All the fighters stand around the large translucent screen that appears on one of the walls in the training center. We gather before the combat ring and read the names that form out of thin air and arrange themselves into the columns on the screen.

Everyone erupts into a fit of whispers as our names form below one another. I see Leslie's and he is paired of with someone else and then my name appears. My toes tingle with anticipation and nervousness as I see the letters form the word Christina next to my name.

I will be facing her next week.

I look around at the all the people standing around me. Some tall, some short. Some bulky and intimidating, others small and inferior looking. She could be anyone.

The girl I had been training with bites her lip as she sees her name appear. I narrow my eyes at the screen and see the name Rosie.

"Rosie?" I ask in shock. The girl next to me not only towers over most of us here, she is also broad shouldered and muscular, with taut tanned skin that stretches over her long, lean limbs. The name just does not stick with the image I am given.

She nods her head grimly and squares her shoulders as she stares at the name beside her. "I know it's not very threatening. They asked me to change it for the pits but I refused because it is my birth name. Now I am known as Ruthless Rosie."

She laughs at the nick name but it doesn't reach her eyes. They are still fixated on the name next to hers.

Browin.

"Tough opponent?" I ask curiously.

"One of the toughest. I've never been able to beat him," She sighs and begins to walk away. When she notices that I have followed her she speaks again.

"They always do this. They make sure we never win four fights in a row so that we can never join the army."

"But people have joined before, right?" I question. We walk past the doors of the training center and through the green gardens that lead to the recreation room.

"That's the problem. If you win three fights in a row, all you need is a Plutonian to nominate you to their squad and you're in but if you win four fights in a row you automatically join the army without needing a nomination. In other words you don't need to be used to get what you want," Rosie says angrily. "They arrange the matches in such a way that no one has won four matches in a row ever."

"You mean to say the last human to join the army was also nominated?" I stop in my tracks, stunned by this news. I wonder why Asta never told me any of this. It now makes perfect sense why they prettied me up for the celebratory dinner and what she said to me before I was presented.

It also makes sense now that she has a Plutonian lover.

"Yes," She answers in a clipped tone. "They paint us a pretty picture about the honors of joining the army when we are slaves because they want us to become fighters but the truth is they don't want us to win. They want us to need them. If we can win without them then it just goes to show that we don't need them as much as they think we do."

"That's disgusting," I say honestly. "How did you find out about this? Did they ever tell you what you need to do?"

"Not, directly no. I've seen officers like Asta lurking around the training center, whispering deals into fighters ears and they've told me, though not many are lucky enough to be chosen by a Plutonian for some purpose. It's usually for sex, or dirty errands like lying and stealing, things you have to be good at to begin with. Some fighters who respected themselves too much actually refused those offers and remained fighters. I was never pretty enough or quite so "talented" at manipulation like Sergeant Atmos so I never had the chance to choose."

"So you continue fighting until you miraculously win four fights?" I am horrified by these lies that have been fed to us before we turn eighteen.

They told us about the glories of joining the army after we win four fights in the pits. They never said it would be easy but it certainly sounded doable. I never considered that it might just be a ploy to get us to join. I suddenly feel extremely grateful about Lucian even though he nearly blinded me last night.

"We continue fighting until retirement like that pot belly Aries or die in the pits. And we live our lives to the fullest off the pits to the best that we can," She gives me a fake smile. "Now don't look so horrified, I'm sure a nice widowed Commander will take fancy to you and make you an offer you can't refuse. You were quite the hit at the celebratory dinner that night."

I swallow hard and nod my head slowly. Unlike Leslie, she doesn't know that I am supposedly Lucian's lover and I wonder if this will change the way she views me.

I choose to change the topic to a more interesting one.

"You mentioned Sergeant Atmos?"

"Did I?" Her dark eyebrows knit together in a frown and then her eyes widen ever so slightly. "My mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake. Tell me, please." I pull her arm as she turns away from me.

"It's nothing just rumors. Why do you want to know anyway?" Rosie asks defensively.

