I dragged my broken body forward and the stares followed.
The press department students looked like starving dogs watching a steak walk past them. Their eyes were practically glowing with eagerness to dash toward me and bombard questions about the reward.
But they held back. Maybe it was the blood drying on my clothes or this broken body and its condition. Maybe they figured this wasn't the right moment. Maybe they pitied the half-dead man stumbling through the arena.
Too bad for them. I was more than eager to answer.
But before I could reach them, a familiar presence cut through the crowd.
Aria marched toward me carrying the same anger she always reserved specifically for my existence.
"Didn't I order you something?"
I looked at her with the most obedient, puppy-eyed expression I could manage. "Yes ma'am. And that's exactly why I'm here."
She said in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
