Ruination
01
The massive spotlight shone on her, illuminating the serene smile on her face. Tiny cameras the size of bugs flitted around her, capturing her from multiple angles to project onto the large screens hovering around the room.
Madison Walker had been the main attraction of her family's carnival since she was little, spinning and twisting in midair high above a crowd of people more times than she could count; while her parents tamed wild animals and her twin brothers performed magic tricks.
Madison's latest trick was sailing through rings of fire. She gave a dramatic but graceful now as the people assembled below her waited to see what she would do. The rings lowered from the ceiling, earning a sharp gasp as they erupted in flame. It matched Madison's glittering red and gold leotard, which was of course fully fireproof. She'd also been sprayed head to toe with a flame retardant concoction her Uncle Sean had created.
So she didn't feel an ounce of nerves as she sprung from the platform where she was standing and somersaulted through the first flaming hoop. A trail of smoke and fire followed behind her as she herself caught fire and became a human torch. She caught the next hoop and swung up to drape herself across it, spinning wildly in midair to uproarious applause. When her routine was finished, she let go of the hoop and somersaulted toward the ground, plunging into a pool of crystal blue water waiting for her below. A platform lifted beneath her, bringing her up to the surface in a "ta-da" pose. She wasn't scorched in the least, and the water sloughed right off whatever crazy thing Uncle Sean had sprayed her down with. It didn't even mess up her makeup.
Madison bowed again as people cheered and clapped. The lights dimmed to signal the end of the show and she slipped away under the cover of the shadows, returning to her dressing room and wriggling free of the damp leotard. She tied a silk dressing robe around herself and sat down to start wiping away all the heavy eye makeup and glitter she wore for the performances. She could never quite get all of it out of her indigo hair, though. The sleek bob always had a trace of sparkle no matter how much she scrubbed at it.
"Brava, fair lady. A most exceptional display."
"Quit hiding in my dressing room, you creep," Madison said to the boy who appeared behind her. August Beckett was the son of one of the wealthiest men in all of Arkana, and he had been Madison's best friend since they were children. He just grinned, his hazel eyes crinkling as he pushed his unruly mop of brown hair out of them.
"It really was great, Maddi," he said, helping himself to the chocolates on her vanity. "I can already hear the jokes about how "hot" you are."
"I am hot," Madison retorted, snatching her chocolates back. "Don't be jealous because more guys prefer my bendiness to your money."
August placed a hand over his heart, looking wounded. "Ouch. That was a low blow, Madison Elaine Walker. You know my money is all I have."
"Yeah, right," Madison laughed. "Like your carefully messed up hair and bedroom eyes don't land you plenty of boyfriends."
August winked. "Can I take you out to dinner to celebrate your great success?"
"I'm always ready to spend your money."
Madison washed off the stuff Sean had sprayed on her and towel dried her hair before putting on normal clothes and joining August at his sleek hover car. He was talking to Iliam and Ivan, her brothers. Despite the fact that August had been spending time around the Walker family since he and Madison were ten, he still couldn't tell Iliam and Ivan apart and the two of them loved messing with him.
"Come on, Beckett. Just guess," Ivan taunted, grinning mischievously. Madison rolled her eyes.
"That one is Ivan, and that one is Iliam," she said. "Now come on, I'm starving."
"You're such a buzzkill," they said in unison, turning matching scowls on Madison as she blew them a kiss and climbed into August's hover car. It wound lazily above the city streets, leaving behind the colorful little sector Madison called home and heading into the sleeker parts of Arkana. Madison raided the mini fridge for the tiny raspberry champagne bottles and brownies inside.
"And you denied me your chocolates," August said accusingly. Madison stuck her tongue out at him, taking a huge bite of the brownie.
"You're going to ruin your dinner," he warned.
"Are you kidding? I'm starving. You try flying through the air while on fire and not fall. I know I make it look effortless, but it's hard work. Not that I'd expect you to know anything about hard work, pretty boy."
"How dare you, Madame. I know I make it seem effortless to be this devilishly handsome and charming, but...actually now that I think about it, it is pretty effortless."
"You're horrible." Madison flicked a brownie crumb at him, blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "So where are we going?"
"Where else? Your favorite."
"You're going to take me all the way to the Grotto just for dinner?"
"Well you did set yourself on fire." August grinned. "Anything for my fire princess."
Madison scooter over and hugged him till he pretended to suffocate. As the hover car drifted a little higher, she could see the faint shimmer of the force field that covered the entire expanse of Arkana. Beneath it was the outline of the giant wall.
"What do you think the world was like before Arkana?" she murmured. Arkana was a Utopia; nothing existed within its walls except for peace and prosperity. But the sight of the wall and the dome was a grim reminder that there was a world beyond Arkana, and it was far less kind. August just shrugged, taking a sip of champagne.
