The rainy day of school started the next day, and Jez was already sitting in class, feeling like he would not see Zara again. Of course, she would tell her father, and of course, they would leave. So he was more than surprised when she stepped into the room and took a shaky seat next to Jez at the back of the room. "You didn't tell the General or the Kernel." She said quietly, turning to look at Jez before asking, "How come?" Jez turned back to face her, a sad look in his eyes as he replied, "I think you're right about my mother. I have no time to explain now. But, I think the Kernel killed her." Zara's mouth fell open, and the classroom door opened, the General stepping smoothly inside. "Jez, it is time to head to the Arena," he said loudly, and Jez reluctantly stood from his seat, shooting a glance at Zara before hurrying from the room, following his father.
The ride to the Arena was, for Jez at least, dull. His father was quiet as the two sat opposite each other in the Zodiac Army truck, which bounced over the rough terrain before coming to a sharp stop. The General was first out, and Jez followed. He was in awe of the Arena. It was more of a colosseum from the outside, its tall walls painted a blood-like colour and the stairs leading to each level on the outside painted grey. They headed to the top floor, where the General's two Elite Guards stood guarding the door. They let him pass, and Jez found himself staring at the back of a silver throne, overlooking the entire, packed Arena, the hundreds of voices shouting with glee. There was no delay in waiting for people to calm down, because the General held a microphone and said, "Welcome to our annual Spectre Games!"
The crowd went wild, roaring and trying to be heard over one another, and the General said, "These games are here to demonstrate the power, sheer will and minds of the Zodiac Empire! To show that we are the superior race and to show that we will not be put to the dark so easily!" The crowd grew even louder, and the General seemed to be enjoying it, whereas Jez kept silent by his side. "To let the rest of the world know that Zodiacs should be feared!" The crowd went wilder. "There are now three Spectres remaining in the world! And we will stop at nothing to make sure they too are either captured or killed!" The crowd jeered and booed at the mention of Spectres, even surprising Jez that the Zodiac people were this violent. "Two Spectres will enter the Arena! Only one will survive and go back to prison! If both refuse, they will be executed!"
The crowd were screaming and raging, and the two Spectres entered the Arena, both holding a sword in their hand. It was a man and a woman as they approached the middle of the Arena and looked into each other's eyes. Jez realised, with a pang in his heart, that the man was the Spectre who had been talking to Zara yesterday. "Fight or you will be killed!" The General screamed, and the two Spectres made their decision. They both threw their swords away and turned to look up at the General. The crowd watched with bated breath. This had not happened for years. "Very well then!" The General yelled. BANG! The man dropped to one knee and then fell to the side, blood pouring from a wound in his stomach. BANG! The woman fell backwards, blood squirting from her chest as she hit the sandy floor. Jez looked across at his father, who was seen holding a smoking, silver pistol.
On cue, two Zodiacs ran into the Arena and moved the bodies to the side of the large Arena, not bothering to cover the corpses, and then two male Spectres entered the Arena, holding swords, and charged towards each other. They met in the middle, both knowing what they had to do. Swords clashed through the air, the sound ringing around the Arena before being drowned out by the sound of much clapping and yelling. The two Spectres blocked and swiped at each other until finally one parried a blow from the other, drew their sword back, and then thrust it through their turned back. Blood squirted, and the Spectre collapsed. Jez tried to have a neutral expression remain on his face, but inside he was horrified. The body was removed, the remaining Spectre sent back to their prison, and two girls ran out to meet each other. Fight after fight, and Jez was shocked by it all. The Spectres killed one another until it was a man and woman remaining.
That had been a short fight because the man threw his sword aside, and the woman stabbed him through the chest. The crowd was still roaring and cheering, and the General stood from his mighty throne, speaking into the microphone once more. However, Jez did not listen. His mind was elsewhere, thinking about the Spectres. How could his father allow them to kill their own kind as punishment? The crowd began thinning as people left the Arena, and before his father could turn around to speak with him, Jez too slipped away, hiding amongst the other Zodiacs as he left the Arena, climbed into the truck he had come here in, and told the driver to leave. He knew his father would take another form of transportation, so he had no trouble relaxing for the twenty-minute ride back to the school. Classes had already finished, but Jez had a feeling he knew where Zara would be.
So he took off into the Black Forest. He headed further into it, not bothering to check if he were being followed, because who would care if he were taking a walk into the Black Forest. Minutes passed as he walked, and then a voice cut through the trees, "Jez!" Jez turned, seeing Zara sitting down amongst the grass, a kit of medical supplies and basket of food beside her. "Hey Zara," Jez said, collapsing next to her and feeling grateful to take a rest. "How was it?" she asked, and Jez sighed, "Awful." That answer seemed to take Zara by surprise because she turned around and stared at Jez with wide eyes. "All my life, I was led to believe that Spectres were evil and my enemy, but how could I think that when my own people are making Spectre's slaughter each other for entertainment?"
