The slave quarters are quiet at this time of night. When the steel door that shuts us in squeals open, I automatically wake up and rub my tired eyes to see what is happening.

More and more of us sit up in our beds and a feeling of trepidation slowly builds in the pit of my stomach when I see two armed Plutonian's walk in. Their heavy boots echo across the smooth cement floors as they march past the first few beds and then head down an aisle.

I look around me to see most us seated with our blankets pulled up to our chins. Everyone looks as frightened as I feel and their eyes are fixed on those two tall, domineering looking males.

My breath catches when they turn and head right my way. My fingers dig into the sheets around me and when they finally stop right outside my bunk I feel a ball of anxiety fill my throat making me choke.

"Number seven-two-zero-three?" One of them asks me in a deadly calm voice. He looks very young. A junior officer with silver crew cut hair and straight eyebrows that bunch together when I don't answer.

"Your officer just asked you a question." The other equally young looking Plutonian stares daggers at me and his hand immediately goes to his waist band where his snap gun sits.

I quickly nod my head, keeping my head low and try not to stare at them so openly knowing it will offend them.

A small shriek escapes my lips when one of them grabs me by the wrist and yanks me to my feet. At thirteen years old, I barely reach their chests. The officer who pulled me up has to bend down slightly to see my face when he speaks again.

"We have information regarding a conversation you had with a fellow slave. Something about betraying your creators and escaping this planet."

My body goes rigid at his words and I don't know what to say or do. I can feel everyone's eyes on me and I suddenly have the strongest urge to look for Stela. We'd only just had this conversation a few hours ago the construction site by the pits.

I told Stela I hated being here with the Plutonian's and that I would escape the moment I had the chance and my best friend had agreed with me wholly.

I keep my head low but my eyes flit to the side, to the bunk behind mine where she sleeps. Were they going to punish her as well? The thought makes me shiver with fear and a profound amount of guilt rushes through me.

"Do you deny it?" The other officer asks me.

I bite my quivering lips hard and keep my eyes fixated on the boots of the officer standing in front of me. I slowly shake my head as I lie to them which doesn't work in my favor at all.

The Plutonian grabs my hand and brings his snap gun down on my forearm swiftly. The smell of burning flesh wafts in the air around us and my screams immediately fill the deadly silent room. My arm feels like it has been set on fire.

He releases me and I fall to the floor holding my arm as I rock back and forth sobbing.

"You're lying. You conniving little piece of filth," He then grabs my ear and pulls me up making me scream again. "Scream one more time and I will burn out your tongue."

My mouth shuts quickly but I continue to whimper as he drags me to the bunk behind mine with my ear. It feels like he's tearing my skin in his death like grip. It takes all my effort not to scream again.

I clutch the side of my head and look up to see Stela sitting on her bed with her hands wrapped around her knees.

"Number seven- two- one- five, tell us what she told you this afternoon during your lunch break. Tell us what you reported." The officer looms over her bed as he orders her.

"It's true. She hates our great, beautiful creators. She wants to run away. To escape," Stela spits quickly and then she glares at me in anger.

My arm and ear are exploding with pain but all I can focus on is the hatred on her face and the betrayal of her words. I can't believe she told them about what we talked about. I thought she hated them as well. I thought we were friends.

It doesn't fully register that she just spoke. Some part of me thinks this is just some horrible dream but then I feel a hard slap on my cheek, throwing me to the floor.

"We have it confirmed on camera and yet you still lie. Stupid girl." One of them picks me up and drags me to the exit of the building as all the other slaves stare at me in fear. "Insubordination will not be tolerated here and plotting against your benevolent predecessors who have been so kind in giving you this opportunity to serve us, is a crime punishable by no less than death."

Despite angering them, I can't help but struggle and writhe in desperation. Even though I hate being here, death has never once crossed my mind and now that they are going to kill me, all I can think of is resisting.

My pleas fall on deaf ears and my efforts are obviously no match to their strength. Within seconds we have crossed the threshold of our quarters and they hurl me into a wagon.

My shoulders hit the hard metal walls as I crumple into a miserable heap on the floor of the wagon. One Plutonian starts the engine while the other one secures one of my legs to a chain and hooks it to the wall.

I shake uncontrollably as the cart in front takes off and drags me along with it down the tunnels I fear so greatly. The tunnels to the South.

My teeth chatter and the tears that stream down my face hardens to icicles. I expect the journey to be long and arduous like it usually is but they take a turn off down a road I've never been through before and the cold air here stings worse than I remember.

