Chapter 5: Entertainment.
LETTY'S POV
"Nemesis? What's that?" Shila asked.
"All of this," he walked around the table and stood behind Diego. "We all are Nemesis, Cyrus, me, all of you. Nemesis is the game we've been playing for years," his words made no sense in my head.
"A game?" Travis asked with a furious smile. I know that smile, and I know he's about to explode.
"That's right, a game. There are many things that are not within your knowledge, and unfortunately, I still can't tell you everything. But, all of this is a game, a game in which some are the players, and others are the audience," he turned around and grabbed a box from a shelf beside the table. "My dear friends, over these past few years, we've been watching you. We know every virtue and every weakness you possess. We know where you come from, who you're with, the places you usually inhabit. We've gathered enough information to ensure your loyalty." As he spoke, he distributed a folder to each one of us. When I opened mine, I found my medical history, a list of living and deceased relatives, a list of every car I've had since I started driving at 16, and hundreds of photos. There were pictures of just me in races, in the garage, visiting the cemetery; in others, I was in the café, Vince, Jesse, Leon, Dom, my mom, and my brother were also present. There were photos of all the important people in my life, even pictures of me and Dom making love. There were photos so old that I came across one that gave me a pang in my heart; it was a photo with Tony, Dom's dad. We were both hugging, and he was kissing my head.
"As you can see, we know everything," he sat back at the head of the table. "I don't want you to take this as a threat. Take it as a simple warning, a warning that we like things done our way." Travis threw his file on the table and stood up.
"You show us photos of our lives, our loved ones, and yet it's not supposed to be a threat?" he addressed Cyrus. "What the hell is going on?" I don't know if he's angry or scared. When I look around, I realize Shila is pale, and Diego hasn't stopped looking at the photos in his file. The rest of us are trying to understand what is happening.
"Sit down, Travis. Getting angry right now won't help any of you," Cyrus said. "I understand it seems like a threat, and it seems like we're trapping you here. It's true that we intend for you not to communicate with anyone in your circle for the moment, but it's simply because the work ahead is heavier than what we've already done. New faces have appeared on the scene; this season won't be like the others. This time, it's not about doing a job together; each of you will do a job, and the one who does it best wins." Cyrus looked at Harris. "I think we need to explain a bit of all this; they need to understand." Harris nodded and, after a moment of silence, began.
"The world is a market where people try to get enough to survive. However, some are not satisfied with just surviving; they want to live. We know that in the society we live in, money rules; money is synonymous with power. There are many people who have a lot of money, have everything at their fingertips, and don't know what else to do to live; there's nothing they desire that they don't already have. That's when what I call the addiction to living comes in," The way she gestures with her hands, and how her smile never leaves her face, sends shivers down my spine. "This addiction to living is so great and insatiable that man seeks adrenaline in forbidden things, in things he knows he doesn't need, that he can't have, that he shouldn't have," he paused for a moment while looking at all of us. "Life, at its core, is a constant search for meaningful experiences, for emotions that make us feel alive. For many, success, wealth, and power may be elements that provide temporary satisfaction, but human nature sometimes finds pleasure in transgression, in challenging established limits. People who have everything want to have fun, and unfortunately, there's a small portion of society that becomes entertainment for them." He smiled as if his words, worthy of a philosophy class, provided some answer to all this mess.
"What the hell is this idiot talking about?" Diego asked no one in particular. Harris laughed.
"In simpler terms, we are the entertainment for those who want to live, not just survive." He clapped his hands together. "You know what? Let me show you. Go get dressed up; we are going out."
We walked into this random bar, and as we pushed through the main door, these huge red curtains caught my eye, hanging down from the ceiling all messed up with fake vines and leaves. Once we got through them, we stepped into this flashy entrance hall, with a mirror surrounded by lights and crystals stealing the spotlight.
We went left and found ourselves on a lively dance floor next to a bar decked out with plants and all sorts of flowers. Turning right, we stumbled upon an elevator, our chosen path. With everyone inside, Harris hit the button for the third floor. When the doors swung open, we were greeted by a hallway full of doors. Heading to the second one on the right, we entered a room overlooking the lower part of the bar—a complete view. I noticed that all around the place, there were windows leading to rooms just like ours.
"Make yourselves at home, the show's about to begin," announced Harris as he settled into one of the spacious leather armchairs. At that moment, a scantily clad woman, wearing only a bra and tiny animal-printed shorts, approached unexpectedly, handing each of us a red drink that turned out to be Campari.
