“Dammit! We
shouldn’t have let her come with us…Ugh! Why am I so stupid!?”
“You’re not stupid, Liam. Try to calm down first.”
“Calm down!? Why should I calm down!? Shell nearly killed
Ciara, I should have ju—”
“Liam. Do you want to kill someone?”
“N-no…”
“Good. If you want to control your anger, the best
medicine is to calm down and relax, okay big brother?”
“…”
“Fine… I’m just afraid that…you know…it might happen
again.”
“Nothing is going to happen. You’re going to be just
fine, and you’re not going to accidentally kill a person, okay?”
“I know…but—oh, she’s awake!”
Ciara fluttered her eyes open. She could sense two
blurred figures beside her. The Crude Brothers. She skimmed her hand on the
floor and felt the fleecy fur brushing her fingers. Sharp smell of
antiseptic…a closet room…this must be the clinic, she guessed. I lost
the fight to Shell.
“Don’t sit up or your wounds will reopen,” Chase said
cautiously, his hands supporting her back. Ciara wasn’t vaguely aware of the
bandages wrapped around her body,
until a jolt of pain lit up on her stomach. She gritted her teeth.
“A-Are you hungry?” Chase asked.
Ciara croaked. “Water…”
“Alright,” She heard the sound of door swinging, aware
that Chase had disappeared, leaving her and Liam inside the room. “Liam…what
happened…?”
Liam said straightforwardly “You lost to Shell.”
Ciara didn’t say a word. She was stunned about the
thought of having another disabled person living inside Sputter Palace aside
from her and Chase. Ciara wondered…Shell doesn’t have one arm and one leg,
and yet she was able to attack me.
“Now you know who you’re dealing with.” Liam sighed, “I
supposed you know what Shell is right?” Ciara nodded and Liam stifled a laugh,
“Yeah, I reckon that. You’re able to figure out things without asking for our
help. That’s why everyone thinks you’re the Candidate, not Shell.”
“Why?” Ciara asked.
“Don’t know. Shell
is strong and swift, but she’s not the Candidate. Big deal,” Liam said, “Shell
has been here for more than eight years. She’s also a Rank 4, just in case you
ask.”
“What about you guys? What…happened to the…punishment?” Ciara croaked.
“I got one arm broken, and coincidentally, Chase won the
fight.” Liam said briskly, “Well, I’m proud of him. After all, this is the
first time Chase has won over a punishment,
especially from Rank 4.”
Ciara scowled.
“You’re still
thinking about Shell, aren’t you?” Liam scolded, “I told you. Don’t pity
them, because they don’t pity you, and look what it has done to you.”
Ciara sensed Liam sitting beside her bed, his slender
fingers gently tucking the fallen strands of her hair to her ear. Ciara
blushed. “You and Shell shared the same past. Shell wasn’t born disabled. Eight
years ago, she was tortured by the Reins for the crimes she committed when she
was still a young child.”
Ciara shivered.
“Shell was born mute in Group. It wasn’t a wonder why
Shell would often steal food from the Epicenter to feed her family. Living in
Group was hard as a rat. She repeated the routine, until one day, she was
caught by the Rein Guard and imprisoned in the Part.” Liam said.
Ciara almost choked. Part was the place where
prisoners were being convicted—along with death sentences, and brutal
experiments. She couldn’t imagine Shell, still a child, being tortured in that
kind of place.
“The Specialist have cut off her right leg and left arm.”
Liam said grimly. Nausea swept over her. “Shell stayed there for merely four
years. Then one day she went berserk and killed everyone in Part. After that,
she went to the Casts to commit suicide, but Jonas, the former leader of the
Vixens stopped her,” Liam lowly, “He adopted Shell and trained her to become
strong, though Shell wasn’t alone when she came to Sputter Palace.”
“So who came with her?” Ciara asked.
There was a long silence. Ciara waited for Liam to
answer, but he never did. She could hear him standing up, almost leaving her.
