. It was… presentable, but I couldn’t get rid of this pesky cowlick on the side. Oh, well. Maybe some of the girls would find it charming.
Exiting the room, I wandered down the hall until it finally opened up into a cozy lounge area. There, I found my classmates, all with a trace of confusion across their faces...
