Eternal Fire

Chapter 16

I looked up at the large castle. The outside of it screamed centuries old but the inside said it was a home from modern times. They truly changed as the times did. Behind the castle was the large Colosseum where the Games would be held. I stood down the hall away from the entrance feeling nervous. Our school was the first one to arrive and I had been in my room getting ready for the ball. I had spent all day yesterday with Jocelyn learning how to do my hair on my own in a way that would look elegant. In the end, I gave up and simply curled it with a clip pinning part of it away from my face. It was the best I could do.

I saw many student warriors going into the ballroom, none of which have noticed me yet. I plan on making a grand entrance I guess you could say. I stayed slightly hidden till everyone was inside then I made my way in. I noticed Azazel standing off to the side of the ballroom, drink in hand. He had a slight smirk on his lips that he hid behind his glass. Many were staring at me, whispering. Joseph was standing at the bottom of the stairs chuckling, "Just had to make an entrance." He held out a champagne glass to me and I took it. "Of course I did, " I told him. He was then practically shoved out of the way as a cameraman replaced where he had been.

"Are you the first female warrior that everyone thought to be a rumor, " A man in a tux with a microphone asked me. "Well I do have the warrior mark on my arm and I am here to participate in the games, " I told him. "Care to share what your gift was, " He asked me curiously. "You'll just have to wait and see, " I said, starting to feel annoyed. "How have your fellow warriors felt about you being the first female warrior, " He asked next. I gestured to a few of them, "Why don't you ask them?"

"Let's let the lass breathe, " Baltair said, coming to my rescue. I then slipped from the reporter and made my way over to the grumpy looking Joseph and the laughing Azazel. "The others seem to be sizing up the competition, " Azazel said once he sobered up from his laughing fit.

"You mean underestimating us, " I corrected him. "I don't mean to sound sexist, but it's because you're a girl, " A guy who I recognized in the videos Azazel showed me came over to us. Zeke O'Malley. The red-haired Irish hunk who won several trophies for the UK branch last year. I rolled my eyes at him, "And that mistake will be your downfall."

"So tell me beautiful, what did you do before becoming a warrior," He asked me, trying to charm me. "And why should I tell you, " I asked him, hand on my hip. "Come on beautiful, I'm just trying to get to know you, " He said smoothly.

I held up two fingers, "There are only two reasons why a guy wants to get to know a woman, one is because he is her friend and two is because he is trying to get in her pants. Since this is a competition, no one here is wanting to make friends, so I'm going to go with number two. Sorry, O'Malley, maybe when you go home there will be a girl willing to warm your bed, but you're not gonna find that here." He chuckled, "You're turning me down?"

The way he had said it was as if he had never experienced rejection. There is a first time for everything. I smirked and walked away with a sway to my hips.  As the night progressed I bumped into a warrior that was really silent as he moved. "I'm sorry," I told him. He only gave me a simple nod.

"That's Carter, he's deaf," Zeke said coming up to us. I raised an eyebrow at him, "Are you following me?" I then turned to Carter, and used ASL to sign that I was sorry for bumping into him. He smiled brightly and began to sign that it was fine. I then introduced myself to him. "Wait, you can understand him," Zeke asked me. I nodded, "I took the time to learn the language in high school." Learning to speak another language with my voice seemed way to complicated for me to remember, so I decided to take ASL. Glad I still remember it.

"You are full of surprises," Zeke said, a new look coming to his eyes.

Our attention the turned to the left of the ball room. A guy from our school, suddenly burst into flames as his gift began to devour him. I had never seen a gift rejection before, but I had heard it wasn't pretty. He didn't scream, just accepted that it was his time to go. He gave us all one final smile before he was gone completely. When the flame died down, nothing remained of him, as if he was never there. I closed my eyes for a small second, sending a prayer to Andrus to see to it he makes a safe journey.

"What was his name, " Zeke asked me. "Collin. He was a second year student. It was his first year to compete though. He was part of the fight tournament," I told him. Zeke nodded, ""So who is gonna take his place?" I raised an eyebrow, "Why would I tell you?" I rolled my eyes at him. Never give your opponents the upper hand, it was the first rule of competitions like this.

When it was late I went back to my room. Tomorrow was the first day of the games, and I would need as much sleep as possible. The obstacle course would be the first event tomorrow.

I slipped off my dress and into some pajama shorts and a cropped tank top. I looked down at my suitcase. The rules were guys were allowed to be shirtless during the games, however their clothes had to be in their team colors. Our team was black and yellow. I wasn't going to be half naked like them, so I had decided to go with black Nike track pants, a yellow sports bra, and black Nike track jacket. I planned to save my strength abilities until the ball toss. Maybe then I'll be seen as a threat instead of just as a joke.