In the morning I feel a slight ache in my body from training yesterday. After Max escorted me back to my room, I didn't fall asleep until a few hours after. My mind was spinning with questions and my fear of being discovered was growing. When I finally sit up in my bed my head pounds with anticipation for today's training. I throw the covers off me and head into the bathroom and flick on the light. My reflection looks back at me in the mirror. I look down into the sink and watch as a droplet from the faucet drops. I slowly raise my hand and focus on the sink. Energy flows out of my hand and to my surprise the sink slowly fills up with water. Then I look up to the light and bring my focus to it. Bright, sparking energy shoots out towards my hand and absorbs it. The light turns off and then they turn back on. I smile to myself in pleasure. A wandering thought of my fourth power takes over my smile and turns it into a frown. How am I supposed to use it if I don't know what it is? My hand raises from my side and I focus on myself in the mirror. Suddenly my hearing goes out, yet I can hear everything. My first instinct is to drop my hand, but I don't. I keep it steady. I feel like I'm floating. A door from the hallway slams and breaks the void I am in and suddenly I'm back to reality. Damnit.

I quickly wash my face and change into my training clothes. I braid my hair into one long braid and make sure to tuck in my necklace. As I am on my way down the stairs I run into Kim.

"Hey, where were you last night?" We both step down the stairs together.

"Um, I went to find the library and I got lost," I say hoping she will drop the subject. She nods as we enter into the grand hall.

"Ready for training today?" We both sit across from each other.

"I guess. I'm sore from yesterday," I say sipping my juice. I make eye contact with Ava who is dead staring at me across the room. I remind myself I need to stay away from her because she is trouble and she will be able to see right through me if I let her.

"Me too," she says. "Is she staring at you?" I nod and look away from Ava. "She's just jealous."

"Of what? It's clear she's better than me," I say stabbing my fork into my eggs.

"That's what she wants you to think. Don't let her get to you." Listen to her, she's right. If only it was that easy.

Once breakfast is over everyone separates and Kim and I head into the training room. When we walk in Prince Cedric is standing in the middle of the room.

"Max must be teaching the other group today," Kim whispers with a frown as we take our place on the mat. He seems more relaxed than Max.

"I'm Cedric and I will be teaching today's class. We will be learning self defense and how to fight without powers." A murmur goes through the crowd.

"Damn, I thought we would do more with our powers," Kim says under her breath.

"Me too," I admit. Thankfully no powers today. I sigh my body feels relieved.

"Now, I know you all are excited to learn more about your powers, but today we will solely focus on fighting without powers. When everyone has learned this, then we will get into fighting with powers." Everyone nods to his statement. "Okay, I need a volunteer," he says clapping his hands together, which startles me. I watch Ava shoot up her hand, but he doesn't pick her. His gaze grazes over her. Instead he picks Jeremey. Kim and I both snicker under our breath. Jeremy steps confidently onto the mat with Cedric and we all watch with anticipation.

"First thing is first, stance. Feet apart, arms out, and knees bent." Jeremy follows his guiding's. "Now Jeremy, I want you to attack me." Jeremy looks a little hesitant, but he dives for Cedric's stomach. Cedric's arms move quickly and catch his head. He puts him in a headlock and flips him over onto the floor. We all grimace. Jeremy groans on the floor.

"First mistake never go for the stomach. If your opponent does go for the stomach, wrap your arms around their head and pull up to get them to the ground. There are several ways to start a fight without going for the stomach. If you can go for the feet. They are the most unbalanced part, or you could start with a punch. I would either direct it to the face, ribs or nose. Any questions?" One guy in the back raises his hand.

"How do you block a punch?"

"Jeremy, can I demonstrate on you? Jeremy nods and Cedric helps him off the ground. Jeremy goes for a punch but before it can hit Cedric's face it hits his hand with his forearm. "You have to be quick and confident about it. Flatten your palm and straighten your arm. From here you can twist their arm which gives you a moment of weakness to push them to the ground." Jeremy drops his hand. "Thank you, Jeremy," Cedric says. We give some applause towards him. "Now I will assign you into pairs and you will each practice the techniques I showed you."

