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No one had ever really expected much from the Amity High swim team. They seemed to exist as marginally as any other mediocre sports team, with little pressure from the coaching staff or school or district or anyone. Their supporters consisted entirely of parents and significant others and friends who had absolutely nothing better to do. There had never really been an emphasis on competition, because they hadn't provided anyone else with any.

That had been the case for as long as Amity High had been open--until that year. No one knew exactly how it had happened, but suddenly, they were a force to be reckoned with. That year, for whatever reason--maybe the stars aligned, maybe the team had spent the summer really focusing, maybe every other school just really sucked--they made it to the state finals for the first time.

Taima was excited and nervous and jittery and on edge. She was only a junior, but she had been on the swim team since her freshman year, and she had seen her peers come together to overcome all of the odds. Now there was only one thing standing between them and victory. The team from Deus prep was good. Making it to the state finals was nothing new for them. They were the favorites to win this year, just like they had been the year before, and the year before that.

Taima watched them warm up, watched them joking and laughing and goofing off like it would be just another swim. Just a formality. Give the other kids a chance, and all that. After all, no one could stand up to them.

She would relish the fall of Deus when Amity kicked their asses. It wouldn't be long now; the meet was set to start soon.

Blood dripped, fresh and bright, from her taloned gauntlets as she stalked out of the Arena. She was oblivious to the raucous cheers of the crowd. She didn't care if they loved her or hated her; she wasn't doing this for them. She wasn't doing it for herself, either. She had lost her sense of purpose long ago, her sense of time along with it. She didn't know how long she had been here and had long since forgotten her life before the Arena. All she knew was the fight. Survival. Victory. Without any one of those, none of them would be possible.

Tomorrow would be her 99th kill, spoken of already in hushed tones of awe and reverence. She didn't know who her opponent would be. It didn't matter. They would face the same fate as the 98 before them, and however many there would be after that.