Game of Death

Chapter 2

"Is!Ris!Iris!" I felt someone shaking me.
"What?" I groan. I pushed myself to the other side of my bed. "I'm sleepy. . ."
"Get your ass up, before I splash water on you!" The voice threatened.
A cold liquid dripped on my skin. I shot up from the bed screaming. My body felt chilled and shivering. Then I realized that cold water from a river of winter, was intentionally dropped on me.
I turned my head sideways to see my brother standing on the center of my bedroom. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his right foot was tapping against the spotted floor. Anger flashed on his face. Dray.
I did a small laugh. "Ah. . .hello, Dray." I say.
His mouth opened, but then closed, then opened again, but this time he spoke. "Hello to see your sorry face! You have a guest from the South Territory."
The South Territory. The word echoed in my mind. Why a guest would come here? I thought the land was abandoned. Is it a Patrol? No. Patrols aren't aloud to enter Shadow Hunter property. So who is it?
"The South Territory? Isn't that place deserted?" I ask.
"How do you know that?" He asks, then does a hum of suspicion. "Surely you must know something about it."
I put my hands up in defense and waved them. "Learned it from school. What else?"
"Well, a person's here to see you for some reason they cannot tell us, and only wants to speak to you." He says.
"I'll get ready in ten." I sigh.
"No need. You're already wearing something." He looked down. I looked down also, and see myself still wearing my clothes from yesterday. "Oh, yeah. . .forgot about that. . .but I'm soaked in water." I say.
He then left with a hard closed door. The room started to shake. There goes my average debt. I have to pay more for the rent, now that my bedroom is increasingly falling apart. Crap.
I rose up from my bed and opened my window curtains. The ray of sunlight enetered and hit me on my face with its warmth. I took a deep breath in and out. I turned around and used my strenght to open the slammed door. Thanks, Dray.
I opened it and stormed of to the small family room.
Pim and Tim were eating some leftover berries from yesterday, Dray was sitting on a wooden chair, but no sign of my eldest brother, Fin. We rarely see him in some occasions, but then quickly leaves to make some money and comes back in two days or longer. I forgot his appearance, I even forgot his voice! Just like mum and dad, mostly dad. Mum's voice was a wicked one. Each time when I have a nightmare, it is always about her. Her screeching voice sings a death chirp, almost like crows. Dad's voice was a kind and low type. He was the one who sang me songs when it was time for me to sleep, his voice calmed me down and form a smile. Dad was the only person who took me under his wing and taught me his skills of the hunt. Mum was caring to my brothers and I- before dad died, but didn't pay attention to us, she was picking favorites' and chose Fin as her best child, but she still loved us. I too, were also picking favorites', and I chose dad over her. Perhaps that was the main reason she hated me the most after the incident.
I looked around our small stone house. Two men were standing on the doorway. They both had dark brown hair and dull gray eyes. This was the aspect of Shadow Hunters. Why am I not surprised? Because I saw plenty of 'em at Dahlia Market. They all had different shades of brown for their hair and different shades of grey for their eyes. It was always the same impression.
People greatly feared Shadow Hunters, they'd stepped back from Hunters, and aloud them to walk in the center like a parade of a high chance of death.
Dray looked nervous. Pim and Tim were too busy eating to acknowledge the presence of the Hunters.
"I believe this belongs to Iris Quell?" One of the Hunters asks. I looked down to see he referred to my bow, but no arrows. My weapon was laying on his palms.
"How did you-"
"We've been keeping a close eye on you, Ms.Quell." The other Hunter interrupted me.
"And so on, we known you come every night to hunt at our South Territory. You're trespassing on legal property that belongs to the Shadow Hunters of winter." The Hunter of before says.
I kneeled down in defeat. "Fine! You caught me! Go ahead! Give me my punishment that I deserve!" I yelled.
What am I doing? I don't want to die! I think. Stand up to them and fight!
"There is no need. Our Force decided to accept you into our regiment. Like we said before- we've been testing on your every move, and that includes your skills." The Hunter bent down on one knee and offered me to retrieve my bow. I rose my head up and looked into his deep grey eyes. I looked down and slowly reached my hand up to the Ginger bow.
"Thank you. . ." I say. "What do you mean about me. . .accepted into your regiment?"
