Shuffle The Deck

Chapter 17 - Floors

Her eyes fluttered open gently, staring at the plain ivory ceiling ahead of her. With a content sigh, she lifted her relaxed body into an upright position, letting out a long yawn. With a weary rub of her eyes, she pulled the covers away from her bare legs and stepped onto the soft carpet floor.

She was fully rested now, and all her energy was at its highest peak.

With the fifty thousand Jenny she had already made from her jump to the 100th floor, she had some savings to spare. Perhaps a visit to town after a few matches was in order.

With a touch-up of her eyeliner and a button of her blouse, she was ready to conquer the world. Well, at least she felt like it.

Striding out of her bathroom, she slipped her boots on and maneuvered her way to the door. With a quick turn of the knob and a push, she exited in a swift movement.

There were a few people in the halls, many of them heading towards the arenas. Lilah's first stop was the receptionist, where she would sign up for the matchmaking of fights.

"I told you, Catty, there isn't anyone here to replace you yet! You have to come here and hold the 110th floor, or people are going to start rioting!"

Lilah approached the distressed receptionist from yesterday, who was frantically on the phone with someone. She decided to wait for her to finish, waiting patiently on the other side of the plexiglass window.

"Alright, I guess I can do that. Thanks, Cat. See you later."

She hung up and sighed heavily, turning to face Lilah, who was smiling happily. She almost jumped out of her chair as she saw her, but realized she wasn't the same person as she was before.

"Oh, it's you. You scared me shitless yesterday," she said hesitantly, printing out a sheet of paper.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean any harm. To tell the truth, I was just extremely exhausted," she explained, and the receptionist sighed with a small grin.

"No worries. I wish you good luck out there," she happily chirped, handing Lilah the paper. "Just sign this form and you'll be good to go."

Lilah nodded and used the pen the woman had just given her along with the paper.

She engraved her initials with a flick and handed the utensil and slip back to the woman. She looked it over and nodded at her signature. "All right, you're all set. The waiting room for fights is on the right over there. Just be patient, wait for your number to be called, and you'll be next to fight. Good luck, miss!"

She bowed and began walking towards the area the receptionist had pointed at. Approaching the brass doors, she grabbed the handles and pushed them open, revealing a multitude of competitors, mostly males. 

Many blinked as they saw her, some backing away, and some scoffing. She saw the same hecklers who had jeered at her yesterday during her one-sided match with the man she had sent flying through the wall and smiled half-heartedly at them. They swallowed the lump in their throats and looked at the floor, unable to return her sharp gaze.

She took a seat on a bench in the middle, crossing one leg over the other. No one talked with her, and she kept quiet for the time being. It was a little bit of waiting for her, but when she yawned quite loudly, she heard her number. She looked around and noticed a blonde stand up. He was in a colorful getup, and a confident smile was on her face. She waited for him to head into the arena, hoping he didn't know that she was his opponent.

As he left, she rose from her seat, cracking her knuckles softly. People murmured as she left for the entrance door, not knowing what to think.

Light beamed down onto her face, and she stepped out into the crisp arena air. She could hear deafening cries, and people cheering loudly. Her heart sped up, and the excitement she had long missed overpowered her. With a grin, she jogged out of the tunnel she emerged from, hearing the crowd ramp up with energy as she approached the ring. People's faces were blurred, but their words of hate and encouragement rang in her ears.