Game of Death

Chapter 10

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked as he took a step forward then he scanned the halls, from the stairs up to the chandelier above then to the three young lads in front. He shifted his focus back to the one standing in front of him. Damon wondered if he was trying to intimidate him but one thing is for sure, he's not giving him that satisfaction.

"What am I talking– are you clueless or just dumb or both?" the boy asked as he turned around and exchanged a few mocking laughter with his peers. He continued.

"Neither, I'm just wondering what you meant by that," Damon answered.

"Well, Damon, what day is it? Or better question, what month is next week, huh?" He asked as he moved even closer toward him.

"July, what about it?"

"What happens on July…farmer?" He asked as he took a quick glance at Damon's collar.

"The games…" Damon responded as his eyes widened with realization.

"Well well, he's not as dumb as we thought he was," the boy said as he chuckled.

He stepped even more closer to Damon this time and placed a hand on his shoulders, squeezing it a little bit.

"Why do you think you're here? Why do you think we're here?" He asked but he answered before Damon could.

"We've been chosen. Every one of us here has been chosen to play their stupid game, we're all dead meat," He finally said.

It eventually dawned on Damon, the reason he was here, the reason they were all here. The games. Even at that, he still chose to believe that there has to be another possible reason.

"You can't know that for sure, it might be something else," Damon said as he stepped back a little.

The boy snorted, almost laughing out loud but he managed to hold it in. He sighed dramatically, turning around spreading his arms out like a rockstar from the early 21st century.

"Take a look at where you are, this is the bloody dome. We're in the fucking House of Daxin, why do you think we're here? To eat grapes and cookies?" He said as he placed his hands down. "No, we're he–"

The two doors on the side of the ground floor opened and matrons walked out, six from each side, marching their boots in unison. They surrounded all five boys and their overseer stepped forward. She looked like she was just coming out from a fight, her hair was messy and she had a cut on one of her eyebrows. She took a glance at every one of the Slumborns standing before her but when her eyes landed on Damon, she looked a bit longer.

"You, come here." she said pointing at the boy Damon had been talking to. He obeyed and took two steps forward.

As soon as he was standing in front of the overseer, she pulled out her baton and struck him across the face. Blood spilled out from both his nose and mouth as he groaned in pain.

Damon wanted to move in to help him but one gaze from the overseer stopped him dead on his tracks. She signaled two of the matrons beside her and they grabbed the boy by his arms, leaving him wide open. She struck him again, in the stomach this time, and again, and again till he was coughing out blood.

"Stop it!" Damon shouted as he took a fighting stance. Foolish or brave? Or both.

"Or what? What are you going to do, you filth!" the overseer barked as she raised her baton again to hit the boy again but Damon stepped forward catching her hand mid-air.

Gasps escaped the mouth of everyone in the hall. Touching a matron was a bold move, holding the hand of an overseer was a careless move and picking a fight with one of them was a very bad mistake one could ever make.

"You damned filthy slum! I'm going to bury your head in the wasteland!"

She screamed as she pulled out a blade on her side and she swung it. Blue energy emitted from the blade and in that moment, Damon's life flashed before his eyes.

"Enough! C-213, back off!"

Everybody's eyes turned to the direction of the voice. Walking down the stairs of the hall was a young woman, dressed elegantly, flawless skin and huge green emerald eyes. The overseer backed off from Damon as the lady approached and she stopped right in front of Damon. She glanced back at the overseer.

"Does my mother know about their arrival?" She asked.

"No, my lady," the overseer answered looking down on the floor.

"Well…are you just going to stand there? Go tell her, now!" She ordered and the overseer walked away but not before giving Damon a death glare.

The young lady turned her head back to Damon and that's when everyone saw it: the uncanny resemblance they shared. He has green eyes and so did she. They both shared the same facial structure, one would even mistake them for twins.

"I'm very sorry for that," she said placing her arm on his shoulder.

"What the –" one of the boys muttered

"My mother is expecting you," she said as she turned around to address the rest of the boys.

"You will be properly fed, you will have a change of clothes and you will be escorted to your quarters before meeting my mother." She turned to one of the matrons.

"Escort them to their living quarters, and," she took a pause changing the tone of her voice to something dangerous

"Do not lay a finger on any of them."

"Right away, my lady."

Damon and the rest of the boys were escorted, with the matrons following behind them.

The one speaking to him earlier walked up to him from behind tugging his shirt while they walked.

"Hey uh…I might have acted out a little bit, but hey, there's still time, no hard feelings?" He asked but Damon didn't answer. He just kept walking further.

The only thing on his mind was who was that girl? He didn't want to believe it but he already knew the answer to that question. That was his sister. For the first time since the 16 years of his life, he met another of his bloodline. He didn't know how to feel about that but things will get more complicated when he meets his mother…