hi!! this is chapter 1 of my book, The Twilight Gambit TW: violence, romance rated: 12+ enjoy!! i worked rly hard on this!! chapter one Kiara’s pov 45…46…47… I push upwards for air, breaking the seemingly placid surface of the lake as I emerge from under the water. As I gasp for air, I feel almost…disappointed. Really, Kiara? Only forty seven seconds? If I want to have a chance at surviving in the Gambit, I’ll need to be able to hold my breath for at least a minute. My eyes flit to the sun, which is now high in the sky. Have I really been swimming for that long? I started first thing in the morning. I hoist myself onto the dock of the lake and dry off. The towel is itchy and burns my skin, leaving red marks where I rubbed it. I toss the towel aside and reach for my leather bag that I left on the dock. I rummage around and eventually find a brown bag containing my lunch. As I munch on my sandwich, my thoughts begin to drift to the one thing I do not want to be thinking about. Today is the day. Fifteen teenagers from all over our kingdom, Heathe, are being chosen for what’s called The Twilight Gambit. Long ago, Heathe was at war with a neighboring kingdom, Aberdeen. The war had been going on for so long, Aberdeen decided that they were fed up with our kingdom. The people of Aberdeen retreated. Heathe had won the war. Or so it seemed. About a week or two after the war had ended, there had been a huge storm around midnight. It was unlike most storms- actually, very unlike most storms. Even items so firmly bolted to the wall you would think that they wouldn’t even have the capability of falling fell to the floor. A loud, booming voice of a woman rang through the air. “It is I, the goddess Isleen,” the woman’s voice thundered, which confused a lot of people. Isleen had sworn to protect our town. Why was she causing all of this demolition? “I know I have vowed to protect the kingdom of Heathe, but that vow is now broken. After seeing Heathe start war against Aberdeen for no reason, I have sided with Aberdeen,” Isleen explained, her tone upset. “I have come to realize the people of Heathe have an unnecessary need for destruction. I refuse to protect you.” Now, Isleen’s words were enough to convince the people of Heathe into hiding for the rest of their lives. We had learned our lesson. Isleen didn’t think so. That day was eleven years ago. I am now seventeen. For eleven years, the king will annually get a letter containing fifteen names. Names of people from all over Heathe, mostly teenagers. Those people will participate in The Twilight Gambit. The Twilight Gambit is every year and lasts for a week. At midnight, the participants must complete a challenge. Isleen herself will judge, and pick a couple of people she thinks did the challenge the best. The rest will die. The victors will keep advancing to the next challenge until there is only one person left. The final victor wins a huge cash award and sworn protection from Isleen until the day they die. I have never been chosen for the Gambit. But that may change in a couple of hours, because the chosen are getting announced today, and Kiara Huxxley might be on that list.
next chapter: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1009837018/
