Glancing up again, I look for ways to climb. I can feel it in my bones that this is the way out. I find small cracks in the rock wall that I can easily fit my hand or foot into. Today, I will be victorious. I repeat the chant with each placement of my foot, with each pull of my upper body. Slowly but surely, I scale the wall. My limbs are trembling, screaming at me from the pain and exhaustion. Still, I persist. Today, I will be victorious. My head emerges into the arena, followed by my shoulders. Cheers erupt as I claw at the ground, forcing the rest of my body to follow. I roll onto my back, chest heaving, pulling out the moonstone shard and presenting it to the coliseum.
Today, Iamvictorious.
Twenty-seven
Istare at the swirling nebulae above with adrenaline coursing through my veins. A floating screen circulates at the top of the dome, showing… Is that me? Wow, I’ve seen better days. Where are my friends? Is everyone okay? Orion star-shoots to my side, kneeling beside me.
“You did it, Zi! You've got a fragment. There were only four in the entire course. You fucking did it. I knew you would—”
I cut Orion off, gripping his forearm. “Where are the others?”
“Solene emerged with one. Lenny and Aria must have found each other. They came out empty-handed. Merri and Atlas didn’t find any, either. I can’t believe they gave up so early. There’s still time left. The horn hasn’t even sounded. It doesn’t matter; this is better for us.”
I can’t bring myself to care or to follow Orion’s enthusiasm. At least he’s no longer angry at me for not following the Kosmos’ orders prior to the game starting, but even that feels irrelevant at this point. The hovering screen flashes to Celeste, who is currently crawling out of a hole in the course's side, looking bloodied and dazed.She’s okay.Relief flows through me as I force my body to sit up, looking around. “Where’s Leo?”
“He hasn’t shown up yet.”
He’s still in there. I try to convince myself that he is okay, reassuring myself that there's still time. Orion helps me up and guides me to a sitting area further from the course. Gently, he grasps the moonstone before handing the shard off to a waiting official. Easing down into a seat beside Lenny, I clutch his hand and squeeze. His hand feels slimy from blood, or is that grime? Who knows—I can’t give that too much thoughtat the moment.
Orion continues to talk at me excitedly, but I can’t hear him. I stare at the obstacle course until my eyes burn and dry out, searching for a wild head of hair.
Five minutes after the warning horn sounds, Miles slides down an inclined wall. He’s empty-handed but, surprisingly, doesn’t look like he faced too many hurdles. Must be nice to be the epitome of a physical specimen. The rest of us are silent, shifting nervously in our seats, cautiously avoiding our injuries. Of course, the Kosmos don’t see to our wounds immediately—we are just performers, after all.
Unease sprouts in my gut, spreading and tightening through my chest. Where is he?
I anxiously watch as the timer counts down.Where are you, where are you, where are you?
The entire arena collectively holds its breath as two minutes remain on the clock. Thirty seconds pass. Like a comet racing across the sky, a moonstone shard launches from the air through an opening near where I emerged. I stand, wringing my hands. One minute remains. Forty seconds left. Thirty.
A hand. Whose?
Hair dark as night, with untamed yellow bolts. Darkened amber eyes, looking more pissed off than ever. Butterflies burst inside of me, replacing the growing sense of dread.He’s safe.
The horn blares harshly throughout the arena.
Leo made it. His head searches frantically, scanning the stadium. The motion stops when he locates me, his gaze pinning me to my seat.He’s okay.
The rest of us survived, but Graham never came out.
The course has mysteriously vanished—the doing of the Kosmos, I’m sure. We are once again lined up like cattle with our sponsors beside us, but this time we are doing so with one fewer human. I’m sick to my stomach. Weare all disgusting, in varied states of horror and pain, and the higher order is recapping the game as if it were a live sport.
“Nine contestants remain with four challenges to go. The moonstone fragment tally is:
Zellie Toro: one
Solene Lox: one
Leo Vance: one
“One shard went unfound. Seven pieces remain to be found throughout the next four Games. Remember, obtain the most moonstone to become the Celestial champion. Now go rest, recover, and persist! What a show today! Well done. May the stars guide you. The constellations are the only constant.”
What about Graham? Why is nobody acknowledging that he is not here? Do they care so little about the lives of humans?
I tuned out the rest of the speech. “Orion?”
“Yes?”
“Where did Graham go?”
