by Joe Fowler
“Why is Noah so concerned with Sweetie?” Arria asked.
“I think he likes the purity of Sweetie. She would never have a bad thought on her own. The things she shows others that make them scream during her illusions, all come from chronic nightmares.” I explained.
“I am glad you told me about Patty. At least I will know the reason if she turns up dead. Try not to kill her unless you have to.”
“I understand.”
“I called you in for more than one reason. The fights are scheduled for tomorrow night. I was talked into this event by Agda. She is a sweet woman, usually. I enjoyed getting to spend some time with her and Alethea. They are both here for this event as well. Unfortunately, so is Pyro. He and several others known to be members of his group are here. He has been warned. I won’t put up with any more of the trouble they were causing.”
Arria was walking me forward, her hand holding mine. She turned with such a smile. I knew what was coming next. That doesn’t mean I am going to talk about it though.
Arria sent me back to the group before I wanted to go. She was the one in charge so I did as she said. I found Sweetie in her room. I guessed the others were in the training room. I knocked on Sweetie’s door.
“Hey, I’m starting to miss you. I don’t want to keep you from her but I can see that you will be gone more often.” Sweetie told me as we started toward the training room.
“I would say I was sorry about that, but I am in love and would spend every moment with her if I could.” I smiled thinking of Arria. I had to shake my head to get back on point. “We will be fighting again tomorrow.”
“So soon? We just fought last night.” Sweetie sounded sad. She wasn’t the basket case she had been but she still hated having to kill.
“I know. Two of the female council members talked her into this one. She hadn’t seen them in a while and since they were old friends, they wanted to change that.”
We walked the brown hallways in silence after that. Neither of us wanted to be in the training room but I knew I needed to tell the others of their upcoming fights. They might need me in the training too. Justin was really skilled but didn’t have the gifts to keep up with so much of what Patty and Charles need to work on.
As usual, all eyes stared at me. I walked to the mat where our group was.
“Hey guys, gather around for a second.” I waited for them to walk a little closer. “We will be fighting tomorrow night. We won’t have the extra day like we did before. Also, some of the lessor old ones that were stirring up the trouble, are here. Arria has warned them but we know how that can go. Even with the evidence in plain sight, some people will keep causing trouble thinking they will get away with it.”
“So, business as usual.” Not Apollo stated, dryly.
“Mostly.” I confirmed.
“You guys never filled me in on all of this stuff. You said you would tell me about all of this.” Patty reminded me.
“You’ve seen a bit of what I can do. My gift allows me to acquire the gifts of others when I drink from them. A vampire named Ares once had this same gift. He grew very powerful, but when he got the chance to drink from an old one, he finally had what he wanted. Since he could match their speed and strength, even surpass it, he started killing them. He started out killing one at a time but they banded together. The council and their special guard finally killed Ares. From then on, all old ones watched carefully with the intent of killing anyone who showed this gift. I managed to convince them that I would not be attacking old ones like Ares did. Some of the lessor old ones want to use me to further their own goals. Each old one who wants to have his own team of fighters, must have a facility like this one. Only the wealthy ones can. There is a group who is screaming for public facilities that can be used for the poorer vampires. They are the main ones we need to be on watch for.”
“Why would they bother? From what I have been told, no one can stand up to the council.” Patty said.
“They think they can build me into enough of a threat to get the council to vote in their favor. That’s what I’ve seen and the best that I can figure it.”
“We’ve been having to deal with spies, assassins, and general chaos caused by Titan’s abilities. We were hoping things would get better since the council has understood that Titan isn’t intending on attacking them.” Justin added.
“Why wouldn’t you attack them? They are ruling over us like we are nothing but pawns in their game.” Patty persisted.
“Nothing will stop vampires from making more vampires. As it is, every vampire has to face these ten fights. It is a deterrent for those humans who would choose to become like us. Whether it is right or wrong, these fights control the vampire population. If the fights were stopped or a great many more old ones were creating their own teams, too many humans would die. Eventually, we would run out of humans that way.” I explained.
“I see what you are saying but I still don’t like it.” Patty stated.
“None of us do. You guys need to keep sparring. I have to go back to my room and sleep.” I told them.
Sweetie and I headed down the brown path. I was watching the scuffed floor as we made our way. She nudged me when a vampire entered the other end of the hallway heading toward us. I looked to see the gift of day walking.
“So you are Titan. I’m Sunny. I wanted to meet you if I got the chance. I was hoping to let you have my gift. I will never survive the fights so I was hoping someone would get the chance to walk in the sun.” He said, genially.
“Thanks for the offer. One of our fighters, Apollo, has the same gift. I have already drank from him. You shouldn’t be so negative. Apollo is on his seventh fight and he has enough skill that he might win his freedom.”
“Wow, seventh? I thought I was just lucky. I’m fourth level now. You’ve given me hope, anyway!” Sunny smiled widely.
“There’s always hope.” Sweetie said. This surprised me. She didn’t normally speak to anyone outside of our group.
