Jax's POV

I stormed into the tent, my wounded leg aching. After my latest arena battle had ended with me winning, but injured, I had to take a break from the arena to help it heal properly. In the back of my mind, I was grateful for the rest, but it also meant my brother represented our family. That was not a good thing. My brother was what one might call a disgrace, a failure, etcetera. He was the reason I was currently in this tent that the town doctor had banned me from entering until my leg healed.

A family stood at the refreshments table, but I barely gave them a second glance. They were no doubt the family of the Sagittarius champion. Even though she had beaten my brother, I had to admit that she was a pretty good fighter. My blood boiled with rage and I gritted my teeth, trying not to cause a scene with my powers. They tended to unleash themselves when my emotions were high. Particularly when I was angry. I took deep breaths as I stopped and stood outside the flap that led to the medical room. I could not release any types of wind now. My powers had been stronger than normal and only my grandfather, Arwel, knew. He told me to keep it a secret. So, here I stood, concentrating on not channeling my powers to kill my brother. With that thought, I pushed through the flaps and took in the sight of my brother being treated by the Clan healers. My lip curled and I strode over to the side of his bed. Looking down at his whimpering form, my anger rose. "Weakling," I snarled.

The healers didn't want any part in what was happening and they rushed out of the tent, heads bowed.

Tucker looked up at me with fearful eyes. "B-but J-Jax. You know how I hate fire! And she's the Sagittarius champion! Her skill is told about in even the other houses. She's stronger than even you, I reckon!"

Growling, I leaned close to his face. At the moment, I would ignore what he said about Lena being stronger than me. "So?" I challenged. "You know our family's reputation. You know who I am. How are we supposed to keep that reputation with you here?" I pushed away from the bed and turned towards the wall. "I knew we should've left you to the wolves like Dad wanted," I muttered, running a hand through my unkempt brown hair. Even though I had been only four when Tucker was born, I was 16 when Tucker proved himself to be a disgrace to the family. My father had wanted to throw Tucker out right then to honor the old tradition, but my mother wouldn't allow it. I sighed to myself. My mother had been kind and caring, and she was loved by everyone. The mysterious illness that Gwen's grandmother had also fallen victim to had taken her too soon.

An audible intake of breath sounded behind me, but I didn't turn. I waited. Waited patiently for my brother's weak reply. He was always weak. He hated blood and the Arena. My father hoped that he would eventually turn out like me, like the rest of our family. I always carefully reminded myself of that whenever he failed, but I couldn't ignore my locked thoughts any longer. He was weak. He was never going to be a champion. He should be dead.

A quiet, trembling voice spoke up behind me. "Why, Jax? Why must you say that? I'm-I'm your brother!!!" The poor boy sounded close to tears and I clenched my fist and spun around, a strong breeze flowing through the tent.

"You're supposed to be like the rest of us!" I shouted angrily. "But you aren't! And now you ruined my life," my voice quieted, the strong breeze now weakening. "You ruined our reputation. You're a failure, Tucker. You should be dead."

My younger brother's eyes widened before he burst into tears. Sobs shook his body that was only just beginning to gain muscle. I glared at him in disgust. He shouldn't be crying. He knew I hated him, knew that he was a failure. I never showed him anything close to caring in the first place, so why was he crying now? It truly baffled me until I suddenly realized. Me saying it had made it all too real. This weakling had been in denial. I almost laughed at the realization. "Oh, Tuck. This is the cold reality of the world. Grow up and deal with it," I gritted out harshly. "Not everyone is going to baby you like Mom did. Like Dad was forced to. He only treated you with any tolerance because he loved Mom and that's what she would have wanted."

My words spent and my job done, I stormed out of the tent, almost running into the two healers. I jerked my head towards where Tucker's cries could still be heard. "What are you looking at? Do your job," I growled before stalking away.

Lena and her family had left, but I could hear raised voices getting farther away. I shrugged. Not my problem. As I passed through the center of the arena, I spotted a familiar smile. My anger quickly melted away as I slipped under the large stairs built specifically for viewing. I waited behind one of the large pillars until I spotted Gwen walking under them. She walked behind another pillar and blocked my view, so I worked up my courage and revealed myself. I strode up to Gwen, a grin on my face. "Hello, beautiful," I purred smoothly, my eyes settled on her.

