The Wild Side

Chapter 2: Locker Room

The Immortal Circus

(N) - A fighting arena located in an empty part of town secluded from where the usual busy streets stood. Here, people can place bets, fight for wins, fight for fame, popularity, respect, and anything they desire that they can win with a pair of fists.

Or as I always liked to call it, a personal hell made on earth used for profit and entertainment. Just the mere sound of the name always had me shivering to my toes. For it was a medium sized building with paint chipping off the walls, wood breaking apart, hanging off in odd angles everywhere, and only the whispers of the wind kept you accompany from outside of it.

It had that haunting yet alluring aura around it. It made a part of you ward off terrified and disgusted at it's appearance. Yet there was also something about it's presence that tugged at your curiosity like bait on a hook line for fish. The sight of it whether you wanted to admit it or not peaked at your wonder and danced with your attention slowly guiding you back to it.

In fact I remember the first day we stumbled upon it as clear as glass.

The sky was a beautifully blended orange with tints of pink peeking over the horizon. Nothing but the jingles of my backpack charms and the sound of our footsteps scraping against pavement heard on the street.

A part of my recoils in fear and paranoia at our surroundings while I clutched on desperately onto the straps of my backpack for reassurance. I had always been the shy introverted type with the tendency to say No. The 'kill joy' they used to call me in middle school. However this time I wanted it to be different. I wanted to be just as brave as Nova. For once I wanted to say yes, and so I did.

And I was already regretting it.

The whole block seemed nearly deserted. Houses looked boarded up uninterested for any kind of socializing. If anything neighbors seemed closed off only sparing you a sliver of their attention to glare before possessively sliding back into their homes.

"Nyla are you sure it's this way?" I ask holding in the urge to nervously pick at the ends of my braid. It was a bad habit I had always done since first grade and ever Millie Hanson pointed it out last year I vowed to never do it again. Or at least try to stop."This place doesn't feel right."

"Yeah Nyla. This place is giving me some bad vibes."Mal frowns. Though whether he was as on edge or as scared as I was he didn't let it show. His hands shove cooly into his pockets with his gaze always in motion darting left and right.

"Oh come on. We're already halfway down. You can't chicken out on me now."Nyla pouts at the both of us with a stubborn cross of her arms. Her hair cut short to her shoulders at the time framing her pale cheeks."We're literally just four buildings away."

"Where are we even going?"I ask."Why would your brother be here?"

"There's only one way to find out, and it's right there! Four buildings down!"Nyla exclaims. Though before Mal and I could protest or at least try to knock some sense into her she pulls out that 'Nyla' oh worries me face.

That same face that has always worked on me since kindergarten. Her eyes would grow wide and desperate like a lost baby puppy, her lips puckered in a helpless pout, and her head bowed just slightly to give off the disappointed persona. You would've thought that by now, nine years later, I'd grown at least some kind of immunity to it, but alas it works on me as fresh as yesterday.

I let out a sigh grumbling a muffled 'Fine' under my breath. Mal groans and I roll my eyes when she perks back up in a second beaming like the sun. She claps her hand excitedly in victory not wasting a single breath before she trudges us onward. The four building distance was pretty short but nonetheless I found myself wrapping my hands around Mal's upper arm for protection.