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“We have to help her,” Ariana whispers fiercely. The girl’s cries continue to echo throughout the stadium, making many shift uncomfortably in their seats. She slowly stands, hoping to rush over and help her in some way.

A hand pulls her back, landing her back on my seat. “No,” James hisses, face close to her own, “if you bring any sort of attention to yourself, you will be the one crying on the ground, pleading for mercy.”

“Please, Ariana,” Rebecca grabs her shaking hands, “don’t try and save her. I can’t have you die.”

“I can’t just stay here passively watching her…” Slowly, Ariana’s body relaxes into a calm indifference, and she turns towards James, indignant towards his treatment of my feelings.

The man walks down the steps towards the center of the stadium, the sound of his feet pattering the only thing audible other than the girl’s cries and downtrodden whispering. From where Ariana’s sitting, all she can see his red plaid shirt and balding brown hair. A lightning decorated man approaches him, swiftly grabs him by the collar, and throws him over the edge, by the other two. He rolls, with him cursing underneath his breath. Smirk coursing back onto his face, he unsheathes a pocket knife and approaches his victim.

He studies the pink forcefield, trying to find a way through it. Then, the knife slams into it. Again and again, the knife hits it, sounding like nails scratching glass.

“No! Stop!” The boy screams, running over. “Look at her! Look at how young she is! Do you really want to kill such an innocent girl because of how different she may be from you?”

The man freezes, making the area eerily quiet. “I’ve got a chance, kid,” he growls, facing him, “and I’m gonna take it. I don’t want any more of this monster filth roaming around my world.” He flips his knife and points it toward the boy. “If you don’t want to die with them, I recommend letting me get the job done.”

For a moment, the boy stands deathly still. The girl’s cries quieten. Then, he raises his chin in defiance and stands in front of the force field. He shakily lifts his arms and says, “If you want to get her, you need to go through me.”

“Well… so be it.”

He rushes forward and plunges the knife into the boy’s chest. He falls, clutching the weapon, and his eyes stare off into the distance. His shirt slowly becomes tainted red, and the smell of his blood is potent.

The plaided man grins crazily and wipes off his knife onto his dusty clothing, breathing erratically. Ariana squeezes the armrests until her knuckles turn white, holding in an anguished scream. “Why? Why why why…” She shakes her head fiercely, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Why…”

The girl stares at the fallen body, her force field flickering weakly. Her hand moves toward her mouth, trying to hide the screams beginning to rise.

“Now,” the man chuckles silently, “for the monster.”

The force field flickers again, like a broken light working on it’s last bit of life. Analyzing the barrier, the man ‘tsk’s. Suddenly, he stabs it with so much force, it shatters like glass.

After one scream and the raising of her arms, the girl is killed by the same knife that took the life of her protector. Her body falls, the sound of it echoing through the stadium. Rebecca grabs Ariana’s hand and squeezes, her own pain and misery felt through that one touch.

A moment of silence, where there’s no bloodshed, passes, allowing for more silent tears onto everyone’s lap. Ariana looks at James, and his face is scrunched so much, the pain etched into every single line of his face. She grasps his hand gently, trying to give him support through his grief. James looks at her, his telling her how much he wishes that he could spread a sense of calm throughout the stadium and fix how everyone is feeling, but he knows that his ability could never spread that far. He’s not experienced enough.

“It’s alright.” Ariana whispers, “This is not your fault, James. This is not your responsibility.”

His frown deepens, his eyes watering. “If it’s not my responsibility,” he replies, lip quivering, “then why was I given this ability?”

She opens her mouth, praying for an answer, but it doesn’t come to her.

“Now, who should go next? Which monster will be the next to die?” The lady’s voice is no longer sweet. Now, it drips acid, destroying the minds of the audience with every syllable she speaks.

