Capture My Heart

Two months into life in the camp and races became a regular thing for people here.

It was better than being bored out of our minds and Poppy could kick pretty much any piece of tail she was put up against. She earned quite a few admirers.

One of which, was Beck, who continued to push her buttons ever since arriving here. He seemed pretty disgruntled as he never fazed her, and that she was more interested in De’Andre, who had become like an older brother to her although they were polar opposites.

De’Andre had blonde hair, and Poppy had dark hair. He was tall, she was short. She was sarcastic with an attitude and kinda bipolar while he was quiet and reserved, and thought before he spoke.

Of course, they had some similarities, they both had pale skin and dark eyes, and they were both skinny, although Poppy had curves because she was a girl.

De’Andre didn’t like racing, but he would for her, just like me and Violet did.

I didn’t like the way the guys here looked at Poppy when she finished her races. She was like the twin I never had, and Beck was enough of a problem. I didn’t need some random guys in here trying to hook up with her while she wasn’t allowed to fight with anyone.

Besides my growing concern for Poppy, I was entirely focused on Violet now. She and I were always together when we were in the arena and we were starting to get back to our former friendship, although she doesn’t remember it.

Poppy and our friends were like one big family but I had no idea that our family was about to possibly be torn apart.

XxX

We were in the arena, Violet and Jeremy were, out of boredom, playing rock paper scissors while Beck was humming an old song under his breath and Poppy was sitting, with her chin resting on her knees, her arms wrapped around them. De’Andre was hitting his head against the wall.

There was something on Poppy’s mind, I could tell.

Her eyes were distant, and she was chewing her lip off. Here eyebrows were pinched together but no one noticed.

I had to talk to her about it, but I was sure that whatever it was, the guys would want to know too and so I had to talk to her privately.

We had three and a half hours left together and I plotted on how I could get Poppy alone without raising questions.

She eventually made it very simple for me by actually getting up of her own free will.

She sighed deeply, and that was the only signal I got before she stood up and walked away, her eyes turned towards the ground before they snapped up for a moment to give me a knowing look.

I took the hidden message in her words as a sign to follow her but no one noticed. Beck noticed her leave but I got up to follow her before he had the chance to offer.

Violet.

Where were they going?

Poppy and Jacob just walked off, the latter following the first with this determined and almost loyal look on his face.

No one here even noticed, except Beck, and he glared at their backs with obvious displeasure the same way I couldn’t help myself from doing.

Damn Poppy, why did she have to do this to me?

She and Jacob were always together, always making me jealous when I shouldn’t have been. Jacob and I were friends now.

Just friends; nothing else, and yet I still end up getting that horrible feeling in my stomach whenever he even looks at her, especially when I see him get so disgusted whenever Beck flirts with her or follows her around.He gets that fire in his eyes and it kills me. He cares about her, and it hurts me.

I mean, anyone could see the bond between the two of them; the way they watched each other’s backs…and Jacob’s always got this possessiveness in his eyes when he sees her…it makes my heart hurt.

And worse still, she looks at him in the same way, only intensified.

Jacob.

Poppy walked a distance away, so the others could hear her, but so that she and I could still see them where they were lounging away.

“What’s wrong Poppy?” I said, stopping when she did. She looked at me and I saw the conflict in them as clear as day, along with a deep sadness that lingered in the deep brown pools of her eyes.

She was quiet for a while.

“I got moved up,” Poppy said quietly.

At first, nothing but relief filled me. She wasn’t going to have to be hurt anymore. There was no possibility of it. She could get an actual bed instead of the sleepless accommodations she didn’t deserve.

Bu then another thought hit, the one that Poppy no doubt had actually been worried about in the first place.

If Poppy got moved up, there would be no one to stay with Violet.

She stared at me, waiting for what I was going to say. I knew she was expecting something, but I didn’t know if I told her what she had expected to hear.

“I am going to ask you for the worst thing possible,” I said gently, in a dead monotone, staring at Violet, who was still with the others and watching us discreetly. I felt feeling of dread in my stomach at the thoughts whizzing around in my head.

I couldn’t let her be alone.

Realization grew in Poppy’s eyes before I’d even asked. “You want me to stay with her, don’t you?” Poppy asked and although the idea horrified her, I knew that she would do it. For me.

I am the worst friend ever.

Poppy.

I knew I had to act before we were lead back to our rooms. Otherwise, I could get led into the good section and Farah wouldn’t let me demote myself again.

Jake didn’t ever get around to asking me to do this for him, but he didn’t have to.

He loved her.

It was so obvious, I often wondered why Farah didn’t see it, but maybe losing her memory had dropped some of her observance skills as well.

She barely spoke to him in the arena; she acted all quiet and shut out to the way she talked to me in the girl’s room, but he seemed to expect it, and I didn’t say anything.

It wasn’t any of my business anyways, and Jacob and Farah were my friends. But that was all.

So, I would do this for them. Not just for Jacob.

XxX

I didn’t have time to be creative as they rounded everyone up.

Farah was watching me with envy, and I guess that seeing me with Jacob struck a nerve. Maybe she loved him too.

Of course the girl had a funny way of showing it, but again, it’s none of my business.

The vampires acted as a corral for us, standing in line equal lengths away from each other and holding their guns in their hands.

Sometimes they push us if we went to slow, which was just what I was hoping for. I kept my pace long and dragging, before an icy hand reached from beside me gave me a rough shove that nearly knocked me over.

Girls beside me scurried around from the scene, and I watched Farah hesitate behind me. I gave her a hidden motion with my hand to continue and she cautiously walked around.

I waited; the whole process of action only taking about five seconds before I growled stood up only to shove the vampire back. I did it with enough force to make him stumble, and several vamps rushed over after he slapped me, hard, across the face.

I fell back as they shouted over me, landing on my side and rolling over limply as the sting washed over my face where I’d been hit.

Another icy hand grabbed me, but instead of more beatings I was shoved again, but this time I walked on willingly. The damage had been done.

“Ela isnt pronto” The vampire who I shoved snapped, and the others nodded while I caught up to Farah.

I nearly smiled at hearing those words. They were Portugese. They meant I wasnt ready yet.

Jacob.

It wasn’t as bad as last time.

Poppy’s eye was swollen like before, and she had a bruise in the shape of a hand on her cheek, her lip swollen on that side as well, but that was it.

It wasn’t as bad.

But bad enough.

“I don’t understand why you acted like that Poppy,” Violet said quietly, when our little group of friends were gathered again. It had been two days since I’d made my request, and Poppy hadn’t told anyone about her moving up, or about why she’d nearly attacked a vampire either.

Beck was looking at her in a burning way, but I knew he was playing it up a bit and was more concerned about how she thought of him than the fact that he actually cared about her.

Everyone was interrogating Poppy and I felt guilty, although I could see her reassuring me with her eyes that I shouldn’t have been. She didn’t have to do it.

“I guess I just kinda lost it,” Poppy lied convincingly, after Jeremy asked her again, why she’d snapped, although, she didn’t have to lie. I think she was protecting Violet.

Trying to keep her from knowing what a horrible person I am. To keep her from knowing I was selfish enough to make Poppy suffer through another beating for her.