"I think Asta answers to him. She told me to impress the Plutonian's before that dinner," I answer reluctantly. It's not easy for me to divulge information so readily after what happened with Stela but Rosie has volunteered far more than I expected and I know I have to reciprocate if I want to hear more.

"Of course she would," She scoffs. "We all know she does his bidding. Most of them do, they have to once they've joined the army. I heard he is the one who came up with this bargaining tool so that he would be accepted into the army. He apparently negotiated terms with the Plutonian's and was the first person to join because of it. The story of him beating a Plutonian is just another ploy to impress and fool us."

"He never beat a Plutonian?" It makes perfect sense. All of it does. So why am I so surprised and disappointed?

"Those are the rumours we heard. None of us know. He joined the army before most of us became fighters and Aries never likes to talk about him. Anyway I'm going to go eat something, see you later," Rosie waves her hand at me dismissively and walks into the recreation room.

I follow her but decide against sitting with her as she settles herself in front of one of the large screens and starts playing a game.

Feeling hungry I pile my plate with food and then I see a patch of striking red at the far end of the room.

Cassandra sits alone and when she catches my eye, she gives me a small smile.

I smile back and make my way to her, balancing a full plate of food in one hand and an energy drink in the other.

"Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday," I apologize. "It's really none of my business."

She shifts her delicate fingers to her lap and smiles demurely. I could not have imagined a more suitable person for the job she's chosen.

Besides being extremely striking, she is also so delicate and gentle, so cautious in her mannerisms and words unlike Stela.

"It's fine. Its sweet that you cared, it's just that I'm not used to it," She tucks a lock of red hair behind her ear and smiles.

"I know what you mean. I feel the same way too."

"It's weird, don't you think? A few days ago we weren't allowed to talk to each other openly or show any form of affection and now we've been thrust into a world full of interactions," Cassandra muses.

"Yes, it's no wonder we suck at it," I reply and she laughs. Even her laugh is delicate.

"Stela's mad at me. She's ignored me ever since she found out I'm with Lazarus," She says with a straight face and the food I have swallowed gets stuck in my throat.

"Are you?" I ask after taking a huge gulp of my drink.

She looks so serious that I am utterly convinced and almost mad at her and then she bursts out laughing.

"No, I'm not. I'm with his Sergeant Commander, the person who answers to him and looks after his squads. His second in command," She explains and the muscles in my face relax.

"Is he nice?" I ask out of genuine concern.

"Yes, a true gentleman from the moment I met him," She answers with a dreamy expression on her face. "I've met Lazarus through him but when Stela heard his name she immediately thought I was his paramour."

"Are you going to tell her the truth?"

"I'm sure she'll find out eventually but it sure is fun seeing her so jealous," Cassandra laughs and I laugh along with her.

"Hey girls, may I join?"

My head whips to the right and I am shocked to see Leslie take a seat next to me.

"I'm Leslie, Aria's friend." He holds his hand out to Cassandra which she hesitantly shakes.

"You're a paramour, right?" Leslie asks Cassandra and she nods. His eyes flit over her face and then down to her chest shamelessly. "Makes sense."

"What does?" She asks defensively.

"That the two of you are friends."

"We're from the same batch, that's why. " I cut him off knowing where he is going with this.

"Really? What a coincidence. So does your lover know Arias lover as well?" He asks a very confused looking Cassandra.

I get up from my seat and gesture for her to do the same.

"Oh, come on you're really no fun. Unless... Unless she doesn't know where you've been sleeping every night," He shoots me another snide remark. "You don't know, Cassandra?"

I stare at my feet and walk out of the recreation room with a new found hatred towards Leslie.

What's his problem?

"It's true isn't it, Aria." Cassandra's voice stops me in my tracks. "Who is it?"

Ahh Leslie is quite the trouble maker. Anyway hope you liked the chapter and what do you think about Sergeant Atmos? Do you think he's a sleazy liar or a fighter hero?