Chapter 13: Fine print

Now

I checked her watch, looking around. The games were about to begin and their tickets had yet to arrive. I glanced over at Cliff who was chilling over by the door, watching the people enter with a weary smile. I sighed, looking around again. Where was she? Cliff came over to me, looking out with me.

"Are you sure she'll show up?" Cliff mumbled.

"I know she will," I nodded.

"Jane!"

I must admit, I smiled when I saw Ashley. Don't tell her, but I felt overjoyed to see her again. She had grown some, bundled her hair into a bun, and was wearing her signature 'Ninja' hoodie. She ran up, hugged me, did a double take look at Cliff and turned back to smile and me.

"Long time no see, eh, Jane?" she hummed. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Cliff Diver, but mostly I go by Cliff."

"I'm Ashley."

The two shook hands. Cliff had her hood up, hiding her cat ears. Ashley would have a field day when she saw those, I thought happily. Ashley dug into her pockets, pulling out three tickets. Each of us took one. Cliff seemed slightly shocked by the fake that there were three tickets, one for each of us, and not two, one for me and one for her.

"Ashley is not a recruit," she whispered to me. "As a civilian, she shouldn't be allowed to follow us."

"Ashley is a diehard Sky Army fan, was possessed by squids, and I abandoned her for the last year. I owe her this much. She belongs in the Army," I argued.

Cliff nodded.

The arena was fancy, like a really big football stadium. We bypassed the concession stands and merchandise junk and found our seats. The main circle was displayed below and on the screens surrounding the rims of the upper balcony. No one had come out yet. The lights began to dim just as we got into our seats. We were right on time.

"Welcome back!"

The announcements were boring, though Ashley found some excitement from them. Random people. Pointless people. People probably roped into this just as much as our officers. Finally, holding up the end, were our officers. Ryan, Jason, Seto, Quinton, Ty, and Sky were announced just as anyone else, though unlike the others they glared at the camera. Then came Mitch and Jerome who were forced onto the field by guards.

"If you remember our last match, you will remember the terrific duo of the BajanCanadian and Hacksource."

The crowd went wild. The two were locked into their fields, finishing up the lineup of people. The lights brightened up as Peterson was displayed on the screens. He smiled like an evil villain, which he probably was.

"Now, now…this is no ordinary Hunger Games, my welcome guests."

At that moment, I felt like he was looking at me. I shook my head, looking down at the center ring. Sky was looking up at the camera. It also looked like he was looking at me. I gulped. A sudden feeling of pressure. I turned back to Peterson on the screen.

"The rules have changed. This is…the Death match Games."

Mitch and Jerome cringed, looking around with utter terrified expressions. Obviously that was not a good thing. Peterson let out a laugh, like he could see Mitch and Jerome's expressions. The crowd continued to cheer like a bunch of automated toys.

"Now, for those of you who don't know, the Death Match was an old Hunger Games event that occurred near the end of the game. In short…the deaths are real. There is no…teleportation to escape real death or pain. You die or you survive," he smirked.

I glanced back down to the center. I met Sky's eyes. At that moment, he nodded slowly. I knew what to do. I sighed, getting up from my seat. Cliff and Ashley perked, watching me leave my seat and head out. Cliff leapt up, chasing after. I glanced back, watching Ashley conflictingly look between the center and me. Eventually she got up slowly and followed.

"Now what?" Ashley murmured.

"The rules have changed," I replied.

"Rescue plan," nodded Cliff.

"We get them out of there," I agreed.

"Sounds like fun," smirked Ashley.

"As a civilian, you cannot assist us," ordered Cliff, holding up a hand to prevent Ashley from following us down the hall.

"I am as much a recruit as you are! I'm just not officially one," snapped Ashley, brushing passed her.

"We'll see about that," sighed Cliff, rolling her eyes. "Jane, how do we get in?"

"If this is anything like our arena back home," I smiled, winking at her.

She nodded, taking the lead. Hopefully, it was just like the arena at home.