Station 2-14: Chapter Fourteen

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Tessa was desperate to find Ley after her match. She’d seen how she had struggled to breathe, and she it didn’t make any sense. She should have been able to fight Jax easily; she had seen her do so much more. But she had also witnessed the pressure that she put on herself, and now she could see that it was starting to tear her apart.

Avery, on the other hand, was only concerned with keeping Ley under control. She was angry that Ley hadn’t followed her plan, and angrier still that she had succeeded regardless. Tessa found them both in the undercroft where Pangere was shouting at her, each word cutting Ley down as she went on and on about the bigger picture.

It wasn’t just about the match, she said, they had to perform for the audience. And if they wanted to win, they had to present a character that the crowd would like.

It was so frighteningly similar to her own games that at first, Tessa was frozen by the sight of it. As if she had stepped into her own memory that she was trying to avoid. Until she finally found her voice:

‘Avery, that’s enough!’ She cried, as she stepped between them. ‘She’s just a kid.’

‘No, Tessa, it’s okay,’ said Ley. ‘I get it. I’ll do better. ’ Tessa believed her, because she knew that there wasn’t another option. But something in Ley’s eyes disappeared when she agreed; a fire that she had thought would always burn.

Over the weeks, she watched as Ley said what she was told, moved to where she was directed and questioned nothing. Her next match came and went, and she wore the victory with a picture-perfect smile. Only Tessa seemed to notice the light was now missing. Or maybe she was the only one who seemed to care.

Now they stand among the elite of the Station, waiting to hear where the semi-finals will take place. Pangere flits between conversations with Ley in tow, presenting her like a trophy that she’s already won.

Tessa stands with Voss in the corner of the terrace, draining her drink dry before anyone can stop her. She wants to be happy, Ley was being celebrated by the people who could make sure that she would win.

And if Ley wins, they all do.

But she can’t get excited just yet; hope had shamed her before. Especially when more memories of her past were threatening to unravel her, as Jin walks over to join them. She can’t deal with him right now - she doesn’t want to acknowledge how happy she is to see him.

‘So,’ says Jin. ‘Ley’s doing well, she made her way back to the top. Can’t help but think that it’s going to be so much sadder now when she loses to Ellis in the final.’ He laughs, expecting them to join him because it was the kind of joke that made the rest of the party fell for. But they refused.

‘Careful Jin,’ says Voss. ‘You’re not as cute anymore. People might think you’re just an asshole.’

‘Not as cute?’ He says, feigning shock. ’Nina over there just told me that I’ve never looked better.’ Tessa’s eyes flicker in Nina’s direction, where she makes no effort to hide that she’s watching their conversation.

‘Well, who could argue with Nina,’ says Tessa.

‘My point exactly,’ he says, his eyes finding hers. ’You look good.’

‘I, uh, yep - thanks,’ she stammers. ‘You, uh, also look good too….’

‘Oh this? Just something I threw on.’ She barks out a laugh before she can stop herself and Voss groans with embarrassment next to her. But she’s saved from replying when Derek calls Jin over from across the room.

‘Looks like you’re being summoned,’ says Voss.

’It never ends. How long do you think before he drags me over there?’

‘Please don’t make us find out,’ says Voss.

‘I’ll be back,’ he says, with a smile just for her.

‘That was…’ starts Tessa.

‘Painful,’ says Voss.

‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me - this is all just feeling so familiar. And last time, it all went to shit. I just want to win so we can get the hell out of here.’

‘You and me both,’ says Voss, barely loud enough for her to hear. And Tessa realised that she wasn’t alone in her fears. They both knew how close they were to success but how quickly it could all come crashing down.

‘There you are!’ Delights Avery as she arrives with Ley. ‘I saw you were talking with lovely Jin…’

‘So did Derek - practically dragged him away when he saw him over here.’

‘Yeah - what’s with that guy?’ Says Ley. ‘I don’t like the way that he’s always… around.’

‘Derek?’ Says Voss. ’Oh he’s just frustrated because he can’t use his bands.’

‘Oh, stop it,’ says Avery.

‘He’s banded?’

‘Yeah four - same as T.’

‘Then why didn’t he enter the games?’ Says Ley.

‘Who knows,’ says Voss. ‘There were rumours that he was too violent.’

‘Oh please,’ says Avery. ‘Does he look violent?’

‘And what exactly does violence look like?’ Says Tessa, eyeing Pangere. She had never considered the question and it dawned on Tessa that Avery had never had to. She was the top of the food chain, so it didn’t matter if someone looked violent or not because they would never dream of acting against her.

Tessa watched as the question unravelled her, the perfect mask that she wore at these events slipping with confusion.