"He's way better than Max," Kim says. "He actually might be hotter now." I laugh and shove her shoulder. Once everyone is paired, I realize Cedric hasn't assigned me a partner. I see him looking at me with a clipboard.

"Octavia? Is it?" I nod and walk towards him. "You'll be my partner today since we have an odd amount." Great. Just great. We both step onto the mat while everyone is doing the same with their partners. I put some space between my legs, bend them, and put my arms out.

"Good," he says, examining my position. I watch his eyes across the mat as the intensity grows. My hand curls into a fist and I lunge it towards his face. He steps back and dodges my swing. I use my other arm, but his arm connects with my fist and suddenly his foot connects with my shin and I am face down on the floor.

"You're too slow, you need to be strong with your movements. You want to hurt me. Mean it," he says giving me his hand. I take it and he pulls me up.

"But I don't want to hurt you," I say honestly. He gives me a toothy grin.

"Then fake it. Again." I sigh and get back into position. Come on, Octavia. Mean it. My feet started moving side to side as I moved in to punch his shoulder. He whacks my arm away. I huff in annoyance. I do another one and as he blocks that one, I hit him in the stomach. He recoils for a second and then gets back in position.

"Better." I get a burst of confidence and throw a kick to his side. He definitely wasn't expecting it. I hit his shoulder and he goes down.

"Someone's getting confident," he says as I help him up. Suddenly his arm flies out and hits me in the stomach. I fall back and groan. "But never let your guard down." He holds out his hand and I take it. "Let's go again," he says. In the corner of my eye I see Ava and her partner have stopped to watch Cedric and me. Her arms are crossed and she's glaring at me. A flare of energy heats up on me and now I feel determined to beat Cedric right in front of her face.

We both take our place and pace for a few seconds. Cedric throws his arm towards me. I barely duck just in time to knee him in the stomach. I use my foot and push his body away from me, but it is not enough to make him fall. He's strong. I throw an arm at him and his arm collides with mine. I can feel the icy hot glare coming from Ava. As I'm blocking a punch and I use my leg to hit him in the side. At the same time, I use my hand to create a small puddle of water beneath his foot. In a matter of seconds, he slips and hits the mat. I hear applause around me, and I turn to see Ava rolling her eyes. I smile in victory and hold my hand out to Cedric. I pull him up and see a strange look on his face. He quickly recovers and gives me a light smile. Fear heats up in my chest. Does he suspect anything? That was stupid. I shouldn't have done something so reckless.

"Great job. That's everything for today. Keep practicing," he says and then walks off the mat. He dismisses so quickly I barely catch his words. Everyone starts to leave, and Kim walks up to me.

"You were amazing," she said. I shake my head.

"Nah, I just followed what he was teaching," I say. Kim scoffs.

"Yeah, so was I and I was getting nowhere with my partner. Did you see Ava's face?"

"Yeah," I laugh.

"That was priceless!" She says as we walk into the hallway. "I'm going up to my room, coming with?" I hesitate.

"I think I'm going to practice for a bit longer, but I'll see you at dinner." She nods and walks away. I head into one of the training rooms and get the ball machine out. Since I don't have a person to press the button I stand behind the machine. Works both ways, I guess. I take a breath and press the button. Fire shoots out of my hand and burns one ball. I try again focusing on getting two balls this time. Each time I get closer. Since there is no one around I decide I will test my other powers. I need to practice the rest of my powers so I can equally use them. I go again and this time my hand spits out water and hits two balls. I grin. That's more like it. I practice again and again with water until most of the balls are wet. I then try light. The balls burst open in a yellow light. I still can only get two balls but it's a start. Lastly is my mystery power. Panic rises in me. I hold my hand up and focus on the power building inside. Energy slides under my fingertips. The balls shoot out and suddenly the sound goes out and I feel like I'm in my bathroom again. A black shadow emerges from my hand and disintegrates two balls. It didn't alter the balls like my waterpower did. It destroyed them into dust. The other balls roll away and I am left in shock. Questions surface in my brain, but I am quick to shake them off. I quickly grab the basket for the balls and start to pick them up, trying to forget what just happened. What did just happen?