“Thanks. I’m happy to have met you.” He said as he made to walk away.
“Glad to meet you, too.” I said as we parted. I was glad that I met him. He seemed to be a good man, figure of speech since he was a vampire. I hoped he would make it. Justin was making a believer out of me.
I walked Sweetie to her room before I went to bed. I don’t remember my head hitting the pillow.
Chapter 19
I woke up starving. After what I hoped was a brief time of becoming fully alert, I headed for the donor room.
My donor was a thirtyish woman. Her memories consisted of the usual. Her children were the bright points of her life. I didn’t like it, but I drained her.
My group still slept when I returned from feeding. I had no clue what time of the day or night it was. This had nothing to do with my problem. There just wasn’t a clock near for me to see how much longer they would be before waking.
I returned to my room and debated on whether to leave my door open or shut. I finally decided on shut. I would likely hear them when they woke anyway.
I was mildly surprised when my door opened by itself and then shut without my seeing them. There wasn’t a gift present.
“Hello, Noah.”
“Still shocking how you sensed me that first time. This one was easy.” Noah let his illusion fade out.
“Gray was the funny one. I could sense an invisible gift where no one was standing. That one was funny to me.”
“I never thought of it that way. How did you sense me? Was it the gift like her?” Noah was more interested in my answer than he was trying to sound.
“No. Don’t take offense, but with you it feels like something is slightly off. Lorac explained that some vampires have that feel. It is just something that happens occasionally, like what’s happening to my mind. That’s what I sensed that day. I felt your presence.” I watched Noah as I said this. He had his face locked in a stoic mask that was unreadable.
“That’s interesting.” He broke out in a big
grin. “Some have accused me of being a little off before.”
I smiled with him. I wasn’t sure what made me question Noah in the first place. I knew I was liking him more and more now.
“Is Cronus still worried about Arria? The council was what scared me the most. That seems to be taken care of.”
“Cronus is smart. He knew the council posed more of a threat to you. Now, we will be dealing with the lessor old ones. They have no scruples and will do whatever they can to further their plans. Pyro is a great example. He is a little over two thousand years old. He has made a lot of friends among the younger, poorer vampires. They are working hard to expand the fights. They would love to have an event held every night. He is even hoping for multiple teams of fighters for each old one.”
“So, in other words, I can’t relax yet. I have put some thought into it but I would like your opinion. How do they hope to use me?” I asked.
“Pyro hopes to build your strength and speed with his own two thousand year old blood. Plus, he will bring in every vampire with a speed or strength gift to boost you more. Obviously, any unusual gift they come across that might be useful will be donated to you as well.” Noah watched me as he asked his next question. “Is that something that sounds good to you? You would become nearly unbeatable.”
“No. I don’t care about being unbeatable. I want to be with Arria. That is my only real goal right now. Even with the death of two friends, these last few days have been the best of my life. Well, make that three friends. Poor Sleepy. It helped Justin though.”
“Justin?”
“Apollo. I hate that name for him. I still think of him as Justin. Maybe it is his good nature and selflessness. I just don’t like his vampire name.”
Noah grew quiet then. He sat in my chair and thought some deep thoughts. I thought of asking but decided to let him have his privacy. He had been of great help to me so far. I wouldn’t question him.
“Is Sweetie getting more independent? She seemed to need you really bad at first.” Noah asked, offhand.
“Little by little. She isn’t in the panic state when I am gone for a few hours now. She seems to be gaining enough strength to be on her own soon. Patty is a setback that Sweetie shouldn’t have to deal with. I believe Patty has enough fear of me to control herself now. I made it plain to her what I would do. I told Arria as well.”
“What did Arria say?”
“That she would understand if Patty shows up dead one day. She hopes it doesn’t come to that. So do I. I will kill the vampires in the arena. I feel like it’s okay to defend your right to live. Killing needlessly would bother me. At the same time, I can’t stand by and watch someone as sweet and innocent as Sweetie be bullied.”
“Well said.” Noah agreed.
“How long before the others wake?” I asked.
“A couple of hours. The fights will be about three hours after that. There are fifteen teams here for this event. They want to get an earlier start.”
“Sweetie and I usually end our matches quickly. Maybe that will happen a lot tonight and it won’t take so long.” I dreaded the thought of sitting in the pen all night again.
“With that many fights, you know it will be a long night.”
“I know. Well, I can sleep some of the time, anyway.” I reasoned.
“I was surprised to find you awake. Why aren’t you still sleeping?” Noah asked.
“I went to bed early. I am trying to sleep anytime I can now, but I can’t choose how long I stay under. I’m not sleepy now. I guess that is a good sign. Poor Sleepy. He was using the wrong words without realizing it. I talked with him some before the fights. He was giving up. He knew it was only going to get worse. I was both sad for him and worried about me. I wonder how long it will be before I am in the state he reached.”
“There’s no way to tell. It could be days, weeks, years, or even centuries. It is different for every vampire who faces the unravelling. I can’t count how many times I have seen it happen. It is sad every time.” Noah meant what he said.
