Chapter 10

Normally, I'd expect to feel like complete crap after waking from the beating I had. But, strangely, I felt better than ever before. When I opened my eyes, I did find myself in another room, my guess being that it was Andr's due to the endstone that covered much of the floor, only being disrupted by a few carpets and furniture. The ceiling actually looked like the dark night sky of the end and I don't know how she managed it, but she had also constructed a little obsidian tower. No place like home, I guess.

I felt something move in the bed next to me. It was only then that I realized I had arms wrapped around my waist. I was gently pulled closer to Andr, who's steady breathing collided against the back of my neck. It sent a small shiver down my spine. Her breathe was cold, but she didn't snore. Despite remembering last night's festivities, I gently unhooked her hands from around my waste, not wanting to wake her. She stirred, but didn't wake.

It may sound weird, but I wasn't really angry with her. Maybe that was because I didn't feel like a globbed over bruise. I headed for the door to get out of there, but quickly realized there wasn't one. Great. Why would she need the door anyway? She was an enderwomen after all. I sighed. There was no other choice now than to get her up.

"Good morning." I heard a groggy voice mumble from behind me.

Well, guess I didn't have to worry about that anymore. "Good morning." I replied back politely. Even though I spoke at ease, my body was ready to move at any sign of attack.

She popped off her bed and was in front of her dress in an instant. Man, that must be nice. Getting out of bed early in the morning was always the hardest part. I kind of felt a little envious towards my amber haired kidnapper. Without hesitating or saying another word, she pulled out a clean set of the outfit she had worn last night and began to shed her nightgown.

My face turned red and I turned around as fast as I could. "Jeez! A little warning would have been nice, ya know."

"What, scared to watch?" She said teasingly as I heard her put on her clothes.

"Some of us don't want to." I muttered under my breathe.

Once she was fully clothed, I turned around. I kind of stared at her for a minute, expecting her to say something about what happened last night, but she remained silent. Suddenly, she popped out of the room. I looked at where she was standing before, a little dumbfounded. What the heck? Why did she leave me here? Was this some kind of attempt at sabotage to my team for the event…or did she just enjoy holding me captive? Now I was getting a little steamed.

I was about to look around for something to bust down the damn wall when she popped back in the room exactly where she'd been standing before. She was holding a change of clothes. I also spied a tray food balanced between her left hand and her shoulder. Just like that, my stomach growled. I really hated that thing sometimes.

She chuckled. "Here. You might want these." She said tossing the clothes at me. "we can eat after you change."

I caught the clothes and stared questioningly at her. Why was she being…nice all of a sudden? Did this girl have a split personality or something? Seriously, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept. Only last night, she beat the living hell out of me and now she was bringing me food and fresh clothes? Not that I'm complaining, but what in the actually heck?

"Thanks…" I said uncertainly. I took hold of the pants, a plain set of blue wool apparel, and waited for her to turn her back. She kept looking at me. I cleared my throat loudly, hoping she would get the hint. Her expression didn't change. I sighed heavily. "Andr, will you please look away?"

"Why?" She asked.

I stared wide-eyed at her. "Because…I…It's only…Agh!" I threw the pants up in frustration. "Forget it." I said dismissively.

I walked away from her, inspecting the walls which looked to have been painted with the minecraft End surroundings. It was actually depicted quite well. Endermen stood in the distance, some mid-stride, others at a standstill. More towers gleamed in the distance, ender crystals ablaze at their tops. You could even catch a glimpse of the fable enderdragon in the distance.

I half wished I was in the End to be honest. At least a chance at killing the enderdragon would have left me with a way out. Here, I was completely at Andr's mercy. Not the most welcoming of thoughts.

I heard her approach from behind me. When I turned, she offered the clothes to me again. "Alright. I'll turn around." She said half annoyed, but half serious as well. So, at least she wasn't completely irrational. I took the clothes from her and true to her word, she turned her back to me.

I slipped into my new pants quickly, still feeling kind of awkward in the presence of a girl. I was changed in less than a minute and I had to admit, it felt good to be in a new set of clean clothes. Torn pants and a shirt with dried blood isn't exactly a very comfortable outfit. She seemed to know when I finished because after I threw my shirt on, she grabbed the food tray. On it was a helping of bread, milk, and chicken. Enough for two.

We ate in silence.

After we finished, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to know what the heck was going on with her. "Andr…what happened? Last night…you kicked the living crap out of me. And now…you're acting, I don't know, normal. I mean…what the heck? And while we're at it, how am I still moving after that fight last night?" I said, rubbing the back of my head for a pain that wasn't there, but I felt should be.

She was in the middle of taking her last bite of chicken, but stopped after hearing my question. She put the fork she was holding down on her plate and looked at me. She grinned. "Because you're mine now." She said in a 'matter o fact' kind of way. "In the end, as daughter of the enderdragon, I am allowed whatever I want so long as I can fight and win for it." She said. "That's what my father taught me and its why I'm one of the top competitors at these games." She paused to eat her last bite. "Oh, and you had a potion of healing on you last night. So, I just had you drink it."