The lightning decorated people resume their search for the monsters, their hands twitching over the audience’s head. The people begin to cower, hiding underneath their parents arms or hugging their loved ones. The lady with the sharp ponytail begins to approach Ariana, her shoes clopping against the ground. Her eyes dart around like a bee, crazily looking at each person she finds. Finally, she arrives, staring straight at her. She tightens her grip on Rebecca and James’ hands., pleading that she won’t know. She and James are harmless, completely harmless, we don’t hurt anyone, please continue on.

But no.

Her face twitches, a grin spreading and cracking her skin. “Miss!” She cackles, “I found one!”

“No! No, please!” Rebecca abruptly stands, Not Ariana! You must be mistaken, Ariana would never hurt any-”

The sound of her hand colliding with Rebecca’s face expands through the room, and she falls back onto the chair, holding her face.

She suddenly grabs her hair and throws her into the middle with unnatural strength. She scrambles to her feet, tottering slightly, and comes face to face with a murderer.

He grins lopsidedly and flips his knife casually, as if he is truly enjoying this new feeling of killing. “So, what special ability are you going to use with this fight? Super speed? A force field like the last girl?” His smile turns vicious. “Whatever it is, it won’t be enough.”

She clutches her head, with it throbbing from the force of being thrown such a great distance. Her breathing is shallow, her heart about to explode in her chest. What is Ariana going to do? How is she going to survive this? She’s going to die, he’s going to stab her in the heart and she’s going to bleed out in front of her friends… why her? Why?

“Hm, too scared like the last one, huh?” He tilts his head and pouts. “Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick.”

A sense of calm blankets over her, and she doesn’t know if it’s just her own resolve or James affecting her, but she doesn’t dare look up at him, lest he get thrown down here too. She just knows she has to stand, calmly breathe in and out, and survive a little while longer.

“You may think you are in the right, but your fear has only hurt you. Your fear has made you a murderer, and afraid of slim possibilities.” She clenches her fists, making them shake, “You will not leave this stadium alive.” Ariana smiles shakily. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”

He screams in anger and runs toward her, knife flashing. She dodges his attack, rolling on the ground and breathing deeply. She reaches out to his weapon, that cursed weapon, and concentrates on taking away from him and crumbling it beyond use. It flies from his hand and into hers, his eyes widening in shock. He flies at her, angry, so angry. Out of desperation, Ariana aims the knife at him, hitting his chest. He falls, grimacing in pain, and she digs deeper, tears falling down her face. The rough handle of the knife carves into her hand as it shakes from the force put behind it. He kicks at her, aiming at her chest and legs. It begins to weaken, the light behind his eyes darkening. Then, he stops breathing and falls. She releases the knife as if it burned her. Blood covers her hands. It makes her feel dirty, evil.

“What have I done?!”

Ariana looks toward Rebecca and James, their faces a mixture of horror, fear, and awe. She tries to wipe the blood away on her shirt, but it only makes her look more crazed.

Suddenly, her hair is yanked back, and she gasps from the suddenness of it. Her eyes travel to the culprit, the same woman who threw her down here. She no longer seems sadistically pleased with the turn of events. Where her eyes before looked like the embers of a fire, they now appear like a fire destroying everything in it’s path.

“You killed him?”

“W-what does it look like to you?!” Ariana closes her eyes tight. “Yes, I killed him, because you guys left me no choice. I didn’t want to die.”

“Well,” she grinds her teeth, “Miss wants you to fix it. Bring him back to life.”

“But,” her eyes fly open, panic flitting through her head, “that’s practically impossible! To bring someone back to life is the most powerful form of magic, and it has limits! Too much blood loss can-”

She slaps her, stinging her cheek. “Shut up and try. It is no matter to us if you die. “She grins maliciously. “We would actually prefer that.”

Ariana clenches her teeth so hard that she feels like they snap from the pressure. Her palms tingle. Anger flashes through her mind. The fact that their desire for monsters is so transparent, so easy to see, irks her so much. Have they always done this? Was this how all the monsters have been dying? How did she not guess this?

Her palms continue to tingle, now growing slightly warm from the magic flowing inside of her. As much as she despises this man she just killed, she killed him. She killed that man with her own abilities and how is she supposed to live with it? Yes, it was in self-preservation, but now she knows that it will haunt her. The pulsing of her heart in her chest, the sweat dripping down her forehead, the blood on his knife. She has to take it back, even if it means she might die.

