Daughter Of Night

The Man in the Moon

Arley licked her dry lips, sweating bullets in the stifling dry heat of the Night.

'Why in the seas is it so hot?'

Her weary brain struggled to find an answer.

'Washington.'

She coughed, throat parched from dehydration. Washington DC, the last place she remembered being.

When was that?
How long had she been asleep?
Why was she here?
And why was it so dark?

A mechanical clunk jerked Arley from her thoughts. The door screeched open, attacking her eardrums. She screwed her face against the noise as white light flooded the small room and framed the slender figure in the doorway.

Stars and black dots danced in Arley's vision and she curled against the wall, pressing away from the figure. Slowly, the stars cleared and the woman came into view, and Arley wished she had never seen her.

Nails painted blood-red to match the waxy lipstick coating her lips, pulled into a Cheshire cat grin. Her clothes looked like something an angel might wear. An angel of death.  dressed in pure, light-absorbing black garments draped across her figure. The self-confident being's hair pulled savagely back into a tight braid. But her eyes. The eyes of a lioness about to devour you, and enjoy every second of it. Shivers ran rampant down her spine despite the heat.

"Welcome to the Moon, Gladiator!"

Arley winced. Her voice was like honey coated spikes. Common sense told her to stay away. Then it hit her. She wasn't on earth at all. It wasn't night. She was on the rock in the sky?! She scrambled desperately for something to explain this.

"Get up." the woman commanded. Breaking Arley from her trance.

"Good. You're not completely dumb after all. That thing you're doing with your mouth is entirely disgusting however."

Arley closed her gaping mouth. Her knees creaked from disuse. And face planted directly infront of the manicured womans boots, who promptly rolled her eyes.

"Get up. A gladiator does not fall. Ever."

The woman lashed out. Fast as lightning. A shriek escaped Arley's mouth. Nothing had prepared her for the bullwhip attached to the back of her belt. The woman sighed.

"Never mind. I'll drag you to the Caesar myself."

Then the world went black.

___--___

"WELCOME TO THE GLADIATOR GAMES!!!"

'Where am I??? '

Was all Arley's cloudy mind could think of, throbbing as cheers went up from the screens surrounding the open arena as the man in the biggest screen screamed his welcome.

Rage streamed out of her and She screamed back at it.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

the man missing her entirely. His next statement confusing her even further, as he winked and declared

"you can call me the man in the moon"