Chapter 11

It was the next day and school had finally broken up for six weeks. People would normally be getting ready to relax, spend time with friends and family and to go on holiday, but not Maria and the Red Moon pack. Instead, they were getting ready to leave and set off towards the fighting pit. Maria was wearing black with strips of neon green along the side of her leggings and had a black crop top. Enzo walked beside her in his leather jacket and blue tank top. "Why do you look like your about to fight?" "Because I have a feeling and it's not a god one. When will we leave?" Enzo stared at Maria (not breaking eye contact) and replied, "We will leave in a few minutes. We just need to gather a few more supplies and then we will be leaving." After that Enzo walked off and went to help the others inside the house. Maria was stood there, looking out at the night sky. The sky was dark and cloudy. A storm was coming and she wasn't going to be nice. Her thoughts were interrupted by Tom pulling on her arm. "What's happening? Where are you going?" Maria looked down to see Tom looking scared and tear's rolling down his cheek. Maria crouched down to be at Toms height and said, "Me and a few other people are going on a little trip. Don't worry though because we will be back before you know it." Looking down at the floor, Tom wiped a tear from his eyes and hugged Maria. She didn't move. Fear. That was what erupted into Maria and she didn't know what to do. She hadn't tasted fear in a very long time and the fear of not being there for Tom was the worst of all her fears. To Maria, having a fear was a weakness and if she was going to walk into the fighting pit then having a weakness was not allowed. Quickly, Maria pulled away and looked at Tom. He was a little bit startled by the way Maria pulled away so fast, but didn't think anything of it. "You must go quickly. We don't want your parents to worry about where you have gone." "Promise you will come back. Promise me." Maria stood up and looked out to the sky for a second and then back at Tom. "I promise." A smile spread throughout Tom's face and he quickly ran inside the house. Taking a breath, Maria could hear someone creeping up behind her. Clenching her fists into a ball, she stated, "If you value your lives, tell me who you are before I have to kill you." Out of the shadows, Yasmine walked out wearing grey trousers with a white top. Her hair was messy and she looked like she had cried a river. "Why did you pull away from the hug? Were you afraid?" Maria turned around and faced Yasmine. She looked her up and down and narrowed her eyes in annoyance. She didn't show that she was scared or any emotions at all, so it was hard to find out what was going on in her mind. It was hard to know if she was scared of people getting hurt or if she was happy to be around people that cared for her. The only thing that Yasmine knew about Maria was that she knew more about how to win this war than anyone. "We are about to walk into the fighting pit and being afraid and having a weakness is not an option. Especially if you want to get out of there alive because you see," Maria said as she took a step towards Yasmine, "if you have a weakness and they find it, then they will use that against you until you break into tiny little pieces and there is nothing left of you. Take a bit of advice from someone who had been there, don't let them know anything about your life." Maria walked down the steps towards the herd of people that were gathering to leave. She can see Riley standing with the other people in similar outfits as them. "What are you doing here?" Riley looked at Maria in a confused way. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm coming with you." Maria opened her mouth to argue with her, but quickly closed it. She thought that if Riley did go, she would get prepared to what the battlefield would look like and maybe, just maybe she would pick up some tips on how to fight. Maria reached down into her pocket and pulled four knives out. "You'll need these to protect yourself. Freya isn't coming and instead she is going to make sure nothing happens while we are gone." Everyone looks confused, but grabbed the knives anyway. "Why do we need knives?" asked Riley. "Because in the fighting pit, it's a fight to the death." Riley's face turned pale and she looked scared of what she was walking into. As Maria looked at the people around her, she could see Enzo, Chris, Yasmine and Riley. The only thing she was hoping was that they wouldn't do anything stupid. After that, they set off and walked towards the van.