“Us,” Liam
whispered.
And then he left.
z
4 hours of silence. 4 hours of loneliness inside the
clinic. It was dawn already. Ciara knew it because she heard the birds chirping
outside the windows. Where are Liam and Chase? Why aren’t they back yet?
Liam has a broken arm, but why isn’t he
staying with me in this clinic? Ciara thought. It
was unusual for the Crude Brothers to just leave her without knowing what was
going on outside. Maybe they thought she was just a fraud. She could remember
what Liam had said. She was just an obstacle. No one would like her because she
was blind, plus she wasn’t a good fighter either.
To ease her boredom, Ciara flipped the Vixen Biography and practiced her
reading skills. Last night, Realia
visited the clinic to give her food, but after the conversation she had with
Liam, the Crude Brothers didn’t come to visit her after that.
Her stomach growled in protest. She slipped out from the
fur covers and grabbed the doorknob. Ciara opened the door, and carefully
traveled down the hallway by foot, skimming her hands on the walls.
There were noises down by the path she took. The Vixens. Ciara ignored them,
though she could hear them whispering and murmuring about her defeat yesterday.
Loser. Fraud. Useless. Liability.
The voices were gone by the time Ciara arrived at, what
she guessed, was a three way intersection because the sounds had been split
into three pathways. The hallway was very hot, so Ciara knew that she must be
near the main entrance.
She had already memorized the temperature when it comes
to Sputter Palace. The hotter place was at the entrance. The coldest place was
underground, where dormitories were located. The humid place was at the garden.
Ciara picked the first delectable intersection, which she suspected was route
toward the cafeteria, and slid her hands across the walls. Someone bumped into
her, the impact flinging her on the floor. Ciara cried in pain, clutching her
wounded stomach.
“Watch where you’re going, fraud!” a girl angrily
shouted.
Footsteps shuffled past her. Ciara painfully scrambled to
her feet, her right arm supporting the wall. Don’t pity them, because they
don’t pity you.
This was reality. These people were merciless Vixens.
Ciara disregarded the pain and progressed forward. Every person she bumped into
had cursed her for being blind. Ciara ignored them. After a few minutes, she
finally arrived at the cafeteria, and this time, the smell of garlic was
replaced by boiled potatoes and the beef stew.
For the first time, she had done it without anyone’s
help. And then the thought saddened her. Maybe the Crude Brothers are like
the Vixens. She hated the reason why she thought the Crude Brothers were
her friends. She tightened her fists on her side, and entered the cafeteria. No
one likes her because she’s blind.
The noises died down when she stepped inside, turning
into a hush murmurs and whispers. There was something baffling about the faint
auras she was seeing. It was as if she could distinguish people just by
analyzing their auras. A six sense.
”Hello, child. I haven’t seen you for a while,” Ciara
whisked her to the woman who spoke.
“Ms, Stupey…” Ciara’s voice trailed off. The lunch lady
must be here to scold her. “I’m sorry…I thought this was the garden.”
“The garden!” Ms.
Stupey squeaked. A palatable smell of beef stew filled the air. Ms. Stupey must be holding a tray of food,
Ciara sensed. “If you want to go to
the garden, you might as well taste my best dish before you scurry off
somewhere.”
“But—” Ciara’s stomach growled.
Ms. Stupey laughed. “See!? What did I tell you?—Oh, don’t
be shy! You and the Crude Brothers made me the happiest woman alive.”
So the Crude Brothers
gave her the turkey, Ciara thought. Ms. Stupey continued, “As a
reward for bringing me the Beltsville Small White turkey, I’ll treat you the
finniest beef stew and boiled vegetables here in the cafeteria. How does that
sound?”
“Er…”
“No need to thank me,” Ms. Stupey interrupted, and
clasped her wrist, yanking her forward. “Let’s see. I suppose you need a table,
though the seats are quite full right now—Wait! I spot a vacant seat for you,”
Ciara could sense one person eating at the table.
