“What’s the matter with you?” I ask, trying to break the tension.
“Nothing,” he says, then smiles. “I’m just impressed, that’s all. Didn’t know you had it in you to kill someone so easily.”
“Seriously, what the hell is wrong with everyone? It wasn’t easy and I didn’t like it, but it’s better than me being dead.”
“It gets easier the longer you’ve been at it.”
“I don’t want it to be easier. This is not how life should be. Why does everyone from Tarsus think this is fun? Your life can’t be that bad here that you’re willing to risk it on the chance you’ll go live in Icarian.”
Frey scowls at my last remark. “Do you want to make a bet?”
“What?”
“Spend a few hours in Tarsus, especially the area I’m from. You might change your mind.”
“We’re not permitted to leave Thrace Tower, so that’ll never happen.”
“What if I could arrange it? A small outing, just you and me. Would you go?”
“No.” I get up and start towards the hall when Frey calls me back.
“Think about it. You’ll change your mind in a few days.”
I stomp away, but only make it halfway down the wall when Matron Kaniz appears. She signals for me to follow her. We enter the Progression Room. There isn’t any medical staff, so I doubt I’ll be maimed tonight. She has me sit in a chair in the corner of the room, while she slides a stool over to sit down.
“Tell me about the fight,” she says.
“There isn’t much to tell. Brink was being an ass, so Garrett decked him.”
“It’s more than that, Max. Something had to have triggered such a violent response from Garrett.”
“He was defending me, that’s all. Brink wouldn’t leave me alone, so Garrett stepped in to stop him.”
“How well do you know Garrett?”
“I only met him a few days ago. I don’t know anything about him. What’s with all the questions? Is he in trouble?”
She doesn’t respond right away, but simply taps her index finger against her lips. “We’ve been notified by the Keepers that some of the players from the Outer Limits may cause some issues with The Litarian Battles and upcoming event. We’re just trying to figure out if he’s one of them.”
“What kind of issues?”
“Nothing that should concern you. I’m sure you aren’t someone I need to be worried about, right?”
I nod.
“Good. Get some sleep, tomorrow will be a busy day.”
I leave, go into the bedroom, then go to bed after brushing my teeth. I can’t stop thinking about what Matron Kaniz said. We were all warned by Edom that if we caused any trouble we’d be executed on live television. Why would the Keepers think we’re here to cause problems? Is what Frey and Garrett said true? Does everyone in Tarsus think the ten – now five – of us were sent here to take over Pentras when it’s completed? Is that another reason why we were the only ones set to battle today? To eliminate the possibility of traitors? But aren’t the Keepers the ones who make the final selections about who gets to participate? I’ll need to ask either Rem or Addie in the morning.
Eight
“Hold still,” a female voice whispers behind me.
I can’t turn my head to see who it is. My neck is in a brace secured to a metal operating table, which is cold under my bare skin. The bright lights over my head prevent my vision from acclimating to the environment. Something is injected into the biceps of both my arms. It doesn’t hurt, but within seconds I can’t feel anything. I catch glimpses of movement around me, but nothing will come into focus. A mask is placed over my face and I’m instructed to breathe deeply. I doze off and on for hours it seems like, only managing to catch snippets of conversations.
“Will this work?” someone asks.
“Yes, I’m sure of it.”
“What if someone finds out what we’ve done, and –”
“Don’t even think it. We have our orders, so we won’t get into any sort of trouble.”
“Yes, but –”
“You want to stop the realignment, don’t you?”
“Of course, but why her?”
“She’s the one they’ve been looking for. If we make the first alteration to this impending war, we’ll benefit in the end. This is for our protection, Cil. The leader gave us our orders and we’re following them. End of discussion.”
My head hurts when I wake. I can’t tell if what I experienced was a dream, or if I’m starting to remember what happened to me in the Outer Limits that night. I shake my mind free of the conversation and meet everyone in the common room for breakfast. I eat with Addie, Rem, and Frey. The topic this morning is the possible match-ups for today. Will the Keepers have the highest-ranked players battle against the five survivors from yesterday? I’m hoping not, as I don’t want to go down my second day. We dress and stand in front the lift just before nine. It’s the same routine as yesterday. I even pick the same outfit to dress in. Within moments of reaching the selection floor Hammond smiles, waving at us. Those around me cheer and scream, but I don’t join in.
“Good morning, children. I hope you are all ready for today’s action. For the next four days, we will have our standard five battles. After that, we will be taking a brief break while the battle floor and points are reconfigured. The Keepers have decided to move the end of the event forward, meaning you all will have three weeks to make fifty thousand points.”
Grumbling takes over the cheers. Some shout in anger, others look confused. I glance at Frey, who is five seats to my right. He has a large grin on his face. He catches me staring and points at me, mouthing something I can’t understand.
“Now children,
