The Arena: Ch. 2

Chapter 2: The Arena
I awoke to the sound of knocking at my door. I sat up and watched as The Caller unlocked my door.

"Get dressed," she said. "Today you all are taking a tour of The Arena."

After she had left, I slipped into some jeans, my new army boots, and a black hoodie. I met the rest outside, though none of use exchanged greetings or looks. The Caller walked out infront of us and held her hands together. She smiled her fake smile and said,"Good morning contestants! Today we will be taking you on a tour of The Arena! How does that sound?"

No one replied. Instead we looked at her like the stupid person she was.

"Very well then," she grunted, rolling her eyes.

The Caller beckoned us to follow her, so we began walking down the street. There were fourteen armed guards behind us which I felt was kind of ridiculous considering that most of us were just kids...then again, I had never seen any of these kids in action.

The Caller led us up to a giant box, similar to a movie ticket booth. A young man was inside of it, snoring with bubble gum in his mouth.

"Regi. Regi? REGI!" The Caller screamed. The man coughed, snapped awake, and accidentally swallowed his bubble gum.

"Wha'?" he said groggily.

"Idiot..." I heard The Caller mummble to herself. She raised her head towards Regi and stood up, all straight and civilized. "We are here to show the contestants the Arena."

Regi looked around her at the 12 of us, and gulped. "The big dude looks scary," he whispered to her.

I turned around. There was a large man dressed in a long, black and white cloak. A large hood was over his head so I couldn't make out his face. I shivered and turned back to the front. I saw Regi swipe a card on a small key pad, and the giant gates to The Arena swung open.

"In we go," The Caller said.

In two single file lines we piled into The Arena. As soon as I entered and my feet touched the dirt floor, I was scared out of my wits. I don't why, I just was.

The Arena was the biggest crater I'd ever seen. It consisted of 100 rows of bleachers piled all the way up to the sky. The bottom was a giant dirt pit with blood stains and bodies in it.

"Take a seat everyone," The Caller said. We all sat in a 12 seat row of bleachers as she began to lecture us. "Now, The Arena is a unique place. Do you see that large glass box over there?" she pointed to a large commentator-like box at the top of The Arena. "That is where the Terrain Switch is. When you- the contestants- battle, the Terrain will be switched every time. This will help you last longer, but also make it harder to navigate through what ever enviromental obstacles are thrown at you. Understand?"

We all nodded....except for the little girl Blanca. She raised her hand. "What weapons can we use?" she asked.

The Caller smiled at her. "Perfect question, Blanca. You may use any weapon at your disposal."

Some of the others snickered and smiled, while some shivered with fear.

"What if there is a draw?" one of the contestants asked.

The Caller shook her heads. "There are no draws in The Arena. The fight wont stop until one of the two fighters is dead."

A few snickered again. What did I do? I remained quiet, sitting up straight next to my fellow contestant Nova. She seemed scared; I could tell by the glare in her eyes. Her hands were shaking and her hair was let down today.

I looked at her, but she caught me.

"Found what you're looking for?" she growled.

"What?! I wasn't-" I began but The Caller cut us off.

"QUIET! I am talking, fools." she glared at me with intense hate.

Another girl raised her hand. "So if we win..."

"If you win," The Caller continued. "You and/or family will be granted untold riches and you will be able to leave this city of Diabla. You will be able to fly as far as you'd like and discover uncharted lands..." Once again she smiled her fake smile at us.

"Why are we in here?" someone asked. Then it was silence. The Caller froze, as if she was afraid to give the anwser...

"Well,"she said, "that's a, um, funny story. Here...let me explain..."

Next Chapter: Chapter 3: Storytelling