As I'm picking up the balls, I hear the door open and I stand up and turn around. I'm startled to see Cedric marching towards me. I gasp as he grabs my arms and shoves me into the nearest wall. I search his eyes for mercy, but all I see is anger.

"What are you doing?!" I shriek.

"I know what you did during training," he says getting straight to the point. Color drains from my face. He knows. It's over. Dale should have killed me. I quickly conceal my discomfort and put on a straight face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He presses harder on my arms. I feel his hot skin searing into mine. I start to feel my energy rising under my skin.

"Yes, you do, don't lie to me." I grind my teeth together. I shake my head.

"Dammit Octavia! Don't lie." I can feel my body trembling under his touch.

"Then kill me already! I have nothing to live for. I'm probably going to die here anyway." Cedric looks down in despair. Then back at me.

"I'm not going to kill you. I won't kill an innocent girl," he says, and he means it. Just like Dale did. I can see the sincerity in his eyes. We stare at each other for a moment wondering what to do. Finally, he takes his arms off me and steps back. His expression changes.

"You're right. I have no idea what I'm talking about. I think I mixed you up with someone else." What? "My apologies," he deadpans. He walks out the door and I slide down on the floor. How could I let that happen? He knows now! Was that his way of saying he'll keep my secret? I hope so.

Once I collect myself from Cedric's outburst I head down to the grand hall. Kim is waiting for me at one of the tables and Ava and Jeremy are with her. I almost turn back around. I am really not in the mood to deal with her. I attempt to get my hands to stop trembling, but I only make it worse. I suck in my breath as I near the table.

"Well, well, well," Ava says as I approach the table. "Where have you been?" I sit down and look up at her.

"Training." Ava's smirk grows.

"Good. You need that." I clench my fists.

"Leave her alone Ava," Kim warns. Jeremy looks from the both of us and puts his cup down.

"Or what?" She challenges. Out of the corner of my eye I see Max and Cedric walking into the hall. They are in the uniforms, which is unusual. Why are they dressed up? I hope he hasn't told his brother anything. I've already had encounters with both princes, and neither are worth validating. I need to talk to Dale. My eyes focus back onto Ava who is glaring at me. "See something you like Octavia?" She taunts me.

"Stop talking to me." My teeth grind together.

"What are you going to do about it?" Don't do it. "Huh?" I slam my hands on the table and stand up.

"Shut up!" The grand hall goes quiet and the prince's head turns my way. I meet Cedric's eyes which are full of concern. Ava stands up and Jeremy quickly stands up and faces her.

"Leave it alone," he says. Her eyes pierce through mine. "You're just making yourself look bad," he tells her. I silently thank Jeremy. At least he has some sense in him.

"Make me." I know she's talking to me. She pushes her chair away and walks towards the doors. Everyone slowly goes back to talking and eating. Before I can sit down a loud alarm sounds above. Kim and I cover our ears.

"What the hell?" Kim asks. Everyone starts to get up and head for the doors.

"Come on," I tell her. We quickly follow the crowd through the halls and down a flight of stairs. I have no idea what's going on, but it's scaring me. Kim stands close to me, so we don't lose each other. Before I know it we are underground. Kim makes a noise beside me.

"What?" I ask her.

"I know where we are going. We're going to the arena." She whispers to me.

"Arena?" Kim nods. A frightened look takes over her face as we continue to walk.

