“No time or credits for holovid shows.”
She taps something on her glossy new wristband, one far more high-tech than my gauntlets. She tilts her arm, and it flips the image so it’s correct for me. “This is a mash-up vid from a news company with the most insane things that have happened at the races over the years.”
I watch as women run through the arena, chased by males of all colors and types of uniforms. My pulse quickens as a dark blue alien in a loin cloth tackles a woman. “How do they not just take us in the field?”
She taps an acrylic finger on the screen. “Drones can carry us away, zap wily dudes, and call for assistance from ABR security.”
A woman is taken by an invisible force. Another is tackled by Ginarigon after Ginarigon until a human guard puts them in their place with blunt force.
“Oh, yeah. That one wasn’t human. Green dude was her security and ended up snagging her as a mate. He’s wearing concealment augments. Guess they wanted her father’s treasure, not her.”
“This is crazy.” I’m way out of my element. Then, I find myself more perplexed by Cora’s attendance. “Why are you here if you can have anything you want?”
She chews a cheek and looks down at the smooth green grass of the race fields below. “You would be surprised how meaningless everything feels when you have all the stuff, but no one looks at you like you are important. My inheritance is all they care about. So I put out a prenup statement that no male who picks me will get any of it. After the bounty hunter’sdaughter was abused last round, I wanted to feel chosen in a primal way, not premeditatedly.”
“Why talk to me?” I finally ask.
“Heard your answers in the sleep recovery center of the medical wing. Knew you wouldn’t try to ruin me.”
I rub my stomach as the announcers call us to the race grounds.
“Eat too much?” Cora smiles.
“Never had so many options or so much fresh food in years. I wanted to try everything. Not sure I can run like this.”
She opens a chamber in her customized wristband and slides me a white pill. “Metabolism enhancer, one of the things my lead scientist created.”
“I don’t do drugs.”
She nods like she understands. “I have an eating disorder. He made these to help me balance my intake without losing my head at work.”
“What kind of disorder?”
“Anorexia. So I’ll work through breaks and lunch, sometimes dinner. Then I’ll eat because I’m starving and eat way too much. Then I’ll be miserable and worthless at work the next day.”
She shows me another slot with pink pills. “These make me hungry. I have to take them at lunch every day.”
I hesitantly take the pill from her, feeling like she’s being honest. There are a lot of cameras watching. If it does cause any trouble, I’m in the next safest place to a hospital. And I’m desperate to make my stomach stop hurting.
It has a strange minty lime flavor but instantly calms my stomachache.
“And don’t worry,” she says. “We get an hour by the arena to help us digest. They don’t want women getting sick on the field.”
“Oh, good.”
“Speaking of—” A woman in an ABR uniform, holding a tablet, motions to the elevators. “We’re starting to form everyone up now.”
Cora jumps up and quickly gets in line for the elevators without so much as agoodbyeorgood luck.
“Hey!” The other pink-banded woman from the locker room stops beside me. “Ready?”
I’m perturbed by Cora’s flighty personality, but I let it go. She’s already in an elevator headed to the arena.
I join her. “That was a switch flip.”
“Eh, Cora’s just Cora.” She shakes her head like she’s annoyed with the woman, then hooks an arm around mine like we’re best friends and have known each other for years. “Aren’t you excited?”
Instinct makes me want to pull back, but I’ve waited too long to feel this connection, to have this chance. So I push aside the unfamiliarity for courage and smile. “Yeah. Just nervous.”
