the shadow hope

Chapter one

This tragic and amazing chain of events started soon after my twelfth birthday, 10/31/2009 to be exact. Anyway it was the day of my femur corrective surgery or whatnot and I can tell you I was not looking forward to it at all. But it had to happen, so I went in, they knocked me out and did the surgery, yada yada yada.
When I woke up I wasn't in a hospital, I was in a tent made of deer (don't ask how I knew this). I sit straight up crying out in pain because, well this was right after surgery, duh.

I was still crying out in pain when two people ran in, one was a tall skinny black haired guy who looked like he should play for the Lakers.The other was an older man probably around 70 or 80 years old. The older of the two had white hair and a long Chinese style beard. The other guy, however, had startling blue eyes and long black and red hair. Any who, they burst in and the tall one clamped his hand over my mouth until I stopped screaming. I stopped immediately after he clamped his hand over my mouth and then punched him in the arm. He smiled and said "shadow or fire" to the older dude who was studying me, then nodded. Then the tall one lifted me off the cot and put me in one of those Japanese thingies, a rickshaw or whatever we Americans call it.

x...x...x
(1 hour later)

I was thrown into a room (literally) with about 30 other boys and about 40 girls that were either torturing each other, playing 'get the chick', or were using swords to hack up dummies. When I came in they all stopped and stared at me for a second ,then went back to their "activities".

I walked along the side of this massive room when a hand grabbed me and threw me (literally again) up onto a stage of some sort and held me in a martial arts move or something. Then someone came in and said something in Japanese which I strangely understood. He had said "wait not yet". Then I watched as three figures came out of the shadows and gasped as........

I gasped as I recognized one of the mysterious figures who just came out of the darkness. It was Linsy my best friend's sister, who is an amazing brunette beauty. As I watched her and the other two come in, I noticed her shoulder length hair, bright blue eyes, and the amazing sleeveless shirt she was wearing. The guy in the middle was about five foot nine and wore dark robes so I couldn't see his face. He was carrying a sword about 4 feet long and had a twisted blade. The last of the trio was about my age and was clothed in ripped jeans, a red t-shirt and about a pound in dog tags and necklaces.

Linsy recognized me immediately and her face lit up like a Christmas tree, so I guess she still remembered me. The older guy who's name tag said Gus ,walked up to me and said "Pick up a sword and get ready you idiot. I don't have Rome to waste on your dumbness". So I went to the rack and grabbed a unbalanced iron kantana and went back to him and said "What now Gus?"

He simply smiled at me like a villain from a 50's movie and replied "Now I see your sorry little butt get beaten and sliced in the arena," He pushed me into an open circular clearing and locked the door behind me.

x...x...x

I stood up and looked at the hundreds of thousands of people watching me and about a hundred other kids ages ranging from 10-18 by the looks of it. I carefully put my katana in its sheath on my back and went over to a person in full body armor who seemed to be in charge.

"Hey!" I yelled out to the person "What's going on?"

The person carefully turned around ,and in the blink of an eye I was on the floor and had a sword pointed at my neck. Then the person raised his/her visor and it was a girl. Startled, I back up then stand up " Hey, why the sword?"

She replied in a dark tone, "Don't ask, and leave while you still can you idiot. By the way I'm Shan just you won't know for long," She then turned on her heel and walked away.

x...x...x...

30 minutes later


"Younglings! This is a little 'friendly competition' to find out your tribe... now fight!" Gus said and laughed in joy as several people started fighting.

I drew my katana and parried a girl who was wearing a Spartan helmet and wielding a spear. She stabbed at me, but I managed to avoid the tip by an inch. I quickly slashed at her hands, but she backed up and readied her spear, when suddenly...

Ch 2

I was suddenly pulled back from the spear and I saw it was a figure in a dark robe. Before I could thank this person, whoever it was, ran off. Suddenly I was knocked on the ground with a spear right at my neck. I just laid there as another warrior removed her helmet (yes another girl) and reached her hand down and hauled me up, then introduced herself.

"Watch it, Bait. I'm Morgan and you'll be dead if I didn't give you this chance".

I stood up shakily and said "Thanks I'll remember you"

I then run towards the center of the arena. As I ran across the arena, I ran into three very tough looking boys. First they introduced themselves which I guess helped them try to kill me. The blond one in the middle was John, the dark haired muscular one was named Eric and the final one was silent and mute I guess. They all drew out broadswords and shields and charged me when suddenly I saw my best friend Ryan charging towards the enemy to help me. Within a second of reaching me, the blond, blue eyed Ryan whipped out his sword and took on Eric, while the mute one ran off and I took on John, which was my first mistake.

x...x...x....

