Nightfire Warriors (Remastered)

25.

I wake up with a hell of a headache. The darkroom I'm in has high-barred windows like a basement. Beds stretch out on either side of me. Someone's sleeping in one: a man, tough-looking, bulky, and there's white gauze wrapped around his head. Next to me is a nightstand with a lamp turned on, a bottle of aspirin, and a glass of water. Immediately, I reach for the bottle, but then I'm stopped by a grabbing hand.

"You were badass!" Jace says excitedly.

I snicker. "So it wasn't a dream. Where am I?"

"In the first-aid unit. Backstage of the arena. Healers said you're going to be fine. But dude," Jace adds on. "Do you have any idea how serious this is?" He hands me the aspirin and water. "This is going to blow up all around the universe. This just changed your life forever!"

The pills dissolve with the water in my mouth, and I swallow everything uneasily. "How long was I out for?"

"Only an hour. You had head trauma."

I jolt. "Head trauma! Shouldn't I be dead?"

"The Healers are good at their job," Jace reminds me.

"But what if their high-tech wasn't good enough? Ryan almost killed me. Where is he?"

"Somewhere," Jace answers, and I'm relieved he's still alive. "You hit one of his major arteries. If anything, he almost died." Jace's smile doesn't vanish. As if he enjoyed his teammate almost getting killed. "Ah, man. You have no idea how huge this is. Abigail is going to be so stunned. Nobody in Nightfire has ever come close to beating her precious Ryan. Finally, there's someone to challenge us in the group. Which is all Abigail wanted in the first place."

I put a hand up. "Jace, slow down. This doesn't automatically give me a spot on the team."

"True," Jace says. "But your chances have increased. I knew you could do it!"

"Ryan's going to live, though, right?"

"Will you relax?" Jace says. "Ryan will be fine. All of us have ended up way more critical at brawls. It's all part of the sport. People love it!"

But I recall the people didn't love me. The door swings open. I turn my head painfully and see JT entering the room with the most confused look on his face. He's smiling, like everything he'd just witnessed was a joke. "Okay," he says. "Why Ryan would let him win like that is beyond me."

Jace lifts his eyebrows. "JT, you can't be serious. Sag beat him fair and—"

"No, he didn't, Jace!" JT says irritably. "Come on, man. You know how super strength works. One slap across the face, you're dead. His genetic ability works like a remote control. Ryan can turn it on and off and put as much damage into it as he wants. He was just...putting on a show for all of us!"

Jace shakes his head. "No, man. You have it all wrong. I saw the fight too. Yes, Ryan punched Sag in the face—"

"So he shouldn't be breathing right now!" JT interrupts.

"Let me finish!" Jace shrieks. "If you were a genius, like me, you would know Sag's blasts were weakening Ryan's ability. Sag blast Ryan first, remember?"

"Oh, that's a bunch of bull!" JT quacks. "And you know it!"

"I also know Sag has the potential to create forcefields with his molecular manipulation," Jace continues. "The explosions were weakening Ryan's strength. How combustion works is—"

"Whatever. I don't have time for these science lessons," JT says irritably. "Because nobody else in this damn amphitheater believes it. And neither do I. Sorry."