One morning, in my second month of captivity, I run into the physician as I walk past the practice ring on the way to my favorite jogging path. He is busy getting the fighters prepared for their next contest, which they leave for the following morning. Of the five, only two have ever been to a contest, one of them is Matt. I do some stretching before I begin as I notice the physician walking over to me, so I prolong my warm-up to give him time to get to my location.
“Walk with me,” he says, continuing down the path.
We walk together at a steady pace, waiting for the other one to speak.
“Have you figured out why I seem familiar to you yet?” he finally asks, breaking the long silence.
I shake my head, which causes him to frown.
“Antaeans have great memories,” he begins. “It was known that an Antaean could begin collecting memories as early as three months. I know this because that is how I designed them.”
“You’re one of the researchers from the Dormitories,” I say, more as an acknowledgement than a question.
“Yes, Meg, I was. I’m also one of the few researchers who made it out of there alive.”
I think of Devlan’s last comment. He would be very disappointed at the predicament I’ve gotten myself into.
I start to believe that his death was in vain.
“How did you know what would happen with my arm a while back?”
“I didn’t actually, it was more of a hunch that I wanted to test. We knew how your body was supposed to behave when the stimulant was introduced, but we could never get it to work properly. Tell me, how did your stream come about?”
I explain to him some of the events that have transpired, including Devlan’s death. He is saddened by the news. We change direction and begin heading back towards the house. As we get closer, the physician grabs my arm and spins me around to face him.
“Whatever you do, don’t let Artemis see your arm. If he realizes your full abilities it will be disastrous and not just in regards to you. Many have died trying to locate the Antaeans and the cities will stop at nothing to find them all. You are a threat to them and they will do anything possible to either control you or eliminate you. Artemis is planning on taking you into Tyre tomorrow with the other fighters, so be careful. I won’t be going, as there are physicians at the stadium where the contests are held, and Artemis has received word that new prospects have been acquired that need tending to.”
He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly. We eventually part and he walks back to the fighters. I turn and run back down the path, trying to clear my head.
Chapter 9
The next morning, I’m greeted by a hot breakfast, and Artemis sitting at the foot of my bed.
“Morning, Trea,” he smiles at me. “We’ll be leaving for Tyre in an hour. Your clothing for the journey is hanging up in the bathroom, so eat up quickly and get dressed, and I will send someone to get you.”
I place my tray of dirty dishes on top of the dresser after eating and go into the bathroom. The clothes Artemis has chosen for me are hanging on the back of the door; a pair of black leather shorts with a matching jacket, a black rayon tank, and a clean pair of socks. My footwear consists of knee high boots made of the same material as the jacket, and of the same color. I take a quick shower, put on clean under-garments then don my new apparel before brushing my hair and putting it up into my usual ponytail.
There is a knock at my door, but it’s only a courtesy as my door opens before I respond. One of the bodyguards comes in announcing that it’s time to leave. He removes my bracelets, escorts me down the stairs, out the front door, and through the courtyard to an awaiting transport. It resembles a smaller version of the shuttle, consisting of only one car that is not running on a rail but on wheels made of metal. I’m ordered to move all the way to the back where the others have already taken their seats.
As I sit in between two of the fighters, one named Corinna and the other named Raven, I notice the five fighters are dressed in brown cotton pants, beige twill shirts, and brown boots. Glancing around the small cabin I spy Matt glaring at me. I ignore him, focusing my attention on the window behind the fighter who is sitting directly in front of me.
As soon as Artemis boards, the engine starts and begins sending power down the length of the car switching the windows on. Transforming the scattered grasses and rocks that cover the front part of the property to a picturesque landscape of thick pine trees, blanketing a rugged mountainous backdrop, accompanied by sounds of chirping birds.
I wonder why the need for such deception. What are the High Rulers afraid of people seeing?
I have trouble telling which direction we are heading since I don’t have a reference point to view outside. We’re about three hours into our trip when we slow down and come to a halt. I hear the hiss of the doors as they open, sliding outside along the length of the vehicle and a man boards, dressed in a Regulator’s uniform: a starched blue dress shirt, a heavy dark blue coat with an hour glass symbol sown onto each lapel, matching pants, a thick black belt with several holsters, a pair of shiny black shoes, and a blue semi-round
