Celest
Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of the two world saga
Lereana’s wings brushed against me as we walked down the street. Everywhere around us were people trying to get into the gathering. Hillers was where all who had been “enhanced” came, either for a good time or to watch the fights. The A Soldiers came for the ring matches, to win extra cash. Then were the “Ones” whose surgeries had left them so deformed that no one would hire them for work. The fights provided their only cash flow. And there was the Sellers who offered illegal serums so that the fighters would enhance themselves. This made Hillers the place to be.
Lereana and I cut the line and came to the entrance. I gave a retina scan at the service computer. A map appeared showing the back entrance. I stood aside and waited for Lereana to scan. I could see one of the fights going on through a window. They were moving so fast that I could only catch a glimpse of a punch or a high kick. So they were soldiers. The two broke apart and I saw the larger fighter’s scarred face.
“Colton’s fighting tonight,” I said, as Lereana joined me.
She folded her wings tighter around herself. “Probably he was still a little edgy from the serum he took for his contract. Is he winning?”
“Can’t tell. Both looked tired, but neither looked ready to give up.” We walked to the back entrance. “As much as I could tell, whoever Colton’s fighting, he’s fast.”
I opened the door and followed Lereana inside. People looked up, gave us a once-over and continued with their conversations. The music had a steady, almost monotone, rhythm. Looking at the dance floor I saw Seleene, dancing with several people, her hair whipping around the other dancers, a huge smile on her face. Her partners kept a respectable distance.
As we walked across the dance floor to reach the bar, emotions started to press against me. As tired as I was, this made maintaining my barriers difficult. Lereana disappeared, as I went over to the bar in the corner. I ordered a drink and sat down. Lereana appeared a few seconds later with Seleene.
“Greg, I’ll have a Rudin,” Seleene motioned for the bartender and then turned to me, “James.”
“How many fights has Colton been in so far?”
“No clue. I split with him and Dianna. Haven’t seen them since they went to the rings.” She put down her glass and signalled for it to be taken. “Let’s go to the rings, then?”
“Alright.”
Seleene led the way. Every few seconds a guy would appear and ask to dance with her but she patted their cheeks and kept moving. As I followed I saw saw Dianna dancing with two men. We caught each other’s eye. She left the guys and came over to me. Her shoulders hunched as though she were trying to make herself smaller. The guys looked at me, their faces angry, and they started to follow her. Seleene saw them too.
“Trouble,” she said with a smile.
Seleene’s body temperature rose and the air around her began to heat. A small lick of fire crawled around her finger tips. I opened my barriers to her, feeding off her excitement. Lereana’s wings began to un-furl. The men who were approaching were A-soldiers and not on narcotics by the look of their eyes. If it came to a fight they would be hard to defeat.
Dianna had noticed them following her, and she quickened her pace and came beside us. Both Dianna and Seleene were pyre techs and now Dianna’s fingers crawled with fire too.
“Hey, buddy - we were dancing with her.” The A-Soldier with long hair spoke first.
“She’s done.” I said.
“Whoa, boys. Settle down on the hormone shots.” Seleene tapped her fingers twice, a signal that we used during a hunt.
Dianna slipped behind us, whispering something into Lereana’s ear. Lereana looked startled.
“You forced her to dance with you?”
“No- she wanted to,” the spokesman said his eyes wide with confusion.
“And what if we did?” the other A-Soldier was reaching into his pockets.
“Well, you’d get your ass kicked, for sure,” Seleene examined her flaming hand. “Oh, and you would seriously piss off Skylar Twinleaf.”
Both men stepped back. The soldier who had just taken out a vile of narcotics quickly put it back. He looked at his friend who just turned and left. He followed. I looked at Seleene.
“That was risky. They might not have believed us.”
“Hold on, James,” Seleene had a curious look on her face. “Dianna, why did you lie?”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to.” Her voice was extremely quiet. I almost missed her words entirely.
“Leave it alone Seleene. It’s her problem.” Lereana said.
