Nightfire Warriors (Remastered)

23.

Winter comes to Horowitz. The sky opens in dazzling and opaline whites, and the muddy grounds hide beneath a blanket of soft snow. Inside the Bunkers, there's a buzz of Christmas in the air, marred only by worries over future missions, eliminations, and the pressure. Ever since Tyrone left the tournament, negative energy fizzes in my veins like carbonated soda. How is Frankie still here, and out of everyone, Tyrone is the one cut?

Lily invites me to her apartment at nightfall. I follow her down the hallway, passing Madison's bedroom, where she has turned herself in for the night, and we enter Lily's trendy bedroom. I stand underneath the white Christmas lights hanging loose from the ceiling, watching her pull something out from underneath the bed.

"What are you doing?" I ask.

"It's a surprise." It's a rectangular box covered in beautiful green wrapping paper with a black bow on top. Whatever's inside must be over four feet tall.

I'm in complete awe. "This is for me?"

"It's your birthday tomorrow. Of course, it's for you." She thinks I'm being silly right now, but I'm genuinely surprised. For eighteen years, no one has ever gotten me a birthday present before, except my dad. Nineteen might be my lucky number. I'm not sure how to show my gratitude. "Open it!" she encourages.

I untie the bow first and then start ripping the wrapping paper off. Inside is a magnificent Yamaha keyboard with eighty-eight keys: fifty-two white ones and thirty-six black ones. It's adorned with various buttons so I can change the sound, volume and record myself. There's also a card.

Write a song about us.

Happy Birthday, Sagittarius.

"I—I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

My hands glide across the heavy box because it's a treasure. I haven't had access to a piano in months. I've been dying for one of these. This must cost a fortune. Maybe it doesn't matter what it costs. She went through so much trouble. It's perfect. She's sorry she can't be here for my birthday, but I don't care. I'm just sad that they have to go on a mission during the holidays. Better get used to it. When they get back, everybody will be doing Secret Santa, and Lily invites me to participate.

Earth does it all the time. You randomly draw a name from a hat, and that's who you're going to send Christmas gifts anonymously. Usually, we fill out a questionnaire—so we know what they would like—fold it, and that's essentially the ballot. The gifts don't have to be too expensive, either. We plan to exchange before their mission, and then when they get back, we're going to guess who is at Chris's party. Even if I'm eliminated this week, I'm still invited to come.

The following day is mission day. The final six means they're cooking something juicy for us. Something about Frankie has wholly changed. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not what I remember from high school. Though he believes A'Dimsyte is right about me. That I'm trying to take over the universe. How stupid can they get? I have nothing to do with this. Sure, maybe my dad did take the Orichalcum, but I wouldn't take him for a villain like Frankie.

Did Frankie already do it? Did he hand the Orichalcum over to the Cluster? The idea about his torture returns. I know it's a possibility. As much as I want to, only in the arena—even on the same team—I'm allowed to do it where we can really find the underlying cause of it.

Give me some credit. I'm not stupid enough to actually kill Frankie, but I don't know how to avoid that possibility without containing him. It won't be easy strapping him down.

The sun hides off behind the clouds by mid-morning, and, predictably, the day will be colder than usual. I'm heading towards training with anticipation. Whatever happens on this mission will lead me straight to my dad. I have a strong feeling about this. Even Kendall notices my stress levels are weighing me down. I'm in the Grand Hall, where the entrance to the training room is just downstairs, my mentor chats with me. Although I'm noticeably disturbed, she doesn't know what I'm about to do. She thinks something else is distracting me.