by K. M. Link
“Quade, tell her what you did last night when we were in bed!” Kira is fuming. Everyone in the group turns to watch her, including Claire.
“I don’t think this is the place, Kira. I told you it was just a mistake. There is no need to...”
“He said your name!” Kira snaps, interrupting Quade.
Tia stifles a laugh. “Oh! That is why you didn’t do what I thought you guys did.”
Kira launches herself at Tia, pushing her to the floor. She begins to strangle Tia. Her full weight is now on top of her. Kira is a lot heavier than Tia, due to her height. Tia feels Kira’s knee digging into her rib cage, and it burns. With Tia’s hands on Kira’s wrists, she pushes Kira over, until she is on top of her. Her hands move to Kira’s hair, and she pulls as hard as possible.
“Girl fight!” one of the guys yells. The crowd is surrounding them. Some are stretching their necks to watch.
“Your hair ain’t so pretty now, is it?” Tia spits out, pulling even harder.
“Hey, save it for the arena!” Claire hollers and pries Tia off of Kira, who screams over at Tia, “Pussy!”
“Slut!” Tia retorts.
Claire blows a whistle. “That’s enough! One more outburst like this, both of you girls will be working in Letum, scrubbing jail cells. Understood?” Claire is furious.
“Fine,” Kira replies.
“Fine,” Tia mumbles, her lip bleeding.
Everyone is now quiet, avoiding provoking Claire into yelling again. She marches back up to the front of the lobby. Claire takes a gander at the clock and back down at her clipboard to note something. Tia attempts to wipe her lip, on her shirt, to stop the blood. The last thing she wanted, was to fight someone today. Since that was the capitols’ plan for her, she might as well go all out.
“In a few minutes, we will be heading to the arena. Before that, I need to discuss the rules with all of you. Rule number one, no use of magic to beat your opponent, only physical strength. Rule number two, no sharp or blunt objects. You are only permitted to use what the capitols provide for you. Rule number three, no scratching, biting, or hair pulling.” Claire glowers at Tia and Kira.
“Not only are all these things going to make you look bad to the leaders, they will cost you points for this round. When I say you are done, all fighting comes to a complete halt. Each of you will be judged on your time in the arena, as well as your blocking, and impact on your opponent. Everyone understand?” The whole group nods at Claire. “Let’s go, then.” She turns and exits the lobby, leading each candidate to a bus, that charters them to the arena.
The candidates are not permitted to watch any fights that take place before theirs. Capitol leaders added a secret twist to this year’s fight, to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary. Therefore, the candidates wait, with supervision, in spare locker rooms, separated from their opponents.
Claire hands everyone their mouth guards and a flag, before she heads to the arena. If at any point, one of the candidates believes they cannot move on, they are to raise their flag. After twenty minutes, if neither of the opponents raise their flag, or are out cold, they each earn an automatic fifty points.
One by one, they call the candidates to exit the room that Tia sits in. Quade is the third to leave, not uttering a word. She smiles at him and wishes him good luck. All he does is nod and return the gesture. A couple of hours pass. Tia peers at the clock and it is noon. She wonders when she will be called. Finally, her name is voiced over the intercom, “Conscientia Trumble, please come to the arena.”
Tension builds up in her stomach, she knows that she prepared for this moment as best she could. However, her hands begin to tremble as she treks the long hallway. At the entrance of the arena, a woman greets her and asks her name.
“Conscientia Trumble,” she exhales.
“Great. You have your flag and your mouth guard?”
“Yep.” She peers down at the woman’s hand, as it checks something off, on a clipboard. What is their obsession with clipboards? she wonders.
“We are heading out to the arena now,” the woman notes, flatly.
Tia nods and follows the woman to the center of the arena. Each seat is packed with excited fans. Capitol leaders are seated in a private box, above the one side of the arena. They are equipped with screens, for close ups of the fights, at all angles. A red flag, with a pair of boxing gloves in the center, is hanging from the box to represent the Brawns category.
Delilah and a man head over from the other end.
“I suggest you keep that flag somewhere you can reach it easily and insert that mouth guard.” The lady pulls out a black cloth.