‘Look out,’ says Voss. ‘Here they come.’ In a blink, her mask is righted; a bright smile already in place as Derek and Jin arrive.

‘They want the contestants to be together when the announcement’s called,’ says Derek.

‘Of course,’ says Avery.

‘But first,’ says Jin. ‘Some photos of the finalists… with their trainers.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ says Tessa. Voss claps his hands together and ushers them forward:

‘Now remember,’ he says, delivering them to the photoshoot. ‘Smiles start with your eyes!’

‘Just like old times,’ says Jin, as he settles into place beside her.

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Voss is getting another well-deserved drink when he smells Derek’s cologne arriving. He makes a point of coughing on the stench as he turns to face him.

‘Any more thoughts about my offer?’ Says Derek.

‘Well my first thought is that you can shove it up your ass, and I haven’t really thought of a better option.’

‘Think about it like this,’ says Derek, turning his back on the shoot to avoid being overheard. ‘It’s a win-win. What does it matter who loses if you get paid…’

‘Pass.’

‘I’ll give you some more time.’

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The photograph has barely caught his last shot before Jin is leading Tessa away from it all. She hates how easy it is to slip back into old patterns, her feet finding the grooves of the path that he leaves for her.

‘You always talked about leaving the Station,’ says Jin. ‘It was the best thing I’ve heard in a while that you were training Ley. I thought I would never see you again. I’m glad that you’re here.’

‘Me too,’ says Tessa, her heart aching at the thought. She was glad that he was beside her and if their lives had played out differently, maybe she wouldn’t be fighting her way of the Station. Maybe she would even consider wanting to stay.

But it wasn’t the truth.

She tears her eyes away from him and forces herself to look out at the Station and the glittering lights of the city below. She should head back to everyone, or call Voss to join them. Anything to break the tension that was building between them.

‘Do you ever think about us?’

‘…That was a long time ago.’

‘That’s not exactly an answer.’ She wouldn’t dare say anything more. Not when they were so close to winning. Not when one wrong step could ruin their chances. This wasn’t just a game, it was entertainment; she couldn’t risk the crowd turning on them or Avery cutting ties with them. And what if she had wondered about him. What if she had imagined what it could have been like if they different choices had been laid out for them. It didn’t change what had happened, or where she found herself now.

‘… I still want to leave the station,’ she says, finally. ‘That’s what matters.’

‘Tess -’ He starts, and she lets him pull her close without realising they were no longer alone.

‘I was wondering where you both went?’ She breaks apart to find Derek glaring at them. ‘Shall I get the camera?’ She had always hated Derek but his words bring reality screaming back to her. She shouldn’t be here, not with him. She pushes past him to leave,

‘Tess, wait - ’ She whirls around to face him.

‘You are not allowed to call me that.’

‘Okay, sorry. But just, don’t listen to him. You shouldn’t let it hurt you.’

‘It doesn’t,’ she says, too quickly. ‘I’m over it.’

‘Good,’ he sighs.

‘Good,’ she snaps, but whether it’s his perfect composure or the sight of Derek leering behind him, she thinks better of it. ‘No, actually, you know what? I’m not over it. As far as I remember there were two people on that tape and yet I was the only one who paid for it. Everything in my life changed because of it and nothing changed for you. You won. You’re still winning.’

‘I didn’t have a part in any of it - you must know that. I had nothing to do with it.’

‘Right, of course not, just did nothing to stop it either.’ Derek starts to laugh, and her heart breaks again when Jin lets him. She considers throwing them both off the roof when Voss appears by her side,

‘Everything okay?’ He asks. ‘They’re about to make the announcement.’

‘Yeah, fine. Let’s go,’ she takes Voss’ arm but hesitates, turning to Jin. ‘And just so we’re clear, I may not be over what happened, but I am over you.’

Pangere taps the side of her glass and silences the crowd. Ley stands awkwardly with Ellis and Ellah on the podium. Tessa tries catch her eye and give her a comforting smile, anything that might show her that it’s okay. But Ley squints against the light in her eyes - she can’t see a thing.

While Ley falters underneath the glare; Pangere shines. She quietens the applause with a gentle nod while she takes to the microphone.

‘Thank you all for attending this evening,’ she says. ‘And congratulations to our three semi-finalists. When I started these games, I wanted to create a place for our best and brightest to compete. Over the years it’s become so much more than that.’ She turns to the three contestants. ‘You should all be very proud of what you’ve achieved so far.’ She smiles back to the crowd:

‘It’s become tradition that for the semi-finals the arena floor is changed before we go onto the main Stadium. So, it’s my great pleasure to introduce two-fourteen’s very own Amyn, manager of the Games and my dear friend. I’m told he has quite a surprise installed for everyone. Amyn?’ Pangere encourages the applause while he makes his way to the stage. Tessa leans towards Voss,

‘Any ideas?’

