The storm was fierce, flashes of lightning followed swiftly by the booming of thunder. It lay overhead, raining down all hell on the city, as if trying to cleanse it of mankind's impurities. Long ago, the city had been built up onto high platforms to escape the poisonous smog, but the passing years proved that this venture was fruitless. Man would die as they lived, among things of great innovation, yet among its own filth as a species.

        The woman watched the raging storm from the safety of her home. She was middle aged, but looked much older. Her features drooping from a combination of alcoholism, drug abuse, and an age old sadness that seemed to run in the family.

        She watched her son run down the street, only looking back once to meet her gaze.

        The pools had told them of this so many years ago. She knew of the outcome of that young man's venture. He would not return the following morning. He would remain missing for another day after that. Then, on the third day, the police would come to her doorstep. With sad faces, they would inform them of what she already knew. She would turn away, telling them to leave.

        It was hard, but in the end they would all go. She had served her purpose, in past, present, and future. She had done all she could, yet she would wish that she could have done more. That she had cared for him better. That she hadn't fallen into this great depression. With steady hands and a heavy heart, she would go to the kitchen and open the drawer, the one she always kept locked.

        She knew that she would never see him again.

        She wouldn't shake as she took the gun. It held a single bullet, put there in anticipation of that day. Her task was over. Unlike others, she would not end it before it all began. She had numbed her senses to it all, yes. But she had stuck through until the end. She knew of the inferno to come, the wrath of the Old Gods that would soon descend upon the world.

        But she would not witness it herself.

        Despite the storm, the phone rang. Once, twice, three times. The woman left the window and moved out of the room to the phone located in the hallway. She picked it up, asking who it was when she did. A deep voice answered. A familiar voice.

        “Davvi,” she murmured. “I didn't think you would know.”

        “You sound defeated,” Davvi replied. “Oh Lisa.”

        “You would too knowing that you would never again see your son. But you never saw yours in the first place, did you? Left her before he was even born,” she sniped. But he merely sighed.

        “I regret that. I was young and I panicked when she gave me the news. Knowing what we know... I didn't have the courage to face it then. And when I did, I found out that I didn't have the courage to come crawling back to her after so many years,” he said sadly, quietly.

        “Let's hope that he turned out alright,” she whispered.

        “When will you end it?” he asked instead of replying.

        “When they inform me,” she said without a touch of hesitation. “I don't want to be here for the end.”

        “Neither do I,” he agreed. “Good luck, Lisa. I pray that the ending is good. If only we could have witnessed that.”

        “Yes. Good night, Davvi, and good luck to you, as well.”

*~*~*~*

        The young man opened his eyes drowsily, a little annoyed that he was being awoken so early for school. The thought of sleeping in brought a small smile to his face, though missing school was a terrible idea. His last day was coming up, after all, and he couldn't skip good study days for any reason.

        But when he really saw his surroundings, his eyes snapped wide open. He sat up abruptly, surveying his surroundings.

        He'd been sleeping on a bed of stone, he saw. One that looked like it had been painted the colours of the rainbow. However, this was the only bright thing in this dream world. What lay before him was a dreary swamp. Trees towering so high that he couldn't see the tops lined the clearing he and his bed were in. Mist thicker than anything he'd ever seen before hung above the ground, obscuring anything beyond the tree line.

        It felt wrong to speak here for some reason, so he closed his mouth and decided not to share his thoughts with the trees and the things within. Instead, he stood up, feeling his feet sink into the muck. He wasn't wearing any clothes, but the fog wreathed around him, concealing him, so he wasn't really bothered by it. This world was comfortably warm.

        His feet were quick to find a path through the trees, but not before almost leading him into deep, inescapable bogs. He was glad that he managed to avoid them, but just barely due to the non-existent visibility caused by the fog. He didn't want to end up like the animals whose panicked cries filled the forest with a sense of impending doom.

        Though not quite sure exactly where it led, he continued going along the path he was on. It wound through the trees, offering many twists and turns that he always 'remembered' before they came up. As if he had traversed this path before.

        With each step brought an even greater sense of curiosity and urge to explore this strange world. For even in spite of the obvious dangers it posed to his naked, vulnerable self, this world's sudden appearance in his dreams brought with it a sense of comfort and safety. It also brought memories of other times he had been here from the darkest corners of his mind, where they had hidden up until now. Even though he didn't remember any other instances of this place appearing in his dreams.

        Once the path had straightened out, he glanced down at the ground, but couldn't even see his feet, much less the muddy path they walked upon. He looked up again when he realized looking down was a lost cause to see if he would be able to discern his destination. Instead, he met a pair of orange cat eyes.

        She stood at the top of a small hill, staring down at him from a distance. He stopped and stared back, squinting to make sure his eyes, which often gave him blurry distorted images, were not deceiving him. Though her form was most definitely blurry, she was very real. He was taken aback by her beauty. She looked like a mix between a human and a cat.

        From the waist down, she was covered in fluffy, grey fur, though damp now from the fog. Her skin was grey, a shade darker than her fur. She also had a long tail, twitching behind her feline legs. Her long, wild hair was pitch black, just like her cat nose and soft lips. Two sharp, white teeth stood out against her lower lip. Her ears were rounded and furry, not very cat like, and decorated with hoop earrings. Across her nose and cheekbones were freckles. She wasn't wearing clothes either, but the mist concealed what her fur did not. She had large horns that curved from just above her ears, behind, and under them.

        She turned away from him, but kept gazing at him over her shoulder. She had a teasing smirk on her face. She beckoned him forth with her tail, silently telling him to follow. Without really realizing the stupidity of his actions at that moment, he quickly scrambled after her, firmly held by her spell.

        Somehow, he realized that she was an alien, not just any run of the mill monster. Fortunately, the language of the body seemed to be universally understood. She would occasionally look over her shoulder and speak to him with actions and facial expression. He was surprised by how well he knew the language, even more so by how well he reciprocated. Clearly well enough that she understood, for her shoulders shook with laughter when he returned her teasing smirk.

        He would never have imagined an alien like this. Society made them out to be so much different. And much less friendly, as well. Right now, however, he didn't consider that she may be leading him into a trap.

        A stick cracked behind him, making the young man whip around. Another cat alien had arrived. He was tall, with short, neatly brushed black hair and ginger fur. He had one blue eye and one green. His horns curved upwards instead of down like the female's did. His friendly, toothy grin was offset by his sharp fangs. Unlike his female counterpart, his tabby striped tail had a black tuft at the end. He was fairly tall, but gangly and lanky, still waiting for his muscles to fill out. His right paw was white, while the other was a darker shade of ginger.

        Suddenly, he was feeling nervous. He looked between the two, hating the fact that they had him flanked. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting for them to make their move. Not quite sure what he would do when they did.

        The male moved first. The young man cringed as the alien lunged towards him, then watched in confusion as he sprang past to join the female. He grinned at her, and she gave him a smirk in return. The same one she'd given to the human. It made the young man a little sad, for he had thought that that smile was only for him.

        He blinked when both their ears perked up and their eyes widened. They looked around in a panic, hearing something that the human's ears were not sensitive enough to pick up. They shot the young man quick glances, then fled. He watched them go, fixed to the spot by confusion and wonder at the nature of the threat they had obviously sensed.

        His eyes widened when the sound came within a range where his ears were capable of picking it up. It was rumbling. And from his vast knowledge of cinematic productions, he could deduce that this was not a good thing to be listening to. But he didn't have the chance to even consider fleeing like the aliens had.

        What came next was hard for him to understand. The trees gave way to a tremendous force that was crashing through the forest towards his location. The human wasn't quite sure exactly what bowled him over and sent him flying into a nearby tree. All he knew was that it was big, and it was mean.

        He lay among the debris left by this destructive monster, trying to catch his breath. While he lay there, the monster returned, staring down with four glassy eyes. It loomed over him, casting its shadow over his helpless form. Its eyes glowed red and its tough, knobby skin was pitch black. Terror made his throat close. Forcing him to fight even harder to breathe.

        The monster drew back its hand, or tentacle, or perhaps something else entirely, it looked more like. With movements faster than a human's eyes track, it punctured him right in the centre of his chest. Rather than pain, he was simply numb with shock. Blood, his own blood, was a foreign concept to him. At least in these amounts. He wanted to scream, but couldn't.

        As his vision narrowed down to little more than outright myopia, the creature withdrew its appendage and left, leaving its latest victim to die on the wet, swampy ground. Tears streamed down his face, and each breath burned. It was getting harder to cling to life. His heart, which had been pounding frantically before, was slowing.

        But he wasn't alone. He sensed another body nearby. They entered his ever shrinking tunnel of vision. It was the female cat alien. She looked down at him with that same smirking face from before. There was something malicious about it this time, though. Like she enjoyed seeing his lifeblood spill out of him. Like she wanted him to die.

        Things were getting fuzzy, now. More so than before. He felt someone, or something, breathing on his cheek. The second cat alien, he suspected. His eyes fluttered closed as he finally gave in. The distant sound of purring reached his ears as he woke up once again.

2: Chapter 1

 

Note:  Some chapters will have blood warnings at the top, so please be aware that if that stuff makes you queasy you might want to watch out.

*~*~*~*

        When Alex opened his eyes, he met the gaze of his favourite basketball player, trapped within a poster that he'd painstakingly nailed to his ceiling. He moaned and turned away, trying to block out his wailing alarm with his pillow. No such luck, it pierced through it just as easily as it had every other day that year. Not that he truly intended on ignoring it, though.

