Weather Control

Chapter 8

The commander picked one of the people from the clouds, or cloudlings as I now called them, to go first.

She was tall and her face never seemed to stop snarling. The commander let her pick out a weapon from a rack he selected: Knives, Swords, and many other hand-held weapons of varying sizes. As she picked out a weapon, Sunshine whispered in my ear.

"If you truly don't care about winning, then listen to me," he breathed. "This is a competition that other people care about, especially all of us from earth who still think we're going to die. No matter what the commander says. People will do anything to do well in this competition, so don't look to good. You might get yourself killed that way. And it won't be the commander conducting your death."

I sucked in a breath. I hadn't thought they might be so desperate, hadn't realized they might be that scared. And I had known they were terrified. With every mistake I made, the closer I came to death.

"Thorne, calm down. It's just a comment" Sunshine said calmly.

I scowled. I noticed his fear beneath his grin, and I surveyed the room. Everyone was afraid. Some I'd even say were terrified. We were going to die. We were all going to die. I wasn't going have much longer to escape. Drew was right. I should've run when I had the chance. I should've ran like death itself was chasing me. And now I was going to die.

A force knocked me in the face snapping me back to reality.

Sunshine had slapped me in the face.

"What was that for?" I whispered harshly.

He shrugged in a way that got my blood boiling. "You looked like you were having a panic attack or something like that." He glanced side long at me. "You looked like you could've use it."

I returned to scowling. My emotions were getting away from me. I hated how I couldn't control it. I ran a hand through my tangled hair. I was Thorne Jackson. I had no reason to be afraid. I had faced death before and I would not be afraid.

People fought the commander one by one. No one beat him, but some lasted longer than others.

Lohan did very well, possibly the best of the people that had gone so far.

There was one more person person before my turn. She was the one that could control the water, Anne. She drew a sword and the commander discarded the mace he had for the previous match and picked a blade to match her own.

I felt bad for her. Even with her long legs and long reach, even with her quick fighting speed, the commander was faster. Anne made the first move. the commander deflected it in a bored fashion. All she could do was defend her self as the commander's attacks came and even that was a struggle. Within seconds of the duel beginning, her sword went flying across the room, narrowly missing some of the closer onlookers. She surrendered with out pause.

When she left the crude circle of space the commander had drawn as the bounds for the fighting, he gestured for me to fight him. Sunshine squeezed my shoulder. I had already decided to abide by Sunshine's request. I grabbed two fighting knives off of the rack and the commander smiled. He was going to keep his sword, giving him the longer reach.

Watching the commander fight did not help me feel better about how this match was going to end up. He was faster than me and more skilled in many aspects. I dreaded that white circle that I had to step into. Some of the people had already gotten injured. They were getting bandaged right now. I gripped the knives tighter in my hands and willed myself to relax. I watched in what felt like horror as my feet crossed that line.

The commander lunged at me with his sword swinging. I jumped out of the way and my boots almost crossed the white line. He started to attack me with his blade. I blocked, but I let him disarm me quick enough. I surrendered before he could attack further.

That had been the fault of others: not surrendering fast enough. I picked up the knives and replaced them. My hands were shaking and I cursed myself for being so terrified over nothing.

I moved closer to where Sunshine would have to battle the commander. The was no fear revealed on his face. He hid his emotions behind a mask of how he wanted to appear. His face was serious, grim even. he selected a sword. I didn't think he expected to win. He stepped into the ring and held his sword in a one handed grip. The commander grinned wickedly as he selected a short knife. It looked like a kitchen knife in his fist. I bit my lip. The commander wouldn't have done that unless he was sure of his win. He stepped into the circle.

This was not a competition of rules though, so instead of swiping out with the knife, he merely grinned and ducked beneath Sunshine's blade. The commander kicked out with his foot and connected with Sunshine's right knee. Sunshine's good leg.

Sunshine didn't stand a chance. He fell to the ground and his head hit the ground as the commander moved his knife under Sunshine's chin. My breath caught. Killing was not against the rules. Sunshine surrendered before he could face death. As he exited the circle, I released air I didn't realize I had been holding in.

He came over to me and rubbed at his neck. His fingers came away red. All he had accomplished was smearing blood all over. The commander had cut him.

"After I surrendered, too," Sunshine said, like he heard my thoughts.

There were only a few people left to fight. When we were finished, the commander let us go to bed and let the cloudlings go home. I went up stairs with everybody else. I didn't bother to unlace my boots before ripping them off. I placed them with my bag. Sunshine came over to my bed. What ever his reasoning was for coming over, I didn't want to hear it. I was tired.

"Hi Thorne," he said.

"Go away."

"Why?" he asked, eyes alight with mischief.

I narrowed my eyes at him. He wanted to play this game so late night that I would give him what he deserved.

"How did you get the limp?" I asked casually, not meaning anything but to get him to go away. His grin faded.

"It was a childhood injury. Nothing bad." He paused. "Do you really want to know?" he asked.

I nodded, but I was barely awake, barely focusing on the conversation at hand.

"Well I suppose you deserve to know what you got yourself into."

He sat on my bed and pulled up his pant leg. In the dim lighting, I couldn't see anything off, but he guided my hand to his leg. It was cold with no sign of body heat. I moved my hand further up his leg and... blood and bones, it wasn't a leg at all. It was a wooden replacement. From just above the knee, Sunshine had no leg.

I had trouble containing my emotions as I leaned back on the bed and the last lamp was blown out. 'Nothing bad' Sunshine had said. Liar. Instead I pressed a cloth in his hand and told his to wash the blood off his neck before I had to look at it again.

What ever he had to say, I didn't hear. I was already asleep on the small mattress.