Gold

    I picked myself off the dusty ground and snarled at my opponent. My opponent, a young man way larger than me, smiled back. He was amused by my snarl, thinking it was all fun and games, but to me, it wasn’t. A fight is something you need to win or you’re dead. Although legally I cannot kill him, this man deserves to be dead because of his laziness and lack of effort, knowing this was only a practice fight. He could have easily given me a concussion but instead, he just shoved me to the floor. He wasn’t trying.     “C’mon Kira, it just started, tired already?” Peter, I believe his name was, taunted. I wasn’t tired in the slightest due to the fact that all he did was push me to the floor. I hadn’t even tried yet. I like to play with my opponents because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have any practice, I was so good.     “Not tired at all,” I muttered and threw myself at him. He didn’t expect me to be strong enough, but I got him to the floor, and as he fell his head slammed against the mat hard enough to give him a dazed look. I whipped my dagger to his throat and pressed slightly enough to raise blood. He tapped the mat and I jumped off him in victory.     “Woah,” Peter croaked as he held his slightly bleeding throat.     “You want some pointers,” I offered. Not really out of kindness, more out of wanting to shame him further. Peter eyed me up and down and shook his head.     “How the hell did a short pixie-like you beat me in a minute?” he asked seeming actually confused. My pulse raised slightly at that question. Men were idiots.     “I try hard, you seem not to push yourself at all,” I answered. Peter glared at me.     “I push myself, I do twenty miles every morning and then two hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups,” he retorted, looking proud.     I scoffed, “Fifty miles, one hundred push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.” He looked irritated at the fifty miles but when he heard I only did a hundred of each he smirked. “But, I can still beat you,” I added and he looked irritated again. I was a girl and I didn’t want to look like a bodybuilder, that was why I only did a hundred.     “Whatever, wanna go again?” Peter asked. In practice fights, you were allowed to injure your opponent to the point of losing consciousness. Right now Peter could fight and not die so I nodded yes.     He whipped out his dagger and aimed for my left shoulder; I dodged and came up next to his hand. I grabbed his outstretched arm and twisted it till we both heard a snap. His face turned pale and he bent over to puke. He wretched up his breakfast and I had to turn my face away because it was disgusting.     “I think you should go to the Healing Room,” I said. This man obviously wasn’t ready to be a Utopian Guard but then again, he wouldn’t be facing opponents like me in the field. Peter groaned and I helped him up. I had no idea how a broken arm could affect his walking abilities but I helped him nonetheless.     After five minutes of slow walking and a lot of coaxing, I finally managed to get Peter to the Healing Room. His arm was swollen and unnatural color and I thought I saw a piece of bone sticking out, but I wasn’t sure so I didn’t mention anything.     “Kira, what happened?” Nurse Jacquie asked when she saw Peter and I walk in. I was constantly at Nurse Jacquie’s due to my weaker opponents and helping them get to her.     “We were practicing,” I responded with a tone of “what else could have happened?” Jacquie sighed and took Peter from my care and sat him down on a cot. I left the room not wanting to see her fix his bone.     It was a very haunting memory. One time when I was twelve and newer at fighting but had the same temper, I challenged an older bully to a duel. He hurt me, but I hurt him just as much. In the end, we were both b****y and bruised and broken. I had broken my arm and was very proud that I had hurt the other boy so the pain didn’t affect me too badly. But still, Jacquie had to fix my broken arm and I watched as my bone was ground and shoved together. I felt my muscles and flesh being shifted and it was a terrible feeling.     “Kira,” I heard someone shout. I turned to see Brendan jogging towards me. He was smiling and I had no idea why.     “Why such a happy face?” I asked. Brendan and I had been friends since I was brought to the compound. The compound was the headquarters of the Utopian guards. It is where we were trained, fed, exercised, and socialized.     “I just asked Ana out.” He paused and waited for me to ask what she answered but I denied him the pleasure so he rolled his eyes and continued, “She said yes!”     “Congrats, except she is scarier and tougher than you are,” I offered my opinion. He just sighed. His brown eyes were lit up with excitement and it sort of grossed me out. I could never imagine feeling that way about another human being.      “She is the best fighter here,” He countered, knowing he outright offended me and my skills. I gave him a wry grin and punched his shoulder jokingly, but still hard enough to hurt a little.      “Oh, really? Well, why don’t you call your little girl and inform her that I want to duel, and then let’s see who the best fighter is,” I quipped. Ren grinned and jogged off to get his new girlfriend.