looks like we have a winner! Conscientia Trumble!” Carmen calls from the booth. The crowd cheers as someone assists Tia to her feet.
“You can remove your blind fold,” the voice informs her. Tia unties the blind fold, allowing the bright light to sting her eyes. “Congratulations,” the lady who led her into the arena voices. “You have very nice form. Where did you train?”
Tia’s vision is still blurry, her hearing is impaired, and her head is aching in the area she hit Delilah with. “Um...” she begins, then glances down at Delilah, who is passed out. Her face is bruised and bloody. I did that to someone? Tia thinks. Delilah is motionless. Tia removes her mouth guard to speak.
“Is she okay?” Tia asks, frantically, looking from Claire, to the other lady with the clipboard. They stare at her, confused.
“I said, is she okay? She is barely breathing! Get some help!” Tia is now hysterical. What have I done?
Claire grabs ahold of Tia’s arms. “It’s okay Tia, you won.”
“I don’t care, look at her! Oh my god, look what I’ve done.”
The audience laughs at Tia. She stares at them, again, confused why that is so humorous.
They wheel out two gurneys and advise Tia to lay on one of them, until she is examined. Tia waits until she sees Delilah is on the gurney first, and nurses wheel her out.
“Miss Trumble, please get on the gurney,” Claire repeats.
She climbs onto the gurney and lets them wheel her out of the arena. Taking one last look at Delilah, Tia feels a knot in her stomach. A sense of regret overwhelms her. What kind of sick beings are these people? She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
The gurney comes to a halt and Tia is in a room with other candidates, who are being treated. They wheel her next to Quade, who lays unconscious. Her heart speeds up at the sight of him.
“What happened to him?” she questions the nurse, who is setting up the IV above her bed.
“Him?” she motions to Quade. “He took a beating.” The nurse applies alcohol to Tia’s arm. “They both did, actually. Put up a good fight, but he tired out after we brought him up here. You are going to feel a pinch.” The nurse inserts the IV into Tia’s arm. “We also need you to take this.” She hands Tia two small pills and a glass of water.
“What’s this for?”
“It speeds up your body’s healing process to three times its normal pace. You need to be fully recovered before tomorrow night’s event,” the nurse responds.
Tia swallows the pills, feeling the pain in her throat, from when Delilah punched her.
“I suggest you try to rest. Laying still and sleeping help the medicine to work more effectively.”
“Thank you,” Tia mumbles. The nurse turns away to check on another patient. Tia peers up and notices the screen on the wall, showing the next opponents fighting each other. This time it is Mina and Kira fighting. Both are barely touching the other. It’s mostly a slap fight, when they actually can find where the other one is at. Tia chuckles, then stops, because it makes her body ache in several places.
She gazes over at Quade, who is still asleep. His one eye is black and blue, his chin is wrapped in gauze, and the arm he doesn’t have an IV in, is in a sling. Tia barely recognizes him. His ash brown hair is tousled as usual, however everything else is either bruised or swollen. Did I not do enough to train him? she wonders, her body aching, as she takes a deep breath. Her eyes begin to burn, fighting back tears. She focuses on the screen again.
Now Mina has Kira on the ground and is choking her. They must have found each other, Tia thinks. For the first time since they were kids, Tia finds herself secretly rooting for Mina. She strangles her, and Kira attempts to push Mina off, but Mina is a little more curvy than Kira. Tia figures their weight must balance out due to Kira’s height. Mina attempts to punch Kira now, missing with nearly each swing. It isn’t long before
“You can remove your blind fold,” the voice informs her. Tia unties the blind fold, allowing the bright light to sting her eyes. “Congratulations,” the lady who led her into the arena voices. “You have very nice form. Where did you train?”
Tia’s vision is still blurry, her hearing is impaired, and her head is aching in the area she hit Delilah with. “Um...” she begins, then glances down at Delilah, who is passed out. Her face is bruised and bloody. I did that to someone? Tia thinks. Delilah is motionless. Tia removes her mouth guard to speak.
“Is she okay?” Tia asks, frantically, looking from Claire, to the other lady with the clipboard. They stare at her, confused.
“I said, is she okay? She is barely breathing! Get some help!” Tia is now hysterical. What have I done?
Claire grabs ahold of Tia’s arms. “It’s okay Tia, you won.”
“I don’t care, look at her! Oh my god, look what I’ve done.”
The audience laughs at Tia. She stares at them, again, confused why that is so humorous.
They wheel out two gurneys and advise Tia to lay on one of them, until she is examined. Tia waits until she sees Delilah is on the gurney first, and nurses wheel her out.
“Miss Trumble, please get on the gurney,” Claire repeats.
She climbs onto the gurney and lets them wheel her out of the arena. Taking one last look at Delilah, Tia feels a knot in her stomach. A sense of regret overwhelms her. What kind of sick beings are these people? She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
The gurney comes to a halt and Tia is in a room with other candidates, who are being treated. They wheel her next to Quade, who lays unconscious. Her heart speeds up at the sight of him.
“What happened to him?” she questions the nurse, who is setting up the IV above her bed.
“Him?” she motions to Quade. “He took a beating.” The nurse applies alcohol to Tia’s arm. “They both did, actually. Put up a good fight, but he tired out after we brought him up here. You are going to feel a pinch.” The nurse inserts the IV into Tia’s arm. “We also need you to take this.” She hands Tia two small pills and a glass of water.
“What’s this for?”
“It speeds up your body’s healing process to three times its normal pace. You need to be fully recovered before tomorrow night’s event,” the nurse responds.
Tia swallows the pills, feeling the pain in her throat, from when Delilah punched her.
“I suggest you try to rest. Laying still and sleeping help the medicine to work more effectively.”
“Thank you,” Tia mumbles. The nurse turns away to check on another patient. Tia peers up and notices the screen on the wall, showing the next opponents fighting each other. This time it is Mina and Kira fighting. Both are barely touching the other. It’s mostly a slap fight, when they actually can find where the other one is at. Tia chuckles, then stops, because it makes her body ache in several places.
She gazes over at Quade, who is still asleep. His one eye is black and blue, his chin is wrapped in gauze, and the arm he doesn’t have an IV in, is in a sling. Tia barely recognizes him. His ash brown hair is tousled as usual, however everything else is either bruised or swollen. Did I not do enough to train him? she wonders, her body aching, as she takes a deep breath. Her eyes begin to burn, fighting back tears. She focuses on the screen again.
Now Mina has Kira on the ground and is choking her. They must have found each other, Tia thinks. For the first time since they were kids, Tia finds herself secretly rooting for Mina. She strangles her, and Kira attempts to push Mina off, but Mina is a little more curvy than Kira. Tia figures their weight must balance out due to Kira’s height. Mina attempts to punch Kira now, missing with nearly each swing. It isn’t long before
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