“What’s that?” Tia asks.
“Your blind fold,” the woman answers, walking behind Tia. “Please put the guard in your mouth, miss. I don’t like repeating myself.”
Tia places the guard in her mouth, as the world suddenly turns black.
Chapter 5
Sharp, shallow breaths are all Tia can muster. Her vision is completely obstructed by the black cloth. She knows that she must rely on all her other senses, to make it through the second stage of the Electus. A hand, on her back, guides Tia towards the center, so that she is only inches away from Delilah. From the sounds of Delilah’s breathing, she is just as surprised, by the lack of sight, as Tia is. In all those years of training, Tia never once considered practicing being blind.
“Both weighing in at one-hundred and thirty pounds, our next opponents are Delilah Urvine and Conscientia Trumble,” Carmen announces from the safety box where the leaders sit. “On my count ladies. Three. Two. One. Fight!”
Tia’s first instinct is to swing, as hard as she can, towards the sound of Delilah’s breathing. Instead of her fist meeting solid flesh, it hits thin air, swaying Tia off balance. She remembers that Delilah is taller than her, by a few inches, but apparently she over estimated how tall. Luckily, she moves in time to miss Delilah’s punch, inches from her face. Kicking her leg up, Tia feels the toe of her shoe, scrape something on Delilah’s body.
Unaffected, Delilah swings and knocks Tia in her right ear. She hits again a few moments later, leaving a ringing sound, that blocks half of her hearing. Tia fights the urge to grab the side of her face, that is now swelling in pain. I can’t show weakness, she thinks.
“Looks like these girls are just warming up, ladies and gents,” Carmen commentates, and the crowd cheers.
Tia sways her foot forward, attempting to catch Delilah’s ankle. This time she snatches the back of her leg, pulling it forward with her foot. Successfully, she trips her, and Delilah drops to the ground. However, it isn’t long before she stands back up and is throwing punches. Most of them, Tia somehow blocks, her other senses heightening and the ringing in her ear dulling. There is a large cracking sound, as Delilah gets another hit on her chin and mouth.
She can feel her lip bleed, once more, and realizes, since each punch is hitting her right side, Delilah might be left handed. Tia shifts quietly to the left, hoping to throw Delilah off of her trail. It works momentarily, and Tia is able to avoid another punch.
“Where did you go?” Delilah roars in anger. Her voice just leads Tia closer to her, giving her the upper hand, while she kicks her in the stomach. Delilah doubles over in pain, then grabs hold of Tia’s arm, as she swings to punch Delilah. She bends her arm back, making Tia cry out.
“You aren’t so tough now are you?” Delilah mumbles through her mouth piece.
Tia spins and slams her other arm down on Delilah’s wrist, forcing her to release Tia. Delilah lunges toward her, pushing her to the ground. Not this again.
“They are on the ground now, folks. Who is interested in some mud wrestling?” As the words leave Carmen’s lips, rain pours into the center of the arena, turning the dirt into mud.
Delilah still has Tia pinned in the dirt, throwing punches at her face and missing with every other shot. Tia struggles against Delilah’s one hand, that is currently holding both o
f hers against the ground. Finally, the rain makes Delilah’s hand slippery, and Tia twists one free to punch Delilah in the side, repeatedly. Delilah finds and grabs the free wrist, with her other hand.
Mud is soaking Tia’s back, as she pushes Delilah off of her and elbows her in the stomach, then punches her in the nose. Tia gets up, not sure where she left Delilah. Tia is nervous and attempts to catch her breath as quietly as she can.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work because next thing she knows, Delilah jumps on her back. One arm is wrapped around Tia’s neck, and both legs are wrapped around her midsection. Delilah uses her extra hand to slap at Tia’s ear, until it bleeds. She tries not to cry out in pain, but devise a plan, that will get her off as quickly as possible.
In a panic, Tia leaps backward, falling hard on top of Delilah, who releases her hold on Tia. The fall knocks the wind out of Tia for a few moments, but soon she is on her feet, unsure of where Delilah is at. When will this be over, already? Tia wonders, as the audience goes silent.
