Ty woke up trying to breathe.
His ribs clicked.
That was the first problem.
The second problem was the stone slab across his chest.
The third was the taste of dirt, which made less sense because his tongue had gone missing.
He lay on his side under broken arena floor with one arm trapped beneath him and the other stretched toward a voice he knew. Dust packed the gaps between his teeth. A piece of banner cloth clung to his cheekbone. Somewhere above him, people were screaming for reasons that sounded important and very far away.
JJ stood in front of him.
Ty knew her before he understood the rest.
Her hair was a mess. Blood marked her chin. A purple ring circled her throat where fingers had been. Her eyes were fixed on him with the look of someone who had spent too long arguing with the world and had found one small piece of proof.
Ty tried to say her name.
His jaw opened.
Dirt fell out.
The sound came out as a dry click.
Great. Dead twice, somehow still embarrassing.
