Juliet
I was trying to observe Ben closely to report to Charlene what he was like amongst his friends. Overall, he was a really nice guy. Friendly and kind. I had yet to see anything wrong with him. His mates seemed cool, too. There was Francesco with the accent. He was Italian. Mateo, the Spanish beauty, and David… I couldn't place him because he was really quite like Carl... The first thought that popped up was 'watcher'… My mind wanted to convince me he couldn't possibly be one until a loud bell chimed from the house's porch. Everybody made their way into the barn. My brain and gut tried to warn me not to go into a possible mass suicide situation.
But on the other hand… it might just be a DJ. A dance floor or something? There were no windows and a very high roof. The ground was covered in soft sand, and no stinky smell other than country dust filled the air. Following Ben inside was a difficult decision. My heart raced because I didn't know what I was doing. I wished I wasn't that stupid; apparently, I am. My feet crossed the threshold. A calmness descended over the group, which made me relax a little. Inside, they even stood for a quick roll call… Weird. Maybe a Uni thing, team building, or something?
The doors closed and were reinforced with clanging metal doors rolling down like in Jacklin's hotel and Rodrigo's house. The panic shut my heart down for a second. More noises came from above. I glanced up to see the ceiling slide open on tracks in different directions. Everyone walking to the side of the barn brought my attention back to the people around me. I followed Ben. They were all waiting, but for what? The walls literally opened up, and Ben stepped inside a tiny room. No… I moved closer. It was—a cage. I didn't know what to do. Eyes fixed on the scene in front of me, I couldn't believe my luck. What were the chances of Benji being a werewolf? My eyes darted to Francesco… he also entered the wall, and then Mateo. I searched for David but couldn't find him, realizing all my suspicions were right—David was their watcher.
The gate shut in between us. A minute later, Ben wasn't Ben anymore, and he could see me. Everyone could see me, and they went ballistic! Roars and howling snarls came from every last werewolf. The bashing of bodies against the gates rattled the whole arena, sending the ferocity out towards me. I struggled to take a step back.
The cages lined an arena of sand. It was where they fed them one by one. I stepped even further away into the middle. Another bell resounded in the space. My heart pounded when another gate opened. My round eyes were wondering if a full-moon werewolf could touch me. The principal would be the same, wouldn't it? But it wasn't a werewolf that came out. A jacked vampire fully manifested with a… weapon and a shield? "What the actual f— is going on?"
Behind me, another noise. The first werewolf's cage gate lifted slowly, prolonging my demise. It was Francesco. He jumped out, roaring on all fours. His eyes darted first at the challenger and then at me. I decided staying hidden would be fifty-fifty. If I presented myself… I was sure to die. I ran for it. My fight or flight response chose for me. From instinct, Francesco followed, stampeding toward me. All I could do was brace, lifting my arms over my face. He rammed face-first through me and into the wall. I gasped, trying to catch my breath as he turned and clawed at me. I bent down, flinching, scared he might push through the barriers of my ability. The vamp didn't know what was going on. His eyes darted up at the windows lining the top of the cages. What kind of cage fighting is this? The idea didn't seem ridiculous when I thought about it. Only that the vamps didn't stand a chance.
A light flashed bright red; the round had begun. The hitting of a stick on a surface made the werewolf and I fix our gazes on the sound. The vampire was slamming his weapon against his shield, instantly drawing Francesco to a better target. He didn't wait for the werewolf to decide and attacked first. His strike didn't even touch Francesco as he jumped out of the way, kicking the vamp on his back. The retaliation was a prompt blow that hit the dog on the head with a whack. A yelp followed. A low growl and a deafening roar into the air. I had a flashback of Jerry in the car, coming at me. They went at it for a few more minutes. Francesco was too strong. The vamp stood no chance when his shield was broken, and his stick was flung away, clanging into one of the cages. The vamp ran for his life towards the gate in the distance from where he came out. For the first time, I smiled, realizing no one was going to die. It opened, and three other vamps came running around, getting Francesco's attention. It was a freaking circus, bull riding, clown-stopping rodeo.
