6 Years Ago

May 3, 2069

0200 CDT

El Coliseo, Scorpia/Mexico City

Sonya Grey's Point of View

“You lose, Eduardo,” I say to Eduardo.

“Oh… I guess you’re right,” Eduardo says with a heartwarming laugh.

Laughing when you’re pinned down to the ground with a knife against your throat?

“Cállate (Shut up)! Why are you smiling? There is absolutely nothing to smile about in this world!”

Eduardo Morales Perez, Hispanic, twelve years old, black mohawk, and a black mole along with a gaping hole in his left cheek.

“You’re such a lousy liar, Sonya,” Eduardo says in a calm tone and a bright smile, as a single teardrop falls from his eye.

I can’t do this. This is wrong. I have to stop.

“Ahem. Sonya? The clock is ticking, and it only moves forward,” Father expresses in a disapproving tone.

“It’s ok, Sonya,” Eduardo comforts as he holds my right hand. “Take care, girasol (sunflower),” he says with a smile of joy.

Kill him. No, spare him! You have to kill him. He’s your boyfriend! Release him! Free him! One quick slice! Let go of the knife! Father is watching. He’s not you! Become a Black Scorpion! You don’t have to be a Black Scorpion! You’re nothing without the Black Scorpions! You’re free without the Black Scorpions! This should be Charlotte, not Eduardo. Run to Olympia with Charlotte! Olympians hate us. Reveal the truth to them. You’re leaving Cici?! You’ll come back for Cici. Cici is better off dead. Cici still has time to decide her future. You’re a murderer! You’re a killer! A psychopath. Why leave?! This kingdom is perfect for you. No other kingdom will accept you. You were born and raised here. This is all you are, and all you’ll ever be. Kill Eduardo and cement yourself as a full-fledged Black Scorpion.

“Your voice is annoying, Eduardo,” I say as I prepare to cut his throat open.

Good job, Sonya Grey.

Eduardo, Charlotte, Nikki, and Tobias believe that you can be so much better, Sonya, so… why don’t you believe that for yourself? Isn’t it obvious, Sonya? It’s because there’s no such thing as empathy in this world.

*

20 Minutes Later

Inside the King of Scorpius’s Throne Room

*

“Finally! My favorite daughter is getting her Black Scorpion tattoos!” Father cries out in joy as the tattoo artist Estacia works on me.

Fuck, this hurts! Sigh. Pain is temporary, death is permanent. Just… keep repeating this to yourself.

“Sonya, angel,” Father says as one of his servants refills his empty jug of toxic liquid. “I’m so proud of you. You’re becoming more and more like your king every day. Recount your number of direct human kills for me, please?” He asks in pride as he stumbles about like the drunken idiot he is.

“One. My mother, due to complications at birth. Two. A nonessential girl in El Coliseo at age four. Death by suffocation. Three. A nonessential boy in El Coliseo at age five. Death by drowning. Four. A traitorous Black Scorpion man at age six in El Coliseo. Death by brain trauma. 5. A rapist who snuck in and defiled a servant. This was a team kill, with the assistance of Charlotte. We were sent to his hideout to act as bait. After he grabbed us, I stuck a toothpick inside of his dickhole before he could shove it in my mouth at age eight. Charlotte finished the job by injecting him with a cesspool of lethal drugs. Death by being a sick fuck. Six. A servant who cheated on you with your best friend, at age ten. I captured and nailed her to a pillar in front of El Coliseo, and then personally kept her alive as long as possible until she soon died of starvation. Seven. A toddler whose family was tricked by Charlotte and me at age eleven. We manipulated them into stopping their car on the road by playing victim, allowing fellow Black Scorpions to run their pockets and kill them as they were deemed weak and unessential. The little boy suffered enough, so I decided to shoot him in the head, so you couldn’t hurt him. Eight. Eduardo Perez. My ex-boyfriend whom you forced me to kill in battle, as your fucked-up lesson about love, just twenty minutes ago.”

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“You’re twelve years old, so the attitude is understandable, although your sister was completely different. She barely spoke and chose her words very carefully,” Father explains as two of his whores cuddle upon him. “But you, Sonya, are like me. You give no fucks, whatsoever, and that’s why you are my favorite daughter. It’s also why you have the harshest training of all the Black Scorpions.”

“I hate you.”

“Now that I don’t understand,” Father replies in frustration. “What exactly did I do wrong? All I’ve ever done is prepare you for The New World. A parent must make sure their child is ready for life.”

