Exceptional (19 page)

Luke had told her just this morning that he needed her to stay home for her own safety, that today was a bad day for her to be out unprotected.  She should have listened to him, but it was too late to change that now, no matter how much she wished she could reverse time.  Tighe apparently had big plans for today, and they included challenging Luke to a fight.  This time, he would have Ally to barter with, and Luke would have to either oblige him or forfeit his contract with her.

    “What have I done?” Ally mumbled, realizing that she might have given up everything good she had found in the City.  Today she just might lose Luke.

    The Warehouse loomed up in front of them.  It was easy to pick out seeing as it was the oldest looking building in City Center.  It reminded Ally of the factories they had passed on their way to the Lake.  Luke had once explained that the Exceptional teens didn’t want the maintenance crews to work on the appearance.  They liked the run down look it had.
    Two lines stretched in either direction in front of the building, and one of them was even starting to curve around the side.  Tighe and his friends marched her right up to the double doors, where two teen Exceptionals stood.  They were obviously training to become Guards by the way they stood at attention.  She felt that familiar uneasiness in her gut as they looked down at her.
    “Tighe,” One of the Exceptionals nodded his head and leaned back, opening the door for them.  Ally was shoved forward through the doors and into the crowded entryway of the building.  Ally could immediately see that the Warehouse was one big open space.  The upper floors had been cleared out to open up the building, making the ceiling visible several stories above.  Bright lights lit the building and as she was pushed further forward, she could see a make shift concrete circle to the right.  It appeared to be a ring for the fights to take place in.  In a building this size, she was sure there was more than one of these.
    The crowd to her left cheered loudly, signaling that something exciting was happening in one of the current fights.  Ally couldn’t see much around her at the moment, since all of the Exceptionals were much taller than her.  Tighe regained a hold on her arm and pulled her forward, using his free arm to push Exceptionals out of their way.
    “Find Luke,” Tighe said to the female Exceptional who had been traveling with them.  She nodded and disappeared into the wall of bodies in front of them.
    “He has been here all afternoon, he will probably be leaving soon,” one of the males beside her said.
    “Not with her here he won’t,” Tighe grinned.  
    They finally pushed their way out of the crowd and into the middle of the room.  Ally took the chance to grab a better look around, finding that she was right about there being multiple places to fight.  There were two rings on either side of the area they stood in now, and each area was surrounded with rows of seats that staggered upward at least one story.  It appeared to be built that way so that everyone in the crowd could have a view. The ring closest to her on the left, where the cheers had come from, was now empty and being prepped for a new fight.  Ordinarys swept the floor, moping up bodily fluids that Ally couldn’t identify.  She suddenly felt nauseous.

Where they stood now, there were two tables set up with an Exceptional seated at each.  A line of Exceptionals formed on either side, waiting to sign up for a fight.  As they approached the table one by one, the Exceptional seated there would ask them a few questions and punch information into the porta-comp.

    A familiar voice filled the space behind her.  “What’s this Tighe, you’ve come back for more?  I’ve already beaten you three times.  Are you sure you want to make it four?”
    The ease in Luke’s voice told her that he hadn’t noticed her.  She started to turn and felt Tighe hold her in place.  One of his friends had stepped in front of her, blocking her from Luke’s sight.
    “Fourth time’s a charm,” Tighe responded.  “And this time I’m bringing a deal to the table.”
    “I don’t have anything on me,” Luke responded.  “Are you prepared to lose whatever
you
brought?”
    Luke’s voice sounded so cocky and confident.  It was a side of him she had only seen once or twice since she had arrived in the City, and she wondered if he always acted this way when she was not around.
    “Are you?”  Tighe said.

At that moment his friend stepped out of the way and Tighe spun Ally around.  Her eyes immediately met Luke’s and she watched his poised demeanor fade for just a moment.  He regained his composure and she he watched as his jaw tightened, his violet eyes glowing with fury.

