The Gauntlet (The Gauntlet #1)

Chapter 17 - Ready for Mayhem

“Great,” he chuckled nervously. For a moment Codi wanted to reassure him, but words weren’t her strong point. In the end she just shrugged.

“We’ll have to deal with her sooner or later.” Then she began moving to the right towards the next screen. After half navigating and half barging her way into a vantage point she started scanning for her name again. At last she found it in the list of the tenth Mayhem.

So she wouldn’t be taking to the arena until the second day of fighting. At least she’d get to watch some of the other Mayhems unfold before she had to get into the middle of things. Scanning the list of fighters she spotted one of Vasco’s hit list, a young man named Dustin Morto from the powerhouse Atlantic Academy. So that was one to be careful of. However, as she ran her eyes down the list she spotted one other name she recognised.

It was Arvin Lee.

“Well, well,” she murmured. She remembered Vasco’s words – you cannot make things personal – but that didn’t mean she couldn’t exact a measure of payback on her first ever opponent. She was willing to bet that this time things would go differently.

“Mayhem ten, eh?” said a voice. She looked sharply to her right to see a male fighter looking back at her, wearing a long-sleeved black top, its front emblazoned with a white anvil. He stood a little taller than her, a playful smile on his features and his brown eyes twinkled mischievously.

“I didn’t say anything,” she grunted back.

“Y’didn’t have to. I could see your eyes.” He grinned and flicked the untidy fringe of his brown hair out of his eyes. “No uniform?”

“Why so interested?”

“The five of you stick out around here.”

“Uniform or not, we’re still here to fight,” she returned.

“Ah.” The young man’s face lit up. “So you’re from Brax-Delta then? There was a rumour going around you weren’t coming.”

“Good guess.”

“Process of elimination. There’s always a team from there no matter how badly they get beat.”

Codi spun towards the stranger and grabbed him by his top. “Maybe this year’ll be a little different, eh?”

His smile didn’t waver. “I hope so. It’s no fun watching those thugs from Battlecast win all the time.” Then in a flashing motion he knocked her grip free. Codi blocked instinctively, smacking his hand aside with her left palm and dropping into her fighting stance. They stood facing each other for a long moment, the eyes of the others fixated on them. Eventually, however, the young man gave her an approving nod.

“You’re pretty quick,” he conceded. “Look forward to seeing you in the Mayhem. Keep your eyes open.” He winked and melted away into the crowd. Codi watched him through narrow eyes till he was lost to sight, and then shoved her hands into her hoody pockets. She didn’t recognise him from Vasco’s briefing, nor did she recognise the colouring or symbol of his hoody. Still, something about the fighter lingered in her mind.

“Who was that guy?” Max asked, having moved up alongside her.

“I have no idea,” she replied. Codi shook her head and turned to the rest of her team. “Everybody found their Mayhems?” The others nodded. “Then let’s go find Vasco and start getting ready.”

***

Codi gnawed on her thumbnail as she watched the ninth Mayhem unfold on the screen before her. In the competitors’ lobby the majority of the others who weren’t competing looked on beside her. As the final Mayhem of the first day it was a climactic event, but Codi had her own interest. As best she could she followed Lita’s progress, willing her team mate on.