Chapter 2: Registration Day

CLAIRAELLE'S POV

I found Elara asleep when I arrived at the hospital that afternoon.

She looked even paler than she had the day before. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow, and the blanket covered her up to her chest. The sight of her made the anger I'd been holding inside give way to something much worse.

Fear.

I sat beside her bed and took her hand.

Her eyes opened slowly.

“Clairaelle?” Her lips curved into a small smile. “You look terrible.”

I gave a small laugh. “Thank you. I was going for beautiful and mysterious.”

“You missed both.”

“That's the thanks I get for visiting you?”

She squeezed my fingers, but her smile faded when she noticed the papers in my lap.

“What's that?”

I hesitated.

I had spent the entire journey rehearsing how to tell her. Every version sounded awful.

“I'm entering The Selection Games.”

She stared at me.Then she shook her head. “No.”

“Elara—”

“No, Clairaelle. Absolutely not.”

“Let me explain.”

“You don't need to. I've seen those games on television. Do you remember what happened to that girl last time? The one who was thrown against a wall by a werewolf?”

“I remember.”

“She broke her back and was paralyzed. Forever.”

“I know.”

She tried to sit up, but the effort left her breathless. I helped her settle back against the pillow.

Then she whispered, “You're doing this because of me.”

I looked down at our joined hands.

“I'm doing it because I want you to get better.”

“I don't want you to get hurt.”

“Neither do I.”

“Then don't go.”

I wished it were that simple.

I wanted to tell her that we could find another way, that everything would somehow work out without either of us having to make another terrible choice. But I had run out of comforting lies.

“The prize is five million crowns,” I said quietly. “Even the advance payment will help with your treatment. Uncle Richard has agreed to take care of you while I'm gone, and I've made him sign an agreement.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You can't trust him. He hates us.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because I can't keep watching you suffer while I do nothing.”

She turned her face away.

I held her hand until she looked at me again.

“I'm not going because I think I'm stronger than those people. I'm going because we need the money, and this is the only chance I have to get it.”

“What if you don't come back?”

The question cut straight through me.

I wanted to promise her that I would. I wanted to say I'd win the five million crowns, pay every hospital bill, and bring her home to a life where neither of us had to beg anyone for anything.

But I couldn't promise to win a competition I had almost no chance of surviving.

So I leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“I'm going to do everything I can to come home.”

She closed her eyes, and a tear slipped down her cheek.

I wiped it away with my thumb.

“Get better while I'm gone, all right? That's your job. Leave the fighting to me.”

“Your fighting skills are mediocre compared to people with supernatural strength.”

“Then I suppose I'll have to improve.”

She gave a small, shaky laugh.

It wasn't enough to make either of us feel better, but it was something.

When I finally left the hospital, I carried the signed agreement in one hand and my registration papers in the other.

Tomorrow, I'd officially enter The Selection Games.

Tomorrow, I'd step into a world where humans like me were little more than easy targets.

And if I wanted Elara to have a future, I'd have to survive long enough to win one.

I was terrified.

I was going to enter the Games.

And if the gods be by my side, I was going to make sure my uncle regretted ever thinking he could use my life to buy his fortune.

~

The first thing I learned about the supernatural world was that nobody bothered to move out of your way.

The second was that they expected you to be grateful when they didn't run you over.

“Watch where you're going, human!”

I barely had time to step aside before a woman with pointed ears brushed past me, her long silver dress swishing around her ankles. She didn't even look back.

I stared after her.

“Good morning to you too,” I muttered.

The woman walking behind her snickered.

I ignored them and tightened my grip on my bag.

The registration grounds were nothing like I had imagined. I had expected a large office, perhaps a hall with a few officials and a long line of nervous contestants. Instead, I stood before a massive stone building with tall pillars, silver banners, and an iron gate guarded by men whose eyes glowed a disturbing shade of yellow.

Beyond the gate, the grounds stretched farther than I could see. There were fountains, gardens, and several buildings connected by wide stone walkways. Hundreds of people moved between them, some dressed in ordinary clothes and others looking as though they had stepped out of an expensive fantasy film.

I had barely crossed the entrance when I saw a man lift a wooden crate with one hand.

The crate looked heavy enough to break my back.

He carried it as casually as if it contained pillows.

I looked away.

I had a feeling staring at people with supernatural strength was a good way to attract unwanted attention.

“Registration for the Selection Games is in the central hall!” a guard called. “Contestants must have their documents ready. Anyone without a confirmed application will be turned away.”

I checked the papers inside my bag for the third time.

Application. Medical declaration. Signed agreement with Uncle Richard.

Everything was there.

I could do this.

I had survived my uncle's temper, months of hospital visits, and years of pretending everything was fine when it wasn't. Surely I could survive filling out a few forms.

A loud crash came from somewhere to my left.

I turned just in time to see two girls glaring at each other beside a fountain.

One had slightly broad shoulders and dark hair. The other had pale skin and a pair of red eyes that made me wish I hadn't looked at her for quite so long.

“You bumped into me,” the dark-haired girl growled.

The pale girl smiled. “And you survived. Congratulations.”

Several people nearby laughed.

The dark-haired girl took a step forward. For one terrifying second, I thought she was about to attack. Then her fingers curled, and her nails lengthened into sharp claws.

I stopped breathing.

The pale girl's smile widened.

“Careful,” she said. “You'll frighten the humans.”

My heart thudded against my ribs.

I didn't wait to see what happened next. I turned toward the central hall and walked as quickly as I could without looking like I was running away.

I was beginning to understand why everyone was terrified of the supernatural world. They were unpredictable and dangerous.

The registration hall was even worse.

It was packed with contestants, their families, assistants, and officials. Voices bounced off the high ceiling, making it difficult to hear anything clearly. At the far end of the hall, a huge crystal display showed the names of contestants whose applications had already been confirmed.

I spotted several names I recognized from the announcement.

Aurelia's friends had been talking about some of these contestants for days. The daughter of a powerful witch family. The daughter of a vampire noblewoman with a reputation for winning every competition she entered. Two werewolf sisters who had apparently never lost a fight.

And then there was me.

Clairaelle Fitzpatrick. Human. No supernatural abilities. No wealthy family to support me. No powerful friends waiting to protect me.

Could my life get any better?