I stared at her, stunned. "I wasn't going to use that!" I nearly shouted, running a hand hard through the back of my hair. "Dang it! How do I know if that was safe to drink?" I asked myself.

She shrugged. "It seems to have worked."

I shook my head. "Not what I meant…" I focused my eyes back on her. "And you don't 'have me', by the way. I'm not an object. You don't 'win' a person." I said, more than a little irritated.

She moved closer to me, eyes tinted with a hint of irritation, no doubt from my own. "I am the daughter of the enderdragon. I take what I please when I so desire." She said with compelling conviction. "And if I can't get what I want, I do whatever I have to in order to get it."

"Well, you can't have me!" I nearly shouted. "I am not some freaking toy or prize!" I jumped to my feet immediately, putting some distance between me and her. "And as far as I see, I never will be, even if I have to fight every day against you." I looked straight into her mystic, purple eyes. "And believe me, I will."

She narrowed her eyes at me and rose to her feet. I readied myself into a fighting stance, ready for a rematch. Even if I didn't have a chance in hell of winning, I would still fight. She stopped a couple feet away and I half expected her to teleport to me for an attack, but instead, she just smirked.

"I can see you're serious. That's fine. I like that." She said, her smirk slowly fading away. "But having you at odds with me all the time isn't what I want either. So, here is what I propose…"

"Woah, woah, wait. Are you trying to make a deal with me?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes." She said simply. Man, this girl never ceased to surprise me! "Now, as I was saying, here is what I propose. The event will be starting in the next twenty minutes. It is a game of capture the flag between all the team members. If my team wins, then you will be mine for as long as I see fit. And if you win…"

"You leave me alone." I said.

She seemed a little taken aback by my interruption, but complied. "Fine. If you win, I'll 'leave you alone'. That is what I have to offer." She walked up to me and offered her hand. "Do we have a deal?"

I looked hesitantly at the hand. "And what happens if neither of us win?" I asked.

"Then nothing will change." She replied.

So basically, if I didn't win, I'd have to deal with Andr's twisted behavior anyway. And if I really lost, I'd basically be a slave. I had a feeling that this wasn't exactly a fair bet, but what other choice did I have? I really didn't want to have to fight against her every day for the rest of my time here. It wouldn't just be detrimental to me, but to my team as well. I sighed. Sometimes, you just gotta suck it up and take the raw deal.

I took her hand "Fine." I said.

She smiled and suddenly, I was teleported to my room. "Then I can't wait until the end of this event," she said with another smirk, "Good luck Zyeke."

She whooped out of my room just as quickly as she came. I let out a long exhale and flopped onto my bed. I felt mentally drained after that talk, more from the sheer audacity of it all than anything.

I suppose now, I really had to win that event.

"Morning Zyeke!" Cupa chirped. "You sleep well last night? We went to check on you later on in the evening, but you didn't answer your door."

I had since prepared for the upcoming event in the little time I had. Not that I really did anything. The only thing I really needed was my staff, which should be full operational now. Only problem was, I couldn't find it! I searched my room and turned it upside down for about five minutes before I gave up. I remembered the last time I used it was when I was fighting Hilda. Dang, it could be anywhere by now. All that work…wasted. I sighed for what must have been the umpteenth time that was running out and I had decided to leave without my precious weapon. I'd just have to make do with my fists.

The walk to the courtyard was uneventful, much to my relief and it had taken almost no energy to spot my teammates over by the fountain. And now, Cupa was greeting me.,

I scratched the back of my head nervously. "Sorry about that. Guess I must have fallen asleep early.

"It's nothing to apologize about, silly. You fall asleep, you fall asleep." She said with her usual bright smile. I couldn't help but smile back. I don't know what it is about Cupa, but she always seems to cheer me up and get me in a better mood. Maybe that was just because she always seemed to be in a good mood herself. "Oh!" She said, as if remembering something. She knelt over the fountain and pulled out…my staff! "Thought you might want this. We kind of took it after your fight with Hilda. I guess I forgot to give it back to you." She said, slightly embarrassed.

I laughed and took it from her. "Don't be. You probably kept it more safe than I could have." I said with a smile. She beamed back in happiness.

Melinda came up to me and looked me over. I was a little surprised at her lack of shyness, until she noticed I was watching her and blushed. "You…look much better." She said, backing away slowly next to her creeper friend.

As much as I wasn't sure I should have taken the potion, even if it wasn't of my own accord, I figured telling her might brighten her up. "Yep, sure do. That potion you made worked wonders." I said truthfully. A small smile spread across Melinda's face and I was glad to see it.

I spotted Ramirez a few feet away, sharpening his rapier. I excused myself from the two ladies and went over to say hi. He looked very immersed in his activity, but still acknowledged my presence when I approach. When I asked if I could sit down, he nodded, so I took a seat next to him. "Morning." I said, trying to break the ice.

"Morning." He replied back in much the same way.

