by Joe Fowler
I saw it in her mind clearly. Amy would never drain a human.
We left then. I knew Amy was likely to die tonight. Justin had survived long enough to become a hell of a fighter. It wasn’t likely that Amy would be so lucky.
All eyes watched us as we made our way to our group.
“Everyone, this is Amy. Amy this is Apollo, Bloody Mary, Comet, Glenda, and Richard.” I made the introductions.
“What is her gift?” Bloody Mary asked.
“She’s a day walker.” I told them. Richard and Bloody Mary actually turned away. They knew how unlikely it would be for her to win so they weren’t giving her any more thought. I wanted to hit them. I thought briefly of sparring with them for that very reason.
“Just like me!” Justin smiled. I hoped he would be able to help her.
“Okay, Amy. I need to get you started sparring. There are a few things you need to know though. Your gift, while wonderful for a free vampire, will not be able to help you in the arena. All vampires are given one gift when they turn. It might be strength, speed, mind control, invisibility, or a hundred other things. You won’t know what your opponent’s gift is until the fight starts. I am different. My gift is the most powerful of all of them. I can acquire other’s gifts when I drink from them. One of my gifts allows me to know what any vampire’s gift is. That is how I know you are a day walker. When you are in the ring, you will have to be prepared for anything.”
I was talking and reading her mind at the same time. She was keeping up and didn’t have any questions so far. I hoped she would be as quick a study with the fighting.
“The only way to win your fight will be to rip your opponent’s head off. Decapitation, sunlight, and fire are the only ways to kill a vampire. Well, the sunlight won’t hurt you but you will need to win your ten fights to have the chance to see the sun again.” I positioned her on the mat. I walked a little bit away and dreaded what I needed to do next. “Okay. I am going to attack you and you will need to defend yourself as best you can.”
I made my quick move and held way back on how hard I hit her. She fell to the mat without seeing the punch coming.
“How am I supposed to defend against that?”
“You won’t face anyone as tough as me in the arena. I am the strongest and fastest vampire in this room.” I told her. Amy looked around at all of the other vampires and then back to me. “I always do that to the new ones to let you know how serious this is. If you aren’t as prepared as you can be, you won’t last. Unfortunately, sometimes it won’t matter how prepared you are. Sorry. I will bring Apollo over to work with you now. Please listen and do what he says, okay Amy?”
“I will try.” She said.
“Justin, can you come help Amy?”
“Sure.”
I went to the wall and sat beside Sweetie.
“She isn’t going to make it is she?” Sweetie asked me quietly.
“No. It isn’t likely. She has a really good heart. She hasn’t had a bad thought since we opened her door.” I hated this.
“I wish there were a way to save her. Or at least switch her out for Patty.” Sweetie said, smiling. She knew I was taking it hard as far as Amy was concerned. I smiled back to thank her for the effort.
“That would be nice. We could change her name from Bloody Mary to Mother Mary. It would be a great switch.”
I tried to relegate Amy to the back of my mind. I concentrated on nothing. I wanted to empty my mind if I could. I was a little tired but not overly sleepy yet.
Sometime later, between a second and a decade, the groups began to gather. Noah came to guide us. He looked upset but didn’t say what the problem was. He announced Richard’s new name as Volt and turned to lead us away.
I made sure Amy walked with me and Sweetie.
“We are going to be paraded in front of the old ones. Don’t speak. They will call our names and announce our levels as we stand on a little platform. Then we will be taken to a holding pen beside the arena.” I told her. I listened for any questions but she didn’t seem to have any. Her thoughts were on fighting strategy.
We lined up in order and were led into the room with the old ones. They were all quiet and pissed off at something. Noah announced us and we stood for whatever period of time. The signal was given and we headed for the pen. The white walls were overly optimistic for the current outlook.
I pointed out where I wanted Amy to sit. Sweetie took her place by my other side. I settled in for a miserable night. It would start out bad and get boring. I knew I needed to quit thinking like this and tell Amy what she needed to know. I just didn’t want to.
“There are two X marks in the arena. When the announcer calls your name, walk out and stand on one of the marks. When he opens the betting, kneel down on the mark. The announcer will tell you when to stand. When he says, ‘let the game begin’ the fight starts. Be ready. Most attack quickly as soon as the announcer teleports.”
“How many are in the crowd. It sounds like there is a bunch of them.”
“It can vary. With eight teams of fighters, I would guess there is at least one hundred, maybe two hundred in the crowd tonight. Don’t pay them any attention. You need to be focused on your opponent. Try to figure out what his gift is if you can. That will help you know what you need to watch out for. Did Apollo cover that?”
“Yes. He told me about how different gifts show themselves and what to do to counter each gift. Except speed. He said there wasn’t really anything I could do against speed. You gave me a display of that.” Amy sounded both scared and determined. I was afraid that I may have caused too much of the scare. I needed to build the determination now.
