Contest: The Trials

Host: TheDailyDorkage

The moment the old man is done interrogating me the guard from earlier steps into the room with a grimace plastered securely onto his face. He stalks around the room, keeping to the edge as he appraises me, a disgusted look on his rather ugly face. We don't speak as he gestures me from the room and down another dark tunnel.

But this trip isn't as long and I soon find myself being shoved through a metal door into an enclosed octagonal shaped room. The ceiling is adorned with strange pictures and writing that hopelessly confuse me, though I still crane my neck in the attempt to read it.

"Ky!" A loud, shrill shriek echoes off the walls of the room, bouncing through my head like a beautiful chime. I lower my eyes, the ceiling completely forgotten, as my gaze settles on a girl with bright blue eyes and long strawberry blonde hair. A suffocating surge of warmth and relief buzz throughout my entire body, prompting me forward at a hurried pace.

"Hadley, you're safe." I mutter, wrapping the frail looking girl up in my arms and squeezing her to my chest as if she might disappear at any moment

. Hadley presses her face into my neck, her hot breath tickling my throat. I feel her fingers as they tangle in my blonde strands, nearly pulling the hair from my scalp.

"Ouch!" Hadley yelps and I instantly release her, a streak of fear tumbling through my stomach. She bends over, clasping her hands around her ribcage as her face twists in agony. I place my hand on her shoulder, watching worriedly as she breathes out heavily and brushes her hair away from her face, allowing me to clearly see to her discolored face.

Her cheek and left eye were swollen and partially closed, shades of dark purple and blue colored her features in the most sickening of ways. The remnants of blood tinted the skin around her nose and cheek. Hadley's lower lip had split and a heavily look of weariness plagued her body. Bile rises in my throat and an all-consuming anger vibrates throughout my being. I clench my fist by my side, guilt and fear warring within me.

"What happened?" I question, Hadley glances up and meets my steely gaze. She bites her lip and shakes her head.

"Nothing." She mutters under her breath, turning her face away. I grit my teeth and breathe in heavily.

"Hadley." I snap, gently placing my hand beneath her jaw and turning her head toward mine. She looks down, dutifully avoiding my gaze. "Please Hads, what happened?" She sighs and closes her eyes, exhaustion writing itself into the contours of her face. She slumps her shoulders forward and presses her shoulder into my chest, allowing me to wrap my free arm softly around her waist.

"The guard, he hit me. I think I cracked a rib." She mumbles, peaking a glance up at me. Shock resonates throughout my skull, a steady drum of pure fury beating through my body.

"Where?" I snap, looking around the room as various clones stumble about. Hadley frowns and shrugs, her eyes cautious.

"Ky, it's fine. Okay? It's done, let it go." She begs, grasping my arm and forcing my eyes down to meet hers. I shrug her off, dead set on destroying whatever low life it was who hurt her.

"No, I'm going to kill him." I whisper in a low, lethal voice. Hadley's eyes widen and she jumps in front of me, grasping my hands tightly in hers.

"No! No, you're not. Look Ky, I'm fine! A bit bruised but fine!" She squeals desperately, sea blue eyes brimming with anxiety.

"How can you say that?" I bark, staring at her once flawless face with a sinking feeling of despair. Hadley scowls and rolls her eyes.

"Damn you, we're together now! That's all that matters, stop this. It's not worth it!" She snaps, eyes enraged. For several moments I stare into her unyielding gaze with the same level of intensity. Until finally, I feel my resolve begin to crack under the weight of her will and slump forward with my head ducked.

"Alright, I'm sorry." Hadley nods and takes a deep breath.

"Thank you, now kiss me you idiot." Hadley barks, twining her arms around my neck and merging them behind my head. With one forceful tug, she pulls my head down and our lips connect. In that moment I can think of nothing but her, the way she smells, how she feels in my arms, and our intertwined bodies matter. All I can think is her and all I feel is how hopelessly in love I am with her. She's my one weakness, the only thing that could truly destroy me.

"Hell." I whisper breathily when she pulls away, resting her forehead against mine. I keep my arms wound around her waist and our bodies pressed together. She giggles, a joyful smile lighting up her features and pulls away slightly.

