have to protect yourself and our city from invasion will be your wits and your own two hands. We need to be sure you can handle yourselves.”
What he doesn’t say is that instead of guarding against Radical invasion, the more likely scenario is that we’d be fighting our own citizens from escaping. The thought has all my senses pricking.
“But because in the real world, you won’t have control over the physical environment you face, I’ll be taking away your sense of sight.”
We look around at each other. It’s hard to tell who’s who with these masks on.
“The fights tonight won’t always be even, to prepare you for any type of match up. Those fighting will remove their masks. The rest of us will watch and study techniques.”
My heart begins to pound remembering my match up with Bryce. I swallow down a sour taste in my mouth. The first match-up he announces is Jake and Alex. They’re friends. I have no idea how this will work. I don’t know what I’d do if I got paired with Sam. Jake and Alex haven’t moved, as if it’s still sinking in for them, too.
“Off with your masks. Move!” Kane shouts.
His voice startles them into action. They pull their night goggles off and move into the center of the circle.
Kane takes his spot on the sidelines. “There can only be one winner – whoever’s left standing.”
Jake and Alex make no move toward each other. For a second, I wonder what will happen if we refuse to fight, then dismiss the thought. I’m sure Kane would dream up an even worse punishment.
“Fight!” Kane commands. “I don’t want to be here all night.”
Jake takes a step toward Alex and swats his hands away from his face. It’s a half-hearted attempt. After a few minutes of circling each other, they begin to let their anger of this situation seep in and start to fight, with the sole purpose of ending it. Jake swings out and clocks Alex in the jaw. The sound of flesh hitting bone is sickening. Alex falls back to the ground and stays there.
Kane lifts Jake’s arm overhead. “Jake, round one.” There is no joy on Jake’s face though. Sam goes to Alex and helps him up; I get his night vision goggles.
Next up are Sabrina and Sam. The fight doesn’t last long. Sam easily knocks Sabrina off her feet and holds her to the ground, sitting on her chest until Sabrina is out of air and has to slap at the floor to end the fight.
“Okay, Drew, Bryce.” Kane nods to the center of the circle where Sabrina is still on her hands and knees, struggling for air. “And Eve.” He turns toward me and smiles.
Sam helps Sabrina to her feet, the steps forward. “You can’t do that – that’s two on one!”
“No.” Kane turns to her. “This is only fair – our top three finishers. I want to make sure each of them has some real competition.” He shoves me forward and pulls off my mask in one swift motion. I’m wrapped in complete darkness. I don’t know how the others did this. After wearing the night vision goggles that made everything glow, my eyes can’t adjust. I blink, trying to see where Drew and Bryce are at.
It’s actually genius of Kane to put me with these two. They’re friends, so they won’t fight each other. I’m sure they’ll both keep their attention locked on me. The outsider. The girl who beat them this morning.
It’s as if he wants to show everyone once and for all that I am not cut out to do this job – that I should be sent back to the mental ward to rot in a hospital bed. I can’t let that happen. I won’t.
I remember Rena’s warning: They will kill me. And I realize if I die in training, my blood won’t be on their hands. Is this how they intend to destroy me? I won’t let that happen.
I step into the circle. I can hardly see, but the glint of their eyes comes into focus, the whites of their teeth. Knowing I can’t rely on my sense of sight, or my strength to make it out alive, I tally what strengths I do have. I’m small and quick. And I don’t give up easily.
“Just show us what you did to the wolf,” someone shouts.
Drew and Bryce each take a step closer to me. I can sense they’re each waiting for the other to make the