Arena entered the dull windowless room, with small splotches of crimson blood speckled on her face. She threw the gun from her waistband to the small table just in front of the heavy metal door. The gun clattered its heavy thud on the table, and she stalked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
“Is it done?,” Man asked from a shadowed corner of the kitchen.
“Holy!,” Arena jumped from the fridge and whipped around, “Dammit Alex announce yourself next time.” She turned back to the fridge and grabbed a bag, “also stop sitting in the damn shadows you creep.”
Man stood and walked into the single fluorescent kitchen light, “From that blood on your face I’m guessing that you have finished the job.”
Arena rolled her eyes and turned to face him, jumping back when he appeared right next to her. She relaxed herself and pursed her lips at him, “do I ever disappoint?”
Man stared deep into her eyes for a moment, enough seconds passing to cause anyone discomfort. Arena crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, “Alex, when do I ever–“
Suddenly her sentence was cut short and a small gasp was stolen from her throat. Man had lunged at her with his hand gripping tightly to her neck. Arena stared at him with wide eyes, grabbing the wrist that clutched her breath.
Man got close to her face and glared down at her; “Do not, call me, Alex,” he snarled at her.
He released his tight grasp when a sudden blow to his stomach was felt. Arena gasped for a quick breath before shoving him away from her.
“Don’t fucking touch me asshole,” she told him through clenched teeth. Arena and Man stared at each other with a long pause. One holding their bruised neck and the other feeling the kick in his stomach. Man finally moved to the electric chair across the room, lit with the only other light bulb in the room.
Arena walked over to the metal chair and huffed into it. She muttered to Man when the metal prongs grasped the familiar scars, “Don’t touch me, and I’ll get the job done. Don’t doubt that I can’t get it done, ever.”
Man met her eyes and flipped the switch of the chair. Arena’s eyes suddenly clenched closed and she screamed, a heavy electrocution filling her body. She shook briefly before the chair stopped and I felt myself return to my body.
I looked up at Man, he seemed aggravated. I think Arena had said something to upset Him.
“Man, are you feeling ok, do you want me to make you some soup or something?,” that was all I could offer because that’s all I knew how to make.
“No Daughter, I’m alright. Thank you though,” Man stalked over to the kitchen and leaned on the small island, “Please go up to your room Daughter.”
I was watching Man stand against the counter. My head felt strange, it always had a sensation when I came back from being Arena, but not like this. This time I heard a tiny voice, like the ones you hear when you talk to yourself with, or read a story in your head. Except, this voice didn’t sound like it was mine. It sounded like it was of an angry girl, with a tone much lower than mine was.
“Touch your neck…,” it whispered in the very back of my mind. It repeated the sang twice before I moved to feel my neck. It was painful to touch. I wrapped my hand around my throat and it was even more painful.
Man was still staring at the island, staring in the way He always does; completely unmoving, silent, and staring dead. He stared like a corpse at the dirty granite top, His body so still that he could’ve been a statue. He suddenly moved to stand upright, and with that movement He was a slender person once again.
I was broken from my trance and rushed up to my room, where I closed the door and looked in the mirror. Bruising covered my entire neck, it was taking a grayish purple color in the dim light. I think Arena must have gotten into a fight at her hit today.
“I did not fight today,” a small voice whispered somewhere in my room. I jumped and looked around, searching for someone in my room.
“No one is with us,” the voice lingered again.
“Who’s there?,” I whimpered out a question whilst frantically looking around my room, “Answer me and reveal yourself. Who’s there?”
“No one is with us,” the voice repeated, “and I did not fight today.”
“You already said that,” I spoke to the air.
“This is your voice. I am your voice,” said the same sound again. I stopped my search and sat on my bed, having it dawn on me, “Arena?,” I asked out loud.
“Yes,” the voice whispered. It was only then that I realized the voice was a loud whisper in my head. I’ve never talked to Arena before. Man has only told me that Arena is another part of me and goes to run “errands” for Him.
“Arena, am I imagining you, I’ve never talked to you. How am I talking to you?,” I asked the air again.
“I don’t know. I can only say a few things at once,” she whispered to me again.
“This doesn’t make sense–I’ve never been able to talk to you how am I talking to you?,” I was shocked and still on my bed. I didn’t know if I was imagining her or not. Maybe. I may have been so lonely all this time and am now imagining what she says, “No you’re not it’s me, Arena.”
“I think it’s the chair. The chair was on for too long so I can talk to you and now I’m really confused what do I even do, are you always going to be here? I should tell man–.”
“No! No, don’t tell Man anything,” she whispered to me.
Suddenly I jump and hear Man yelling from downstairs, “Daughter! I’ve ordered Chinese food, come downstairs.”
I stare at the door and look around at my four walls. I’m waiting for Arena to say something, anything really. It’s just silent.
“Daughter! Come down it gets cold quickly,” Man yelled downstairs again.
“Ask him your name,” Arena whispered.
“I have a name, my name is Daughter-,” I tried saying.
“No, that is a title. Many people are daughters.”
“So many people are named daughter?”
“No, people are just the title of a daughter. That is not your name. Ask him your name.”
“I can’t ask Him anything about the past. He gets really mad, He once-“
“Daughter! Don’t make me come up there!”
“Ask him your name, Callie.”
Pt. 2
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