Enzo and Yasmine were in the front seats while Maria, Riley and Chris were sat in the back of the van. Everyone was in complete silence, but everyone had questions on their minds that only Maria could answer. Maria held onto her knife in her hand and slowly twisted it, getting a good look at every inch of the knife. "What's going to happen in there? How do we get them to help us instead of Salice?" Marias gaze shifted from the knife and at Riley. A worried expression was plastered on her face and she looked like she had just witnessed someone die, which may soon become true. "I don't know. Anything can happen in the fighting pit. Me and Enzo will talk to the person in charge while everyone else will stay where I tell them to and will not talk to anyone. Then, I'll do whatever he asks me to do." "What do you mean what he asks you to do?" questions Riley in confusion. Taking a deep breath, Maria replied, "To get something, you have to give the other person something in return. That is how we are going to get The Warriors on our side." Maria looked back down at her knife, signalling that the conversation was over. The whole ride, Chris didn't say anything. Instead he kept looking over at Maria every time she moved. Studying her every move to see if he can find an ounce of emotion and dread going through her mind, but found nothing. She was emotionless. After a long journey, Enzo pulled a flap across and looked through the gap into the back. "Maria, I need you to tell me where to go next." Maria looked at Enzo and nodded. She reached something out of her pocket and it was a necklace. The necklace was gold with silver strips wrapped around it like nettles. She gripped it tightly in her hand and closed her eyes. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and they were red just like her wolfs'. Her eyes darted around the room and then looked back at Enzo. He didn't know what was going through her mind, but he knew she was using the necklace to find the location. "Go left, and then go forward for half a mile and stop." Yasmine (who was driving) followed those exact directions and stopped in the middle of the forest with no people or buildings in site. Everyone got out of the van and looked confused as there were no buildings, but not Maria. Instead, she looked up at the sky and smiled. A low chuckle left her mouth and she turned to the others. "There are no buildings. You led us to the wrong place." Stated Riley, but Maria only shook her head and looked at the ground while saying, "That's the whole point of the fighting pit. To not be seen." Maria walked forwards and over logs until she stopped. Crouching down onto the floor, Maria moved a few sticks and stones before pulling something off of the ground. It was a trap door and the entrance to the fighting pit! Maria waved her hands over and the others went towards her. One by one they went down the ladder and entered a dark room. Maria was the first one down, then followed by Enzo, Riley, Yasmine and Chris. Maria waved her hands and a line of fire spread across the floor until it stopped when it reached thither end of the tunnel and where the light started. When the line of fire was lit, the room in front of them fell silent and no body made a sound. "Stay behind me and follow my lead." Whispered Maria. They all nodded and followed Maria as she walked through the tunnel.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, there were crowds of people. Some were sat down; cleaning their wounds from the fight they had just been in while others were stood up talking and getting ready. A stair case lead up to another floor where people were watching and placing their bets on who would win and who would ... die! There were a few rooms on the bottom floor which were where people got changed to fight and on the top floor, there were rooms where the people that ran this place were. In the middle of the room, was a arena where the people were meant to fight. Blood stained the floor and some people were moving the bodies from the room. Maria looked behind her to make sure her friends were okay, but they only looked scared apart from Enzo. He looked confident that Maria knew what she was doing and once again, the feeling of warmth and happiness filled her body. Whispers travelled across the room. Some were asking who they were while others were saying that Maria was back. A rack of weapons stood beside the arena. On it, were: spears, knives, guns, grenades, bombs and more weapons to fight with. "Well, well. Look who we have here." Chuckled a man from behind Maria. As she turned around, she could see a tall man with tattoos and scars covering his entire body. They travelled from his ankles to the top of his neck. His dark black hair made him look evil although, his green eyes made him look like someone who wanted peace and someone that was a gentle and kind person. Instantly, Maria recognised the man that stood before her. His name was David and he was the one who was in charge of the fighting pit. "The infamous Maria has graced us with her presence once again. Now, what do I owe you this pleasure?" "I think you know why I am here and it would be best to talk about this in private." David nodded and gestured Maria to follow him. Enzo also followed them both and just as they all got to a door and the second floor, Maria turned around and shouted, "If anyone harms a hair on their heads, then they will be answering to me." You could see the inch of fear spread through everyone's body as they all knew what Maria meant by that comment. Inside the room, there were weapons on the walls and maps all across the table in the centre of the room. David stood on the other side of the table and placed his hands on the side and asked, "Let's hear what you have to say." Maria and Enzo exchanged glances and then looked back at David. Folding her arms, Maria began and explained, "The reason why we are here is because we need your help. Everyone knows there is a war going on between me and Salice. I also know that Salice probably sent a letter to try and get you to join her side, but by the way you are listening to me, I take it you declined her offer. If you join us, we can get rid of the evil in this world and we may be closer to living in peace. The Warriors also need a war, otherwise they are just sitting here and soon they will kill each other off in boredom until no one is left alive, but one. Help a friend out David and join us." For a while David didn't say anything. His nose scrunched up and his eyebrows furrowed in thoughts. After a while of thinking, he said, "Fine. I'll help you, but it will come at a price."                                             "Why else do you think I came in these clothes? Tell me what you need me to do." David looked up and down at Maria. A smirk spread across his face as his eyes locked onto Maria's. On the other hand, Enzo looked confused and didn't understand what Maria had meant. "What do you mean?" Maria looked at Enzo and said, "I am wearing gym clothes. Clothes that are easy to move around in and fight in." "What! You are not fighting one of the warriors. You'll get yourself killed." Maria chuckled and responded, "If I need to remind you, I used to fight here and I won every time. I'll be fine. You need to see how The Warriors fight so you have an idea of what they are capable of." Enzo wanted to argue about this, but the look that Maria was giving him made him want to curl up into a ball on the floor. He didn't know how she had this much power over him, but he knew that ever since she left the pack house, she was different. Her eyes were cold and emotionless and every time she spoke it was always in a mean and demanding tone. Whatever made her want to leave this place, was messing with her head and Enzo hated it, but also now knew one of her weakness, but why it was her weakness was something he didn't know. He looked back at David to see a look of happiness on his face. "Now that's sorted, you will be fighting Lexa. The fight will happen in 10 minutes. Get ready and good luck." Maria and Enzo leave the room and walk down the stairs. They walked towards the others and told them the news before Maria went into another room. Whispers followed her everywhere and she was the talk of the place. "Maria's fighting one of the warriors! She does know it's a fight to the death, right?" asked Riley- her voice shaking as she spoke. "Of course she does, but when she puts her mind to something, you can never change it. Come on, we need to get to the second floor before we are involved in the fight too." They all head to the other floor and walked near the edge to get the best view of the fight. They grabbed the railing that travelled along the floor and prayed that Maria would be alright. Suddenly, a bell rings and they knew the fight was about to begin.

Shouts and screams echoed through the fighting pit as David stepped out into the arena. He raised his hand and everyone fell silent. "Today, we have two fighters. One is someone we all know and love. She has killed and shows no mercy. Her name is ... LEXA." A door on the left side flung open and a roar of cheers filled the room. A woman with a golden robe wrapped around her entered the room. Her silver hair covered her shoulders and her light blue eyes shone like diamonds in the night sky. Her eyes weren't cold like Maria's. Instead, they were filled with joy and light. She took off her robe and threw it onto the ground. She wore shorts with a white top. She waved her hands in the air and smiled at the people cheering for her. She turned to face David and folded her arms. "So, who's the unlucky person that has to fight me?" As she said that, everyone went quite and was listening to who David was about to announce. "This next person is someone who had never lost of battle in her life. We haven't seen her for a few years, but was a favourite. She is a force to be reckoned with. Welcome the mean, the cold-hearted and infamous... Maria!" Another door on the right side flung open and Maria walked in wearing a black robe with a picture of a red wolf on the back. A round of applause and whispers were in the room when Maria walked in and Lexa's jaw dropped when she realised who she was fighting. Her confident composure was destroyed when she saw Maria walk in. War paint was on her face and her eyes were cold and intimidating. She flung her robe to the other side of the room and got into her fighting stance. Lexa did the same. "Here are the rules: you fight with your hands until the second bell is rung and then you can get weapons and remember it's a fight to the death. When your opponent is dead, you win. Get ready." David walked out of the arena and towards the bell. Everyone counted down until they got to one and the bell was rung. Lexa threw the first punch, but Maria quickly dodged it. Lexa kept throwing punches and kicks, but every time, Maria dodged them. After a few punches, Lexa started to get tired and her punches got sloppy and messy. A devil-ish smirk spread across Maria's face and that was when she attacked. She threw a right upper cut and knocked back . She was taken by surprise and had no way to react. Maria turned her back to Lexa and jabbed her elbows into her stomach multiple times before Lexa moved to the side of Maria and kicked her in the side. Maria laughed and pounced onto Lexa. She repeatedly punched her in the face until blood was covered on her hands and Lexa's face was unrecognisable. Then, Lexa pushed her knees into Maria stomach and knocked her back. Quickly, Maria got to her feet and waited for Lexa to do the same. The defeat was all