“Apollo will be your best friend through the fights. He has the same gift as you. He is fighting his ninth fight tonight. As a vampire, it doesn’t matter if you are male or female. Size doesn’t matter. I’ve seen Apollo beat opponents he shouldn’t have been able to beat. If you can survive tonight, you’ll be improved when you fight again. If you can survive that fight, you can improve before your next. That is how you survive. Never let yourself give up hope. There’s always a way.” I told her all of this and by the end, I believed it. Justin was the perfect example for her to follow.
“I’ll do my best.” Amy said. She was busy thinking of all Justin had shown her. She liked him. He had the right attitude. Too bad he wasn’t a woman, now Arria…
I pulled out of her mind then. Women accuse men of being pigs when their thoughts are just as bad as ours. Maybe worse.
I sat waiting on the event to start. I was tired and knew I should sleep. I wanted to make sure I was awake for Amy though. I would have time for sleep before my fight came. I made it a point to try anyway.
Sweetie shook me awake as Amy was kneeling on the X.
“Was there any fights before this one?” I asked groggily.
“No, Amy’s fight is the first of the night.” Sweetie said. “What gift is she facing?”
“Mind reading. At least she has a chance.”
“Amy, Stephen, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”
Amy dodged the mind reader’s first attack. She made a few efforts of attacking Stephen but he saw it coming. She countered some but not all of his attacks. She was losing but wasn’t out of it. She finally caught on that he was reading her mind. She started reacting instead of thinking and she got a few shots in of her own. They continued this way back and forth. She got a lucky shot on Stephen and hurt him badly. She took his head.
“Great job!” Comet was the first to congratulate her when she reentered the pen.
“I knew you could do it!” Justin all but hugged her. I could see how much it meant to him. I think he had started wanting to prove that you don’t have to be reborn with the best gifts to win in this unlife.
“Well done, Amy” I told her as she sat beside me. Her smile wasn’t fading anytime soon. I could tell that without the mind reading.
“Thanks! That was scary, fun, and invigorating!”
Amy’s thoughts were almost incoherent with the adrenaline rush.
I spent some span of time after that trying to figure out if vampires have adrenaline. This brought a smile as I thought back to Speedy trying to think of exercising and heartbeats for vampires. I missed Speedy.
I went to sleep intentionally this time. I told Sweetie to wake me when Glenda’s fight was announced.
I woke up as a fight ended. I felt rested and looked to Sweetie. I saw that she had decided differently. I looked around the pen. Glenda wasn’t there. Richard had some marks that hadn’t finished healing yet. Bloody Mary had that malicious gratification she usually had after her fights.
“I wanted to make sure you got the rest you needed.” Sweetie told me.
I smiled at her and put my arm around her. We didn’t stay that way long, only four years, because her name was called. I watched her kneel and looked at her opponent. He had the gift of flight.
“How can she win? She is tiny and she seems way too innocent to be in there. Can’t you help her?” Amy was frantic.
“Amy, Sweetie can handle herself. Trust me.”
Sweetie repeated her process. The announcer teleported, her opponent screamed, and she took his head. She retook her seat.
“What the hell?” Amy asked incredulously. “What the hell was that?”
“Sweetie has the gift of illusions. She can make you see, hear, smell, or feel what she wants.” I explained. Amy’s eyes got really big. Her mind took some time to come to terms with that. She knew she wouldn’t be able to look at Sweetie the same way again.
There were two fights between Sweetie’s and mine. When my name was called I walked out. I was alert this time so I didn’t feel the need to worry.
I saw my opponent and did a double take. A leech. Not for blood, which is a little ironic since we are vampires. This woman could drain the energy, even the life out of anyone she made contact with. The longer the contact, the more she drained you. What’s worse, she gained all the energy you put into her, making her stronger. This looked like a time when I would have to turn off her power. I really hated that since the old ones might figure out that part of the identification gift.
During the kneeling, I put some thought into her gift. She would need skin touching skin. If I hit her, I would have some energy drained while actually making her stronger. I knew I could be creative and just use my feet to kick her. That should work since my shoes would be all that touched her. I debated between the two solutions as I waited the ten years for the announcer to tell us to stand.
“Titan, Sugarbaby, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”
I kicked her in the head before she could move. I didn’t feel any kind of drain so my strategy must be sound. Now I needed to take her head without touching her. She was unconscious so I had time to figure it out. I could stand on her back and try to kick her head off but that was awfully violent.
“Screw it.” I turned her power off and took her head off with my hands. I was tired of thinking about it.
“How could he do that?” I heard this shout distinctly over the rest of the crowd noise. “That should have drained him severely!”
I walked back to our pen.
“What was her gift?” Justin asked.
“She was a leech. She could drain your energy with a touch.” I told him as I sat down.
“How come you didn’t drink from her? That was an interesting gift.” Bloody Mary asked. Sneered is more like what she was doing.
“I didn’t want that gift.” I stated simply.
“How come we say congratulations when one of us win, but with you there’s only questions like that?” Amy was genuinely confused.
“Only the old ones are a match for me. There’s no doubt who will win when I enter the arena. So long as I can stay awake, anyway.” I smiled at Amy. “My gift is the most powerful of all of them. I can acquire the gifts of others if I drink from them. That is in addition to being reborn faster and stronger than all but the old ones.”
