Chapter Two

It takes me a little under an hour of hiking and a half-empty canteen of water before the city appears before me in the distance. With the sun at its highest point, I'm able to see the outline of buildings both tall and small. Some stretching so far up you'd think they would pierce the sky if they made them any taller. I continue my walk over hills and down roads until I finally reach the outer edges of the city. By then I have eaten all my food and drank all of my water.

The city is much grander than I thought it was, at the same time, it's also a disappointment. All the large buildings and small homes were as imagined, but there are no people. Where is everybody? I do a full 360, my eyes roaming over the impressive architecture, gazing at them with fondness and curiosity. Not even a single car to be seen. There must be an event going on. That has to be it, there's no other explanation.

I stroll along the paved sidewalk, my eyes roaming over the windows of shops that still have their lights on. "What are you doing here?" I jump at the sound of a deep male voice and quickly turn on my heels. Standing before me is a very tall man with ginger-colored hair along with freckles splattered over his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose. He's wearing tinted glasses, blocking the color of his eyes, and a brown uniform with sleek black shoes. Around his waist is a belt with a holstered gun attached. "I'll ask you one more time, what are you doing here?"

He takes a step closer and I instantly come back to reality, tearing my gaze from the gun. "I'm looking for my master," I reply hesitantly to the man, allowing my eyes to fall to the ground when I see him fold his arms across his chest. I gently chew on my bottom lip, my heart beating violently against my chest.

"Your master, huh?" His question does nothing to calm the erratic beating of my heart or feelings of anxiety. "Look at me," it's not a request. Still, I have to wait a few seconds as I collect my nerves before looking up. The man has pushed his glasses to the top of his head, his chocolate brown eyes cold and harsh as he casts an analytical gaze over me. "And who exactly is your master?" He takes a few steps closer, his thumb and index finger cupping my chin, tilting my head slightly back until our eyes are locked together.

I take a step back and look away from him before responding, his close proximity making me feel awkward. "Master Daniel, sir." The man hums at my soft-spoken reply and reaction to his touch. I hesitantly look up at him again to see him rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Daniel, the doctor?" I nod at his question and the man roughly grabs my wrist. My eyes widen and I gasp in fear, attempting to pull away on instinct. The uniformed male pays no mind and starts walking down the streets. "Didn't know he had any slaves," he grumbles as if he wasn't dragging me behind him, practically tearing my arm off in the process. "Why on earth he'd let his slave run about at a time like this is beyond me." I also think he mumbles something about needing to be taught a lesson but his words were grumbled to low for me to be sure.

We continue to walk for no longer than ten minutes until we run into a stern looking male that appears to be some kind of humanoid type creature. Going across his left cheek and extending over his nose to his right cheek seems to be light blue covered scales, looking almost like a mask. When the male moves his head the reflection from the lights makes it seem as if the ocean itself lives and moves in them. Other than that he appears completely normal, his brown colored hair is spiked back and his red eyes somehow manage to be cold and gentle at the same time.

"Mr. Daniel," the uninformed male speaks up, stopping in front of Daniel. "I have a human here claiming it belongs to you." He jerks me forward so I'm standing next to him, pain blossoming in my wrist from his calloused hands digging into the sensitive flesh of my wrist. I have to bite down on my bottom lip to stifle the pain and keep from correcting the uniformed man that I am not an it. Daniel eyes me over, realization and understanding briefly flickering across his gaze.

"That's right," Daniel responds with a deep voice that holds a hint of a southern accent to it. "I just got her recently and sent her on a delivery run. I didn't expect her to get lost along the way. After I finished getting dressed I noticed she was still not back yet and decided to go looking for her. Sadly, her insolence caused us to miss the first part of the games which she will surely be punished for." The uniformed man hums but makes no move to release me. "I would like my slave back now." Daniel's voice turns hard and cold, his eyes holding no emotions.

The man scoffs and releases me with a shove. I run into Daniel who grabs onto my arms to steady me. "Keep her on a leash. Next time we'll confiscate her." I turn around and watch as he saunters off like he rules the world. With a childish huff, I stick my tongue out at him and make faces behind his back, releasing my pent up frustration.

"So, you're the new recruit, huh?" I look over at Daniel and eye him over before nodding. This is the guy they wanted me to meet? He doesn't look like anything special. "That tight ass that brought you to me was an officer. Make sure not to run into them anymore. What's yer name, girl?" An officer, I guess that explains the uniform.

