The Darkest Dawn

Chapitre 16

"Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms: Difficulty falling asleep, waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep, waking up too early in the morning, and feeling tired upon waking. There are two types of insomnia, Primary and Secondary. Primary insomnia means that a person is having problems that are not directly associated with any other health condition or problem. Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as a health condition (like , , , , or ); pain; they are taking; or a substance they are using (like alcohol)." (-WebMD "An Overview of Insomnia")

It is important to realize that despite displaying symptoms of insomnia, Darius and Lucien are not insomniacs. Lucien wakes up due to a habit he has formed during his life as a slave. He wakes up at night due to startling nightmares which can be caused by stressful situations while awake. Darius is an ex-soldier with a slight mental disorder called PTSD. He chooses not to sleep, preferring to keep always on the alert and to avoid similar stress induced nightmares. There are nights however when he falls asleep on accident.

Darius opened his eyes, feeling somewhat refreshed. He jolts with the startling realization that he had nodded off and slept well into the morning. He only had to wait a few minutes before Daniel had come in with no sense of privacy. It didn't matter, the only clothes Darius had was his grey jumpsuit, standard for all slaves. Lucien was with Daniel, as usual. The ex-soldier remembered the day before and recalled Lucien's suit. He had looked incredibly different from his usual disheveled look. Darius grumbled as he rolled off the bed, the frame creaking.

"You won't be returning to your room." Daniel told him. "Do you have anything you brought with you? Or something you may have acquired while here?" Daniel tilted his head. The bastard knew exactly what he was talking about, Darius thought.

"Yeah." Darius muttered. He turned and reached under the pillow. Darius pulled out the ring and something else. It was the wooden wolf he had been carving, smuggled here. Darius made sure to turn his back on them while putting on the ring. He presented the wolf instead of the ring when he faced them again. Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise but smiled anyways. His eyes flicked to Darius' other hand, searching. He spotted the ring and looked relieved.

They reached the mess hall where slaves were not sitting where they usually sat. Daniel explained that slaves were free to sit where they like today. It seemed to Darius they were allowed many things they were not before. He wondered if he could get his dagger back. Lucien decided to sit where he usually did. Darius settled next to him, to his right. On Lucien's left was a woman Darius has never seen before. She sported a shock of silver hair, obviously not natural for a woman who looked so young. She was chewing something even though food had yet to be distributed. She kept chewing silently, never swallowing. Darius decided he neither trusted her nor liked her.

Food was served and Darius glanced at Lucian's meager plate of thickly sliced hot bread slathered in melted liquid topped with strawberry slices. He then eyed his own plate of hash browns, sausage, scrambled eggs and gravy. Darius switched the plates, intending Lucien to eat healthier quantities. Lucien glared at Darius briefly before taking a bite of gravy covered hash browns anyway. Darius picked up the heated bread and bit into it. The liquid was brie, smooth. The strawberry complimented the baguette and cheese wonderfully. Darius swallowed, impressed how something so boring could taste so amazing. Lucien seemed to be staring at his plate in shock. "How can something so greasy be delicious?!" He whisper shouted at Darius.

"May I have your undivided attention please?" A booming voice sounded from the end of the tables followed by a translator speaking in french. Darius looked down, seeing the familiar seivohn. Yevor, Organizer of the Pageant, was a peculiar seivohn. Aside from the black slimy skin, he looked exactly like a human. That was the form he chose. "I am Yevor." The seivohn introduced himself. There was no applause. "Welcome to this year's annual Pageant. I will announce this year's Winners of the Week." Yevor took a moment to take out a slip of paper. "Please stand up when I call your name. Ahem. In fifth place... Ivan Yule." A bean pole of a kid stood shakily. There was a few claps here and there, but nothing too big. "In fourth place... Edith Morris." Some more claps as a tall elder woman stood, hair white and curly despite early fifties. "Congratulations, your masters will receive rewards of 50,000 euros." Yevor nodded. "For the final three now." Darius shook his head. None of this mattered, only first place winners actually won something. "For third place..." Slaves leaned forward in their chairs, keen. Even Lucien seemed a little tense, although Darius thought it was ridiculous. "Darius Wood, for elegance and fantastic costumes." Darius scoffed, rising to his feet. Last time he was here, he didn't even rank. Then again, he was an unruly teen. "Second place... Johanna Fyr, for lovely showmanship and a gorgeous smile." A woman, about his age, stood and waved as she grinned. Sickening. She does realize she didn't win anything but death, right?"

"And finally, first place..." More slaves leaned in eagerly. Lucien seemed disappointed, leaning back in his seat instead. "Lucien Penndrake, for displaying a story with costumes as well as natural skin. First place is not voted by the judges, but by popularity amongst the audience. Well done." Darius looked down at Lucien, who stared at Yevor in complete shock. "As a reward, you will sit with me in the Grand Box for the Stadium."

Darius felt his stomach twist in a mixture of rage and relief. Rage that a seivohn would be keeping Lucien captive and relief that he did not have to worry about protecting Lucien in the Stadium. He knew that when he won, he'd be able to rescue Lucien once again.