I nodded in agreement and motioned for Seleene to take lead again. A few minutes later we arrived at the fighting rings. Colton was gone. Another fight had started. Seleene led us to the back where the showers and change rooms were.
“Colton, the gang’s here.” Seleene said, as she entered one of the doors.
“You look good, Colton.” Lereana smiled.
“Ouch.” I said.
His face was smashed up but by the look of it he had used a Medipill. I had on occasion used this machine to heal myself. Colton’s face had fresh scratches and cuts that he would let heal naturally, as had many of his other scars.
“I lost.” Colton’s eyes were dark. He was off his high.
“Too bad.” Seleene said sitting beside him.
Colton’s depression slammed into my barriers, putting a strain on my already tired mind. My barriers were being swamped and a headache was forming.
Seleene looked at me; she was reading my thoughts, “James, you should go.”
Lereana and Dianna looked up. Their emotions started to break through, reticence and calm that were just as deep and disturbing as Colton’s depression.
“Right.” All the emotions that I absorbed poured through that single word. My head was pounding. I had to get out.
I ran swiftly out of the room, and across the dance floor. At the door I ran into the two A-Soldiers who had been dancing with Dianna. They were coming back in, their eyes bloodshot.
“Well, look who it is,” the guy with the black hair smiled. “Think he wants to fight us?”
His emotions flowed over me; I felt a deep sense of hatred from him, the kind that told me we wanted to kill me now, with my barriers down his feeling made me want to kill him badly.
“Go away.”
“Not so tough when there is no one to back you up, are you, asshole?”
Their feelings were hitting me hard making my headache worse. They were provoking me, because if I started the fight, Skylar would have no grounds to retaliate. I didn’t answer and they started to come toward me. The air around me thickened and started to heat. The A-Soldiers looked at me, puzzled. I couldn’t stop it anymore. All the energy caused by the emotions burst. It sent the two through entrance. I ran out stepping over the broken door and the two bodies. I ran, my headache throbbing. Somehow I made my way home.
Lereana’s wings brushed against me as we walked down the street. Everywhere around us were people trying to get into the gathering. Hillers was where all who had been “enhanced” came, either for a good time or to watch the fights. The A Soldiers came for the ring matches, to win extra cash. Then were the “Ones” whose surgeries had left them so deformed that no one would hire them for work. The fights provided their only cash flow. And there was the Sellers who offered illegal serums so that the fighters would enhance themselves. This made Hillers the place to be.
Lereana and I cut the line and came to the entrance. I gave a retina scan at the service computer. A map appeared showing the back entrance. I stood aside and waited for Lereana to scan. I could see one of the fights going on through a window. They were moving so fast that I could only catch a glimpse of a punch or a high kick. So they were soldiers. The two broke apart and I saw the larger fighter’s scarred face.
“Colton’s fighting tonight,” I said, as Lereana joined me.
She folded her wings tighter around herself. “Probably he was still a little edgy from the serum he took for his contract. Is he winning?”
“Can’t tell. Both looked tired, but neither looked ready to give up.” We walked to the back entrance. “As much as I could tell, whoever Colton’s fighting, he’s fast.”
I opened the door and followed Lereana inside. People looked up, gave us a once-over and continued with their conversations. The music had a steady, almost monotone, rhythm. Looking at the dance floor I saw Seleene, dancing with several people, her hair whipping around the other dancers, a huge smile on her face. Her partners kept a respectable distance.
As we walked across the dance floor to reach the bar, emotions started to press against me. As tired as I was, this made maintaining my barriers difficult. Lereana disappeared, as I went over to the bar in the corner. I ordered a drink and sat down. Lereana appeared a few seconds later with Seleene.
“Greg, I’ll have a Rudin,” Seleene motioned for the bartender and then turned to me, “James.”
“How many fights has Colton been in so far?”
“No clue. I split with him and Dianna. Haven’t seen them since they went to the rings.” She put down her glass and signalled for it to be taken. “Let’s go to the rings, then?”
