“We
should stop them. Fatima doesn’t deserve to have a punishme—” Ciara began, but Liam held her back.
“Ciara,”
Liam said sharply, “You don’t deserve
the punishment. Everyone doesn’t deserve that. I told you, don’t shouldn’t pity
her. It’s the way of life,”
“But,”
Ciara clenched her teeth. How could people just abandon their comrades in
exchange for a gory entertainment?
“Can
you tell us first what happened, Ciara?” Chase gently asked, “Your right arm is
bleeding.”
“Just
a minor scratch.” Ciara paid no attention to her right arm injury. “I didn’t
mean to get Fatima into this trouble.”
“Ciara,”
Chase said firmly, “You’re the one getting bullied, and yet you still care
about Fatima?”
“Yes,” Ciara lowered her head.
“You’re
a peculiar girl, you know that?” Liam ruffled her hair.
Ciara
frowned, “Also, why did you two disappear all of the sudden? I was so worried…”
“Sorry,
Ciara,” Chase apologized, “It’s Liam’s fault for not telling you about the
mission.”
“Mission?” Ciara asked.
“Yup.
There’s a Rank 3 mission board located at the right side of the tunnel. If
people demanded help, they post mission notes on the board. For example, Mrs.
Stupey’s low supply of chicken breast.” Chase explained, “Yesterday we saw an
interesting mission note on the board. Not just a mission note, but a crucial
note from Geoffrey.”
“Geoffrey
is Kyra’s brother, and a special kind of Rank 4. A note coming from him means
serious business,” Liam said.
“We
wanted to keep it a secret until we have mapped the mission’s location.” Chase
said, “That explains our absence.”
Ciara
sighed in relief. She thought the Crude Brothers had left her when she lost the
fight to Shell two days ago. Everything was just a misunderstanding.
“Liam, can you please put me down?” Ciara was
aware that Liam was still carrying her.
“No,
can do, Ciara. After all you shouldn’t be wondering off all by yourself.
Everyone is talking about you,” Liam said.
“Because
they don’t want me,” Ciara muttered, and Liam went silent. “Why does everyone
hate me so much?”
“Not
everyone hates you. Especially not us, if you mean,” Chase reassured her. “You
can’t blame them. Vixens are like that. They despised people who run away from
fights.”
“And obviously we’re not that kind of
people, right Chase?” Liam said.
“Yeah,” Chase said, “And I noticed that
Shell has taken a liking to you, Ciara. Did you two talked?”
“I think talk is not the right
word for it, Chase. After all Shell is mute, so how can she speak to Ciara?”
Liam corrected his little brother’s errors.
“But—”
Ciara’s
mind wandered to the conversation she had with Shell a while ago. I made a new friend. Unlike the rest of
the Vixens, the Crude Brothers were the only ones who seemed to care about her
as if she was their family.
The
three of them progressed toward the corridors, with Liam still carrying Ciara,
tuning out the Vixen’s comments about them.
“That’s the Blind Candidate …”
“Why does she get pampered by those Crude
Brothers anyway?”
“Shh…don’t say that out loud! The Crude
Brothers are unstoppable warriors. If you try to argue with them, especially
Liam, he will beat up your face in split seconds.”
The
questions still revolved Ciara’s head. Why were the Vixens afraid of the Crude
Brothers, especially…Liam?
z
“For
today’s lesson number one, we are going to do sparring,” Kyra said sharply,
“This training is one on one combat between Rank 1’s. Only the usages of Swirls are allowed, no weapons, and
this sparring will serve as your starting point on becoming a Vixen,” she
continued, “Everyone must learn how to fight. Remember, there is no turning
back. If you do, then you don’t deserve to be called a Vixen, but a loser in
the process.” Ciara could feel Kyra pointing the topic to her, so Ciara shrank
back and ignored everyone whispering behind her. “Overall there are exactly
thirty lessons and one final examination test to become a Rank 2.”
“Only
thirty lessons?” Macie whispered to Ciara. “That means we’ll get to be Rank 2’s
in one month.”
“Yeah,”
Ciara muttered. Three days ago, two Rank 2’s rushed a vital patient inside. It
was Fatima, bruised, along with fifty shattered bones across her body.
Liam
told her that a Rank 4, named Stevey, had battered Fatima forty times until she
wasn’t able to move. It seemed like Fatima couldn’t walk for a while. How could
the Vixens do this to Fatima?
