Playing the Game

Chapter 13: Perfect Pairing

I hadn't realized how actively I sought the scruffy man's gaze until I was forced to suppress the desire. I turned the corner to meet the rest of the gladiator's at the main gate for the morning's event, chastising my uncooperative stare every time I surveyed the room. I promised myself that I would keep my eyes on the dirt at my feet, only looking at him when it became absolutely necessary. It would be my first real steps towards a clean break.

But I was unsuccessful. My treacherous eyes found his almost immediately.

My feet had no choice but to move forward. Luckily, I still had the sense to grab a guard along the way who was waiting for another pair of fighters to shackle. Despite the crowded room, I didn't want us to have even the illusion of being alone.

I stood next to my Doctore, pushing my foot out closer to his, and then addressed the guard. "We have been selected as partners. If you could please bind us together."

After checking his list of pairings for confirmation, he bent down to shackle our ankles together with a three foot chain between us. He picked up the rest of his shackles and strolled away to find another set of gladiators ready to be bound.

I wished the guard stayed longer. Without really meaning to, I had foolishly trapped myself to the scruffy man for an indefinite amount of time. I could have bided my time until the absolute last possible second, knowing that the limited distance between us would hardly promote conversation while in the arena.

But until our fight began, I was stuck.

We were leaning against the tunnel wall, both forcing ourselves to watch the crowd's interactions just to avoid eye contact with one another. I could tell that he felt uneasy. When he went back to the physician's room last night, he would have noticed my absence. He knew how much I needed him to stay with me as I fought my nightmares, but he left anyways. He knew I would be angry, so he didn't try to seek me out.

Someone else was more important to him.

But he didn't know that I knew that.

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

I didn't want to address it, but my curiosity got the better of me. "You left..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I promised to stay by your side-"

"Where did you go?"

"That's not important."

"It is to me."

"Nowhere. Not really, anyways. I just needed a walk."

"Who did you meet with?"

He was taken back by my question. "I didn't-"

"Let me rephrase that," I corrected, realizing that my blunt question might make him suspicious of how much I really knew, "Who did you see? On your walk..."

"No one in particular; gladiators, guards, and servants. I just wandered the halls."

A lie. He wasn't going to tell me about the Empress. That was meant to be his little secret.

I didn't like it.

Out of spite, I continued my inquiry, "Why do you dislike the Capitol?"

"It's just not my favourite place."

"But why?"

"I just don't. You hate it too."

"For very fair and apparent reasons. Why should a gladiator want to avoid the Capitol? Isn't it part of the job to fight here? This should be your shining light; your castle; your glorious podium; this is where a gladiator calls home."