Chapter 7
Mara
The blue guy, Vaelor, was quiet. But he was good at directions and since his home world was similar to this one, she was lucky to be partnered with him. If anyone could help her survive this cold, but beautiful place, it was the Crytharian.
As they entered the encampment, the sun was just starting to set. The air became even chillier than before. If she didn’t have the special survival biosuit designed and set for her specific anatomy, she probably would have frozen almost immediately upon leaving the dome.
Ten silver tents were set up around a large bonfire. The other players were sitting on stones in front of the fire. All except the two players who went in the wrong direction—the Rasilian and Slurchan.
“Look who made it!” a jovial male voice called out. She looked around, all eyes were on them. The voice belonged to the human guy. He had a huge smile on his face.
“Go sit by the fire, I’ll set up the tents,” Vaelor told her.
She was on the verge of arguing that she could set up her own tent, but the warmth of the fire reached her, and she couldn’t help but shiver.
“Let me know if you need me to help.”
He grunted and moved to an area that wasn’t on the end of the row of tents but not in the center. Her father would say that he was guarding the perimeter while keeping a clear path to the shadows.
Again, it made her realize how lucky she was to be partnered with Vaelor.
“Have a seat, warm yourself.” The human said.
She sat next to him and placed her hands out, appreciating the warmth. “Thanks.”
He smiled at her, then reached out a hand. “Blaine Cummings from New California.”
Shaking his hand, she introduced herself. “Mara Sinclair, Old San Francisco.”
“You’re a long way from home, Mara.”
“So are you.”
“True.”
A camera drone appeared and began flashing lights at her.
“What is going on?”
“It’s the games, letting the audience know who made it to camp and who didn’t. Just wave and smile, it will be done soon and fly off to recharge.”
Mara forced a smile, waved at the drone. It took more images with its flashing lights, then flew away. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Blaine pointed to the others gathered around the campfire. “This is my partner, Dugan. He’s a Cyborg.”
The half man half machine didn’t look at them but just stared straight ahead at the fire. “We are not partners.”
“Sure, we are. At least, for this half of the games.”
“Over there are the Beast and Gomora. The two hot ones over there are Famia and Arisa. The one with a constant frown on his face is Vor and the unlucky one partnered with him is Esto. The Rasilian and Slurchan haven’t made it in yet.”
The other players just nodded in her direction, but most didn’t look. They didn’t want to invest too much in getting to know her.
“We saw those two head off in the wrong direction.”
“Who’s your partner?” Blaine asked, nodding his head in the direction where two shiny new tents were being set up.
“That’s Vaelor.”
“Hey there my man, Vaelor! How’s it going?”
No response. Vaelor ignored Blaine on purpose.
Mara felt she had to explain his behavior, “He’s not much of a talker”
“Well, my partner isn’t much of one either. But I am determined to be fast friends by the end of this thing.”
Mara looked over at the Cyborg who showed no expression or emotion. It would be like making friends with a car.
She laughed. “Good luck with that.”
“You must be hungry. Have some food.” He handed her a large cup with a handle.
She was about to accept when Vaelor suddenly loomed over them. He growled, surprising both of them.
“The female has her own food rations,” Vaelor said.
What the hell was this guy doing? If she wanted to eat Blaine’s food, she would.
But maybe it wasn’t a good idea to take food from a stranger.
Mara didn’t know Blaine any more than Vaelor, but Vaelor had an interest in getting her to the end of the games.
They would fight it out then over who would win.
She smiled at Blaine and tried to ease the tension, “He’s right. I have my own food rations. I don’t want to take yours. Thank you for the offer. Besides, I am exhausted and want to get some rest.”
Mara stood up and headed to the newly set up tents. She didn’t have to look back to know that Vaelor followed her. She stopped to try to figure out which one was hers. The tents all looked the same.
“The left one is yours,” he told her from behind.
His voice was deep and smooth, a slow warmth that washed over her, sinking beneath skin and bone. It left her body humming, responding in ways she didn’t want, and couldn't stop.
“Thanks for setting up the tents. What time do we leave tomorrow?”
“Just before sunrise.”
“I’ll be ready.”
She entered her tent and closed the flaps so that the seams melded together with any kind of zipper. Immediately, she felt the heat of the tent adjusting to her body temperature. Looking around, she found her pack in the corner.
Vaelor had done the bare minimum. He set up the tent but left everything else to her. She was grateful for what he did. She could handle the rest.
Opening her pack, she pulled out the standard mobile bed. It was a cross between a sleeping bag and an inflatable bed. She pressed the button on the side, and it inflated. It had a single blanket attached. No pillow. It wasn’t the best camping set up, but it was not the worst.
She would sleep in her biosuit which would continue to keep her warm. Grabbing the packaging that had her food rations, she sat on her bed and tucked her legs under her.
What a day. If the next twelve days had as many surprises, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get through it all. Her father’s advice when she went to college came to her. It applied even now.
One day at a time. One challenge at a time.
“I miss you daddy. I’ll come home soon.”