Scarlet.

XIV

"Trained to Win."

About three days after I started training again, I was awakened by loud thunder and what sounded like pounding at my front door. I had no intentions of going out, and I didn't know how to tell Ares that, but I figured he would notice my absence at the Practice Center.

The weather was terrible, and my body was in considerable pain. I was in no mood to train, let alone talk to him. I had lost my skills after the Games, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't embarrassed about it.

Initially, I thought the knocking on the door was a figment of my imagination, but it became increasingly insistent with each passing minute. The storm raged outside, my room was dark, and there was no sign of Ravus anywhere. I wrapped my body in a robe and lazily made my way to the entrance, gripping a knife in my right hand. When I opened the door, the rainwater splashed against my face, but I could recognize Ares standing on the threshold.

"What are you doing here?" I yelled to make myself heard over the thunder. "It's seven in the morning!"

"Somehow I knew that I wouldn't find you at the Practice Center today," he replied, shrugging as if the storm didn't bother him at all. "Get dressed; we're running late."

"No." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "See you tomorrow."

"Clove, stop acting like you have a choice."

I wasn't sure if he knew I would volunteer, although it was probably somewhat obvious.

"I mean it, Ares, I'm not in the mood today," I said, my lips tightening as I gripped the knife firmly. "Don't push it."

"Alright, no pushing," he said, and a strong gust of wind tousled his dark hair. "But remember why you started training in the first place; you don't have much time."

His words snapped me back to reality. I wasn't training for fun; I had to go back to the arena. Yet, it also made me think that I should make the most of those few moments of peace that I had left, like sleeping in on a rainy day.

His dark eyes watched me expectantly as I pondered my decision. In the end, I stood my ground and didn't step outside, but I invited him in because the way back to the academy was long, and the storm showed no signs of letting up. Ares hesitated at first, but when a loud rumble shook the ground beneath our feet, he had no other choice.

Staying home was the best idea I could ever have because my body desperately needed some rest. It was a bit awkward at first, as neither of us spoke much, but somehow, we ended up sharing stories and laughing about our tragic pasts. It was the first time I had laughed in months. The rain continued to pour outside, and the world felt distant and forgotten as we immersed ourselves in a card game as old as the district itself.

"Won't you get in trouble?" I asked once the clock chimed noon.

"We're allowed one day off a week, though I don't usually take it. I'll talk to my commander," he replied, keeping his eyes on his cards. "I'll come up with something, but I don't think there will be much of a problem, especially with the Oath Ceremony so close and everything that's happening in the district right now."

At that moment, Ares realized he might have said too much. He pretended as if nothing had happened, but I wouldn't pass up the chance to uncover a few things. I knew the situation was somewhat tense because of what happened with Marjorie, but I didn't know much since no one talked to us.

The victors had been completely isolated from the rest of the population, and the only person who seemed unfazed by it was Ares, who hadn't distanced himself from us at all. The rest of his colleagues kept a good distance, and I began to wonder if they hadn't sent him just to keep an eye on us, to find out what was happening in the village. But when I realized that he wasn't asking intrusive questions and didn't seem to care about the matter, I forgot about it.