Eternal Fire

Chapter 15

I dragged my feet into the mall Jocelyn dragged me too. Captain made the exception of me attending the games to come here today and Batair gave me five grand. Of course, that means I'm not getting a few allowances but that's fine with me. "Quit dragging your feet, " Jocelyn complained. She then went behind me and began to push me forward. She was absolutely crazy. "Damn woman, " I told her. "I'm going." "Not fast enough, " she complained. I held in my groan, not wanting a kick in the ass from her.

"Can I help you ladies, " A woman asked when she noticed Jocelyn and I looking through the racks of dresses. Jocelyn put a hand on my shoulder, "This is my friend Cleo and she's a lost cause when it comes to finding the right dress for black tie events." The woman's eyes went to the marks on our arms. Her eyes widened when she saw mine. "You're going to the Games?"

I nodded, "Yeah." She then smiled, "Let's see what we can find."

It wasn't until hours later when I found two amazing dresses. One was a sequin mermaid dress that was a spaghetti backless style. The other was a red off the shoulders mermaid style that had a split that went to mid-thigh on the left side that had a slight train to it. I went with simple strappy heels that matched the dresses and got my nails done in a French tip.

Last I got some blonde highlights from the hair salon. I sighed as we left the mall, exhausted from today. I flexed my hands, making fists to make sure the nails weren't an issue. Surprisingly enough, they weren't. "Not bad, " I said and I could see Jocelyn smiling out of the corner of my eye. I then sighed, "Sucks I missed the fight though. It would have been awesome to see those two really go at it." "Aren't you going to be in the combat parts of the games, " She asked me. I shook my head, "They're worried I'd bring down the arena." She laughed, "Of course they are. You're one hell of a powerhouse."
I laughed and rolled my eyes.

When we got back to the school the mock games were over. Azazel and Joseph were in my room, covered in bruises. "Aren't you two going to see a healer, " I asked them, hands on my hips. "We had them heal the broken stuff, this all will heal in a few hours for us. Remember, we aren't human like you, " Joseph reminded me. I sometimes forgot the idiot was a werewolf. It was rare he ever shifted. Then again it was rare a werewolf is ever orphaned. The only time that happens is if your parents are rogues and they died without any family members to take in the pup. Plus Joseph acted more human than past werewolves I've run into or fought against.

"Looking good by the way, " Joseph complimented. I shrugged, "Thanks I guess. I could've done without the whistles when I walked in though." Azazel chuckled, "They'll think twice about whistling after the games." "She'll have to deal with the harassment from the other students once we get there though, " Joseph pointed out. "At least until you kick some ass and prove you're not to be messed with." "Yeah but I'm not taking part in any of the combat courses, " I reminded him. "No, but the ball throw will be something to see, " Azazel stated. "The balls range in many different weights. They have one very few have ever been able to pick up and throw. Maybe you'll be one of those few."

"We'll just have to wait and see, " I said while putting my bags down. "So what made you guys want to wait in my room after the games?" "I brought my laptop so you could watch the fight, " Azazel said while holding it up. "And I brought snacks, " Joseph said while pointing to the top of my dresser.

I smiled, "Now that's a great way to spend the evening."

I got comfortable between the two of them with some chips and Azazel hit play. They went head to head without holding back. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to kill each other, " I said before shoving a handful of popcorn in my mouth. "Many probably thought we were, " Joseph said with a chuckle. I watched as the fight ended in a draw with them giving each other one last punch to the face and they both fell over unconscious.

"Did they post the results of who will be going outside of those that won, " I asked them after it ended. "Yeah. It was all the Captain's choice. Luckily you for you, you're stuck with both of us, " Joseph told me. "I don't feel lucky, " I grumbled. Azazel chuckled, "It won't be so bad." "If you say so, " I told him.

Azazel then pulled up some videos of students from the other schools we could possibly go against. "The Europe branch likes to switch it up on us, so we never what to expect, " he told us before clicking play on a video. The talent some of the schools had was jaw-dropping. No wonder our school hasn't had many victories at the games.

"How have you guys never seen the games, " Azazel asked us. "It's televised all over the world." "Well as a kid we were always moving around so we only had what we could easily pack up and take with us. Then when I got to the orphanage, Joseph and I got into street fighting, " I shared with him. "Plus at the orphanage, the younger kids always took over the tv to watch cartoons, " Joseph added in.

Azazel shook his head and we became silent then, simply watching the videos. "Has anyone died during the games, " Joseph asked. "Besides their abilities rejecting them, I mean." "No, it's strictly against the rules, " Azazel explained to us. "Well, at least that's reassuring, " Joseph said with a sigh. "But putting someone close to death is not against the rules, " Azazel threw in. "Wonderful, " I muttered. I was human, and although I was made stronger, the other races were made stronger than they were originally too. It made me just a tiny bit better about not being in the combat rounds.