        School was coming to a close and summer was coming up fast. Every day was another valuable studying day. It was his last year in high school, after all. He needed good marks if he planned on getting into a good university and, hopefully, getting away from his mother. So he finally sat up, rubbing his eyes drowsily.

        He absently scratched his cat, Angel's, chin as he gathered his bearings. The pretty tabby had gotten herself curled up in his lap by the time he was ready to get out of bed, pushing off the protesting feline so he could grab some clothes, baggy jeans, a too-big hoodie, and his favourite hat. He quickly grabbed his things and made his way to bathroom. He really needed to pee.

        After splashing some water in face, he looked up to frown at the face in the mirror. Within, he saw a young man, his age. He had the same wavy blond hair, long enough to cover his ears. His eyes were an odd mixture of blue, green, and grey. He rubbed at the stubble that was forming on his face, and so did his copy. He could probably go another day without shaving.

        When he went down stairs, he was assaulted by a nasty mixture of smoke, marijuana, and alcohol. The smell of failure. Its source, his mother, was passed out on the couch, snoring softly. He considered mornings like this lucky, though. He and his mother didn't really get along very well, it seemed. She was a violent drunk, and took out her rage, an anger with a source that remained unclear to this day, on him.

        He scoffed in disgust, turning to stalk into the kitchen. He could practically see the haze of smoke. Mumbling under his breath, he hastily opened the two windows. Breathing in the nice breeze that filled the room, helping to air it out. He put some food in Angel's dish and checked her water before scrounging a sorry breakfast of stale cereal and almost bad milk.

        His older sister entered the room at one point to grab something from the fridge. She gave him a tiny frown and a curt nod in greeting, one that he ignored. She was two years older than him, but they barely talked. She mostly took care of their mother and supported the two of them. Alex had already gotten himself a job and had started looking into apartments the moment he'd turned eighteen about a month ago.

        “See you, Ange,” he said, giving the cat a scratch behind the ear on his way out of the house.

        He generally biked to school, since it wasn't all that far. Today, though, he decided to walk. On his way to West Minstater High, his phone buzzed. Frowning, he pulled it out and tapped the screen to see who was trying to get his attention. Veronica. No, that was definitely not someone he wanted to talk to right now. He shoved it back into his pocket. He didn't want to look at her enigmatic bullshit.

        School was boring and uneventful. Mostly quiet study in his first two classes, science and math. He liked these days the best, though. It was those days when the teachers thought it was a good idea to put him in groups with others because he needed to 'make some friends' that ended up being bad days. He didn't need friends, he had friends. Who cares if they live halfway across the world from him? Still better than any of the douche bags in this school.

        After a quick lunch in the cafe made up of cardboard fries and surprisingly delicious gravy, he stalked through the halls on his way to the library for a bit of alone time spent reading. Of course, there was a little snag in his plan. Couldn't things ever be easy? Apparently not, he thought irritably as one of his teammates from the basketball team swept in front of him, lip curling in an ugly sneer that matched his ugly face.

        “We're facing Super Fucks today, Wicman. You in?” he snarled. Supair Foque was the private school that naturally got their name from some important person. Everyone at his school called them the Super Fucks, though. All of them were stuck up bastards, anyways.

        “Basketball ended already,” Alex said, trying to dodge around the big man. Jake, that was his name, blocked his way easily.

        “You scared, Wicman?” he taunted.

        “Not at all. How many times have I clinched the victory against the Super Fucks?” he shot back, allowing himself a tiny, smug smirk. He prided himself on being one of the best players on the team and, most often, the saviour of their pathetic little asses.

        “If you ain't scared, then get your ass to the court after school!” Jake snapped, clearly peeved about Alex's snarky response.

        “Meeting up for fights, Jake?” Alex sighed. “You know, it wouldn't be much of a fight. Just you crying.” Oops, this guy didn't take insults very well. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to put down a known martial art champion.

        The crowd that had gathered all burst into laughter, clearly embarrassing Jake even more. He looked at him with a look of pure rage in his gaze. Alex looked back calmly. Never show fear, especially in the face of a bully like this one. Jake had been picking on him, or trying to, for years. He'd learned back in elementary school how to deal with this jackass.

        “Fuck off, Wicman!”

        “Sorry, Jake, can't talk,” Alex said, pointedly looking at his watch-less wrist. “I have an appointment with someone who can form an effective comeback.”

        “Watch it, nerd,” he sneered. “Or else.”

        “Or else what?” Another oops, taunts were even worse than insults.

        “Or else this!”

        Alex barely scrambled out of the way when he swung his fist forward. Jake grabbed him with his other hand, though, and slamming his fist into his gut. Alex doubled over.

        “S-Son of a bitch...” he coughed, crossing his arms over his stomach.

        “You done, Wicman?” Jake snarled, grabbing the front of his shirt and dragging him in so they were nose to nose. It was time to back down.

        “Yeah, I guess,” he wheezed. “See you at the game?” Jake grinned.

        “See you at the game,” he promised, letting him go and walking away.

        Once he'd recovered, Alex made a beeline for the library before someone else decided to bruise his poor abdomen. The last thing he needed, or wanted, was to have negative attention drawn to himself. Especially when it was him, he got enough trouble from the other guys as it was.

        Fortunately, he was able to make it to the library. He picked an obscure corner, pulled out his book, and read. The rest of the school time was spent without any trouble from Jake.

*~*~*~*

        The cheering faded into the background as Alex fell into his zone of focus. He nimbly manoeuvred the basketball with one hand, guarding it with the other. As the other team swooped in to steal his prize, he launched it high over their heads to a fellow teammate. Their eyes met briefly in a shared understanding before Alex took off towards the net.

        He about halfway to the net and turned just in time to intercept the orange projectile. The clock was ticking down. The other team was winning by one. With the net still a ways behind him, he flung the ball backwards over his head, not even looking at his target. Hoping beyond hope that fate would guide that ball where it belonged.

        Turning to face the net, he saw the ball land perfectly within. The gentle swish of the net reached him, even from this distance. The bell rang, signalling the end of the game, and his teammates rushed him with wild yells of praise and excitement, even Jake was among the wild crowd. Alex soaked up the attention like a sponge, grinning like an idiot at this success. He couldn't believe his luck today.

        As usual, he was the first one to leave. He'd already changed back into his hoodie and jeans. He would change into something nicer when he got home and had a nice, cool shower. The showers in the men's room were disgusting, so he chose to just use the home ones. He decided to take the bus that day and jogged over to the nearby stop.

        His phone buzzed again while he was waiting. In fact, it had been buzzing all day, all messages from Veronica. He supposed that now was about time that he answered her. He unlocked the phone and checked his messages.

Veronica started messaging you at ???

 

V: The count down is starting.

V: The games will begin.

V: You must be ready.

V: Do not fight your destiny.

 

        The message repeated itself, over and over and over. Alex's hand shook. Veronica was known for her creepy premonitions and apparent future sight abilities, but this seemed even creepier than usual. What did it even mean, though? This may be the creepiest, but it was also the one that made the least sense. At least the other ones he could decipher, but what exactly did she mean? Game? Destiny?

        What utter bullshit. Or, at least, an idiot like Jake would have thought that. Alex knew that Veronica's predictions were not to be passed off as just nothing. He thought about asking her what it meant, but to hell if she would ever let him strike up a conversation. She only spoke to him when she wanted to, never when he wanted. So he decided to shut off his phone. He would talk to it with his other friends when he got home.

3: Chapter 2

Warning:  Minor blood, not so minor swearing.

*~*~*~*

        Jared wiped the blood leaking out his nose, glaring irritably at the group of young men standing nearby. They looked none too pleased, but neither did they look terribly confident. Jared's hand tightened around the grip of the baseball bat and he slung it up onto his shoulder. He spat out a bloody tooth; one of them had punched him in such a way that the piercing on his tongue had smacked painfully against it, dislodging it. Wouldn't be the first once he'd lost to this pack of losers.

        "Idiots," he spat. "Droppin' yer bat, eh? Ya might've had a chance if ya hadn't o' done somet'in' so fuckin' stupid," he sneered.

        "Look, Bowman," the blond haired one, the leader, spoke, "just give us the money and you'll get no trouble from us."

        "No trouble?" he snorted. "I ain't da one in trouble, ya cock suckin' son of a whore." To further his point, he took the bat off his shoulder and took a few practice swings. "How good d'ya t'ink I am at bashin' people's skulls in? I t'ink ma sis and I'll pay when we're good and ready, don't you?" They all watched him nervously, all unarmed after he'd wrenched the bat from the one idiot's hands.

        "Prick," the blond one spat. "Covering for your sis. That little whore needs to pay up or she'll wither up from her own damn addiction." Jared's pale blue eyes narrowed at that comment.

        "Run," he hissed, "and I may consider not givin' chase." They exchanged frightened glances and quickly booked it, finally allowing him to relax his grip on the bat.

        Of course he wasn't really going to give chase. Truth be told, he'd never actually hit any of these guys. What really scared them, besides his appearance, was the fact that he could take hits and just shrug them off like nothing. He didn't know where that came from, and it still hurt like a son of a bitch when he got hit, but he was grateful because it helped keep him and his sister out of trouble with the local dealers.

        He frowned irritably as he turned and picked up his sketch book from the ground, tossing the bat aside in favour of dusting it off. Her damn coke addiction is going to get her killed one of these days, he mused. She was a really sweet person, she really was, but she had issues that she really needed to work through. Not that he didn't either. The high school drop out he was, he really needed to find himself a good job. Ma wouldn't be supporting them forever, after all.

