"Are you him?" the little girl asked quietly, "The man who taught my big sister?"

Confused, I replied to the little one, "I've taught many older sisters in my day, what is her name?"

"Vond," she stated.

My blood ran cold.

Vond...

"What do you want, child," I commanded.

She cleared her throat. "Well, my name is Alex. I would like to be taught by you."

"No! Teaching Vond to kill was a mistake! I won't let the same thing happen to you. She was bloodthirsty, feeding on my own desires, that can't happen again! For your sake, the Announcers sake, and my own."

The little girl looked up at me, and said quietly, "But, she's my sister."

"That girl, her rage, isn't like anything I've ever seen before. She really does just want to kill the Creators and the Announcers. And -  well - she caught me at a bad time in my life. Now many lives are lost because of that mistake."

After a period of silence, I spoke again, "Why do you want to learn how to kill?"

The small little girl spoke, "Like I said. She's my sister: my only family member left. I won't pretend that I don't enjoy killing." Her eyes darkened and she looked down. "But, Vond," she looked my eyes, her dark, dark eyes were large and almost innocent, "is a Contestant right now. I will never see her again. You say I want to kill, it's true, but that's not why I'm doing this."

I replied, shaken, "I guess I will have to teach you then. Though, if I'm to teach you, you must know that won't accept any killing while I'm teaching you."

The dark-haired child smiled for the first time. "Of course!"

"What's your name, by the way."

"Alex," She - sorry, they - replied.

...

My name is Vondila.

I am a Contestant Winner.

I walked down the stone hallway, heading toward the testing room.

Going through the door, I was welcomed by screams. There was another Contestant Winner laying on a table. He was strapped down and various needles and tubes were connected to him. Screaming bloody murder.

There was another person sitting on a chair nearby. He was looking at a machine screen, deep in thought. Fat and having slimy brown hair, his name was Hugo.

"Hugo," I said to him, "I have visited the newest Contestant Winner and have made a report." The old, fat man looked and me and smiled maliciously.

He asked me, "Do you have the paperwork with you, Vond?"

I stiffened. "It's Vondila, and yes." Hugo smiled again and took it from me. I had multiple copies, each. I was supposed to give to the three Creators in charge. Each had a different job.

He motioned for me to go. "You're dismissed, Vond." I sighed and let it go. Hugo was a monstrous human that was constantly getting on my nerves.

But then again, I hated all Creators just as much. I had to pretend I didn't, though, for Alex. For my sister - well, sibling. I sighed again.

Ugh! What are you doing?!

My inner self screamed at me.

Don't sigh! You can't let them know your hatred toward them! Don't feel! Just suck it in!

When I first became a Contestant, I thought I could just go back to where the Diggers were, find Alex, and take her - them. But the Creators wouldn't let me. I was a prisoner of my own fantasies. I thought being a Contestant Winner would let me, basically, be a Creator in my own right. Infinite power. But that was just the fantasy of an immature child. No, I was still a slave. Only now I had a soft bed, good food, and power as a supervisor.

I didn't have a family anymore. I couldn't let Alex know that I remembered them, or else they'd be in more danger.

It's all because of those damn experiments...

I was special, I had what was called a 'class four soul,' they needed me for special experiments. While people like Darnell had a 'class two soul,' they died out quickly because they could always find another common class two soul.

If the Creators knew that Alex was related to me, they would perform horrible tests on them. Deadly tests. They would assume Alex had a class four soul as well. If there were two class four's... Then at least one of them would be expendable. I was willing to die, but I was not willing to take that chance with Alex.

So, I couldn't let the Creators know I was related to them. So, I couldn't let Alex know I remembered them.

This is my only option. My only chance to save Alex.

I was about to sigh again, but I held it in.

Show no emotion. Hurt Alex. Save Alex.

It's impossible to hold in your emotions forever, but Goddamn it I will try.

My feet turned into a different hallway, I walked up to a door and knocked.

"Come in," a sharp and terrible voice said. The voice of Quin.

I walked through the door and bit the inside of my mouth as I saw the tall, slender Creator holding a dead body. My face remained blank, though my mouth tasted like blood.

Quin looked at me, saw no reaction, and smiled. Quin was the top Creator, the one in charge. He was skinny with longish black hair and a sickening grin. His eyes were a soulless black and his skin was pink, oppose to the many variations of grey and white that was a normal skin tone. Quin also had a scar beneath his eye on his right cheek.

The very thought of Quin made me sick. I hated him with all my heart and soul.

He was holding a corpse on his lap. It was a Digger corpse, it seemed. It was female with bright red hair and her neck had lines cut deep into her skin. She died with a look of pure terror on her face, Quin was gently stroking her neck. Blood was on his hands.

We were in a room above where the Diggers worked. There was a kind of screen floor, there were also little red dots that were Diggers below. We could see the Diggers down below us, working. When one stopped working, all the the Creators had to do was press and hold down the red dot. Every Digger got three tries a day, after they failed to work, or they spoke, too many times... Then they would become like the corpse here, male or female or something else, as long as they had red hair.

There were many Creators working here, enough to see it that Quin, the leader, wouldn't have to work down here. But he wanted to, he chose to. He just wanted to see us Diggers die.

"Ah, Vondila. My favorite supervisor. What news have you brought to me today?"  he asked as he grinned at me.

