Chapter 03

Lizzy stood before two massive oak double doors covered in ornate carvings of the current council of twelve Heralds. She doubted that the scale and majesty of the scene were meant to be aspirational. She figured that it was designed to show the might of The Council as the most powerful group of beings on the planet. She narrowed her eyes as they landed on Jasmine Morgan, her mother, decked out in her Goldenrod costume, head held high as if a slight breeze was blowing through her hair. Lizzy’s mother inherited her seat on The Council from her father, who inherited it from his father before him. She was the first female to sit in the seat of The Coin. Lizzy wanted to earn her place on The Council. If she could win this tournament, she would become the youngest woman ever to sit on The Council of Heralds. Her mind was racing, but before she could spiral any further down the hole of family melodrama that spurred her current ambitions and consumed her from time to time, Elizabeth Morgan heard a voice over her shoulder.

“An angel stands before me. With sun-kissed hair, with skin so fair, even the moon seems boring.” Lizzy bristled for a split second, then regained her composure as the wannabe poet continued. “A mind so sharp even The Show’s wit seems dull. Her skills so honed, yet no Herald will admit her better, and at their own peril shall these new weak ass contestants upset’er.” Lizzy sighed and turned to see Hanzel wearing his trademark oversized hemp beanie, spiritual beads on his wrist, and curly black hair beautifully styled to fall just above his shoulders. A meticulously trimmed and styled goatee betrayed his low-maintenance essence. Lizzy knew him to be the type of guy that would pull out a guitar at any party to impress whatever poor girl he was trying to fuck that night. She knew this because, sadly, it worked on her several years ago.

“Hanzel, that sure was something.” Lizzy kissed Hanzel once on each cheek to say hello. “It’s so nice to see you. Why are you here?” Lizzy asked through a forced smile.

“Well, luv, I’m on the All-Star team just like you,” Hanzel said as he gently grabbed Lizzy’s hand and kissed it. “But never fear; I’ll treat you just like any other competitor. I vow never to go easy on you.”

Lizzy hid her disgust well. She secretly always wondered if Hanzel’s British accent was all a ruse to get into girls’ pants. “Ooooohhhh, that’s great.” She tried so hard yet failed to hide the insincerity in her reaction.

“Perhaps we can rekindle the flame that burns between us. Unless you mug me off again.” Hanzel winked.

“That flame burned to ash a long time ago,” Lizzy retorted.

“Love is a phoenix, innit? Ours can rise again from the ashes,” Hanzel smoothly answered as he kissed Lizzy from wrist to forearm.

Lizzy freed her arm from Hanzel’s captivity. “I’m here to win, Hanzel!”

“Me too!!! Hanzel,” A third and much more chipper voice chimed in. Hanzel and Lizzy turned to notice Artie, who had been there the whole time, tragically unnoticed as usual. Artie was a short twenty-something man with the air of someone with something to prove. His nasal voice and hyperactive energy didn’t help his cause of being taken seriously.

“Oi, Artie mate, when did you get here?” Hanzel said as he grabbed Artie by the shoulder.

“Dude, We came here together” Artie seemed pissed.

“Wha?! Nah, I would have remembered that.” Hanzel laughed. He turned to Lizzy, “This guy….”

“You’re on the All-Stars too, Hamst….uh, Atlas?” Lizzy said while holding back her complete disbelief at how he had made the cut, too.

“That’s right; Atlas Prime will take the seat!” Artie said as he escaped Hanzel’s grasp and flexed the little muscle he had.

“Who, pray tell, came up with Atlas Prime? Atlas could lift up the world and hold it on his shoulders. You, Artie, run around in a glowing ball made of energy. You are a Hamster, mate.” Hanzel teased.

Before Artie could hit back, the double doors opened to reveal Joan, a female clone of The Show. No one understood why Flint’s clones had different genders and races. Lately, Joan had been a little more present in the media, a spokeswoman of sorts, and had been given a meta alias of her own: Info.

Behind Info was a massive, two-story, open, modern loft space. It had a beautiful panoramic view of Meta-Eden. The interior was high-end, with a chef’s kitchen, tons of comfortable yet stylish seating all over the living space, and small pockets of entertainment, including arcade games, televisions, and board games. The second story, open to the main floor and lined with bookcases and wingback chairs, was accessible by two metal stairwells on each end of the loft. There were doors on each side of the library heading to a bunch of dorm-like bedrooms and closed doors on each end of the main floor.

“Welcome, All-Stars, to your brand new home away from home!” Joan said.

The trio looked at the space and then at each other, slightly confused. “I thought we were meeting The Show, no disrespect to you, of course, Info,” Lizzy said carefully.

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“Oh, please call me Joan! The boss is busy with production. He’s backstage, ready to start the whole event, but he wanted to ensure you were all taken care of. Is there anything you need to address with him?”

Lizzy considered asking Joan to deliver a message to The Show but thought it would be better face to face. “No. I’ll touch base with him later; it's not time sensitive.”

Joan widened her view to the group of three, gestured for them to come in, and continued, “Please come in. Make yourself at home! See where you’ll be spending your time when you’re not with your teams.”