“Umm…excuse, Ms. Stupey. But have you seen the Crude
Brothers lately?” Ciara asked.
“Sorry, child. I haven’t seen them ever since they gave
me the gift. Bless those boys,” Ms. Stupey delightfully. “I think they are busy
doing their missions. Sure is tough.”
Missions.
Ciara felt an empty hollow inside her heart. The Crude Brothers left her inside
the clinic so they could do their missions. Ciara finally realized the truth.
No one wanted her. Not her—the Vixens—or the Crude Brothers.
Ms. Stupey said, “Hello, Shell. Would you mind if Ciara
joins your table?
Ciara tensed. The Silent Dagger, Shell, was sitting at
this table. Ciara heard the thump of a spoon being laid on the table,
and swish of the hair. Ciara gulped. Shell just nodded at Ms. Stupey. This
is bad.
“Good!” Ms. Stupey
beamed, “Now if you need any help, don’t hesitate to call me.” Ciara had
attained her appetizing tray, and carefully settled it on the table. Ms. Stupey
continued, “Become good friends, okay?”
The fortunate lunch lady began to walk away. The murmurs
continued to spread inside the cafeteria. Ciara tensed. Shell was the least
person she wanted to see, not after the fight they had at the Arena Round. Ciara scooted on, what
she felt was a log chair, and sat on the opposite side, facing Shell.
“Hi,” Ciara muttered and caught a glimpse of Shell’s
outline moving. Then Ciara heard the clanging of spoon and plate. Shell must be paying close attention to me,
Ciara thought. “I guess you’re happy now that people think I’m not the
Candidate.”
Ciara sensed Shell’s head shaking. No, Ciara
guessed. Shell tapped the table with her hand. This action caused Ciara to
become flustered. Why is Shell patting the table?
Shell repeated again. Ciara asked, puzzled. “What are you
doing?”
Shell’s forefinger brushed across her hand, then back to
the table. Shell’s actions were complicated as if Ciara was solving a
perplexing mystery. Two taps...One tap on the table, and one swipe of her
forefinger at the center of my hand…Ciara observed.
“You want to hold my hand?” Ciara guessed.
Another swish of hair and the bowing of head. Yes,
Ciara thought. Ciara beamed at her precise conclusion. She carefully placed her
hand at the center of the table, and flinched when Shell’s forefinger began to
trace down across her palm. What is she doing?
“Shell,” Ciara
said, observing Shell’s tranquil actions. “You’re not really a callous fighter,
are you?”
Shell swept long strokes across her hand, then some
straight swipes.
N…o…
“I see…” Ciara muttered.
Shell continued. Don’t…afraid…of…me…I…not…hurt you…
“That’s good to know,” Ciara answered Shell’s noiseless
questions.
Shell’s fingers traced a W, followed by, e, a…
“We are the same,” Ciara repeated the alphabet that Shell
marked. Shell nodded. Ciara alternately answered her question, “I know…”
W…then….h…y….
“Why am I blind?” Ciara asked. She was answered by a
silent nod. “Because I was also tortured by the Specialists for pleasure.”
Shell tensed, but still continued her silent gestures.
“People know you are the Candidate.” Ciara repeated
Shell’s question. “Do you believe them?”
“I don’t know. I’m just a normal blind girl” Ciara
responded.
Ciara heard Shell shaking her head. Y…then…o…
“You are special?” Ciara asked, bemused. “Shell, you must
be mistak—”
Shell gently clutched her hand, creating strokes across
her palm. Liam…say you…read. We can…talk…
paper.
Ciara blushed. “Y-Yeah, I can…”
Amazing…Shell traced. Ciara replied. “Not really.”
Then Ciara heard the shuffle of arms and plates
colliding. Shell must have carried her
tray up. She’s leaving, the thought saddened Ciara.