        Gazing down at his notepad; decorated with his latest sketch, that of a chimera, one of his favourite things to draw; he supposed that he could open up commissions on his blog again for a bit of extra cash. People didn't seem to enjoy his style at times, though. All the damn girls wanting their cutesy bullshit. He tried to fulfil their requests of fluffy little bunnies but it wasn't really his thing and he wondered why they even bothered commissioning him, or even visiting his site.

        It was about time to head home, now. It was getting late. And by late, he actually meant that it was nearly midnight and that he'd been drawing by the light of the moon in one of the few shitty parks the big city had to provide. Sometimes he wondered if the trees were even real, much less the dirt and grass. Home wasn't far, fortunately, and he was glad those guys didn't know that. He didn't like walking in the dark for too long with people like them hanging around.

        He would be alone tonight. Ma was out doing something or another, probably wouldn't be back for a couple of days, and his little sis was sleeping over at a friend's house. He was content with keeping the place dark as he made his way down the hallway to his room. He smacked the mouse to bring his computer out of sleep mode to give him some light as he put away his notebook.

        He only paused a second to admire the paintings, all his own, that were propped up in various places around the room. It was an expensive hobby, but selling these helped him pay for the stuff he needed. Better than that shit Alex called art. Manga wasn't art, it was a bunch of big eyed deformed freaks with plastic hair.

        His computer demanded his attention, so he decided to answer it. He wasn't surprised to see who was messaging him.

Candyhaven started messaging vagidicks 11:03pm

CH: Jay-Jay! Are you on?

CH: Jeeeeeez, are you out and about again?

CH: Are you doing drawing? Are you making your drawings look sad again? :c

VD: yes

CH: :O Why would you do that?

VD: its how i draw K

VD: im sorry you dont like it

CH: No, it's fine. ^^ You can draw what you want!

CH: Hey, guess what!

VD: wat

CH: Guess.

VD: okay

VD: i guess that a fire breathing fucking dragon has come to breathe fire on the bastards that are attacking your country

VD: youre all saved now

VD: i dont have to cry myself to sleep with worry anymore

CH: :C You cry yourself to sleep Jay-Jay?

VD: yes

VD: dont you see my guy liner running

VD: no i dont cry myself to sleep fuck that

VD: seriously though wat is up

CH: Lex promised that I could see his face today! 8D

VD: wow okay

VD: thats what youre excited about seeing that ugly fuckers face

CH: He's not ugly! And I'm excited because I've never seen him before!

VD: how could you know hes not ugly ive seen him and you havent

CH: :U You're just mean!

VD: yes thank you im a fucking horrible person

VD: please allow me to go cut myself

VD: and then maybe commit a little suicide while im at it

CH: Gosh, you're not emo so stop pretending you are!

CH: Drama queen.

VD: whatever

VD: im not even worried

VD: isnt the war like kilometres away from you anyways

CH: Mmhm.

CH: But didn't you also say that the government always lies? It's the government telling up all that.

CH: Aren't you contradicting yourself?

VD: ...

VD: shut up you ain't gonna die

VD: i...

VD: i dont know what id do if you did so you wont

VD: okay?

CH: I'll try my best, Jared! ^^

        Ugh, he hated when the conversation turned this way. He hated talking about the war that was nearly upon her. But most of all he hated when he saw death counts on the television and had to suppress the urge to run to the computer and message her, just to make sure she wasn't among those casualties. So far, she'd answered every time, but with the fighting drawing closer and closer with each passing day...

VD: you damn well better K

CH: :)

CH: OH!

CH: Omg, Alex is online!

CH: Brb!

        He figured that she would gone for a little while, so he pulled up the internet and decided to browse his site. He was really considering opening up commissions again; a lot of people kept on pestering him about it. He decided to open a few slots and spent the next little while determining what kinds of commissions he was opening up and how many of each. However, he was interrupted, and this time not be his friend. With an irritable frown, he opened up the offending message box.

Veronica started messaging you at ?

V: The count down is starting.

V: The games will begin.

V: You must be ready.

V: Do not fight your destiny.

VD: wat?

VD: what the hell are you blabbing about this time?

Veronica has logged off

VD: christ you just get weirder by the fucking day dont you

VD: fine

VD: i was kind of hoping for some enigmatic bullshit right about now

VD: how else was i supposed to keep myself up all night

VD: thanks veronica

VD: FUCKING THANK YOU

        She really knew how to piss him off. He hated hearing her stupid predictions. He hated knowing that they weren't really all that stupid, either. He wondered if his other two friends had gotten the message and decided he'd have to ask. And soon CH was messaging him once again, and this time she sounded rather upset.

CH: Jared! Jared, I need you to talk to Alex! :c

VD: why?

VD: wat did he do?!

CH: Nothing, it's just...

CH: Something happened, he'll explain it to you. I have to go right now, daddy's calling me. I'll be on later, okay?

VD: yeah okay

VD: see ya

CH: Bye!

Candyhaven has logged off.

        He irritably began messaging Alex, requesting that he open up a call with him. Whatever he'd done to make his friend upset, he was sure to get an earful for it.

4: Chapter 3

 

        Alex stepped into his home, tossing his bag aside. He quickly looked around, but the living room was empty. His mother was probably out back with the dogs, judging by their happy barking. He ran upstairs to have a quick shower and retreat to his room before she came inside. If she wasn't intoxicated now, she would be soon. And that just meant another damn fight.

        He later walked into his room, drying off his hair with a towel. His shirt was slung over his shoulder. His computer, which had been left on since yesterday, was demanding his attention. He sat down with the towel still on his head to see who it was. He was annoyed to see that they had been messaging him for a while, causing the messages to stack up. Less so when he read their username, Candyhaven.

        Kaylee Stauffer, one of three good online friends, was the one messaging. Alex sighed. He couldn't possibly stay mad at her, no one could. It just wasn't humanly possible. He threw his towel over the cam so she wouldn't be able to see his face, since she was calling for a video chat. He then clicked answer call.

        "Yo," he said once her face appeared on the screen.

        She was the youngest of his three online friends. Though the difference in age was only a few months, her face was so youthful that she didn't look like the 12th grader that she was. She had soft brown hair and big brown eyes. Today, she had her hair in a high ponytail, but the style constantly changed. She was wearing her favourite Big Bird belly shirt with a white tank top underneath it. She always wore bright colours, and never anything skimpy. Preferring cute over slut, he supposed.

        "'Lex!" she exclaimed happily, grinning. She was soon frowning though. "Aw, how come you've got that dumb thing over the cam, still? Jay-Jay's allowed to see your face..."

           "If I showed you my face, your hair would turn white with horror," Alex mumbled.

        He always hid his face. Not just because he thought he was ugly, but because he had a hard enough time talking to girls as it was. He felt awkward speaking to Kaylee and his other female friend, Veronica, even when he wasn't showing his face. Only Jared, or 'Jay-Jay' was allowed to see him through the cam.

    "Maybe I want my hair to be white," she argued. "But you couldn't scare me away that easily. I don't care what you look like because you have a good personality!" That made him wonder why she was friends with Jared, if that were the case.

        "Great, I don't have to show you because you don't care."

        "But 'Lex..." she whined. "I want to see what you look like! Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

        "Will you settle for a quick look, then? I want to ask you something after..." he relented.

        "Why don't you just keep it uncovered for the whole convo?" she queried.

        "C'mon, Kay..."

        "Okay, I won't push my luck," she conceded. "Now let me see." Reluctantly, Alex removed the towel and put it on the table his computer was set up on. Kaylee leaned towards her screen, as if that would let her get a better look at him. She pursed her lips as she studied him, making him go red as he started getting flustered.

        "You're not wearing a shirt, 'Lex," she commented. His eyes widened and he immediately replaced the towel. Even leaving his chair to put his shirt on beside the computer, just in case. His whole face was red.

        "S-Sorry," he stuttered. "Just had a shower."

        "That's okay! It's okay for guys to not have their shirts on!" she chimed. "Why'd you go red, though?"

        "I can't talk to girls," he muttered, seating himself in his chair. She didn't mention it when he kept the towel on the cam.

        "But you talk to me all the time!" she protested.

        "You can't see my face, it's easier," he told her.

        "Aw, so you can see my face all the time and I can't see yours? That's no fair," she pouted.

        "It's too awkward," he insisted.

        "Okay," she gave in. "I got to see your face, so I'm happy. And you're really cute!"

        And just when he thought his face was going back to its normal colour. This wasn't anything new, she called him cute even when she hadn't been able to see his face. She called everyone cute, in fact. It still didn't stop him from feeling embarrassed, though.

        "You said you wanted to ask me something?" she kindly changed the subject for him.

        "Oh, yeah. About dreams." She gasped in excitement, her enthusiasm quickly returning.

        "Oh my gosh. 'Lex, did you finally start the Remembrance? Did you see your dream land? Is it pretty? I wish we didn't all have different ones, I'd love to hang out with all of you together, know what I mean?"

        "Yeah... I don't know, it was...swampy. I saw this cat girl alien person thing, she was there with her boyfriend or whatever," Alex told her, speaking slow so he could take the time to recall the experience properly. "I was following her before he showed up. They ran away, though, when they heard something. Whatever it was, it ran me down and stabbed me in the chest." His hand rubbed the place were his wound had been. Rubbing the scar that it had left. "I think... I think it killed me..."