"Not being social with the other teammates?" I asked teasingly.

A small smirk broke across his face. "Nah man. Just making sure my weapon's ready to shave off some pumpkin heads." I gave him a confused look and he just chuckled. "I enchanted it with sharpness V and let me tell you…" He put down his sharpener and held his sword out towards a small flower in the grass. With a flick of his wrist, the thing blade swept across the poor daffodil. But, after the swipe it didn't move.

I was beginning to think he'd missed, but after a couple seconds, the flower broke away from its stem, sliced in a perfect diagnol. "Damn dude, that's cool." I said, amazed.

"Yeah." He said. "Believe it or not, I can get the same results with a pumpkin. Slice it clean in half faster than rip current can flip a surfer off his board." He said with a chuckle. He sheath his sword around his waist and pocketed his sharpener. "You ready for this man?"

I took out my obsidian staff. "Yeah, got an upgrade myself."

Ramirez whistled. "A lot better than they could have done on Earth, that's for sure, nice dude." His eyes glanced back towards our teammates, who were talking amongst themselves happily. Ramirez slapped me on the back and told me I was right, he probably should make some attempt at socialization.

I laughed as he walked up to the two girls. He must of said something funny, because they all burst out laughing. Must have been some cheesy pick up liner, I thought with a chuckle of my own. Someone was missing though. There was only four of us, which left one more to…

"Hello Zyeke." I heard a chilling voice say from behind me.

I really did jump this time and spun around fast to see Heroine with a huge grin on her face. "Jeez Heroine, don't do that!" I said, still feeling the jitters from the sudden scare. Dang, she was really quiet! How had she snuck up on me like that? I'm usually very aware of my surroundings.

"No promises." She said with her strange giggle.

Once I had recovered enough, I tried to make an actual nice conversation. "So, did you sleep well?" I asked.

"I don't sleep, but the night was nice if that answers you're question." She said.

Surprised, I stumbled on my next sentence. "Seriously? Wha…what do you even do with all that time?" I asked. I really was curious to know. Having to kill both the night and day everyday sounded like it would get dull unless you had something to do. Almost like leading two lives.

"I read, take walks out in the wilderness, and watch people while they sleep." She said plainly.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking she was just messing with me. However, the she kept the same face she had before and rasied an eyebrow as if to say: 'You think I'm kidding?'. I was suddenly very grateful that I had stayed with Andr the night before. Her bedroom had no windows.

Before I had to worry about having to respond to that creepy information, a loud booming voice swept over the grounds. I recognized it as the skeleton king's. "Contestants! We will now begin the very first challenge of the twenty-fifth annual monster games! Prepare for teleportation!"

And just like that, we were taken from the peaceful surroundings of the courtyard to the battleground where the game of capture the flag would soon take place.

We had arrived in some sort of contained area. Bedrock was visible about a hundred blocks up and I could only assume there was more to make up the walls. The land around us was a splite between a jungle biome and a plains biome, each taking up one end of the limited space. We were placed in a small fort made out of netherbrick. I guessed this was our "base" and I saw similar bases built by different minecraft boxes arranged in a circle. To our left, there were a variety of houses set on the plains biome, some small villagers-like houses, and some were the equivalent to villas or chateaus. To our right, the jungle biome was just as you'd expect a jungle biome to be. There were tall jungle trees stretched as far as the eye could see. Some had cocoa beans and some didn't, but all of them were bare from the bottom to the top, vines hanging only from the very top leaves.

Another voice boomed through the event arena, though this, it wasn't the skeleton king. "Good morning contestants. It is I, the enderdragon! I will be the guest host for this year's first event. A flag has been made for each team that corresponds with your base designs. In order to win this event, you must find your team's flag and bring it back to your base." He paused. "There are many spots in which to hide these flags. It could be hidden in the highest treetop, in the darkest corner of a house, or even right under your noses." Another pause. "The game will begin at the sound of the tnt cannon. Good luck to you all!"

And with that, there was silence. Nobody moved, nobody talked. I was about to suggest where we should go to start looking when there was a monstrous explosion somewhere out of sight. Immeidately, Heroine burst forward, the other princesses following suite. Well, since she had played these games before, perhaps she knew where to start looking. I look at Ramirez and he just shrugged. I did the same and we took off after our teammates.

The games had officially begun.

Hey guys, here's the next chapter update! Hope you all enjoyed. I apologize again for the lack of updates, but that was only due to studying and preparing for my finals at college. With those out of the way, I should be able to update more regularly. Also, I am working on fanart for my other story "Blazing Inferno", doing the main character RED (Still open to drawings done by other artists by the way, hint hint, nudge nudge :P). I will do another, better one, for this story after I am finished with that. However, I'm not sure which character I want to do, so I am asking you guys. Who do you think I should draw or what scene from the story so far would look awesome? Let me know in a review as well as how the chapter came out. The games will officially start next chapter and I promise to do the whole thing :P. Don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already and please VOTE AND REVIEW! XD. Until next time.