Zara reached over and placed a gentle hand on Jez's leg, trying to console him. Jez felt his own throat constrict as tears suddenly stung at his eyes, threatening to take over everything else he was feeling, and he hurriedly turned his head away from Zara, wiping away the tears in an attempt to cover how he was truly feeling. "Oh, Jez," Zara said, reaching over to gently touch the side of his face and bringing him around to face her. He gazed into her crystal blue eyes, reaching up and gently cupping the side of her face in his hand. "I'm still not sure what I should do," Jez breathed, unable to comprehend that he was so close to his best friend, their noses almost touching. "I do," Zara breathed back, "You need to make a life for yourself here."
And with that, she leaned in closer, and their lips met. Jez kissed her back, keeping a firm grip on the back of her head as they kissed. They broke apart after several seconds, their breathing slightly faster as they stared at each other, both of them apparently shocked by what had just happened. "Let's go for a walk," she murmured, and Jez nodded eagerly, both of them standing and then headed through the forest. Zara knew where she was going, and Jez did not, so he walked closely behind her, a blush remaining on his face. "Why do you hate watching Spectres being made to kill each other when they can just as easily refuse?" Zara asked as they walked, and Jez chuckled, "They don't have a choice. The first fighters who went into the ring dropped their swords and didn't fight, so my father personally shot them both."
Zara looked over her shoulder at him, looking sad, and then she reached back to grasp his hand, "My father is a monster...and so am I," Jez muttered darkly. They didn't slow their pace as they marched through the trees and tall grass, but Zara seemed upset by what Jez said, "You are nothing like your father, Jez." Jez doubted that, but he did not bother to correct Zara as they walked, but he had a feeling he knew where they were going. "I just don't know what's right or wrong anymore, not after seeing the Spectre Games." Zara sighed, now sounding exasperated as she said, "Deep down...You know what's right...You just have to believe in yourself!" Now Jez really doubted Zara's words. After everything he had done, how could he suddenly start believing in himself? "There...was a knife in the Kernel's desk, the same one my mother was killed with."
Zara stopped short, staring at Jez with wide and horrified eyes. "I'm very sorry Jez," she breathed, holding his hand tightly, "Just before my mother died of her illness, she said to me that life will be tough at times, but that I should never give up and keep moving forwards." They walked on through the forest, not daring to break their linked hands apart, and then Jez saw the barbed wire fence that prisoned the Spectres. "Let's stop here and see what supplies we have today," Zara said, putting down the medical kit and basket, and then opening both to see. "Hi!" said a happy voice, and the two looked up to see a Spectre looking at them through the small hole in the wire fence. It was a girl, most likely in her teens, with pink hair flowing down her back like a river. "I'm Spectre 472, nice to meet you!"
Jez and Zara stood, looking at the Spectre, who stared straight back. "Hey, I'm Zara, and this is Jez!" Jez stepped forwards, curious, and then he asked, "Don't you have a real name?" Zara hit him on the arm when the Spectre turned her attention, and Jez winced, but the Spectre seemed more than happy to answer the question. "Well, I used to. Before I got thrown in here...they just give us tags and treat us like animals." Zara looked shocked, which Jez could not blame her for, and Zara asked, "So what's your real name?" The Spectre smiled, as though the question made her happy, and she answered, "Rose, like the colour of my hair!" Now Jez was smiling too, and he stepped forwards, reaching through the hole in the wire and outstretching his hand. Rose hesitated, and then she took his hand, the two shaking as Jez said, "Nice to meet you, Rose!"
Rose laughed and said, "Nice to meet you too!" Zara stood beside Jez, not shaking hands with Rose but looking happy as Jez withdrew his hand. The two stared at Rose through the fence, and Rose stared back, all of them wearing happy smiles on their faces. Then, as time does, months passed, and winter arrived. Visiting Rose now became a daily thing, and now they built a snowman with her. Jez and Zara had the entire body and head on their side, while Rose reached through the hole to attach sticks to its eyes, pebbles as its eyes, mouth and buttons, and finally, a carrot as a nose, supplied by Zara of course. They enjoyed that day, and with each month passing, they only drew closer together. Spring came, and on one eventful afternoon, Zara brought a chessboard. She played against Rose while Jez watched interestedly.
It seemed Rose already had experience playing chess because she beat Zara and Jez three times over before they called Rose the champion. Then...almost summer. At the very end of spring, the trees came alive, beautiful pink, red and golden flowers and leaves emerged, somehow lighting up the Black Forest and no longer making it seem dull. The three of them suddenly fell onto their backs, Jez and Zara side-by-side while Rose was alone on her side of the fence, yet they all looked up at the sky as one. "Do you ever dream...Of a world where there's only happiness and peace?" Rose asked as the clouds peacefully drifted across the bright blue sky. "A world where Spectres and Zodiacs lived together...in harmony," Zara added on, a large smile on her face as she stared upwards. "And every Sunday we'd have a nice hot barbeque with all the sausages and burgers we could ever dream of," Jez sighed.
"Yeah, you can keep dreaming about that one," Zara said, and they all broke into laughter, wishing the moment could never end.