30 min later

I was still locked in combat, but now the mute one had returned with an ax and was trying to kill me even though there was a sign on the wall that said 'No killing or serious maiming' . Apparently they didn't care for rules. I was about to collapse under the fierce fighting of these teenagers, but again someone came to my aid and stabbed the mute one and I gasped. It was the person who had saved me earlier from the Spartan.

This strange person ran off before I could say something and Eric was still trying to disarm me, but I held up the stance barely until Gus shouted "Alright! Stop the fighting, you brats. If you can move right now you passed, unlike those unfortunate kids down there" He said as he laughed at the dead. "Now on your way out, you will be assigned to one of our wonderful tribes of amazement" He said sarcastically. 

x...x...x....

I walked out of the arena and passed a girl dressed in silk and satin and wore a golden belt with a sword tucked in a sheath. Her slick brown hair was braided down her back, and as I passed she gave me a dirty look and stuck her tongue out at me. I could tell from her posture and looks that she must be Diana star, a celebrity and Gus's daughter. I saw my name under the shadow tribe and grabbed a map then proceeded down the dark streets toward the shadow valley. However, as soon as I started walking I glanced behind me and saw a figure in dark ropes who matched my every step.

I had to think of a plan quickly, so I ducked into an alley and when the person came by, I dragged the person inside the alley and drew my sword, forcing the person down as I held a sword at the cloaked figures throat. However, this person slowly backed away and stood up. I kept my sword ready in case whoever it was was hostile. The stranger started to remove its mask...


Ch 3

The person removed its mask and I was shocked as the person revealed chocolate colored hair and brown eyes. It was yet ANOTHER girl.

"Why don't you put that thing away?" she asked me with a voice like honey. As I was putting my sword away she slapped a piece of paper into my hands, then ran down the alley and vanished.

I stood there shocked and didn't even notice a tall Russian boy sneaking up behind me. Suddenly, he spoke in a heavy Russian accent, "Put your hands behind your head and don't make any funny business". As he was saying this, he poked a knife into my back. I slowly put my hands behind my head and said "Well at least tell me who is kidnapping me".

He put his head back and laughed "Alright you pathetic idiot, I'm Demetri and you are not being kidnapped, you’re just being taken against your will". 

I had to stifle a laugh for his stupidness and he continued, "Now turn around so I can see you.”

I did what he said and looked at my captor, he had dark black hair and black eyes with a growing beard and mustache. He was holding an elegantly jeweled dagger right next to my wildly beating heart. "Now march!” he commanded.

I began to walk slowly, well aware of the dagger poking me...

x...x.....x.....

After what seemed to be hours of walking (in reality it was only minutes), he stopped me in front of an old abandoned warehouse.

"Stop”, he ordered and bound my hands. He then led me up the steps slowly, never putting away his dagger.

"What now Demetri?" I ask him and he just laughs "You'll never know".

And with that, a trap door opened and I fell into a pit with nothing but mice in it. It seemed like forever, but suddenly a section of the wall was removed and staring at me was an Indian girl with shoulder length black hair.

"I'm Shaya and if you want to live follow me" She said. I weighed my options and followed her into a passage way of some sort.

"Why are you helping me?" I ask her, but she wouldn't reply.

We went from a passage to an air duct and I saw though the grates many things, Like a 90 year old singing stayin alive, and a 2 year old running in circles. Finally, she stopped in a chamber and said "Just keep heading that way and you'll get out, I have to see someone".

And with that she crawled back though the air duct. I continued on though the duct when suddenly I fell though a trap door and landed in...

Ch 4

I fell though the trapdoor into a prison dungeon of some sort and tripped over a body. When I looked back I saw there were actually two people bound and gagged. One was the girl named Shan who had almost killed me in the arena and the boy was a brown haired and kinda brown like eyes. I quickly drew my emergency knife and slit the ropes and untied there gags, and the first thing they did was punch me.

The boy got up right after I cut the ropes and punched me hard in the gut.

"Dylan stop it he's trying to help us!" yelled Shan from across the room. I slowly stood up and received two dirty looks, when suddenly the door burst open and I saw the three boys I had fought in the arena, Eric, John, and the mute one, and they pushed in a young boy of about eight into the room then turned around laughed and locked us in. As soon as they left I ran two the boy and looked at him searching for any wounds.

"does anyone know this kid?" Dylan asked staring at me.

"Yes," I said slowly. "He's my brother viper."