The bar was packed, bustling, and full of life. It wasn't much different from the race night scene back home; everything seemed quite familiar. However, something inside me suggested that I wasn't in my usual surroundings and that I should stay alert. As if an internal voice were screaming "danger," I felt my hairs stand on end, and anxiety took over my mind. My gaze met Diego's, and his expression spoke more than words ever could: "We need to leave." I nodded in silence, aware that we couldn't just walk away so easily.
Suddenly, a blaring alarm echoed in the atmosphere, and the crowd on the dance floor started dispersing to the sides. The tension in the air was palpable, and the feeling that something unexpected was about to happen seized all of us.
As if the oddity weren't enough, the floor began to split open, and in front of the people who had stepped back, bars emerged, rising from the depths. Where there had been a bustling dance floor before, now only darkness remained.
When the lights came back on, they revealed a basement where only one door was discernible. That door belonged to an elevator that, at that precise moment, opened to reveal the figures of two men. One of them was tall, dark-haired, robust, even a bit larger than Dom. The other, though tall, did not possess the same imposing presence. Both headed to opposite ends of the basement. From the speakers, the voice of a man began to sound, but I couldn't identify where it was coming from.
"What a wonderful night awaits us! I want to thank all my friends for being here. Many faces are new, and others not so much. For those here for the first time, welcome to the Gardens of Eden!" The person speaking shouted through the microphone. "This year, our season is going to be a bit different from the rest. There will be new faces, new leaders. Many surprises. But today, today we start like every year. On one side, we have the captain of the Gullis, Max," the crowd erupted in cheers as the smaller man raised his arms. "On the other hand, we have Weber, captain of the Newen." Again, the audience burst into encouraging cheers but this time for Weber. "Let's stop beating around the bush and let Nemesis begin."
I don't know how to explain what happened next. In the blink of an eye, Max and Weber were locked in a fierce struggle, exchanging punches and kicks all over their bodies. Against all odds, Max had the upper hand, relentlessly landing blows that Weber struggled to defend against. The next thing I knew, Weber was on the ground, lifeless. Max never stopped delivering kicks to his head, never stopped until he saw Weber cease to move.
Weber's head was completely disfigured; I think one of his eyes even burst from the sheer force of the blows he received. However, the party vibe never died down. Even Harris was on his feet, cheering ecstatically. Someone had just died, and everyone around was celebrating? I can't wrap my head around what just happened. I don't understand how we got here, what the heck we're doing here. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked, I found Alex, bringing me back to reality. I hadn't even realized I was in a trance until I felt Alex's touch. When I looked back, I saw Shila vomiting, and Jacob was completely out of it. Cyrus was trying to calm Lola, who couldn't breathe, while Travis and Diego couldn't stop staring at where Weber's body lay.
"This! This is Nemesis!" Harris is going crazy. "Max is our Captain, so his victory is our victory too. We need to celebrate! Waitress, bring a bottle of champagne," he's euphoric.
"The head of a man just exploded in front of us, and you want to celebrate? What the hell are we celebrating? What the heck is all this?" Shila is screaming and trembling at the same time. She's completely terrified, and she's not the only one.
"Oh, kids, my kids. This is the market I told you about before. This time, Max is the player, and Weber is the entertainment, or well, he was," he started laughing at his morbid joke. "This is what we have to do, this is what we have to win. You see, this has been around for a long time, it's not something new. These fights, these faces, these teams, have been around for decades; it's just that no one knows about it. Only those invited to play know about the existence of Nemesis, and you were invited by me, the new recruits too." This guy has a habit of thinking he's clear when he's just saying the most illogical things I've ever heard in my life. "We have the opportunity to rise to the top, to take the crown, and I don't plan on losing that chance. That's why I formed a team with the best, that's why you're here, to give me my crown."
"So, we're your pawns to help you gain power?" Alex asked.
"Yeah, kinda" he glanced back where Cyrus was standing behind Lola, he hadn't said anything so far. "I think they had enough for one night," he chuckled. "Don't feel bad, kids. I remember feeling overwhelmed on my first day too. You'll understand as we go along. Now, I'll set you free. Go get some rest because tomorrow our work begins. We've got a welcome party to organize," he looked directly at me. "Gotta get everything ready for the family." He smiled.
Author's Note:
The whole chapter is a bit crazy, I know. In my defense, the saga itself is pretty wild too. I hope you have lots of questions, so you keep on reading. See you soon. Besitos.