I will never forget the day my father died. In his occupation, it wasn't that rare to have someone die on the field. The heartless part of his death, however; was the onlookers' reactions. They all clapped and cheered at the man-slaughter, like he wasn't a human being. Throughout the whole fight, I stood hand in hand with my older brother. We watched in horror as the emperor gave the other man permission to kill, and I squeezed my eyes shut as the crowd roared in response. My dad was the strongest of the strong. He was something everyone wanted to be. I was the son of a gladiator. I was free to do as I pleased. But, once my father was killed on the battlefield, that all changed. In order to pay back the debt he left behind, they took my twin, Teo, and me as prisoners. We were sold as a pair to the highest bidding trainer, and then taken to a camp to live among others like us. This was the start of our new lives, our lives as gladiators.
Daily life at the training camp wasn't a stretch from anything out in society. We all had basic schedule to follow, and the consequences were harsh if you were unable to keep up with it. In the most severe cases, you were treated like a criminal and sent into a fight with no weapons. During our time in the training camp, Teo and I saw a lot of this. I was strict when it came to following rules so I never went out after curfew. Teo, on the other hand, was a lot more adventurous. He was always sneaking about, or getting into trouble. Thankfully, he was favored by the guards, and was never punished.
Our training started the Tuesday after our arrival at the camp. Teo and I were practice partners, along with being a team in the arena. If something were going bad, Teo would have my back. Teo worked with a sword, and I was armed with a trident. We trained long and hard for our first chance in the arena together, and only 5 months later we fought with each other.
As our victories grew, so did our fame. With Teo's small features and frame, he was able to move quicker than myself. Our fighting style never failed, and it always left the audience wanting more. Although we never fought in the Colosseum, we were a well known team. Pretty soon, no one wanted to fight us. We ended up facing wild animals, such as lions, tigers, and bears. After weeks of no fighting, we were summoned. The trainer told us to gather our armor, and make our way over to the city arena. There we would fight another team of gladiators. Little did we know that the fight would never happen.
Teo and I arrived a little before our fight was supposed to happen, just to give us time to warm-up. As we waited, we talked. My twin told me some of his memories of our childhood, and I laughed at our foolishness. However, this conversation was abruptly finished as screaming voices filled the air. Teo grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit, only to stagger back in fear. Flames engulfed the area, almost trapping us in. Tears welled in my eyes as a child's voice rang out from nearby. Teo's hand tightened around mine as the voice got louder. All of a sudden he dropped my hand, running out into the sea of flames. I shouted after him, pleading for him to come back. A few seconds later, a dark figure approached me. I recognized the voice of Teo immediately, and when he told me to follow him, I did. We ran for safety as the roof came crashing down upon us.
We managed to escape the burning arena that day. However, every year we mourn for those who lost loved ones or family in that wretched fire. The little boy who Teo rescued was returned to his mother, who had been separated from him during the commotion. My twin waved goodbye as the young boy was carried away.
If you had asked Teo and me if we liked being gladiators, we would've said no. My brother suffered everyday because of the lives he took. I was overjoyed when we were relieved from our duties and set free. My fondest memory of the time of gladiators was when I sat outside with Teo, and looked up at the stars. He pointed up at the, smiling slightly. "We are always being watched." he told me. "The stars are the representations of the ones we have killed, so that they may not be forgotten." We were not the first gladiators, nor were we the last. There are hundreds of stories about the gladiators, and ours is just one of them.
This is definitely not my best work. It's a short story told from the point of a gladiator in Ancient Rome. I think its so bad because I never got to proof it or anything. (We had one night to work on them.) However, I got full marks on it, so the teacher really liked it! :D I like the name Teo.... the name might show itself again.