        Kaylee had an expression on her face that looked like confusion, sadness, and shock all rolled into one. She looked straight into the cam.

        "But... You just started..." she murmured.

        "Why so sad?" he asked gently. "I mean, yeah, it freaked the hell out of me, but it was only a dream..." His words rang hollow with lies.

        "You don't understand. If you die in your dream land, you can't ever return there," she told him quietly, tears starting in her eyes. "You're never going to dream again."

        "You don't know that..." he began to protest.

        "Yes, I do. The people in my dream land told me that that's exactly what happens, which is why I need to be careful. Now you don't even know what you're missing," she said sadly, shaking her head.

        He fell silent, frowning at the computer screen. He'd spent his whole life waking up and never remembering his dreams. He'd later met Kaylee, Jared, and Veronica online, who told him that this was because he hadn't gone through the Remembrance yet. Of course, he'd been skeptical, but he'd soon become excited for the idea.

        At the time, only Veronica could remember her dreams, but she was absolutely sure that he, Kaylee, and Jared would also remember with time. He was to be the last one, but now all that waiting and getting excited about one day remembering his dreams had ended with this. It really was a bit of a disappointment.

        Alex wasn't quite sure whether he should believe his friend or not. She looked genuinely sad, and he'd had plenty of years to realize that his friends weren't just fooling him. Jared especially didn't have the patience to keep up such an elaborate ruse. He was starting to feel down now, too. He'd been looking forward to the Remembrance, as Veronica had so rightfully dubbed it.

        "I've gotta go now, 'Lex. Dad's calling," Kaylee spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Tell Jay-Jay what happened, he'll wanna know, too," she said before going offline.

        Alex wasn't sure he wanted to talk to Jared about it. Kaylee saw a wildly different side of the man. He treated her nice, most likely due to the crush everyone except Kaylee herself knew he had on her. When speaking to her, he was kind. When speaking to everyone else, however, he was a complete asshole.

        But it was what Kaylee wanted, and it wasn't humanly possibly to deny her wishes. Not for long, though, if she was being persistent. He sent Jared a request to video chat. It was answered almost immediately. He was most likely talking to Kaylee before she left.

        Another man appeared on the screen. He had long black hair with pinkish purple tips that hung over the right side of his face. The left half of it had been shaved off. His eyes were pale blue and decorated with black eyeliner. The long half of his hair was spiky and messy, since he never brushed it. He had many silver ring piercings in his ears, eyebrows, bottom lip, and nose. He hadn't shaved, so his face was covered in stubble. He was wearing all black, including black fingerless gloves that he pretty much never took off.

        He already had a scowl and a frown ready to greet Alex. Before he could launch into his usual bitching, the blond haired man interrupted.

        "Dude, what happened to your face? Did you get run over by a steamroller or something? You look like absolute shit," he said, noting the cuts and still forming bruises on his face. Not to mention the gap in his teeth when he sneered.

        "I got into a fight," he growled. "And it's late, dammit. Would you expect anything less?"

        "Did I wake you up? It's like midnight there, isn't it?"

        "No," Jared growled. "And yes, it is almost fuckin' midnight. What d'ya want, eh? Is dis 'bout what Kay was talkin' 'bout? She was pretty upset, y'know. What'd ya do, fuckass?"

        "She didn't say?"

        "Obviously fuckin' not. She went offline 'fore I could ask. Hurry up an' spill, man, I haven't got all fuckin' night. She was really upset, whatever it was," he muttered, the tiniest look of concern breaking his cantankerous mask.

        "She's sad because my, uh," he paused, searching for an appropriate description, "dream person body thing died."

        Now Jared was quiet. He looked just as surprised as Kaylee had.

        "How long have ya been able ta remember?" he demanded.

        "Last night was my first and, if Kaylee is to be believed, my last dream," Alex informed him.

        "Ya died on yer first night?" he said in disbelief, cocking an eyebrow.

        "Yeah... Well, at least I'm pretty sure. I mean, I got stabbed right in the middle of the chest. That does tend to kill people," the blond said with a hint of sarcasm.

        "Yer such an incapable dumbass," Jared snarled. "What de fuck were ya doin' ta get yerself killed?"

        "Shut up! How the fuck was I supposed to know that I would die?! Hell, I was still skeptical about the amount of truth in any of this bullshit until this morning! It wasn't like I could have escaped it anyways. That thing was way too fast to dodge!" Alex snapped, getting frustrated. "So stop yelling at me like it's my fucking fault! I get yelled at enough here without you joining in, too!

        "Dammit, why did I even bother talking with you, anyways? All you ever do is bitch and make things worse, you stupid fucking asshole!"

        They glared at each other through the cams. This is usually what their conversations degraded into. On occasion, they would get along, but Alex only really talked with this asshole when he was spoiling for a good, heated argument. Today was not a day where he was willing to deal with his friend's constant bullshit.

        "Chill, man," Jared finally said. "I'm not yer enemy. No need ta get yer knickers in a knot, y'know."

        "This just isn't a good time for your bullshit, Jared. Can we just talk about something else?" Alex said tiredly, rubbing his eyes.

        "Whatever. Can't do not'in' 'bout it, anyways," he muttered. "Mom yell at ya, too? You ain't inna good mood."

        "No, but I can expect it later. I'm fucking tired of it," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Growling in frustration when he caught a few knots in it.

        A meow made him look over. His cat was sitting on the windowsill, looking at him innocently. He marvelled briefly at her ability to get past all the stupid dogs in the back before calling her over.

        "C'mere, Angel."

        She leapt inside and ran across the room. She jumped up onto his lap, purring and meowing as he started paying her the attention he sure as hell thought she deserved. The cat had soon curled up and gotten herself comfortable. God dammit did he love cats.

        "You and yer damned cats," Jared muttered.

        "Better than those fucking dogs mom keeps around," Alex retorted. "And she expects me to feed them, even though they're her fucking dogs."

        "Whatever floats yer boat, man," Jared said, rolling his eyes. "Ya shouldn't take out yer anger at yer ma on the doggy folk, dough. Dey ain't da ones ta blame, y'know. But I need ta sleep, it's like fuckin' one in de mornin' or somet'in' 'ere. Talk ta ya later."

        "Yeah, see you," Alex said before his friend closed the video chat.

        Seeing that no one else worth talking to was online, he decided to cruise the internet mindlessly since he didn't really feel like doing something productive.

5: Chapter 4

        The air was pleasant today. The slight breeze brought with it smells of growth, food, and new life. The smells of spring, a time of newness. The fauna was awaking from its short winter slumber, ready to begin anew on a world with agreeably long summers and incredibly short winters. Spring was the time when training for the valisan cubs finished. One valisan in particular was eager to prove her worth to the pride.

        Niati stood across from her opponent, spear in one hand, a feather in the other. The wind gently brushed her pitch black hair away from her face, revealing her orange cat-like eyes and predatory smirk. Her tail twitched in anticipation, making the rings on it jingle slightly.

        Though she was dressed for a long fight, she knew that this match would be a fairly short one. Her hands and paws were wrapped in bandages to help protect them and her clothing was thick enough to resist the claw of any valisan. She had a beaded ceremonial piece draped over her shoulders and across her chest, just as tradition called for.

        To be pit against one of her own in an attempt to prove oneself was not an uncommon practice among her kind, especially for a warrior pride such as her own. She prided herself on being one of the best of the best. Being a warrior, or a hunter, was perhaps the greatest honour anyone could receive. It meant the receiver of the title was strong and worthy.

        "Begin," the deep voice of Kacha Pride boomed suddenly, making the antennae on her head twitch as the air reverberated.

        They didn't waste time with petty feelings of trepidation, knowing that this was a battle where blood may be drawn. The opposing forces clashed without hesitation. Five sun sweeps of training had made them quick, silent, and fearless warriors of the night. When they connected, they said not a word, made not a single sound. Kacha Pride swelled with glee that his children were so well trained.

        Also armed with a spear, Niati's opponent immediately jabbed at her middle. He was quick, but male valisan could never match the speed of the nimble females. Niati dodged and swung her weapon blade first at her foe. He promptly grabbed it and disarmed her. Though females were faster, males were usually stronger.

        However, it wasn't the spear that mattered in this fight but instead the feather. Clutching the fragile object, Niati ducked beneath his next swing. She quickly transferred the feather from hand to mouth and grabbed the shaft of the weapon with both hands. Usually, this would be a futile effort on her part, but it wasn't her goal to disarm him.

        The wooden part broke quite easily, being only a simple weapon used by apprentices. Niati now had the end with the blade. The male tossed aside his useless stick and lunged for her, planning to use a combination of greater bulk and speed to incapacitate her. Niati, as usual, was faster.

        She sidestepped his charge and grabbed his shoulder with her hand, easily slinging herself onto his back. Her weight unbalanced him and sent him crashing to the hard ground. Hissing in pain from her sharp claws digging into him. Niati grabbed a handful of his black hair and pulled his head back. She held the blade to his throat, but her eyes were fixated on his own feather, which he was holding just out of her reach.

        "Unhand the ceremonial piece, brother," she purred. "I always like to avoid causing the death of longfurs as a faithful shortfur follower." Her voice was muffled by her own feather.

        "Niati, you eborian dog!" he snarled.

        "Let it go, sweet, sweet Yoney," she said kindly. "Our shared kacha will not be happy to watch his longfur cub be such a sore loser!"

