The room was small and boxed. Ariel moved her eyes from one corner to the other. An antiseptic scent clouded her nose as she watched Angel scramble for her tools—the silver briefcase placed on the side table—two carts on the right, one red and one grey. Above Ariel lights emanated from the walls. These were soothing to her. She felt safe.
She had been here once, about a year ago, for minor injuries sustained from her fight with Edna. Nothing as big as an injured arm and thigh. Just some simple damage resulting from the properties of the nanite blade. Pain was its primary goal. Not critical internal damage. However, if left in the human body, it began to break down molecules and tissues. Ariel knew this well enough.
“Hey,” said Cassandra, rubbing Ariel’s hands. “You’ll get through this. You’ll be back on your feet. You’ll challenge him again. And you’ll win.”
Ariel looked over at Marissa who sat waiting for Angel to return. “Let’s not talk about this now,” Marissa said, her eyes finding everything but Ariel.
Was she embarrassed? Ariel directed her eyes to the polished floors, her chest thumping. She looked up again at Marissa, whose legs were now crossed. What if she was involved in this plot to sabotage her Gladius career? No way! Ariel denounced the thought. Marissa was her friend. She wouldn’t hurt her. It was Demetrius. Her brother. But if family could do it, what prevented Marissa from doing so.
Angel returned, shutting the door behind her. She exhaled. “Let’s begin. Let me get a look at your arm and thigh?”
Ariel pulled off the vox sleeve as Angel came closer. She felt Angel’s warm hands touch the site and skim her shoulder blade. She winced a little eyeing Marissa just above the shoulder of Angel’s white coat. Could she have it in her to backstab me? Ariel thought. She was afraid to consider one of her best friends a suspect.
“Relax,” said Angel, a strobing injector in one hand. “Deep breaths.” The coruscating device had a needle. It was tiny but would head straight for Ariel’s veins. “Micro healing droids. The most up to date. They should get working on your injuries.”
“Okay,” said Ariel. She inhaled, and felt the needle quickly enter her arm and leave. She exhaled.
How could she have let this happen to her? Why didn’t she just pretend that she hadn’t seen Demetrius’s challenge? Surely the damage would have been less.
Demi, she thought, agonizing again as her countenance lowered. How could I not have seen this coming?
Then it hit her.
She remembered now. Only twelve years old. She had been training alone with Edna.. Ariel recalled the sweat dripping to the ground. Her eyes had been dead set on the ground as she panted; vision, discolored. Whenever Edna had been around to train her, she had been pushed to her limits. She’d been wheezing. No vox suits. No disintegrating blades. Only stun sabers. And they’d hurt.
She’d struggled to lift her head up to see Edna, still standing, ambling towards her.
“When you’re in this fight,” Edna had said. “Finish the person off. Don’t give them a chance. Show no mercy.”
Ariel had been zapped as soon as the stun saber had contacted her flesh. Her arms had given up and she’d slumped flat on the floor.
She’d squeezed her fist in an attempt to assemble her remaining strength. But the buzzing had filled her ears again as Edna touched her with the stun saber. Her hands had begun to relax under the voltage.
She’d tried one more time. Edna had taught her to never give up. All she had been able to move now was her jaw. Then her eyes had shut themselves in exhaustion.
“Good,” Edna had said, shutting off her stun saber. “Never give up until your body does.”
Crumpled, Ariel had opened her eyes and watched, with her cheek pressed to the floor, as Edna took a seat next to her on the bare grounds of the stage. Ariel had never pushed herself this much before.
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