Status: On hold, longterm
Struggle for Freedom
Chapter two
He winks at me before quickly heading back towards his stuff. I’m stunned and a little frightened. He’s from Ambrosius. Although they’re ranked second, everyone still knows they’re the most dangerous tribe. Their powers are unimaginable.
I quickly tie my shoelaces and grab my weapon of choice, my metal pole, before lining up. I rank in between Ambrosius and Vires. My stomach drops to the floor when I see the guy from Vires. They supposedly specialise in brute force and well, this guy is twice my size. His arms are about as wide as my waist. Note to self, stay away from him.
“Pssst!”
I turn around to see Sora smiling, and my insides do a flip, although whether it’s because he’s so gorgeous or because I’m now terrified of him, I’m not entirely sure. I can see it now though, behind his niceness, the power. His cunning shows through his bright eyes. I turn back around feeling really sick right about now.
“Hey,” he taps my shoulder.
I turn around, trying to keep my face fear free, but it must not have worked because he asks, “are you scared of me now?”
I don’t answer and just bite my lip. Gosh I hate being such a scaredy cat. And of such a hottie too.
“Hey, us strong folk need to stick together, cause I know the lower tribes will be allying up too.” He turns around and winks at the guy from Nex. He just grunts in response.
“I promise, I won’t hurt you.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, “we can work together and win this.”
“Yeah and then what about when it’s just you and me?” I whisper to myself, but he heard me.
“The race isn’t like that. The first part is just the preliminaries,” he answers.
I turn around to face him. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the Great Race.” He gives me a mocking look as if I’m stupid. I honestly feel it right now.
“It isn’t?” the guy from Nex asks.
“No.” Sora answers.
“Then what is it?”
“I just said it’s-”
“There will be no talking in the waiting queue.” An old woman appears next to us with a checklist and pen. “I’ve come to register your weapons.”
She looked at the guy from Nex first. His weapon was a really long, thin double edged sword, with the image of a snake carved into the handle and then engraved into the blade. She just looked at it, wrote something down on her checklist and then smiled. Next came Sora’s. He had two daggers, one tinted blue, the other one yellow, both with his tribe’s crest on them, the Phoenix in flames.
“Only one weapon per person.” The lady said, holding her hand out for one of his daggers.
I watched amazed as smiling, Sora put both the daggers together to make one. He twiddled it round his fingers just to show that it was now one weapon. The lady scribbled something down, grunted and moved on to me.
“A pole?” the lady asked. I could hear the boys behind me sniggering. I glared back at them.
“Yes.” I answered. I had always fought with just my pole and energy. It was the height of a grown man, light as a feather but stronger than most other metals. It was special with other special features made just for me.
“Are you sure that’s your weapon of choice?” she looked at me questioning. “You might want something a little more threatening dear.”
Why was she treating me like a weak little girl?! Oh yeah, because I was one.
“I’m fine with this thanks.” I said, still glaring at Sora.
“Okay, it’s your death.” She said walking off. I tried to brush off that last comment but the word death was chilling.
“Hey,” Sora had stopped laughing. “I’ve got your back.”
“Do you really think I’m weak?” I asked him.
“I don’t actually know, I’ve never seen you fight.”
I wasn’t sure of myself anymore. Sure being in the top set of your class was great, but that doesn’t mean much when you have no idea what everyone else is like. I mean, my top set could be at the standard of another tribe’s bottom set. And also, there’s only really a marginal difference between my tribe, 3, and the 9th tribe, Imber, so who’s to say they won’t be better fighters than I am. Plus, some of these guys are older than me. You can be from age 16 to 20 and I’m only 16.
“Hey, calm down.” Sora’s got his hand on my shoulder, but then he takes it off. I realise that I’m shaking, my heart pounding in my ears. “You just have to relax, take deep breaths.”
“I’m not ready.” I whisper. I’m such a cry baby too; I can feel my eyes watering, and my nose is getting runny. I turn away from him and wipe my face with the hem of my shirt.
Sora doesn’t say anything more until the line starts to move.
“We’ll be fine, just stick close.” He whispers in my ear. I just nod, too afraid my voice will break to speak.
“Hey, I’m in on your little group right?” The Nex guy asks.
“Yeah sure.”
“Chilled, I’m Sassacus by the way.”
“Sora,” he replied. “Hey,” Sora tapped me on the back again. We were nearly at the entrance. I was gripping my pole so hard that my knuckles were white.
“You know, I never got your name…” he trails off.
“Oh,” I can’t believe I was so rude not to introduce myself. “I’m Alice.”
“Alice,” he said, “nice to meet you Alice.”
