Darkness Dies with the Sunrise

Chapter 3

- Marigold -

Not knowing what else to do, Marigold followed the rush of boys out of the camp in the opposite direction from which they had entered earlier. She tried to keep up with them but did so stumbling. The scrapes and scratches of the forest began to feel normal to her. Eventually, the crowd ahead slowed. She couldn't make out much with all the boys in front of her, but there appeared to be another clearing ahead.

She moved with the crowd, noticing the forest floor sloped downward. The line of boys ahead of her started to branch off, giving her a clearer view of the scene. They had come to a small valley carved into a sort of colosseum with steps dug out of the walls. The boys had branched off to take seats on the steps around the arena. At the bottom was a leveled-out area ringed by sharpened tree branch spikes that pointed inward. Several of the points were stained a reddish-brown. With eyes wide and jaw clenched Marigold watched as Devin and Miles climbed down the earthen steps approaching the ring. Miles had no problem getting over the spikes but Devin, having much shorter legs struggled. With a light shake of his head, Miles held out a hand, helping the younger boy over the barrier. Once Devin was safely within the ring, the two separated, going to opposite ends of the area. Marigold couldn't believe Pan was encouraging the two to fight. What if someone really got hurt? The island didn't seem like the place to get proper medical attention.

Tearing her eyes from the fighting ring, she scanned the rest of the arena. The boys sitting on the steps were talking excitedly as if this were regular entertainment. Glancing ahead, she saw a large tree stump, carved to resemble some type of throne. It was empty, but next to it stood Felix, leaning on his staff as he had before. He didn't appear as amused as the rest of the boys, as if this was more of an inconvenience than a form of entertainment. Even from across the arena, Marigold could make out the scar across his cheek. She wondered if he had gotten it from a fight like this.

The noise of the crowd died down as Pan appeared in the middle of the arena. Marigold saw it out of the corner of her eye. She was sure he hadn't been standing there a second before. It was like he had just materialized right in the center. He was looking around at the now-quiet crowd, another one of his smirks on his face.

"Boys! We've gathered to watch as Miles and Devin settle their grievances." He announced and the cheers and chants resumed. His smirk grew into a grin as he seemed to bask in the sadistic energy of the crowd. Marigold felt sick. She looked around. No one seemed concerned but her. As if hearing her disapproving thoughts, Pan turned his attention to her. A pit formed in her stomach. She heard whispering around her. Once again, she could only ever make out one word: "her."

Despite her heart's reluctance, she began to climb down the steps to the fighting ring. If she was going to stand out like a spotlight, she might as well try to shine into this darkness. Pan raised a brow as he watched her draw closer. With each step, she felt the eyes of the others follow her.

"Well boys, it looks like our lost flower has come to join in." He said, gesturing to her. The boys laughed with him.

Marigold took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart. "No. Actually, I haven't." She explained gently, despite hearing the blood rush in her ears. "Fighting is no way to solve a disagreement. Someone could get hurt."

Pan brought his hand to his chest in mock realization. "You're right!" He gasped. "How could I have been so foolish? Boys, let's pack it up and go back to camp. The flower's scared."

The crowd laughed and a few threw a couple of pointed remarks about the propensity of girls. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes glazed with tears. She blinked them away, glaring at Pan as she moved to climb over the spikes. Having never done it before, and wearing a dress, she struggled even more than Devin did. Miles stepped forward to help her as he had Devin. She took his hand, his immense strength was evident as she leaned onto his arm climbing over.