    “No way,” He spat.  “She isn’t yours to barter.”
    “Well, I found her wandering around in the outer suburbs of the City, not anywhere near your home, so I’d have to say that she is
mine
.”
    Ally didn’t like being talked about as though she was a possession, and it was just a reminder that she would always be viewed as lesser than the others.  Another Ordinary to be owned and passed around.
    Luke’s gaze flickered down to her.  “Is this true?”
    His tone was accusatory and the effect of his glare forced her to stare at the floor.  She managed a nod and flinched as Luke cursed under his breath.
    “So, as I see it, you have two options.  Fight for her, or lose her.”   Tighe shrugged like it was no big deal.  
    “I’ll do it,” Luke growled, his hands clenched into fists at his side.  Pax and Maver stood on either side of him, their expressions just as threatening.  
    Ally realized he didn’t have much of a choice.  Well, he could say no and leave her with Tighe, but he wouldn’t do that.  Not Luke.  
    A satisfied smile fell on Tighe’s face and he pulled Ally over to the registration table, knocking another Exceptional out of the way.  The person seated at the table, a younger female, opened her mouth to tell him off but then saw who was standing in front of her.
    “Oh, Tighe.  Opponent?” she asked, grabbing the porta-comp next to her.
    “Luke.” He grinned, not bothering to finish the name.  They had done this enough times to be considered regular competitors.
    The girl paused for a second and then pressed the screen a few times.  She handed him the porta-comp and he pressed a button on the screen.  Luke stepped up beside her and took the porta-comp, touching his finger to the screen in the same way that Tighe had.  He took a moment to glance at Ally, a somber look in his eyes, and then turned to rejoin Pax and Maver.
    “We want Arena One,” Tighe demanded.
    The girl nodded.  “The last fight in One just finished so they are clearing it out now.  I’ll send this e-comm to the Ref while you go prep.”
    Tighe began to pull Ally away but she struggled against him.  “Can’t I go with Luke?  I’ll sit with Maver and Pax during the fight.”
    “Yeah, right, and risk them running off with you,” he shook his head.
    “Isn’t that against the rules?” She sneered.
    “You’ll be coming with us,” he said as he pulled her roughly, forcing her through the crowd.  Was Luke watching their interaction, or had he already gone to prep for the fight?
    She was led along the back wall of the warehouse, passing the ring closest to the registration table.  Two shirtless Exceptionals circled around the concrete slab, hands facing out.  One’s hands were pulsating with a bright, green light.  He pushed his hand forward and the green light shot at his opponent.  Ally was sure the other Exceptional was going to be blown to bits but instead he blinked and disappeared from sight, reappearing after the green beam had passed.  She also noticed that there was some sort of invisible wall around the ring to prevent anything from happening to the crowd.  It had flashed blue for a moment when the green beam hit it.
    The crowd of Exceptionals pushed toward them, struggling to find a seat from which they could watch.  This fight must be
the
fight to see today.  The air pulsed around her, filling with the excitement of the crowd.  The back of her neck tingled and she could almost feel their adrenaline coursing through her own body.
    Tighe led her to Arena One and motioned for her to sit on a wooden bench just a few yards from the circular ring.  After making sure his friends had secured a seat on either side of her, he pulled his shirt over his head and jumped around on his feet, stretching his arms above his head.
    His top half was hardened with muscles and not a single ounce of fat jiggled as he moved.  Ally couldn’t take her eyes off him, still finding herself in awe of the strength the Exceptionals exhibited.  Tighe turned and looked at her for a moment, a sly smile on his face.
    “Like what you see?” He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.
    He shrugged and stepped into the ring, continuing his odd, jumpy stretches.  Across the room, Luke stepped into the ring, a determined look on his face.  He was also shirtless, something Ally had seen before, but the lights above the Arena created deep contrasts across his body.  He looked larger and more menacing, and the sight made her insides light on fire.  
    Luke had been here for several hours.  Ally wasn’t sure exactly how many fights he had completed, but she could see he wasn’t at his best.  His face already glistened with sweat and the glow in his eyes was dimming.  A female Exceptional, most likely the Ref, stepped up to the Arena and pulled a lever beside it.  A blue flash appeared around the circle, signaling the appearance of the invisible wall Ally had noticed in the neighboring ring.  It also seemed to signal the start of the fight because Tighe and Luke began to slowly circle each other.  Their hands faced outward, like Ally had seen the others do, and they kept their eyes focused on each other.
    Tighe’s hands began to glow an orange light and Ally found herself bouncing her legs.  She had no idea what his abilities were compared to Luke’s, but she could at least find comfort in the fact that Luke had beaten Tighe at least three times before.  
    “Tighe has been training,” the male to her right spoke.  “He has been honing a new ability specifically for this.”
    Ally wasn’t sure why he was talking to her.  Maybe to make her nervous?   If so, it worked.  Especially as she watched Luke take in Tighe’s glowing hands.  He was obviously startled by the sight, and therefore had never seen it before.  Had Tighe lost to Luke on purpose previously, just to have a final win?  Had he planned on having Ally to barter with?  She shuddered at the thought and brought her hands to her mouth, biting at her finger nails.  Her mother always discouraged this habit, saying it was a particularly nasty one, but she wasn’t here to give Ally disapproval.
    The glowing in Tighe’s hands burned bright until finally, and quicker than Ally could follow, he brought his hands together in front of him.  A giant ball of fire shot forward toward Luke.  Luke was fast, but the initial shock cost him a small burn to the side of his arm.  Ally let out a worried gasp and the male to her right laughed.
    “Told you,” he said with a grin.
    She elbowed him in the side, which probably hurt her more than it hurt him, but she felt some satisfaction in the action.  He glared down at her, looking as if he might reciprocate, but then his gaze found it’s way back to the fight.
     Luke was raising his hands up now, and in an instant Tighe was lifted off his feet, his body dangling in the air.  He moved his hands to the right and Tighe’s body was thrown into the side of the Arena, and then lifted into the air once again.
    “Luke’s been practicing too.”  Ally looked over at the same male and smirked.
    “Tighe is still stronger.  Their fights never last long, it should be over soon”, he grunted.
    She felt like they had barely started, but the Arena next to theirs had already cleared out even though that fight had just begun when they were walking over.  If one Exceptional was stronger than the other, it could be easy to win in seconds.  But Luke and Tighe seemed almost evenly matched.
    The Ref gave some sort of warning shout, a word Ally didn’t hear, and Luke set Tighe back on the ground.
    “There are rules against holding someone in the air for a long period of time.  Luke could hold him there all night and there would never be any action,” the male droned on.  She wondered what the male on her left was thinking.  Did he ever speak?
    The scene continued back and forth for several long minutes.  Tighe would send fire and Luke would lift him in the air, slamming him into the invisible wall.  Ally was sure they had other abilities, but they seemed to be bent on annoying each other with these specific ones.  Both of them glistened with sweat, and she could see their arms shaking from exhaustion.  

If she hadn’t been so intent on watching Tighe’s glowing hands on their fifth go around, she might not have noticed it.  Just before his hands reached their full power, he flicked his arm back toward them.  It was slight, and barely there, but she saw it.