"You have a brother!" they both yelled at me then turned and went to there bunks (thank goodness). I unchained my brother and sat next to him and said "it's alright John, how did they catch you?".

"I-I-I was walking home and suddenly th-those three grabbed me and tied me up and brought me here".

I nodded and looked at his scar on his arm he had gotten from dad and sighed. "Well go to sleep ill protect you".

He laid down and passed out, I smiled and took my knife that i still had and started carving a block of wood that was in the room, just to stay awake. Then at about midnight Dylan woke up and came over to me and said "alright hot shot go to sleep or I'll make you, I'll keep watch".

I was reluctant to give up the position but I was tired and crashed on the floor.


x...x....x....

Suddenly it was morning and the Russian burst in with a crossbow and said, "All right you idiots and dummies come out slowly, and no funny business, or me and my friends will shoot."

We all lined up and walked out of the dungeon slowly when another guard came up and demetri (the Russian) said "comrade break so nice of you to help me with these sore losers".

"Alright they don't have far to go now" said the guard named break, and they pushed us down the hall, deeper into the fortress.

Finally we were pushed into a grand room, the throne room. There was a huge chair in the middle of the room that was raised above the floor, and sitting on this chair was the tyrant, static nova. His face was covered by a stainless steel mask and he wore a black suit of thin armor as well. He spoke with a strange tone and said, "Prisssoners welcome to nova temple! Soon you will all be my slaves or die by my assistant!".

And with that a strong heavy set man came though and nova yelled out to us "pick your choice!" and laughed.

Shan and Dylan stepped back and talked while I made my second big mistake for I said "I challenge your assistant who's name is?"

Nova replied, "Python, so you little boy want to fight python, well be my guest". 

Ch 5

"If you want to die fighting my python champion, be my guest" said the evil Lord Nova from his luxury booth at the side of the arena.

Then I saw Shan, Dylan, viper, and a new girl step up to the line to take on python. However python is a ten foot tall humanoid figure who wears a metal cover for his head, and he was wielding a six foot long sword and a six and a half foot tall shield, not to mention the full full body armor.

Then came Nova's hiss like voice come over the arena and said, "All prisoners and ssslaves will be forced to sight as a gladiator sport for my amusement".

And with that about 10 more kids were thrown or shoved in and they were all unarmed just like us with the exclusion of my little letter opener. Then from a door under his luxury box came out 10 armed men led by Luke a tall boy with a scar on both arms and blond hair with red eyes.

"You have three days until the slaughter starts" said the tyrant.


x...x....x.....

We were all thrown into a cell, about ten of us in total. Several I recognized from my first fight, I saw the spartan, Shan, Dylan, and Linsy, which shocked me. Suddenly there was the sound of two girls screaming and the girl named Shay and Diana got thrown in, and Morgan, the spartan girl went up to them.

"Wait, who are you?" I ask the new girl, who had spiky black hair and was holding a dagger.

She replied with a slight evil tone "Emily, not that it matters idiot"

She walked over to the corner. Then I tile from the floor was lifted and every looked and saw the figure in black ropes step up and out, and spoke with a soft voice "If you people want to live come with me."
And she disappeared back below the floor.

"Alright," Shan said. "The young and males go first since they are the explorers." 

So viper, me, and Diana headed down in the first group. However chaos started up above as two guards came in Eric and comrade break.

They charged in.

"Where did they go you witch?" Eric said directing his question to Shan.

"Hey don't talk to her that way!" Dylan said punching break to the ground and picking up his crossbow.

Break crumbles to the ground and Dylan tosses a knife to Shan. Shan catches the knife and holds it defensively in front of Eric.

"Ha a knife in the hands of an amateur cannot destroy a champion" Eric said, calmly drawing his saber and holding it in front of him.

"Don't try anything or I'll kill you if you hurt her" Dylan growls aiming the crossbow.

"Ah, so your boyfriend has to protect you because your a weakling Shannie-poo?"

Suddenly the girl known as Emily stands up and walks over so that she is right behind Dylan and watches the scene unfold.

"Don't ever call me that again you-you-you..." Shan growls, stabbing at his neck.

"Ha! You're slow, weak and pathetic, Shan, just like three years ago," Eric replied parrying the stab and slashing at her leg.

"Well, I have a confession" Emily says drawing a Gladius "I'm a dirty double crosser".



Ch 6

Meanwhile below the chaos......


"Who exactly are you?" I ask the girl who is leading us though this passage way.

"My name is Kim, Kim Clark, and you three are?" she says looking back taking off her hood revealing her amazing hair that had been braided.