Out of nowhere, Tia feels her feet give way from under her. Delilah trips her and rams Tia to the ground, for the third time. She swiftly kicks and trips Delilah as well. Both girls now lying on their backs, catching their breath. Tia’s ear is screaming with pain, but she doesn’t give up.
Tia forces herself into a crawl, every inch of clothing heavy from the rain water that soaked it. She feels Delilah’s torso with her out-stretched hand and jumps on top of her, starting to punch whatever she can find. Delilah grabs a hold of Tia’s wrist and punches Tia in the throat. She coughs, momentarily, as Delilah flips her over, onto her back.
“You... can’t..... beat.... me,” Delilah says between breaths. Before she can get a punch in, Tia grabs her throat.
“Wanna bet?” Tia muffles between her mouth guard. Then, in one swift movement, she head butts Delilah, causing her to fall on top of Tia. Immediately regretting the decision to do that, a splitting headache erupts. She keeps moving, rolling Delilah on her back again, throwing multiple punches.
“Stop!!” A whistle blows, and Tia stops hitting Delilah, relieved this madness is over. Claire attends to Delilah. “She still has a pulse, but I think she is done for. One more injury, and she is going to need serious medical attention.”
By now the rain is over, and the sun parts the clouds above.
“It looks like we have a winner! Conscientia Trumble!” Carmen calls from the booth. The crowd cheers as someone assists Tia to her feet.
“You can remove your blind fold,” the voice informs her. Tia unties the blind fold, allowing the bright light to sting her eyes. “Congratulations,” the lady who led her into the arena voices. “You have very nice form. Where did you train?”
Tia’s vision is still blurry, her hearing is impaired, and her head is aching in the area she hit Delilah with. “Um...” she begins, then glances down at Delilah, who is passed out. Her face is bruised and bloody. I did that to someone? Tia thinks. Delilah is motionless. Tia removes her mouth guard to speak.
“Is she okay?” Tia asks, frantically, looking from Claire, to the other lady with the clipboard. They stare at her, confused.
“I said, is she okay? She is barely breathing! Get some help!” Tia is now hysterical. What have I done?
Claire grabs ahold of Tia’s arms. “It’s okay Tia, you won.”
“I don’t care, look at her! Oh my god, look what I’ve done.”
The audience laughs at Tia. She stares at them, again, confused why that is so humorous.
They wheel out two gurneys and advise Tia to lay on one of them, until she is examined. Tia waits until she sees Delilah is on the gurney first, and nurses wheel her out.
“Miss Trumble, please get on the gurney,” Claire repeats.
She climbs onto the gurney and lets them wheel her out of the arena. Taking one last look at Delilah, Tia feels a knot in her stomach. A sense of regret overwhelms her. What kind of sick beings are these people? She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
The gurney comes to a halt and Tia is in a room with other candidates, who are being treated. They wheel her next to Quade, who lays unconscious. Her heart speeds up at the sight of him.
“What happened to him?” she questions the nurse, who is setting up the IV above her bed.
“Him?” she motions to Quade. “He took a beating.” The nurse applies alcohol to Tia’s arm. “They both did, actually. Put up a good fight, but he tired out after we brought him up here. You are going to feel a pinch.” The nurse inserts the IV into Tia’s arm. “We also need you to take this.” She hands Tia two small pills and a glass of water.
“What’s this for?”
“It speeds up your body’s healing process to three times its normal pace. You need to be fully recovered before tomorrow night’s event,” the nurse responds.
Tia swallows the pills, feeling the pain in her throat, from when Delilah punched her.
“I suggest you try to rest. Laying still and sleeping help the medicine to work more effectively.”
“Thank you,” Tia mumbles. The nurse turns away to check on another patient. Tia peers up and notices the screen on the wall, showing the next opponents fighting each other. This time it is Mina and Kira fighting. Both are barely touching the other. It’s mostly a slap fight, when they actually can find where the other one is at. Tia chuckles, then stops, because it makes her body ache in several places.
She gazes over at Quade, who is still asleep. His one eye is black and blue, his chin is wrapped in gauze, and the arm he doesn’t have an IV in, is in a sling. Tia barely recognizes him. His ash brown hair is tousled as usual, however everything else is either bruised or swollen. Did I not do enough to train him? she wonders, her body aching, as she takes a deep breath. Her eyes begin to burn, fighting back tears. She focuses on the screen again.