Tiny
whispers filled the room. Ciara stirred awake.
Kyra
said, “Don’t be so relieved, my cubs. The final test is not simple as you think
it is,” Kyra continued, “There’s only
a 5 percent chance that Rank 1’s will survive the test. Last month, we have two
people who passed the test, and five people dead,”
Ciara’s
heart lurched painfully. Five dead?
“Remember,
Vixens are warriors in this war. Become strong and you’ll survive. Stay weak and
you’ll be dead. That’s the number one rule in Sputter Palace. Only the strong
ones can stay alive in this war so be prepared. This training is for your own
good, for your existence and for your future. Vixens are not only outsiders,
but we are all assassins and our only target is to kill Virgo. Do you
understand?”
Silence.
“Now
then, now that my speech is over, we’ll begin the first fight,” Kyra said, and
Ciara heard something metallic thrust on the ground. Kyra stabbed a sword on the ground?
“The
first one to fight is…”
Not me…Ciara
wished.
“Macie,”
Macie stiffened beside Ciara.
“And
her opponent will be…”
“Ciara,”
Ciara’s
stomach tightened into a knot. Why do I
have to fight my…friend…?
“Get
up!” Kyra snapped. Ciara wouldn’t dare to fight Macie, let alone hurt another
person in Sputter Palace. She had witnessed Fatima being hospitalized, Shell
protecting her and Liam getting angry for no reason. “If you two can’t get up,
I’ll do it myself if I have to.”
Ciara
scrambled up to her feet, and trudged forward.
“Good,”
Kyra said pleasantly. To her right, Ciara could hear Macie marching with shaky
steps. Someone shoved Ciara back, dragging her to, what Ciara noticed was
another podium because of the elevated ground. She heard another set of
footsteps and the rustling sound of Kyra’s fur.
Kyra must be dragging us both towards the
podium. Reaching her free hand, Ciara skimmed her fingers across the tight
ropes secured to a wooden post. A boxing
round, just like the one in Arena Round.
Everyone
yelled. ”Fight, fight, fight!”
When
they reached the center of the boxing round, Kyra released them and left the
podium. Macie is standing in front of
her. Ciara observed. She’s nervous
too...
“You
two got your Swirls?” Kyra asked, her
voice demanding.
Ciara yanked an unidentified Swirl
from her pocket. Macie must be doing the same thing.
“Good.
Both girls have now Swirls in their
hands.” Kyra announced, “One rule. Killing is allowed. That’s all,” Kyra
shouted, “Lesson number one. Begin!”
Killing is allowed?
No
one moved. Ciara was still glued to her feet and Macie was still trembling in
fear. Then the voices became louder and louder, filling the room with
thundering roars and cheering.
“Hey,
don’t just stand there!”
“Fight!”
“We
want to see you down, Blind
Candidate!”
“Traitor!”
“Macie
freak!”
Ciara
fisted her hands on her side and silenced the noises in her head. She wouldn’t
fall for this training. She will not fight, but it was too late to back out
now.
To
her surprise, Macie’s aura disappeared. Ciara whirled her head, surveying for
the sounds. Cotton shoes squeaking to the
right, Ciara investigated, it was the
same movement that Fatima used when she tried to punch me.
Ciara
counted 5 seconds. A shallow breeze passed through her, and Ciara immediately
detected Macie already thrusting her right fist up, aiming for her face.
Five.
She noticed that Fatima and Macie’s fighting techniques were the same. Macie is also putting her pressure
on her right fist so when she swings her hand, the pressure on her feet
weakens.
Four…Three…Two…One…
Ciara
repeated the same defense she used on Fatima, and dodged Macie’s fist, feeling
the wind grazing across her cheek. Macie’s
arm pressure is much stronger than Fatima,
Ciara thought.
Macie
had lost her balance.
Now!
And
then something happened. When Macie missed the punch, Ciara didn’t expected to
have another attack until Macie’s knee point jabbed Ciara in the stomach. She
gritted her teeth.
It was logical thinking. If you punched
and missed the person you were going to attack, the defense on your body will
weaken and soon you will lose your balance. But Macie was different. She had
managed to punch, missed and performed a knee attack instead of tripping.
“Sorry, Ciara,” Macie said regretfully, “But
this won’t end until one of us gets knocked out.”