‘I really hope it’s something with height,’ says Voss. ‘Something that really makes you scared they’re going to fall off.’ Amyn climbs to the stage and tests the microphone with a nervous clearing of his throat.

‘Thank you, Avery,’ he says. ‘We spent a long time trying to think of what to do this year. But I think everyone is going to enjoy what we have in store. The arena for the semi-finals this year will be: water.’

Pangere leads the applause as the images of the new stadium flood the screens. Usually the semi-finals were held in the same arena as the primaries with some minor adjustments. But this was a whole new structure. The seats were raised off the ground and separated from the leagues of water that filled the area. The boundary line is a beam of light projected onto the water where a single island stands in the centre, with two floating isles at each end, which Tessa can only assume are their starting marks.

Ellis and Ellah are grinning with excitement but Ley has already begun to pale.

‘Same rules apply,’ continues Amyn. ‘The match will be over by boundary or knockout. But if either contestant falls off of their starting mark into the water - it’s over.’

The lights blow out at his words and the three finalists fall into darkness on the stage. ‘Shit,’ breathes Tessa.

‘Is this her?’ Says Voss, as the glass tower begins to rattle.

‘Definitely.’ Tessa worms her way towards the stage, pushing pass the confusion with Voss trailing behind her. Avery’s voice sounds throughout the dark,

‘We seem to be having some technical issues,’ she chimes. ‘But another round of applause for Amyn and our wonderful new stadium!’

Tessa reaches Ley and hurries her off the stage, she can feel her shaking beneath her grip.

‘Hey, hey, - what’s going on.’ Ley’s struggles to calm down as the music roars back to life, drowning out the sound of rattling glass. ‘Ley. Breathe.’

‘I can’t swim,’ she gasps. The rattling becomes a chorus of noise. ‘I can’t swim. I won’t win, I can’t -’

‘It’s okay,’ says Tessa. ‘We’ll sort it out. Don’t worry, just take a deep breath. In... and.. Out…’ The terrace slowly steadies itself as Ley regains control. Voss nudges Tessa in the shoulder - they’re in the clear. ‘That’s it. It’s going to be okay.’

‘Yeah, says Voss. ‘Besides, it’s only really a problem if you fall in.’

‘Seriously?’ Says Tessa, but she can’t help but notice Ley smile.

‘What’s going on?’ Says Avery, pushing Voss aside. ‘Are you alright?’

‘She’s fine,’ says Tessa, placing a protective hand on Ley’s shoulder. ‘It’s okay, right?’

‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ She wasn’t convincing anyone but she was in control. Tessa prayed that it was enough to satisfy Pangere. The last thing that Ley needed was more pressure. She was already about to break.

‘Come on,’ says Voss. ‘Let’s get you something to eat.’ Tessa goes to follow them but Pangere holds her back, waiting for the truth.

‘She can’t swim.’

‘What?’

‘Avery, wait, listen - she’s terrified. And she wants to win so badly, we all do, but she’s still a kid. And right now she’s scared. So we just need to give her some space, she’ll be okay.’ She repeats herself again and again, trying to convince herself as much as Avery. ‘She’ll be okay. I promise you, she’ll be fine.’ But Pangere’s not convinced.

‘No, Tess,’ she says. ‘I’m not sure that she will be.’

‘Of course she will be - you’ve heard her. She’s more determined than anyone. We’ll sort it out.’

‘It’s not that… the doctor’s told me today that her Mother is resisting treatment.’

‘What do you mean - she was getting better.’

‘She was,’ sighs Avery. ’It happens sometimes, apparently. You see improvement, immediately even, and then it starts to fight back just as fast.’

‘How long?’

‘It’s far more aggressive than it was before.’

‘We have to tell her.’

‘Yes but I’m afraid of how she’ll react.’

‘Avery, we have to tell her - what if she finds out from someone else? I’ll do it. I’ll take her home and we’ll talk about it.’

‘You’re right,’ says Avery. ‘Of course, you are. You should tell her.’ Tessa goes to take Ley home, but she hesitates. How was she supposed to break this news to her? This was everything she was fighting for and the hope of her Mum surviving was all that mattered. Avery gently nudges her forward, and a memory caresses the edge of her mind. Avery nudging her forward to her final, fixed match:

‘It won’t get any easier,’ she says. Tessa knew that it wouldn’t. Just as she knew then that forcing herself to lose wasn’t going to be easy. Yet putting her life and reputation on the line for someone’s else mistake wasn’t anything compared to what she was about to do.

Avery pushes her forward again, and this time she walks out to meet her fate.

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