Chapter 1
The back of my head was pounding very hard. The room felt spinning, I think I have had a lot
for today. I have always thought drinking never works for me, but anyhow I had to try it for
once, and this is how it's ending. The colourful lights were stinging in my eyes. I held onto
the glass in my hand tighter so I may not fall to the ground. This is not the stupidest thing I
have ever said, but yeah, it's one of them now.
I tried to walk, but it felt like my feet weren't landing in the right place. The floor felt uneven,
my vision was getting blurred, the music was throbbing and golden lights flickered, people
dancing beneath them. I coughed due to smoke all over the room. I tried to find my bag —
that's when I saw him. My brother was standing near a tunnel where two guards were
standing, not smiling, not pleased,but just angry
His dark brown hair was falling messily over his forehead, which was completely drenched
with sweat, like he had been running his hands through it several times. My eyes fell onto his
knuckles, which were wrapped in rough white tape, already stained in places. My heart
skipped a beat, I knew what he was going to do.
I tried to move, but my head started spinning. I walked past a few people and bumped into
some, but that didn't affect me at all — the thing that affected me was that he was right in the
position where he shouldn't be.
"Eimi!" I heard a shout behind me. "Eimi, where were you? I looked for you around all the
party."
"Milo!" I whispered. "He is here, I just—" I collected my words. "I just saw him standing there
near that—" I pointed towards the tunnel.
"How could he be here? This is a post graduation party. Freshman students are not even
allowed," Ovia replied. "You must be feeling dizzy."
"I am not lying, girl, I literally saw him standing there."
"I trust you, girl, ok, ok, fine, let's go there." I grabbed her arm tightly so I may not collapse
on the ground.
The tunnel was dark, but there were colorful lights on the roof. I tried to clearly see, and then
I caught sight of him. I shouted, "Milo!" a bit louder than usual. Ovia nudged me. He looked
in my way and tried to ignore me. I pushed the people out of the way, walked straight to him,
and grabbed his arm in a pinching way.
"What are you doing here, huh? You said you were doing a sleepover at Asper's." I pinched
him hard. "You lied to me, lied to me, huh?He tried to get rid of me, but I grabbed his arm tightly. "Now we are going home, let's go."
He lashed out of my grip. "Siso, please listen, I know I lied, but I am here for a match and I
am not going home," his tone was pretty commanding.
"What match?" I shouted. "I have been toldyou to stay away from this deadly game."
I tried to speak softly, but the anger burning within me and the fear clinging to my heart made
my voice louder, betraying every effort to calm it.
He grabbed my hands with both hands. "Please, Siso, I am begging you, I really want to
fight, please, just last time."
Anger burned inside me, but as soon as I heard his words, my heart wavered. I saw longing
in his eyes, which I couldn't resist. As he saw me soften, he let go of my hand and ran into
the tunnel.
The tunnel opened into a dark room, a boxing ring waiting under faint, flickering lights.
Voices clashed in the air, loud and wild, echoing from every corner. I clutched Ovia's hand,
grounding myself in the middle of the noise. We found our way in between; the crowd had
already formed a circle around the ring. Screams of different names were filling the air. A
heavy, muscular boy was standing in between, muscular and well built, with broad shoulders
rolling back and forth, a grin all over his face which showed threat.
Milo appeared from the end of the crowd, shirtless, the light fell onto his tapped knuckles. He
wiped his lowering forehead and slipped through the ropes. My heart started racing faster.
His eyes were trying to find me, and then his grayish-brown eyes stared at me, restless and
shifting, like the color of a rain-heavy sky before it breaks.
The bell rang, sharp and unforgiving. His opponent lunged forward. He raised both arms in
front of him to block the strike. His sweat blistered under the dim lights. He backed a bit and
then gave a strike against the other one's chest. The crowd screamed. The punch landed
hard on his face, snapping his head to the side. Everything blurred. I tightened my grip on
Ovia's hand. She tried to caress me. "Are you okay?" I could hear concern in her voice.
"Yeah, I am." There was blood clung to his lips, glistening under the dim light. Terror grew
inside me. I realized I'd been holding my breath since the bell had rung.
The other boy swung wide, overreaching. He ducked under the arm and drove his fist under
his ribs. The boy's knees buckled. Milo didn't wait; he caught him upright, his fist grabbing
his neck, then punched him again and again, snapping his head. Then his head hit the
concrete, and he stayed there.
The whole crowd cheered. Someone grabbed Milo's arm and threw it in the air. Another man
pushed through the crowd and pressed a thick fold of bills into Milo's tapped palm. The
crowd grew louder. Milo was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, with his blood-stained
lips, guys slapping his shoulders.
The moment my eyes met his, a strange, piercing pain pulsed through my head. The world
smeared into color and shadow. My sight went white at the edges. The floor tilted, slipping
out of its place, lights smeared into streaks. Ovia reached me, I felt her fingers brush myarms, but I slammed the ground before she could catch me. Her beige-blonde hair seemed to dissolve into darkness.