Ariana’s breaths shudder and she slowly walks back over to the dead man. Her hands become hot, and I press them against his chest. She feels the warmth moving through her body into his, putting life back into him. Sweat falls down her nose. Bags slowly form underneath her eyes, becoming droopy. Her body hunches over, her fingers becoming bony, her hair graying. Too much stress is put onto her body. It may kill her.

The woman watches, eyes curious, so so curious. Her mouth twitches, trying to hide the grin peeking out from her smirk. Her head grows lightheaded. Her eyes flutter. Underneath her hands, his chest begins to move slowly. Up. Down. Up. Down. She lazily moves her eyes toward her face, looking for another indication that he is alive or awake. Her hands begin to shake and lose it’s own heat, all of it going into the man’s body. His eyes flash open, and they fly to her face. Anger clouds his features, and he shoves her away, causing her to fall on her side.

Sleep. She just wants to sleep for a little bit and maybe she’ll feel better.

She’s yanked back again, the woman staring at her, disbelief and indignation etched into every line of her face. “How are you not dead?” she screams, yanking me back again.

Ariana gasps, the wrinkles in her face disappearing.Her body rights itself, her skin tightening and regain it’s original color. Her heart begins to beat faster. Blood and heats flows through her body once again. Alive. She’s alive.

The lightning decorated lady slaps her across her face, trying to shake her out of her stupor. “How?” she screams, her face red from anger.

“I don’t know how I’m alive,” she croaks, “but I do know it gives me a great amount of pleasure to know that I am.”

She scowls and raises her arm. “I should just kill you myself! You’re obviously too weak to fight against me.”

“No.” The lady looks upward, anger draining, listening to her Mistress. “I want her alive,” she says, sounding mischievous, “I have plans for her. Tie her up, and bring her to me.”

The lady grimaces. “Yes, Miss.”

Time seems to slow down as Ariana thinks, ‘No. You’re not having me.’ Quick as the blink of an eye, she thrusts her left hand out, searching for something big and powerful to create an escape. Finding it, she screams harshly as she rolls out of the reach of the lady. Her hand forms a tight fist, and the white monument crumbles. Spots dance across her eyes, making her close to passing out, but she thrusts the object to the opposite side of the stadium, destroying part of the wall.

“Get her!” Miss screams, her voice echoing. “I want her alive!”

Shouting replaces her voice, from both the crowd and the seekers. The crowd disperses, some moving toward the hole Ariana created while others went toward the other exits. Her footing slips, making her close to falling.

Her legs slowly begin to move, still feeling like jelly. All Ariana knows at this moment is that she needs to leave, right this moment. Her heart pounds in her chest, threatening to burst. The smell of blood wafts from every corner of the building.

“Ariana!” James creams off into the distance. “Ariana, come over to me!”

Her eyes dance over the carnage of the stadium, searching for him, when one of the seekers jump on top of her. Her pins her down, hand over her throat.

“Ariana!” He shouts, mouth twisted. “Oh, Ariana,” He smirks, the lightning on his face cracking, his voice slowing forming into his own, “In this world you live in, you still can’t tell truth from lie?”

She gasps for air, flailing her legs. She quickly hits his leg hard, causing him to grimace, but he still holds on fast.

A blur passes by her eyes, knocking the man off of her. Color slowly returns to her face as she gasps for air.

A hand faintly touches her shoulder. “Ariana, hey, hey, it’s me.” She looks up to see the coily hair of Rebecca. “Come on,” she pulls at her hands, “we need to go before they know exactly where you are. Come on. Come on!”

“But what about James?” Ariana asks hurriedly, breathing heavily.

“He’ll catch up. Just move.” she looks behind them, “Quickly.”

They push through the crowd, knocking anyone back if they get in the way.

Fighting through the mess, they jump through the hole in the wall and find sunlight.

