Amber Lynne
When I saw Miranda, my body shivered. I remembered the hate and anger that she had toward me. She would put a collar on my neck and drag me around like I was a dog. Her husband, Evlon, would hit me. They would degrade me and make me do horrible things. This was the reason I did not want to come back to the city. I could not handle seeing them again. I was traumatized by everything they had done. But now I had more to care about than just myself. I was pregnant with the commander’s child. There was a moment when I thought about having to raise this child on my own, and it brought great sorrow to me. I did not want to do this without Nykon. But I still could not tell him. I did not want him to lose focus.
But when he walked over and asked me what was wrong, I could not contain how upset I was in response to seeing Miranda and Evlon. I told him everything.
He vowed to not let them touch me again. I wanted to believe him, but I knew it was not in his hands.
When he took to the field to fight, I was so nervous. I had seen Evlon fight before, and there was a reason that he was the winner of the games. He was strong, skilled, sharp, and he sometimes cheated. Something that I warned Nykon about. I could hardly watch as they went at it. Using the ax was a dangerous weapon. One below could kill him instantly. I was on edge and felt sick to my stomach.
But suddenly a loud boom distracted me from the field. In the corner, I could see fire; a bomb had been set off. Everyone was screaming, and it was chaos all around. Gina grabbed my arm.
I watched as the soldiers that were assigned to us quickly made a circle around us. They were protecting us; they were shouting something, but I could not pay attention. All I wanted to do was look out on the field. Where was Nykon? Did Evlon to do away with him during that bomb distraction. Was he alive? Was he dead on the field? I couldn't see. There were Zenkian running everywhere, some of them in retreat and some of them fighting each other. It was a trap. I couldn't say that I was that shocked. I expected it from the dirty Waysaw. They were not to be trusted.
“Amber! Let's go. Listen to the guards!” Gina said, grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me. Her face was inches from me. This was the only way she got my attention. I snapped out of it. I heard our guards shouting.
Just then the guard that was shouting at Gina and I was knocked off his feet. Gina and I looked in surprise as Evlon loomed over us. He was the one that had knocked the guard out.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. The soldiers that had made a circle around us came between Evlon and Gina and me. They began to fight him. Gina grabbed my arm and moved back. Evlon defeated one soldier, and now was up against two. They were doing a good job of keeping him occupied, fighting. I looked around again. I did not see Nykon. I was in a panic. Suddenly the blue hand of a Grantsions soldier grabbed my arm.
“The speeder!” he shouted. I grabbed Gina's hand, and we ran with the soldier toward the edge of the complex.
The soldier shot his blaster gun, shooting a path for us to get out of the complex. We stepped out into the open air. There was a speeder waiting for us.
“Get in! I am under orders to protect you and take you back to the village at all costs. Go!” the soldier said as he grabbed me and picked me up. He put me in the speeder. Gina climbed in after me. In no time at all the soldier was in the driver’s seat and speeding through the city. There was chaos everywhere as he dodged bullets and bombs going off.
“Oh my god. I can't believe this. Oh my God,” Gina said as she slumped down in her seat.
I tried to look out to see if I could see what was going on, but the vehicle was too fast, making things a blur. I was impressed with the driving skills of our pilot. In no time at all, we were over the desert area outside of the city heading toward the village. Only then did I breathe. Gina sat up straight.
“I can't believe it. It was a trap all along. We should've known. They should not have agreed to join the games,” Gina said.
“Yes, I agree. It is a mess,” I said, trying to fight back tears. Gina looked at me. She looked at the pilot. She squeezed my hand and said.
“I am sure that the majority of the soldiers will make it back to the village. We do not need to worry,” she said.
I looked at her. She knew. Of course I had shouted for Nykon in that moment of terror. She obviously heard it. She knew.
“I hope that you are right. It is very important,” I said squeezing her hand.
We stayed silent, squeezing each other's hands as the pilot drove us back to the village. News of the attack had already reached the village through the communication radios. We were the third speeder to land. When we got out, we could see more speeders heading our direction. Many were coming back. I was relieved, but I would not be completely relieved until I saw his face.
I stood in the courtyard waiting with everyone else, looking at every speeder that opened its doors. Then I saw something that absolutely broke my heart. I saw Keirin standing there with a soldier; by her side was a young child, about five-years-old. It was then that I realize that this was Nykon's son. He clung onto his mother’s hand, squeezing it. He was too young to know what was going on, but she was filled with fright. The soldier at her side comforted her. I realized I wasn't the only one waiting for Nykon's return. It was a gut-wrenching moment. All I could do was wait.