The Reconfiguring

Ch. 12 Entertainment Pt. 2

Grand Leader cleared his throat, calling for attention. He smiled his best fake publicity smile and spoke into the megaphone.

"Next up, we have Joplino Draft!"

Phig snapped to attention as he saw a new seven-year-old Draft sorter walk up to the podium.

"No...." Phig shook his head as Don looked at him with concern and uncertainty. He knew he had to do something. This was a poor kid who hadn't even gotten a good taste of the world yet. Not as much as he had any-

Suddenly, Phig had an idea. One that would probably end his life. He didn't even think of how his decision would affect his mother, watching from 20 miles away on the TV. 

Taking a deep breath and accepting his decision, Phig stood up and leaped over the railing into the sand of the Arena.

"Phig!" Don yelled as the crowd silenced. 

Grand Leader looked over at him and smiled. "Do we have an Intervene?"

"Intervene! Intervene!" the crowd started chanting.

Phig gulped. He looked over at Don, who was shaking her head with tears in her eyes. "Please..." he barely heard her mumble. But it was too late. His mind was made up.

"Yes," he said with much more confidence than he actually had. He gave Don an apologetic look, but she was full-on crying now. He turned around to face Grand Leader.

"Well, we all know what happens now!" Grand Leader said. "You have taken this victim's place. Tomorrow, we will see what you can handle. You and anyone accompanying you will be escorted out with the victim. Or, should I say, EX-victim."

Three Burlies came out this time. One prodded a thankful Joplino to the door, one prodded Phig, and the third one jumped over the railing, grabbed Don, who seemed to be out of any willpower, and jumped back down and prodded her out, too.

Grand smiled an evil smirk. "Let's continue, shall we?"

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All the way down the hall, Joplino couldn't stop thanking Phig. Phig tried his best to smile, but he was seriously regretting being an Intervene. Tomorrow would be his day. But at least this little kid could take Phig's place as top of the class. 

Unless it was actually all for nothing and the kid just got picked for Entertainment again next year.

Phig shifted his attention from Joplino to Don, who wouldn't look up from the floor. She'd probably be punished by her father, he realized. He cleared his throat to see if Don would look up, but it seemed like she was just a shell with no human inside. He gave up and stared at the ground, too.

20 miles away, Phig's mother was sitting in shock. That was her baby. Going to suffer the same fate as his father. Phig never even learned the real reason of his father's death.

He was an Intervene for a seven-year-old Draft sorter, too. 

Back in Highest, the three had gotten to the victims' room. There were still people sitting there. All of them were looking at him with a sort of awe that made Phig blush. He glanced at the TV screen to see that Markocious was up to the podium. His heart sank. All three of his friends were now gone. 

Phig couldn't muster enough sadness to cry. He was going to suffer the same fate. All he felt was numbness. One of the Burlies that led them there started talking.

"Okay, so you're gonna go to the room down the hall with Intervene on the door, Joplino's gonna go to his old room and little missy here has been ordered to go to her old room." Finally, it looked like Don was back. Fire burned behind her eyes, and that scowl could melt the ice caps. Not that there were much left of them anyway. Well, it looked like Grand himself was also going to die today. 

Joplino practically skipped down the hall, Don trudged, and Phig just walked with fear to the Intervene room. They actually had a room that prepared for this kind of thing. Phig was scared even more to cross Grand now. He thought of everything. 

"Welcome to your last room," the Burly said, giving Phig the key. Then he leaned in and whispered: "I hope you make it. We haven't had an Intervene in a while now. But you always seem to  know exactly what's right."

Phig stood there, stunned, as the Burly left and closed the door. He looked down at the key in his hands, then threw it as hard as he could against the window. But it didn't shatter. Suddenly, the gravity of everything got to him, and he collapsed to the floor, crying.

In another part of the mansion (which connected to the Arena) Don was in her old room, with everything pink. She looked at herself in the mirror. With her purple hair and electric green eyes. So much had changed these past few years. Biting her lip, she finally admitted the truth to herself. Phig was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she wasn't about to let him go. 

An idea struck her. The only person in the world that would want to save Phig as much as she did would be her step-sister Sheri. 

Hopefully she'd be willing to listen after the hair incident.