        Yoney released the feather. The moment he did, Niati snatched it up and held it above her head, letting loose a yowl of victory that was echoed by the rest of the pride. Only in triumph did their vows of silence during this match melt away ever so briefly. She let her foe up, ignoring his annoyed growls. He hissed at her before retreating as the crowd that surged around the victor.

        "Niati, I just knew you would win!"

        Her kasa pushed her way through the mob so she could embrace her third born cub. When she pulled away, she beamed. Niati maintained her triumphant smirk as her kasa gently took one of the feathers and tucked it behind her ear.

        The young victor's eyes narrowed slightly when she heard her kacha whispering with someone.

        "For a shortfur, your cub is quite talented. I never thought she would be able to beat your male heir, Pride."

        It was one of the breedless, a male in the pride who wasn't allowed to produce cubs. Only Kacha Pride was allowed to sire cubs. Thus, every young'un in the pride belonged to him and one of the many females.

        "Indeed. And she was such a sickly cub, as well. I was sure that she would be culled and had personally given up hope on her the moment I saw that she was both a shortfur and as ill as she was," this made Niati bristle a little, "but she was strong enough to pull through and become the hunter she is today."

        "Kilar has always had good, strong cubs, despite her status," the breedless remarked.

        "Yes," Pride agreed. "Let us speak of this later, though. My cub needs to be informed of the final test required to complete the Right of Entry."

        A bolt of excitement ran her spine all the way to the tip of her tail. Becoming a hunter for the pride was now within arm's reach. Furthermore, she would be the first, and most likely only, of her generation of shortfurs to reach the hunter class. It was an event that didn't happen often in any of the prides.

        She wondered what she would need to do to earn her final Right. What test would he make her do? Most valisan were sent off to hunt prey for the entire pride along with their ziadon. Usually a hetorian or two would suffice. They were quite easy to take down for a talented hunter. She had a feeling that, as a shortfur, she would need to do something more.

        When her kacha approached, her kasa stepped away and dipped her head respectfully. She knew her place in the pride. Niati raised her chin proudly to gaze into Pride's old eyes. He would soon retire and finally choose his successor. Though there was always an heir, one cub primed for the single purpose of succeeding the current pride, sometimes another would be chosen to step up. She was hoping that this would happen to her.

        "You have done well, Niati Kilar," he praised her, making her swell with pride. "And now it is time for your final Right of Entry. You have worked hard, have done better than anyone had ever expected of you. Others had their doubts, but I, of course, would expect no less of a cub borne of Kilar Nessa and I," she resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he rose his voice to speak to the entire pride, "Leave us, now! Should this cub's ziadon be present, I must ask that he step forward immediately!"

        The crowd dispersed, with Kilar casting her cub one last look of concern before moving a safe distance away. Left behind was a single male with ginger fur and horns that curved upwards rather than downwards like everyone else's. He had an easygoing smile on his face that was reflected in his oddly coloured eyes, one green and the other blue. Niati's ears drooped a little in anger when she heard a slight growl in her kacha's throat as he beckoned her ziadon forward.

        "As tradition has always allowed, you will be able to bring your ziadon with you, Niati," Pride rumbled. "Together, you will hunt for the entire pride. I find myself craving eborian meat, so that is what you will hunt. You have until sunrise tomorrow to complete your task."

        Niati's smirk faltered slightly while her ziadon's smile faded completely. Only fools messed with eborian when so few in number. Everything that Kacha Pride says, goes, no matter the danger or difficulty involved in the task he had assigned.

        "Pfft, eborian. Should have given us something hard," she purred, filling her voice with mock confidence. "Right, Kashiin?"

        He smiled in reply, but it was halfhearted and paired with a shrug, as if he didn't fully agree. The male had never possessed her bravery or confidence, but neither did he have her impatience or hot temper. Furthermore, he was unable to speak at all, making him far quieter than she usually was. They were complete opposites, but had still forged the connection of the ziadon the moment they lay eyes on each other.

        Niati fondly remembered how she had found him. She'd been hardly two sweeps old, but she had already picked up the habit of simply wandering off and exploring her world. She had found Kashiin, barely a sweep and a half at the time, on the edge of their territory. It was the farthest she'd travelled, but to this day she was grateful for her daring as a young cub.

        Even though Kashiin looked odd, since he was from a different tribe of valisan, Niati had taken him home with her. He'd been adopted by one of the females of the pride, Y'heda. The only reason he was allowed to live and remain was because he was her ziadon, and it caused the greatest of pain to lose them.

        Kashiin hadn't been the power booster the pride had been hoping for, however. He was an introvert, preferring to stay out of social situations; which was probably the reason he'd been abandoned in the first place since it was such an undesirable trait. Plus, he was unable to talk or fight. Thus, he had been de-clawed, declared breedless, and appointed as one of the caretakers.

        Males hardly obtained this role, which was essentially the more basic education of the young cubs, but he was a special exception. Regardless, he loved these tasks and found the challenge of relaying information despite his liability quite exciting. It meant he couldn't fight, though, and he wouldn't be much help when it came to hunting.

        Suddenly, Kilar was protesting against her father's decision.

        "Kacha Pride! You cannot send her out after an eborian alone!" she cried.

        "Kasa..." Niati muttered in embarrassment.

        "She will be fine, Kilar," Pride assured her. "You yourself saw how easily she had pinned and disarmed Yoney. A longfur, of all kinds, and my own cub," not that that made a difference; all the cubs were his, "And the young Y'heda cub has also proved himself worthy, despite being an outcast in our home. Tomorrow, when they return, we will feast upon eborian meat!" he shouted, bringing forth a yell from those that still lingered.

        "I will be fine, kasa," Niati said. "I will get food for the entire pride by morning. Do not fret."

        "...Be careful," the valisan whispered. "Both you and Kashiin, yes?" Looking at her cub with orange eyes that so many of her progeny possessed.

        "Of course, kasa. We are going. Take care of Yvonne during our leave," Niati purred. Yvonne was her younger sister.

        She'd only stepped a few metres away from her kasa when another valisan bounced up to her. She was fairly tall, with her black hair done up in a long braid. Her face was decorated with various paints and she was wearing quite a lot of jewellery. Her eyes were a pale violet colour and the clothing she wore was flamboyant, especially considering their warrior pride status. Her fur had been dyed all shades of blue and blue-green.

        "Oh yay, Niati! I knew that you would be victorious against that boar-brained Yoney!" she squealed happily. "You are the best ever! I wish I could be your kind of amazing- Niati amazing!" Her rainbow tail lashed back and forth excitedly.

        "And greetings to you, V'hira," Niati chuckled. "I was curious to see if you would come. I had thought that you would be locked in your den rolling in your paints," she said, giving the taller valisan a teasing smirk.

        "How could I ever miss out on your purrformance? I would never, not in a million years!"

        Niati strode past V'hira, brushing her fingers through her long lovely fur, stiff with the many paints that decorated it. That, along with her flat face, made her one of the most prestigious members of the entire clan. Her mother had been a gift from another pride to appease Kacha Pride, and the children she had given them were cherished.

        However, V'hira's dabbling with the paints made her a poor hunter and she had become a caretaker, instead. Plus, her interest in unique vegetation had lowered her status considerably since she was usually in her den, losing herself to the illusions that the scents gave her. It put her even lower than Niati herself, who was one of the lowest due to her cubhood illness. Hopefully, that would change soon.

        "We must be off, V'hira. We cannot waste anytime. How about you go to your den and work on your speech? Slurring is such a terribly habit," she said as she left. V'hira waved her off, not offset in the least by her rude comments.

        As they set out, she heard Kashiin sigh quietly. She groaned, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

        "I know you are concerned," she said, meeting his multicoloured gaze. "But I am the best of the best, Kashiin. I am confident that I will be able to achieve the status of hunter." He shook his head sadly.

        "How rude! How could you possibly think that I would die?" she muttered, ears flattening to her head. He shrugged, his eyes casting out towards the edges of their vast territory.

        "We cannot leave," she snapped. "I am not going to die! And you better stay out of my way! I will not have you being slaughtered by some eborian bitch!" she spat. "Come on, let us be off before Kacha Pride sends angry hunters after us, demanding why we doddle so."

6: Chapter 5

Warnings: Violence, death.

*~*~*~*

        Night brought with it a restless sleep, yet not a dreamless one. Where Alex had expected the blackness from before, he found terrible nightmares. His chest burned from his wound, the wound that had killed him. Illusions drifted through his line of sight, foretelling of things to come, and things already gone. He tossed and turned in his sleep, until he finally awoke.

        It was late. Or rather, early. Groaning, his rubbed his eyes and sat up, disturbing his cat. Angel protested furiously, but he ignored her. He was too busy trying to shake the terrible visions from his mind. He felt the sudden urge to get up and get out. Especially when he heard the rasping voice of his mother demanding his attention. Most likely the very thing that had awaken him.

        He locked the door just as she was about to storm into his room in her usual drunken stupor. His gaze turned to the window. It was raining out. He loved the rain. The overwhelming need to leave drove him to the window, and he flung it open.

        Perhaps this isn't the best idea... Alex thought as he perched on his windowsill and gazed down at the dogs in the backyard.

        The pack watched him intently, surprisingly silent for once in their lives. Alex glanced inside his room, frowning deeply. His door rattled as his mother struggled with the doorknob. It wouldn't be long before she realized that he was just going to ignore her, forcing her to get the key and unlock it herself. This was the way it always was, but she never learned. If everything went well, however, Alex was hoping that this time things would change.

