"Idiot!" A blonde Digger spat in my face.

I layed on the stone ground holding my bruised side, I could feel warm blood among my sores. Three female diggers with nasty expressions on their faces circled around me, kicking me repeatedly. I grunted with each blow, gasping when one hit my stomach, the air escaping from my lungs.

Another, dark-haired, Digger muttered under her breath, "'Idiot,' she's not even that," she paused. "Even an idiot would know her gender, this one," she gestured toward me, "doesn't even know that." She slapped me as I tried to stand up, squatting near me, laughing in a chilling manner. "Alex the dim, now doesn't that have a ring to it?" She stopped laughing and grabbed my chin so we would lock eyes.

The stone felt cold against my trembling fingers.

The Digger holding my jaw captive had long black hair with dark grey skin and black, shadowy eyes. Her lips were in a perpetual smile of malice. She enjoyed seeing pain and suffering, she relished in it. There was also one with blonde hair and icy blue eyes and one with grey skin with brown, tangled hair. Both answered only to the black-haired Digger.

Breathing heavily, I looked at their black-haired leader and stuttered, "Why do you, why do you do this!" I screamed for help. Surrounding Diggers ignored my cries and continued on whatever they were doing, leaving me to the whims of those three.

The darker-haired girl began to frown. "You want to know why? It's because you are an insult, an insult to everyone who's male or female - as well as the basis of gender itself. You think you're 'special,' when, really, you're just a confused idiot. You mock what is the basics of human life. You're an insult to human life." She stood up and kicked my face. Blood splattered out of my broken nose and my head slammed onto the stone floor with the force of her blow.

"You are a mistake."

Shick

Her expression was a smile as the knife drove quickly into her chest. I stared at the bloody tip of cold metal penetrating her skin. The Digger screamed shortly, then began coughing too much blood to inhale. The bloody sword tip turned inside of her as the figure behind it twisted the blade. She screeched and cried until the end. Pulling the knife out of the near-dead Digger, the body fell to the ground. In mind air, crawling without dignity, I got just in time to grab her body before in touched the ground. She coughed blood and shivered violently. She was near death already.

As her henchmen left her, running in a panic, the dying Digger rested her head on my lap.

Vond stared down at me as it was her who killed the young Digger in my arms.

"She didn't deserve your pity, you should have let her fall to the ground." I avoided eye contact with my sister, instead, taking mercy on the trembling creature beside me. Taking out the sword from her back (She groaned and screeched with pain once more), I did the first thing that came to mind for a mercy killing.

I swiped the knife along her throat, tearing the thick skin, and bring the poor soul to painful peace. Tears started to fall as the life left her eyes.

"Alex, you may be more kind than me, but that doesn't mean you're invincible. I just want you to know, I heard everything she said and none of it was true." My sister furrowed her brows and punched the stone as she kneeled to my level. "It just makes me so mad!" Vond looked me in the eye and cupped my face in her bloody hands. "You're probably right in being merciful, but seeing her beat you and you not fighting back... I've been teaching you everything I know, but today you learned an important lesson." Her face darkened. "How to kill."

She shook her head and looked back at me, "Alex, you may be different, but, if you conformed to be like everyone else, then you wouldn't be you. Listen, I know I've made jokes about your gender before, but I need you to know... I accept you for who you are, and it's up to you to define who you are. Don't let anybody change that inner self. Remember, no matter what happens, you should be you, whatever that gender or inner self would be."

I smiled at my older sister, blood tasted salty upon my lips, but I ignored it. For, in that single moment, I was happy.

...

I awoke. My eyes remained closed, but I began hearing voices.

"Alex," said a voice.

The voice inquired, "Your name is Alex, right?"

Now opening my eyes, I looked around me. I was in a hospital-like building made of stone. There was a young boy sitting on a chair next to me. Staring at me intently.

"Er... Yes, I'm Alex." I noticed I was in a soft bed with blankets all over me. There were bandages all around my stomach and chest.

"You're the new Contestant Winner, right?" I nodded hesitantly. Though, the last thing I remembered was dying... I had to have won, right? The boy looked about my age, only a little younger, with dull, brown hair and black eyes. He had thick eyebrows and a concerned, but serious, look in his eyes. Suddenly smiling, he told me, "Wow, you must be really confused right now." I nodded. "Well, no need to fear. You won. You don't have to fight anymore!" He smiled again.