Description
“We have to help her,” Ariana whispers fiercely. The girl’s cries continue to echo throughout the stadium, making many shift uncomfortably in their seats. She slowly stands, hoping to rush over and help her in some way.

A hand pulls her back, landing her back on my seat. “No,” James hisses, face close to her own, “if you bring any sort of attention to yourself, you will be the one crying on the ground, pleading for mercy.”

“Please, Ariana,” Rebecca grabs her shaking hands, “don’t try and save her. I can’t have you die.”

“I can’t just stay here passively watching her…” Slowly, Ariana’s body relaxes into a calm indifference, and she turns towards James, indignant towards his treatment of my feelings.

The man walks down the steps towards the center of the stadium, the sound of his feet pattering the only thing audible other than the girl’s cries and downtrodden whispering. From where Ariana’s sitting, all she can see his red plaid shirt and balding brown hair. A lightning decorated man approaches him, swiftly grabs him by the collar, and throws him over the edge, by the other two. He rolls, with him cursing underneath his breath. Smirk coursing back onto his face, he unsheathes a pocket knife and approaches his victim.

He studies the pink forcefield, trying to find a way through it. Then, the knife slams into it. Again and again, the knife hits it, sounding like nails scratching glass.

“No! Stop!” The boy screams, running over. “Look at her! Look at how young she is! Do you really want to kill such an innocent girl because of how different she may be from you?”

The man freezes, making the area eerily quiet. “I’ve got a chance, kid,” he growls, facing him, “and I’m gonna take it. I don’t want any more of this monster filth roaming around my world.” He flips his knife and points it toward the boy. “If you don’t want to die with them, I recommend letting me get the job done.”

For a moment, the boy stands deathly still. The girl’s cries quieten. Then, he raises his chin in defiance and stands in front of the force field. He shakily lifts his arms and says, “If you want to get her, you need to go through me.”

“Well… so be it.”

He rushes forward and plunges the knife into the boy’s chest. He falls, clutching the weapon, and his eyes stare off into the distance. His shirt slowly becomes tainted red, and the smell of his blood is potent.

The plaided man grins crazily and wipes off his knife onto his dusty clothing, breathing erratically. Ariana squeezes the armrests until her knuckles turn white, holding in an anguished scream. “Why? Why why why…” She shakes her head fiercely, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Why…”

The girl stares at the fallen body, her force field flickering weakly. Her hand moves toward her mouth, trying to hide the screams beginning to rise.

“Now,” the man chuckles silently, “for the monster.”

The force field flickers again, like a broken light working on it’s last bit of life. Analyzing the barrier, the man ‘tsk’s. Suddenly, he stabs it with so much force, it shatters like glass.

After one scream and the raising of her arms, the girl is killed by the same knife that took the life of her protector. Her body falls, the sound of it echoing through the stadium. Rebecca grabs Ariana’s hand and squeezes, her own pain and misery felt through that one touch.

A moment of silence, where there’s no bloodshed, passes, allowing for more silent tears onto everyone’s lap. Ariana looks at James, and his face is scrunched so much, the pain etched into every single line of his face. She grasps his hand gently, trying to give him support through his grief. James looks at her, his telling her how much he wishes that he could spread a sense of calm throughout the stadium and fix how everyone is feeling, but he knows that his ability could never spread that far. He’s not experienced enough.

“It’s alright.” Ariana whispers, “This is not your fault, James. This is not your responsibility.”

His frown deepens, his eyes watering. “If it’s not my responsibility,” he replies, lip quivering, “then why was I given this ability?”

She opens her mouth, praying for an answer, but it doesn’t come to her.

“Now, who should go next? Which monster will be the next to die?” The lady’s voice is no longer sweet. Now, it drips acid, destroying the minds of the audience with every syllable she speaks.

The lightning decorated people resume their search for the monsters, their hands twitching over the audience’s head. The people begin to cower, hiding underneath their parents arms or hugging their loved ones. The lady with the sharp ponytail begins to approach Ariana, her shoes clopping against the ground. Her eyes dart around like a bee, crazily looking at each person she finds. Finally, she arrives, staring straight at her. She tightens her grip on Rebecca and James’ hands., pleading that she won’t know. She and James are harmless, completely harmless, we don’t hurt anyone, please continue on.

