Plutonian

Chapter 20

"Are you feeling, okay?" Cassandra's soft voice does little to calm my nerves as we sit together in the holding chamber waiting for my name to be called.

"I feel great," I mutter sarcastically to which she giggles. It is easy for her to laugh, she isn't the one who's going to be fighting for her future in the next few minutes.

The days had flown by quickly and it was already match day and half the matches were already done. Last week I had been one of the first to fight but today I was able to watch the earlier ones, including the one with Rosie. As she had predicted, she had lost her match against Browin, losing her opportunity to join the army after four straight wins.

I had been instructed to adjourn to my holding chamber two matches before mine and was surprised to find Cassandra waiting for me there.

The past few nights have been rough on me. Lucian had gone for a days expedition to a nearby planet for inspection and after he returned he had become much more violent in his sleep.

Fighting him off took all my energy and last night had to be our worst encounter. He nearly tore my arm off as he screamed about how he had no choice but to kill me. Fighting him off these past few nights and surviving have been nothing short of miracles and it has drained my energy considerably.

The only plus point was that my fighting skills have improved tremendously which I had learned during my combat session with a fighter in the ring yesterday. I was much stronger than I had been last week and my stances were extremely quick and defensive, even Aries had been satisfied.

When Cassandra told me the Trinity had given her permission to accompany me before my match I already knew that it was Lucian's doing. As his violence had tripled, so did his level of guilt and he had showered me with tons of sunlight every morning, all the delicacies available on the planet and a communication device that connected to Cassandra only.

I talked to her whenever I felt nervous and right now I was more than thankful for her presence.

My knees shake as I rock back and forth waiting for my name to be called. Even after having been through this once, the torrential amount of fear brewing in my chest doesn't seem to have lessened and I feel just as scared as I was before.

"You're going to be fine," Cassandra urges with her hands wrapped around my clammy ones. "You are strong, Aria. The strongest of us."

I want to believe her but her assurance seems to bounce off my skin.

"What time is it?" I whisper, my voice raspy and weak.

The door opens and I nearly jump out of my seat.

"It's time, Miss," A malnourished looking slave girl murmurs in a timid voice.

"Good luck, Aria. I'll be cheering on you from the stands," Cassandra says.

I stand up and she releases her hands from mine reluctantly. As I walk ahead I notice the burn marks scattered over the attendants arms, obviously from a snap gun.

"What's your name?" I ask her.

"Marie," She whispers and I smile at her defiance at uttering her name instead of her designated number.

"Thank you, Marie," I say as I step on to the wide dust laden pit that spans the entire arena. I think of the slave girl and her scars as I walk to the center, knowing that in this moment this is exactly where I am meant to be.

Once I am in the center, I nod at Christina who reciprocates with a sly grin looking like she has been anticipating this moment for a while.

Our names are announced followed by brief introductions and my eyes catch Lucian's blue ones. He gives me a small smile and I pray that our training will make up for my lack of sleep.