15 for 15 Entries

June 8: Play

The scene should have been playful. There should have been an air of frivolity, a joyful expectation to the air, nothing more than a summer's day and a children's game.

Instead, the arena was quiet, almost deadly silent. Only grim anticipation hung in the air as the boys wrestled for possession of the brightly colored yellow ball, slipping and splashing through the water that covered the ground. One of the boys fell hard, another's foot crunching into his back. The competition was over for him, the spectators could tell instantly. His mother cried out once, briefly, her hand slapping over her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

Down on the field, Aaron focused his attention on the prize. He had no intention of letting another claim it. He would live. He would not lose, not this. This was the final round of the Children's Games, an annual competition with a deadly twist. Only the winner survived. Oh, there were a few other assorted prizes and trophies, but the fact you got to live was pretty much the most important goal.

He'd trained his whole life for this, all eight years. Even as a toddler, his parents had set him to practicing, although he hadn't realized it at the time obviously.

One of the other boys, Charlie, jostled into him and Aaron's lips peeled back in a silent snarl. He didn't think so. He shoved Charlie back, hard. He'd wanted the dark-haired boy to fall into the wall, where he would be automatically out, but it didn't happen. Damn.

Suddenly, Aaron felt a hard shove in the small of his back. He pinwheeled forward, his fingers touching the prize ball, before the ball spun away. No! He mentally howled, lunging forward. His muscles felt like they were on fire. His hand closed around the ball one final time. The audience erupted in a clamor.

He had won.