THERE'S NOTHING ELSE
Ever since she went to the Pit, that was all she could think about. Her mind was engulfed with images of her standing in that very ring, with her opponent crumbled beneath her, the crowd cheering her on. She dreamt of the blood staining her knuckles, adrenaline coursing through her body. Her favourite part of the fantasy wasn't watching the bruises blossom into varying shades of purple, blue and green, but the reasoning behind her flying fists and swinging feet.
Saving her father.
At the end of every fight, she saw his face fill out a little bit more. She saw him finally able to eat without throwing up, him being able to sit upright and not be crippled over with pain. She saw him smile and laugh and beam so bright he put the sun to shame. It made her aching body fade from her mind. It made everything worth it.
But for now, it was only a dream.
Cassie sighed, shaking her hands out. In her head she was uttering words of encouragement to herself, not paying any mind to the quaking of her body. The darkness made it easier to believe that she was okay, that her body wasn't betraying her racing heart. The darkness made it easier to hide the reality.
Letting out a heavy breath, she pushed her hands forward. Her palms collided harshly with the door, forcing them to spring back and crash against the wall behind them. Cassie tried not to cringe at the noise, loosening her limbs and forcing her to hold her head high. She strolled into the room, aware of how everyone cast a look at her for their eyes only to dart away a few seconds later to something more intriguing.
They would regret underestimating her.
She let herself be absorbed into the crowd, craning her neck over the swarming bodies. Her eyes scanned for a familiar face, scouring over the foreign bodies cramming the space around her. She could feel the heat radiating from their bodies. It only made the sweat drip more profusely down her back.
There.
Her eyes connected to his form easily. Aidan wasn't a character that could be easily forgotten, and she would make sure that she too held the same reputation.
Surging to the brim with renewed purpose, she shouldered her way through the people. She was ignorant to the colourful words spat at her back, pushing back the thoughts of how easily these people would follow up on the threats they carelessly delivered towards her, only focusing on getting her feet to take that next step closer to her goal. Cassie was being attacked at all angles. It made the walk feel like aeons.
By the time she had strolled up to the betting booth, he was humming lightly under his breath. His fingers were flicking absentmindedly through credits, the blur of the currency lulling Cassie into a daze. The amount of credits he held in his one hand, she could use in the black market to buy enough medication for her dad for three days.
His attention didn't move away from the counting as he spoke. "What's Little Red doing in this neck of the woods once again? Got lost delivering the cookies to Grandma?"
Cassie scoffed darkly. He was trying to undermine her; what he didn't know was that was what people had been doing to her entire fifteen years of her life. "I'm surprised you can count."
His brows shot up. His focus moved from the credits in his hand to her face, a small smirk settling onto his face. Without looking, he put the credits into an envelope and placed them somewhere under the counter. "Only when money's involved, love."
"Ah, and who said the American spirit was dead?" She mirrored his facial expression. She leaned on the counter, staring at him with what she hoped was unnerving. "I have a business proposition for you."
"How scandalous, I don't even know you're name." His teasing tone sparked a fire in her veins. Her jaw clenched involuntarily.
"If you accept, everyone will know my name."
She didn't believe his eyebrows could shoot any higher up his forehead. He gave a light chuckle, shrugging carelessly. "Enlighten me. It's been a while since I've had a good laugh."
"I want to fight."
Her words were met with mere silence. Aidan stared at her with a slack jaw. His eyes scanned her bony body, taking in all of her sharp angles and unmarred skin. The body of a child - not a warrior.
It took him a second to recover. His voice had lost it's jovial tone, taking one of such seriousness it made her want to roll her eyes. "You don't want to do this kid. Whatever reason you have, it's not worth this life."
"Clearly it's worth it if you're all here."
"Because there's nothing else. We're all on the brink, and this is the only thing keeping us together." Aidan ran a hand over his face. "Go back to your station and pretend you never found this place. Trust me, it's better if you just forget this ever happened."
"I can't." Cassie blurted out. She nearly clasped a hand over her mouth, the words taking her as much by surprise as Aidan. He opened his mouth to counter the argument when she cut him off. "I'll fight for free. At least to begin with."
"And why would you do that?"
"Because there's nothing else."
