A/N: Oh look! Another chapter! It only took almost six months! Anyways, I'm really sorry that the update took so long. The issue I have with writing this story is that in each chapter, I attempt to outdo the last one. Now, I feel like in the first chapter of the Arena, I set a pretty high standard for myself, and the last thing I want to do is disappoint all of you with a crappy chapter. So, I really hope the wait was worth it for you. Thank you all so much for sticking around to this story, it means a lot. Enjoy!
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Maya drew Ginger's arm closer to herself, holding it at the elbow.

"We're going to need a knife," Maya mumbled. Ginger whimpered at the worried faces Maya and Jasmine wore. Maya moved to take the damaged flesh in her other hand, "Alright, Ginger, I'm just going to-"

She firmly grasped the forearm, and the blackened limb crumbled into nothing more than ashes in Maya's hand.

Ginger opened her mouth to scream, but Jasmine quickly clamped her hand over the orifice.

"THEY, could find us, remember?" Jasmine reprimanded.

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

"It's ten o' clock," Jasmine stated, quite needlessly.

"It feels like it's been nine for a whole summer, and then some," Maya added in wonder.

"Come on, we need to go. We- especially Ginger- aren't safe anywhere," Jasmine reminded them.

She shuffled out of the woods, Ginger close on her tail, still mourning the loss of her arm. Jasmine's eyes darted around watchfully. They couldn't trust anything they looked upon. The woods and their thoughts had turned against them already. Anything could be next. Jasmine would not have been surprised if the very stars in the sky rained down upon the unsuspecting contestants.

The silence was too thick for Jasmine's liking. She had never been this put off in her life. The wall had been built centuries before she was born, so she had known nothing of fear, known nothing of danger, known nothing of death. Safety was the only thing that she had ever known before now.

Jasmine felt the sudden need to tear the blanket of quiet surrounding them, and it was all she could to hold that impulse back. Sound could be their enemy in this round. Their voices could be the device of their murder. Any unnecessary risk, including a simple uttering of, "How are you holding up," was not to be taken.

The deafening quiet continued, pounding on Jasmine's ears. Each beat was louder than the last, like a bass drum in her head. It became the background noise to her actions.

Ba-dum. Step.

Ba-dum. Step.

Ba-dum. Step.

Ba-dum.

A screech pierced through her. Jasmine turned, "Did you hear that?"

Another horrible screech, not coming from the outside, but rather within her, reverberating between her ears. The two other girls looked at her strangely.

"Please tell me you're hearing that too," she practically begged of them. A cold dread sunk into her heart.

Maya and Ginger smiled hungrily at Jasmine, approaching her with threatening steps. Jasmine slowly backed up as the two prowled up to her. There was only one explanation that she could think of to explain this, and she shouted it out to see fit she was right.

"It's not you! THEY are controlling you! Don't give in, I'm your friend!" she cried out.

Maya and Ginger cared not for her words and continued to move forward upon Jasmine.

The docile and fearful girl that still lived within Jasmine tried to pull her to the ground and curl in upon herself, allowing Ginger and Maya to do as they pleased. But, the fighter's spirit that had been trained and cultured burst out of her. They had been her friends, and now they were enemies, in the way of her survival. And Jasmine was going to survive.

Even if it meant killing every damn person in that Arena.

Now weaponless, Jasmine had no choice but to use her hands. It would be harder to defend herself with the disadvantages she had, and it would be harder to attack without the feeling of distance that the weapon established, but the only other option was to leave herself at their mercy.

Jasmine kicked out her foot, effectively tripping Maya and causing her to fall off of her feet. Jasmine quickly scrambled away from the tree that she had been backed against. Taking advantage of the fact that Ginger now only had one arm, Jasmine seized the intact one in her grasp.

Ginger pushed back onto the arm, making Jasmine stumble back. Ginger menacingly hovered her foot over Jasmine's body. Jasmine took the chance and removed her hold from Ginger's arm and pushed up on her foot as hard as she could. Due to her imbalance, Ginger fell backwards. Just as soon as Jasmine stood, she sat upon Ginger's back.

Ginger wriggled beneath her, but Jasmine paid no heed, once again possessing herself of Ginger's arm and twisted it violently. Ginger whimpered in pain and Jasmine took the twisted limb and bent it across the girl's back.
The pain evident within Ginger's cries hurt Jasmine to the bone.

But a metal glinting reminded her that she needed to do this. If Ginger wasn't taken care of, Jasmine would die. And Jasmine did not intend on dying that day. She slid the knife from Ginger's back pocket and lifted it in preparation.

