A Crown's Game|✔︎UNDER MAJOR EDITING

-Chapter Eighteen-

"Aspen? Can you hear me?"

I open my eyes slowly. Onix is in front of me, holding out a water flask. "Oh thank the lords you're okay!"

Onix isn't in good shape. She has a cut above her eye, scratches along her arm. There's more blood on her bow than I last remember. I reach up to touch her forehead.

"Who was it?" I croak out, spreading the blood across her forehead.

"Laura, she threw a knife. It didn't go deep."

I snatch a bandage out of her bag, and wrap it around her head. "That's better." I whisper.

Onix stands up and grabs my arms to help me up as well. "How's your head?"

"It's fine. Just a shock." I say.

The sun shines out now, so we better get moving. My head throbs as I walk over to my bag and arm myself with my knives. I'm planning to go hunting until there's about 7 of us left, and then break off the alliance.

Billi.

She's still out there. She's strong. We're not allied anymore and she would gladly kill us for the crown. I wouldn't, Onix wouldn't. If it comes down to the three of us, Billi would win, no doubt. Not because of strength, but because of willingness.

You know what, I'm not going to think about that now. There's a higher chance that someone else gets to her first.

I count the days. It's day 6 today, and there's 15 people left. By tomorrow, there has to be one player left, or else they're going to kill all of us and the eldest daughter will take the throne. That would be Anastasia.

"Can we go?" I say. I'm urging to get out and go hunt. Onix nods and we walk out of the clearing. The ground here is soaking wet, implying that it rained heavy last night. Hopefully, Onix filled up my water flask.

Someone screams. High pitched, full of fear.

"Billi." Onix whispers. We both break into a run immediately, desperate to get to her. I don't know why we're doing this, the alliance is off. But she was my friend, Onix's friend, not just an ally. We're running to where ever the screams are coming from, so north. Just run, Aspen. Hurry, maybe you can help her before she's dies a painful death.

Too late.

Billi, her pale face is a ghastly white, and the only color on her face is the crimson blood that trickles out of her mouth. The wound isn't hard to find. It's the largest I've ever seen in these games. Whoever did this obviously wanted her to suffer.

Her stomach is red like the depths of hell. Her hand is trying to stop the bleeding. Let me sum it up, it didn't. Her blue eyes have faded of color. Once a beautiful human being and now a bloody corpse that doesn't look anything like the before picture.

Before I can process it, a single tear is shed, and It falls down my cheek. I rub it away quickly.

"We should go, Onix. Let's go find Lilah."

"Okay."

We both turn away slowly, retreating away from Billi's body. I feel like crying, Billi was the heart of the "party". When Cassidy died, she was the only one who tried to make us feel better. This dark event, and she tried to lighten the mood.

This is one of the reason's I hate this country.

Everyone thinks that this is a fun game to watch, everyone enjoys these games. When someone dies, they don't think it's that deep, whereas It is. I knew Billi. She was my friend. Her death woke me up. It's telling me the truth about these games. About the girls that play this game, what murders they become. I'm talking for myself, for Onix, for Billi, for Katerina, even for Halo. No matter who wins, we're all losing, haunted by the past, haunted by weapons, haunted by the choices we'd make as royality. No wonder Queen Marie was an alcoholic. No one sees it but the player, the winner. Everyone thinks that they're feeling amazing, that they don't have any problems, that they're okay.

They're aren't okay. They're so haunted by blood, by the memories of their friends who they watched die. they saw their wounds. They saw the pain that they were in. No matter how many time their friend asked them to end their suffering, they couldn't do it. They watch their friend have a last memory of them by agony.

Maybe when I'm queen, I can mention this, bring it to attention.

We're now by the centre, where Katerina died. I grab some food from the remaining crates while Onix files down a stick to a spear head. She grins at her work.

I catch a glimpse of a girl running at Onix, another girl following. Lilah and Alice. My eyes open in panic. "Onix! Behind you!"

She spins around just in time, but Lilah kicks her in the stomach, sword raised. I sprint towards her and throw a knife, but she dodges it in time. People keep dodging these perfect throws and now its making me angry. I reach her, and tackle her to the ground. I keep trying to stab her, but she keeps moving, slipping out of my reach.

A force yanks me off of her, and It's Alice. How dare she! I turn to face her, and the thought runs through my head.

Kill Alice. Kill her before Lilah can. 

I aim my knife for her chest, but she moves to quickly, and he spear comes towards my head. I duck so quickly that my knife enters her leg and cuts it deeply. She yelps in pain and crumples to the ground. 

"This is want Anastasia wanted." I throw my knife down, and it kills her as soon as I reaches her chest. 

Lilah is mid fight with Onix. She bears a sword against one of the knives I gave Onix. Onix doesn't stand a chance, but Lilah doesn't know that her sister is dead yet. I can use that to my advantage. I stand right behind Onix and raise the knife I yanked out of Alice. I wave it into Lilah's vision. 

She stops in her tracks.

"I've had enough." She growls. There's pain in her eyes, but it's not severe. She's upset, but not as heavy as a normal family loss would be. She grabs Alice's pack and runs off into the forest.

Onix sighs, but stares into the distance, alert. Is she okay? What is she looking at?

"Onix, are you-"

She turns to me, but somethings off.

There's a knife deep in her abdomen.