Page 14 of 4 Corinthians

“She’s not a pet,” I angrily replied. “She’s a kid.”

“So are we,” he wheezed. “But he doesn’t care. I heard him talking to her daddy. They are going to talk to her uncles and have the rest of the kids start fighting too.”

“What else did they say?”

“That’s all I heard before I had to fight,” Kenbral answered. “Robert’s pet doesn’t know.”

Two security guards walked into the room and came to my cage. Slowly, I stood, watching as the first one pulled the remote from his pocket. “Mr. Strong said to show you this, and you will fall into line,” he warned, waving the controller side to side. “I would advise you to do what I say.”

“I will,” I told him. I put my hands out, and they put the cuffs on me. After they were secure, I walked out of my cage and towards the door. The crowd's screams over their bets were loud, but my focus was on finding Corinthians. I wanted to see her, to make sure she was okay. I walked down the aisle and to my corner of the ring and stopped. “Get in.”

“You have to take the collar and cuffs off first,” I said, holding my arms out. The security guards shared a look, and I waited. “It’s the only way I can get into the ring. I have to bend. I can’t do that with these on.” They hesitated, and then the guard who had put the cuffs on me finally took them off. I turned around and let them take the collar off.

I rolled my neck and shook my hands. I couldn’t feel anything, but that didn’t matter. The security stepped back, and I smiled as I turned around.

“Thank you,” I said, looking between the two of them. “And I’m sorry”

“Sorry?” One of them asked, and I nodded. “For what?”

“Getting you killed,” I answered him and pointed to Robert, who was standing at his chair. Corinthians stood on the other side near her father. Her head was down; her long hair covered her face, but I could see the bruises on her arms and shoulders, which made me mad. The rule was that my collar wasn’t supposed to come off until he released me. They didn’t know that, and it wasn’t my problem. In the past, before my promise, I would’ve run off, but now I couldn’t. Robert was going to kill them for not knowing the rules, and his attention would be focused on them and not me.

“Get in the ring, Uri!” Robert yelled. “Now!”

Slowly, I turned and climbed into the ring. Luca Franklin stood on the other side, watching me. He was a few years older than me, but we were the same size. The bell sounded, and I ran towards him. I wasn’t waiting for him to make the first move. Not this time. I wanted this fight over and done with as fast as possible so I could get back to my cage. With any luck, Robert would put Corinthians in hers, and I could check on her.

Corinthians

The sound of running water made me open my eyes and jump out of bed. Looking around, I tried to see anything or anyone that wasn’t supposed to be in here. Once I realized no one was there, I slowly sat on my bed and tried to catch my breath. Psalms was in her bed, tucked under her covers with her ladybug toy in her arms. I wiped my hands over my face, not surprised to feel the sweat even though our room was cool because of the fan in the window. My pajamas were wet from the sweat. I took them off, grabbed a new pair from the dresser, and opened the door. Instead of being able to walk into the hallway, I was stopped by a metal door.

I knocked and waited for one of my parents to show up.

“What is it, Corinthians?” My daddy said, coming out of his room. He pushed the bottom half of his shirt into his pants and glared at me. I remember a time when I was happy to see him. Now every time I do, I hate him a little bit more.

“I need some water,” I told him. “I’m hot.”

“It’s past your bedtime,” he replied, crossing his arms and shaking his head. “You need to be asleep. You have a match tomorrow.”

“I’m thirsty,” I said again.

He stepped closer to the door and glared at me. I could see my reflection in his glasses. My eye was still swollen, but it wasn’t black anymore. “I said it’s past your bedtime.” He hit the gate, making it rattle, but I didn’t move. He didn’t scare me, not anymore, because I knew that monsters were real. “Get your ass back in that bed and go to sleep.” He hit the gate again and turned to walk away. I watched him go downstairs, and just when I was about to go back to my bed, my mama came out of her room. She was dressed in a long, pretty dress. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and her makeup was done. Mama didn’t always dress up, but when she did, I always thought she looked like a princess.

“Corinthians, what are you doing awake?” she asked, looking around. She was probably looking for Daddy. He didn’t let her talk to us if he wasn’t around. Robert told him that Mama was useless and had done her job, which was having Bug and me.

“I’m thirsty,” I told her, even though I knew she wouldn’t get me any water.

“Did you tell your father?” she asked. I nodded. “He said no?” I nodded again. She sighed, looked towards the direction he had gone, then nodded. “Okay, give me a second. Stay right there.” She went back to her room, then came back a few minutes later with a small cup. Quickly, she crossed the hallway and leaned against the gated door. “Open your mouth and put your head back. I don’t have the key, so I’m going to have to pour it in your mouth as best as I can.”

I did what I was told, and she poured the water through the space in the gate. Most of the water ran down the rails and onto the floor, but I was able to get a little. Once she was done, I stepped back and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. The sound of Daddy coming back up the steps made her step back. I didn’t move.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked her, coming to a stop at the top of the steps. “Did you give her water?”

“She was thirsty,” Mama said, stepping back some more. The space she put between us was big. “I only gave her a little.”

“She didn’t need water,” Daddy said, shaking his head. “Robert said she has to learn to follow instructions. She can't do as she pleases.”

“She was thirsty,” Mama said again.

“I told you to teach her her place, too,” Robert said, coming up the stairs. I didn’t know he was here, and from the look on Mama's face, she didn’t either. “Until you teach her her place, my pet, will never fall in line.” He moved around Daddy and stood in the hallway. Mama’s head dropped, and Robert tsked. “Well, maybe she does know her place, but it’s just you that she doesn’t listen to.”