Suddenly, Maya, who Jasmine had temporarily forgotten, lunged at her. Jasmine tumbled off of Ginger and lost hold of the knife. Now Jasmine lied on the ground, at the mercy of two murderous girls. Jasmine reached out with her left hand and reached for the weapon. Her fingers grazed upon the hilt, and she stretched out to reach it.

Once she had it firmly in her hand, she swiped at Maya. It sliced against her cheek, leaving a considerable gash. Maya lifted her hand to the wound in shock. She wiped the blood from the cut and stared at it, as if seeing blood for the first time. Maya's mouth spread to a wide smile and she dipped the fingers into her mouth, licking her hand clean.

Jasmine took the opportunity to sit up and stab the knife into Maya's stomach. Maya gaped soundlessly, and Jasmine stood and pierced Maya's body once again. She left the fallen cadaver and returned to where Ginger was, writhing helplessly.

Looking at the girl, pathetically writhing on the ground, Jasmine felt an ache in her heart. These were her friends. What was she do-

There was a flickering, like a television losing connection. Jasmine gasped.

It wasn't real.

Taking the knife firmly in her hand once again, Jasmine came down upon the vision that wanted Jasmine to think was Ginger fiercely. She imagined all that she had to live for, all that Jasper almost had, all that was stripped from the contestants at the age of sixteen. She remembered how they were assured that sixteen was the prime age- thinking back now, she could feel that they were like hogs being slaughtered at the "prime age."

All these thoughts Jasmine had as she slit across the hologram's throat, effectively killing it. Once again, the world flickered, and Jasmine took a final glance around the area, worried for a moment that she had been delusional and was not in a dream. And then-

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Ba-dum.

Screeeeeeech.

Her ears rung and she was in the same spot, with Ginger next to her, breathing heavily, and very much alive.

"Thank goodness I didn't really-" Jasmine began between breaths, still calming herself after the adrenaline rush. She noticed how Ginger was tearing up next to her.

"Jasmine, I-I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else to do," she whispered.

"It wasn't really me, and it wasn't really you in my head either. Just like Maya wasn't--" Jasmine stopped short as realization dawned on the girls.

"Maya," They said in conjunction.

Both stood and ran despite their labored breathing, trying to find where Maya could have gone. They didn't know what had brought them to where they were, but they were certain that it could not possibly be anything benevolent. This was the Arena, after all.

They found her several yards away, lying unconscious on the ground. A grotesque creature crouched over her like a Neanderthal , its unnaturally long fingers stretching out and delving into Maya's head. It had gray skin, peeling away from its body in some places, and a putrid flame coming from its general area almost made it appear to be rotting. Upon the front of its head was no face, but instead a single large orifice. Maya still looked peaceful despite the horror that was above her.
Jasmine wanted to draw back at the appearance of the thing, instead she slowly made her approach.

Her feet fell softly, and her walking was practically matching the speed of a crawling worm, for fear of angering whatever the thing was. It still hadn't visibly acknowledged her or Ginger, and Jasmine fervently hoped it continued to be ignorant of her presence. A single misstep could lead to her death. She creeped forward, the minute hand on the clock in tune with her. She was in range, she could throw and-

"Jasmine, hurry," Ginger whispered.

The thing whipped around, and even though it did not have eyes, Jasmine felt its glare pierce the depths of her being. No longer affording to wait any longer and continuing to take the risk of death, Jasmine launched herself forward in a mighty leap, grabbing at the horror in order to bring it down with her. Its fingers ripped out of Maya's skull, and it clawed with bloody hands at Jasmine's face. She blocked the attempted hits while trying to land the knife. Ginger noticed her struggle and hastened forward to help. She seized her knife from Jasmine's hand, which was engaged in preventing the creature from touching her. Filled with a frenzied rage, she plunged it into the creature's head, then chest, then arms and any other part she could make contact with. Jasmine scrambled off in a hurry, worried that Ginger's next move would fall upon her.

After quite a while, Ginger finally stopped, and wrapped her arm around her stomach.

"That was for my arm, and Maya, and," Ginger's  voice caught as she said, "Jas-Jasper. And- And for everyone that has to do this, just to prove that we're safe."

"We aren't safe," Jasmine muttered.

"Jazz, help me stand up. My legs are shaking horribly and if I stay here I'm going to vomit."

Jasmine held Ginger gently by the hand and elbow and guided her away.

"J-Jasmine," Ginger whispered at length.

"Yes, Ginger?"

"Can you, please, please promise me something?"

"What is it?"

Ginger stopped. "Promise me that you won't be killed, ever."

Jasmine opened her mouth and then closed it again. She remained silent.

The voice announced Maya's death.

Such promises should never be made.