Sixteen
Blurry images and very little color slowly merge into my world. Sadly, the first thing I hear is the most terrifying sound of all.
Hayley bursts through the hospital doors and that’s a bit difficult to do. Most of these barriers are a very heavy glass material and they automatically slide to the side. Obviously, she couldn’t wait.
Dennis runs in front of my large hospital bed. Carmen and Richard are still glaring at my motionless body.
They continue complaining about Malik until Hayley explodes, “Get out of my way, now!” Instantly, their eyes focus on the demon before them. She’s ready to slice through Dennis and it shows.
“He’s still not up.”
“He’s about to be!” Hayley jerks and stands upright. With a softer tone she asks, “Wait. Did he recover?”
“That’s the crazy part. The bandages were killing him last night, but like I told you over the phone, he jumped out of the bed and we found him in Casey’s classroom almost completely healed.”
“Has he recovered?” she angrily spouts one more time.
“Yes.”
That’s all the confirmation she needs to shove Dennis to the side and approach my gigantic bed. It’s so big, she has to crawl on it to reach me in the center. This spectacular cloud of delicious goodness was massaging my back, but even it senses the danger approaching. Once she reaches me, it shuts off.
An inch away from my ear she blares, “Get up now!” Hayley remorselessly grabs my cheeks with both hands and pinches them wildly. We both scream together as she lifts me from the bed. “Are you out of your mind? Who in the hell told you to jump off of a mile high building?”
“Fifty yard course,” I cry.
“Don’t give a damn. Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Do you know, I was worried sick about you all night? Then I find out this morning that you got out of your damn bed and crawled down the stairs!”
“I took the elevator.”
“Shut the hell up.” Hayley throws me back on my pillow. She completes the assault by punching me in the leg. Each of her knuckles provide me with an incredible amount of pain. “I can hurt you now. Good!”
Dennis tries to reach for her, but she turns around with a menacing glare that causes him to back off. “He just woke up,” he mutters with his hands in the air. “Maybe you should give him a second to—”
Hayley thumps my ear and pain sketches across my entire body. I’m starting to wonder if she can hurt me because of the bandages, or the tattoos on her thumbs that she’s pumping all of her energy into. She uproariously informs me, “I just got on a plane to handle some business about Helios.” She pauses as I raise my eyebrows. “And don’t you dare think or search for any information on him. If I discover any of Seth’s computers or your own have even looked for Helios’ name I will pinch your cheeks until they bleed.”
She demonstrates her power by gripping the most painful parts of my cheeks—the area under my bandages.
“Okay. Okay!”
“I told you to shut up,” she hisses.
“But you have to tell me something about the trip or I’ll go crazy. Please.”
If it were physically possible, I’m sure steam would come out of her ears right about now. Hayley’s face turns solid red. “Have you heard of the HATS?”
“That’s how I knew Helios was going to attack this school last year.”
“They’re on the move again.”
“Which means he’s ready to take over.”
“Shut up!” She finally remembered that this time was meant to abuse me. “I’m on this flight and find out that you’re in a race I knew nothing about.” If looks could kill, I’d have to ask Hayley to revive Dennis because she shoots him a nasty evil eye. Carmen and Richard giggle, but she snaps on them too, “And you both were in it. Do you know how much you could get hurt?”
Carmen practically whispers her response, “But we’re gladiators.”
“Yeah,” Richard adds. “And my dad’s all about—”
“Who said either of you could talk?” Hayley growls with her index finger pointed at them, but her eyes are glued to me. “What were you doing in that race?” I don’t respond because she told me not to speak. Is this a trap? “Answer me,” she screams with her eyes closed.
“I...I was trying to win...for...to pick my team.”
Hayley’s skin color is beginning to match her red hair. Her pain slowly reveals itself. The deep breaths she takes while clutching her chest lets me know she’s really concerned. The little lady lunges forward and throws her arms around me. I don’t think I had enough of the daughter’s water because my body still aches.
“Kode. Baby. Why am I trying so hard to convince myself that you’re my real son? I’m pathetic. You killed Spencer and here I am worried half to death and unable to let you go. Why?” She sobs lightly and hiccups between breaths. The honesty hurts so badly I can hardly move. “Because the first second I saw your face, I loved you. You walk and talk like John. Mean and rude, but loving. You hide behind this tough mask, but you’re this big softie. I hate to love you because you remind me of him, but you do. I know you’re my son. I couldn’t love someone else this much.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Releasing me and grabbing my face she says, “Dammit Kay. You said you can hear everything. You can read my mind too?”
