2.2
"They're coming out!"
"Who is that??"
The onlookers had finally spotted the contestants, who were being guided off the tournament grounds by the older Bone Creek soldiers.
First came the dejected ones.
There was no purple band around their heads, and their arms and faces were scratched and bloody. Sweat glistened on their dirty skin, and their eyes betrayed their devastation.
They'd been training their entire lives for a chance at glory, and now they had to accept defeat. For the 18-year-olds, this was the end. Some solace could be found for the younger kids though, as they would have another chance in a year's time.
A path was formed through the crowd and the contestants were ushered out.
"Nice job, guys!"
"Be proud of yourselves!"
There were many shouts of encouragement from the crowd, but the support did nothing to cheer the defeated young men and women. Victory was the only thing that would have made them happy.
And while there would be only one victor, simply making it to the final day would count you among the best fighters of the year, and citizens and fighters alike would recognize you as a warrior with true strength.
Every defeated fighter wished they could have one more chance–a chance to stand in the shoes of the five who walked behind them.
"Is that the trio?"
"It must be!"
Now, the day's victors exited the ring.
Fittingly, a group of three led the way–the "trio" was the name they'd been given by the fans. Three young fighters who spent every waking moment together.
Trey wiped the blood and sweat off his forehead.
Coral picked twigs and leaves out of her hair.
Cam adjusted his baseball cap, slipping it off and turning it to the side.
Whoops and hollers erupted from the crowd. The supporters excitedly called out their praise to the young trio, but any encouragement was doomed to fall on a triad of deaf ears.
Those three wouldn't take the praise of some measly fans.
Trey, Coral, and Cam wore a variety of rude expressions as they walked through the crowds, firmly believing that they were far superior to anyone in the area.
"Those three are insane, aren't they, Skye!" Jackson yelled to Skye over the tumult.
"Yeah, they are," she replied. "This year's group might be the best we've ever had, thanks to them."
"Really?! Well, I figured!" Jackson exclaimed. "Wait, but what about the Leon years?"
"I said the best group," Skye replied. "The top five from this year are the most impressive."
It was at that moment that the next fighter emerged.
"What the…"
"How'd she get one?"
"Izzie??"
Jackson's jaw dropped.
"Izzie!!" he yelled. "She made it!!"
He thrust his fist into the air.
"I LOVE YOU, IZZIE!!!"
"Hey!" Claire grabbed his fist and wrenched it back down. "What're you trying to say, Jackson?"
"Oh I didn't mean it like that!!" Jackson planted his hands on Claire's shoulders and faced her. "I was just cheering. The one I love is you, Claire."
She giggled, and the two soon had their lips pressed together and their bodies wrapped around each other.
"PDA," Skye scoffed.
In the midst of Jackson and Claire's passionate embrace, the final competitor stepped into the gap between crowds.
A hush fell over the spectators.
"What was his name again?" one whispered.
"Eli, I think."
The boy was small in stature and looked younger than his age. A few people cheered his name in support, and he sent a shy smile in their direction.
"Aww, he's cute," Claire observed from inside of Jackson's arms.
"I see what you're trying to do!" he shot at her before covering her mouth back up with his own.
"That's all, everyone!" a voice announced over a loudspeaker. "The day ends with five contestants still battling it out: Cam, Coral, Eli, Izzie, and Trey! Please join me in wishing them the best of luck for tomorrow, and let's look forward to one final day of fierce competition!"
The crowds cheered and finally dispersed, leaving Sasha, Nikki, and Corvus once again alone with Skye.
She took a deep breath, as if sighing away the hectic energy the last hour had produced.
"Well, what'd you think?"
"That was cool!" Yumi exclaimed. Sasha nodded in agreement.
"Heh," Skye chuckled. "That's good, because you'll have to stay to watch tomorrow's round as well, even if your friends arrive in the morning. We won't be able to coordinate anything with the tournament still going on, so I'm hoping to make some definite plans tomorrow night, once it's all over."
Sasha nodded. "Thank you."
"I should be thanking you," she replied. "I don't want Blake to take over the world, either."
As the sun lowered into late afternoon, Skye showed the three to a bare room in a large, weathered wooden building.
"You'll all have to share a room," she informed them. "We don't have a lot of space right now, so I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, no," Sasha said. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." She opened the room's door and, with a wave of her hand, said, "There are air mattresses in the corner there. I have things to do, so don't expect to see me for a while. Enjoy the rest of your day."
Sasha waved meekly, Yumi stared after her, and Corvus slouched down on the ground.
The door closed with a thud, and the room's air hung in heavy silence.
Without thinking, Sasha turned his eyes towards Yumi, only to find that she was already looking at him.
"U-uh," Sasha averted his eyes. He'd spoken, but he didn't really have anything to say. He blushed, muttering something inaudible.
Yumi smiled.
"Are you tired, Sasha?"
"Hm? Uhh, yeah, I'm pretty tired."
Yumi walked across the room and opened the door. "Dang it," she said. "I was going to ask you to come walk around with me."
She stepped into the hall outside, and the door swung shut.
"Wai–"
Sasha froze with his arm outstretched.
He took a step towards the door, but he stopped.
It was too late. Following her now would make it awkward. He didn't want to bother her. Maybe she just wanted to be alone in the first place.
The thoughts cycled through his mind like a perfectly efficient system, as if their existence was something doomed to haunt him forever.
Sasha's shoulders slumped, and he turned around slowly, retreating to the room's back corner to inflate an air mattress.
But all three mattresses were already fully inflated and neatly laid out.
The culprit, Corvus, was lying on his back, legs extending several feet beyond the mattress's edge and eyes fixed blankly on the brown ceiling above.
"Ah, thanks… C-Corvus."
The black eyes inside of Corvus's hollow sockets slid in Sasha's direction, presumably meant to convey the message "You're welcome."
Sasha faltered under Corvus's horrifying gaze and hastily lay down, stretching out for a long-overdue period of rest.
His answer to Yumi's question had been the honest truth: he was, in fact, extremely tired. His preoccupied mind had forgotten it amidst the chaos of the day, but lying flat on that squishy mattress brought the sensation flooding back with the force of tidal waves.
On any other day, he would have fretted over all the awkward things he'd done for hours before falling asleep, but today, consciousness left him ten breaths after he'd closed his eyes.
The search had been long, and the travelers' success was well-deserved. It seemed that they'd even made it in time–Blake had yet to show himself, and Bone Creek commanded far more power than Sasha could have possibly imagined.
The others were on their way–he was confident that they'd heard the radio signal. Once they arrived, a plan would immediately be put into action. Skye's confidence was infectious, and Sasha began to believe that they might just be able to do something to benefit the world's future.
He began to believe that even he could play a role–he, the man who had never done anything to benefit anyone.
"I'm glad I met you, Sasha."
Sasha turned over in his sleep, dreaming, for once, of a future filled with happiness.