I pick up a pole lying idly by the corner and study it carefully. It looks like a laser pole but this is longer and broader. My fingers glide over its smooth metal surface and suddenly its end lights up and a buzz of electricity bursts out of it. I release it quickly and jump back in shock. 

I have been in the training center for the past one hour and so far there has been no one who has approached me or given me any form of instructions. In fact there is hardly anyone here. I look around for Asta but she is no where to be found.

"That's an electro pole," A tall, young boy with spiky red hair approaches me. He picks up the metal rod and twirls it around with his fingers. "If you touch it here it emits a surge of electricity that could maim you, like a snap gun."

He touches the middle of the rod and brilliant white light bursts from it's end. I quickly jump to the side and scowl at him. 

"My bad," He jokes and drops the pole to the floor. "I'm Leslie, a fellow trainee as well."

Leslie. I remember Lucian warning me about him. My eyes narrow on my opponent and I try to size him up. He is much taller than me but he has a thin, narrow frame that makes him look weak. He doesn't come across as a threat but I suppose he uses that to his advantage. 

"You're Aria, right? The girl who wants to join the army," He says with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. 

"Yes, I'm sure you're here for the same reason," I say even though his presence is making me a bit uncomfortable. There is something about him I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe the fact that he has a judgmental look on his face like he has figured me out already, and he is unimpressed. 

"No, I'm not interested in the army. I just like to fight." He replies nonchalantly. "Come on, we usually start the day with a briefing and some warm up rounds." He leads me outside the simulation room we are in and to the middle of the training center. 

"You mean you joined just so you could fight in the pits?" I find it hard to wrap my head around the fact that he has no purpose here other than to fight in the pits.

"Yes, there are many others here like me. We aren't so ambitious. Most of us just get pleasure from injuring others," He smiles viciously and I have to consciously stop my mouth from falling wide open. 

How could he feel that way? How could he enjoy hurting another human after everything they have put us through? 

"Besides, no one has joined the army in the last four years," Leslie says. He joins a line of trainees and I stand in the line next to him. "Oh, don't look so shocked, little one. After all the violence we have witnessed, it is only natural for us to rejoice when we can inflict the same pain on to others." 

I bite the insides of my cheeks hoping that I will be facing him in my next match. How I would love to punch that smirk off his scrawny face and then I stop myself as I realize he is right. We have been exposed to nothing but violence. It is all we know and if we were given the opportunity to change I am unsure if we could.

"Good morning, trainees. We will begin with our daily warm up session and then each of you will be divided into groups for sparing lessons," A loud voice echoes from up front. I look up to see a short middle aged man who's belly sticks out from under his training suit. 

"Who is he?" I ask Leslie. 

"That's Aries, an ex- fighter. The only one who has lasted till retirement. He's now in charge of the human training center," He explains. 

We begin running right after he finishes his short introduction. We run in parallel lines around the training center then out into the courtyard and around the building. I start off in the middle of the line but soon find my self at the end of it. 

My lungs are burning and my legs feel numb as I force myself to carry on. I do not want to be the only trainee who stops half way. Once we finally return to the training center the trainees don't stop to catch a breath. All of them drop down to their knees and start doing push up's. 

I follow suit but my legs are so wobbly I hardly complete two rounds before I fall onto the floor. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I have no energy to go on. 

"Fifty push ups. Forty eight more to go for you," The instructor crouches next to me and says loudly. I open my eyes and push myself up slowly. 

All around me trainees are doing push ups, some wobbling like I was, others effortlessly like it is second nature to them.

"No exemptions for the newcomers," The instructor says and then he gets up and stands next to me. 

Everyone turns my way and my cheeks burn in embarrassment. I do one and then another one and he counts in unison making me want to cry. When I am half way I collapse on to the floor again and can't be bothered to go on but he remains where he is.

"Twenty four push ups to go. Stop being such a baby and finish it like everyone else."

 I turn to my side to see everyone sitting on their knees looking at me. My eyes fall on Leslie's face, who is smirking and sniggering as the person next to him whispers in his ears. I can almost hear the mocking thoughts in his head. 

As if someone like me would ever be able to join the army. 

I close my eyes and tune him and everyone else out. I begin counting in my head as I push myself up and down over and over again. Once I have counted fifty I collapse onto the floor and roll on to my back. 

"Thanks for the long break," A girl snickers as she walks past me. 

After a short water break, we do a few more grueling warm up sessions before we are separated into pairs. 

I am paired with an older girl who leads us to a simulation room. 

"You know how to use this?" She asks as she picks up a gun that looks like it's made out of glass. 

I shake my head expecting her to belittle me like Leslie did but she simply nods her head in understanding. She gestures for me to pick one up and shows me how to hold it and shoot. 

Once I have gotten the hang of it, we both practice shooting simulations of various creatures. In fact we are so in sync, in our second round we manage to reach a new high score. By the third round other trainees have gathered around to watch. 

We move in unison and I shoot at the creature behind her, just as she shoots at the masked warrior behind me. We are almost done when I come face to face with a human soldier. His skin is dark brown and his eyes are black. My fingers close around the trigger but I some how am unable to shoot. Within a second he shoots me and its game over.

I can hear the crowd around us sigh in disappointment. 

The girl I was paired with takes off her gear and proceeds to walk out of the room. 

"I'm sorry," I say, noticing her anger. She reminds me of the simulation that killed me. Dark skinned and muscular with piercing dark brown eyes that are extremely captivating.

"It's fine," She snaps. "Just remember that there is no room here for empathy. The humans here are just as bad if not worse than the Plutonians." 

I nod my head and try not to berate myself for that stupid mistake. It is break time now and we make our way to the recreation room.

I am surprisingly relieved to see Stela and Casandra lounging by one of the tables having their lunch. I take my food and rush to them, eager to eat with familiar faces. I am about to put my tray down when I see dark blue marks around Cassandra's neck that look like she has been strangled.

"Hi, Aria," She greets me in a small voice and Stela just nods her head, looking deep in thought.

"What happened to your neck?" I blurt out in concern.

She quickly takes a piece of cloth and ties it around her neck. "Oh, it's nothing."

"Are you hurt?" I ask. "Who did this to you?" 

"Aria, please just drop it," Cassandra pleads. "How was practice today?"

"Cassandra, that looks really bad. I think you need to get it checked," I say stubbornly. "Come on, I'll take you to the clinic."

"I said I'm fine, Aria. Just shut up," Cassandra says, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm not hungry anymore." And with that she stands up and rushes to the exit of the recreation room. 

"What's wrong with her?" I hate to ask Stela anything but she is strangely silent and I have a feeling she knows what happened to Cassandra.

"Nothing, she's fine. You're just over reacting as usual," Stela replies and then stuffs her face with grilled algae. 

"She has huge bruises on her neck. How can she be fine?" I ask adamantly. 

"Those aren't bruises, you idiot. They are hickeys," Stela laughs bitterly. "And she got them from Plutonian royalty."

My blood runs cold and my eyes widen in fear. "You mean to say her lover is--?"

"Lazarus? Yes, I don't know how she got so lucky," Stela's eyes fill with tears and she pushes her plate away as well. She gets up and storms off leaving me alone in a state of shock.