“No. You said it.”
Shaking her head, she asserts, “I didn’t. I really didn’t.”
I grab Hayley’s head and bring her closer to me. Then, I search her scalp between her red wires until I find the small drops of tears that have turned into barcodes.
“These are activated. Think of something you don’t want anyone to know.”
“No. Hell no. Wait, I’m thinking of it. Don’t think of John laughing at my lingerie and calling them granny-panties. Don’t. Oh. Writer. What did I learn in Psychology class? Think of something else. Blue bear. Blue bear.”
“Mom! Next time think of something like where you hide your money. Come on!”
“Sorry,” she pouts and lifts her head.
“Okay,” I project and turn to the others. “Who heard the blue bear?” Everyone shakes their head. “It seems that you have some telepathic connection with me.”
“So you can hear everything I do and read my thoughts?”
“Yes. But it doesn’t feel like reading your thoughts because I can hear them. I can’t tell the difference from when you’re talking or thinking at this range. Maybe it’ll go away if we separate.”
Dennis waves his hand. With his eyes glued to Hayley, he cautiously utters, “We don’t have time for experiments. I was waiting on you to announce your team. It’s second period right now and we can take you downstairs to have you choose them.”
Hayley pokes out her bottom lip and wraps her arms around me. She’s sits up and leans me against her legs. It’s like she’s trying to protect me from Dennis.
“I already know who I want. Can’t I just tell you?”
“No. Tradition states that you have to choose them out of a lineup.”
“That’s pretty funny,” I laugh at the thought of my classmates standing in front of a height chart as I point to them through tinted glass. “What does it really say?”
“You must choose them from a lineup. Team finals are rare, but I knew you’d need the help with the bandages, so I reinstated them this year. In the past, winners of the race and free-for-all brawl were allowed to choose up to five team members. Those that choose less people got more privileges. There are some other strange rules for the tournaments, but we’ll get into that in a few months.”
“We didn’t have a brawl.”
“Yeah. I pretended not to see that part. There was no way I was going to put you in a fight right after receiving those,” he says while pointing to my black bandages.
Hayley fumes, “At least you did something right. I’ll go easier on you when we’re done he
re.” She actually exits the massive bed before I do. “I’ll let you go, but I’m making you and Carmen dinner tonight.” She points at Richard. “Are you coming too?”
“Hayley Keller! Your food is legendary back home. Are you cooking?”
“Yes.”
“See this?” He pats his stomach and leans back in his seat. “It would never turn your food down.” Hayley laughs as she leads us out of the hospital room.
Carmen rushes to my side while mumbling, “No girls!”
“What? You’ll have to repeat that for me. I can hear everything, but sometimes people say strange things that I enjoy listening to more than once.”
“I don’t want any girls in your team.”
“I’m not sure how long it’s been since you’ve checked, but let me assure you that you often creep on my side of the bed and rub certain feminine parts against me...You’re a girl.”
“You can’t pick me either because I’ll just lower your scores. But I don’t want you practicing and getting close with girls.”
“You are deathly insecure of one particularly sexy mulatto woman that you still think I’m interested in.”
“I know you are.”
“Look, I don’t blame you. She’s hot. Her butt definitely puts yours to shame,” Carmen elbows me in my ribs, “but I have other plans for her. Don’t worry.”
“I don’t care. I’ll kill you and bring you back to life if you put a girl in your crew.”
“With these bandages on, killing me should be the easy part, but how will you accomplish the final goal?”
“My kisses heal wounds, what do you think can bring you back to life?” She wraps her arm around my neck as we walk down the hallway.
We all ride the elevator. Though most of the honey is gone, I point to a small piece on the door. “They missed a spot.”
Once we’re off, Dennis accesses the PA system through his tablet and articulates, “Will all demigod and god-level students join Professor Weston’s classroom on the battlefield? Thank you.”
Our group walks directly between two double doors that lead to the field.
Professor Weston has his hand raised. All the students are frozen in their tracks. He has an incredible gift that causes muscles to tense up if he tightens his fists while raising it in the air. He uses it whenever he wants our attention. It definitely works.
Once he lowers his hand, the small and thin professor commands the students to line up against the arena walls.