"My father used to tell us stories of the arena in the City of Fire. Every few weeks the king and queen would invite everyone from the cities and inside would hold a trial." We turn a corner and approach a cave. "The trials would be for the ones who have committed crimes. The Queen lets you pick: a duel, beheading, or whipping." My stomach drops. Kim notices my look of dismay. "I know. It's awful. Most people encourage it. They say they get what they deserve for being criminals, but there's always a story behind someone who steals or murders someone." I wish my parents told me stories of their time with powers. How could they not? I could have been prepared for all of this. Instead I'm scared and anxious for what is to come.

"So, what do most people choose?" I ask swallowing the lump in my throat.

"It depends on yourself. If you can fight, you choose a duel. It's the most honourable way to die. If you win the duel, you get to leave and never come back. The beheading is the fastest and painless way to die. The whipping might be the worst. If you can withstand pain and be able to look at yourself in the mirror afterwards that's the one to choose." They all sound terrible and painful. How do people put up with this? It's inhumane. They never taught us any of this in school. All I can think is that I can't let myself be put in this arena. This will be my fate if I go down the wrong path. The only wavering question in my mind is: what are we watching tonight?

The arena is huge. Rows upon rows of seats cover the top half of the space. Each color is sectioned off. The Blue's, the Yellow's, and the Red's. Kim and I take our seat in our section. Below us is a platform covered in sand. A large wooden pole stands in the center. Chains hang from it. In front of it is the guillotine. Kim nudges my shoulder towards the King and Queen on their podium in the crowd. The princes follow them and sit in their chairs.

"Looks like a duel. There are no guards on the floor." I look down and see what she means. No one next to the pole or no one with an axe standing by. I breathe a sigh of relief that I won't have to watch that today. They fight to the death, so I will watch someone die today. The crowd starts to quiet when the queen walks up to the microphone. I clench my fits in my hands.

"Welcome, to the first trial of the new year. Today the trial will be a duel using weapons between Travis and one of our top Reds. Travis was caught stealing objects around the castle and auctioning them off in the city." A roar of boos fills the arena as Travis enters from the tunnel. His once blonde hair is now dirty and messy. He looks about my age. I notice strange silver cuffs around each of his wrists.

"What are those things around his wrist?" I ask Kim.

"They block your powers. I've heard they can only be opened with a special magnet."

"And now I am pleased to present Jacob as our candidate to fight today. Thank you, Jacob." The crowd erupts in applause and he walks out. Both seem about the same size. Though Jacob seems more confident to win than Travis. My fingers start to fidget with each other as I start to get nervous. A guard on the floor unchains Travis's chains and hands him a sharp looking blade. Jacob holds one too and looks as if he might tear Travis apart. The guard moves off the floor and I hear the queen through the speakers.

"Let the game begin."

Jacob launches himself at Travis with his knife swinging. Travis ducks and slides under Jacob on the other side of him. The crowd roars as the two males clash together and fight. Their blades scrape together. I don't want to watch, but I force my eyes to watch. Suddenly they are on the floor. They roll around in the sand and Jacob nicks Travis on his arm with his blade. The crowd cheers. Travis flips Jacob over him and he loses his blade. Travis gets up and grabs it. The crowd stops and gasps. Travis now has the up hand with both swords in his hands. Jacob struggles to stand up. The pause for a moment and I swear Kim could hear my heart beating out of my chest because she grabs my hand and squeezes it. Travis launches himself at Jacob. Jacob ducks and uses his feet to carry him across the sand. Travis swings and Jacob ducks and gets behind him. He latches on to his back and tackles him to the ground. The blades are released from his hands while Jacob uses his hands and repeatedly punches Travis. The crowd cheers. Travis is getting the crap beat out of him while his blade lies a foot from him. Blood pours from his face. I watch as he slowly reaches for the blade. I hold my breath and he forcefully plunges it into Jacobs body. The crowd goes silent. Jacob is dead. Travis has won.