"Kate," I respond while taking a step back, my eyes roaming over his casual wear. A plaid shirt, blue jeans and boots, nothing shocking really. All he needs is a cowboy hat.

"No, yer real name," I take a step back so I'm not standing so close, watching ashe arches a brow in my direction. Biting my lip, I debate on the pros and cons of telling him. He huffs in annoyance at my indecisiveness.

"Zmiena," I reply quickly, not wanting him to be upset with me. After all, I have to work with the guy, I can't go causing trouble after we just met well, anymore trouble.

"Zmiena," he repeats my name and falls silent for a few seconds. "Follow me," he turns around and begins walking off, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. I quickly follow, pacing myself to keep up with his long strides.

"Slow down," I groan as I tilt my head back, having fallen behind once more. He glances back at me over his shoulder and slows his steps to a stop. When I reach his side I take a few deep breaths.

"Close yer eyes," I look up at him in shock at his bizarre request. Daniel groans when I don't say anything and turns around to face me. "I said close your eyes!"

"Yeah." I reply, straightening my spine, "I heard what you said, but why?" I fold my arms across my chest as he narrows his gaze on me.

"Listen, little miss, I do not have time for games. If you want to make it out here it would be in yer best interest to do as I say. Now close yer eyes." I grind my teeth together, knowing he's right. Slightly annoyed, I comply with his wishes. Placing a gentle hand on the small of my back and cupping my elbow, he guides me down the abandoned streets.

"What are you doing?" I question with a furrowed brow, sounds of cheering, shouting, and clashing reaching my ear. "What's that sound?" He ignores my questions and quickened his pace. "Answer me," I demand, my lips curling into a indignant sneer at being ignored.

"Be quiet," Daniel shushes me, annoyance laced in his voice. As we continued on our path the sounds began to fade until they were virtually nonexistent. He releases me and I turn on my heel to face him.

"Why wouldn't you answer me?" I huff and narrow a heated gaze on him. Looking unimpressed, he folds his arms across his chest.

"Yer questions didn't dignify an answer." I rub the bridge of my nose and tilt my head back, fighting back a groan of annoyance.

"Come on, we can't stay out here, it's not to much further. I'll answer your questions as we walk." He pushes past me and I follow, my eyes taking in the scenery around us as I wait for him to answer my questions. "Do you know of the games called Survival Of The Fittest?"

I shake my head and he lets out a heavy sigh. "Well, it's a two part games made forget both humans and supes. Each part has multiple rounds, one round every week. The first part of the game are for humans, the humans will have to fight their opponent until they simply cannot go on. The game stops when there is only left standing and they gain their freedom. Losers are sold or killed. The second part of the games are for Supes, same rules apply, they face off until their opponent cannot go on. Strictly no kill. Winner gets money and more respect within the community. The games are held once every two years."

I listen to him intently, my face turning into a look of disgust the more he explains. "I don't believe it would have been right to subject you to that violence at such a young age. So, I covered yer eyes until we passed. We are here." Daniel stops in front of a large white mansion and fishes the key from his pocket, unlocking the large red wooden door. I just stare in awe with wide eyes, I've never seen a house so big before. Why would he even need all that space, does he have a family or something? "Ladies first," his words jolt me out of my thoughts and back to reality where Daniel is holding open the door for me.

"Thank you," I bow my head and mumble softly, quickly walking inside. The interior is almost as grand as the outside. Daniel doesn't give me enough time to look around before he's on the move again.

"This way." He turns left and walks down the hall after passing many doors apparently we reach the right one. He looks into a small machine that scans his eyes, after a shrill beep the plain looking door opens. On the other side, stairs.

"Stairs?" I question as we walk down the steps. "A little anticlimactic after that eye scan." Daniel chuckles and turns on a light when we reach the bottom. The room is large, but holds very few things. In the middle there's a large metal working table with some strange looks tools neatly placed on the top. Large bookcases stand against the wall directly in front of us and to the left wall are filing cabinets along with a fridge and a bookshelf with items littering it. On the right side of the wall a desk with a computer and papers covering the top, even the wall itself has multiple papers pinned against them.

"Alright," Daniel pats my shoulder, a smile on his face. "Enough gawking," I watch in confusion as he walks over to the table in the middle of the room and begins moving things about. His demeanor is so much different in this room than it was outside. He seems more relaxed and easy going, it's strange. Shaking my head I walk over to Daniel and watch as he works.