George Weston was a great gladiator, not long ago. Just three years back, he suffered a spinal injury that wasn’t fully repairable. For two years he traveled the world, trying to find an arena that would take him in as a gladiator, but none would accept. Rumor states that he spent one full year in solitude training, trying to cope with his loss. He returned to Colt as a first year professor in August.
As other students emerge from the gym gates and double doors, Dennis pulls Monte and Patrick from the crowd. He brings them next to Hayley and me until everyone quiets down.
Dennis proclaims, “In a minute, I will have your times read off and you all will be reorganized from fastest to slowest. I apologize for the mishap that happened underground, but there’s no way to change your numbers. You’ll all be grouped at the end of the line and can only hope that you’ve proven yourself in some other way.”
Many of the students grumble as Hayley takes over and begins reading the results from her large tablet. Swiftly and aggressively, she moves the students around to get in order.
Time trickles by with Monte and Patrick looking just as impatient as me. Ten minutes later, the final students are clustered together. I release a burst of laughter when Hayley announces the large group’s time, “Not applicable due to explosion.” Dennis lowers his eyebrows to communicate his lack of humor. Hayley clears her throat to hide her smile.
She returns to our group and broadcasts, “The third fastest time was by Patrick Gibson at eighteen minutes and nine seconds.” Students cheer loudly for him, especially Selena and Addison. “The second fastest time was Monte Payne at sixteen minutes and fifty-two seconds.” Another group of students cheer for him, though not as loudly. It seems my brother lost many of his fans this year. “And the best time and new record for three laps around the course goes to Kay at fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds.”
I listen as the group clamors.
“Yeah right.”
“Was that his real time?”
“I couldn’t make that time without obstacles.”
“Fifteen minutes? I never saw him cross it.”
“Did you guys notice the black flames on the top of the course? I hear made them somehow.”
Selena corrects everyone near the front of the line, “You guys don’t know what you’re talking about. Malik would’ve beaten that time if Kay hadn’t disrupted the course and illegally punched him.”
Those students grumble over why I’m not being punished for intentionally stopping Malik from crossing the finish line. Dennis tries to calm them down, but Hayley announces, “You shouldn’t listen to students that don’t know what they’re talking about. Professor Jules punished Kay by adding an additional minute to his overall time. Imagine if I added a minute for all of you. Where would you be?”
How did Hayley hear that? She’s too far away from them.
Her red hair whips in the wind and she turns to me. With a radiating smile she thinks, “I figured out how to intentionally activate the codes on my head. At least it’s fair this way. I can hear your thoughts too.”
Though her lips didn’t move, it still feels as though the sound came directly from where she’s standing.
“You’re tapping into more than just my thoughts. Can you also hear what I can?”
“Like what?”
I search for someone’s conversation to pry in on. Eventually, I notice Addison mumbling under his breath, “Good. I’m glad Hayley set that bitch straight. She’s all over my man but sleeping with Malik behind his back. Little does she know where Patrick was last night.”
Hayley covers her mouth and thinks, “Juicy! What else can we listen too?”
The group quiets down until a student on the lower ranking side uses her hearing to tell nearby students about how Selena’s defending Malik. “Why do they think they can run the school?”
Various other students respond to her question, many supporting my decision to punch Malik. Some even spread rumors around how I created the black flames on top of the course. I focus on five conversations simultaneously for Hayley to hear.
For some reason, her eyes turn bloodshot red. Hayley deactivates her tattoos and her heart beats frantically. She drags her feet over to me and whispers in my ear, “How can you process all of that? I feel like someone hit me in the head with a hammer.”
“Really?” Though we’re telepathically linked, it seems she can only process the conversations I intensively focus on. She’d die if she could hear what the two female maids are doing in the room Nevaeh sleeps in.
Hayley nods while holding the bridge of her nose. “It was really bad when you started thinking about Angie. You sent over a lot of data about her.” She runs her hand down the back of my head. “You two need to talk.”
Angie’s in the unconscious group that is discussing me and she doesn’t seem pleased. I wonder what happened last night when Dennis found me. Why did she leave without killing me?
Abby catches a bit of both group’s discussions and sides with my supporters. She speaks loudly enough for both ends of the line to hear, “I hate this damn school. Last year, the gods thought they were better than us. Now that we’ve proven ourselves, they formed groups against us. They’re just upset that an Ape with no barcodes won the race.”
