Underland(58)

Kira slowly came down the ladder and stood next to Zeke. She looked at him, but he refused to make eye contact. Something was off. He knew something. Still, she didn’t want to question Den’s change of heart, because she needed a change of scenery, even if there wasn’t much to look at underground. Out and in the city was something.

Zeke led the way, his hands shoved into his jacket pocket, footsteps heavier—angrier—than usual. Kira tried to keep up, but his much longer legs outpaced hers. She settled for keeping him in sight. Den was preoccupied checking the numbers on his owner’s chip. He seemed a little too happy, too content. That worried her.

The ring events took place in an old club called Pandora. Loud music blasted inside, and Zeke stopped in front of the door, banging loudly. The door squealed as it rolled to the side, and he was allowed to enter. Den came up behind with Kira, and the bouncer stopped them.

He leaned down and sniffed Kira’s hair. “Human.”

“Mine,” Zeke answered. “Insurance.”

Kira tried to keep her face neutral, but she wanted to punch him. Whatever it took to get her out and about and not locked away.

“You have to pay extra to get it in.” The guard wouldn’t budge.

“Do you recognize this human?” Den answered roughly.

“They all look the same to me. How can I tell them apart?”

“It’s the one that survived the gauntlet,” Den said in the guard’s ear.

“Oh really? Proceed.”

Den gave her a poke that sent her scurrying into the crowd. “Now remember, you can’t leave here. The doors are guarded. Besides, I know you want to see Zeke fight, right?”

“No.” Her face warmed.

“Liar.” Den just smiled and motioned to the dance floor where Zeke had passed through. She had lost him in the crowd of gyrating bodies. “Enjoy yourself, the fights start soon.”

She’d gladly enjoy the freedom—and search for a real exit while she was at it. Moving away from Den, she hugged the walls, deeper into the warehouse. She found a bar area and thought about sneaking behind the counter and into the back room.

Her brace beeped. She looked down and read green words.

DON’T THINK ABOUT RUNNING!

What in the world? She had no idea that messages could be sent across it, let alone English. She played with the buttons and tried to adjust the settings, but it was useless. She’d love to send irritating messages to Den—or Chaz even. She’d have to have to ask Zeke to teach her, but then she didn’t think he’d show her how to contact anyone, especially Chaz.

“Can I get you something to drink?” a minotaur asked from behind the bar. Kira looked at her band and realized she didn’t have any tokens.

“How about a water?”

“That’ll be ten tokens.” He held up a remote and reached across the bar toward her band. She withdrew her arm, not wanting to show that she had zero freedom tokens.

“Really? For water?”

“Yeah, it’s not free, honey. If you want free, then it’s bile you get.” He reached beneath the counter, and went to the faucet. A murky brown goo filled the glass. He set it on the counter with a thud and pushed it towards her. The tang of old rust hit her nose.

“Gee, thanks.” Kira took the stein and carried it away from the bar. She couldn’t possibly drink this, but she didn’t want to upset the minotaur. She couldn’t help but hold the glass a good foot in front of her. As soon as she was out of sight she placed it on a table. It was quickly picked up by an octopus monster who splashed its contents all over its head. The same octopus tried to wrap a wet tentacle around her shoulders.

She knocked off the offending arm and retreated into a dark corner. From there, she had a decent view to watch as odd groups and couples mixed and mingled at the tables—and even the dance floor.

Why not? Music and parties were a part of her world. It wasn’t totally weird that monsters enjoyed music and dancing too. Although the music had a different vibe and tended to lean to the minor keys, it did have a good rhythm. She began to relax, her finger tapping the wall to the beat.

Someone with a hint of aftershave came up next to her. It was so odd to smell something so clean and fresh that she couldn’t help but look up into the very handsome face of a guy a few years older than her. He had nice, even teeth, bright blue eyes, and his hair was a chestnut brown.

“Hey,” he grinned her direction and glanced away, a little bashful.

Kira was totally taken with him. She laughed. “Hi.” Did she just giggle? Oh, she wanted to kill herself for sounding so juvenile.

“I’m Olivier.” He held out his pale hand, and she shook it.

“Kira.” His hand felt warm to the touch.

“You look familiar, Kira. Have you been here before?”

“Um, no. First time.”

“It’s so odd. I swear I’ve met you.”

“No, I’m pretty sure I’d remember if I’d met you.” There it went. That stupid giggle again. Her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

“Do you want to dance?” Olivier held his hand out to her. She wasn’t a good dancer, but she so wanted to be near him.

He pulled her into the throng at the center of the dance. It took a few moments for her fear to fade—the scaly beast thrashing next to her could totally rip her to shreds—but it did. She was just dancing. She closed her eyes and focused on the music. When she opened them again, the monsters had faded into the background.