The three walked in and examined the luxurious space. Of course, Lizzy was used to this level of prestige, but it became clear from the looks on their faces that Hanzel and Artie were failing to hold back their excitement. “This is nice to kick back in when we aren’t on duty, but what about training?” Lizzy asked.

“That’s part of what I wanted to talk to you all about. Let me know any weapons or training equipment you need, and I can arrange it for you. Once the competition starts, we won't be able to provide any aid, as all Heralds and their subsidiaries must stay neutral. However, we still want you to stay sharp and have everything you need to succeed.” Joan smiled. “As for rooms and areas dedicated to training, you will find this loft is bigger than you might think. I assure you it hides many more rooms and levels.”

“So we have to…or get to live here while we compete?” Artie asked, trying to hold back both his eagerness to explore and a slight fear of not being able to return to the life he’s always wanted and had been building for the last few years. “Don’t get me wrong; I could get used to a place like this.”

“Being an All-Star has its perks, Atlas.” Lizzy knew that Artie was merely a City Level Herald, or ‘CH,’ and he probably hadn't been exposed to this type of living.

“Tell me about it,” Artie mused. “Our quarters for the Seattle Heralds squad is a dingy apartment in Northgate.”

“Perhaps after this, you’ll be upgraded to State hero like Hanzel and Lizzy here,” Joan said.

“Naw. I’m winning this whole thing.” Artie said as he punched the sky to emphasize the point, causing the room to go still, not from the weight of his words but from his delusional thinking.

“Yes, of course. I’m quite sorry.” Joan stifled a laugh. “You all have a one in 24 chance to be on The Council. If you do lose, though, the exposure from this competition will surely help your career.”

Lizzy noticed how patronizing Joan was acting but couldn’t exactly fault her. Because Lizzy knew something the rest of the people in this room didn't. If her suspicions were correct, some competitors were already drawing dead. Not everyone had a one in twenty-four chance of winning The Seed’s seat on The Council.

Hanzel’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “How were the All-Stars chosen anyhow? I figured it’d be full of State Level Heralds.” Hanzel said.

“I can assure you the process was thorough, Nihilism. Last week, the active council members pored through a ton of data and chose 24 Heralds, well-recognized in many areas. You three were hand-picked from that group, and America will vote on the other nine.” Joan explained as she walked over to the fridge and opened it, revealing tons of gourmet food and a surprisingly fine selection of wine and craft beers. “But let’s not worry about that. You three have an assignment. The Show has asked that you three host a party, on behalf of all Heralds, for the twelve competitors that make it through this weekend’s culling.”

“A party?” Lizzy asked, looking through the pantry to discover various junk food and party supplies. “Aren’t we supposed to be their peers in this competition?”

“Well… sure, but being friendly isn’t a bad thing. Plus, it’s a TV show, after all. Obviously, we will be filming the party. We intend to use footage from the festivities as the ending to our blockbuster two-part series premiere.” Joan said, closing the fridge.

“Easy enough, I’m basically a party-planning savant!” Artie said while puffing out his chest. No one in the room bought it.

“Sure you are, mate,” Hanzel laughed. “I’ll check the other rooms to see what we’re dealing with.”

“Not without me!” Artie quickly chimed as he followed Hanzel on his slap-dash tour of the property, like a puppy begging for attention from its owner.

Lizzy stayed in the living room with Joan, eyeing her carefully, trying to figure out what she was hiding from them. Someone was above them all, pulling strings. Lizzy just didn’t know who the puppet master was…yet. “So, what’s the real reason those two are here?” Lizzy finally asked.

Joan’s smile slowly faded, and her expression turned deadly serious. “No bullshit? Your mother asked for those two specifically. Between us, they should simply act as rungs on your ladder to success in this thing. Don’t forget, Lizzy, that there are people on your side. People who want you in that seat.”

Lizzy took a moment to let that sink in. On the one hand, she wasn’t super pleased to know that her mother was helping her in any way. Lizzy was clear before leaving for the competition that her family’s help was unwanted. On the other hand, she wasn’t so stupid as to refuse this amount of support when given freely by The Show. The Show is not her mom, after all. “Good to know I’m not alone in this.” Lizzy smiled.

Joan approached Lizzy, leaning in like she was about to spill a secret. “Perhaps even one day you can take over for The Coin. The ‘Top Seed’ competition could be just one of many steps on the way to achieving that goal.” Her whisper was like a siren singing a love song to a sailor.

“I guess it’s party time then.” Lizzy's face was inches away from Joan’s, so close they could kiss. Lizzy eyed Joan one more time, this time not as a threat but as something to embrace.

“Think of it as a recon mission,” Joan said as she broke away from Lizzy, leaving a chasm between them. “It’s a perfect chance to truly get to know your competitors.”

Lizzy smiled, “You don’t have to tell me twice. Really, that’s the reason I throw most parties.”

Joan began to walk out as she said, “Don’t expect any more favors. Like I said before, once the competition starts, no one associated with The Heralds can offer you any help.”

As Joan exited, Lizzy said under her breath, “Says you..”.