“I want your gift!” Amy said, smiling. My own smile faded.
I spent the time, however much time that was, between my fight and Justin’s, figuring out if my gift was really worth all the fuss I had endured and was still going through. The extent that some were going through to kill me, use me, or even protect me was astonishing. I guess, in the end, it was better to have this gift. At least I was tough.
“For our next fight, we will have Apollo taking on Bitch! Give it up for our fighters!”
Justin walked in and Apollo stood on the X. I looked at his opponent and laughed a bit. This was perfect. Bitch had Loki’s gift reading ability. She had won all her events by being a better fighter in a straight up match. That’s all Apollo, he’s really still Justin, hoped for.
“What gift is he facing?” Sweetie asked.
“Gift reading, like what I can do.” I winked at her when I said it.
Sweetie smiled since she knew what that meant for Apollo.
“Justin, Bitch, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”
I will say this, it was close. She was a real bitch. Apollo was announced the victor and Justin walked back into our pen. I had a big smile waiting for him.
He looked at me expectantly.
“Gift reading, like Loki. She was like you. All she wanted was a fair fight.” I told him.
His smile told it all. He respected her for her skill. She had made it this far without becoming incorporeal, invisible, or too fast for the other to see.
I went to sleep for the remaining few fights.
Sweetie woke me when the last fight ended. Gray came for us and led us back to the donor room. I drained a retired boxer. His memories were glorious. His recent life was misery. The brain damage was crippling. I was almost happy to end his suffering. Almost. I knew I would never truly be able to condone the killing of a human, no matter what the cause.
Gray walked away once we were back in our area. That’s why I was shocked when I heard her thoughts.
“Tell them you are too tired and need to rest. I need to speak with you.” Gray thought to me. I nodded, slightly.
“Guys, sorry but I need to rest. I’m too sleepy right now.” I lied.
“That’s okay, Titan. Get some rest.” Justin said as he went back to his room. The others followed suit without speaking.
I walked into my room and left the door open until the invisible gift entered. I shut the door behind her. I felt a little off but decided not to say anything.
“What’s up?” I asked quietly as I sat on the bed and started taking my shoes off.
“That leech was a tool used against you. She agreed to fight her eighth fight all over. She was supposed to be fighting her ninth tonight. It is in the rules that a fighter can be held back if they are willing to fight an extra fight. Arria and Noah were pissed when they found out.” Gray became visible as she spoke.
“What was their goal? Just to weaken me? Or did they think she would beat me?” I asked. I was shocked.
“If they know of your unravelling, and we are fairly sure they all do, it might have only been to weaken you and further your illness. Technically, she was capable of beating you. No one seems to know how you took her head without being drained.” Gray looked at me steadily.
“Did she know she would be fighting me? Did she really volunteer to fight me?” I asked. Gray was still staring at me like she was waiting on an answer.
“She knew. They must have done some serious talking to get her to do it. I repeat, no one knows how you were able to take her head without being drained. Come on, Titan, spill it.’ Gray wasn’t wanting to let this go.
I looked at her and figured some things out. I felt really sad at that particular time.
“I have the ability to turn off someone’s gift. I wasn’t wanting to show that in the arena. I didn’t want it known that I could do that. Only a few know about it.” I spoke evenly.
“Wow. That is powerful! You can null
ify what any of the rest of us can do?” Gray asked surprised.
“Only the ones who are weaker than I am. An old one wouldn’t be possible for me.” I admitted.
“What about Achilles? They are planning to use him to kill you. Can you turn off his power?” Gray asked.
“Yes. I would beat him easily.”
“Wow. At least I know you will survive. That makes me feel better. Now, get some rest. I will see you tomorrow.” Gray said. She turned invisible and left my room
I waited a few breaths before I asked.
“Was that what you needed?”
“Yes.”
After some time passed, my door opened and closed again, seemingly on its own.
Chapter 22
I woke to the most beautiful sight. Arria was in my bed. Her face was inches from mine. I smiled. I couldn’t help the light squeeze. When you wake to see you are holding the love of your unlife, you squeeze.
She stirred some and I relaxed hoping she wouldn’t wake. It wasn’t often I could just hold her and marvel at her beauty. I was finally glad that I couldn’t judge the passing of time. This might start feeling like one of those decade moments.
I knew my time was limited. Arria was what balanced things out for me. For the sadness and frustration of knowing immortality was slipping through my fingers, I had found a love worth having. Holding Arria for this whatever period of time was worth a thousand years of vampire life without her. It may sound sappy but I don’t care. I now knew that love is as great as the storybooks say.
Eventually, she woke. She smiled when she saw me looking at her. She nestled in closer and sighed.
“I could stay like this forever.” Arria said.
“You would never hear me argue with it.” I squeezed.
We stayed like that for some time. We weren’t speaking but we didn’t need to. Finally, she knew she needed to get started on her day.
“We will be leaving soon after the others wake. We will be going to another event. We will fly today, rest tomorrow, and fight the next night. I don’t know if this is when they will use Achilles or not.” Arria said, as she was dressing.