"I love you." She yelps, giggling with glee. I smile down at her, an uncontrollable desire taking hold of me.

"I love it when you say that." I whisper back, Hadley's eyebrows raise and she pretends to pout.

"You don't love me too?" She wonders, sticking out her lower lip. I part my lips slightly, wanting so desperately to kiss her again.

"Of course I do." I retort, Hadley smirks and quirks one eyebrow up.

"Say it." She demands, pressing her hot palms against my chest.

"I love you too." I say, watching the way her eyes light up with unabashed joy.

"Hey!" A rough voice shouts, Hadley and I pull away and turn to face the person. An angry guard stalks toward us, a permanent scowl planted on his face. Subtly, I place my arm in front of Hadley and take a half step forward, eyeing the guard wearily.

"What?" I growl, matching the malice in his eyes. He jerks his head at the three doors on the edges of the room.

"Get moving, you don't have all day." He growls and stalks off without a backward glance and I have suppress the unquenchable urge to sneak up on him and squish him like a tiny bug. Turning away, I slip my hand into Hadley's and walk with her toward the first door.

"Nothing's going to kill us in there, right?" She mutters, looking up at me with distaste.

"I don't think so." I comment, pushing the door open hesitantly. What Hadley and I find within the room is most unexpected; shelves line each wall, piled high with clothing of all styles. There's only one thing in common with each item; they're all black.

"Huh, not what I expected." Hadley says, grinning. She pulls me into the room, a giddy hop in her step as she begins a desperate browse throughout the room. Despite the other clones mulling about, Hadley strips her shirt over her head and pulls on a sleeveless, black chiffon button up. She turns to me and raises a questioning eyebrow.

"I can see your bra." I comment, she glances down and her cheeks turn a brilliant red.

"Oops." She says, crossing her arms over her chest and stripping the shirt off. I catch sight of a black tank top and toss it at her.

"Here, try this." I say, hitting her in the face with the flimsy shirt. She makes a weird noise and pulls the shirt away, glaring playfully at me. Then, she puts the tank top and chiffon shirt back on.

"Better?"

"Much." I comment, but she's already picking through another pile.

"Oh!" She gasps, holding up a pair of skin tight black leggings. "These are perfect." And before I can object she lets her distasteful pants fall to the floor in a puddle of fabric. Hurriedly, she slips her legs into the leggings and wiggles around until they're comfortable against her skin. Hadley glances up at me and frowns.

"Well come on, get dressed Ky." She snaps, gesturing around the room. I shake my head and nod, leaving her alone to browse the piles of clothing. I pull a simple plain black t-shirt from the top of a pile and strip my current one off. The black t-shirt fits snuggly, but the material is warm and soft. Next, I grab some black jeans and exchange them for the with I'm wearing.

"Hadley?" I question, unable to find her in the spot I left her.

"Hey Ky," she says, suddenly appearing by my side. "flats or boots?" She questions, holding up two pairs of shoes; one was a pair of black tennis shoe flats and the other were combat boots.

"The boots." I respond, looking for a pair for myself and settling on some black boots as well. Hadley finds a black leather jacket somewhere within the piles and then plucks up another, handing the second to me.

"What's this for?" I ask, holding it in my hand helplessly. Hadley makes a funny expression and rolls her eyes as she slips her arms into her own leather jacket.

"It's for you to wear genius." She says as she zips hers up, "And take these too, it's an extra shirt for each of us." Hadley announces, placing the two objects in my hand.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" I ask, she just shrugs and exits the room. I sigh and follow quickly after her.

"Ky! This room has food!" She hollers over her shoulder, darting into another room with a shout of glee. I wonder into the room and spot her out of the crowd as she grabs a spare hairband from one the tables and winds her hair up into a loose ponytail.

"Don't just run off." I grumble when I catch up to her, Hadley grabs two backpacks and offers one to me with a smile.

"Relax, no one's even paying attention to us." She reasons, slipping the backpack straps onto her shoulders as she pulls me along behind her. I unzip the bag and painstakingly stuff the two extra shirts in with all the rest of the stuff before putting it on.