        He relished the rain against his face and the watery air that filled his lungs. It hadn't rained for months, and it was quite a relief. Not to the plants, there weren't any now that the city was over a mile above the ground, but to the people living in the sterile sky city that had once been a smoggy hellhole a few hundred years ago. Alex briefly closed his eyes and turned his face skyward. It was wonderful feeling this beautiful, cool wetness against his face once more.

        But now was not the time to be indulging in the small pleasures of life; something he'd been forced to learn how to do enduring the kind of aggressive dance he did with his mother almost 24/7. His maternal guardian had ceased her door rattling to scour the kitchen drawers for the key to his room. She would return with it any second now, and he needed to get out.

        Now the real question was how. It was a long way down, and he would probably break something upon impact. If he did that, he'd most likely die like that. To hell if his mother took him the hospital ever, even if he was dieing. To hell if she even bothered treating him at all, the hag cared not a bit for his well being.

        Fortunately, his house was unlike others in that it wasn't flat. He'd always despised his mother for buying the shittiest, most made fun of house in the neighbourhood. It was but one of the many reasons he was bullied so mercilessly at school. Right now, he loved her weird ass quirks and he loved his shitty house, for they both aided in his escape this day.

        It was slipperier than a half melt ice cube, but somehow he made it down into the backyard. Soaking wet and surrounded by the most hateful and retarded creatures on Earth that loved him for some weird reason, excluding humans, but alive and, even better, away from that god awful woman. Now all he needed to do was-

        That thought was interrupting by his buzzing phone. He'd brought it with him so he could keep talking with friends. So he wouldn't be completely alone during this particular adventure. Though reluctant to bring it out in the rain, curiosity got the better of him and he answered the device which pleaded so for his attentions.

 

Veronica started messaging you at ?

Veronica: The countdown is starting.

Veronica: The games will begin.

Veronica: Kaylee Stauffer will meet her fate within two hours and 14 minutes.

Veronica: Jared Bowman will perish in exactly one hour and 42 minutes.

Veronica: Alex Wicman will die in 20 minutes.

Veronica: You must be ready.

Veronica: Do not fight your destiny.

Veronica ceased messaging you at ?

 

        Alex stared at the screen, heart pounding. His whole body was shaking, and he suddenly felt cold despite the warm rain. Much of it didn't make sense, but the middle fortellings were clear. Never before had she sent him something so drastic, though. Worse yet, her premonitions never failed to come true.

        His gaze turned up to his bedroom window where the silhouette of his mother stood, watching him. He swallowed hard. Though it was probably a good idea to return home, Veronica had already told him not to fight it. He was absolutely petrified.

        He felt like a little kid again, terrified of the unknown. Yet it wasn't the unknown is he knew that he was going to die. Knew that his friends were going to die, as well, and there was nothing he could do about it. A part of him didn't want to believe her, to deny everything, but the bigger part told him that was stupid. If he did that, he would only stumble upon his fate in complete ignorance.

        So he turned and walked away from the house. If he was going to die, he would die free of his blasted mom.

        Fifteen minutes. He was in the midst of the city on one of the unused roads. The energy based thing was old and rickety, but it still glowed when he stepped on it. This meant it was still strong, and he was confident that this was not how he would die. He turned down an alleyway, scaring away a few rummaging dogs. He would head towards the big city.

        Ten minutes. Alex perched atop one of the abandoned buildings not far from his house. He could see it from here, in fact. His eyes fixated on the distant city. It was too far to reach within the time he theoretically had left. He stood straight and turned away from the sight of degrading society. He would traverse the roofs, instead.

        Five minutes. He couldn't see his house anymore, he was moving surprisingly fast. Jared and Kaylee were frantically messaging him. He didn't reply, knowing it was a useless venture. He did briefly glance at their ramblings however. He found that it was filled with concern and, towards the end, wondering if he had died before his predetermined death.

        One minute. He stood on the road once more, stronger than the one before. He was desperate, he didn't want to die a failure. Dieing without succeeding in anything was perhaps one of his greatest fears. Alex flung his phone at a nearby building, watching it shatter with a sneer of satisfaction.

        Suddenly, he was terrified that he would be run over. That wasn't how he wanted it all to end. He quickly climbed one of the taller buildings. Now, with perhaps only seconds left, he admired the height he had attained through this venture. He was perhaps the tallest thing for miles. It made him grin and yell profanities. He shouted at the heavens, challenging them.

        They replied with a crackling boom and a flash of light.

*~*~*~*

        Jared stared at his computer, dumbstruck, when Alex went offline. Perhaps for the last time. Kaylee had stopped messaging him now, too. He knew she was probably mourning the loss of their friend and, perhaps, their soon to be deaths. But all he could do was stare. This...couldn't be happening. His stupor melted into blind terror and he jumped to his feet, yelling.

        "I ain't ready to die, dammit!" he screeched. "Fuck you, God! Fuck you, Jesus! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! Ya ain't gettin' me today, y'all hear me?! Da's right, I'mma live! Fuck you, Veronica, and yer fuckin' predictions! I never believed 'em, anyways, y'hear?! Y'hear me, bitch?!"

        No one was home. It was night, but morning would come very soon. Monsters lurked in the shadows, causing him to dash across the entire house, turning on every light he could find. Lighting candles in the corners that refused to be penetrated by the yellow rays of safety. Clutching his authentic, battle ready katana, he sat on his bed, ready for any threat.

        "Ya ain't gettin' me today! I'mma live longer dan dis! I ain't gonna die like dis, a fuckin' pat'etic pile o' shit, y'hear?!" he yelled this continuously. He had no idea how long he went on yelling, but his throat grew raw and sore and his voice began to fail.

        Footsteps shut him up. They were walking down the hallway slowly, calling his name quietly. Calling him to death's doorstep. He pushed himself into the corner of his bed, clutching his katana so hard that his hands hurt. His door, left ajar in his frantic scramble for light, slowly opened. Jared lunged for the offender, brandishing his frightening weapon.

        "Not fuckin' today, y'hear!" he snarled, running his enemy through.

        He gazed into the wide, blue eyes of his elderly neighbour, Mrs. Fehazen. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of her lip. She raised a trembling hand, as if to grasp the blade through her failing heart, but it fell limply to her side. Her body fell, forcing down the weapon with it. Jared let it clatter to the ground as he backed away.

        "Holy shit-!" he whispered. "Oh... Oh my god... Shit, what've I done? What... M-Mrs. Fahazen? Y'all right? Mrs. Fahazen?!"

        He fell to his hands and knees, retching until his stomach was empty. Tears streaming down his face, he flung himself at his computer, hastily wiping the vomit from his mouth. Kaylee had messaged him dozens of times, begging for him to reply. His hands flew across the keyboard, quickly obliging her frantic requests by opening up video chat.

        "Kaylee-!" he gasped once it had loaded.

        She stared at him with red, bloodshot eyes. She had been crying. When she saw him and how quickly he had deteriorated into a mindless lump of high strung muscles all commanded through the simple will of instinct, the tears ran anew. She began rambling on and on about how he was next, how he only had so much time left. None of it really registered, he could only stare, until she said his name. Not his nickname, his real name.

        "Jared?"

        "How much time...?" he managed. "'Til I...?" She shook her head, unable to tell him.

        "Jay-Jay, what happened?" she whispered.

        "I... Kay... I-I t'ink I killed someone..." he croaked, one hand covering his mouth. "I panicked and t'ought she was some sort o' burglar, y'know. Took ma katana and ran her t'rough... She's dead, Kay. Oh god, what do I do? It was an accident, y'know. I jus' got scared, man, and I... Oh my god, I'll go ta hell!"

        "Jay-Jay..." she trailed off, looking like she didn't know what to say. "Take a deep breath, okay? Deep breath, calm down."

        At the moment, she sounded like the wisest monk rather than a scared teen, like him. He slowed his breathing, but it took a few minutes. Every time he was about to accomplish the task, he remembered what he had done, and what will happen, and started panicking anew. Kaylee's words of reassurance were the only thing stopping him from completely flying off the handle.

        "Danks," he said, emotionally exhausted.

        She gave him a weak smile. He couldn't say for sure whether or not she was put off by his recent actions. Whether she thought any different of him for murdering an innocent old lady. Any distance that she may be putting between them could just as easily be caused by emotional distress. It was painful being cast into such ignorance. Especially with Kaylee.

        "Kay... Do ya actually believe 'er?" he asked tiredly. "I mean, Alex hasn't answered since we got 'er fuckin' message, eh?"

        "'Ronica's never been wrong before..." Kaylee whispered, looking very upset. "Jay-Jay, I don't want to die, yet. I wanted to become a clothing designer. I wanted to meet all of you, 'Lex, 'Ronica, and especially you."

        "Ya ain't gonna die," he retorted. "And I ain't gonna die, either. We're meant fer great t'in's, Kay. 'Ronica said dat, too, and she's always right."

        "That's impossible. We can't die and still do great things, can we?"

        "Maybe. Maybe not. Dis ain't the end fer us, regardless."

        They talked quietly for a while. About the little things, about anything to keep their minds off of everything. Jared managed to forget the corpse of his loving neighbour for the time being. Until he heard more footsteps coming. His heart skipped a beat and he almost grabbed his katana. He reminded himself of the first incident, and let go of the handle.

        "Jay-Jay, everything all right?" Kaylee whispered.

        "Someone's 'ere. Maybe it's ma sis'," he replied quietly. "Or ma..." he added, thinking that she might have come home early. He called out, but was met with no reply.