“You’re supposed to provide unconditional love for me. Tobias said so.”

“Coddling you would’ve been a waste of my nutsack. You killed your mom the moment you popped out of her vagina, so your destiny was already sealed. A killer upon birth, a natural Black Scorpion, and I’m so fucking proud.”

“Don’t talk about my mother!”

“Your mother was an amazing whore, whose tits were so fucking delicious that I forgot to pull out during my love explosion.”

“You’re a fucking pig!”

“Sigh. As I’ve explained before, I’m more like the big bad wolf. I huff, I puff, and I fuck your shit up.”

“I’m gonna kill you one day.”

“Sonya, I honestly thought that you were an accident, but it turns out that you have a purpose. Your calling is to kick ass and lead us to victory in our inevitable battle against Olympus. Veronica Shinka might be gone, but the Olympians are still alive and well. That deceitful bitch and her soldiers almost destroyed our kingdom, yet somehow we’re the bad guys? And the uptight Royals believe that we’re a bunch of dumb fucks and rank us as the worst kingdom in the world! What a load of fucking bullshit!” Andres vents in frustration.

“You’re wrong about her! My mother was a brave woman who did what she had to do to survive! Nikki told me so!”

“Sonya, who do you like more? Tobias or Nikki?” Andres asks as Estacia finally fucking finishes my tattoos.

“Tobias is a better father than you’ll ever be! He taught me that there’s more to life than just sex, drugs, and murder! You know what? He is my father, and you’re just a greedy, stupid, smelly, lazy piece of fucking shit who’s going to die of idiocy any day now! The clock is ticking, Andres, and it only moves forward.”

That should shut you the fuck up.

“Ouch. you’re breaking your old man’s heart,” Andres says in obvious fucking sarcasm as he places a hand on his heart. “Now, I have no choice but to break yours, yet again. This is just tough love, Sonya. Somebody drag Tobias in here! I want someone to plunge cotton swabs into his ears as far as they can!”

“You better not!” I say.

“Let go of me, Estacia!” I yell.

“With loss comes strength, Sonya” Andres says in a calm tone as one of his women hands him his machete.

“Dad, stop! Please! I’m sorry!”

“What the fuck, Andres?” Tobias asks as guards throw him against the floor.

Tobias, Black, late thirties, bald, tan t-shirt, and blue jean shorts!

“I’ve only tolerated your inappropriate relationship with my daughter because you’re my right-hand man and advisor. You and Nikki are supposed to educate the gladiators about school shit, not teach them how to be decent human beings! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Andres asks in anger.

“You’re making a mistake, Andres,” Tobias pleads in distress. “Think about what you’re doing!”

“I’m fixing a mistake, you two-face fuckface,” Andres responds in anger with a punch to Tobias’s face.

Stop… hitting him… please…

“STOP!!!” I scream as I elbow Estacia so she’ll release me.

I’m sorry, Estacia!

Time to use my Halos.

I’ll fucking kill them all with Alpha and Omega! Starting with Andres!

“I’m gonna slice your fucking head off, you fucking monster!”

“Woah!” Andres cries out in horror.

I leap towards him!

And slice his fucking neck off!

Damn it! Not enough strength to pierce into his brain. I’m still too weak!

“My eye!!!” Andres screams as a gush of blood drops out of his eye socket. “Discipline her, you idiots!”

“Try me! I’ll kill all of you!”

“S-s-Sonya,” battered Tobias barely mutters. “You don’t have to be… one of them. I-it’s never too late to change… who you are.”

A gunshot from father?! He shot…

Tobias?!

“Enough of your poisonous words, Tobias! The legacy of the Black Scorpions will live on forever!” Andres gloats with a menacing laugh.

Not Tobias! I… this isn’t real! Is that a fist?

“Agh!” I yell.

My nose!

“Stomp her out!” Andres commands. “Sorry, Sonya. Loyalty above all, and such. And clean yourself up after your ass beating! You’re a lady, and you need to learn common decency!”

Eduardo and Tobias? This is unreal. Another beating… I don’t care anymore. I just wanna die. Shooting stars, love, and friendship are all fables. The only thing that’s real is death. You’re a killer, and far from innocent. You’re the villain in everyone’s story, not a hero. Olympians are brave heroes, and you’ll never be an Olympian. Suicide is the only way to end your nightmares, but you’re so much of a fucking coward that you can’t even kill yourself. You’re a vicious Black Scorpion, Sonya, and you deserve everything that’s coming to you.