And I swear that both times he said my name, my stomach did a little somersault inside. Wow, I’d made a friend just minutes before I was about to battle and die some horrible gory death. Even though on the inside I was crying, all I could do was try and smile as we stepped out into the arena.
I quickly tie my shoelaces and grab my weapon of choice, my metal pole, before lining up. I rank in between Ambrosius and Vires. My stomach drops to the floor when I see the guy from Vires. They supposedly specialise in brute force and well, this guy is twice my size. His arms are about as wide as my waist. Note to self, stay away from him.
“Pssst!”
I turn around to see Sora smiling, and my insides do a flip, although whether it’s because he’s so gorgeous or because I’m now terrified of him, I’m not entirely sure. I can see it now though, behind his niceness, the power. His cunning shows through his bright eyes. I turn back around feeling really sick right about now.
“Hey,” he taps my shoulder.
I turn around, trying to keep my face fear free, but it must not have worked because he asks, “are you scared of me now?”
I don’t answer and just bite my lip. Gosh I hate being such a scaredy cat. And of such a hottie too.
“Hey, us strong folk need to stick together, cause I know the lower tribes will be allying up too.” He turns around and winks at the guy from Nex. He just grunts in response.
“I promise, I won’t hurt you.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, “we can work together and win this.”
“Yeah and then what about when it’s just you and me?” I whisper to myself, but he heard me.
“The race isn’t like that. The first part is just the preliminaries,” he answers.
I turn around to face him. “What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the Great Race.” He gives me a mocking look as if I’m stupid. I honestly feel it right now.
“It isn’t?” the guy from Nex asks.
“No.” Sora answers.
“Then what is it?”
“I just said it’s-”
“There will be no talking in the waiting queue.” An old woman appears next to us with a checklist and pen. “I’ve come to register your weapons.”
She looked at the guy from Nex first. His weapon was a really long, thin double edged sword, with the image of a snake carved into the handle and then engraved into the blade. She just looked at it, wrote something down on her checklist and then smiled. Next came Sora’s. He had two daggers, one tinted blue, the other one yellow, both with his tribe’s crest on them, the Phoenix in flames.
“Only one weapon per person.” The lady said, holding her hand out for one of his daggers.
I watched amazed as smiling, Sora put both the daggers together to make one. He twiddled it round his fingers just to show that it was now one weapon. The lady scribbled something down, grunted and moved on to me.
“A pole?” the lady asked. I could hear the boys behind me sniggering. I glared back at them.
“Yes.” I answered. I had always fought with just my pole and energy. It was the height of a grown man, light as a feather but stronger than most other metals. It was special with other special features made just for me.
“Are you sure that’s your weapon of choice?” she looked at me questioning. “You might want something a little more threatening dear.”
Why was she treating me like a weak little girl?! Oh yeah, because I was one.
“I’m fine with this thanks.” I said, still glaring at Sora.
“Okay, it’s your death.” She said walking off. I tried to brush off that last comment but the word death was chilling.
“Hey,” Sora had stopped laughing. “I’ve got your back.”
“Do you really think I’m weak?” I asked him.
“I don’t actually know, I’ve never seen you fight.”
I wasn’t sure of myself anymore. Sure being in the top set of your class was great, but that doesn’t mean much when you have no idea what everyone else is like. I mean, my top set could be at the standard of another tribe’s bottom set. And also, there’s only really a marginal difference between my tribe, 3, and the 9th tribe, Imber, so who’s to say they won’t be better fighters than I am. Plus, some of these guys are older than me. You can be from age 16 to 20 and I’m only 16.
“Hey, calm down.” Sora’s got his hand on my shoulder, but then he takes it off. I realise that I’m shaking, my heart pounding in my ears. “You just have to relax, take deep breaths.”
“I’m not ready.” I whisper. I’m such a cry baby too; I can feel my eyes watering, and my nose is getting runny. I turn away from him and wipe my face with the hem of my shirt.
Sora doesn’t say anything more until the line starts to move.
“We’ll be fine, just stick close.” He whispers in my ear. I just nod, too afraid my voice will break to speak.
“Hey, I’m in on your little group right?” The Nex guy asks.
“Yeah sure.”
“Chilled, I’m Sassacus by the way.”
“Sora,” he replied. “Hey,” Sora tapped me on the back again. We were nearly at the entrance. I was gripping my pole so hard that my knuckles were white.
“You know, I never got your name…” he trails off.
“Oh,” I can’t believe I was so rude not to introduce myself. “I’m Alice.”
“Alice,” he said, “nice to meet you Alice.”
And I swear that both times he said my name, my stomach did a little somersault inside. Wow, I’d made a friend just minutes before I was about to battle and die some horrible gory death. Even though on the inside I was crying, all I could do was try and smile as we stepped out into the arena.