It Occurred To Me In A Dream...Tournament Of The Elements

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            We drive through town, stopping at most grocery stores along the way. Kay decided it a good idea to stock up on food before leaving town. With a slim amount of money on us however, we can only buy so much. We decide on ramen and other cheap foods, trying to preserve our cash. Even though we only buy the cheapest things in stock, the prices were still skyrocketing.

            “C’mon, four bucks for a can of soup?! You have got to be shitting me…” I hear Kay in the isle adjacent mine as he complains and bickers to the manager. I’m searching through the shelves, making my way around many people crammed in the aisles. With the prices so high and no one busy with a current occupation, everyone is stocking their houses before the prices become worse.

            I walk down the aisles, repeatedly shoved by hurried costumers. The stores have gotten smaller and smaller, leaving no room for the costumers to take their time. The isles were fast paced as if it were a freeway full of traffic. I pause and reach for a box of granola bars, thinking Kay would mainly get all the bad cheap foods. My hands wrap around it just as I feel another set of fingers grasp the box as well. I flinch and search up the arm, looking for the granola stealer. My eyes meet with a boy around my age, jet black hair, and…stunning emerald eyes. I stare before finally speaking.

            “Hey, I kinda had this first…” I passively say to the stranger still gripping the box. He turns toward me in reply to my voice and stares into my eyes before letting go. “Thanks.” I stand and start to make my way toward the registers when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn to find the boy from before. We stop in the middle of the busy isle, observing each other. His eyes were somewhat wide, as if he was struck with lightning as he looked at me. “Um, can I help you?”

            He shook his head before answering. “…Uh …a-at least give me a granola bar if you’re gonna take the whole damn box.” His voice was somewhat…sexy? I look at him in confusion. “What? After I so kindly offer you the box, you can’t spare one single bar? …How cruel.” He tilts his head to the side, his eyes mocking me. I look at his lips that were curved in a sly grin.

            “Do you expect me to just open the bow without paying? That’s stealing you know…” I furrow my brows at him, eying him suspiciously.

            “So what? They can’t see you leave with it anyway, it’s too crowded. C’mon…you can’t steal just once?” His lip trembles as if he would burst into tears at any moment. “Don’t tell me you’re some good girl who’s never done anything bad in their life…” This guy…

            I roll my eyes, “I don’t even know you-!” Just as I finish my statement, I’m pushed into him by the traffic passing by. My hand lands on a hard surface, or at least I thought it did when I realized I was shoved up next to the guy. His chest was broad and strong. ‘Does this guy bench weights all day or what?!’ 

            He lowers his head to whisper in my ear. “All I wanted was a granola bar, but if you insist…” His breath tickles my ear and I jump away from him, my face flushed. I hear a chuckle escape his lips as he lends out a hands towards me. “If you want to know me, name’s Ace. As for my age…well, I’ll leave that to your imagination.” He grins as he looks down at me.

            “Shay…” I reach for his outstretched hand. Just as our fingertips touch, he pulls me close and leans over me. His breathe was warm as I could feel it rest on my neck. We stay like that for what feels like eternity. “U-um…what are you-?”

            “You were in the way…he couldn’t get past you.” He interrupts as I hear a man pass by. I look up at his face before being abruptly pulled away from Ace. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?!” Ace asserts to someone standing beside me, my shoulders in someone else’s grip now.

            “Well, I’m prying my little sister away from a random stranger she just met in a grocery store. What do you think you’re doing with my sister?” I flinch at my brother’s voice. Kay never liked any other boy around me besides him. He was that over-protective brother that always gets on my nerves sometimes. “Mind telling me what your plans are with my sis you little Scavenger?” I furrow my brows at Kay’s words.

            I look at Ace, his eyes dark and his grin now morphed into a scowl. “Scavenger? What-?” He clicked his tongue and turned to leave. My brother grips his arm and forces him to face us. Kay pulls up Ace’s sleeve on his shirt and points to the permanent ink engraved in his arm.

            “This is a Scavenger. That tattoo indicates that he works for the Undertakers, a group who abducts kids and teens to compete in a…tourney of sorts.” Kay looks straight at Ace as he continues. “They take anyone they can find, no matter if they’re old or weak.” I observe the tattoo closer as Kay keeps informing me. The ink looked as though it depicted the skull of a bird of prey. I lean closer to take in every detail of the tattoo when I hear a cold voice speak down to me.

            “Satisfied? Got a good enough look?” I stare up at him in surprise. His eyes showed anger and impatience. He looked so different than before.  “Good, now leave me alone…” He turns on his heels and makes his way to the doors after mumbling to himself. “…I have a job to finish…” And he’s gone in the crowd of people.

            Kay and I are riding in the truck in silence after buying the food and supplies. I sit and stare out the window as I think of what just happened. I guess I can’t trust anyone anymore except for Kay. My eyes roam over the pedestrians along the side of the road, trying to figure out who could possibly be a Scavenger. Most of the faces I could make out along the sidewalk belonged to the elderly. To think Ace was so nice…yet he would have easily just given me away to the Undertakers. ‘How did Kay know about all of this? Why didn’t he ever tell me about it either?’  I decide to ask Kay my many questions.

            “Kay…how did you know all of that?” I keep my eyes on the civilians walking along the road as I ask.

            “…Know what?” He whispers in a low voice as if he hadn’t heard me.

            I look to the side, making eye contact with him. “You know what…the Scavengers…Undertakers. How did you know all that stuff about them?” I gradually raise my voice as I speak. My frustration was rising.

            “…” His eyes stayed on the road. I looked down at his hands and noticed his knuckles had turned white from gripping the wheel with such ferocity. “…I…can’t tell you…I’m sorry Shayla.” He let out a sigh and turned to me. “I just can’t.”

            “What? What do you mean you can’t tell me? You can tell me anything Kay, I’m your sister! Why can’t you-?” I flail my arms in the cab of the truck in anger.

            Kay looks sidelong at me and I glare back. He looks at me with eyebrows furrowed, showing his concern. His eyes stayed on me while he spoke. “Shay…” He turned back to the road and forced his eyes shut. I could tell this subject was hard for him…but why?

            “Um…Kay…” My head slammed against the seat from the abrupt increase in speed. “Kay!” We were now far above the speed limit. I looked over at Kay and saw that his grip was still tight around the wheel.

            “I…the reason I know all about the Scavengers-” His foot stomps down harder on the gas. We wiz by the cars on the freeway and the rest was a blur. “The reason…”

            “KAY! SLOW DOWN!” I gripped my seat and tightened my seatbelt.

            “I never told you did I?” Kay looked straight at me. His eyes were filled with an intense determination. “Do you really want to know?”

 My eyes met with his for what felt like the shortest moment. My head slammed forward, making contact with the dashboard. A sense of dizziness ran throughout me, and everything went blank.

I could make nothing out of the darkness, except for the limp figure of my brother beside me.