        The footsteps had stopped now. Thinking that he may have imagined it, Jared returned his attentions to the computer. The moment he turned away, however, he felt as if something was terribly wrong. He was consumed by the uncontrollable urge to grab his katana. Maybe if he had, he would have saved himself.

        "You killed her!"

        Hands grabbed him. Dragged him from his chair and pinned him to the floor, where he lay staring into the teary eyed gaze of Mr. Fehazen. The hands wrapped around his throat and began to squeeze. He could hear Kaylee's frantic cries as his airway was cut off. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to breathe, to no avail.

        The cries of his friend faded just like his vision just before everything cut to black.

*~*~*~*

        Kaylee sobbed into her pillow. Just as she'd been doing since she'd witnessed Jared's violent death half an hour ago. She was next. That was all she could think about. She'd tried to contact Veronica, but failed. Her friend refused to answer her. Or maybe she had already died, and had simply relayed the message to her and her friends before succumbing.

        She sat up and gazed outside her window, snivelling. Living in a country so plagued by war brought with it many possibilities of death. She'd been okay with possibilities and chances, especially since war was still a ways away from her doorstep. Looking out at the glowing lights of her city now, the knowledge came upon her all at once. She knew how she would die.

        But she also realized that Jared was right. They were destined for great things, and this most certainly wasn't the end. No, this was the beginning of something great. She couldn't believe she hadn't realized it sooner. It all made sense, now. The Remembrance was unique to them for a reason. They were special.

        It was a cool night, but Kaylee didn't mind as she opened the window to let in a nice breeze. She proceeded to crawl out onto the roof. When she looked up, the sky was clear. Despite the lack of a sun, her face was bathed in yellow light. Blotting out the moon was a ball of fire, its trajectory sending it headlong into her city.

*~*~*~*

        Niati gazed into the den of the eborian she had been tracking for hours, now. It was past midnight. They'd spent a majority of their time following the scent of the male. Normally, it was a death wish to take on a healthy male. However, these creatures were as rare as they were dangerous. It was pure luck that they had found this trail at all. If that had let it be, they may not have found another one for many days, if there were even any others on their territory.

        Kashiin rested a hand on her shoulder, giving her a tiny frown. He had no weapons, since he wasn't a warrior. Although, he seemed to be unnaturally lucky at times. He'd been trying to convince her to leave the territory instead of dieing to try and appease a being who could never be happy. Niati, stubborn to the end, continued to refuse to back down from Pride's challenge.

        "We'll be fine, Kashiin," she purred quietly. "They sleep at night, unlike us. We shall catch this one unawares."

        He nodded, reluctantly releasing her shoulder and motioning that she lead the way.

        She gladly took it, stepping into the large cave, spear at the ready. Fortunately, eborians didn't create complex tunnel networks like so many other creatures. Instead, they took over abandoned caves. This made it easy to follow the male's scent all the way to the main den where he was sleeping.

        The creature was massive. He had no fur except on top of his head, a crest meant to impress. He was very muscular and the powered that rippled through his body, even in his sleep, was most certainly something to behold. He had a total of eight legs, six for walking and two smaller ones for grasping. The spines along its back rattled slightly as it breathed in and out.

        Niati gazed at its throat. She could hear the steady beat of its heart, the gentle rushing of bloods through veins. Blood soon to be spilled. She was eager to see her prey's life fade as it slowly bled out, but tonight would be a quick and easy kill, not slow and merciless. She still longed for more light so that she may see the lovely, dark red, though.

        Her antennae twitched when she picked up slight vibrations in the air. A breeze of cool wind was rushing through the cavern, constant airflow. When it stopped, she thought nothing of it. Kashiin was as good as having luck, ridiculously good luck, but a step away. Nothing could stop her now that she had her prey right here.

        She passed off her spear; tonight's kill would be a personal one. She slowly drew her bone dagger, the materials salvaged from an eborian killed long ago. An heirloom fit for a talented hunter such as herself. A gift from her own kacha, when he had realized her true potential.

        She lowered the blade to the great beast's throat. Resting the sharp edge gently upon its thick skin, she whispered a few words to the gods in thanks for this kill. She then placed her second hand on the handle, preparing to slice him open and finish the task. Finally, finally, she would be a hunter like she truly deserved.

        A strangled, soundless cry stopped her. She turned, her eyes wide, coming face to face with a female eborian. It held Kashiin's limp, dead form in her formidable jaws. Frozen to the spot, she could only stare at her ziadon's dead body. By now, the male was awake, as well.

        "K-Kashiin..." she whispered. "KASHIIN!" She lunged for the eborian, slamming her knife into her eye. She drew away, screaming in pain and wrenching the weapon from her hands.

        The male, now awake, swatted her aside with a huge paw when she tried to lunge for her spear. Its strength was great enough to lift her off her feet and slam her into the cave wall. Her head slammed painfully into the hard rock, making the world spin. She looked up and saw four eborians instead of two. Kashiin lay behind them, unmoving.

        "S-Sorry, Kashiin..." Niati whispered. "I should have made you wait outside..." Their jaws drew closer, stinking of death and decay. "I suppose I will never be a true hunter."

        They lunged, and everything went black.

7: Chapter 6

        Dieing was definitely an eye opening experience. Ironically, Alex was having a helluva time opening his eyes. He awoke in some kind of liquid, suspended with his arms above his head and his ankles held to the floor. He wasn't breathing, but that didn't really concern his addled mind, at the moment. A string a tingling pain ran from his left shoulder to his right foot, straight through his heart. His whole body ached.

        When he did open his eyes, all he saw were blurry shapes. Whether that was because of the liquid or his eyes, he wasn't too sure. Perhaps it was even the glass container that he was in. Whatever the reason, he could still hear perfectly fine.

        “It seems the humans are back on the field,” one voice cackled. It confused Alex. He knew they weren't speaking his language, but he could still understand them.

        “They're fairly short lived. We'll see them often,” another voice murmured. “Though not as often as the valisan.”

        “Is that who they're up against? I wonder who'll win this round.”

        “The fendrarks are hitting the field this round, as well,” another voice entered the conversation.

        “A shame. I quite liked the humans. Quite plain in appearance, but marvellously resourceful,” voice one sighed. “I could never see them becoming Old Gods, though.”

        “I was hoping they'd get a bit better, really,” voice two chuckled. “They get lazier every round. The last few barely came out alive.”

        “Regardless, their lives end here,” voice three said in a dark tone. Footsteps indicated that he was leaving.

        “W-what...” Alex muttered, trying to make sense of whatever they were talking about. He heard them gasp in shock.

        “It's awake! Did it die?” voice two hissed.

        “Impossible, the Old Gods would never be mistaken!” the other voice exclaimed. “Hurry, put it back to sleep before they find out about our incompetence. I won't have those bullies killing anymore of us Patron Gods because of a dumb mistake...”

        A second later, he started to feel even more tired. His eyes closed and he embraced the soothing unconsciousness.

*~*~*~*

        When he re-awoke, he was on a hard floor, lying on his stomach. He didn't move; he couldn't at the moment. He tried to piece together his last memories. He was on a building... Then a bright flash and... Then what? Was he dead? Had Veronica's ominous foretelling really come true?

        Despite his aching muscles, he opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. He was completely naked. However, there appeared to be no one else in the room with him. He sat up and leaned against the wall. A quick scan told him what he'd already assumed: the room was small, grey, empty, yet somehow lit by an unknown source.

        It was also completely silent, a scary kind of silence, a maddening quietness. He felt different. Beyond the pain and the drowsiness, he could feel it, or rather, not feel it. His body was still. He could no longer feel the functions of his body. Placing a hand over his chest confirmed that his heart was no longer beating. He was breathing, but it was hollow, useless. There was nothing to support, it was just a simple habit now.

        He really was dead. Was this what hell was like, then? Those thoughts were half-hearted, though. He didn't really believe in any of that. There was something else going on, something huge. And somehow everything, his death, or deaths, Veronica, meeting Jared and Kaylee, his Remembrance. They must be all connected.

        A beeping started up, once again from some unknown source. He jumped when the wall to his left opened up, revealing a one piece suit. It was dark grey, but lit up with red highlights. It was clear that he was supposed to put it on. He didn't really see the harm in it. Things couldn't possibly get any worse, could they?

        It fit him nicely, perhaps a little too much. It was almost as good as being naked. A little tucking and moving things around made things a little better and a little less embarrassing to look at. He was feeling better, as well. Every moment he was awake, he felt like he was getting stronger.

        He favoured his foot heavily, though. Further inspection revealed that there was a pretty nasty burn, there; the place where the lightning had left his body. It seemed to be scarring up, healing at an increased rate. Another scar was on his left shoulder, where the lightning had entered him. He was pretty sure he had died when it went through his heart, since he could feel the tingling line of nerves go through that area. He also had a scar where the creature had stabbed him in his dream.

        Once he'd gotten the suit on, along with matching gloves and boots, the other side of the room opened. It led to a large room, much like the previous one. Except, that is, for the obscene amount of weapons the lined the walls, ceiling to floor. Only one other person was in the room. She sat cross legged in the middle of the floor, dressed in a suit like his, lined with glowing yellow rather than red.

        “Veronica?” he said, perhaps a little hesitant. She didn't turn around.

        “What is it, Alex?”

        “How'd you die?” he asked. Perhaps it was a little too personal, but how was he supposed to put it any other way? He blamed it on his addled mind.

        “I was already dead,” she murmured cryptically. “Smoke inhalation.”

        “O-Oh.” He decided to leave it at that.