*
This didn't feel like her fantasy. As she sat in a plain room, she found herself kicking herself for telling Aidan she'd fight for free. What was she thinking? She needed supplies straight away, and this wasn't to get her the rations she needed. Her mouth had run it's course without consulting her brain, Aidan agreeing before she could take it back.
Now, she might get beaten to a pulp for nothing.
Might. Cassie scoffed to herself. There was no might in this situation. It was only definite. She would be leaving the Pit with a new skin.
Swallowing her fear, Cassie stood. Her legs shook like jelly. Each step she took made her wobble even more.
Maybe she should just forfeit.
She turned on her heel when she heard it. The blare of the megaphone deafened her. She wanted to cower under the sound but now wasn't the time to cower. It was the time to stand tall.
Cassie droned out the words. Her full attention was on her breathing. In. Out. In. Out. She repeated the process long enough that she no longer felt like her lungs were going to explode. It wasn't a great improvement, but at least she wouldn't pass out when fighting.
Oh god, she would be fighting.
She tuned the thoughts out. Instead, she tunnelled her thoughts down one path - the door. She needed to get to the door. Then, once she was through it, she could worry about what was behind them. Now, she just needed to reach them.
It felt like an impossible task. She conquered it with difficulty, feeling weaker than she ever had. By the time she reached the swinging doors, her heart was in her mouth. Her palms were damp and she was certain she was sweating through the baggy shirt thrown on her body.
God, was she even wearing the right bra for this?
It triggered an onslaught of other random thoughts. Thankfully, she didn't have much time to ponder them. Aidan finished his introduction, uttering a name that would become legend. "Welcome Callous Cassie to the ring!"
She didn't think; she just acted. Her hands pushed the doors open. They swung open widely, revealing her to the eager crowd. They fell silent as they saw her waltz into the ring, gawping at her twig-like body. There were no cheers, screams or roars like there had been with Astrid. No, she got something better. Pure shock.
Maybe it was better this way. The more fights she lost, the more the bets would favour her opponent. So when the day came where she reigned as conqueror, she would reap the most rewards.
The thought of being turned black and blue felt almost reassuring.
Aidan cleared his throat awkwardly. He began the introduction for the other fighter. Cassie wasn't paying full attention, her eyes glued on the door.
She regretted stepping into the Pit the moment they passed the thresh hold.
Fabian the Frightful stomped his way to the ring, looking at Cassie with a wide smile on his face. It reminded Cassie of the face a predator would make once it discovered the prey. Cassie wasn't fond of being the prey. She gulped.
He stopped across from her. She couldn't contain the trembling of her hands. She was only thankful that it didn't consume her whole body. All she could see was him. All she could see was the size of his muscles, the bruises littering his skin, the scars nestled into every pore. All she could see was her fate. And it didn't look promising.
"Fuck." Cassie uttered under her breath. She thought Fabian heard it - the moment the words passed her lips his lips twirled into a smile. Her heart squeezed.
Double fuck.
She was so absorbed into her own thoughts that she didn't notice Aidan jump down from the tables, nearing the pair. A frown was nestled deep on his face. It intensified when he saw her. He turned his body so his back was to Fabian, his voice low. "It's still not too late to back out."
She was tempted. Every bone in her body was begging her to take the offer and run as far away as she could, to crawl into a hole and disappear from this forever. But she had more important things she needed to worry about. As sketchy as the Pit was, there hadn't been any deaths. She guessed it must be an unspoken rule. Death brought guards and guards would mean the end to it all. It wasn't the safest place, but it was just as dangerous as the rest of the Ark. If she wanted those medicine rations, she was going to need to break the law somehow. She might as well do it in a place where there were at least some regulations.
"That never was an option."
The steely tone of her voice indicated the end of the conversation. The frown remained on his face, but he must have recognised that he was losing the fight. Sighing, he turned so he was facing the pair. "Don't kill each other. Don't keep fighting when it's clear the other is done. And, the most important, respect if the other forfeits. If you break these rules, I will personally throw you into the darkest voids of space, is that understood?"
Cassie and Fabian nodded. Yet, the predatory smile never left his face.
Aidan left after that, jumping over the tables and finding his spot in the crowd.
The fight had begun.
-
hey guys! so now the good stuff is starting in cassie's past! i'm so excited for you all to see!
anyways, i hope you've all had a good week and enjoyed the chapter!
-thirdwheelchurchill