Was I free? Did I win?

I looked back to the boy.

Can I find Vond now?

He looked nervous for a fleeting moment. "Did you," he asked, "before you became a Contestant, know a girl, a Digger, named Fina?"

Suddenly, my heartbeat slowed until seemed almost non existent. My breathing seemed harder somehow as I looked away from the boy. I stuttered as I spoke. "I-is your n-name Darnell?" Looking at his confused face.

"H-how do you know my name?" I saw fear start to creep into his face. After he thought for a moment, his face relaxed. "You must have. You must have known my sister."

He is. He is Darnell, Fina's brother.

I stared at Darnell with pity in my eyes. Seeing my expression, Darnell's smile faded.

"I mean," he said slowly and softly, "It's not like she could have..." The boy looked straight into my eyes. "Oh god. Don't tell me-"

I shook my hand, whispering. "I'm so sorry." Bowing my head to hide the tears, my voice shook. "Th-there were only two of us left. We - I had to kill her. Sh-she said she loved you a-and s-said to watch over you." It was too late to hide the tears now. Snot running down my nose and tears streamed down my face, I confessed to Fina's little brother, "I killed you older sister! I killed Fina!"

The boy's face fell, more tears fell from his face, as well as mine.

We wept.

After awhile of tears, Darnell asked me, "D-did she... How did she die?" There was a kind of anger in his voice.

My lungs breathed in shaky breaths. "A-as I told you, only one could pass. I was on my third Contest, sh-she was on her first. We were the last two..." I broke out in tears again. After calming myself I continued, "She said, 'only one of us could pass,' or something along those lines. She said I was stronger so I should win. W-win it for her - for you - and for my own sister-"

I was cut of by Darnell. "So you killed my sister!" I flinched, startled by Darnell's outburst. My eyes were still sore from crying, but my temper was sharp.

"She told me to, you bastard! Wouldn't you do the same!" I screamed at him.

He yelled at me. "No! I don't kill! Not anymore..." Darnell's eyes shadowed and he shivered. I saw the the weakness in his argument. "You killed my sister!" he screamed again, crying angry tears.

"And how many sisters did you kill as a Contestant! What makes your sister any different than anyone else's sister?! That she's yours?! How arrogant can you get?!" I screamed back, still sitting up on my bed, but itching to stand up and attack him. I saw his negative reaction and continued, "We're all monsters! All murderers! All just as bad as those Goddamn Creat-" Darnell put a hand over my mouth, suddenly nervous and serious. Scared.

"Do you want to get us killed?!" Darnell whispered with a harsh inflection in his voice.

I pushed his hand away and said in a normal voice, maybe a little loud, "What do you mea-"

Darnell put his hand back, somewhat forcefully, and pushed me down, back into my bed. "Shut up you idiot!" he whispered harshly. "They're coming!"

Darnell was interrupted by the doors opening. He quickly let go of my face and stood up straight near my bedside.

"Ah! Hugo, Kaynes! Wel - Oh it's just you." A girl walked into the room. Darnell seemed to think different people were coming. The girl had long, dark brown hair, it was straight and brushed. The girl was smiling. Her eyes were an icy blue and her eyelashes were dark and black.

The girl was my sister Vond.

Vond didn't see me, she continued her talk with Darnell.

"Well hello to you too, you little brat," she said sarcastically.

"Ugh. Vondila. What are you doing here?" Darnell rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

Vond smiled smugly and said with pride in her voice, "I got orders from top! Wouldn't you like that, you twerp."

Darnell laughed bitterly, "Like I'd want orders from those no-good, do-nothing-"

Vond interrupted Darnell, "Better not finished that sentence Darnell," Vond warned, "anyway, Kaynes himself told me to tell you that he's cancelling the meeting until further notice. No tests or introduction are to be made to the newcomer until he gives his say," she peered at Darnell's puffy eyes, "Have you been crying," she laughed, "are you homesick, Darnell?" Vond taunted.

"W-what? N-no!"

Vond continued to laugh.

"J-just because you are heartless doesn't mean the rest of us our! I happen to have an actual reason to cry!"

"Oh please," Vond responded cold, "you probably just miss those chains around your neck. Some of us couldn't get out of there too fast... The rest of you are just animals." Vond and Darnell glared at each other.