Several students question whether I’m an Ape or if I have barcodes hidden under my bandages. Yukio interrupts their clamoring, “I’m not angry at mortals or gods. We’re being treated like crap too.”
Wesley observes the group from the corner of his
eyes, but remains silent.
An Ape with orange hair that only has one god-level class shouts, “It’s Malik’s crew. Patrick and Selena. Addison too.”
Addison and Selena step forward with their barcodes blazing.
George raises his hand and nearly everyone falls to their knees. Monte and Patrick close their eyes. From our perspective, it looks like that really hurt.
“Maybe I went a little overboard with that one.” Weston softly apologizes, “Sorry.”
Dennis takes a step forward. “Kay will be allowed to walk through and choose his team accordingly. Each team may have up to five members. The matches are two-on-two with a ten minute time limit. It should be obvious that the more members you have, the more breaks you’ll receive. However, larger teams are graded more harshly and you have more matches. You may also choose to fight solo, but it’s frowned upon. Choose wisely, Kay.”
“Carmen, Richard, and Seth,” I declare without moving an inch. “But wasn’t that obvious already?”
Dennis closes his eyes and massages the back of his neck. I think he wanted me to humor him.
My classmates laugh at my team. I chose the weakest group of individuals possible.
Through all the chattering, one voice catches my attention the most. Dryly, Jamie mumbles, “Oh no. Are you done? Please pick me, Kode. Please. Wait. Why would he do that? I never even entered the race. So stupid. I could have at least participated. I would have been up there with Selena. Ugh. I’m really strong Kode. I promise.”
Three students are watching the small and adorable lady in amazement. She’s not speaking loudly, but the faint sounds are even noticeable for normal ears.
Dennis finishes, “Okay...Monte. The rules have been explained to you as well. Please choose your team.”
As Monte motions to move his lips I interrupt, “But I wasn’t finished. How rude of you.”
Dennis slaps his leg. “I asked you twice!”
“About that...I was busy thinking; you’ll have to forgive me.” Dramatically, I throw my hand on my head and drone, “It could be all the damages I suffered from the race. Gosh. It hurts.”
“Speed this up Kay.”
“Though I’m not exactly sure why, I’d like to add Jamie Latu. Wait. Latu? You don’t look Polynesian.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes sir, captain sir.”
Dennis sighs at my sarcasm.
Jamie looks as though she couldn’t care less, but mutters, “I’m so excited.”
Without waiting to be acknowledged again, Monte announces, “I choose Angie Colt.”
Funny. That will definitely hurt Vincent’s heart. He won’t be able to send Monte on any journeys with his daughter’s grade on the line. Not to mention, Monte’s smart enough to avoid adding anyone else for his team. Their grades would suffer horribly if he weren’t to show up on the day of exams. Well played.
As Patrick calls the names of his chosen teammates, his voice booms as though he were announcing a fight in the stadium, “I would be honored if I were joined by Selena Kennedy, Wesley Gates, and Malik Jules.” The last name had a bite to it and Patrick was bold enough to look in my direction. I doubt he knows I don’t care.
Addison leans forward and points to himself, but Patrick ignores him. They look as though they’re having a silent lover’s quarrel.
Dennis ends the school yard lineup. “Alright. Because your leaders are god-level students, regardless of your current schedule, you will be moved into all their classes. The rest of you will have your teams by the end of today.”
Holding up her tablet, Hayley announces, “Okay. For the rest of you, remain in your lines and I will separate you into your new groups. Some of your classes will change, but that’s because we want you working together as a team. Don’t think of it as being in god-level or demigod-level classes, you’re now working at beating the next group. May the wars begin.”
A burning question strikes me as the students walk to their new groups. I navigate through the crowd and stop Dennis before he reaches George.
Pulling against his arm, I say, “I thought she hated gladiators.”
“Please. She married one. ” His body jerks as though he just noticed what he said. Dennis constantly chooses to avoid John as a topic, and possibly didn’t mean to give me that bit of information. “What I meant was, she loves this sport. She knows all of the gladiators’ stats better than anyone on this campus. Let me make this clear: she hates that you are a gladiator.”
“Did she hate that John was one?”
“Kind of, but she gave him all the advice he needed.” His scrunched face tells me this information was difficult to share. “She’ll be fine as long as you never get hurt.”
“So she won’t be fine.”