over Lexa's face, but she wouldn't give up. Then, the bell rang and the both of them went to a board to pick up either a spear or knife. Maria picked the spear and turned to see that Lexa had chosen the knife. This was when the fight began to get more interesting. The two walked towards each other and circled around each other. Lexa quickly jumped towards Maria. Maria quickly moved out of the way, but the knife sliced her arm as she moved. Anger boiled up inside Maria, but she also found it amusing to finally have a fight that was interesting. Lexa smiled and waved her hands in the air as she thought she was going to win. Although, she was very wrong. Maria twisted the spear in her hand and pointed it at Lexa. It hit her straight in her spine making her fall to the ground. She tried to get back up, but Maria was quicker than her and better. She kicked her in the stomach, causing her to get winded. Shouts and cheers erupted around the room and Maria couldn't help but feel like she was finally where she belonged. Maria looked at the person that was grasping for air. Maria knelt down and whispered in her ear, "You messed with the wrong girl." Maria slowly stood back up and grabbed Lexa by the top of her shirt, bringing her up with Maria. Lexa stood there powerless. Maria grabbed her spear and twisted it in her hand once again before she stabbed it through Lexa's back and out through her chest. Blood poured out and when Maria pulled the spear out of her chest, her heart came out with it. Lexa's lifeless body collapsed to the ground and blood poured out onto the ground as Lexa's face turned paler by the second. Blood dripped down the spear and Maria was covered in it. The blood was splattered on her face and her clothes were no longer their original colour. Cheers filled the room as people chanted Maria's name. She looked around the room and saw her friends. They weren't chanting. They weren't smiling. Instead, they were terrified of what they had just witnessed. They were terrified of the person she had become. Maria bowed and walked towards David. "Still your best fighter. Let's discuss the rest of the plan." Maria and David walked up the stairs and into the room they were previously in. They stand in front of each other and stayed in silence for a while. "You and the rest of the warriors must come to the Red Moon pack house in a week so we can discuss the final plan and how we are going to defeat Salice."     "That's okay with me. Although, there has been something on my mind while you were fighting. How about you join the fighting pit again?" Maria didn't say anything, but was left quiet shocked. "Think about it," explained David, "I could see on your face and by the way you were fighting that you loved fighting again. You loved having the control and the power in that arena. I know that after what I made you do, you hated being here because it reminded you of 'him', but the only way to slay your demons is to face them. What do you say?" Maria looked down at the floor. She hadn't thought about coming back or joining the fighting pit after she had to kill 'him'. Although, she knew that David was right. She did feel happy, powerful and in control while she was fighting and she loved that. Maria finally felt like she was wanted and that made her say, "Fine I'll think about it." David smiled as they both left the room. Maria waked over to the others and told them that it was time to leave and so they did. As they were about to leave, David shouts for them to stop. They all turn around and Maria steps forward and asked, "What is it?" Everyone gathers around David and kneel down onto the ground. It spreads from the left side to the right like a disease. Finally, it got to David who also kneeled down onto the ground. All together, they shouted, "OUR NEW LEADER. THE PERSON WHO WILL LEAD US TO VICTORY. WE ARE AT YOUR SERVICE, MARIA. THE LEADER OF THE WARRIORS." Maria smiled at David before she and the others left.

As everyone was getting into the van, no body spoke a word. The only person who was talking to Maria was Chris. Riley looked disgusted at Maria while the Enzo and Yasmine just looked shocked. "Why are you pretending that she didn't just kill someone for the sport of it? Questioned Riley. Chris and Maria stopped talking and faced Riley. "She had to kill that person to get them on our side. She didn't have a choice." "There's always a choice." Shouts Riley. Maria looked away and then back at Riley. "Listen, I know you don't approve what I just did, but you need to understand something. We are in a war. People are going to die, whether that is on the battlefield or not. I did what I had to do." Riley opened her mouth, but quickly got interrupted by the car suddenly coming to a quick stop. "What happened?" Chris shouts as everyone got out of the car. "The car ran out of fuel. We're stuck here." Maria rolled her eyes and said, "We need to look around so we can try and see if there is a petrol station or someone who can try and help us get fuel." Everyone nods and follows after Maria. They walked on the road for a while until something in the shadows caught Maria eyes. "Wait. Look." Everyone turned to look where Maria was pointing and saw a shadow quickly move away. They all chased after the person and soon caught up to them. Everyone kept running behind the person, but Maria ran out to the side. No body knew where she went for a while as everyone were trying their best to see who this person was. Questions ran through mind like why were they spying on them? Who was the person?

They were running after the person for a while, but soon Maria surprised the person and pushed them to the ground. She placed her knife to their throat and pulled the hood around their head down. Maria quickly got up as she recognised who the person was. "Aunt?"