We sat quietly for the two years it took for the others to wake up.
I heard her mind as she approached my door. Sweetie was hoping I was awake. She wouldn’t wake me but she needed me. I motioned to Noah and pointed toward the door. He seemed to understand. His illusion was brought up so it would appear I was alone.
“Come in, Sweetie. I’m awake.” I said, slightly above conversation level. Our hearing is tremendous but these walls are fairly thick.
My door opened and Sweetie smiled, shyly. She knew to leave the door open. She took her usual spot on the floor, beside my bed. I was half lying, half sitting on the bed.
“Bad dreams?” I asked. I already knew but wanted to give her the chance to talk about them if she needed to.
“Yes. Not as bad as they can be, but bad enough. Why are you awake? You should be sleeping. More sleep helps you right?”
“I woke some time ago, I have no clue how long ago. I haven’t been sleepy since. It is nice to have quiet time when I can.”
“If you want me to leave, I will. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Sweetie, you will always be welcome here. I actually like it better when you are around. You have a calming influence on me.”
“Thank you. Most wouldn’t put up with me.” Sweetie sounded like she believed that.
“Well, most people are idiots. Haven’t you noticed that yet?”
She smiled up at me.
It was some length of time before the others came to join us. Once the others joined us, I felt Noah leave. I wished I had thanked him for the conversation. I liked talking to him.
“The fights will be in about three hours, give or take. There are fifteen old ones fielding their teams of fighters. This will be a long night.” I told them.
“When does the new vampire arrive?” Patty asked.
“Could be any time between now and the fight. It is usually around the two hour mark before the fights start, like you were.” I answered her question automatically and realized how many times I would end up saying that before my ten fights were up. I started laughing a little. The others were looking at me funny. I tried to wave off their stares but it didn’t work.
“What are you laughing at?” Justin, not Apollo, asked.
“There are certain questions that I have already answered several times and I was wondering how many more times I would have to say the same things over and over. I asked the same question Patty just asked on my second night. I have answered the question at least twice when others have asked it. This whole thing is just one huge cycle. We are all stuck inside of it. Maybe if we win our freedom we can get off the train. Well, I might be stuck on it for a longer period of time since I will be with Arria as long as my mind holds out. That’s one ride I don’t mind taking though.”
“You and Arria seem to be coming along fine. I’m happy for you. It isn’t every day you get to fall in love.” Justin said.
“Thanks, Justin.”
“Apollo!” He was laughing. “How many times am I going to have to remind you?”
“Every time. I can see most vampire’s names. I will always see you as Justin. Sorry, that’s just the way it is going to be.” I said, with a smile.
We shared some more lighthearted banter. Nothing important was said. I enjoyed the camaraderie. Even Patty joined in a non bitchy way.
Gray came to give us the updates.
“The training room is open. You may want to go to the donor room early. Titan, Arria said to tell you she set it up for you to be able to feed up to three times a day in the donor room. It will be that way in every facility.” She said. She turned to leave but turned back again. “Charles, your new name is Comet.”
Gray left.
“Comet, I like it! You’re a reindeer!” Sweetie said, laughing. We all laughed at that.
We headed for the donor room first. We beat the next group by a matter of days. We fed right off, as others were forced to wait.
Th
e training room was our next stop. We were the second group in. This meant we could get a wall adjacent mat like I wanted. We staked out two mats. We only needed one usually since I needed to conserve energy and Sweetie didn’t spar at all. I knew we would need one more for when I returned with the newbie.
Comet, Justin, and Patty sparred with each other while Sweetie and I sat by the wall. We weren’t watching. Justin was a better fighter than I was when you boiled it down. I just had the gifts. Most of the sparring was Patty and Comet.
The training room filled gradually. They came in spurts and then in crowds. Most every mat was taken. I saw Gray before she made it to our mat. I stood and prepared to follow.
“Hey, Titan. Who do you want to go with you?” Gray asked.
I hadn’t thought about it much. I looked around and saw how much help Justin was to Patty and Comet. I turned back to Sweetie and smiled.
“Come on, Sweetie. We’re going to get the newbie.”
“Really? You want me to go?” She was confused.
“Why not? It will get you out of here for a while.” I told her. I looked over and Gray was smiling. I think she liked the idea too.
Once we were walking the brown hallways, I asked Gray to give the overall layout of the facilities. She had the bright idea of forming a map in her head. I studied the map as we walked. After I bumped into a wall, Sweetie started guiding me while my mind was occupied with learning the routes. By the time we reached the newbie’s room, I was pretty well versed in the design.
Gray unlocked the door. She smiled at us and walked away.
I knocked lightly and opened the door. He was average sized and scared. He looked at Sweetie and me and feared for his life.
“What is your name?” I asked. I could see it in his head. Richard. He was too afraid to say a word. “I’m Titan and this is Sweetie. We won’t hurt you. We need to take you to meet Arria now. Come, walk with us.”