We reach the end of the tunnel and I look over the rocky road only to see a vast dull blue expanse at the edge.

The Plutonian's in front get out of their cart and I see they have covered their hands and faces. One of them grabs me and carries me to the edge of the cliff. I struggle incessantly and shrink further into his chest, trying to put as much distance between myself and cliff's edge.

The other Plutonian then covers my face, feet and hands with the same material they are wearing. I don't see anything but I feel him tie my hands and legs together and I start to choke on my own tears. They are going to throw me off any second now. I don't even know where I will land.

Will I shatter to pieces? Or drown in a sea of ice? Or just keep falling and falling till I choke in my own fear?

I cry harder and harder as the Plutonian holding me rips the back of my shirt open and the cold air assaults my skin.

"Thirty five seconds?" One of them asks.

"Yes, that's what they ordered. It'll be just nice to freeze her spine dead and mangle her nerves till she's disfigured."

"Why do we have to cover her again?"

"They want her recognizable. To serve as a reminder to the others. Also it's what they ordered, dimwit."

"Okay, fine. Twenty feet to the chasm, right?"

"Yes."

The Plutonian holding me releases me suddenly but my screams are muffled by the cold wind that scratches my throat. My heart catapults out of my chest as I feel myself falling only to be yanked back up.

It feels like I am hanging and that is when I feel the most excruciating pain I have ever felt before. It is as if something has latched on to my back and is sucking away every bit of life I have left in me.

I struggle to breathe and then start to cough fervently. I can't feel my body anymore, all I can feel is the singeing fire that has spread across my back, dug into my skin and attacked my organs.

I'm not dead. I'm not dead. I repeat these words in my head and suddenly I feel myself being pulled upwards.

Am I in heaven already?

"Is she dead?" I hear the same voices again.

"She has to be. We left her there for thirty seconds. I can't believe you gave me the wrong count. We're going to get into so much trouble for that."

"Thirty five, thirty. What difference does it make? I heard they all die after twenty anyway. Dead is dea---whoa, wait. I think she's alive."

"What? Are you sure? How is that even possible?"

"I don't know. I've never done this before. I don't even know why we execute them here. It's so tedious. Hold her. I'm going to call command and ask them for further instructions."

My eyes flutter and my back burns again as I feel myself being thrown around. Suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue, I feel I'm about to fall asleep at any moment now.

"They told us to bring her back. NOW."

***

I hear a soft beeping noise next to me and can't help but groan as I move slightly. It feels like my body has just woken up from a frozen stupor.

I squint at the harsh white light that makes my eyes watery and then hear a loud gasp next to me.

"Aria! You're awake," Cassandra's voice is like music to my ears.

I open my eyes slowly and after a few seconds her striking red hair and beautiful face becomes clearer.

"Cassandra, what?" I try to get up but my back crackles loudly at the movement. While do I feel so rigid?

"Take it easy," She gushes and pushes me back down on my pillow. She adjusts the bed by pressing onto some buttons and the part behind me rises slightly helping me sit up to face her.

"I'm alive?" I ask her in disbelief and she smiles widely.

"Yes," She holds on to my hand and her eyes fill with tears. "You were out for a month. They told us your body healed but your mind wouldn't wake up. I was so scared. I thought you were gone."

"I've been out for a month?" I say in dismay. "What happened? I thought Rosie was supposed to kill me? Where is she? Where's Lucian?"

"So many things happened, Aria. It was absolute madness. I saw the whole thing from where I was forced to sit. Rosie didn't carry out her task of killing you. One of the officials started beating her up because of it and then suddenly a bunch of humans jumped into the pit and started beating up the Plutonian."

I listen in stunned silence, the whole thing does sound absurd.

"Then more officers got involved and even more humans. It was crazy. A full blown riot. Everyone was arrested eventually but the generals got back by then and Lazarus was penalized for interfering with the matches unfairly. He's been banned from anything regarding the pits and he's been raging mad about it."

"Is Rosie dead?" I can't help but ask.

"No, but she's in critical condition. The officer really did a number on her."

My heart falls at this piece of news and I can't believe Rosie risked her life like that. It's crazy how much happened after I blacked out and now I can't stop thinking about Lucian.

"What about Lucian? Where is he? Is he alright?"

And as if on cue the medical staff suddenly chant out his name in greeting and Lucian walks in.

Heyy. So now you know the back story about Aria's back and Stela's betrayal which is a pretty important part of her identity and this story. Hope you enjoyed and was happy with the last part hehe.