Sickly Sweet

Dogfight

The two stood there, enveloped in cheers and hoots. Sophie felt her hands shake, and she squeezed Lochlan's tightly. The monotone male voice was projected through the coliseum.

"Today's winner will receive . . . A lifetime supply of Cheezy Weezies!"

Lochlan grimaced as a silver carriage stopped outside the crowd, stuffed with orange boxes.

"They will also have the opportunity to take a ride in the magic carriage! Anywhere you want to go! Free of cost, free of time! One ride only."

Sophie's brown eyes enlarged to saucers. A magic carriage . . . . Anywhere you wanted to go. Anywhere . . . .

Lochlan turned to her, a grim look on his face. "You need that carriage. You need to go home." Sophie nodded, though she looked torn. Kill her only friend for a chance to return home?

"And the loser, of course," continued the voice,"Will die!"

Lochlan licked his lips. Sophie could tell that he was inwardly forming a plan, and she wasn't sure she would agree with it.

"3-2-1 . . . GO!"

They stood in silence for a full fifteen seconds. Then the air changed and something snapped. Sophie eyed Lochlan nervously.

Lochlan bit his lip and pushed Sophie to the dirt. She shrieked and dusted herself off. There was a glint in Lochlan's eye, and his mouth was in an evil smile.

"L-Lochlan . . ." managed Sophie between gasps. He grinned widely.

"Anywhere, Sophie. Think about it. I could go to heaven, see my mother again. I could be with her eternally," Lochlan whispered, in a trance.

"No, don't do this. Think of the time we spent together, the-" Sophie was cut off by a blow to her jaw. She screamed, wiping the blood from her face.

"SHUT UP," roared Lochlan, slamming another punch into her side. Sophie staggered to the ground, her eyes broken and defeated. Lochlan stood over her with a bloody fist hovering over her head. She looked back at him with a gushing lip.

A shrill scream pierced the air, bringing a cheer from the crowd. Sophie clutched her pounding head, seeing double. Her brown eyes glimmered with insanity.

"I . . . thought . . . you . . . were . . . my . . . friend . . ." Sophie gasped slowly. "But . . ."

A flame ignited inside of her. She burst into the air, crashing down on Lochlan with a deadly kick to the head. Sophie followed the fatal blow with three karate-chops to his hip. He fell to the ground with a thud. She was breathing hard, and she dropped down next to him.

There was a final roar from the crowd.

Then. . .

Silence.

~*~

Sophie woke with fluorescent white lights boring into her skull, a dull beeping sound in the background. She rustled the plastic blue dress secured to her wiry frame. An overweight nurse in a tiny white uniform sat next to her, applying spicy red lipstick. Her dull yellow eyes sparked with excitement.

"You're awake!" she jumped to her feet. Grabbing a green walkie-talkie from her large red pocket, the nurse quickly muttered,

"She is awake and breathing. We have a winner!" Sophie's thoughts were slow. Winner . . of what?

"The boy . . . No, we don't have a file on him. No apparent family. He came here alone, as did the girl. Yeah, she's bruised but fine. She'll live. Mmmhmm."

Sophie's thoughts swirled in a dire tornado of confusion. All she knew was that her head hurt, and so did her waist, and she was hungry. She licked her lips, blocking out the incessant thunderstorm of thought.