“Alright.”
Seleene led the way. Every few seconds a guy would appear and ask to dance with her but she patted their cheeks and kept moving. As I followed I saw saw Dianna dancing with two men. We caught each other’s eye. She left the guys and came over to me. Her shoulders hunched as though she were trying to make herself smaller. The guys looked at me, their faces angry, and they started to follow her. Seleene saw them too.
“Trouble,” she said with a smile.
Seleene’s body temperature rose and the air around her began to heat. A small lick of fire crawled around her finger tips. I opened my barriers to her, feeding off her excitement. Lereana’s wings began to un-furl. The men who were approaching were A-soldiers and not on narcotics by the look of their eyes. If it came to a fight they would be hard to defeat.
Dianna had noticed them following her, and she quickened her pace and came beside us. Both Dianna and Seleene were pyre techs and now Dianna’s fingers crawled with fire too.
“Hey, buddy - we were dancing with her.” The A-Soldier with long hair spoke first.
“She’s done.” I said.
“Whoa, boys. Settle down on the hormone shots.” Seleene tapped her fingers twice, a signal that we used during a hunt.
Dianna slipped behind us, whispering something into Lereana’s ear. Lereana looked startled.
“You forced her to dance with you?”
“No- she wanted to,” the spokesman said his eyes wide with confusion.
“And what if we did?” the other A-Soldier was reaching into his pockets.
“Well, you’d get your ass kicked, for sure,” Seleene examined her flaming hand. “Oh, and you would seriously piss off Skylar Twinleaf.”
Both men stepped back. The soldier who had just taken out a vile of narcotics quickly put it back. He looked at his friend who just turned and left. He followed. I looked at Seleene.
“That was risky. They might not have believed us.”
“Hold on, James,” Seleene had a curious look on her face. “Dianna, why did you lie?”
“I don’t know. I just wanted to.” Her voice was extremely quiet. I almost missed her words entirely.
“Leave it alone Seleene. It’s her problem.” Lereana said.
I nodded in agreement and motioned for Seleene to take lead again. A few minutes later we arrived at the fighting rings. Colton was gone. Another fight had started. Seleene led us to the back where the showers and change rooms were.
“Colton, the gang’s here.” Seleene said, as she entered one of the doors.
“You look good, Colton.” Lereana smiled.
“Ouch.” I said.
His face was smashed up but by the look of it he had used a Medipill. I had on occasion used this machine to heal myself. Colton’s face had fresh scratches and cuts that he would let heal naturally, as had many of his other scars.
“I lost.” Colton’s eyes were dark. He was off his high.
“Too bad.” Seleene said sitting beside him.
Colton’s depression slammed into my barriers, putting a strain on my already tired mind. My barriers were being swamped and a headache was forming.
Seleene looked at me; she was reading my thoughts, “James, you should go.”
Lereana and Dianna looked up. Their emotions started to break through, reticence and calm that were just as deep and disturbing as Colton’s depression.
“Right.” All the emotions that I absorbed poured through that single word. My head was pounding. I had to get out.
I ran swiftly out of the room, and across the dance floor. At the door I ran into the two A-Soldiers who had been dancing with Dianna. They were coming back in, their eyes bloodshot.
“Well, look who it is,” the guy with the black hair smiled. “Think he wants to fight us?”
His emotions flowed over me; I felt a deep sense of hatred from him, the kind that told me we wanted to kill me now, with my barriers down his feeling made me want to kill him badly.
“Go away.”
“Not so tough when there is no one to back you up, are you, asshole?”
Their feelings were hitting me hard making my headache worse. They were provoking me, because if I started the fight, Skylar would have no grounds to retaliate. I didn’t answer and they started to come toward me. The air around me thickened and started to heat. The A-Soldiers looked at me, puzzled. I couldn’t stop it anymore. All the energy caused by the emotions burst. It sent the two through entrance. I ran out stepping over the broken door and the two bodies. I ran, my headache throbbing. Somehow I made my way home.