I began talking like there was nothing unusual or creepy about Quin, "There is a new Contestant Winner. Though you have probably already met them, I have made a report and analysis about them. I have already given one to Dr. Hugo, and I am now on my way to Dr.-"

Quin interrupted me, "Them? Are there multiple?"

Damn it.

"No, sir. I meant her."

Sorry, Alex. I know you didn't want to go by she.

"Very well then, continue on, Vondila." I've always hated the way Quin purred my name. It made me want to wash my mouth and skin ten times.

I bowed respectfully and turned toward the door.

"And Vondila," said Quin, I turned back to look at him, "hopefully our next meeting won't be as brief." Quin licked his lips. I only allowed myself to shiver once I was alone in a dark corner of the hallway. The dead Digger body wouldn't get out of my mind, I kept on replacing the corpse with my own body, alive. Having Quin hold me, stroke me... It made me sick to think about.

But I knew that that was what Quin meant by wanted to see me longer.

I held my stomach, wanting to throw up.

Controlling myself, I walked to the last Creator I was supposed to meet and give my last report.

Kaynes.

I walked through the hallway feeling slightly dizzy with a head that seemed unnaturally heavy.

At last I got to the computer rooms, where Kaynes was. I was only able to knock once before I passed out.

...

My name is Darnell.

I am a Contestant Winner.

I was walking through the stone hallway trying to find the computer room, looking for Kaynes.

Kaynes was one of the few Creators with a heart. Rumor was he used to be a Digger, and before that he came from the surface. It's completely preposterous of course, but I always have wondered why Kaynes and Quin both have colorful and bright skin.

I was looking for Kaynes so I could ask him about what to do about Alex and Vondila.

Alex was the newest Contestant Winner. She was currently in the medical center, I was taking care of her. Her story was that she was on her last Contest, but she was stabbed from the beginning. The last two Contests ended up killing each other, which happens regrettably often, and she survived and was the last one alive.

By sheer luck. Or, l guess, willpower.

Alex and I started off on a bad foot. I had a sister named Fina, perfect in everyway, who was killed by Alex. Though, I wouldn't call it murder. Alex and she were the were the last two Contestants, one of them had to die.

Fina asked to be the sacrifice.

My eyes still tear up thinking about it. Fina didn't just die, she chose to leave. To leave me...

Anyway, I needed to talk to Kaynes about what to do about Alex. Quin himself, the leader of the Creators, came to see how Alex was doing. He gave her two weeks to heal, and me two weeks to make sure she healed. I had to use several unhealthy drugs to make sure she healed in time. I needed to talk to Kaynes about what was happening with about Alex.

The door was within my view and I decided to walk in. Without knocking, I opened the door to Vondila asleep and Kaynes watching above her.

"U-uh-" I stammered "-what is going on here?!"

Kaynes looked at me and smiled. "Darnell! What wonderful timing! Please do come in!" I was taken aback with Kaynes happy appearance with Vondila unconscious on his bed, deciding to walk in anyway.

"What?" I stated simply. Kaynes laughed a deep, rich sound.

"Vondila hasn't been taking care of herself lately!" Kaynes eyes were merry. "She's passed out on my floor!" After chuckling a bit, Kaynes asked me, "Now, Darnell. What brings you to my humble abode this night?"

"Um," I said nervously, "well, you know I've been working in the hospital of late?" Kaynes nodded. "Well, there's a new Contestant Winner... I've been taking care of her wounds." Kaynes nodded again, now transitioning his face to look serious and concerned, like he always looked when he was listening to someone. That's why a lot of Contestant Winner's would seek him out. He was fairly new, being here only for about a month, but it seems like he's been here for years the way he fits in. I continued with my story, "She... Quin is interested in her and I don't know why. He - keeps on visiting when she's asleep. He told me to heal her in two weeks so he could get on with testing! Two weeks! This wound could take months to heal! He's never been that interested in Contestant Winners before! I don't know what's going on... But it can't be good if he's that curious with her."

There was a silence that was broken by sobbs.

I looked over in surprise to see Vond crying bitter tears while she lay on the bed. Kaynes was frowning, going back to the serious face he possessed when he would be around the Creators.

"What does that mean? What's wrong with you people?!" I demanded.

Kaynes looked at me with sad eyes. "Darnell... Do you know why Vondila pretended to not know Alex?"

"Wait... What?" My eyes widened.

"Alex is my blood, my sibling," Vondila whispered.

"Th-then why did you pretend to not remember her?!" My temper got the better of me, and I yelled at them.

Vond sat up from the bed, looking at me with bitter eyes. "Darnell, Alex isn't a she."

"And what the hell does that mean?!" I screamed at the delusional Creator helper.

Vondila looked at me confused. "Are you telling me that Alex never once told you that they weren't a girl?"

"She did, once, but she was under drugs! She didn't know what she was saying!"

...

"So, Alex. We have this special medicine we're going to use. While there is a slight possibility that the drug will react negatively, causing mumbling of speech and hallucinations. It's very rare for that to happen. There's also going to be a slight sting when I put the needle into your vein, but you're a tough girl. I know you can take it!"

I smiled until I saw Alex's face. "What is it?" I asked.

"Er..." Alex mumbled. "I'm not really... Well, I don't really think of myself as a girl?"

I laughed thinking it was a joke. "Oh come on, Alex. I'm your doctor, I think I know what gender you are!" I continued laughing and put the drug into her system.