“Macie, I don’t want to hurt yo—”
Three seconds, Ciara
chimed. Macie will be launching another
attack, so if this fight won’t stop I need to do something else.
Planning her next move, Ciara blocked
Macie's hand that was aiming for her face and grabbed her arm, “Macie, this is
not right. Please don’t do this,”
Ciara heard Macie hissed, and with a
quick swipe, Ciara dug out the Smoke Bomb Swirl in her pocket and threw
it on the ground, releasing Macie’s hand. The Swirl exploded into a gas that smelled of strawberries, and Ciara
ran to her left, planning her escape plan.
I need to talk to Macie while the smoke bomb
is still on, Ciara thought. She heard the swish of shoes to her right side and
felt another kick hitting her back. Ciara painfully skidded on the ground,
hearing shouts outside the ring.
“Where
are they!?”
“I
can’t see them!”
“Isn’t
this illegal?”
“It’s
a Swirl, silly. We have no choice but
to wait until one of them surrenders.”
Good,
Ciara winced. The smoke bomb will keep us
hidden for a while.
“Ciara,
I’m really sorry about this. I have no choice.” Macie mumble, smashing Ciara’s
ribs with her feet.
“Macie,
why are you doing this?” Ciara hissed, clutching her stomach. One thing that
Ciara observed was that Macie was slow on movements, but her attacks were
powerful enough to break someone’s bones.
An
idea sparked inside her head.
Two
hands seized Ciara’s throat, squeezing tight.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, Ciara.” Macie’s
tears dripped down Ciara’s cheek.
“M…”
Ciara tried to speak, but Macie’s grip was strong.
“I joined the Vixens because I wanted to
become strong person,” Macie sobbed, her voice drowned by the wisps of the
smoke bomb, “I came here because I wanted to escape the life from the Group,”
she continued, “I also regretted that we’ve become friends from the start.”
Ciara froze.
“When I first met you, I thought you were
the same as I am. A loser, a weakling, and Vixens despised everyone who were
weak. It was hard to make friends because they kept picking on me, until you
came in,” Macie whimpered, “I saw myself in you. I thought that once we’ve
become friends, you’ll never leave me, but ever since that fight at the
cafeteria, you changed a lot. You left me behind because you were becoming
stronger,” Macie continued, “And then…Liam took genuine interest on you, the
same with Chase.”
Ciara clawed Macie’s arms, and Macie
screamed, releasing Ciara. She stumbled forward, massaging the throbbing pain
on her neck.
The flow of the wind is getting
hotter, Ciara
thought, which means the smoke is nearly disappearing. Ciara needed to
hurry. Time was running out, and if she failed to accomplish her plan, the
fight will never end.
Repeating the same process, Ciara easily
dodged Macie’s attacks because Macie was getting tired, and blindly moved
forward.
In an instant, Ciara blocked Macie’s fist
using her right palm, and grabbed her wrist. Ciara tug Macie’s arm until her
lips were leveled with Macie's ear. Ciara whispered, “Macie. Stop this. I don’t
want to hurt you.”
“I don’t want to hurt you too…but…the
Vixens said that if I beat you, they will acknowledge me, like Shell.” Macie
sobbed, “I was so jealous of you. People here treat me like dirt. They bullied
me because I’m just a crybaby, and I asked myself. 'Why can’t I become like
Ciara? You have the Crude Brothers with you and you have already gained Shell’s
trust…but what about me? I thought I was your friend!”
“Macie, you are,” Ciara said firmly.
“Then why!” Macie shouted, and Ciara
noticed that the crowd was getting excited because of Macie’s screams. The
smoke is close to fading. I need to hurry, Ciara said in her mind, “Why did
you leave me alone!?”
“Macie. Yesterday, you said that you were
worried about me,” Ciara gently explained and Macie flinched. “The things you
said on the first day of class, was all of it just a lie? I should be the one
getting hurt…because for the first time, I have made a friend in Sputter
Palace. Not just Liam, Chase, or Shell, but because I have you with me,” Ciara
continued, “I didn’t leave you, and I’m not popular like those Rank 4’s.” Ciara
let go of Macie’s arm and retreated back. “We’re alike. The first time I came
here, I got beaten up by Kyra, followed by Shell’s round fight and Fatima’s
duel request. People called me names such as loser, fraud, and weak. But I
don’t care about them, because they are nothing but a bunch of bullies.”