But no.

Her face twitches, a grin spreading and cracking her skin. “Miss!” She cackles, “I found one!”

“No! No, please!” Rebecca abruptly stands, Not Ariana! You must be mistaken, Ariana would never hurt any-”

The sound of her hand colliding with Rebecca’s face expands through the room, and she falls back onto the chair, holding her face.

She suddenly grabs her hair and throws her into the middle with unnatural strength. She scrambles to her feet, tottering slightly, and comes face to face with a murderer.

He grins lopsidedly and flips his knife casually, as if he is truly enjoying this new feeling of killing. “So, what special ability are you going to use with this fight? Super speed? A force field like the last girl?” His smile turns vicious. “Whatever it is, it won’t be enough.”

She clutches her head, with it throbbing from the force of being thrown such a great distance. Her breathing is shallow, her heart about to explode in her chest. What is Ariana going to do? How is she going to survive this? She’s going to die, he’s going to stab her in the heart and she’s going to bleed out in front of her friends… why her? Why?

“Hm, too scared like the last one, huh?” He tilts his head and pouts. “Don’t worry, I’ll make this quick.”

A sense of calm blankets over her, and she doesn’t know if it’s just her own resolve or James affecting her, but she doesn’t dare look up at him, lest he get thrown down here too. She just knows she has to stand, calmly breathe in and out, and survive a little while longer.

“You may think you are in the right, but your fear has only hurt you. Your fear has made you a murderer, and afraid of slim possibilities.” She clenches her fists, making them shake, “You will not leave this stadium alive.” Ariana smiles shakily. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”

He screams in anger and runs toward her, knife flashing. She dodges his attack, rolling on the ground and breathing deeply. She reaches out to his weapon, that cursed weapon, and concentrates on taking away from him and crumbling it beyond use. It flies from his hand and into hers, his eyes widening in shock. He flies at her, angry, so angry. Out of desperation, Ariana aims the knife at him, hitting his chest. He falls, grimacing in pain, and she digs deeper, tears falling down her face. The rough handle of the knife carves into her hand as it shakes from the force put behind it. He kicks at her, aiming at her chest and legs. It begins to weaken, the light behind his eyes darkening. Then, he stops breathing and falls. She releases the knife as if it burned her. Blood covers her hands. It makes her feel dirty, evil.

“What have I done?!”

Ariana looks toward Rebecca and James, their faces a mixture of horror, fear, and awe. She tries to wipe the blood away on her shirt, but it only makes her look more crazed.

Suddenly, her hair is yanked back, and she gasps from the suddenness of it. Her eyes travel to the culprit, the same woman who threw her down here. She no longer seems sadistically pleased with the turn of events. Where her eyes before looked like the embers of a fire, they now appear like a fire destroying everything in it’s path.

“You killed him?”

“W-what does it look like to you?!” Ariana closes her eyes tight. “Yes, I killed him, because you guys left me no choice. I didn’t want to die.”

“Well,” she grinds her teeth, “Miss wants you to fix it. Bring him back to life.”

“But,” her eyes fly open, panic flitting through her head, “that’s practically impossible! To bring someone back to life is the most powerful form of magic, and it has limits! Too much blood loss can-”

She slaps her, stinging her cheek. “Shut up and try. It is no matter to us if you die. “She grins maliciously. “We would actually prefer that.”

Ariana clenches her teeth so hard that she feels like they snap from the pressure. Her palms tingle. Anger flashes through her mind. The fact that their desire for monsters is so transparent, so easy to see, irks her so much. Have they always done this? Was this how all the monsters have been dying? How did she not guess this?

