Lucian's body traps me in place and his head lies on my shoulder. My skin tingles as he exhales softly and I turn to see his face right next to mine.

We are so close, I can see the small white hairs on his jaw, the smooth pale skin that grows dark under his eyes. He looks so peaceful in his slumber it is the first time I see him for what he really is.

A boy. A young man only a few years older than myself, with skin just as penetrable as mine, similar features and the same beating heart. When I was a slave I never imagined the Plutonians to be a vulnerable species but if I were to puncture his heart with a knife, he would die just like I would.

The thought both frightens and thrills me and blood rushes to my face. I never in a million years could have envisioned this scenario in my head.

Here I am lying underneath an unconscious and very vulnerable Plutonian.

A Plutonian who has been entrusted with the faith of the entire Plutonian army and since the army has been responsible for Pluto's colonization on other planets giving them the rights to their trades and resources, he is technically in charge of Pluto's future.

I gulp at the thought. It has never occurred to me that the magnitude of his responsibility was so large, the shoes he has to fill, so big.

Could that be why he acts out like this at night? Maybe the stress of being the Trinity makes him want to lash out unconsciously.

After a few seconds I realize I am wasting time by staring at his face and that I need to get out from under him before I suffocate.

I struggle to move but it seems I have underestimated his weight due to his long and slender frame.

"Move," I say helplessly but he doesn't even budge.

Feeling annoyed I try again by poking him with the needle tip lightly.

He murmurs something incoherent and shifts slightly but his body remains planted on top of me.

Realizing he needs more stimulation I poke him harder and he jerks in response. I stubbornly poke him again and he shifts to the side.

It is enough for me to crawl out from under him and I quickly get up and take off the suit I am wearing.

I place it back in the drawer in the same position I found it in and then walk back to Lucian who lies on the floor with his back to the ceiling.

He looks so uncomfortable that I feel bad for him.

I bend down and put his arm over my shoulders. I try to get up and bring him with me to the bed but he is absurdly heavy and I barely move an inch.

Giving up, I take a pillow from his bed and force it under his head. Feeling slightly irritated I sit down by the edge of the bed and place a pillow behind me.

I lean back and watch him warily. I cannot believe how lucky I am tonight for being caught by a sleeping Lucian but a small part of me is annoyed with his timing.

Couldn't he have interrupted me after I finished fishing through his book shelf?

I suddenly remember the book about Earth in the library and take it from his study table. I know it is not what I was looking for but it will be nice to read something about my planet, even more so from the view point of its supposed colonizers. I leave the fallen chair as it is and walk back to my pillow on the floor.

Feeling exhausted I sit on the floor facing Lucian and lean against the pillow that's propped against the bed frame.

I don't remember falling asleep but I wake up under soft satin sheets on Lucians bed with the same artificial sun light peeking out from fake clouds.

I get up slowly, feeling slightly groggy and am surprised to see a stranger walk out of the bathroom with a bathrobe in his hands. He jumps back with a startled expression on his face when he catches me staring and then quickly lowers his head.

"Good morning, Miss Aria. Your bath has been prepared as per Master Lucian's instructions and your breakfast as well."

"My bath?" I frown in confusion. I look around for Lucian but he is no where in sight which worries me slightly. Is he alright? Did he find out about last night?

My eyes find the library now bathed in artificial sunlight and clearly visible. The fallen chair has been returned to its original position.

"Yes, a concoction of healing water mixed with herbs from Cixin for your sores," The male attendant replies.

"Cixin?" I get up and my ribs throb in response. "Where is Lucian?"

"Master Lucian has left for work," The male attendant replies. "And Cixin is one of our planets in the Proxima Centauri star system, they have the most potent herbs on their planet which they supply us in return for our protection."

Protection? I want to laugh at that word knowing this must be one of their many colonized planets.

"I don't mean to rush you, Miss Aria," He says fearfully and adjusts the tight collar around his neck. "But your food is getting cold."

"What time is it?" I suddenly remember that training starts at nine in the morning. People come in and go as they please because the training center is available to all fighters till night but the routine drills are done first thing in the morning and I don't want to be seen as someone who skives off the nitty gritty stuff after only two days.

"It's ten passed the shift of the axis," He says referring to the large needle in center of the city that moves in synchronicity with the rotation of our solar systems Sun. Every microscopic shift clockwise indicates an hour has passed and the Sun has rotated 1/24th of 1 degree.