The Hunter smiled. "You are now an official member of the Elite Bow Squad A. You are the first female to join the Shadow Hunters in history." He says.
"Yup! But you need to be taught some proper skills and positions for the bow and dagger." The other Hunters says. The dagger. I am also good at using daggers, but I don't use it as much for hunting, unlike the bow. I, being the first female to be a shadow Hunter should be an honor. But I feel so scared and traumatized of the high chance of myself dying. I never knew that women were able to be accepted by the Force. But there are reasons why females were able to enter such a male job. One: Perfect strategies. Two: Be quiet and unnoticed. Three: Have the perfect skills and knowledge about your prey. Four: Plan everything from the start, and trick your enemies into doing your own bidding.
I turned my head to see Dray's face. His mouth had a huge gap that almost reached to his chin, his body was slouching and stood still. As for Pim and Tim, they stopped munching on the berries and looked at me as if I were to be the most malicious monster on Dahlia.
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline on the request." I say softly.
"It's is not a request, but an order from our Froce." The Hunter says.
I rose up from the floor. "No. I can't go. I don't want to go. I want to stay here." I say as manly as I could.
"Then we'd have to get the Patrols here to execute you." They threatened.
I surely don't want to die in the hands of assassins. In my life, everything is about survival. A death challenge to keep living onwards. A challenge that I do not want to bail out on. I promised dad I'd keep living for him. To keep his legacy tightened together and never be forgotten. If his future was dying, then I'll change that for him. For eternity, his soul will keep living in my heart.
"Fine. But I have some conditions." I say.
"Anything you ask for." They both say.
"For starters, I would like for my brothers to live in a well built house with their needs. Second, I would like for your Force to send money to my family to buy necessary goods. And third, bring me back my brother, Fin Quell." I say.
"Iris you don't need to do that! Use your conditions for yourself! We can manage by ourselves!" Dray protests.
"How would you guys manage by yourselves, Dray?" My index finger pointed to Pim and Tim. "Would you like to live in this wrecked shack of stone? Would you want Pim and Tim to be startve to death? Would you want to use all your strenght and be weak? Do you still want to live in the place where our own mother abused us and raised us with such little care of love?" I ask. Tears started to form in the edges of my eyes. The water droplets streamed down and dripped to the floor, creating small puddle of cries.
Pim and Tim started crying aswell. Mum also abused both, they were eye witnesses of our mother's physical torment to all of us, but Fin.
Dray lowered his head to his collarbone. "No. . .I don't want to live in the place where all of us suffered in our lives. . ." He says. "Fin knew and didn't do anything about it but laugh the entire time. . ." Pim sobbed, rubbing away the tears with his clenched hand.
When mum was drunk, she would also hit Fin with a strong grip. She'd say all of the words that drinkers would crazily say without meaning to, but mum ment it all.
Tim hugged Pim and they both cuddled together. Their sobs faded as I heard small snores from them. That reminded me when that woman tried to punch Tim, I perked up and hugged him under my embrace, and that punch aimed at my back. A bruise was left as evedince, and I still have the marking to this day.
I still loved Fin, but hated him at the same time. The more he laughed at our weakness, the more I wanted to snap his neck and deposit his dead body to a pit of wild wolves.
I turned back to the duet of Hunters. "I'll go with you. But I know what you have in mind for me." I say.
"And what would that be?" They ask.
"You have a game of death waiting for me. If I win, then I'll be rewarded to be an orginal member. I know how it works, my father told me." I smirk. I knew this from the beginning. Shadow Hunters are entertained at seeing people's death. Father was a candidate and won, but then refused and returned to his normal life with us. He told me the basics but not the levels and scores. I need to win, that will mean my continuation. But if I loose, then that'll mean the end for me. And my life was created for no reason but a plan to mess around with. A usage of one's life is unforgivable and the lacking of humanity. But to Hunters: It is a path to show their loyalty and the act of how much their behavior is related to a heartless beast. But I'll prove them wrong. I will show reason of how much people treasure their lives by acting as a sign of value and hope.
"Clever girl." The Hunter who gave my bow back, says.
I chuckle. "I'm not clever. I am just a simple person who hunts for their family." I say.
I will prove them wrong. Every one of them. They are all cowards if they presume I am on their side and how much I agree with them. Fools with no souls.