I tap my nails against the side of the armchair. “So…”
“So?” Undisturbed, unbothered, I cannot stand him.
I gesture wildly around the room. “So, what comes next?”
“I’m so glad you asked!” Animatedly, he leans forward, coming to life. This earns him a heavy eye roll from me as I do my best to ignore his lotus and linen scent that warms my senses. “Well, Zellie. I have been assigned to work with you before and during the games. Should you champion them, I’ll also be your point of contact after. Next, we will meet the other competitors, as well as the Kosmos, to receive a thorough explanation. After that, I’ll guide you to your quarters, where you can do anything you need that will help improvethis stellar mood of yours.” Forget the eye roll; now I’m downright scowling. “And then we will begin training.”
“Training?”
Orion pauses, pointedly looking up and down my body. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want to enter the competition as is?”
A seething anger roils through me. “WhatIwant?” I’m the one to lean forward now, speaking clearly and slowly. I’ll give him credit; he doesn’t back away. He doesn’t move at all. “What I want, Orion, is to know whatthe fuckis going on. WhatIwant is to know how I ended up here, what these fucking games are, and what is going to happen. Did you want to enlighten me on any of that?”
Orion leans into his fist, propped up by the arm of the chair, and exhales loudly, blowing a raspberry through his mouth. “They said you were feisty, but this is even better than I could have expected.” I stare at him, unyielding. I deserve some answers—I didn’t ask foranyof this. When he sees that I have no rebuttal, he throws up his hands. “Okay, okay! You were hand-selected by the Kosmos.”
“Going to need more than that, Riri.” I settle into the chair, crossing my legs, and wait.
“Nicknames already? This is moving fast.” I can’t help it; a laugh escapes me. Charming, this one. Orion’s face lights up. Encouraged by my response, he continues. “The Kosmos are an order, a large one, made up of divine beings across the galaxies. They are aware of the need to secure the Gemini constellation, and they took this opportunity to use the Games to restore it. The Games are held every century, per Zodiac sign; each astrological sign takes turns hosting its games for various reasons or causes—whatever the Kosmos decides they want or need. They’ve been utilizing the human population from the different worlds to their benefit for these games.”
“So we’re puppets.” Not a question, but a realization.
Orion ignores the jab. “Anyway, the department that oversees the human Geminis could not design the challenges. Conflict of interest and all that. They were, however, able to select the individuals who would participate. They’ve been looking for Geminis with specific characteristics that they’vedetermined could do well. The department, and I obviously, pick people wewantto succeed. We are all very hopeful about you.”
How sweet; I have their hope. I’m trying to process everything Orion has told me, but this is a lot of information to take in at once. Desperation nags at me for time to decompress, and knowing how far off that is from now is making me anxious. I inhale deeply, letting my breathing soothe me as I pore over the details. In some strange way, I can understand the process that led me to this point. I’m far from thrilled about being chosen and have no interest in being a puppet for these deities.
“Can I opt out? Go home?”
Orion laughs this time but quickly stifles the sound, realizing I’m serious. “Unfortunately, that’s not an option, Zellie. Thisisa rare opportunity; do you understand that?”
“Rare opportunity” sounds like a pretty way of saying I have no choice. I play with the end of one braid, contemplating the situation. I want to know what the Kosmos deemed so special aboutme,and I need to prepare myself with as much knowledge regarding these challenges as possible. Hopefully, I can achieve both these goals by meeting those in charge of the Games and the other challengers.
The healer’s words gnaw at me, and I find myself needing reassurance. “Pia told me to ‘stay safe’. Am I safe here? During these games?”
Orion winces, “You are safe with me and in Astralis, yes. But in the competition? Not particularly. That’s why I’m here. I’ll make sure you’re ready.”
“Oh.” Anxiety prickles my insides. What am I supposed to do? I can’t go home, and this man is confident he can help me succeed. I’m going to have to compete, aren’t I? “Okay then, I’m ready.” A lie, hopefully one I’ll believe if I keep repeating it.
A slow grin spreads across Orion’s face. He won this round after all. “Let’s go meet the competition.”
Eight
Ifollow Orion through a series of corridors. I gave up trying to keep track of the direction about three turns ago. He hasn’t spoken again. However, he has glanced back several times to check on me. Probably to ensure I haven’t lost my shit. Or ran away. I considered only the latter briefly; I swear. He stops in front of a large concrete door. “This is it.” Another glance back—why is he hesitating?
“Go on, then.” Please, for the love of all things, before I spiral and have a full-blown panic attack.
Orion curtly nods before heaving the door open. It slides away from us, revealing a gritty, sand-blanketed floor that stretches out across an open field. I shoo away the nervous thoughts and take a confident step forward. We hadn’t entered a room, but a coliseum. The circular arena was encased by curved, clear glass. Row upon row of stone bench seating lined the outskirts of the pit, reaching as high as the ceiling. The sheer size of the arena takes my breath away. Above, flickers of stardust and the occasional asteroid float by. I’m struck with an immense longing for my unit—the feeling of being homesick is foreign and uncomfortable. Averting my gaze from the familiar sky, I glance around me. Several couples stand apart from one another, purposely keeping their distance. I realize these must be the other competitors. As I count, three more pairs file in. Altogether, there are ten pairs of partners.
I easily make out the competitors. Surprisingly, not everyone has silver hair. Some have black and even white, which I’m dumbstruck by. I was certain that all humans had silver, but perhaps only those on Lunara do. All our yellow gives us away. The lack of magical energy surrounding humans isalso a key indicator. Everyone seems wary of each other. I’m not sure what I was expecting—some form of camaraderie, perhaps? Some immediate type of trauma bonding? We’re all stuck in this fucking crazy nightmare together, aren’t we? We’renotteammates, though. These people could be prepared to do whatever it takes to win, and the implication of that thought alone makes me shudder. I need to make it through so I can get back to Jada.
I scan the arena once more, my eyes landing on a tall, gangly boy with cropped silver hair and a baby face etched with worry.Lenny. It has to be. He is a youth compared to the rest of us here—possibly the youngest among us. This isn’t right. “Orion,” I tilt my head towards Lenny. “He’s from my unit. He shouldn’t be here; he’s so young.”
Orion gives an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. “He’s here, which means they thought he would be fine.” His response causes me to see red. Is he serious? How could he be so nonchalant about a teenager? Are we that meaningless?
“Fucking useless,” I mutter, heading towards Lenny’s direction. If Orion is unwilling to help, I will do everything in my power to make sure Lenny makes it back to our unit unscathed. I stomp across the arena, feeling eyes tracking my steps. I whip my head toward the person staring. “I’m not a fucking spectacle!” Amused amber eyes meet mine. There’s an energy to him; I feel it crackling in his stare. His hair is just as wild, the deepest black with pale yellow streaked through in zig-zagging bolts. His lips are distinctively curved, their rosy hue catching my eye in a way that sends unwelcome tingles through me. He’s captivating, handsome in a rugged way. My breath catches, and I look away quickly, my cheeks feeling warm.
I continue on my track, refusing to entertain the acknowledgement of the attractive man I may as well have been drooling over. To be fair, he was staring at me first. Behind me, I hear Orion trying to catch up, swearing and probably asking the stars above how he got stuck with me. Oh well, Riri, better get used to it.
Lenny’s eyes widen as I approach. He runs a hand through his hair and nervously glances at the she-devil version of Orion standing next to him, who is too busy looking at me like I’m contagious. Probably another Astral, although I wouldn't know, as I’ve received no education about these peoplein my entire life. I pull up short, leaving a healthy distance between us. I don’t want to scare the poor kid. “Lenny?”
