Valko-Zeke

Chapter 4 Part 2

Scrutinizing eyes gazed at my look from the mirror. Tribal lines spiraled towards the floor in a gerful manner and slightly alter my natural curves. The traditional fighting markings, not typically worn by females, bring good luck to those who wear them. I felt similar to a virago. The strong, brave, and warlike women, who roam the forest, whose charm and kalon leaves a trial of men in their wake.

"Amelia," I heard Jack call as he came back to check on me, "You look really... uh.. ready."

I sent an annoyed smile in his direction, "I'm trying to survive, Jack."

Jack sent me one last desperate glance before sighing and rubbing his hands across his eyes in exhaustion. I saw Bellamy talking off in the corner to a man I did not know, and I left Jack's side to go see what was going on. Both him and the man stopped their hushed whispers as I approached them.

"What's next?" I asked him nervously.

Bellamy glances over me and gestures to the man beside me, "Amalia, this is Valentino."

The man smiled at me, almost devilishly, as we made eye contact. His eyes were electric blue and his hair was an old blonde. It looked like he was once good looking and strong, but he had wrinkles that came only with time and anger. Something about him just seemed off. Like he was dropped on his head as a baby. It was unsettling.

I realized after a moment that I was awkwardly gaping at the man I had to fight, and that Jack had caught up behind me.

"How're you doing today, sweetheart," Valentino said, grinning at me.

"Don't call me that." I spat back.

"You better watch your mouth there, kid. You might not know who your talking' to."

"Oh yeah! Wel-"

"Okay!" Bellamy interrupted. "I need to have a little chat with Amelia before it starts!"

Bellamy grabbed my arm and pulled me off to the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, but I'm not going to let him talk to me like that."

"I'm trying to convince him not to completely murder you!" Bellamy explained.

I sighed and rolled my eyes slightly.

"The fight will be in the room you were in when you arrived. We open the doors in the morning, and listen, kid, Valentino has a weak ankle. Use it to your advantage, he steps before he punches, and uh go for the throat." Bellamy said, trying to give me one last piece of advice.

"Thanks for the advice," I said nervously, facing the door.

"Are you ready?" He asked, looking at me in the eyes. I nodded, staring at it head on. "Looks like he's already inside."

I stared at the door in a sudden panic, the reality finally setting in. Bellamy helps me to move forwards towards it, gently guiding me with his hand. Before I know it, I'm engulfed in darkness.

"The doors are shutting in Three," I heard Bellamy's voice from the corner of the circle room boom, "Two," I can feel my heart race inside my chest at the final count, "One."

Warning: This part of the chapter may contain triggers for certain people.

"Well, well, well, sweetheart," Valentino said, beginning to circle the room.

"I thought I told you not to call me that."

"And I thought I told you to be careful, sweetheart."

I narrowed my eyes in distaste, mimicking his circling motion.

"Jack will hate you if you kill me," I said, metaphorically poking the bear.

Valentino seems to find that funny, "You think he's actually your friend?" He chuckles, "Wake up Sweetheart, this is prison, not daycare."

"What do you mean?"

"You have no idea what's actually going on, do you? I guess it doesn't matter anymore anyway." He said, and I only had a moment to notice he stepped before he punched. His fist landed straight on my cheek.

I let out a groan of pain. He had successfully winded me, and for a minute I was unable to breathe. I could have sworn I heard a deep growl behind me, but when I looked, no one was there. No one but Valentino was in front of me.

As I pulled myself together, I glared at Valentino who stood, folding both arms over his chest. He didn't fear a woman in the least. But when I approached, I was close to changing that disposition. My balled fist collided with his cheekbone, flaying his neck backward like a willow caught in the wind. As he stumbled, he nearly fell over, rubbing his cheek with his palm. My strength certainly took him by surprise.

I smiled, but my face quickly turned into one of seriousness as a sudden gush of pain jolted throughout my body. My stomach ached, my arms lost tension and my legs began to weaken. He kneed me straight in the gut and slammed my back into the cement wall behind me. My head flew back because of the impact and banged into the wall. His nails dug into my skin until I had the sense to lift up my foot and aim straight for his balls. He staggered back in pain, but without his nails holding me up, I began to lose balance. "He will not get the better of me," I thought as I dropped to the ground. My tongue was soaked in the taste of blood. Bruised and winded, with a arm in agony, I grabbed his foot and pulled him to the ground. My head was pounding. I took a fist to Valentino's face, snapping his nose into a pancake.

I could feel myself weakening, so it worried me to see Valentino recover so quickly and pounce on top of me. I let out a growl but he paid no mind. I thrashed in his hold but he didn't budge an inch. Then I realized. This must be it, the part where he kills me. Those blue eyes stare hauntingly down at me from above. They hold something scary within them, not a thirst to kill, but something worse. They hold pain and desire. A desire for who knows what, but I knew it must be bad. For why hasn't he put me to an end? Why prolong the inevitable death that stares me in the face? He chuckles, he dares to laugh at my confusion over his actions. I snarl at him in one last attempt to preserve my dignity, but it does nothing but widen his grin. I froze. Limp in defeat, numb in the mind. I lost, and now he will kill me.

He moved off of me and I heard a jingling. The jingling of a belt.

I knew what he planned to do, now, and it sparked a fire back inside me again, but he didn't move. His leg locked me in place. I tried to stop tears from falling out of my eyes when I realized how helpless I was, but Valentino seemed to enjoy this, and it quickly turned into a dark rage. Just before I was about to make another move something stopped both of us.

I must have imagined the distant jingling of chains, but I certainly did not imagine the roar that infiltrated my ears. The whole prison had to have heard that. Vallentino loosened his hold in confusion, and I used that chance to slip out of his hold.

Slowly, I reached my hand to grab the bars that surrounded us. The ones I climbed when I first came to the Q. I desperately looked up at the tenth floor and hoisted myself onto the first floor bars. The noise it produces is loud enough to grab Valentino's attention, so I picked up my climbing pace, careful not to hit my arm against the wall. He seemed to be gaining on me quickly, stupidly enough, he was climbing directly underneath me, so I gave his blonde head a kick, slowing him down long enough for me to reach the seventh floor for the second time in my life.

Hoping he wouldn't dare to climb any higher than the fifth, I stopped and looked down. He seemed to be debating his next action. To my dismay, he continued to climb. I cringed and took the risk of moving up to the 8th floor. His eyes gleamed as I watched him raise himself all the way up to the seventh. He's trying to see how far I'm willing to go. I hesitantly grabbed the bars on the ninth floor- trying to remain quiet, but this time I'm sure the growling I was hearing was coming from right behind me. I could feel the warmth of someone's breath fanning across my neck, and it wasn't Valentinos.