The conversation then went as expected, with Gwen rejecting me. I chuckled at her receding back. She didn't spin around, instead stomping away. 

I supposed it was time to go home, even though I'd have to listen to my father complain about Tucker again. I'd have to stop by Grandfather's portion of the house.

Our house was rather large, and Grandfather had a decent sized part to live in. It was our way of paying respect to him while also showing him that we would take care of him, for it was his time to rest and he had already taken care of us enough.

As I arrived home, I was suddenly struck with how different Grandfather's portion looked compared to the main house. There were colorful little curtains in his windows, which were open but could still be seen through the glass. Flowers were planted in window boxes, and one even had a small windmill to complete the effect. All in all, it looked almost like a fairy house from the stories.

As I came around the side the small porch we had built for Grandfather came into view. Grandfather was sitting in his favorite chair, staring into the distance. 

"Jax," he rumbled in a disappointed tone. 

My stomach dropped. He couldn't know about what I had said to Tucker could he? 

I moved closer. "It's a nice night, isn't it, Grandfather?" I asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice. 

"Indeed," he replied. "But I would like to talk to you. Come sit."

I hesitantly stepped onto the porch and sat in the second chair. The old wood creaked under my weight and I shifted in my seat, waiting impatiently for Grandfather to continue. 

After what seemed like forever, he started speaking. His deep voice, which Dad said was smooth and commanding in his youth, had the tell-tale crinkle of old age. 

"Lena's father has called for a Cleansing. There has not been one since I was your age, and it could endanger you," Grandfather stated. Concern shone in his dark brown, almost black, eyes as he turned to face me. "The Council has a cube that when held, will change color according to the strength of your power. The colors go as as follows, weakest to strongest: Blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. If the cube turns red while you are holding it, they will exile you."

I almost let out a sigh of relief at this unexpected announcement, before I realized what it meant. Being scolded for insulting Tucker was nothing compared to the threat of being exiled. "Shit," I muttered under my breath. 

Grandfather leaned forward. "Please, try not to go. Pretend you're too sick to move. I'm begging you, Jax. Do an old man a favor."

I nodded. "Of course. I'm sure I could pull something off." I sent a half-grin at Grandfather before standing up. "Well, it's getting late. I should be getting to bed. Goodnight, Grandfather."

"Goodnight, Jax." Grandfather's voice called from behind me as I hopped off the porch.

I tried not to think about the Cleansing as I let myself into the back door, which led into the kitchen. 

"Jax, do you have a moment?" 

I suppressed a groan as I turned around to see my father sitting at the table. "Hey, Dad. What's up?" I tried to sound nonchalant, as if I was going to pass the Cleansing with nothing more than a green or yellow. 

"Your brother is such a disappointment," he sighed. His eyes glittered with disgust before clearing and flicking up to me. "Since he's so weak, I want you to take on the responsibility of training him. We can't have him tarnishing our reputation," he continued, standing up and stepping in front of me. "I know you'll do great, don't disappoint me." His normally stone-like face cracked into a rare smile as he clasped my shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip. "I'm proud of you. And soon, you will turn Tucker into someone that this family can be proud of." With a final nod, he dropped his hand and walked away. 

I rolled my eyes. Great. More responsibility. Oh well, it won't matter since I won't be there to train him. The Cleansing would make sure of that, if it was even a valid test. It was probably just some stupid thing made up by the council to scare people, and barely even worked correctly. Of course I was going. First of all, I wouldn't be able to convince my father to let me stay home, and second, I was sure I wouldn't be in the red zone. I could get away with this. 

Scoffing mentally at the council's high and mighty ways, I made my way upstairs and collapsed onto my bed. I settled onto my bed, lying on my back. Smirking confidently at the ceiling, I thought of all the ways I could possibly woo Gwen as I drifted off to sleep.

Pfft, the Cleansing is a load of bullshit. I wonder if Gwen likes flowers......

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A/N
Good god Jax, you're all over the place. 
Oh, and next chapter is about Gwen! You'll get a more detailed version of her and Jax's conversation, and a little about her home life. I'll also try to reveal a little more about how everything works next chapter, so stay tuned!

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(btw I didn't read through this again and edit it, so if there are any typos or confusing parts, lemme know. Thank youu!)