"What does it matter?" he asked. "Arkana is here now, and we'll never have to find out what it was like before."
Madison Walker had been the main attraction of her family's carnival since she was little, spinning and twisting in midair high above a crowd of people more times than she could count; while her parents tamed wild animals and her twin brothers performed magic tricks.
Madison's latest trick was sailing through rings of fire. She gave a dramatic but graceful now as the people assembled below her waited to see what she would do. The rings lowered from the ceiling, earning a sharp gasp as they erupted in flame. It matched Madison's glittering red and gold leotard, which was of course fully fireproof. She'd also been sprayed head to toe with a flame retardant concoction her Uncle Sean had created.
So she didn't feel an ounce of nerves as she sprung from the platform where she was standing and somersaulted through the first flaming hoop. A trail of smoke and fire followed behind her as she herself caught fire and became a human torch. She caught the next hoop and swung up to drape herself across it, spinning wildly in midair to uproarious applause. When her routine was finished, she let go of the hoop and somersaulted toward the ground, plunging into a pool of crystal blue water waiting for her below. A platform lifted beneath her, bringing her up to the surface in a "ta-da" pose. She wasn't scorched in the least, and the water sloughed right off whatever crazy thing Uncle Sean had sprayed her down with. It didn't even mess up her makeup.
Madison bowed again as people cheered and clapped. The lights dimmed to signal the end of the show and she slipped away under the cover of the shadows, returning to her dressing room and wriggling free of the damp leotard. She tied a silk dressing robe around herself and sat down to start wiping away all the heavy eye makeup and glitter she wore for the performances. She could never quite get all of it out of her indigo hair, though. The sleek bob always had a trace of sparkle no matter how much she scrubbed at it.
"Brava, fair lady. A most exceptional display."
"Quit hiding in my dressing room, you creep," Madison said to the boy who appeared behind her. August Beckett was the son of one of the wealthiest men in all of Arkana, and he had been Madison's best friend since they were children. He just grinned, his hazel eyes crinkling as he pushed his unruly mop of brown hair out of them.
"It really was great, Maddi," he said, helping himself to the chocolates on her vanity. "I can already hear the jokes about how "hot" you are."
"I am hot," Madison retorted, snatching her chocolates back. "Don't be jealous because more guys prefer my bendiness to your money."
August placed a hand over his heart, looking wounded. "Ouch. That was a low blow, Madison Elaine Walker. You know my money is all I have."
"Yeah, right," Madison laughed. "Like your carefully messed up hair and bedroom eyes don't land you plenty of boyfriends."
August winked. "Can I take you out to dinner to celebrate your great success?"
"I'm always ready to spend your money."
Madison washed off the stuff Sean had sprayed on her and towel dried her hair before putting on normal clothes and joining August at his sleek hover car. He was talking to Iliam and Ivan, her brothers. Despite the fact that August had been spending time around the Walker family since he and Madison were ten, he still couldn't tell Iliam and Ivan apart and the two of them loved messing with him.
"Come on, Beckett. Just guess," Ivan taunted, grinning mischievously. Madison rolled her eyes.
"That one is Ivan, and that one is Iliam," she said. "Now come on, I'm starving."
"You're such a buzzkill," they said in unison, turning matching scowls on Madison as she blew them a kiss and climbed into August's hover car. It wound lazily above the city streets, leaving behind the colorful little sector Madison called home and heading into the sleeker parts of Arkana. Madison raided the mini fridge for the tiny raspberry champagne bottles and brownies inside.
"And you denied me your chocolates," August said accusingly. Madison stuck her tongue out at him, taking a huge bite of the brownie.
"You're going to ruin your dinner," he warned.
"Are you kidding? I'm starving. You try flying through the air while on fire and not fall. I know I make it look effortless, but it's hard work. Not that I'd expect you to know anything about hard work, pretty boy."
"How dare you, Madame. I know I make it seem effortless to be this devilishly handsome and charming, but...actually now that I think about it, it is pretty effortless."
"You're horrible." Madison flicked a brownie crumb at him, blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "So where are we going?"
"Where else? Your favorite."
"You're going to take me all the way to the Grotto just for dinner?"
"Well you did set yourself on fire." August grinned. "Anything for my fire princess."
Madison scooter over and hugged him till he pretended to suffocate. As the hover car drifted a little higher, she could see the faint shimmer of the force field that covered the entire expanse of Arkana. Beneath it was the outline of the giant wall.
"What do you think the world was like before Arkana?" she murmured. Arkana was a Utopia; nothing existed within its walls except for peace and prosperity. But the sight of the wall and the dome was a grim reminder that there was a world beyond Arkana, and it was far less kind. August just shrugged, taking a sip of champagne.
"What does it matter?" he asked. "Arkana is here now, and we'll never have to find out what it was like before."