In other words its ten in the morning.

I curse at myself for over sleeping. I ignore the male attendant who seems flustered that I don't wish to use the bath he prepared. Instead I tell him to leave, wash up quickly and gobble down some food before rushing to the training center.

When I reach I see everyone has paired up and are training in their individual cubicles. My heart sinks in disappointment as I walk around aimlessly hoping to find someone to train with.

"You're late."

I whip around to see Leslie gleaming at me with a cat like smile. A blonde girl stands beside him with her arms crossed over each other. She wears the same smirk on her face and for some reason it makes my skin crawl.

"Slept in?" She asks and I remain silent because it is none of her business. "Must be nice to be able to sleep in luxury and come to training whenever you like. Perks of being a mistress, huh?"

"Don't mind Eldra, she's just jealous because no Plutonian's ever wanted her," Leslie says but I am frozen in place, too shocked by her words to be insulted.

How does she know?

"But really, is it true?" Leslie leans in and eyes me with wonder. "Are you really a Plutonian's lover? Because no one has seen you in our quarters and that can only mean one thing."

My eyes widen in surprise and I take a step back defensively. They are so direct with their words and I barely even know them.

"I- I need to train," I stutter as I turn around to walk away.

"Oh come on, Aria. There's no need to be shy, we are all friends here, are we not?" Leslie chides and I quicken my stride.

I see the same girl I trained with yesterday in one of the cubicles alone and I quickly walk in hoping I would be able to join her.

The muscles in her arms jut out as she balances on her hands and lifts her legs up in the air. She then bends her elbows, lowering herself to the floor and slowly lifts herself up again.

"May I join?" I ask.

Her dark eyes narrow at me and her legs drop to the floor.

"This isn't a paired exercise," She replies as she gets up. Her shoulders are squared and her stance is defensive, it is obvious that she doesn't want me there.

I nod my head slowly and turn around to leave when she speaks again.

"Have you warmed up?" She asks.

I turn to her and shake my head.

"Meet me in the sparring room with the heated knifes after you have warmed up," She says and then she sits down and moves into another complicated position.

Feeling content with this arrangement, I give her a grateful smile and proceed with the same warm up routine I did yesterday. Once I have finished I find the cubicle she was talking about and see her at the end of the room with a small knife in her hand.

She brings it behind her ear and in one swift motion flings her arm forward. The knife flies through the air and hits the target in front right in the forehead.

I raise my eyebrows, clearly impressed and walk in to take one in my hands. The knife is light and looks like the one my mother used to use in the kitchen only thing the blade is thicker.

"Why is it called a heated knife?"

"The blade heats up when it is embedded in a material. It burns the skin but reduces the blood shed. Less messy," She says.

"Wouldn't that reduce blood loss? And save the victim?" I wonder out loud and she smiles in response.

"Yes, we use these in the pits to avoid unnecessary damage but if it hits a vital structure then that's too bad," She says this emotionlessly and throws another knife at the target.

"I'm Aria by the way," I introduce myself to this person who seems like one of the only normal people here.

"I know."

I remain silent wondering why she is being so evasive and throw the blade at the target twenty feet away from me. It hits the board and falls to the floor with a soft thud. I take another one and throw it and soon the knife on the floor is joined by three others.

"You need to use your whole upper body not just your wrist," The tall girl explains. "Watch me."

She turns slightly sideways and positions her arm behind her with her hand at the same level as her ear. She jerks slightly and throws the knife forward, swinging her body in the same arc of motion. I barely see it but the knife lands on the center of the target within a second.

I stand the same way and adjust my arms to match hers. This time the knife I throw lands on the target and stays there. It doesn't reach anywhere near the center but at least it doesn't fall.

We practice a few more rounds before we both take a water break.

"How long have you been here?" I ask her.

"Too long," She sighs. "I joined because I wanted to join the army but I have never been chosen or won four fights in a row."

"Really? But you are so good," I exclaim in surprise.

"It doesn't matter. Skills don't matter here, only who you know and how much you're willing to give."

I don't reply because I really don't know what to say to that. So what Asta said was true.

"Guys, the names are up," A short sweaty boy peeps in and announces with an excited face.

I cast her an inquisitive look and the girl I was training with gets up.

"Come on. Time to see who we will be fighting next."

Heyy hope you liked the chapter! Who do you think she will be fighting? Leslie or Christina or someone else?