“Where are you going?” Ciara asked. “Shell!”
No answer.
Ciara propped her hand on her chin, sulking. Why did Shell leave me like that? But
soon, she felt a crispy folded paper tucked between her fingers. A letter! Ciara was baffled. Ciara
eagerly opened the paper and patiently identified the words. The technique for
it was to simply feel the strokes of the pen pressured by the handwriting.
Curve, like an l…A…La…
And then…
See
you later, friend.
Ciara brightened. The girl who tried to murder her just
called her a friend. Friend. Ciara picked up her spoon, and swallowed a
mouthful of beef stew. The flavors of juicy beef and the well-seasoned
vegetables melted in her tongue.
Ms. Stupey’s stew
was the best. Creamy, beefy and soft. Her stomach growled in protest as Ciara
slugged the stew in one gulp, emptying her bowl in split seconds. Now she was
full. But still the fear lingered across her chest. Were the Crude Brothers
just faking their friendship?
Ciara lowered her head. The topic of the Crude Brothers
was still bothering her. Liam saved her. Chase supported her. She was happy in
Sputter Palace, happy to be away from Sore Tower. But she didn’t belong in this
place. She would never fit in because of her disability.
“Ah, there’s the loser. And look, she’s eating like a
pig. Disgusting!”
Trouble couldn’t seem to end. A new enemy had come. But
why show up at the brink of Ciara’s happiness?
“What do you want,
Fatima.” Ciara said sternly.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Fatima shouted, “I swore
I’m going to fight you again, and since the Crude Brothers aren’t here yet,
let’s do this quickly.”
Before Ciara had the chance to reply, the table was
battered, and the plates were tossed on the ground, shattering into pieces.
Ciara luckily dodged out of the way with barely just a scratch on her right
wrist.
“Fatima, stop—”
“I’m challenging you to a fight, Blind Candidate!” Fatima
shouted, “Injured or not, I don’t care! We are Vixens, and we are warriors!”
“By why here? People are still eating,” Ciara protested.
“I don’t care if they are eating! The important thing
here is to be on your guard and know when your enemy is going to attack,”
Fatima snickered, “Oh, wait! How can you attack if you’re blind,” she
snorted, “Eat this, because you’re going to taste my fist!”
Everything happened so fast. The first thing that came
over Ciara’s mind was the cloudy vision of, what Ciara thought was Fatima’s
fist, lunging straight toward her face.
The information immediately calculated inside her mind, passing
the transcript images through Ciara’s brain. In 4 seconds, Fatima’s fist
will reach my face, and if she starts to swing her arm, the force will go
beyond the surface maximizing the damage, and the exertion of her feet will
start to weaken.
Ciara anticipated for the attack, and surprisingly did
something she never did before. Ciara perfectly dodged Fatima’s incoming punch,
and locked up Fatima’s right arm using her elbow, head-butting.
Ooh’s and ouch’s filled the cafeteria. Ciara could almost
hear Fatima’s skull cracking from the impact. Ciara did it. She managed to
defend herself. She let go of Fatima and started to run toward the door.
“Hey, don’t you run away from me!” Fatima growled as
Ciara’s footsteps pounded the pavement.
Ciara run as fast as she could, but in a blink of an eye,
she was dragged down by many arms, seizing her back with immerse force.
“We’re not letting
you get away from a fight!” The Vixens roared.
Someone shoved her back into the place where Fatima had
started the fight.
“When someone
enters a fight, Vixens don’t run away. You are a coward!” Fatima shouted, and a
sharp pain pierced Ciara’s arm. Cold…metallic. The blade of a sword. Ciara guessed.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The crowd cheered.
Blood dripped down her right arm. Her body was still
recovering. What will Ciara do next? The Vixens wouldn’t allow her to pass, and
with Fatima still boiling with rage, it looked like Ciara would really end up
dead this time.
