Energy

Chapter 1 - ELIS

" Victoria Blunt has been missing for the last 48 hours. The Secondary Guard and the public have been desperately searching for the 3-month-old child, non-stop since the mother, Mary Blunt reported her missing. The description given is a black haired small child with blue eyes wearing a black buttoned dress. If you see any suspicious activity or someone in possession of the child please notify the Secondary Guard immediately."

The news droning on about the continuous flow of lost children crackled through the rusted radio.

It might sound surprising at the lack of empathy for a lost child but it had been like this for months now. Every time the radio is turned on it's another 13-year-old Elliot of Blyth district or 8-year-old Frei from Kolan district missing with distressed parents begging for their return. After a while, the old way to cope is to sound it out and just wait for the weather report.

The royal family still hasn't stepped in, which of course, has caused outroar amongst the affected areas. Not that anyone would realise. People value their lives over a political statement against the royal family, doing such would lead to almost immediate execution. There are spies everywhere, the royal family and its guard of every level easily bribe citizens for any tips for 'conspiracy' as they like to call it. Their starving citizens will do anything for food, turning brother against, sister father against wife and friend against friend. The so-called conspirators don't stand a chance speaking their mind openly let alone the much-needed revolution to overthrow the corrupt ruling family.

With my job none of that affects me nor am I bothered by it either way. As long as it doesn't affect my plan or how much money I make for my boss I keep my thoughts to myself.

'Elis you're up.' Grant announced across the room, pulling me from the cloth-covered log I've been hammering for the last 2 hours, to the point my knuckles are bleeding already. They will only be worse after this fight. Let's get it over with quickly.

Lewis glares at me, eyes aflame, while I enter the ring with my usual bored expression. Although boredom is the general expression I like to maintain, most of the time as a mask of whatever is raging behind the surface, fights with Lewis are truly boring

Taking up my stance I finally level my eyes onto my opponent, stilling my mind and then my feet, knees, hips and shoulders.

The animalistic look on Lewis' face almost makes me chuckle, he always takes these things far too seriously.

'It's just a game, Lewis,' I say, giving him a feline smile that will make him want to rip my head off more than he already does. An easy hit landed before I even laid a finger on him.

At the moment that he's too focused on my words I lunge for his throat getting a clean shot and causing him to fly into the ropes surrounding the ring.

Launching himself off the ground he makes his way back across the ring, closing the distance between us. I do the same with my next attack already carefully planned, it's easy to predict his next move due to his slow footing and consistent fighting techniques. He steps forward again and swings his arm into my purposely exposed rib, appearing like an easy target. I let the hit land but immediately I propel myself around kicking my foot into the air and slamming it into his neck again. As he hits the ropes I don't lose the opportunity to give a blow to his right lung knocking the air out of him before I grab him into a chokehold.

I won, of course, it's his fault really, never sees the full picture and always going for the easy hits.

Grant, our trainer, smirks at me as I leave the ring. His only sign of satisfaction, for the outcome of the pathetic fight that had just laid out before him. He knows I'm capable of far more than the mere play fight that I had just partaken in, but I was not here to progress or show my true potential. I was here to survive and do the bare minimum to win against these lowlifes I had to battle on a daily basis.