Her palms continue to tingle, now growing slightly warm from the magic flowing inside of her. As much as she despises this man she just killed, she killed him. She killed that man with her own abilities and how is she supposed to live with it? Yes, it was in self-preservation, but now she knows that it will haunt her. The pulsing of her heart in her chest, the sweat dripping down her forehead, the blood on his knife. She has to take it back, even if it means she might die.

Ariana’s breaths shudder and she slowly walks back over to the dead man. Her hands become hot, and I press them against his chest. She feels the warmth moving through her body into his, putting life back into him. Sweat falls down her nose. Bags slowly form underneath her eyes, becoming droopy. Her body hunches over, her fingers becoming bony, her hair graying. Too much stress is put onto her body. It may kill her.

The woman watches, eyes curious, so so curious. Her mouth twitches, trying to hide the grin peeking out from her smirk. Her head grows lightheaded. Her eyes flutter. Underneath her hands, his chest begins to move slowly. Up. Down. Up. Down. She lazily moves her eyes toward her face, looking for another indication that he is alive or awake. Her hands begin to shake and lose it’s own heat, all of it going into the man’s body. His eyes flash open, and they fly to her face. Anger clouds his features, and he shoves her away, causing her to fall on her side.

Sleep. She just wants to sleep for a little bit and maybe she’ll feel better.

She’s yanked back again, the woman staring at her, disbelief and indignation etched into every line of her face. “How are you not dead?” she screams, yanking me back again.

Ariana gasps, the wrinkles in her face disappearing.Her body rights itself, her skin tightening and regain it’s original color. Her heart begins to beat faster. Blood and heats flows through her body once again. Alive. She’s alive.

The lightning decorated lady slaps her across her face, trying to shake her out of her stupor. “How?” she screams, her face red from anger.

“I don’t know how I’m alive,” she croaks, “but I do know it gives me a great amount of pleasure to know that I am.”

She scowls and raises her arm. “I should just kill you myself! You’re obviously too weak to fight against me.”

“No.” The lady looks upward, anger draining, listening to her Mistress. “I want her alive,” she says, sounding mischievous, “I have plans for her. Tie her up, and bring her to me.”

The lady grimaces. “Yes, Miss.”

Time seems to slow down as Ariana thinks, ‘No. You’re not having me.’ Quick as the blink of an eye, she thrusts her left hand out, searching for something big and powerful to create an escape. Finding it, she screams harshly as she rolls out of the reach of the lady. Her hand forms a tight fist, and the white monument crumbles. Spots dance across her eyes, making her close to passing out, but she thrusts the object to the opposite side of the stadium, destroying part of the wall.

“Get her!” Miss screams, her voice echoing. “I want her alive!”

Shouting replaces her voice, from both the crowd and the seekers. The crowd disperses, some moving toward the hole Ariana created while others went toward the other exits. Her footing slips, making her close to falling.

Her legs slowly begin to move, still feeling like jelly. All Ariana knows at this moment is that she needs to leave, right this moment. Her heart pounds in her chest, threatening to burst. The smell of blood wafts from every corner of the building.

“Ariana!” James creams off into the distance. “Ariana, come over to me!”

Her eyes dance over the carnage of the stadium, searching for him, when one of the seekers jump on top of her. Her pins her down, hand over her throat.

“Ariana!” He shouts, mouth twisted. “Oh, Ariana,” He smirks, the lightning on his face cracking, his voice slowing forming into his own, “In this world you live in, you still can’t tell truth from lie?”

She gasps for air, flailing her legs. She quickly hits his leg hard, causing him to grimace, but he still holds on fast.

A blur passes by her eyes, knocking the man off of her. Color slowly returns to her face as she gasps for air.

A hand faintly touches her shoulder. “Ariana, hey, hey, it’s me.” She looks up to see the coily hair of Rebecca. “Come on,” she pulls at her hands, “we need to go before they know exactly where you are. Come on. Come on!”

“But what about James?” Ariana asks hurriedly, breathing heavily.

“He’ll catch up. Just move.” she looks behind them, “Quickly.”

They push through the crowd, knocking anyone back if they get in the way.

Fighting through the mess, they jump through the hole in the wall and find sunlight.