Arena Story

       I woke up and instantly jumped to my feet, getting dressed into my normal clothes as fast as I could.  I looked to the other side of the room and saw Camille, my little sister, sound asleep in her bed.  Good.  I grabbed my bag before rushing out the door.  I went straight for the gate to Section 7 as soon as the door closed behind me.  
       “Hello, Serah.  How are you today?”  The gatekeeper, Mike, asked as I reach the gate.
       “Hey, Mike!  I’m great!” I could feel a smile forming on my face as the words came out of my mouth.
       “Well aren’t you excited today?” Mike laughed as he reached for the gate switch.
       “Definitely!  I finally get to buy some art supplies from the bazaar!” The words shot out of my mouth before I could stop myself.  I watched as a frown overcame Mike’s face, which was quickly replaced by a fake smile.  He didn’t say anything else as the stone gate descended into the ground.  People in Section 8 find unnecessary items like art supplies a waste of resources when so many people are poor.
       I heard the gate hit the top of the stone arch as I started running towards the next gate.  I made a mental note not to mention art supplies anymore until I reached Section 3.  That’s where all of Stonehaven’s doctors live.  It’s where the lower-class ends and the upper-class starts.  We have no middle class here; you’re either dirt poor or living the life.
       After I passed through all the gates and reached Section 1, I went straight towards Fannetastic, the only store that sells art supplies in Stonehaven.
       “Oh!  Hello, Serah!  What a pleasant surprise!” I heard a voice behind me say as I looked through the art shelf.
       “Hey, Anne!  How are you today?” I turned around and smiled at the frail old lady behind the counter.  Anne is the owner of this store.
       “I’m great!  It’s nice to see you again!  See anything you like?” She only treats me so nice because I am one of the few people who actually buy art supplies from her.  She normally doesn’t want anything to do with Edge Dwellers, the citizens that have to live near the edge of Stonehaven.
       “Yes, actually.”  I picked up a few pieces of paper, a pencil, and a sharpener, and placed them on top of the counter.
       “That will be twelve silver,” Anne said with a smile.  Twelve, that’s enough for a small feast for my family.  That’s a couple months of slaving away in the fields for what will only last me a couple of days.  I handed over a handful of coins from my coin purse.  “You know, there are some great matches planned today in the Stone Dome, you should think about attending today,” She said, trying to make conversation as she counted the coins.  The Stone Dome; it used to be for any captured Galorians in the 630s, but in the 670s it became an entertainment coliseum for the Center Dwellers, while the Edge Dwellers made up the majority of the combatants inside except for a few mercenaries, fighters who train from their childhood for the coliseum.
       “No thanks.”  I started putting the art supplies into my bag.
       “Okay, it’s your choice,” Anne said as she put my coins into the till, handing me back the few coins that were left over.  “Thank you!  Come again soon!”
       “Thanks,” I said as I walked out of the store.
       I rushed straight home, a smile on my face the entire way.  I walked in through the front door and saw Camille playing with Duke, our foxhound.  I knocked on the door to my mother’s room, and after hearing her weak voice respond I walked in.
       “Hey, Mom, how are you feeling?” I asked as I sat on the side of her bed.
       “I’m okay,” She said in her weak voice as she tried to sit up.  Mom is really sick; she has been bedridden for almost a year now.  The doctors say that there’s nothing they can do for her.  “Did you get the art supplies?”
       “Yeah,” I said, smiling again, “Do you want to see them?”  After seeing her nod weakly I pulled out the paper and pencil from my bag and showed them to her.
       “That’s nice, honey, you’ll have to draw me something.”  She smiled weakly at me.
       “Okay, I promise,” I said, smiling back.  I gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, “Get some rest now, Mom.” I said as I walked out and closed the door gently.
       I walked over to my bed and sat down, placing the bag beside me.
       “What did you get?” Camille asked me, smiling at me.  I showed her the contents of my bag.
       “Where’s Dad?” I asked.
       “He said he had to go into work today,” Camille said, petting Duke on the head.
       “What?  Today was supposed to be his day off!”  Every Edge Dweller gets one day off each week, the fact that Dad is working on his day off shows that we must be doing really bad money-wise.  I started feeling bad that I spent so much of my money on art instead of food.  I would’ve at least gone to work with him today, but the shuttles leave at 1000 and don’t come back until 1800 when the work day is over.

(What do you guys think so far?  The chapter isn't done yet, just letting you guys see what I have so far and get any critique on it.  Also, if you guys think up a name for the story please let me know.  Oh, and I'm purposefully picking words that aren't as common for items, as I don't want it to seem like it takes place on our planet (words like till for a cash register, or sections instead of districts, or bazaar instead of market, and they only use coins instead of paper money))

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