"Well, I'm Zachary. This is my brother, Viper, and that over there is the famous Diana star."

"Yes, I'm Diana Star and if I recall Kim, your father was a criminal and you where sent to juvie."

"Yes and no but lets get out of here before we start an argument," Kim said putting her hood back up.

Suddenly there was a large rumbling sound and as we looked behind us we saw a gigantic boulder rolling at them.

x...x....x.....

Meanwhile up above...

"I don't give a shiz if your a double crosser; let go of MY boyfriend!" Shan yelled at Emily who has a knife poking in his back.

"Or what are you going to do? Poke me with your finger?" Emily said tauntingly while still holding the knife to Dylan's back.

Then Morgan who had been remaining silent and was watching the chaos walked to the door slowly and slipped out unnoticed and saw a dark shape moving a away from her, so being a brave spartan warrior she took off after the figure.

x...x...x...

Back underground-

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" three out of the four of us yelled as we bolted down the corridor as a ten ton stone ball came rolling after us. Then Diana leaped to the side into a nook and grabbed viper and pulled him in, so now it was only Kim and I as we ran for our lives.

"Zach, I have an idea!" she yelled to me her amazing hair swept back. "There's a nook or tunnel on our left we need to jump in it!"

I nodded and jumped into the nook that turned into a chute straight down into a empty room, kinda like a jail cell. Before I could examine the room much more Kim came down the chute and fell on me.

"I'm so sorry," she said then sat down on a bench that was camouflaged into the wall.

"Kim, it's nice to see you again under less violent circumstances, like last year at the beach," I say glad we were finally alone, but yet worried about my brother.

"Yea though last year was fun. Especially when you wiped out," she said giggling.
"Yes, that was fun but now we have a problem," I told her observing the small room we are in.
She stood up walked over to be, kissed me on the cheek and said, "Don't worry. we will find a way out".

x...x...x....

Back upstairs in the cell 

"I wouldn't pick up that blade," Eric warned Shan.

"Don't tell me what to do, you failure of a man! Your the reason my boyfriend is on the floor unconscious," Shan yelled back picking up the dropped knife and lunges at Eric with it.

However, on the other side of the cell, Emily handcuffed Dylan to the bars then walked out of the prison leaving Eric to fight Shan alone.

Eric then quickly blocked her lunge with his saber and thrusted at her legs, but Shan stabbed her knife in the handle and disarmed him.

"Your a good knife fighter, I'll give you that," he said before knocking her on her back.

Ch 7

Morgan sneaked down the hall after the mysterious person, being careful not to be seen. careful, she thought to herself as she crept closer, and when the target was five feet away she tackled the stranger and revealed that it was Shaya.

"Ow! What was that for?" Shay asked, slightly annoyed.

Morgan got up and apologized, "Sorry. I thought you were a guard. By the way do you know where the armory is?"

"Sure. It's right though this room," Shay said and as they opened the door they saw two girls and a guy arguing. "Who are they?"

Shay had asked but already knew one of her answers.

"Why don't we go find out?" Morgan said tying up Shays hands. "I'm a villain you know, not your friend."

Then a guy dressed in armor came up and grabbed Shay by the neck, "And I'm the Blaze".

x...x....x....

Meanwhile underground in a corridor...

"Diana? Are you scared?" Viper asked as they walked down the corridor quietly.

"No, I'm not scared and look there's a door," she said pointing to an elegant set of double doors. As they opened it they saw three figures up on a platform. "Who are they and what are they saying?"

"I don't know but I know that the guy there is Commander Static Nova" Viper replied, smiling coldly.

x....x....x.....

Back in the cell...

"So pretty princess going to strike?" Eric taunted at Shan, while holding his sword mockingly.

"Don't you dare call me a princess or I will destroy you!" Shan shouted and in a burst of anger leaped forward and knocked Eric down making him drop his sword.

Dylan then scooped up the blade and ran over to the other cell mate who had been knocked out during the fight.

"Eric, give me one good reason why I shouldn't stab you right now!" Shan shouted at him waiting for a reply.

"'Cause I'm your only way out of this," Eric said obviously desperate.

Shan then took the silver knife she was holding and raised it above her head and brought it down right into the heart and left it there, blood squirting from the wound.

"Shan over here!" Dylan yelled to her as he tried to wake the other girl up.

Just then the girl bolted awake and punched Dylan in the arm.

Shan quickly ran over to the girl helped her up and asked, "What's your name?"

The girl then said "I am Laura Buffy, a slayer warrior."

EDITOR NOTE: BOOSH!

Ha nice keep up the good work bro!