Read Arena One: Slaverunners for Free Online

It’s our last night here.”
    “Yay!” Bree screams, jumping up and down, and Sasha barks beside her, joining in the excitement. Bree runs over and grabs some of the kindling, helping me as I place it over fire. We place them carefully, allowing space for air, and Bree blows on it, fanning the flames. Once the kindling catches, I place a thicker log on top. I keep stacking bigger logs, until finally, we have a roaring fire.
    In moments, the room is alight, and I can already feel its warmth. I stand beside the fire, as do Bree and Sasha, and hold out my hands, rubbing them, letting the warmth penetrate my fingers. Slowly, the feeling starts to return. I feel myself gradually thaw out from the long day outdoors, and I start to feel myself again.
    “What’s that?” Bree asks, pointing across the floor. “It looks like a fish!”
    She runs over to it and grabs it, picking it up, and it slips right out of her hands. She laughs, and Sasha, not missing a beat, pounces on it with her paws, sliding it across the floor. “Where did you catch it!?” Bree yells.
    I reach over and pick it up before Sasha can do more damage, open the door, and throw it outside, into the snow, where it will be better preserved and out of harm’s way, before closing the door behind me.
    “That was my other surprise,” I say. “We’re going to have dinner tonight!”
    Bree runs over and gives me a big hug. Sasha barks, as if understanding. I hug her back.
    “I have two more surprises for you,” I announce with a smile. “They’re for desert. Do you want me to wait till after dinner? Or do you want them now?”
    “Now!” she yells, excited.
    I smile, excited, too. At least it will hold her over for dinner.
    I reach into my pocket and extract the jar of jam. Bree looks at it funny, clearly uncertain, and I unscrew the lid and place it under her nose. “Close your eyes,” I say.
    She does. “Now, inhale.”
    She breathes deeply, and a smile crosses her face. She opens her eyes.
    “It smells like raspberries!” she exclaims.
    “It’s jam. Go ahead. Try it.”
    Bree reaches in with two fingers, takes a big scoop, and eats it. Her eyes light up.
    “Wow,” she says, as she reaches in, takes another big scoop, and holds it up to Sasha, who runs over and without hesitation gulps it down. Bree laughs hysterically, and I tighten the lid and set it up high on the mantle, away from Sasha.
    “Is that also from our new house?” she asks.
    I nod, relieved to hear that she already considers it our new home.
    “And there is one last surprise,” I say. “But this one I’m going to have to save for dinner.”
    I extract the thermos from my belt and place it higher up on the mantle, out of her sight, so she can’t see what it is. I can see her craning her neck, and I hide it well. “Trust me,” I say. “It’s gonna be good.”
    *
    I don’t want the house to stink like fish, so I decide to brave the cold and prepare the fish outside. I bring my knife and set to work on it, propping it on a tree stump as I kneel down beside it in the snow. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I know enough to realize you don’t eat the head or the tail. So I begin by chopping these off.
    Then I figure that we’re not going to eat the fins either, so I chop these off—or the scales, either, so I slice these off as best I can. Then I figure it has to be opened to eat it, so I slice what’s left of it clean in half. It reveals a thick, pink inside, filled with lots of small bones. I don’t know what else to do, so I figure it’s ready to cook.
    Before I head in, I feel the need to wash my hands. I just reach down, grab a handful of snow, and rinse my hands with it, grateful for the snow—usually, I have to hike to the closest stream, since we don’t have any running water. I rise, and before going inside, I stop for a second and take in my surroundings. At first I am listening, as I always do, for any signs of noise, of danger. After several