“Liar! You are the Candidate. A celebri—”
Macie protested.
“Even if I’m the Candidate, it doesn’t
make any difference. I’m blind, and people hated me for giving Virgo those
memories. Now they blame for activating those bombs.” Ciara lowered her head, “What
I want is for us to become friends again, and I’ll promise that I won’t leave
you behind.” Macie stopped crying and Ciara continued. “You’re my friend, and
friends stick together. We don’t leave each other behind, because we’re a
family now.”
Macie muttered. “Family…I never had one
of those.”
“I had,” Ciara gulped painfully. “But
they were killed a long time ago.” After Macie’s anger died down, Ciara took
one step forward and reached her hand, brushing the tears off her cheek using
her thumb. “Friends don’t fight each other. I’ll become your new family, okay?’
Macie looked at her. She stopped crying.
“Really?”
“Yes, but here is what we are going to do
first,” Ciara explained the plan. She lifted what she felt was a round bottle Swirl
and continued, “This is a Paralyze
Swirl. Once I drink this, I'll pretend that I can't get up so everyone
will think that you won, okay?
Macie nodded. “Alright,”
Ciara pushed the cover open and drank the
Swirl in one gulp. The citrus acid of the orange liquid quickly spread
out on her tongue, and later Ciara felt her body tense. She collapsed on the
ground and closed her eyes.
In 3 seconds, the smoke will vanish
and everyone will get to see me lose, Ciara thought.
Then after that, she heard everyone gasp
and applaud. The smoke has been cleared.
“Well done, Macie!” Kyra shouted. Ciara
heard the rattling of Kyra’s coat and footsteps shuffling to her right side.
“Another Vixen has beaten the Candidate. The winner is now Macie!”
She heard Macie sobs over the thunderous
cheering of the crowd. At least Macie won’t be bullied anymore.
z
“What? You let Macie win the sparring?”
Liam protested as they marched back to the corridors. We’re heading to the
east side, Ciara thought because of the cold wind crossing the hallway.
“Shh!” Chase said when Ciara heard
footsteps coming towards their direction.
“Sorry,” Liam lowered his voice, “But
that will lose your reputation, Ciara.”
“I don’t care about it,” Ciara said,
“Besides, friends are more important than reputation.”
Liam sighed, “Geez, you’re too kind, you
know that?”
“But that was a bold trick, Ciara,” Chase
ignored his brother’s complains, “Breaking the rules without letting Kyra
know…that’s smart. Maybe we should invite Macie on our mission sometime. Don’t
you think so, Liam?”
“No,” Liam said sharply.
Ciara and Chase stopped, both raising
their eyebrows in confusion. “Why?”
“Because…” Liam said, more likely
exhausted. “I don’t trust Macie. First of all, Macie has a crush on you, and I
don’t like fan girls in our team. Second is that she’s weak. Third, she’s new
in Sputter Palace, which means she doesn’t know about the rules yet.”
“So? You also have a crush on Ciara, don’t deny it,” Chase retorted.
Liam and Ciara paused.
“No!” Liam snapped, “I don’t have a crush
on Ciara, and I don’t like her,” he hissed, “Ciara is a special blind girl, but
unfortunately she’s not my type. She’s a real disadvantage at fights, and look
at her! Do you think she’s prettier like the rest of the girls?”
“Lia—”
Liam shouted, “Come on! Love is just an
obstacle. We have to babysit her every day because she always loses to every
fight that Kyra throws at her. She’s just a nuisance,”
Liam’s words painfully struck Ciara’s
heart as if it almost split her soul in half. This time, Ciara couldn’t manage
to keep her feelings all to herself. Last time Liam criticized her, she managed
to put it aside, but now the heavy burden deep inside her heart seemed to
explode.
“Liam!” Chase shouted.
Tears slipped down Ciara’s cheek. She bit
back her lip, choking her sobs, but in the end, she cried.
“Liam! Look what you’ve done,” Chase
shouted and Ciara backed away, unable to control her emotions and ran to the
other direction.
Why do I feel so torn apart? Ciara thought. She admitted that
she liked Liam, but she never knew that Liam would selfishly think of her like
that. I thought we were a team? Maybe I should just run away and go back to
the Metric.
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