"Hey!" A bright voice announces from behind us, I whirl around and once again position myself between Hadley and the stranger. It turns out to be a girl with striking multicolored eyes; one green and one blue. They were mesmerizing and I found myself staring at them.

"Hey." Hadley says from behind me as she side steps my outstretched arm, "I'm Hadley." She introduces, extending her hand to the stranger.

"I'm Cassandra, but call me Cass." The girl responds, glancing between Hadley and I. "Are you guys a team or something?" Cass wonders, curiosity electrifying her mixed gaze.

"Yeah, why?" I question, grasping Hadley's arm and tugging her back a step. She glances sharply over her shoulder, eyes narrowed into slits as she jerks her arm free of my hold.

"Ky here is a bit overprotective, sorry." She unnecessarily apologizes, Cass nods and crosses her arms over her chest. She was wearing all black just like the rest of us and already had a backpack strapped to her body. Cass shakes her head, causing all of her raven black hair to fall over her left shoulder.

"It's okay, I was wondering if you'd be interested in forming an alliance with me." She asks, a fully exposed expression on her face. "I'm not looking for protection or anything, I can handle myself just fine. I was just," she pauses, at a loss for words. "I don't know, just curious I guess. You guys look strong, I suppose." She bumbles, clearly a bit nervous. Hadley shrugs and glances at me.

"I don't mind." She says, wrapping her arm around my waist and resting her head on my chest. Cass shifts and sighs heavily.

"What are your Attributes?" I wonder curiously, if we were going to carry around extra weight I wanted to make sure it was worth it.

"Intelligence and Scouting." She responds, straightening up slightly with pride. I nod, thinking it over in my head. Neither Hadley nor I had those Attributes, and perhaps we would need them.

"Alright, I think it's a good idea. I'm Ky." I say, nodding my head in greeting. Cass smiles and claps her hands together before her.

"Great!"

"Have you guys been to the weapons room yet?" Cass asks, falling into step beside me as we walk out of the room. Hadley glances over at her and shakes her head.

"No, have you?" Cass gestures to her weapons and nods.

"Yeah, come on. There's lots of choices." She says and practically bounces with excitement into the weapons room. Once inside, Hadley instantly deserts me with a shriek of delight as she plucks a quiver of arrows and bow from one shelf.

"Yay!" She yelps, hugging the weapon to her chest before slinging the quiver across her body. I scan the room, looking for one particular weapon. A sparkling splash of silver catches my eye and I head toward it, plucking the band of knives from the top of a pile. Cass follows close behind me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Do you have good aim?" I snort, remembering all the times I used to throw darts at a picture of Cameron's face in order to keep my sanity.

"Exceptional aim." I correct her and glance across the room where Hadley was currently caught up in conversation with a guy I didn't know. A surge of emotion courses through me and I hurry back to her side, my eye trained on the boy wearily. Cass follows as if she had nothing else to do with herself.  

"Hey," I whisper to Hadley who turns her head and smiles, slipping her arm around my waist.

"Hey, I was just talking with Cole here." She says, gesturing to a boy with faded grayish blue eyes and black hair streaked with blue. "He's going to ally with us." Hadley says, Cole smiles.

"What?" I snap, Hadley rolls her eyes and gestures to Cole.

"He's a good ally. Stop complaining." She says with a flick of her wrist.

"Guys," Cass snaps, pulling all our attention. "we need to regroup soon. Pick your second weapons." Hadley nods and grasps my hand, pulling me along behind her.

"Stop it Ky, you'll scare them off. I thought you had the Attribute of Charm." She hisses, plucking a slim vile of black liquid and a handful of darts from two separate piles. She pulls the lid off the top of the vile and sniffs it, her face twisting in a grimace.

"Yeah, that's definitely poison." She mutters, closing the vile and tucking it into the waistband of her leggings.

"For what?" Hadley looks up and dangles the darts in front of my face.

"Poison darts, what's your second weapon?" She inquires, watching Cass and Cole from a distance. I follow her gaze, narrowing my eyes at the newest addition to our once small and simple group of two.

"Katana, I guess." I mutter, grasping the hilt of the thin sword and strapping it over my shoulder. "Now let's get back in that octagon room before we get screwed for being late."