that guy?” Mai
asks me.
My eyes are glued on my father, and pity
overwhelms me when I see blood coming from his nose. To me, he
seemed to be the strongest man alive. Now, with the Unifers
pounding down on him, he appears weak and helpless, not even a man.
“No, I don’t know him.” One last time, I look back at the person I
have called father my entire life and feel like I’m betraying him
by pretending he’s a stranger. But he has betrayed me countless
times by treating me the way he has. I owe him nothing.
I turn my back to him. Each step toward the
plane is another step away from my former life and the former me.
Trying to fit into his mold never worked. And it never will. I
clutch onto the handrail and run up the stairs.
Chapter 6
The cabin hostess waits by the open door and
smiles at me as if I’m the most important person in the world.
Entering the aircraft, I see the other participants pausing to size
me up. Some of them laugh. A few nods greet me with sincere
expressions, but most frown and scoff, rolling their eyes as I
squeeze by them.
“ Welcome aboard, young man.
Let me show you to your seat.” The cabin hostess beams and guides
me to one of four, black, inward facing, leather chairs. Mai is
already sitting in one of them, holding a small mirror, and
applying red lipstick. Next to her sits a black-haired muscle head.
He stares at me as I sit down. Each seat has its own set of buttons
to select movies or listen to music, and the cabin hostess proceeds
to show me which button to push to make the chair open up into a
full-length bed. “And if you need anything at all, press this
button.” She gestures to a red knob above my seat.
I thank her, and she walks to the back of
the aircraft.
“ Just get me out of this
godforsaken place,” Mai grumbles to herself more than to
us.
I’m about to ask her why she would call
Culmination a godforsaken place, but the guy sitting across from me
says, “Couldn’t get a job shoveling manure?”
I squint my eyes. “What?”
“ You think you have a
chance against all of us out there?” He pops a grape into his
mouth, the juice squirting out as he bites down on it.
Mai rolls her eyes, but remains silent.
“ No, I just…”
“ Good, then we agree.” He
pops another grape in and chomps on it with his mouth open, the
smacking sound unbearably irritating.
Nicholas takes the seat next to mine and
nods to the grape guy. “Johnny, this is Joseph. Joseph, Johnny. I
trust we’ll be able to have a pleasant flight together?” His
eyebrows rise.
“ Doubtful,” Johnny says at
exactly the same time I say, “Of course.” I sink in my
seat.
“ The flight to Volkov
Village is just over two hours. Let’s make it a pleasant one.”
Nicholas straps himself in, and seeing that I have problems
figuring out how to fasten my seatbelt, he reaches across my lap
and secures the buckle. His forearm brushes mine, and his skin is
surprisingly warm. The captain announces that we’ll be taking off
shortly, and before I know it, the aircraft speeds down the runway.
I dig my nails into the armrests, my stomach tightening as we lift
off the ground. I feel dizzy. As the bumpy ascent calms, my grip
loosens a little.
“ The numbers are in, and
there are two thousand and thirty-nine contenders in the Savage
Run,” Mai says, reading a report on an electronic device. She
glances at me, I think with pity. “Well, I’m exhausted.” She puts a
cheetah-print sleeping mask on and pulls a blanket up to her
shoulders. Johnny extends his seat into a bed and shuts his
eyes.
I rest my forehead against the window and
look outside. I can’t see anything at all, only bright whiteness. I
wonder what happened to my father, if the Unifiers imprisoned him
or let him go. I don’t really know why he came after me; I was
always in the way—eating too much or not doing enough. Lazy.
Ungrateful. But, he wasn’t all bad. Once in a while he would
compliment me about how well I
asks me.
My eyes are glued on my father, and pity
overwhelms me when I see blood coming from his nose. To me, he
seemed to be the strongest man alive. Now, with the Unifers
pounding down on him, he appears weak and helpless, not even a man.
“No, I don’t know him.” One last time, I look back at the person I
have called father my entire life and feel like I’m betraying him
by pretending he’s a stranger. But he has betrayed me countless
times by treating me the way he has. I owe him nothing.
I turn my back to him. Each step toward the
plane is another step away from my former life and the former me.
Trying to fit into his mold never worked. And it never will. I
clutch onto the handrail and run up the stairs.
Chapter 6
The cabin hostess waits by the open door and
smiles at me as if I’m the most important person in the world.
Entering the aircraft, I see the other participants pausing to size
me up. Some of them laugh. A few nods greet me with sincere
expressions, but most frown and scoff, rolling their eyes as I
squeeze by them.
“ Welcome aboard, young man.
Let me show you to your seat.” The cabin hostess beams and guides
me to one of four, black, inward facing, leather chairs. Mai is
already sitting in one of them, holding a small mirror, and
applying red lipstick. Next to her sits a black-haired muscle head.
He stares at me as I sit down. Each seat has its own set of buttons
to select movies or listen to music, and the cabin hostess proceeds
to show me which button to push to make the chair open up into a
full-length bed. “And if you need anything at all, press this
button.” She gestures to a red knob above my seat.
I thank her, and she walks to the back of
the aircraft.
“ Just get me out of this
godforsaken place,” Mai grumbles to herself more than to
us.
I’m about to ask her why she would call
Culmination a godforsaken place, but the guy sitting across from me
says, “Couldn’t get a job shoveling manure?”
I squint my eyes. “What?”
“ You think you have a
chance against all of us out there?” He pops a grape into his
mouth, the juice squirting out as he bites down on it.
Mai rolls her eyes, but remains silent.
“ No, I just…”
“ Good, then we agree.” He
pops another grape in and chomps on it with his mouth open, the
smacking sound unbearably irritating.
Nicholas takes the seat next to mine and
nods to the grape guy. “Johnny, this is Joseph. Joseph, Johnny. I
trust we’ll be able to have a pleasant flight together?” His
eyebrows rise.
“ Doubtful,” Johnny says at
exactly the same time I say, “Of course.” I sink in my
seat.
“ The flight to Volkov
Village is just over two hours. Let’s make it a pleasant one.”
Nicholas straps himself in, and seeing that I have problems
figuring out how to fasten my seatbelt, he reaches across my lap
and secures the buckle. His forearm brushes mine, and his skin is
surprisingly warm. The captain announces that we’ll be taking off
shortly, and before I know it, the aircraft speeds down the runway.
I dig my nails into the armrests, my stomach tightening as we lift
off the ground. I feel dizzy. As the bumpy ascent calms, my grip
loosens a little.
“ The numbers are in, and
there are two thousand and thirty-nine contenders in the Savage
Run,” Mai says, reading a report on an electronic device. She
glances at me, I think with pity. “Well, I’m exhausted.” She puts a
cheetah-print sleeping mask on and pulls a blanket up to her
shoulders. Johnny extends his seat into a bed and shuts his
eyes.
I rest my forehead against the window and
look outside. I can’t see anything at all, only bright whiteness. I
wonder what happened to my father, if the Unifiers imprisoned him
or let him go. I don’t really know why he came after me; I was
always in the way—eating too much or not doing enough. Lazy.
Ungrateful. But, he wasn’t all bad. Once in a while he would
compliment me about how well I
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