Once I have washed up and put on the comfortable pair of pajama pants and shirt given to me, I walk out and make my way to the opposite side of the bed where Lucian sits.

He leans against the headboard with a large pillow tucked behind his head. His has a book in his hands but his eyes follow my every movement. I can't tell if he is wary of my presence or just unused to someone else being here with him.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, not wanting to distract him and draw more attention to myself. The ache in my ribs have returned in full force and I am thankful for the painkillers placed next to my night clothes that I took without hesitation.

The effects of the drugs were kicking in and there was nothing more I wanted to do than to sink against those pillows and fall asleep. But one glance at Lucian made me regret having these side effects.

What if I fell asleep and failed to observe him? Or worse, what if he hurt me?

I blink rapidly in an attempt to keep awake and then sneak a glance at him. Lucian still looked wide awake with his steely eyes focused on the pages before him.

"You are not a strong fighter," He suddenly says and I turn towards him in surprise. "Correct me if I'm wrong but you fought with your brain not your body yesterday."

Fought with my brain? Of course I had to use my body to fight. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for my body.

He notices the frown on my face and smiles. "You anticipated his moves. I saw your hand raise even before he lifted his leg to kick you. That is how you won."

I nod slowly, wondering how he could pick up such minute movements from one match.

"He used those same moves during training," I admit.

"Do you know who you will be fighting next?" He asks, placing his book down on the bed side table next to him.

I shake my head, worrying more about the dull pain in my ribs than the person I'm supposed to fight with to survive here. I doubt I'll be able to fight anyone in the condition I am currently in.

His question catches me off guard and paralyzes me with worry. It feels like I have just beaten Michael and now I have to worry about fighting with someone else.

An image of the sand filled pit, lined by tall walls that promise no escape and rows of stands with screaming humans and Plutonian's flood my vision and I feel like throwing up.

I clutch my side that has begun to throb and look at the ceiling to distract myself.

"I have a week, right?" I whisper weakly.

"You have six days," Lucian says quietly. "They usually place the newcomers against the weakest first. That would be Michael for you."

Michael was the weakest? If the weakest could cause me this much pain, what was I in for next? I swallow hard and try not to give in to the anxiety burrowing a hole deep into my neck.

"I told you I would help you get into the army. And I will help you prepare but the winning boils down to you and you alone. I don't mean to scare you but I don't want you to get comfortable. Your next fight will most likely be against Christina or Leslie."

He sits up and faces me before crossing his legs over one another. I mirror him and rest my head in the palm of my hands, eager for more information.

"Christina is small sized, slightly shorter than you. She's been a trainee for about three months and she's won three matches so far. She's small but fast, ran circles around her previous opponents, tired them out and then stabbed them in the neck."

My eyes widen in horror. I thought killing wasn't allowed in the pits.

"Did they survive?" I panted. Was it just me or was the air becoming thinner and thinner.

"Yes, she stabbed them just above the right clavicle, not deep enough to cause death or she would have been disqualified."

"I can't believe they allow that," I mutter and Lucian just scoffs in response.

"Leslie is tall and lanky, but he is one of the strongest new trainees I've seen. Don't be fooled by his friendliness either. He is vicious on the pits. Once he gets you on the floor you're done for," Lucian says nonchalantly but there is nothing nonchalant about the image in my head of a tall, wiry boy pining me to the floor and beating the life out of me.

"Which one do I stand a better chance against?" I ask softly.

Lucian pauses for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. His silence does little to calm my already frenzied nerves.

"It would be presumptuous of us to assume either one is weaker. You need to be prepared for both. I want you to observe them during your training sessions tomorrow. Study their movements and memorize their patterns. Everyone has a pattern, a habit, a little trick signature to them. Find out Leslie's and Christina's and we will practice tomorrow night," He instructs and I nod my head in agreement.

Once our discussion is over, we both lie down and try to make ourselves comfortable.

Lucian's breathing is soft, barely audible and I look up at the magnificent view above.

As I stare at the constellation on his ceiling, I start thinking of my task tomorrow and what I need to do. I glance at Lucian briefly and find myself feeling grateful for our arrangement. I would never have known about Leslie or Christina without him.