"Heartless bitch. It's a wonder you have a family," Darnell responded just as coldly.

"Had. Not anymore."

My hands froze. My heart stopped. I let out a gasp.

Both people turned my way. No recognition appeared in Vond's eyes.

"You must be Alex, the new-"

I barely whispered, "Vond?"

She frowned. "What did you call me? My name is 'Vondila,' only family gets to call me Vond." I fell into tears, crying into my bed.

My only reason, my only cause...

Gone.

Darnell seemed surprised by my hysteria and tried to make me stop, maybe even comfort me, but his words echoed through my head. Meaningless. I did notice, though, that 'Vondila' had a tear rolling down her face as she left. But after I had cried myself to sleep, I didn't remember in the morning.

...

I heard voices speak as I was sleeping a couple days later. Darnell had been treating my stab wound, rebandaging the bandages and sewing the wound shut.

"It's true, she's starting to heal... But I don't think - it's going to be a while before she's going to be able to go through any tests," One of the voices said, the sounded like Darnell's voice.

"What do you mean?" Another voice asked, the voice was sharp and seemed male.

"Well, the knife... It was deeper than I thought. It's definitely going to take longer to heal. She probably won't be able to test, not any accurate tests, for months, maybe even years."

The sharp voice was silent for awhile. Finally, the voice said, "Are you saying you won't heal her?" The sentence seemed like a threat.

"Wh-wha-?"

The voice cut off him off, "Darnell, are you disobeying me?"

"N-no! I can't heal her! Not without a little time!"

"I won't hear excuses. I want her healed by the end of the fortnight. If not - you know what will happen."

Darnell gulped.

The voice continued, "Use whatever means, whatever drug, necessary. I want her completely healed. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," said Darnell, somewhat disheartened. I heard a door slam.

"And you, Alex. Welcome. I've been waiting for you," the voice whispered, not knowing that I was hearing every word. Another door slammed. I was left alone until sleep took me.

...

"Hey, Darnell," I asked the boy looking over me. "What was Fina like when she was younger?"

Darnell bit his lip but answered anyway, "Well, she was - she was spirited. Having a lot of energy, but she was also smart about it. She conserved it for helping us and helping herself. Never wasting her energy." Darnell paused. I saw tears on the edges of his eyes, but he wiped them away. "Anyway, she really loved me, and I really loved her."

He and I grew to know each other. Darnell forgave me, I listened to him, but I never told him what I had heard from him that one night.

I was beginning to heal and move more easily, the sharp pain in my abdomen slowly decreased. As I slowly gained my movement, my relationship with Darnell continued to grow.

"Alex, what was your sister like?" Darnell asked me one day, a week later.

I paused. "She protected me," I finally said, "she was the one that taught me how to fight, how to become a Contestant and win. Vond was her name." I sighed. "Vond became a Contestant to provide for me. She said she would come back to me when she won. For the longest time I was in denial, saying she must have left me. Vond couldn't have died. But now... I realize. She won, but she did die. She's not herself, not the Vond I once knew. So, in reality, Vond is dead." Darnell looked at me solemnly and nodded sadly. We both had sisters who died.

"Fina," Darnell mentioned, "didn't want to become a Contestant. She always thought that if we waited long enough, if we pulled through the dead and despair, that someone would save us. We just had to wait." Darnell's eyes darkened. "But I couldn't wait. I couldn't be a lamb to the slaughter. I became a Contestant so I could find Fina and save her, so she wouldn't have to fear or fight anymore. Alex..."

Darnell looked up to me with tears running down his cheeks. "It's a trap." Darnell broke down crying. "It's a Goddamn trap..." He looked at me in the eyes. "The Creators tell us we'll have a better life if we become a Contestant. That's true. But we can't go back for our loved ones. That's one of the reasons why there are so many Contestants. Someone gets desperate and becomes a Contestant. They either die or win, but then their family members and friends don't know which. So they become a Contestant and die or win! There's no way you can get free! It's a trap!" Darnell was hyperventilating at this point and I tried my best to comfort him. "And then..." he continued, "If you become a Contestant winner... They perform tests. Horrible tests." Then he started shaking. "It's only because I'm gifted in medicine that I get away free... But when you're healed... We both have to go to the tests."

"W-what do you mean?" I stammered.

Darnell just looked at me with pity in his eyes.