Chapter 8
Eight
Ifollow Orion through a series of corridors.
I gave up trying to keep track of the direction about three turns ago.
He hasn’t spoken again. However, he has glanced back several times to check on me.
Probably to ensure I haven’t lost my shit.
Or ran away. I considered only the latter briefly; I swear.
He stops in front of a large concrete door.
“This is it.” Another glance back—why is he hesitating?
“Go on, then.” Please, for the love of all things, before I spiral and have a full-blown panic attack.
Orion curtly nods before heaving the door open.
It slides away from us, revealing a gritty, sand-blanketed floor that stretches out across an open field.
I shoo away the nervous thoughts and take a confident step forward.
We hadn’t entered a room, but a coliseum.
The circular arena was encased by curved, clear glass.
Row upon row of stone bench seating lined the outskirts of the pit, reaching as high as the ceiling.
The sheer size of the arena takes my breath away.
Above, flickers of stardust and the occasional asteroid float by.
I’m struck with an immense longing for my unit—the feeling of being homesick is foreign and uncomfortable.
Averting my gaze from the familiar sky, I glance around me.
Several couples stand apart from one another, purposely keeping their distance.
I realize these must be the other competitors.
As I count, three more pairs file in. Altogether, there are ten pairs of partners.
I easily make out the competitors. Surprisingly, not everyone has silver hair.
Some have black and even white, which I’m dumbstruck by.
I was certain that all humans had silver, but perhaps only those on Lunara do.
All our yellow gives us away. The lack of magical energy surrounding humans is also a key indicator.
Everyone seems wary of each other. I’m not sure what I was expecting—some form of camaraderie, perhaps?
Some immediate type of trauma bonding? We’re all stuck in this fucking crazy nightmare together, aren’t we?
We’re not teammates, though. These people could be prepared to do whatever it takes to win, and the implication of that thought alone makes me shudder.
I need to make it through so I can get back to Jada.
I scan the arena once more, my eyes landing on a tall, gangly boy with cropped silver hair and a baby face etched with worry.
Lenny. It has to be. He is a youth compared to the rest of us here—possibly the youngest among us.
This isn’t right. “Orion,” I tilt my head towards Lenny.
“He’s from my unit. He shouldn’t be here; he’s so young. ”
Orion gives an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. “He’s here, which means they thought he would be fine.” His response causes me to see red. Is he serious? How could he be so nonchalant about a teenager? Are we that meaningless?
“Fucking useless,” I mutter, heading towards Lenny’s direction.
If Orion is unwilling to help, I will do everything in my power to make sure Lenny makes it back to our unit unscathed.
I stomp across the arena, feeling eyes tracking my steps.
I whip my head toward the person staring.
“I’m not a fucking spectacle!” Amused amber eyes meet mine.
There’s an energy to him; I feel it crackling in his stare.
His hair is just as wild, the deepest black with pale yellow streaked through in zig-zagging bolts.
His lips are distinctively curved, their rosy hue catching my eye in a way that sends unwelcome tingles through me.
He’s captivating, handsome in a rugged way.
My breath catches, and I look away quickly, my cheeks feeling warm.
I continue on my track, refusing to entertain the acknowledgement of the attractive man I may as well have been drooling over.
To be fair, he was staring at me first. Behind me, I hear Orion trying to catch up, swearing and probably asking the stars above how he got stuck with me. Oh well, Riri, better get used to it.
Lenny’s eyes widen as I approach. He runs a hand through his hair and nervously glances at the she-devil version of Orion standing next to him, who is too busy looking at me like I’m contagious.
Probably another Astral, although I wouldn't know, as I’ve received no education about these people in my entire life.
I pull up short, leaving a healthy distance between us.
I don’t want to scare the poor kid. “Lenny?”
“Yeah?” His voice catches, and he clears his throat. I look him over, really look him over—no bumps or bruises, only deep, brown eyes widened with fear.
“My name’s Zellie. I’m part of your unit.” Lenny continues to stare at me, distrust marring his features. I try again. “I’m friends with Gwenda?”
Lenny’s terrified facade instantly melts into a genuine smile at the sound of Gwenda’s name. “Gwenda? She’s the best!”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, she’s pretty great, isn’t she? She’s been worried about you, but I promised her I’d find you.”
Lenny nods enthusiastically. “She takes such great care of me. When I ended up here, I was so upset that she didn’t know what was going on. She must have been really worried.”
“Once I received my invitation, I assumed this might have been where you ended up. Are you okay? This experience has been… jarring, to say the least.” I’m scared shitless, not that I’m going to admit that to an already frightened kid.
“I’m as okay as I can be. The star-shooting experience was really freaky, and I hate being in a new place where I don’t know anybody, but besides that…
” Lenny shrugs casually, and my heart physically hurts for him.
I feel the same, yet I’m not trying to comprehend this entire situation and cope as a teenager. This has to be so hard for him.
“We’re going to stick together, you and me—okay?” I reach out and lightly touch his arm.
“Thank you. I don’t know what to make of all of this.” He places a hand on top of mine and squeezes lightly.
“That makes two of us.” How cruel are these people to uproot us from our lives entirely without explanation? With no preparation or insight as to what to expect? It’s barbaric.
Orion grumpily stomps to my side. “Rule number one, Sunshine. Stay by my side.” I cross my arms, refusing to meet his gaze. Before he can reprimand me further, the ground begins to shake.
“What the fuck is that?” I exclaim, grabbing hold of Orion’s shoulder to maintain my balance.
“That, my dear, would be the Kosmos.”