More clanging from Francesco's cage revealed a person immobilized by fear standing inside. The sounds didn't stop and drew him in and away. Another human died instantly… his death was at least swift. It was some next-level stuff. I laughed at the absurdity of what boredom could do to creatures that lived as long as we did. The organization almost seemed too good for a few college boys. My subconscious gut churned some more.
The sequence went on. Every time a bigger vamp would come out. The werewolves also seemed to get stronger. It had to be determined according to who had won the previous matches, strength, or training.
***
Louis
The train was nearing the station in Bologna. I was agitated being so close… It was already dark, and the moon was out mocking me. I got a text.
Juliet { Followed Ben 45 min east on a smallholding close to Argenta.
Big bonfire and a barn. Charlene at the hotel.
Staying invisible. Don't worry, the boys seem harmless }
I swore loudly. A few eyes fell on me to see what was wrong.
That feeling I got when Juliet did anything stupid—assailed me. I knew that night was going to be one of those nights. Where she changed my life forever—again! Or she might die… I scrolled through my emails, reading the one I was looking for.
Dear Mr. Du Pont
If you are interested in fighting this month, please let us know.
Location: Argenta.
Yours sincerely.
The Collective, Italy.
Juliet was at a cage fight. For a moment, I wished Chris was there. I would let him loose on the whole place. I rushed for the rental cars. "What's going on, Louis?" Carl asked when my walking speed doubled.
"We have to leave right now! Get this address on your phone while I get a car."
"Don't worry, Louis. There is always someone with her. She has her own guardian angel... well, watcher."
I frowned… "So you're not her watcher?"
Carl laughed out loud, "Me? Take care of all… that… No."
"Well, whoever it is can't intervene unless it's life or death of a compliant, right? I don't want it to get that far."
Carl nodded, "You're right. Do you want me to call?" I nodded desperately. Carl seemed flustered that I was that worried, "Why are you like this?"
"Marcus's father loves fights… Marcus loves fighting… I fear that this time, they might take her away… Your people can't intervene in that regard."
Carl got fidgety when the clerk didn't seem to know what she was doing. He tried calling Charlene but got no answer. "Louis, a message just came through."
I took the phone.
Charlene { Juliet isn't back. I came to find her and couldn't. She is gone. I'm following Ben out of town because the chances are that she's in the car. I have no idea where I'm going }
"You know we leave for one day… Not even a whole day. How is such a woman to be worked on?" I muttered to myself.
Carl smiled sympathetically.
***
Charlene
It was almost six at night… I had left Juliet hours ago to follow Ben but had heard nothing from her. I was scared she would be stuck somewhere and couldn't get out. I had gone back to the campus… Kept wondering around to maybe see something. Wait for her phone to come online. I decided I would go to the reception area and ask for Ben himself at seven. Luckily, when I went to wait in the rental car, I saw them. He and three of his friends ran down the stairs out of the dorm. It felt strange. It wasn't as if I wanted to call out to him. There really was no love lost there. He just needed to know about the baby or not. They got into another car not far from me. There was nothing else I could do… I had to follow them. If I knew Juliet at all, she would probably also be in the car. Where were they going?
It took an hour; I almost lost them a few times. When they took a small lane into a property, I drove past and parked next to the road. The sun was beyond the horizon, setting. I waited for a while, calling Juliet over and over. Maybe she didn't come. Perhaps I was out there all alone. Ben was there… If I told him how stupid we were, he would forgive me. He wasn't a complete ass. So, I got out of the car to get a closer look. It was a mistake. The trees were filled with little red lights, blinking at me. The whole place was full of security cameras. I wasn't even two steps away from the car when four men came out of the foliage and surrounded me. They grabbed my phone and were being really rough with me, pushing me over the grass, past a bonfire with no one around it.
Before we went into the house, I could hear animal noises. Or that's what it sounded like. Growling, roaring—things going crazy inside cages. Frantically, I wriggled, trying to get out of their hold, "Let me go! Please let me go!"
They gave me a good shake, "Shut up! You're not going anywhere."
"Who is this?" A guy asked, coming out of one of the rooms. He was dressed all in black. His suit wasn't your typical three-piece either.
The four men stopped immediately, "We found her in the road."
