IGNITE

eleven.

‹ 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 ›

The air was hot—thick and utterly stifling as I sat unmoving, my gaze fixed on the cracked wall of the abandoned building, the white plaster shedding from the structure. My knee bounced, what usually was a steady, lethal rage replaced with an anxious pulse.

Silence enveloped me, save for the distant hum of a fly somewhere in the room, its buzz mirroring the restless thrum coursing through my veins

"Hey," Kai's voice snapped me from my reverie, my gaze slowly tearing itself away from the wall and onto the dark–haired boy who stood a few feet away, concern etched across his face. "You doing okay?"

No, I wanted to say, but instead, I shrugged. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

Kai scanned the room, his brow furrowing. "This just doesn't seem like you."

Frowning, I waved off his concern. "I'm fine, man. Seriously, I'm gonna go out there, kick Reece's sorry ass and then get shitfaced. Simple as that."

"If you say so." Kai muttered, skepticism lacing his tone.

"I do." I flexed my hand, a dull sting creeping up my arm from the healing wounds that littered my knuckles. "I'm good. I'm ready. I'm just sick of waiting."

Kai watched me for a moment, deciding if he believed me before nodding. He glanced over his shoulder as the door opened and the rest of my friends walked inside, the last rays of the sun slipping away behind them.

"You ready, champ?" Ryan's voice was teasing, his eyes glimmering with excitement, and I forced a smirk, pushing myself to my feet.

"As always." Something in my chest twisted as I realized that Piper wasn't in the room, and my brows furrowed. "Where's Piper?"

Shrugging, Ryan gestured lazily over his shoulder. "I left her in the hall—just outside the door, I didn't know if you'd want here in here or not and—"

I stepped around him before he could finish his sentence, nearly letting out a sigh of relief as I found Piper leaning against the worn concrete wall, her hair cascading down her back in a sea of fire. "Ryan, what was your one fucking instruction?" My voice was low, I wouldn't let her hear my worry for her—not now, not ever.

"To not leave her," he replied, his voice flat.

"And, did you follow it?"

Ryan's brows furrowed, and he crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps stretching the material of his shirt. "Ethan, Cyrus, you two are now on babysitting duty. Don't fuck it up." I seethed, not bothering to give Ryan so much as a second glance.

Cyrus didn't respond, simply moving a step closer to the redhead, his eyes trained on her. Ethan's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he didn't argue, only nodding.

"Good." I glanced back down at Piper, who was staring at me, her expression blank.

"Why can't I just wait out there?"

"Because they will eat you alive," I replied mockingly, watching as Cyrus and Ethan began to lead Piper from the room. Catching Cyrus' arm, I brought my face close to his, dropping my voice to a menacing murmur, "If anything happens to her, I will rip your throat out. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Cyrus responded, his face impassive, and I released his arm, letting the boys lead her from the room, and the second the door clicked shut, I turned to Ryan.

"Let's kick some ass."

✧

The noise of the crowd filled my ears long before the fight was visible. Voices shouted over one another, echoing off of the walls and bouncing around what our group referred to as The Pit. The cement walls were cracked, the floor littered with holes and covered in stains, the stench of sweat and blood heavy in the air.