Number Twenty-Six

One

Drea dug her teeth into the juicy, red apple, eyes glued to the screen. She crunched on the flesh furiously as the timer counted down to zero.

"Begin!" The announcer on TV growled.

The camera focused on a woman. The woman had small holes poked into the back of her chestplate. She donned gloves, kneepads, and elbow pads, all made of leather. Suddenly, just as a man attempted to tackle her, she fell to her hands and knees. Sharp spines shot out of her back and through the holes, impaling the man as he landed on her back. He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Drea cheered, bits of apple flying from her mouth as she whooped.

"Hell yeah! Get'em Rooney!" She laughed, dropping the apple from her hand as Sierra Rooney took down another player.

"Dre, please stop yelling." Her father groaned. "I've got a screaming headache, kid."

"Sorry, Dad, but Sierra Rooney is kickin' ass!" She pointed to the screen. "Look how she's mutilating those suckers!"

Rooney slammed into a guy, trapping him between her back and the wall. He poofed away as she threw her head back and headbutted the guy.

"Brutal!" Her dad was the one shouting now. "Damn, she's not holding back at all!"

"Heartless!"

The two watched the rest of the match, yelling and whooping at the horrible deaths.

Finally, it was Rooney and the other top player, Jayleen Barlow. Jayleen was a newcomer in the world of the Apok. She'd joined just two years earlier, with five years of training in advance. She was 24, which was quite young for the Apok.

"Who's gonna win?" Drea asked jokingly. She and her father both knew who the winner would be.

Even with just 7 years of experience, versus Sierra's 18 years, Barlow was going to win.

"Get'er Jayleen.." Drea quietly said to the screen.

Barlow raised her hand to her sharp opponent, and shot a dagger of ice right towards her. Rooney dodged, ducking, and rolled towards Jayleen. She leaped at Jayleen, spikes out. Third place, a fellow named Henry Klaus, bit his nails in the corner.

Jayleen stopped her instantly, shooting ice right through her heart.

"Ooh! The ice queen strikes again!" Drea cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "What a killer!"

"That girl's incredible.." Her dad said, stroking his stubble. "I hope you beat her ass."

"Yeah, right. By the time I get drafted, she'll be retired. That'd be a helluva match though."

"Y'know, Archie has been slowing down lately... Poor boy never had his heart in the game. You'll be in the arena quicker than you think." Her dad grinned. "Then, we'll all be cheering you on as you beat that powerhouse."

"What about uni, pa?"

"Screw uni!" He exclaimed. "They can stand to miss a few days!"

"Screw uni." Drea repeated, watching Jayleen get handed a glistening golden trophy. She grinned, putting herself on screen in her mind.