Hearts on Fire

In The Beginning

                            The entire town occupied the church. The sun had hardly risen over the ridged treeline and the only sounds to be heard was the chirping of frogs and the faint singing of birds. Every row was filled with women and children. Men occupied the rest of the empty seats but most where only left with standing room. It was month five into what was pitched to be the war that would destroy the world. World war three was just getting started before it ended. Today was the day the world held its breath. World leaders everywhere, at least world leaders from the countries still standing had set representatives to Italy the night before. This was an attempt to prevent a nuclear ending of life as it was known. 

                            A TV was propped on a table on the small stage in the front of the room. Today the announcing of last nights news was to be given by the President. Shaky pastor Freeman turned on the TV and on the screen formed a grainy picture of the president walking out onto the white house lawn. He didn't look sad, he looked almost smug, and a fragile looking women next to a chubby girl sighed loudly.  The girl was about twelve and the woman's relief soothed her. Both their eyes glued back to the screen however when he began talking, "Today marks a day of world peace, the war is over!" The room erupted into cheers and the girls already pink cheeks brightened with excitement. He went to speak again and hush feel over them again. "It is quite impressive what me and many dedicated world leaders managed to accomplish. NRCAT....the New Roman Commerce Admission Treaty." Now confusion painted the face of everyone in the room. " This means that what we know as the world today and the countries today will be condensed and changed with more government control. Myself and many other leaders are working on this very hard to fix all the details of this arrangement so its peaceful and American freedom can still ring true."

                            Reagan slammed on his breaks waking Hannah out of her remembrance suddenly.  She slid off the back seat where she was laying down and smacked her face on the leather seat in front of her. "Fuckkk," she groaned. 

                            "Good morning to you to Sunshine" he smirked.            

                            Hannah stayed there un-moving for a minute.  Wow, she thought, that was almost six years ago. A week after that day she never saw that woman....her mother, or her four brothers, or her father again. They where poor, they ran a self sustaining farm and ranched horses for the money they did have for gas and things. So when the government came knocking on their door to asses their situation and collect its "due pay" so her father could be placed with a government job there was no money to be given. Her father in fact hated the government, he was an old school southern man, and in his delusional mind the south would rise again. So when the newly formed " World" militia which was just what used to be the U.S army pulled into their property her father opened fire. Taking down seven officers before he was killed. On that morning Hannah's three year old brother was snatched from her mothers arms, and the other three boys, her mother, and her self where all dragged in separate ways. 

                            " You have been down there a while are you alright Champ?" Reagan's voice floated down to her interrupting her recollection.     

                            "I'm always good" she scoffed playfully. Unfortunately he wasn't buying it.

                            "Whats wrong?" he persisted. Daniel Reagan had been her saving grace in a world with out mercy. He was about fifty as old as her father would have been. The only family the only reason she was still alive. When she was dragged off her porch that day and shoved into a van, she was blind folded and chained into a dark room for a week, when she finally saw the light of day again she has been stripped, poked, and prodded at auction like a prize heifer. She was absolutely terrified, but once she heard SOLD she only found a kind worn face. Reagan was a gladiator fighter and at the time had already bought ten young men. He was a retired doctor so money was no object. His first use for Hannah was a maid, to cook, and clean for him and the boys. That didn't last long however. 

                            "Just thinking is that a crime." 

                            "Noooo," he said rolling his eyes, "it is a crime however to think about things that will get you killed." 

                            A year after Hannah had came to live with him a new boy was brought into the house. Alex, thought he was something special, and the truth is he wasn't. One morning in the yard while training was going on Alex had approached Hannah. Well as he walked by saying a mean comment something to do with her lunatic of a father he pushed her out of his way. What he was not excepting was for Hannah to turn around and kick him  in the back of his knee sending him to the ground. Then sending punch after furious punch with her tiny fists connecting to his face. Everyone in the yard stopped and watched the events unfold until Reagan ran outside pulling her off of him. "What the f**k is going on around here!" he screamed. At this moment and time Hannah had a complete and utter break down. She could not live like that any longer, being trapped inside all day, clean, cook, clean, sleep and repeat. Sure she was safe and fed which was a lot more than most servants got, but she wanted to feel alive. Reagan offered her a chance to prove herself in the Colosseum and after that day she never looked back. 

                            "I'm thinking about my family", she muttered, " I don't know why I just am."

                            "Well, don't." he said harshly. The rest of the ride was quiet. Hannah climbed back into the seat and fell back asleep. 

                            Hannah Woke up no longer in the car. She was in a small grungy room. Reagan must have carried her up when they arrived. She rolled over and saw him looking at her from a chair. "I was about to wake you...Its almost time." He whispered. With that he got up and left. Hannah picked up the black bag on the floor and started to change. Hannah never liked killing people, but after her debut she couldn't go back. Reagan would not let her. She loved him as a father but a part of him was just as cruel as the rest of society. According to him this was what she was meant to do. It didn't hurt that he was making a huge profit.

                            Hannah had finished dressing in golden leather and steel. Each leg piece, chest piece, and arm piece has a sun engraved into it with black painted into the design. About that time a knock on the door came. When she opened it Reagan stood in the entrance silently. She grabbed her mask off the bed and followed him down to the huge arched door. She could hear the sound rumbling from the other side and the ground shook like an earth quake. She put on the face mask over her long braided hair. as the arched door lowered and light sown brightly int her eyes she could hear the chants filling the entire Colosseum, "Aries, Aries, Aries."