Atlas (A Selection/Hat Films Fanfiction)

~ One ~

I thought I had escaped the draft. 

It was old news that the three princes were planning a selection, but when King Corvax announced on The Report that all women 18 to 21 were to submit applications to be randomly chosen in a months time for a chance at competing for the hearts of the three princes, I had assumed that I was ineligible. My 22nd birthday was between the time the applications were due and the day the selected women were supposed to arrive at the castle, and I didn't think eights, the poor, homeless, unemployed, and lowest caste members, would even be considered. Most of us didn't even have a home residence to mail the applications to. 

That was until I opened my PO box and found a letter threatening jail time if I didn't send in my application by July 1st. 

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"Good evening Miss. Atlas," a man in a very impressive suit greeted as I stepped through the warehouse doors and tried to sneak through the thin crowd that was already forming. I was hoping no one would recognize me in my street clothes, but he must have been watching for me. 

"How are you?" I asked, adding "Sir" after the question. I resist the urge not to spit as I poorly hid my contempt for the Director of Homeland Security. He was one of the sleaziest government officials within the entire monarchy, and as much as his P.R. team wanted to portray him as caring and moral, Director Lenard Payne was anything but. He was only one of the many politicians and important people who came to our matches to bet thousands of dollars, but he was normally the one who kept the police off of our backs, so I had to be civil with him at least. 

He leaned up against the wire fence that caged the area I would be fighting in later, crossing his arms. "I'm excited to watch you fight tonight," he said, venom dripping from his words, "I hope you do... as well as I expect you to." I was used to this routine; he wanted me to throw in my fight so he could collect all the money from my betting pool of people that expected me to keep an undefeated record. I wasn't the one who handled the money around here, but I knew if he did that, he could win obscene amounts of cash. Unfortunately for him, I had never lost a fight (at least publicly), or have I ever fixed one; that wasn't changing tonight, especially since the selected were being chosen at 9 pm and just the thought of being forced to submit an application made me want to bring someone to the ground out of sheer frustration. I felt bad for whoever went up against me tonight, for my blood now ran with an icy rage. 

I took my leave with only a silent glare, trying to show that I saw his threat and wasn't afraid. I managed to make it the the back of the warehouse without running into anyone else, and quietly slipped into the partitioned room that was set up. 

My coach Sjin was there, a money box on his lap and a wad of cash being quickly whisked from one hand to the other. "Hey Atlas," he greeted without looking up from his counting, "Did the director talk to you?" He didn't have to specify which one. 

Sjin was the one who had taught me how to fight and gave my brother and I a place to stay after the death of our parents. After being kicked out by the landlord and forced to live in the streets for a few months, I was caught pilfering from Sjin's bag while he slept. I got a good beating from that, but for some reason he took pity on me and gave me the means towards keeping myself and my brother alive in the slums. I was 12 at the time, and it took years of begging, cheating, and squatting in abandoned buildings before we found somewhere to really settle down. We often provided a place to stay for our friends and fellow fighters when they needed it, but Sjin had never taken anyone else in like he had me after that.

Sjin and I had a unique relationship. He was seven years my senior, and it wasn't until I was around 17 that our relationship was anything more than a mentor/student one. At that time Sjin had inherited one of the biggest and most popular fighting rings in the capital city of Allport from the previous manager who was executed for attacking one of the city tax collectors. We were getting more money than we ever had before and had a place to call home, and I was becoming known as not only one of the only female fighters in the city, but one of the best. I didn't know if I really loved Sjin, but we watched each others backs and he made me happy. He often talked about saving up to buy us an apartment to live in instead of the small back room of our main warehouse, and I assumed we would elope then. It wasn't ideal, but it wasn't a horrible arrangement either.