e small dagger hidden beneath her jacket. Tonight,she will enter the lions den. Tonight,she will begin the end of Lorenzo De La Vega. She stood among dozens of fighters all over the world

oke on. Somewhere in the shadows a floorboard creaked and the screaming started. Flashing lights burst to life overhead, revealing shapes-bodies ,or mannequins dressed as corpses she couldn't tell, a gunshot cracked in the air,so close her ears rang . Smoke filled the room,somewhere in the distance someone whimpered for help. Valeria didn't move ,she didn't flinch. Fear was a luxury she could not afford. A snake slithered near her boot -part of the show,she knew fake or real it did not matter.She shifted her weight silently careful not to touch and trigger a new alarm. They were watching her.Judging her. She lifted her chin and walked forward straight into the smoke like a ghost unafraid of death. Somewhere,above behind the glass,the camps leaned forward intrigued. "This one," he murmured "Watch her closely." PHASE 2:The puzzle bomb. A cold,metallic table.A box no bigger than a shoe box sat in the centre,ticking softly. Valeria sat before it,her hands flat against her thighs,still calm as a still lake. Around her,the other candidates fidgeted,glancing at the box like it might explode any second. Which technically it would if they failed. A loud buzzer echoed across the hall. Three minutes was all they had. Valeria leaned in studying the wires-red,blue,yellow.A small note was taped to the side: "The right Choice isn't always the obvious one." Behind her,smoke machines started to hiss. Sirens blared.Fake gunshots cracked through the speakers.It was designed to scramble your mind to break your focus. She ignored the chaos.Red meant danger.Blue meant calm.Yellow was the trick.She reached for the yellow wire cutting it clean in one swift motion. The ticking stopped . She sat back,expressionless while others fumbled and failed around her. Above the chaos the commander exchanged glance with his second in command. "She's not just brave," he said. "She's dangerous." Phase 3:The battle circle The sun blazed high over the open yard.Dust rose with every boot step. In the centre of the ring ,Valeria stood alone,sweat sliding down her temple, waiting . Around her the other candidates watched hungry for blood. The first opponent charged a mountain of a man with