        He hadn't seen Veronica before. Like him, she kept her video screen blank. Although, hearing what she had to say made him wonder if there had been anything to see in the first place. Now he could see that she looked a lot like an Amazon warrior from old comics and the such.

        Her beauty was exotic, serene. Perhaps even god-like. She had ebony skin, dark eyes, and raven black hair that was very straight and very thick. Braids hid among her mane, as well as small decorations such as beads, bones, and feathers. The red and white paint on her face made her seem almost tribal. The futuristic suit she wore contrasted wildly with her appearance.

        “Jared and Kaylee are a part of this too, aren't they?” he murmured.

        “Yes. Jared will be the next to recover.”

        “What happens after this?” He was afraid of the answer.

        “I don't know,” she replied. “All I know is that our species' fate rests in our hands from here on out. The oracles will come and explain our task.”

        “Do you know why we're here?”

        “No.”

        Any further questioning was interrupted when he heard a beeping. Another door opened, and Jared stumbled into the room. He looked absolutely horrid. Alex's breath caught in his throat when he saw the hand-like bruises around his friend's throat. They were starting to heal now, but he felt as if the imprints would always be there. Jared looked at him with wild eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks.

        “Alex?” he said in disbelief, wiping away his tears quickly.

        He was dressed in a suit, as well. His was lined with blue.

        “Y-Yeah?” he stuttered, thrown off by his demeanour.

        “Oh god,” the other man whispered. Alex watched as he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself. “Fuck, man, I can't deal wit' dis. Dis is fucked up, so fucked up. Oh god, dis is hell, isn't it?! I'm goin' ta hell fer killing 'er!”

        “Jesus, you're a mess,” Alex said quietly, unsure of what else to say.

        “Fuck off!” Jared snarled, bristling angrily. “Leave me alone you cock suckin' modderless son of a cow!

        “S-Sorry...” he murmured. As freaked out as he was, his sharp tongue worked just as good as it did any other time. “I'm just...trying to wrap my mind around this, okay? Man, I don't even want to know what happened to you...”

        He already did, in a sense. Being choked to death was a terrible way to die. And to think, he'd had an hour to destroy himself worrying and fretting about it. If only Kaylee was there so she could work her magic on the poor man. She seemed to be the only one able to get through to him. And right now, Jared looked like he really needed it.

        Just as he was thinking that, though, there was more beeping. Kaylee hesitantly walked out of her room. Alex paled, she looked even worse that Jared did. Half her face was covered in terrible burns, and her normally pretty, long hair had been cut short. He imagined that, whatever had killed her, had also burnt her hair. Someone had been courteous enough to fix it up, though. Her bangs most likely hid the area where her scars had killed her hair permanently. He could assume that the whole right side of her body had been burned, as well.

        “'Lex? Oh my gosh, 'Lex!” she cried, leaping into his arms. Her suit was lined with purple. It suited her (no pun intended) perfectly. “I love what they did with your hair! It's a lot better than that dumb gloomy long hair you had before!” Leave it to her to embrace this situation with her usual cheeriness.

        “Ow! Kaylee, ow, you're hurting- Wait, hair? What?” He reached a hand up to feel his now short hair. “Damn it all!” he snarled, “I liked my hair the way it was!”

        “Jay-Jay?” She'd already bounced over to poor Jared, leaving him to fret about trivial things. He looked up from his brooding, his eyes widening when he saw her scars.

        “K-Kaylee?” he whispered. “Oh my... Are you...okay?”

        “Are you?” she murmured, her face softening.

        “Am now,” he told her with a weak smile.

        “Good. Everything will be okay!” she said happily, leaping to her feet. Her eyes swept the room, landing on the last person she had yet to greet. Her eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh, 'Ronica, is that what you look like!”

        Alex let her get on with her fangirling, turning his attentions to the weapons that lined the walls. There was a large assortment of classic human weapons, both old and new. Having weapons presented to them in this manner wasn't usually a good sign. Would they be pitted against each other as a form of sick entertainment? No, something about this seemed...otherworldly. Magical, even?

        “So we're all dead?” Alex said the one thing that was definitely on everyone else's mind. Even Kaylee quieted when he spoke, looking at him with such sorrow that his heart ached anew.

        “Yes,” Veronica was the one to answer him. She had stood. Kaylee moved to help Jared to his feet.

        “And so far none of us know why...” Alex mused. “Our only hint is that we're surrounded in weapons. I'm suspecting that whoever is in on this might be pitting us against one another.”

        “Close,” a new voice spoke.

        No one had noticed the entrance of four new beings. When Alex looked, he was taken aback to see holograms. They were a rare thing, not something owned by the common person. The government had kept a firm grip on this technology. But here before him stood four holograms, though they were not of people.

        Each had a transmitter floating above their heads, each a different colour. He noticed that their colours matched their suits; red, yellow, blue, and purple. The red one was a wolf, looking as if he were made of stars. Purple was a hummingbird, flitting around at high speed. Blue was a koi fish, swimming in mid-air. The last one, the yellow one, was, and at first he didn't believe it, a small dragon who looked on with callous eyes.

        “You will not be pitted against one another,” the wolf continued, “but against two other races in a tournament that will determine whose race will survive and whose race will not. You have been prepared for this your entire lives. The 'dream lands', as you humans call it, will be your first destination. Your goal is to level up and find your portal before the other races do. The portal will then lead you to the main tournament, where you will fight against those that remain.

        “You will each be given weapons in which you may defend yourselves. On each planet, you will have an objective that your oracle will give to you. This will allow you to gain the advantage by developing your specific powers and even getting the chance to eliminate your opponents before the true tournament.

        “To simplify this for your human minds, the Old Gods have kindly set this up much like your 'video games'. You will 'level up' and gain new 'abilities' and 'powers' that will also help you defend yourself. You will each have us, something meant to guide you and help with this 'levelling up'.”

        “Dat mean you control us, too?” Jared growled.

        “No. We are there to care and guide you, but not to do your job for you,” the wolf growled. “We are the oracles. We will accompany you on your journey and provide advice and knowledge of the world around you, as well. Beware of your opponents. They are ruthless. You do not have to kill them, but it is highly recommended that you take care of them as soon as possible.”

        “You...expect us to...kill?” Kaylee whispered. “But we're just kids!”

        “Incorrect. You are all physically mature,” the wolf countered. “In fact, you have almost reached the human classification of 'adult', as well. You are the only one who has not reached it, yet.”

        He was right about that much. Alex was eighteen, with Jared only a couple of years older than him. Kaylee was a mere few months younger than him. Although, Alex had no idea how old Veronica was. She seemed older than all of them, and it was hard to tell her true age because of the paint on her face. He'd never bothered to ask, though, and she'd never given up the information to him, either.

        “To continue,” the wolf spoke once again, “the portals at the end of your journey will bring you to the grounds of the tournament. The races that are left must then kill the king and crown the queen. The tournament will begin, with the queen as the judge. Whoever wins will return to their normal lives and the next generation will take over. The losers will be reduced to Patron Gods and their entire race obliterated.”

        “But...why?” Alex said.

        “The reason is not for you to know,” the wolf growled. “Gather your weapons. It is recommended that you take a melee weapon and a ranged weapon. You will only have a set amount of time before you begin.”

        For a second, the four froze up, unsure of what to do. Finally, they all separated at once, rushing to the walls. They had no choice in the matter, it seemed. Alex stared at the wall, which seemed much more imposing than it had before. What the hell was he supposed to choose? He'd never used weapons before, neither gun nor sword.

        Finally, he settled for a sword and shield. Simple, but effective. And if he was going to use a weapon, he might as well have a shield to protect himself, right? It was an energy shield, as well. He also chose a fairly simple looking gun, maybe a pistol? He wasn't even sure, he didn't do guns. As an after thought, he grabbed a grappling hook, as well.

        Looking around, he could see that Kaylee had settled for a wooden staff and a set of bow and arrows. He deemed her lucky; she'd told him before that her dad had taught her archery and that she was apparently quite good at it. Jared had gone for twin short swords strapped across his back and daggers at his hips, though Alex couldn't see what his ranged weapon was. Finally, Veronica stood looking very comfortable with a spear in hand and pistols at her hips.

        “Hey, do you guys have names?” Kaylee piped up. “What do we call you?”

        “We do not have names. We are the oracles,” the wolf said, almost sounding confused.

        “Can I give you names?” she asked excitedly.

        "I suppose,” the wolf said, still sounding confused.

        “Okay, hmm....” She put a finger on her lip, thinking. “Okay, you're Alpha,” the wolf, “you can be Nexus,” the koi fish, “oh, you're Jan,” the dragon, “and you're so cute, you can be Airo!” the hummingbird.

        “Hm... Now that we have that rabble over with...” Alpha muttered, one of his ears twitching irritably. “You will begin.”

        “Are we a team, then?” Alex asked. “Working together to get to this...portal?”

        “No. You will all go to separate planets,” he replied. That wasn't good. He didn't know what to think about that. Fighting aliens all on his own?

        “Can we have some sort of communication device, then?” he asked hopefully. Alpha snorted.

        “Humans,” he growled. “So attached to one another. Generations ago you would not even know each other,” he scoffed.

        “Well we do now,” Alex snapped. “So can we or can't we?”

        “I'd like dat,” Jared muttered, casting a look at Kaylee. Alex noted that he wasn't his usual snappy self. Something had definitely happened beyond just his death.

        “You will be able to communicate with one another through your oracles,” Alpha told them. “The tournament begins now.”

        Before they could say anything, everything went black.