His brow furrowed, staring at me. "I'm looking for my friend. Please let me go. I wasn't trespassing… I was parked in the street." He scratched the side of his face, scrutinizing me… His mouth opened just before his eyes caught sight of something at the door, changing his body posture. They all stood up straighter, heads bowing bizarrely. A dark cloud had entered the room. I glanced back to see who could have caused them all to act like that. Another man dressed to perfection in a long coat hanging down to his ankles was ushered into the house. Rakishly handsome, older, a cigarette in his hand. He stopped, and his gaze lustily traveled up and down my body. The guy oozed the creeps. I dropped my eyes to the floor and closed my jacket around me. He scoffed… "Give her to my son." The guy in black drew in a slow breath. His eyes flickered to mine as he nodded in acknowledgment.
My entourage was shooed away by the guy in black. The four men push-escorted me down narrow halls further into darkness. Every room we passed had people in them. All dressed in white, sitting in front of TV screens. It all went by too fast. I was shoved into a pen with other people. These were all grown men, scared to death of the noises coming into the space, which sent a shiver down my spine. I held my breath as flashes of that thing Chris turned into whirled around my head. Sita as a werewolf. That sound we could hear all the way to his house.
One man tried to scream and make a ruckus, shaking the gate. The four men who dragged me in were sitting at a table just outside. They opened for him but weren't going to let him go. He got a good beating for doing something he was not supposed to. I was pregnant and young. If I took a few kicks like that… It would be the end of my pregnancy… Trying to get out of there was pointless. "What is going on?" I asked an older man who was wholly grey and smelled terrible. He answered me in Italian, rambling on. The gate behind me opened, and I saw one of the prisoners being dragged out as he tried to grasp onto anything he could. "What the hell is going on here?!" I yelled. They ignored me.
It felt like the night went on forever. People being taken. Animal noises. Full moon. It was some kind of feeding place, or some weird idea of gladiator stuff came to mind because there was fighting, grunting… slamming into walls. All those men couldn't fight. I could certainly not fight. Screams could be heard, and then silence. The men didn't stand a chance. I didn't stand a chance.
I had been sitting down for hours when the tone in the place finally changed. There were new noises. Two sets of roars. Thundering applause and cheers. Different creatures. Watching the fight creatures… I looked up at the full moon. My thoughts followed a train that I didn't like. Because Juliet ate regular food and because she seemed normal… I didn't think to ask if she... drank blood… Even if she did, I assumed it would be animal blood or stolen from the hospitals. "Juliet would never kill people to eat, would she?" I whispered.
The guy dressed in all black was not in his uniform anymore. He was clad in armor like a worrier, leaning against the cages, watching me intently as my eyes came down from the sky. The gate opened next to him. The guards called me over. I was done kicking and screaming. Slowly, I got up, making my way out into the corridor towards the threshold of no return. My eyes peeked back over my shoulder at my only hope. He swore loudly and walked up to us, dismissing the other guards. They obeyed and turned away from us, taking their seats, and continued playing cards.
"Are you really going to feed me to a werewolf?" he actually smiled.
"You're American. You're looking for a friend at a cage fight…." I was stunned. Who did he think I was looking for? "The whole night, the werewolves have been attacking an invisible opponent. One with an ability." He tried to read my reactions. My eyes darted to the open space. "You wanted to find her…." he gestured to the gate. My eyes kept bouncing from him to a guy in a mask standing across from us in the arena waiting for me. "This is going to get really interesting in the next five minutes… And no, I wouldn't feed you to a werewolf or a vampire. You're way too pretty."
"A hybrid, then?" His eyes widened in surprise. He shook his head, smiling, and pushed me into the arena and locked the gate.
The lights were so bright my arm jumped up to cover my face. Juliet wouldn't let anything happen to me. Would she? Did they not say the werewolves don't have control. Could she even do anything?
When I went after Juliet, I had nothing on but my nightgown and a jacket over it with sneakers. The guys had taken the coat off when they shoved me into the pen. I felt so— naked. My heart was almost beating outside of my chest. Lowering my arm, the first thing I saw was the cages that lined the arena. The sounds were deafening, standing in the middle of it all. I had never seen a full moon werewolf or any creature in real life, for that matter.