“Let’s do this with weapons. You already proved that
you’re not the Candidate, so die!” Fatima hoist her sword up, and swung it down
to slice her—
Ciara heard the cling of two blades, and a sudden stab
on the ground. The crowd gasped. Fatima’s footsteps shuffled back. What
happened? Ciara blinked.
“It can’t be. It’s the Silent Dagger!” Fatima yelled,
thunderstruck.
Shell?
Ciara glanced up and caught a glimpse of Shell’s hazy figure. The clicking of metal…the bent position of
her left elbow…and the fresh smell of tiny blood coming from Fatima’s neck.
Shell must be holding a dagger, the blade of her dagger touching Fatima’s
throat. Ciara analyzed very quickly.
“Ciara!”
Ciara turned around. Surprisingly, she didn’t expect the
Crude Brothers to be here, defending her. The guilt she had vanished as if it
had been a puff of dust. She was just misunderstanding things. Hearing the
Crude Brothers was the proof of friendship. They still cared about her as if
she was their family.
“Let go of me, Shell!” Fatima roared, “Why are you
protecting that fraud! She betrayed the Vixens—disgraced us!”
Arms were snaked around her waist. Ciara knew it was
Liam’s arms because of his slightly muscled arms, burying her face on Liam’s
sweaty chest.
“Ciara, are you hurt somewhere?” Liam panted heavily as
if he came from a marathon. “Sorry we’re late. We got caught up with something,
but at least we’re here, right?”
Ciara didn’t want to listen further as she focused her
attention to Fatima and Shell. At least Liam apologized, Ciara thought.
Why else would the Crude Brothers show up at a time like this?
“Shell!” Fatima shrieked. “Shell, let go of me!”
And just when things were getting better, a sharp voice
interrupted their fight. Ciara’s heart pounded in her ribcage. “Stop!”
Everyone grew silent. Kyra.
“Shell, let go of Fatima,” Kyra ordered, “You Blind Candidate, stay away
from Liam.”
The sounds disappeared one by one, so Ciara knew that
Shell must have let go of Fatima. The presence grew heavier and it was making
Ciara nervous.
“Who started this fight!?” Kyra roared.
No one answered and Kyra repeated. “I said, WHO!?”
“It was Fatima, Kyra.” A girl must have stepped up to
Kyra. “She was the first one to start a duel with the Blind Candidate.”
“Very well,” Kyra snapped, “Fatima come here.”
“Kyra, I’m not the one at fault! The Blind Candidate should be
banned from the Sputter Palace yesterday!” Fatima choked, starting to cry, “She
allowed herself to become Virgo’s pawn. She’s the one who activate those bombs
in the first place!”
“Silence!” Kyra snapped, “I said come here.”
Ciara could sense Fatima’s scared aura moving toward
Kyra’s heavy, savage presence. She heard the squeaking of shoes and the
gripping of one’s bone. Fingers making swish sounds…hair rustling. Kyra
must have tilted Fatima’s chin up, forcing the girl to look into Kyra’s eyes.
”Now you listen to me. I’m the leader of the organization
and I should be the one making these decisions. You hear me?” Kyra
hissed, “So if you try to disobey my rules, you’re going to pay for it,” she
continued, “Because of your disobedience, you will be receiving punishment today. The Blind Candidate is
dismissed for today, am I clear, or not?”
Fatima gulped, and Ciara sensed Kyra letting go of
Fatima, turning to the crowd because of the loud sounds her leaf coat was
making. “Everyone, today you shall witness another punishment from the Arena
Round. Got it!?” she continued, “Now off to the Arena Round!”
Their footsteps disappeared from the entrance, and
everything went back to normal. People had already finished their meals, too
excited to watch another punishment
and left the Crude Brothers and Ciara standing at the center of the wreckage.
Maybe this was her lucky day after all…Maybe Kyra had actually pitied her
because of the punishment that
she took yesterday. But nothing was okay if Fatima had to face that punishment.
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