My eyes flit from the various stars on the ceiling to the far end of the room where his bookshelves were. I had to figure out how to access those forbidden documents.

But how?

The sheets shift beside me and I see Lucian turn to his side. A soft snore escapes his lips and I release the breath I didn't even know I was holding.

What was I expecting? That he would attack me the moment he fell asleep?

I chuckle at myself and try to relax as well. I don't remember when I finally fall into a dreamless sleep but I am quickly woken up by the sound of moaning.

My eyelids flutter open as I blink rapidly at my surroundings.

I sit up and turn to the side to check on Lucian but he is not there. I shiver as an icy coldness floods my veins.

Where is he?

I hear a sharp exhale and shoot up from the bed towards the sound. That is when I see a figure crouched by the floor next to the table.

I see Lucian's jacket that controls the lights and quickly pick it up. My fingers clutch it tightly as I walk slowly towards the heaving figure.

"Lucian?" I ask cautiously.

When I am close enough I see Lucian's silver hair hanging over his face, obscuring my view of his expression. I can't tell if he is awake but something tells me he isn't.

"Lucian," I say again, this time louder hoping I will be able to wake him up.

There's no response and I am almost too afraid to take another step forward that is until I get a good view of his hands.

I stifle a gasp as I see him pinch at the skin of his legs and twist so hard, the skin tears. He then digs his fingers into the wound and drags his nails across his skin, drawing a line of blood in his wake.

He heaves loudly and then screams, making me jump. I see him dig deeper into the wound and I quickly rush to him.

"What are you doing?" I place my hand on his shoulder and my heart catches in my throat when his head turns towards me slowly, only to greet me with eyes that are half shut.

Is he asleep or awake?

"Wha?" I don't get to finish my words.

The breath is knocked out of me as he pounces on me without warning. His fingers close around my windpipe as we both crash onto the floor.

My back collides with the hard surface, sending a rush of blinding pain up my spine. I cough as his fingers tighten around my throat and use all my energy to pry his fingers open but it is to no avail.

He is Plutonian and therefore much stronger.

Tears roll down my cheeks as I struggle against him but he is unstoppable in his stupor.

"No,no," He mumbles and his grip on my neck loosens momentarily. My fingers find the space between my neck and his fingers and I quickly push into it, pushing his hands away.

"Kill them," He says in a voice that does not belong to him. It sounds like he is imitating someone but I am unsure who.

I scamper away, using my legs to kick him back. I gasp for breath and grab the leg of the chair to support myself.

Lucian sits on the floor, facing me.

"I must kill it," He says mechanically before he launches himself at me again.

"Lucian!" I scream and automatically grab the chair I am holding on to by the handles. As he lunges at me, I jump on top of him with the chair hitting him square in the chest.

We land on the floor, with me on top of him, digging the chair arm into his neck. I use all my body weight as he grips my thighs painfully and then his hands go to his neck as he starts choking.

He coughs violently and I grit my teeth, using all my energy to keep him from pushing the chair away.

"No," He moans and his hands suddenly stop resisting and fall to the floor.

He stops moving and I quickly release the chair, letting it drop to the side with a loud thud. I climb over and sit next to him, watching him intently.

My nails dig into the floor anticipating his next attack but he remains still and then a new fear crosses my mind.

What if I killed him? A member of the Trinity, future leader of the Plutonian army. If that was the case, I might as well kill myself right here and now before they catch me for I am sure the punishment will be much worse.

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and begin to shake him vigorously.

"Wake up, please," I beg in between tears of frustration.

I squeeze the hem of his shirt feeling tired and useless and worried. I cup his face in my hands and move it from side to side. His head simply lolls with my movements like a log of wood.

My stomach convulses and I feel like I am going to throw up but he suddenly stirs slightly in my hands. I shake him a bit more and he mumbles incoherently.

A surge of relief runs through me as he sucks in a breath and his eyes flutter open.

When he focuses on me, his eyes light up in curiosity and then concern. "What happened?"

Heyy hope you enjoyed the chapter! Pleas vote/comment/share if you enjoyed it :) Goodnight!