Now Mina has Kira on the ground and is choking her. They must have found each other, Tia thinks. For the first time since they were kids, Tia finds herself secretly rooting for Mina. She strangles her, and Kira attempts to push Mina off, but Mina is a little more curvy than Kira. Tia figures their weight must balance out due to Kira’s height. Mina attempts to punch Kira now, missing with nearly each swing. It isn’t long before Kira lifts her flag into the air, and a whistle blows from the referee. Claire yells, “Stop!” at Mina, and she releases Kira’s neck.
“Appears like this cat fight is over,” Carmen announces over the screen. Tia can’t help feel a small triumph as Kira surrenders. For the first time, Tia can grasp the concept of why this is entertainment. Maybe if all the fights were this funny. Her eyes become heavy, as the medicine kicks in. Smiling, she falls into a deep slumber.
The woman, from her previous dreams, stands in front of Tia, holding a wooden box. They are in a heavily wooded area, at midnight. Without a word, she opens it, releasing an owl. Tia follows the owl, for what seems like an eternity. It lands on a shoulder, a shoulder that belongs to Osborn.
She tries to ask her father why he is there. Her father remains silent. Tia attempts to gain Osborn’s attention, but he just stares blank into the darkness. She turns to look out in that same direction and sees a man walking slowly towards them. Tia turns back to her father and the owl screeches in her face, before flying away. She peers back towards the other man. It is Javan Leporem, dressed in an all white suit, with a black tie. He snaps a finger, and before Tia’s eyes, her father turns into dust.
Tia wakes in a cold sweat. She is still in the hospital bed next to Quade. She turns to him and he is sitting up, enjoying a bowl of ice cream. His eye and chin are completely healed. The only mark left from the fight, is his arm in the sling. Tia lifts herself up, the pain removed from her body. Quade’s eyes wander over, after hearing her stir.
“Look who’s up!” Quade beams at Tia, his grin wider than usual, especially, considering everything he endured this morning.
“What time is it?” she probes, still groggy.
“It’s
eight o’clock.” He takes another spoonful of ice cream and puts it in his mouth, making noises of satisfaction, and licking the entire spoon. Tia wonders what kind of medicine they gave him.
“Wow, I’ve been asleep that long?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.
“Yep. I just woke a little bit ago, myself. You should ask them for something to eat. The nurses will get you anything you like,” Quade offers, grin still intact.
“That’s okay.” Tia sits up more, attempting to wake herself fully. She is afraid to try anything, with the way Quade is acting.
“I saw you won your fight,” Quade mentions, scraping his bowl.
“How? You were out cold when I arrived.”
“They have been replaying them all day, in case anyone missed them. They also replayed the ceremony from last night. Your barfing didn’t look as bad as you thought. Most commentators have been sympathetic about it. They say it humanizes you. Which is funny, cause you are half human.” He laughs at his own words, as though it is the funniest thing he heard all day. Tia’s concern for Quade rises.
“Oh, boy,” she moans. “Who won in your fight?”
“Neither of us, actually. We were the only ones to make the twenty minute mark.” Quade smiles again, with chocolate ice cream around the corners of his mouth.
“That’s great!” Tia replies, trying not to laugh at him.
“Yeah, Dan is actually a pretty cool guy. Once we are feeling better later, we plan on getting some beers to celebrate. Wanna join?” Quade offers, almost too excitedly.
“No thanks,” Tia starts, “I had enough alcohol last night. But you guys have fun.” For the first time, in a long time, she feels peaceful about Quade. He appears content. It is comforting to Tia to know that someone she cares for is truly happy, even if it appears to be drug induced.
Tia’s eyes peek around the room. She spots Delilah, laying on one of the beds. Her IV is hooked up and she seems to be slightly better than she was earlier. Tia notices her stir, so she knows Delilah must be awake. Tia glances up at her IV, then down at the floor, to make certain the pole is mobile. Tia crawls out of her bed, and wheels the pole over to Delilah’s bed.